Scrapper leaned back slightly, tentacles resting along the chair.
"As an inventor in Calamity Table..."
"I often worked with her, building weapons for the organization."
Saito nodded slowly, processing.
"I see..."
Shiro folded his hands atop the table.
"So, as everyone here now knows Noxus..."
"Let's begin."
Before he could continue—
Saito's eyes narrowed slightly.
A strong, unfamiliar aura pulsed somewhere nearby.
He turned toward the entrance instinctively.
Alpha glanced up, unfazed.
"Took you long enough..."
"Hashima."
The doors opened.
A man stepped inside, dressed in traditional samurai attire, a sheathed sword resting at his hip.
He offered a confident grin.
"Oh, I made it in time, didn't I?"
His gaze shifted toward Saito, studying him with clear interest.
"You must be Blue Scarf..."
"Saito."
He tilted his head.
"Heard quite a few rumors about you."
Saito rose from his seat, extending a hand.
"Hey there."
"I'm Saito."
Hashima clasped his hand firmly, grinning wider.
"Hashima."
"Nice to meet you."
Rin leaned toward Kaito, muttering under his breath.
"Guy's got quite the entrance."
Kaito smirked slightly, watching the exchange with interest.
Shiro gestured toward the newcomer.
"Saito, this is Hashima."
"Another member of Balance Table, like us."
Saito nodded, studying him with interest.
"I see."
Shiro continued.
"Also the leader of the Red Sun gang."
Saito's eyes lit up slightly.
Hashima crossed his arms, smirking knowingly.
"I'm guessing you're wondering why we dress like samurai."
Saito chuckled.
"Now that you mention it..."
"Yeah, actually."
Hashima puffed his chest out proudly.
"This is our identity, of course."
"Every warrior needs a bit of style."
Before Saito could respond—
Another figure stepped forward, dressed in matching samurai attire, expression stern.
"Lord Hashima."
"We're not here to chat."
Hashima waved a dismissive hand.
"Jeez..."
"Chill out, man."
He gestured toward Saito.
"Saito, this is my right-hand man."
"Makuto."
Saito extended a friendly hand.
"Hey there."
Makuto simply gave a curt nod, arms remaining folded, expression unreadable.
Saito hovered awkwardly for a beat before slowly retracting his hand.
"...Okay then."
Rin snickered quietly from his seat.
Bomb leaned toward Fanny, whispering.
"Tough crowd."
Shiro straightened, glancing around the table.
"Now that our reinforcement has arrived..."
"We can continue."
He turned toward Hashima.
"I take it you already know about this from our leader?"
Hashima nodded, dropping into his seat with a relaxed sigh.
"Yeah..."
"Sector X."
He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck.
"Been a while since I've jumped into a real fight."
He smirked.
"My skills must be getting rusty."
Makuto, standing rigidly behind him, spoke without hesitation.
"Your skills are never rusty, Lord Hashima."
Hashima waved him off lazily.
"Yeah, yeah..."
"I know, I know."
Saito snorted, leaning toward Kaito.
"Is he always like this?"
Kaito shrugged, smirking.
"We just met him too."
Fanny giggled quietly, watching the exchange with amusement.
"I like him already."
Bomb grinned.
"Same."
Shiro cleared his throat, drawing their attention back.
"Alright..."
He gestured toward the map spread across the table.
"Let's discuss the plan."
Shiro leaned forward, tapping the table.
"Anyway..."
"This isn't just about fighting Noxus."
"We also need to rescue a Balance Table asset."
"Our scientist, Yin."
Saito nodded, absorbing the information.
Hashima's brow furrowed.
"Wait..."
"I thought we already sent Yin to his lab under escort."
Alpha's expression darkened slightly.
"We did."
"Unfortunately..."
He paused, jaw tightening.
"One of the escorts turned out to be working with Sector X."
Hashima's eyes narrowed, understanding dawning.
Alpha continued.
"So to rescue Yin..."
"We have no choice but to infiltrate their lab directly."
Shiro folded his hands.
"But that won't be easy."
"We're not just facing Noxus."
"We're facing every scientist under Sector X's command."
Alpha nodded grimly.
"And she has men under her as well."
Hashima cracked his knuckles, a dark smirk forming.
"A sick bunch, too, from what I've heard."
Saito's expression hardened, leaning forward.
"Great."
"So basically..."
He glanced around the table.
"We're walking straight into enemy territory, outnumbered, to save a hostage from a group that's already fooled us once."
Rin smirked.
"When you put it that way..."
"Sounds like a normal Tuesday for us."
The table shared a brief round of tense laughter before falling back into focused silence.
Shiro rose from his seat.
"So..."
"That concludes our meeting."
Saito blinked, glancing around.
"Wow..."
"That might be the shortest meeting I've ever sat through."
Shiro offered a small smile.
"We'll continue at Hashima's place."
Hashima nodded, stretching his arms.
Alpha's cane tapped once against the floor.
"We'll meet you there."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving barely a trace behind.
Saito blinked, staring at the empty spot.
"...Okay, that's still creepy every time."
Hashima chuckled, standing up and adjusting his sword.
"Let's go, Blue Scarf."
Saito raised an eyebrow.
"Go where, exactly?"
Hashima grinned.
"I figured it's about time we get to know each other properly, don't you think?"
He crossed his arms.
"So, when do you want us to pick you up?"
Saito rubbed the back of his neck, thinking.
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Me and my crew need to pack our things first."
Hashima nodded easily.
"Sure thing."
"Tomorrow morning, then."
With a small wave, he turned and left, Makuto following silently behind him.
Saito watched them go, a small grin forming.
"Huh..."
"Pretty nice guy, that samurai."
Shiro chuckled beside him.
"Yep."
"He's a funny one, that Hashima."
He gave a small nod toward the group.
"I'll see you all there."
Then he too made his exit, leaving Saito and his crew standing in the now-quiet warehouse.
Saito stretched his arms, glancing toward his crew.
"Alright, guys."
"Let's head back to Lorum Village."
"We've got some packing to do."
The crew made their way toward the carriage, chatting and laughing amongst themselves as they set off, the evening sun casting long shadows over the road, ready for whatever awaited them next.
The carriage rolled up to Lorum Village's gate—
But something was off.
The streets were packed, villagers crowding along the path leading toward the mansion, murmuring excitedly amongst themselves.
Saito leaned out the window, brow furrowed.
"What's going on?"
The crew stepped out, weaving through the crowd, curiosity mounting with every step.
Then Saito spotted them.
Standing near the mansion entrance — Marquis, Martha, and Aria, chatting casually with Takashi as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"King Marquis?!"
Bomb blinked, stunned.
"What's he doing here?"
Alya and Fanny exchanged a glance—
Then both broke into grins.
"Martha!"
They rushed forward together.
Martha spotted them instantly, her face lighting up.
"There you guys are!"
She pulled both of them into a tight hug, laughing.
"I missed you two!"
Fanny squeezed her back.
"We were just gone a few days!"
"Feels longer, though."
Martha pulled back, beaming.
Saito approached, still slightly bewildered, glancing between the royal family and the excited crowd surrounding them.
"Okay, seriously..."
He looked toward Marquis.
"Your Highness, what brings you all the way to Lorum Village?"
Marquis chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well..."
"I'm here to establish an official alliance."
"We need a proper treaty this time."
He sighed.
"Darren got on my case about it."
"Said we couldn't keep relying on a handshake and good faith forever."
Saito laughed.
"Sounds like Darren, alright."
He glanced around.
"Speaking of which, how is he?"
Aria smiled warmly.
"He's doing fine."
"Recovering well, thanks to your healers."
Saito let out a relieved breath.
"Good. Really good to hear."
Before he could continue—
"Saito."
He froze.
Takashi's voice carried a distinct edge.
Saito turned slowly, forcing a nervous smile.
"Y-yes, Takashi?"
Takashi crossed his arms, adjusting his glasses with a pointed stare.
"You need to tell me..."
"Before the King of Roma City just shows up unannounced."
Saito raised both hands defensively.
"Hey, hey, in my defense—"
"I had no idea His Highness was coming today either!"
Takashi's expression didn't budge.
"I had to scramble the entire village to prepare a proper welcome in under an hour."
Saito winced.
"...Okay, that's fair."
Marquis chuckled heartily at the exchange.
"Apologies for the surprise."
He gave a small, amused bow toward Takashi.
"I promise, next time, we'll send word ahead."
Takashi sighed, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"See that you do, Your Highness."
The crowd around them erupted into warm laughter, the tension melting into the lively, welcoming atmosphere of the village.