The atmosphere was dangerous.
All the terrifying criminals that assembled in this big room made it like that.
"My name is Yemon."
The fox masked man introduced himself in front of the criminals that he invited over.
"Though you all already know about it."
Yemon tried to lift the heavy mood from all the glares of the scary personnel. However, the white-hooded man was impatient.
"Now, can you tell me exactly why you brought all of these people in here along with me?"
"Why are you in a hurry? Calm down and relax."
The white hooded man stayed silent as Yemon said. He continued to make the surrounding a bit more comfortable if possible.
So what better ways are there than to start with introductions?
Yemon decided in his head and announced the actions they would take collectively as a group.
"How about we all introduce ourselves. You all don't know each other well and since I need all of your cooperations, chemistry is important. Who is going to start?"
They all looked at each other in the eye, not breaking the silence. Seeing that no one stepped up, Yemon took control.
"I see that no one here is sociable. Then I am going to choose randomly."
He scanned and thought that it was a good idea to start with someone with an easy-going attitude.
"Jo, how about you?"
"Me?...Well okay then."
He coughed and addressed himself.
"As you all already know, I am commonly known as Jo. I am 23 years old and I am from Fukuoka."
Yemon intervened and added, "His real name is Morikawa Kata-"
"H-Hey!! What are you doing revealing my real name!?"
"What's the point? We are all going to be friends and partners after all."
Jo with a frustrated expression, showed his doubt, "We don't know about that. I am not sure if they all have the same intention."
They all looked at Jo and seem to agree silently with his talk. In the end, they are all criminals who are here for their own benefits.
However, Yemon reassured Jo and everyone else that it will definitely go that way.
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything."
"..." Jo silently nodded.
"Okay, as I was saying, his real name is Morikawa Katashi. Listen carefully, from now on, everyone will refer to others by their nicknames and not real names, got it?"
"""....."""
Everyone was silent but some of them nodded.
"I'll take that as a yes. Then next, how about you."
Yemon pointed at the white-hooded man. He hesitated to open his mouth when he introduced himself.
"...The media calls me Gui.....My real name is Oda Saburo. I am 26 years old."
The other noted and remembered his name. Yemon again intervened.
"Since the public knows how 'Gui' looks like, then there is no need for that mask, right?"
".....Right?"
Gui took it off, revealing his fair skin with good facial features.
Jo scoffed which made Gui retaliate immediately.
"You still do not have the right to be laughing here. Take off that mask and be a man. What's the point of concealing your face if you have already told us your name, right?"
Gui glanced at Yemon trying to make him side with him. Yemon saw nothing wrong with what he said so he supported Gui.
"Since they all know your name, it is not difficult to search and discover your face."
"......If you say so."
Jo put both his hand on his clown mask and proceeded to take it off.
"...?"
"..."
Everyone was alerted by Jo's face. Even Gui, who would slander his mask and actual face, was speechless.
"What happened?" Jo teased Gui with a smirk, "Cat got your tongue?"
Jo had a young and good-looking face. Every part of his facial features was appropriate. He could have been considered as handsome as an idol according to Japan's beauty standards.
There was a slight silence because no one expected Jo to be so good looking despite his playful and rude attitude.
Gui turned away and said, "Whatever..."
Jo had a grin that will be difficult to make disappear. He had won this fight against Gui.
He ruffled through his black hair gently and beckoned Yemon to continue the introductory phase.
"Who's next then."
"I'll go." Shi was the one that took the rein to speak.
"Hello everyone. My real name is Naito Noboru. Nickname is Shi and I am 28 years old."
As always, Jo interrupted Shi and supported his claims that he put forward earlier.
"So you really were an old man!"
"I am only 5 years older than you! How am I old?"
"5 years is a lot and many things can happen."
"Like being mature which you are not!"
Yemon stopped the verbal fight by yelling at both Jo and Shi.
"Stop arguing!"
There were no more words that exited their mouth. Then, Yemon told Jin to pick up after Shi introduced himself.
"Personally, I don't think that I need to introduce since I am popular. But I am going to do it anyway because Yemon said so."
He picked up his voice so that everyone could hear clearly.
"My name is Jin Yuudai. My nickname is 'Omocha'. It is quite unsuitable if I do say so myself."
Omocha is the literal meaning of 'toy' in the japanese language. The media truly has a questionable naming sense. Calling a serial killer a 'toy' seems to be laughable.
However, there was more than that. The media did not just name Jin that. They had another perspective on his case.
"Okay, so next will be.....how about you, lady?"
He pointed with his eyes to the woman with the short jeans and red shirt. She kept her mouth shut, not sure if she should join the flow.
She was worried about her identity getting revealed to a bunch of strangers, but they also divulge their real names. They were pretty much in the same situation as her.
"Go on, we are waiting." Yemon pushed for some answers.
She closed her eye for some moment then replied.
"I am Mara and I am 25 years old."
"Okay." Yemon was happy with her response.
However, some were not.
"Wait that's it? You did not even ask her for her real name." Gui protested.
"Yeah, what the hell?"
This was the first thing that Gui and Jo agreed on something similar ever since they met.
Mara was giving them the looks. Yemon though gave a reason for her limited information.
"No one amongst the public knows who Mara's real name is, including me. So if she wanted to, she can decide to not disclose her name."
"Then what about me!?" Jo was furious.
"That, I know your name. You informed me yourself."
"Unwillingly, yes!!"
"Don't mind the small details."
Yemon shrugged the matter off and moved on to the next person. Jo was ignored and left feeling helpless.
Next was the small figure that was leaning on the wall, in the corner of the room.
His head lifted a bit and observed his surroundings. His black eyes fell on Yemon who was waiting for him to introduce.
With a faint and muffled voice, through his black mask, he uttered the following phrase.
"...My name is Gello."
"Hah? I can't hear you. Speak louder."
As Gui demanded Gello to increase his voice's volume, Gello aimed his sight at Gui for a brief moment before repeating.
This time, a bit louder, "My name is Gello."
Shi's eyebrows twitched upon hearing his nickname. His face was changing to grim.
Jo again protested to Yemon.
"I am guessing you don't know his age, do you?"
"He did not tell me." Yemon casually replied.
Jo was again feeling dumb. His respect for Yemon has diminished at this moment. Nonetheless, Yemon did not really care about that.
So he glanced to his left and beckoned the girl with the rabbit mask to talk.
"...M-My name is Uchiyama...Emi. Also known as...Lumen. I am 20 years old..."
She took off her mask and revealed her red hair with her pretty face.
"Hoo~" Jin was impressed with how she looked.
He even wondered if Yemon wanted to gather a group of good-looking criminals, male and female.
Anyway, he then looked to his right and told the boy with the anonymous mask to proceed.
"My name is Virus and I am 17 years old."
"17 years old!?"
Shi was shocked. The young age terrified him that such a person could enter this dangerous world.
"You are 17 and you are a criminal!?"
Virus nonchalantly replied to Shi.
"I do not consider myself a criminal if the work I do is for fun."
"Wha-?"
Shi was baffled at the attitude of Virus. He was not okay for someone to be a criminal just for fun.
He was about to scold Virus but Jo interrupted Shi.
"Hey, are you that famous hacker who hacked into multiple banks at the same time?"
"Yup, that is definitely me."
"Woah..."
Jo was content to see the Virus in the flesh. He had heard about the tales of his misdeeds and that amazes him.
Multiple crimes and impossible jobs that nobody could think of being able to accomplish, Virus does it with his hacking skills.
Such was one of his extraordinary act where multiple banks were hacked simultaneously, which caused havoc amongst the populace of Japan.
The man responsible, was just a 17 year old, looking for fun.
It was unbelievable.
*Clap!* *Clap!*
Yemon got everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that we all know each other's name, let's discuss about the more important stuff."
"Like telling us why are we here in the first place?" Gui was restless so he wanted answers fast.
"We are getting to that. As I already said, no need to worry."
Yemon reached into his pocket and grabbed something. As he took out what he grasped, many eyebrows raised.
Moreover, Jin suddenly made a surprised gesture.
"A Pielser?"
The device that Yemon was holding onto is definitely what Jin assumed it to be.
Yemon responded to Jin like he anticipated for him to know.
"I see that you recognize this device. As expected from an ex SMF soldier."
Well, the public knew that Jin Yuudai, an SMF soldier has gone rogue and became a notorious serial killer.
The fact that this Jin was a former SMF soldier shows how much strength, physically and mentally, that he has. That is why most people are afraid of him.
".....Why do you have that?"
For the others present in the room, no one knew exactly what this device was or what it was capable of that Jin Yuudai himself was astonished.
Only 3 people knew. Yemon, Jin and Virus.
Yemon ignored Jin for the moment and showed it to everyone else.
"This device, the Pielser can detect who is a Magic-User and who is not."
They were surprised as well. They did not know that such a device even existed. Now they know why Jin was astounded by the fact that Yemon had it in his possession.
Yemon pointed the antenna part of the Pielser to Shi. He was the first test subject of this device's function.
He pressed a button and a strong signal was displayed on the screen of the Pielser.
It was distorted and very much showed the presence of a Magic-User.
Shi inquired about the signal, "What does this mean?"
"It means that you are a Magic-User, no doubt about that."
".....That's.....quite the invention."
"Fantastic isn't it?"
Yemon then went around and used it on everyone.
Each time he pressed the button, the signal displayed was always strong.
After he has tested it on the others, he returned to his original place and announced.
"As you can see, you are all Magic-Users who have been assembled here. I did not randomly choose a criminal to be invited here."
Despite saying that, Gui confronted Yemon and the device's capabilities.
"Are you are not screwing with us? I mean whenever you turn that on, it always shows the same signal. Hey, Jin, are you sure that this Pielser or whatever is actually a Magic-user device, or it is just a scam to make us believe this bullshit?"
"....." Jin stayed quiet.
But not Yemon. He was not fazed by Gui's baseless accusations. Instead, he proved it to him immediately.
"Then look at this."
He pointed the Pielser at himself and then pressed the button.
"..."
Nothing. Just a flat line was shown on the screen.
"See? That means I am not a Magic User. This is the truth."
Gui was forced to be silent about that matter. Everyone except Yemon was a Magic-User.
*Cough*
"As I was saying, you were all specifically chosen for this mission."
Mara pushed Yemon for an answer when she heard the word 'mission'.
"What mission?"
Since the beginning of their encounter with Yemon, they wondered what mission he was spouting to them in exchange for anything they desired.
What mission was THAT important, that he had to make promises like this?
To that, Yemon lifted his hand and grabbed his fox mask.
Then, the mask came off, revealing the face of a handsome black-haired man. He sneered evilly as he declared.
"We are going to steal some shit."