A ball of dark, flowing mass crept into a large building, then suddenly collapsed, flattening like a puddle of water.
Lying in that puddle, her body stained with black fluids, was Gypsy, who stared at the overhead ceiling with an annoyed look on her face.
"That was disgusting!" she spat, sitting up straight.
"You should be thanking me, not whining like a kid." A gruff voice came from below her.
Gypsy glared down at the puddle, but it just stared back blankly at her.
Then after a few seconds…
"Get off you, you're going to squish whatever life I have left," said the blob.
Gypsy sighed and rolled to the side, too tired to stand. The blob then, to her surprise, coalesced together into a humanoid shape.
Although he now looked humanoid, the blob was still pitch black, like he had been a few seconds ago.
But after a short while, he began to change.
His skin was ashen, like leftovers from burned wood, and he had long, sleek black hair of the same colour.
The blob was breathing heavily, sweat beading down his face as he stared at the ground. He also seemed to be in pain, as he was adjusting his posture to favour a part of his abdomen.
Gypsy whistled when she saw him. "When was the last time I saw you in that form, Muri?"
As long as he had enough strength, Muri could maintain his slime for as long as he wanted without issue.
"That kid must have done a number on you." Gypsy smirked.
"That witch is not a child! Don't ever make that mistake, or you'll surely regret it." He bit back, a bit of irritation in his voice.
"Is that so…" Gypsy teased, which caused his temper to flare.
"If I remember well, didn't I rescue you from that godforsaken place? You would be sleeping in some Japanese cell if not for me."
Gypsy's eyes narrowed slightly and she shifted, standing from the floor and wiping her body.
Although Muri felt she was silent because he had hit her in a sore spot, it was not really the case.
She simply did not know how to respond…
The girl she had fought had left her with a few questions that had not left her mind. And when Gypsy fought her, it was as if she was fighting a version of herself.
Before she could give it any more thought, a third person stepped into the space.
Both Gypsy and Muri turned in their direction. Muri clicked his tongue, while Gypsy fought the urge to roll her eyes.
Instead, she smiled. "Zenith, this is quite the surprise. Are you watching us now?"
The woman in front of them was like a sentinel. She was tall with a strong build, yet she was just as shapely as any bombshell.
Her hair, platinum blonde, was short and curly, barely reaching her shoulders. It was slightly covering the salamander tattoo on her neck, which Gypsy found cute, but her eyes…
They were cold, unnecessarily cold considering she was staring down at her 'allies.'
Zenith was levitating just above the floor as though the ground was unfit to bear her weight, her long coat fluttering by her sides as she folded her hands across her chest.
"Another failure, huh?" she spat, her voice humorless.
Gypsy's face unconsciously settled into a frown, and Zenith did not like that very much.
Zenith's eyes immediately shot in her direction, her finger lifting slightly from where it was resting on her arm.
She realised her mistake a little too late. 'Shit!'
Crash!
Suddenly, Gypsy collapsed to the ground, a heavy weight pressing down on her shoulder.
"Ack—!" Gypsy gasped, feeling as though her entire body was about to burst.
Zenith stared at her, emotionless, as she applied more pressure.
The ground cracked, the house trembling as Gypsy's vision blurred from the pain.
But before she could succumb to the darkness, Muri spoke out. "The father won't be happy if you kill her, you know that, right? He likes to keep his toys intact."
Zenith stared at him and frowned, applying a good deal of pressure before the pressure finally lessened, allowing Gypsy to gasp for breath, still on the floor.
Blood began to flow down her face, colouring her vision red. But Gypsy did not utter a word of complaint.
Zenith looked in the other direction. "Remember your place, 'princess.'"
"So what are you here for? Do we have new orders?" Muri asked in a relaxed manner as he watched her.
Zenith took some time to respond.
"Our relationship with the commission has been strained as per account of your failure."
"Stand by. The father will decide how we proceed after today."
She turned to leave when Muri asked her one more question.
"What about the girl? Is that operation still a go?"
Zenith's face twisted in visible disgust, the first real emotion since she had arrived.
"As I said, stand by. Xian is a sensitive case."
•••
When Tsumi told Kyle to buy her dinner, he expected her to pick out a fancy restaurant somewhere in the centre of town.
She was among the top brass in Musutafu City after all, any less would have been subpar.
Thankfully, he had a little leftover cash from building the new branch, which had barely drained him.
But to his surprise, the coordinates she punched in led to a small ramen shack on the other side of town.
The place was clean and modest, and an old man smiled when he saw her approach.
"Ahh, it's been a long time, Kato-chan. When was the last time you came here? A few months?" he asked in a scratchy voice.
Tsumi seemed slightly embarrassed for whatever reason, and quickly settled into her seat.
"Oh, and who is the young man?" The old man then stared at both Kyle and Tsumi, his gaze alternating between them.
"Ah! Don't tell me, is he the brother you always complain about? I thought he—"
"Uhum!" Tsumi cleared her throat, silencing the old man.