Fritz, Christina, and Betty were all relaxing in their free time. They were trying to find new tactics.
"We should get someone strong on our team. Is that okay with you guys?" The Squad Leader asked the rest of the team. It was important that they gain an 'Attacker' so they could independently do work.
"You better not be choosing a girl." The sniper of their team and surveillance expert snorted at him.
"...What does their gender matter?"
"I don't want more rivals." She glanced at Betty before acting like a spoilt brat without shame.
The youth also made eye-contact with the team medical and maintenance expert at the side.
Only to see the words of: {I have no idea what she's talking about.} Written clearly in her eyes.
"Ahem... Anyway, this can't go on." He slapped a bunch of papers on the table before the other two.
No matter how much they acted as support for the other Squads, it was hard to get much credit.
The Academy was a competitive school where those who showed no overall progress were kicked out of the school immediately. They'd already lost a few opportunities to accept missions recently.
"I could always make a torrent gun-"
"And accidentally kill our targets?"
"Fair point, but do you have any better ideas?"
"Why not sell information instead?" The two of them turned to Christina after she asked that.
"...You know, that's not a bad idea." They could make a lot of credits by selling it at a fixed price.
Fritz stroked his chin after hearing a positive response for the smartest person among them.
It looked like things would turn out well.
He was a little unhappy that they couldn't complete missions themselves. It was actually unfortunate.
If it weren't for the fact that none of them were actually suited for combat, they'd be a big deal.
Their team had never failed to find a target. The only problem was what to do AFTER finding them.
The youth looked down on his holster of Paper Charms. A feeling of regret overcame him.
Ever since 'that day', the strength of his magic had weakened. Though their versatility remained, he was unable to attack others with the same ferocity after losing the fires that once drove him forward.
Just as he was about to help their team set up an information grid, someone knocked on the door.
"You all working hard?!" The three of them unconsciously saluted to bigwig that arrived.
No one was unaware of Celest Vagabond, the 'Hero of the People' and the man who was saved the world. It was like seeing a legend in the flesh. The three students were visibly honoured to greet him.
"Yessir!" The three of them answered at once.
"Then I have a reward for you guys." The old man smiled before bringing someone before them.
The moment the scarlet-haired beauty walked into Fritz's sight, his traumatic memory triggered.
There was no way he'd be able to forget the dragon who broke his 'fangs'. Never in his lifetime...
A meekness overcame him, but his teammates were unaware. Valry introduced herself quickly:
"My name is Valry Vegabond. I'll be assigned to your team from now on. Feel free to ask anything."
"What are your measurements?" Betty asked her real 'innocently', causing her to take a step back.
Her hand held the big retractable blade holstered behind her waist. It was an unconscious response.
"Except that."
"Why not?"
"Are you a pervert?"
"Yes."
"Then stay away from me." The former Dragoon was guarded when she made weird body motions.
Betty's worm-like fingers were lifted in the air...
Celest coughed and left the two to their own devices. He was concerned about Fritz's state.
'Looks like this is going to take time.' He always felt it was a waste that such a competent Magi wasn't able to bring out his true potential. One of the reasons he chose this Squad was to 'heal' him.
And the only way he knew how was the direct path.
Unless he overcame his own weak heart, there was no way he'd be useful a student of this Academy.
"Squad Leader Fritz Lazrik." He called the youth by name, causing the boy to focus his eyes again.
"I'm at your service!" He greeted the famous hero before him with just a little bit of apprehension.
He was trying to look as confident as he could.
"I'll be leaving my granddaughter in your care. Take this as an opportunity to finish a new mission." He spoke while leaving a Mission Folder in the youth's hands. Celest then patted him on the shoulders.
Feeling the acknowledgment from the Academy's principal, he puffed out his chest in honour.
"I will!"
"Now that's the spirit! Okay, see ya~" The old veteran quickly left with a playful smile on his face.
Fritz was frozen on the spot at such ridiculous actions that didn't suit the word 'Hero' at all.
Why did it feel like he was passing a burden...?
He wasn't able to put his finger down on what he was missing, until Christina loudly blurted out:
"Aren't you the 'Scarlet Villainess'?!" She drew everyone's attention again with her words.
It was now that he was able to match Valry's face with the rumours he'd heard around the school.
They'd heard that the granddaughter of the World's Hero, Valry Vagabond, was a loose cannon.
Although there wasn't much circulating in the Academy other than her nature, it was enough.
He felt the need to make her feel welcome.
"Err-Ummm... It's good to see you again." He was able to say without betraying his intense emotions.
Valry took a good look at him. She was unable to connect the 'fangless tiger' he was now to the sabertooth she once fought in the past. Her memory might be good, but HE was too different.
It was like comparing a mild-natured pushover to an explosive hothead. The change was too drastic!
"And you are?" Her reply turned him to stone.
Christina felt sorry for him, but at least she didn't have to worry about Valry having interest in him.
She spoke up in a 'supportive' manner:
"I think we can definitely be friends!" Fritz didn't know what to say as the blondie gave a thumbs up.
Whose side was she on anyway?
"I didn't come here to make friends."
"Don't be like that~"
"Both of you better keep your distance. I don't like those who enter my personal space, even allies."
"O-okay...?"
"Do you have something to eat?"
"I could make some." Fritz saying this didn't make her any more hospitable. She brushed it off.
"Then make me 'some'. I'm hungry." Valry boldly laid down on the sofa like she was part of royalty.
The three teammates didn't know what to say at her attitude. This was the first time it happened.
"Hey, who do you think we are?!" Christina was the first to blow up, making the beauty to sit back up.
"...Teammates?"
"And THIS is how you treat teammates?"
"What's wrong...?" The scarlet-haired prodigy seemed serious in not knowing what she'd done.
"Now this is cute~" Betty immediately latched onto the trace of 'Gap Moe' she sensed in the beauty.
Pacing to the back of the sofa, her smiling face leaned over to ask the girl in a whispering voice:
"You just want to eat with us, right?" Valry gazed at the mischievous demoness with a confused face.
"What makes you think that?"
"Oh, then you're just ordering our Leader around without even a self-introduction?" She 'inquired'.
"We don't need to know each other." Seeing that the rest weren't total pushovers, the scarlet-haired beauty got back up. Then she snatched the Mission Folder given to Fritz before continuing:
"We're going to split after I graduate again." She waved the papers while heading towards the door.
But just when she got to it, the papers vanished in her hands. She looked to find it back to Fritz again.
"Where were you planning to go with 'our' Mission Folder?" The youth was enraged by her actions.
She could disregard him, but he couldn't accept such open disregard for his teammates at all.
That was one line she couldn't cross…!
For a brief second, Valry felt that his eye colour had changed in his fit of rage, but then doubted it.
The oceanic dark blue eyes she had seen was probably just an illusion from his intense stance.
She took a step back.
"What's with that look? I was about to get the job done myself. So just give it here already." There was a sigh in her heart as she spoke. It was as if even arguing about this was just wasting her time.
She headed towards him and reached out for the papers, only to see him run behind Betty's back.
Yeah, there's no way those eyes were real…
'That' sabertooth tiger wasn't here.
Valry stopped. She hugged her chest in caution towards the 'proud pervert' used as a meat shield.
"...That's cheap."
"What is~? Now, do you have any interests in cosplaying?" The girl backed him up appropriately.
She didn't find faults in Fritz getting support from an ally. It wasn't really that cheap nor conniving.
Because that's what teammates do...
"Hey, didn't you say we're teammates just a second ago?" Christina grabbed her by the wrist.
"I did; So what?"
"If you're our teammate, then let us handle this by ourselves." The brat flipped the tables on her.
"W-what? I didn't get that."
"If you can do a mission on your own, then why can't we? Fritz, nod your head if your fine with this." The youth unconsciously nodded, only to see Valry get angry at him. This wasn't a joke to her.
"Why do I have to listen to him?!"
"Because he's the Squad Leader."
"That's-"
"Are you going against the chain of command? Isn't it normal the Squad Leader gets to choose~?" It was then Valry realised that she had misinterpreted the dynamics of this Squad's power structure.
With Fritz acting like a pushover, Betty and Christina became the ones making the decisions.
The youth became just a figurehead controlled by these two scheming girls. They ganged up on her!
"...What do you want?"
"We're either doing this together, or we're leaving you out? You pick." The bratty blonde answered.
"Fine." She admitted her defeat.
"Yes!" The girl duo gave a high-five to each other before looking at their 'Leader' for confirmation.
"This is better for us."
"Right~?" Christina excitedly came forward and started talking more enthusiastically to Valry.
Only Betty noticed the difference in his condition.
"Ara~ Are you feeling okay?"
"Never better!" He smiled with a pale face, but this sort of 'kind' answer only made the girl worry more.
"Then why hide behind me."
"Because I trust you."
"Really now...?" She couldn't hold herself back from smiling when he showed a rare appreciation.
"Then can you do something for me."
"Like what?"
"Don't make me bored!"
"I'll try my best." He finally took a step away from her and personally read through the folder first.
The more he looked into it, the more his face started to darken. Something was definitely up.
"What's wrong?" The girl finally asked.
"Nothing... Anyway, we got to make sure she's listening to us when we're on this mission."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"I thought you'd have some bright ideas." Betty looked like she was thinking about it while watching Christina be overly-familiar with the beauty. It was like that brat knew exactly how to discomfort her.
Cutting into their conversation, she pulled Tina back and directly confronted Valry's large ego.
"You think you can do the Missions yourself?"
"Didn't I say as much?"
"Then about this plan. You can be our main attacker, while Fritz will be acting as support." She glanced at the youth beside her, seeing that he was secretly trying to tell her not to put them together.
"So I'm being partnered with 'him'?" The beauty herself also seemed reluctant to pair up with him.
"Don't worry. He won't be getting in your way."
"What makes you so sure?"
"He isn't much of a fighter himself, but Fritz is great at using Charms to make up for that."
"If he isn't on my level, he's just in the way."
"You've misunderstood. What I'm saying is that only YOU will be fighting. He'll just do cleanup."
"That's fine with me." Valry's positive answer made the youth glare at Betty like she'd betrayed him.
"...Let's work hard together."
"Whatever... Anyway, what will you two be doing?"
"Home Reconnaissance. Christina will stay here with me while you two find where our Squad will hit. Investigate in the field, send back some clues, and then we'll get this Mission done in a jiffy."
"Isn't the sniper supposed to come with us?"
"What's the point of being around without a target to hit? Just go on a date and talk to each other."
"That's-"
"Okay. Bye~!" She pushed them out of the room and closed the door. An awkward silence arose.
The two decided to just get on with the Mission.