“So that’s what happened,” Naohiko grunted as his wife caressed his head. Manon Nishizawa came to see her beloved daughter. “All that complication for no reason.”

  “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have brought her along with me,” Kayne responded respectfully and with much self-pity. Kayne and Lauri sat before the short table, sitting on their knees. Far from the shoji door were the Executives and Able’s crew. That Kayne had a lot of questions for.

  Naohiko rolled his eyes at the boy, “It’s not your fault, kid. It’s Jason’s, you had no idea he would be there.”

  “And we all make some foolish decisions when we’re in-love,” Naohiko sharply looked at his daughter that looked away in shame.

  “Thank you for protecting my daughter,” Manon said with her motherly warmth.

  Kayne’s heart fluttered at such a genuine feeling, avoiding eye contact as he responded, “It… is my responsibility.”

  “So, do you plan to continue your relationship?” Naohiko immediately went to his next question. He was itching to ask it.

  “What?” Lauri and Kayne tensed up, not wanting to face that reality so soon.

  “Lynn is dating the emperor, that is already beneficial for the Red Pandas,” Naohiko explained himself. Of course, his goals were centered around money. “And if you start dating the detective with most potential on this continent, my pockets will never bleed!”

  “Dad… Lynn isn’t dating Peaches to stuff your bank account,” Lauri reprimanded her father in embarrassment.

  “It sure as hell is a great bonus for me though,” Naohiko slammed his hand on the table in glee. “The Court is flowing with money!”

  “I apologize about my husband’s behavior,” Manon pinched Naohiko’s ear and made him calm down. To which he reluctantly agrees, “He tries his best to maintain the safety of our family.”

  “But, I’m curious too,” Manon may have no powers since Naohiko protected her but, she was still intimidating. There was a glint in her glasses, “What do you two plan to do from now.”

  After a bit of silence and thinking, Kayne dying of from his flustered mind. Lauri finally broke the silence, “We are… friends with benefits.”

  “I don’t think I heard that quite well,” Manon asked, her parents skeptic about the first sounds.

  “We’re friends with benefits,” Lauri said more boldly, which she forced. Kayne surprisingly released a sigh of relief.

  “What… What happened to you?” Naohiko couldn’t believe his ears. He thought he was going to have a stroke.

  “Oh to be so young, I am glad for the both of you,” Manon seemed to accept this relationship. Which worsen Naohiko’s confusion.

  “Is your Genius causing this? What Genius is this? What is happening?” Naohiko wanted to examine his daughter to see if something is actually wrong. “I should call Sharpay in to examine you.”

  “No, Dad, this is my decision… I have my reasons for it,” Lauri went back to her shy self. Avoiding eye contact once more. “They’re just too embarrassing to say…”

  “I support them,” Manon announced her opinion loudly. While looking at Naohiko.

  “But, baby,” He wanted to argue about it but, Manon kept staring at him. He sighed, “Fine, but I won’t let my beloved daughter be in this situation without protection.”

  “Lauri Nishizawa, Kayne Mauter, bow and give a prayer to the family heirloom,” Naohiko and Manon got out of the way and allowed them to come. Kayne learnt that he should never disrespect any religious belief, so he agreed with it. “Promise that when you are available, you will be there for each other emotionally and physically.”

  “Not as lovers,” Naohiko continued the covenant while they bowed to the sheathed katana on display. “But for Security and Comfort.”

  They got up and bowed to the heirloom once again, “We thank the ancestor.”

  “Now get out of here, I need to wrap my head around this,” Naohiko ran them out while Manon gave them kisses on the cheek goodbye.

  They walked down the corridor in silence for a bit. Both extremely flustered about what happened. While more conflicting feelings radiated in Kayne’s heart.

  “I guess… I should tell you why I choose that…” Lauri spoke up first again. “I owe you that at least.”

  “Yeah… I’d like to know,” Kayne was confused by her reasons. He remembered what they did clearly but, he found himself repulsive. Why would she choose to be that with him.

  “I just feel like there’s so much more of this world to see,” She touched the wall and a white snake sprung from it. “When I became a monster, I could feel this energy around me. An energy that was calling me out to be… stronger?”

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  “I feel like a relationship would hold me down from finding my power,” She took her hand of the wall, and the snake instantly died. Looking up at Kayne, “I feel like there’s much more of this monstrous world to see.”

  “But,” She stopped him in his tracks. Cornered him by the wall and aggressively kissed him, to which Kayne didn’t resist. Stepping back with a sly grin, “I am still curious about you.”

  “I…. I can’t deny it…” Kayne felt intense emotion, unable to hide his grin. Even traces of dust could be seen swirling around him. “Since I like it too…”

  What they were unaware of, was Emilia and Evelyn watching from the corner. Emilia with a raging expression and Evelyn with an amused smile.

  Kayne and Lauri bent the corner and faced Able’s crew.

  “Bryant?” Kayne recognized the Representative’s son immediately and was confused, “What are you doing here?”

  “I just happened to be the right guy at the right time,” Bryant responded slyly. Kayne noticed that he was dodging the question. Bryant continued to distract him, “Did you see the mercenary chicks here? They are so hot.”

  “Lauri! Can you use your powers now?” Evelyn excitedly ran to her sister and embraced her. “I feel like we’re finally in a Shounen manga!”

  “Yes but, I can only do the basics,” Seeing that they were around friends, she knew she couldn’t keep clinging to Kayne. Lauri placed her hand on the ground and made a sizeable snake to which she sat on.

  “At least yours can do damage, all I can do is this,” Evelyn opened an astral portal beneath her and exited through another above.

  “Yours is way more versatile than mine though,” Lauri sighed. As she got off the snake it instantly died. Crumbling back into the earth.

  “What are you gonna name yours?” Evelyn asked her sister, she thought of a name for her portal a long time ago.

  “Do we have to name them?” Lauri asked, she didn’t have bright ideas for it since all she could do was make snakes.

  “Yeah, Peaches said it’ll make them stronger… Plus it’ll be so cool to shout it like how they do in anime!” Evelyn’s inner nerd was bubbling out, so glad to be introduced to this monstrous world. “I named mine Nayotake, based off my Genius.”

  “I don’t know my Genius… so…” She summoned a black snake and a white snake, with opposite-colored eyes. They curled around each other and Lauri felt a strange symbolism from that. “I’ll name mine Serpentine.”

  “You guys got a lot to learn, don’t assume your powers are so simple,” Peaches gave them hopes for the future, “Plus you got a great teacher like me.”

  “Get your head out of your ass,” Evelyn rolled her eyes, she was glad he was back in her life again.

  “Did you notice that?” Able came to Peaches after observing Lauri’s power.

  “I was gonna ask you about it after,” Peaches became serious since Able brought the topic to him.

  Able nodded, “Her powers are just like mine…”

  “I read about the purple void you wield… It’s this universe’s truest destroyer,” Tristan came to Kayne and spoke, recalling the fight he had with Franz. “I want to study it.”

  It’s not the first-time people had been interested in it but, Kayne knew it was too dangerous. Even for himself. “I can’t, I don’t know how to control it and even so it’s still dangerous…”

  “I know well that it’s dangerous… That isn’t stopping my research,” Tristan had an adamant expression on his face. His knowledge mattered the most to him.

  “How is Franz...?” Kayne tried to change the topic, which he did awkwardly. “Is he still alive?”

  “Yeah, no thanks to you,” Emilia rolled her eyes at him. Kayne noticed that from when he came, she was standing close to him. Very close, as if she could stand his presence. To his confusion since he thought she hated him. “Sharpay patched him up as per usual.”

  “Did I do something wrong to you…” Kayne asked, he knew he was repulsive, but he thought there was something more to it.

  “Take a lucky guess, since you like kis-!” She held her mouth before she continued rambling off. Her face bright red and stuffing it into his arm. Kayne was more confused but, didn’t move from her.

  “Able…” Kayne decided to talk to his friend, who he hasn’t seen in a long time. “What are you doing here?”

  “The same as you,” Able impishly responded, it’s been a while since they interacted.

  “You were sent on a mission… to kill?” Kayne responded, upon the crew hearing that they went silent.

  “No… we were just pulled into another sad mess,” Able dodged his question perfectly. Kayne couldn’t ask more.

  “Yo, kid,” The executives of Red Panda mercenaries came marching up to them. Elijah being the one who called out to Kayne, “We wanted to give you your credits before you left.”

  Elijah smirked, placing his hands on his hips, “You’re one of the best detectives we’ve seen in a while… Just like Gisseupe.”

  Kayne’s heart fluttered. These people were close to his mentor, and he couldn’t say it. Or else it would hurt his heart more.

  As they walked together, you can tell that they were no regular monsters. They were trained till they bled. To be worthy of Naohiko’s mercenaries. Forged to murder yet to understand lost. Mercenaries of the higher bidder, Elijah Roth, Sharpay Bruce, Keizer Riggs and Josina Keizer.

  “You’re strong kid…” Keizer came up him and commented. Still having his menacing expression, “Just know I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

  “All of you brats nowadays are so strong!” A brunette woman yelled in an eccentric mannered, she had a strange animal tied to her by a chain. It gnawed at the chain but, it couldn't break free from it. She grinned with a maddened craze, “Zhang and Wei would love to fight you!”

  Kayne had a slight gulp when he heard 'Wei', Lauri was waiting for his reaction and smirked.

  “You might have beaten up my boy but, that’s fine,” Sharpay ruffled the tall man’s hair. Tipping to do so. She smiled, “You’re the change that the Confederation needs.”

  In that moment, Kayne Mauter came to a realization. If he were to fill Gisseupe’s shoes, the ones around him will be trampled by them. So, he would fill his own.

  “This big idiot can’t go back empty handed on a mission,” Able reminded them. If Kayne were to return with no proof of completing his mission, they would raid the Red Panda District.

  “I have an idea,” Sharpay summoned a strange capsule in her hands. Cutting the fingertips of all the executives, she used their blood to make three monstrous heads. “This should do.”

  Taking them in hand, he assumed they could work. Kayne would just tell that they made a monster out of the executive’s powers.

  “I still have a lot of questions to ask,” Kayne voiced. There was so much he needed to know. It was the first in a long time that he left a mission without slaughtering everyone.

  “Save them for another time,” Able sighed and ran him off. “We’re definitely gonna meet again.”

  Lauri and Emilia came to Kayne and held his hands, “Stay safe.”

  Nodding to them goodbye with a conflicting feeling in his heart, he protruded his wings and soared off. Tearing through the winds and arriving at the Confederation Quarters, he left the bleeding monster heads on Count Earl’s desk and left. Ruining the documents he had on there.

  Without a second thought, he went home.

  Wanting to clear his head of such a rushed day.