Asher scrambled up the stairs, his chest heaving with strain.
Clocking at an inhuman one minute and ten-
"So slow?" Sophie let out a single exhale as she lounged on the railing, barely panting.
Forty-nine seconds.
"Come on, that puppet skill is just too good!" Asher groaned, a grin plastered on his face. [Puppet Movements] definitely gave Sophie an advantage, with the ability to accelerate her from 0 to 100 percent in an instant.
Still, they were just racing for fun.
Sophie swung off the railing, following Asher as he stepped to Mei's door.
*Knock Knock*
"Mei, it's me!"
Almost instantly, the door swung open, revealing a rare and bubbly Mei.
She squeaked with joy as Asher ran into her arms.
"I missed you, Mei..."
Although the woman didn't quite understand his emotional outburst, she reciprocated Asher's embrace with pleasure. Mei glanced at Sophie, but the girl only stared at her arms intently.
"Mm?" Mei opened one of her arms, inviting Sophie to join them.
Hugs were never a bad thing.
A few seconds passed in blissful silence.
"Ashy, why did you come here? Not saying you shouldn't have, but-"
"Ehe~ I just wanted a place to talk with Sophie for a bit." Asher and Sophie's eyes met.
Mei smiled.
"I'm filling out a job application right now, so feel free to lie down in the bedroom!" Asher glanced behind Mei, noticing the phone on the kitchen table, probably open to an online application form.
Hold on. A thought sprang into Asher's mind.
"We're Fixers; you don't have to worry about money."
The woman shook her head resolutely.
"I wouldn't want to spend your money to pay off my tribute."
Fair point.
"But then Sophie can just hire you, right? It'll be safer too." Asher wasn't going to change his mind. If Mei was still inside HamHamPangPang the night it was destroyed, she would have died.
Mei's head shot up. Her lips trembled.
"R-Really? I'll - um - I'll consider it!" Flustered, Mei cut off the conversation midway to have some thinking time to herself. She buried into her phone, waiting for them to leave.
He glanced at Sophie, but the girl only shrugged.
Asher led the way.
Soon, the two of them lied on the soft sheets, side by side, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"What is the next mission?"
Asher blinked. Sophie asked a good question, what was the next mission?
[Funeral of Dead Butterflies (HE)]
Ominous name.
"Does it remind you of anything?" Sophie wondered if Asher had any residual memories of this mission's name too, just like how 'Little Red Riding Hood' was familiar to him.
Maybe it was another fairy tale in this world.
Asher closed his eyes, repeating the name in his mind. Finally, he hummed, denying the possibility.
"...Doesn't seem like it. It's an HE though, should be easier than last time."
"Hm. Tell me more about that plan of yours."
The two of them snuggled closer together. The soft sheets and warm companion beside him made Asher's eyelids droop.
But he resisted the urge to sleep. He had to tell her about the plan before he passed out.
"The new skills... Gonna leave... Another identity..."
Asher turned to his side, yawning as his vision began to darken. Sophie's expression told him that she understood his general idea.
"Sleep well." Sophie's voice was gentle. The last mission was very stressful for him. It was hardly a surprise that his brain felt like shutting down.
"Yessir~"
Asher's voice trailed away as he lost consciousness.
Sophie stared at the boy's face for a moment before rising from the bed. She placed a blanket to cover his exposed legs.
Her face quickly stiffened back to its usual frigidness.
She understood what Asher's plan was.
But first...
She sent a text to Sayako.
How were her Fixers doing?
She hadn't seen them in nearly a week.
...
"This is disgusting."
Sayako's grin cracked as her finger pointed at Pete. The teen was currently brutalizing a pack of dogs, shown by the camera monitor.
"U-Uh, um..."
Sophie's eyes softened slightly.
"Their growth is impressive, but do all Syndicates train like this?"
Sayako hastily spread her arms, attempting to defend herself.
"Isn't it important to get combat experience before, y'know, human stuff?"
The Captain made no comment, switching her gaze to Mangchi's monitor. All of her Fixers (excluding Asher, of course), had each taken one of the rooms in the Pound, attempting to eliminate the population within.
"This..." Sophie motioned toward Mangchi's monitor. The boy's fighting style was vicious and unrestrained. But it also felt familiar.
Sayako sensed Sophie's thoughts. A faint smirk reached her lips.
"He's a quick learner. Used that video of your other Fixer as an instruction manual. That's why I'm not teaching him a particular weapon."
No particular weapon?
Sophie's eyes widened. If what Sayako said was true, then Mangchi had some formidable talent. Copying skills...
Sayako leaned forward to the monitor.
"Mangchi, first to finish with a time of seventeen minutes!" Within the monitor, Mangchi flashed a smile at the camera, flicking off a bit of flesh from his nails.
"Don't worry, there's a washing station." Sayako addressed the concern exuding from the girl beside her.
Pete and Aiko began to put more effort in their swings, pressured by their friend's speed.
"Even Aiko, I see..." Sophie felt a twitch of unease in her stomach. She didn't care much for animals, but these dogs were clearly drugged, enhanced for maximum aggression.
Seeing Aiko nail a pitbull through its skull and into the wall filled Sophie with an odd, uncomfortable sensation.
Strange, it was almost as if she would prefer human targets than this.
Sophie tapped Sayako's shoulder, bringing the woman's attention away from the monitor.
"I think they're well capable of handling Urban Myths. Have them do those from now on."
Sayako nodded dutifully, leaning forward once again.
"Aiko, second! Time: twenty minutes! Pete, you're dead last~" The woman turned back to Sophie, pride shining in her eyes.
"Yes, yes, they *are* well capable of handling Urban Myths now... To think, these kiddos were bottom-barrel fodders a week ago!"
A smile touched Sophie's lips as Sayako gushed about her self-proclaimed students.
"Thank you for the help, Dark Cloud Blade. Would you say that my Fixers have good potential?"
Sophie's formal thanks caused Sayako to redden slightly. She scratched her cheek, a light giggle escaping her lips.
"Ah, potential-wise? They're-" The woman's eyes glazed over. "...Pretty great, I would say. Maybe on par with the Heirs of my clan."
Huh.
Who knew that a few random kids she got from the streets would be so brimming with talent?
But it was time to tease Sayako a bit.
"What about me?" Sophie pointed to herself, assuming the most coquettish expression she could muster.
Which wasn't saying much.
Sayako broke from her reverie, staring at Sophie incredulously.
"Y-You? Do I even need to explain?? You're so much younger than them, yet..."
She tugged at her limp, husked arm, on the verge of tears.
Ah-
...That was tasteless of her.
Sophie remembered how Mei held her arms out to her.
Warm.
"Sorry."
Sayako closed her eyes as the girl hugged her from behind. She took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Hm? Captain, what are you doing here?" Mangchi's voice disrupted the peaceful moment of silence.
Sophie unhooked herself from Sayako, assuming a more elegant posture.
"Noting your progress. I'm curious, was the fighting style you used just now copied from the video of Asher's fight?"
Mangchi flinched, as if he had been caught committing a crime.
"Um... Yes, Captain. Sorry, I was just..." He trailed away, but Sophie would not let that go.
"Just what?"
The girl's flat expression held a bit of frost.
"Just... trying something new? I-I've always had this ability to copy the things I see, so-"
Sophie cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"That's alright then. I'm curious, can you copy this?" As the last words left her lips, Sophie's arm snapped to the side, before beginning to rotate around her elbow joint.
Mangchi paled as his knees nearly gave way beneath him.
"No way in hell am I trying that. M-My bones would snap halfway."
Hm. So it was a mental skill, not magical. Not like the skills the System gave.
Sayako and Mangchi observed the phenomenon with both fascination and horror as Sophie kept rotating her forearm around her elbow.
Finally, the limb snapped back into place, much to the relief of the two witnesses.
"Okay." Sophie leaned forward in Sayako's stead, "Pete, with a time of... twenty-one minutes, it seems. Come back."
Pete flinched as he heard his Captain's voice through the speakers. The voice was high-pitched and dull compared to Sayako's deep and seductive drawl.
The boy's disappointment could almost be felt through the monitor.
"Huuu~" Sayako breathed into the microphone, cackling as Pete shivered subconsciously. The boy flushed red in embarrassment.
"Oi, that's low!" Aiko slammed the door shut behind her, revealing her presence with a huff as she glared at her teacher.
Sophie watched from the corner, smiling as the warmth of the group melted her cold demeanor, if only for an instant.
...
"So, the plan?"
Sophie whispered to Asher. They were eating dinner right now. Apparently Asher felt like that now was a good time to reveal to Mei his agenda.
Asher's ears twitched. He made an imperceptible nod.
"Mei?"
"Mhm?" Mei set down her chopsticks, covering her mouth as she popped her head out of her food.
"Uh, I'm going to leave tomorrow-"
Mei froze, bending down as her chest began to tremble.
"Water." Sophie held out her glass, specially prepared for this moment.
The girl gave Asher a sharp stare. Why did he think now was a good time to tell her?
Mei gulped down the contents of the glass in an instant, clearing her throat violently.
"On... such short notice? When are you coming back?"
The sheer emotions in Mei's eyes almost gave Asher second thoughts.
Almost.
"Only for a week or two. I'll be safe, don't worry. And Sophie will be here to keep you company."
Mei nodded with some difficulty. The food in front of her didn't look all that appetizing anymore.
She shot a glance of gratitude at Sophie as the girl squeezed her shoulder gently.
"When are you leaving?"
"After dinner."
"Do you want me to pack any food?"
"Nah, it's fine."
"How about extra clothes? I can-"
Asher silenced Mei with a peck on the cheek.
"I'll be alright, Mom."
"-!"
Mei's vision blurred with tears.
...
Sophie and Asher sat on the roof, admiring the smoky night scenery.
"I'm curious, Asher. Why is it that you feel the need to leave completely? Can't we still be together? You weren't like this with me."
He didn't act like this when he was developing her Synchronization.
Sophie found it a bit strange.
Asher tilted his head, grinning at the girl beside him.
"Well, I've always found you quite amicable. But..." His grin fell, "I feel like this Synchronization will be different. If it really changes my emotions as the System says it will... I don't want to cause any problems for you."
Sophie blinked.
The way Asher cared for her a sense of incomparable joy.
Something she never felt before, as an only child. He supported her in a way she was never cared for before.
"Well, I think its time for me to go-"
She scooted closer to him, linking his arm with hers.
"Five more minutes."
She closed her eyes, expressionless. She sat straight up, with only her arm touching him.
Five minutes passed in an instant.
Sophie made a strange face as her eyelids fluttered open. Weird, her internal clock should be correct, but why did time feel like it passed so fast?
"It's time." She released his arm.
Asher stood up from his seat, brushing the dust off his sleeve.
"Alright. I'll leave the Fixer stuff to you. Check in with whatever's going on with Sayako and Taein. Look after our Fixers. And let me know if you hear anything about the Thumb. Or Index. Or Stray Dogs. Or-"
Sophie cut him off with a single thumbs-up. Of course she would.
"I will. Mind if I see the new Synchronization?"
Asher originally wanted to decline, but seeing the anticipation in Sophie's eyes extinguished the words in his throat. If the Synchronization really got out of hand, Sophie would be more than enough to suppress him.
Without another word, the moonlight flickered and dimmed as Asher began to synchronize with Little Red.
A stained, tattered cloth draped over the figure as she began to grow taller and more mature. Black leather belts obscured anything that was uncovered by her cloak with a dense weave of black and silver.
Her face was hidden in darkness, shielding her left eye completely while leaving only a yellowed, bloodshot silhouette for her right eye.
And covering her mouth was the signature wolf's teeth mask, surrounding her with a vicious aura.
A raspy growl came from the figure who used to be Asher.
"Krrgh..."
The figure visibly trembled with clashing emotions.
"Asher-"
"Don't... COME CLOSER!" The woman slashed her hand in the air. In her grip was a dull chunk of metal, rusted beyond recognition.
Little Red's other arm rushed forward, seizing her wrist. She trembled as the two limbs pulled in opposite directions.
"Asher, control her-!" Contrary to what most people would do, Sophie stepped forward. Her concern for Asher gave her the strength to confront the new Synchronization's soul.
Still, the pressure of an Abnormality two classes above her was almost unbearable.
The woman shot a glare at Sophie, filled with irritation.
Then with desperation.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!"
Sophie was unsure whether that was Asher or Little Red's voice.
Little Red stopped her struggles, focusing solely on her voicebox.
"So this is the extent of my 'freedom'? Enslaved like a pet?"
The figure's eyes shone with relief. It seemed the Abnormality had exclusively taken control of the voice, in an attempt to retain some level of autonomy.
Sophie made a placating gesture.
"I understand it may be jarring, but please wait. By taking control now, he is preparing a new body for you."
Sophie spoke to the Abnormality as not an equal, but as a superior. She had been in this world for longer, no matter the difference in their Abnormality ranks.
Little Red twitched slightly, overcome with anger. Sophie's voice was like a calm lake, which Little Red absolutely despised.
"You... I'll remember this."
With a blur, she disappeared into the night.
Sophie grit her teeth. Yeah, she didn't like the new one.
Half an hour passed before Sophie could tear her gaze away from the night.
It was going to be a lonely week.
The only communication would be through their connected souls.