"Hey! Hey! Edgy? Are we there yet?" The teacher asks of Crow, without taking an inch of his gaze away from the chest of a large goddess statuette placed a little further away from him and gaining distance by the second. The raven was perched on his shoulder appreciating the same view.
"It's the fifth time you asked this already! Like I said, we are close!"
The group were now on top of a floating platform which Crow controlled it via a glass-like orb centered on a pedestal. The platform was slowly crossing through the large emerald-colored river below that separated the vast cloud floored land into three segments.
The Training Grounds alongside its many 'Paths' and outposts. Then, there's the entrance gate and magical facilities surrounding it. Such as the Arcane Library, Runic Forge, the Artifact Special Storage. Lastly, comes the main HQ of Arcadia, whose sole size equals to a small town. Aptly named 'The Iron Heaven' by impenetrable it is. Not even demons of the highest caliber ever managed to inflict a single dent to it, not to mention the numerous defenses, traps and guardians placed to protect the area.
Next to Shinji and the bird was Aika. Who was hugging her knees, completely dejected on a small corner of the platform. The rest of the group decided to leave her be for the moment.
"Where are we going now anyways?"
"The Valkyrie's Quarters. I already sent her a Mind Mail to speed things thing up. But I still need to give a report to the her in person over how your test went and also hand over Aika's former equipment to you."
"Is this seriously happening for real?" Aika muttered lowly, still in utter disbelief with reality. Nyamo tried to make her former Partner feel better by gently caressing her shoulder with her small and soft feline paws.
"Given what happened did with the monolith earlier and the fact he could form a contract with me plus having a much larger innate mana than even yours at least shows that Sensei can someone reliable if things ends up turning south Nya!"
"Huh?! That's the first I've heard about any of this! Are you telling me this Pig is stronger than me?!" Aika grabbed the cat and began to desperately shake her from where she sat.
"NYAA!!! We didn't had the chance to smooth things over until now! Besides, I also wasn't sure if Sensei was going to pass the test or not so I kept to myself! NYAA!!!" Nyamo flailed in the air while her (former) master shook her.
The teacher slowly walked behind the two and thought of caressing Aika's shoulder.
But at the last moment, he refrained from doing so. Deciding to lean back against the platform railing instead.
"If it makes you feel any better Ai-Chan. I can promise to do my best and try not to embarrass you in front of your peers."
"That's not very reassuring when it comes out of someone like you and everything you have been doing until now!" She proceeded to try and punch him in the face but he easily blocked it with his palm.
"Look Ai. I know we have our differences and rather… let's just say complicated past. But I assure you that I do my best not to disappoint you more than you already are with me, at least when it comes to helping people. You know that at the very least with me around, there it won't be quiet moment around here anytime soon! Bwahaha!"
"I guess that's true…" Aika was starting feel convinced by her uncle's words.
She was almost tempted to accepting some of the things he said and happened thus far and see what happens from now on. That is, without setting her immense disgust for him aside, especially after she remembered the things her family revealed to her. At least the moment, she will keep quiet and confront him about it once she has opportunity.
"Then, how about this? After we are done with things here. We invite Set-Chan, your brother, Edgy over there, Yozo and your boss to party back at my place to blow off some steam and give your mind a much deserved break?"
"So? What are you suggesting?" Aika, deciding to amuse him and asks him this question.
"The Maeda's gave me some high quality fish and grounded meat for free the other day! I could make us some sashimi… I'm also sure that I have some leftover cheese and my special seven spices stashed somewhere back at my place. Which means Tacos! C'mon! You already know how divine my Tacos are and it has been such a long time since I made them too! So what do you say Ai-Chan? Truce? Party?"
Shinjirou kindly extended his hand towards his niece.
"Ugh. Fine…" Not knowing how to react over how earnest Shinji is acting. Then, remembering the taste of her uncle's cooking made her bad mood to falter and reveal a light smile instead as she considers to take his hand.
That is, before she remembered what happened with her brother earlier in the morning, during breakfast.
"However, Aki-Nii probably won't come…"
"Hm? Why is that?"
"He's at club practice right now and has plans to sleepover someplace else…" Noticing it was a sensitive topic which Aika tried to avoid giving too much details since the two were not alone and also hiding some pain behind her face. Shinji immediately realized the reason why that was the case.
"That's right, I completely forgot… Tomorrow is the seventeenth…Shit… I should call him when I have the chance tonight and see how he is doing. Maybe drag him somewhere and have fun tomorrow evening. Hopefully it helps keep his mind off things as well. Sheesh! That kid really should learn by now when to call for help when he really needs it! He is just as much stubborn as you are over not inconveniencing others and just as much of a crybaby as your father are in that aspect…"
The teacher then retrieved a cigar pack of his pocket and lit another one of them with his unique contact-heating lighter.
Setting his light mockery aside, Aika noticed how genuinely sorry her uncle felt and was actively trying to make amends for at least some of his past deeds.
She began to think that maybe giving her uncle a chance and having him around wouldn't be so bad, if only he acted as responsible as now when the situation really called for it.
Perhaps then, she could tolerate a bit of his mischief every now and then. Given that she knows how reliable her uncle can be at the strangest of times and places. However, …
"Hey Sensei! You might have saw her beauty from the front but get your ass here and check it out the statue's backside now that we circled it around! It has an even better view and also, a hidden secret! She was sculpted wearing panties underneath for some reason! Come check it out!"
"For real Birdie?! No kidding?!" Shinji instantly left his niece behind and rushed over to where Karasu was waving his wings at. Both proceed to lean down on the floor sideways.
Aika's hand was left hanging in the air.
"OHH!!!"
Both their eyes sparkled like child inside a toy store. Aika, who managed to recover from her depression and exchanged it for unbridled anger and walked towards the two menacingly.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU TWO!!"
…Such hopes were ultimately short-lived, as she smacks the pair the hardest she had yet today and the platform almost split in two.
****
Knock, knock, knock!
"Who is it?" A sharp voice can be heard asking from the other side of the door that Aika knocked.
"Agnicia-Sama! It's us!" Aika declares in a clear and formal manner while saluting, despite the door still being closed.
" C'mon in! It's open!"
Before Crow tried and turned the doorknob. Karasu now with a large bump on his head quietly whispered in Shinji's ear.
"Sensei, I forgot to mention while we were on the platform. But, as soon the brat opens the door, it might be better if we behave for a bit."
"Eh? Why is that?"
"The current Valkyrie is no joke. If angered, she is way more over the top than the pipsqueak over here. She might the childhood friend of the brat but, she is even more stuck-up than him!"
"You do know that you speak a lot for someone in striking distance right?" Aika answers the bird while cracking her knuckles and throws a punch at him.
"Woah!" Shinji and the raven dodges her fist at a hair's breadth and braced themselves for a second blow that never came. Aika had stopped halfway from throwing another strike.
"But I agree with you. Agnicia-Sama is not someone you should mess with for absolutely no reason unless you want to get sent flying or have a death wish."
"I get it Ai-Chan! In that case, I will just pop the question my father uses to break the ice and see how it goes from there!"
(I have a bad feeling about this.) The moment he said that, Aika knew her uncle was up to no good.
"You guys coming or what?" Crow spoke, holding the now opened door from the other side from the opposite side of the hallway.
"Ahem…"
Before going through the door, Shinji clears his throat, takes a deep breath and…
"NICE TO MEET YOU PRETTY LADY! WHAT CUP SIZE YOU ROCKI- BYUHH?!"
Both Crow and Karasu went pale while Aika facepalms herself while her uncle was suddenly interrupted by something and sent flying.
(How this piece of thrash has never received a single sexual harassment filed against him until now is a mystery to me...)
"Sensei!" Karasu screamed.
*Slam!*
Before he even knew it, Shinji was assaulted by a sudden force and crashed against the glass as he flew out of a window.
"Woah!" He desperately held himself against the windowsill with one hand. For below it, lies a white and vast abyss with no bottom to be seen.
"Hih!" Shinji quickly recovered his balance as he swings and puts his other hand at pull himself up. He peered over the window and took a look at attacked him.
It was a goat that had bucked him in the face. He was large as a horse, wooly as a sheep and looked at him with the coldest and sharpest of eyes. A normal person would become paralyzed under his petrifying glare.
"I can now see why Hide gave me the warning about your behavior beforehand. It was definitely the right call. Yale would probably have sent you into an early grave if I didn't tell him to hold back in advance. Well, at least you are now acquainted with his hooves. So hopefully you conduct yourself properly by now. "
Shinji, now with a broken nose, spit out a single teeh, returns to the center of the room where he was before sent flying and found a young woman with orange hair, sitting across from the everyone in table absolutely stacked full of paperwork. Not only she exuded a dignified and almost unapproachable aura, she also had a lightly tanned skin and short hair, giving her a rather tomboyish look.
She exchanges looks with the goat and he then nods at her, walks to the pile of haystack bundled next to the door and rests on top of it.
(Great! She's hot and definitely not younger than twenty and it's a cute tomboy too! Yes!)
Shinji, already used to it by this point, ignored the pain in his body and instead, pumped his fists in the air, elated.
"Nice to meet you. You will call me Agnicia. Twenty-three years old. Current Valkyrie, your niece's boss and now also yours. Looking forward to working with you. Oh, and my apologies for my Sacred Beast actions. He still thought you were an intruder; given the way you entered you can't blame him..."
She respectfully bows before the plump and battered man. He was so mesmerized by the charms of the mature woman before him that Shinji completely forgot he was even attacked in the first place. He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment instead.
"Haha! There's no need! It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me! Bwahaha!"
"I see…" Agnicia turns her attention to the man behind him.
"Hide. I already read your report. But, I would like to hear your personal input as the acting instructor."
Hearing her request, Crow couldn't help but smile for the second time today.
"Your hunches from this morning meeting were completely correct. Not only he managed to pass. But also did so at an unprecedented manner! A woman's intuition is a really scary thing..."
"I see…"
"Hide?" Shinji tilts his head in confusion. Crow stands next to him and answers.
"My real name. Hiden Midori, in case you've forgotten. Most of the high ranking officers around here are granted codenames once they reach a certain point. Me and Bea, that is 'Agnicia' here have one. Although, I prefer that others also, call me that on the outside world while Bea here demands it to be used here in Arcadia at all times, handing corporal punishment for those that don't. Not even your niece was spared from this in the past so consider yourself warned.""
"No fair! Then why can you only two call each other by your own names here and why both your codenames sound so stupid?!"
Instigated by Shinji, Karasu snickers, Aika holds back a laughter of her own and the pair blushes red like a tomato, looks at each other faces and then turn the other way.
"C-Call it the privilege between childhood friends, and shut it! It's not like we chose those codenames ourselves okay?!"
"Uh…I'm sorry to interrupt you guys but could someone scratch my back for me? I'm tingling all over and can't reach it with all these chains on me..."
Shinji looked the source of the voice next to him and found Bink inside a small cage.
His eyes were covered by a blindfold, his arms, legs and even toes were chained together. His face looking extremely loose and obscene enough to make Aika steps more than ten inches away from him than usual.
"Speedo! Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?!"
"I'm in heaven if you asked me! This could only get better if someone threw away the key or set the cage on fire...hehehe…" Bink answers with heavy breathing, his scales resonating with excitement, the rubber-like part of his skin going back and forth between speedo and bodysuit.
"Leave him be. He is currently being punished for not coming here yesterday immediately after separating from you three, like we had agreed upon. We thought he ran away or was scheming something before we found him sleeping in the Tsunaboshi's house."
"This is more like a reward than punishment if you ask me…" Bink quietly whispered, revealing his true thoughts.
"…" Shinji became silent, before bowing apologetically.
"I'm sorry, but that is not his fault. The blame completely falls on me! I will take full responsibility for it. So please, go easy on him!"
"THAT WAS YOUR DOING?!" Aika charged her uncle with a sweeping kick.
But, Crow stood in front of her and grabbed her feet while midair with one hand.
"I know you are pissed Aika. But you can kick his ass later. Please restrain yourself for now. The adults are talking."
"Hehe! Bleh!" Giggling, Shinji sticks out his tongue at her while pulling his eye in mockery.
"Tch!" Understanding that what he said made sense, Aika, clicked her tongue, stopped attacking and leaned against a wall.
"Hm…" Agnicia was still in deep thought. Trying to decide over what to do while the two were still talking. She took a glance at Crow and he nodded. Agnicia then does the same and proceeds to stares at Shinji straight in the eyes.
"If that's the case, I guess we can overlook it this time in good faith. But, we still don't know if he can be fully trusted and there is still his past history with us. So, at least for now, Bink will remain in this cage until he proves to be a trustworthy and useful to us."
"Thanks! I can assure you that he will soon prove it you that he is! My eyes for that sort of thing were never wrong before!"
"Sensei…" Bink quietly shed a tear of joy. For having someone that trusts him this deep for the first time in a long time.
"Well then, all of you, please take a seat. We still have a lot to discuss." With the snap of a finger, five chairs sprouted out of the floor and walked over to Shinji and co, alongside a surging round table now standing between them. Agnicia took a better look at Shinji's face before starting the meeting.
"I guess we should start by handing you Aika's equipment. Here." Agnicia hands and slides a small bag across the table towards him.
"What are these?" Shinji asked, as he checked its contents.
Inside the bag was a bug-shelled whistle, a bunch of salves and a silver stopwatch full of runes written all over it."
"Those are the standard equipment Magical Girls start with. The whistle makes a connection with the outside world and opens a gate between them. The stopwatch stops time for ten seconds. Use in case you need to hide or escape a situation in order to transform, but do keep in mind it can't be used repeatedly one time after the other and they do not affect demons, none of us or humans with amounts of Mana higher than the average. The salves act as a fast pacing healing agent. They work instantly but aren't very effective against lethal or very deep wounds. However, they should do the trick for now.
Hearing her explanation, Shinji put a bit of the salve over the tip of his fingers and spread it over his nose and lips. His broken nose magically returned back into place, another tooth grew in place of the one he lost it earlier and even the nails of the two fingers which had contact with the salve grew bigger and glossier than the others.
"OOHH!! This is amazing! I'm going to need a whole crate full of these please!" Shinji gasped in amazement with the instant healing effectiveness of the salves.
(I wonder if they would help with my recessive hairline as well? I could make fortune selling these if they could...) Shinji pondered quite a bit upon the discovery of the salve existence.
"I advise against it. Their efficacy drops sharply with consecutive usage. Also, since they amps your body regenerative factors and accelerates bodily functions, you might end up fainting for quite a long time if used carelessly. We have some potions and spells at our disposal to take care of the more life threatening stuff. But keep in mind that they don't act as fast and there are some things in this world that not even magic can solve."
"Judging by how often you get hurt or bleeds, I think you are going to actually need an entire pool stocked to the brim with them. Kawhahah!" Karasu laughs.
"Apologies. But, I cannot promise you that big of a surplus for those. We still have others to take into account, especially between cadets. However, I can give you a higher amount than the standard. Considering that you are filling in for one of our best."
"Agnicia-Sama…" Aika was not ready to hear her boss praise her like that. Especially since she uses to be extremely strict and Aika dreams of becoming the next Valkyrie after her.
Crow was the next one to step forward.
"Sensei. I know that Nyamo had explained to you that we fight demons that seek to sow chaos, discord and keep order while I also gave you some insight myself before getting here. But did she go into any deeper detail other than that?"
"Not really Nya! I'm not very good at explaining long winded things!"
"That's because you have the attention span of a damn fly…" Aika sighed to herself in disappointment.
"Then, guess I should give you about a history lesson behind our creation, birth and the new priorities I have received from the previous two Valkyries."
Agnicia and Crow then began to explain about the origins of Arcadia, Mana, Magical Girls and demons themselves.
Long time ago, when God still existed and created the universe. He began to fill empty the space with many kinds of lifeforms, humans being a unique and experimental kind being.
In order to balance their own existence with rest of the universe and keep the harmony between them on top the blood of the world, now called 'Mana'.
God created seven outlets of negative energy which gave life to other living beings. The Primordial Demons, powerful beings that are the ancestors to the entire demon race and Bearers of the Seven Deadly Sins, humans connected to a special kind of demon who managed and controlled the negative energies between the humans as well as dispersing any leftover energy.
However, one day, demons suddenly revolted and balance of the world alongside the Mana of all living beings suddenly spiraled out of control. Humans went berserk went under the demons and the Seven Deadly Sins control.
After much unnecessary bloodshed, they declared war against God and his domain. 'Heaven', the realm where both him and angels, who served under him resided. Both humans and angels almost went extinct in the waging war.
This tragic event became known as the Blackheart Calamity. The word calamity itself had originated from this event.
However, that is the only thing known about it and the reason behind demons uprising or why the war called that in the first place, was lost in the passage of time.
Desperate to still keep the world in balance. God bestowed strong blessings and powers to seven humans who managed to resist the corrupted taint of the energies and swore to fight against the rampaging demons alongside freeing humans slaved under them. They later became known as the Seven Heroes. The most famous ones being what was later known as the first Seraph and his lover, the First Valkyrie. The large statue Shinji saw at the lake with Karasu while on the way here being based in her image.
Amongst his many blessings, God gave life to special beings to help them on their quest. The Sacred Beasts, which there were thirteen originally made. Seven of them were given to the heroes and the remainder protected a certain portion of the world where that the heroes couldn't protect during their journey against the demons. Most of them having a weapon form to aid the heroes, an animal form to follow them in their journey and some possibly having a humanoid form as well, hinting at living between them even after everything was done and over with.
After much casualties from all sides, the First Seraph and Valkyrie sacrificed themselves in order to seal the Seven Deadly Sins away and weaken the others demons as best as they possibly could. The Primordial Demons were all killed and nearly all angels lost their lives in a gruesome death.
The remainder five heroes helped the surviving of humans to keep the peace and restore what was lost in the war.
Six of the Seven Deadly Sins were successfully sealed. Bink being some sort of special exception to this. Bearing the Sin of Lust, he escaped the hero's crusade to this very day and is the only one left who still has his physical body. The rest of the Six had their bodies destroyed and their souls were sealed behind a gate rumored to be so powerful that, not even God himself could open.
The other side of this story, the Blackheart Calamity is something that Magical Girls wants to find out ever since their inception. As not even the Firstborn Sacred Beasts themselves seems to recall anything of said war or what it entailed.
They know that they participated in it and helped the Seven Heroes but that is pretty much all they can remember. As even their own memories were wiped clean for unknown reasons or who could have done it.
God however, became increasingly scared of the influences the demons had plagued across the universe, even after everything was done and over with.
Fearing it would find it would one day find its way into corrupting Heaven and him. He cut off absolutely all manners of connections between physical world and the Heavens, leaving not even a single angel behind to help the humans to fend themselves shortly before the Seven Heroes final battle.
Clearly in a rush, he created some sort system keep the order in world long after his absence. He infused pure Mana directly into the bloodstream of some pregnant women to help humans grew more resistant to the negative energies and capable of protect themselves with enough training as time went on.
These women founded the Arcadia and began to call themselves Magical Girls. Who began to use the term Valkyries and the Seraphs in homage to ones who stopped the rampant destruction and calamity released upon the world.
They also began to collect magical artifacts scattered around the world to safeguard them and hope to discover more of their past, have more weapons in their disposal against a possible second war against demons and the find clues behind the mystery that is the Blackheart Calamity, for despite not remembering everything, the fear deeply rooted in their minds still stayed and they decided to take as a warning and prepare themselves in case another war like that one occurred.
Even after God's disappearance, many more Sacred Beasts mysteriously found its wat into the world. They to worked in tandem with humans or birthed in a dormant state, waiting for someone who would wake them from their deep slumber.
However, the original thirteen beasts are known to stand out above the rest, being much stronger than the others and usually have a unique quirk in their powers that no other Sacred Beast has.
Karasu, allowing Hiden to use the full extent of his strength having without the need to being transformed and Yale, who transforms into a heavy suit of armor instead of a normal uniform are one such examples.
"Geez, I might be still in my forties but that's still way too much to remember in one day! "
"Please bear with us, Sensei. We are almost done here. I gave you a rundown of what we do here but there is still we discovered seventeen years ago."
"Seventeen years? Hm…" Shinji crosses his arms and glances at the skies. Seemingly trying to recall anything important that might have happened during that year.
"Fine! It sounds important so I'll do my best to try and keep up!"
"I appreciate the sentiment. The Valkyrie back then and her disciple at the time discovered that an ancient evil that had somehow survived the aftermath of that war. He remained in the shadows for all this time and we know he wants revenge and plans to do something big ever since then. But, we haven't figured what."
"He's that elusive?"
"Yea. He's very cunning and ruthless too. We don't even have much intel about him other than being now aware of his existence. His name, origins or even powers is still surrounded in mystery. Any past documents mentioning him were destroyed and cursed in a manner that no living being could approach without ending insane. We started to dot some lines and found out that many Magical Girls and normal humans who lost their lives, disappeared or were left traumatized are his doing. That including the Valkyrie at the time and who knows how many more before we even discovered his survival…" Shinji noticed that Agnicia tightened her hands into fists before pressing on.
"…While we still do not know what his plans exactly are. He found a way to partly break the seal of the Seven Deadly Sins and unleash them back into the world. Other than the rampant demons, we now also to must find them once again and seal the others before they manage to find a vessel and regain their strength. There is so much to be lost if we leave demons powerful as these possess someone alone that I don't even know how to measure. The entire galaxy might break in shambles if they are let loose…".
"I..." Bink quietly mumbled before he stopped talking. He clearly had something he really wanted to say but the words were stuck in his throat. He felt that now was not the right time to approach the topic and decided to remain silent.
Shinji lights up another cigarette as he tries to soak everything into his mind.
"I understand. I might not have much in my life to lose but I don't wish to see what is left of it to be destroyed either. I will act in Aika's stead to the best of my ability…" Shinji then gets up, walks toward them and offers Agnicia and Crow, a handshake and smiles radiantly.
"Looking forward to work with both of you!"
"The feeling is mutual." The pair answers simultaneously and then respectfully bow back at Shinji as they reach out for his hand.
At the same moment they shook hands. Shinji's stomach growled. Loud enough that it echoed down the hallway. He answers looking a little embarrassed.
"Hahaha…Sorry! I haven't eaten anything since yesterday! Which reminds me! How about we all celebrate today back at my place? I have beer, some music and planned to make sashimi plus tacos for Aika and a few friends of hers. How about it? Are you guys in?"
"Pig, I know them for a long time before you even ended up here. There's absolutely no way Agnicia-Sama or Crow-Senpai would ever take their time for-"
"It has been a long time since I last took a breather and decided to unwind…" Agnicia pondered as she stroked her chin.
"…It might also work as a good way to know each other better and improve teamwork. Very well! I'm in!"
"Me too. I haven't taken single day-off for at least eight years since today...Fine by me."
"Eh?" Aika was shocked by easy they agreed to her uncle invitation.
"Great! The cozy Ero-Sensei's Abode were we come!" Shinji trots towards the entrance until he noticed Bink staring at him with puppy dog eyes.
"Kind of a long shot to ask but…mind if we bring Speedo here as well?"
"None. I personally have qualms against as long he remains restrained and inside that cage."
"Alright!" Karasu, Shinji and Bink simultaneously high-fives each other. Although Bink did it with his face since he was still chained.
"Actually…there is one more thing we need to discuss. Ai, could you go to the stables with Yale and shears his fur for me before we go? I haven't done it in a long time and I think he prefers the way you do it over mine…"
"Baah!" Yale growls and rub his head against her.
"Hm? Uh, sure! But, does it really need to be done right now? Weren't we going outside?" Aika was a little confused at her boss sudden request.
"Yea! We'll meet you by the gates soon! Bring Bink's cage with you too!" Agnicia kindly smiled at Aika as she asked.
"You go help her too Karasu." Crow asks with a quick serious look on his face that only his Sacred Beast and Shinji took notice.
"...Alright."
"Okay then. Let's go I guess…"
"Don't forget about me Nya!"
"Before we do that. I appreciate the neglect play here. But seriously, could someone for the love of god scratch my back for me?!"
The moment Aika, who found the Valkyrie request abit weird left the room with Yale, Karasu, Nyamo and squirming Bink, the atmosphere in the room completely changed.
Not knowing exactly why that was or the reason they obviously wanted to be left alone with him. Shinji tried to start the conversation by himself.
"Is there something else for us to discuss? If it's about money, there is no need to worry! I might be broke but I'm definitely not footing the bill at two college students both in the last second! Bwahaha!" As Shinji turned away from the two and went for the door…
"Theirs is still one last thing we must talk about that it's completely unrelated to Aika or this place…Demon Teacher."
"…" Shinji stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he heard that name. His carefree smile and attitude was also immediately gone.
Lighting yet another cigarette, he calmly closed his eyes before turning at the two. Probably hoping to try and hide the sheer intensity of his eyes full of murderous intent. But the air and atmosphere in the office was even heavier than before.
"Why do you know the name of a dead man like him?" The teacher asked with such a dry and cold voice that Agnicia had a hard time realizing it came from the same man of moments ago. Crow carefully readied himself in a fighting stance.
"We wanted thank you for accepting to help us and say that we truly meant when I said that we look forward to work with you. We do not wish to keep secrets between you and us. So we are telling that we know about your past upfront before you would find it out yourse-" Agnicia tried to pacify the teacher's wrath by picking her words very cautiously but Shinji still cut her off before she was done speaking.
"You didn't answer the damn question! Why do both of you know the name of a man who's supposed to be long dead?! Both of you were still dumb kids when he was still around so I doubt either met him in person. So I'll ask you again...WHO. THE. FUCK TOLD. YOU?!" Shinji tried his best to not raise his voice but not only he failed to do so but also unconsciously kicked the marble table's leg in his anger. His eyes remained closed, while the damage of his kick reverberated through the entire table, forming multiple cracks around it.
Crow and Agnicia looked at other eyes deeply and nodded before saying anything further. Crow also dropped his fighting stance.
"We think that it would be unfair talk about the person who told us about you and your past when she is not present. Especially given that I know how much she would love to surprise you. I'm really sorry but we cannot reveal who that person is at the moment! But, we can assure you that you will meet with her sooner than you think. Everything will make sense once you two face each other. So I ask of you to please have a bit of faith in us. We do not wish to make an enemy out of you nor intend to blackmail you into working for us with this information."
"…" Shinji took some time in deep thinking of his own before answering the two.
"Very well. I'll accept it! But only because both of you have been taking good care of Aika for so long behind our backs. I know how hard that must have been, given her stubbornness. However, I do have one condition!"
"Of course Sensei. What is it?"
"Neither of you will EVER mention that name again! Not even by passing! As I already stated, he is a dead man. If both of you intend to keep him that way, then I better not see anybody asking questions about ANYTHING related to 'him' or find you thinking about him even for a second! Otherwise, I'm fully prepared to become an unstoppable force of destruction and obliterate everything that stands in my way! I don't care who it is! Be it Demons, Angels, this place, both of you and if it comes down to it, not even God himself will be spared from my wrath!"
"We understand your feelings over the matter and somewhat the reason you would go this far, given we know how much you gave away. But isn't that a little bit much?"
Hearing Crow's empathetic question. A cold, twisted and sardonic smile surfaced on Shinji's lips. Forget their spines. It gave both of the veterans chills down to the very core of their souls but they didn't let it show. They kept a stoic stance in front of the man once known as 'Demon Teacher'.
"Don't you dare patronize me! I just realized that I missed making something importantly clear. I honestly couldn't give two shits about the rest of world. The only reason I am here is because of my sweet little niece. Making sure she doesn't get hurt doing something stupid on and…"
With Shinji's eyes still closed, the school appears in his mind, then the students and them the faces of Bink, Akira, Setsuna, Yozo and even of Aika's parents flashed in his mind's eye.
Even Shinji himself was surprised as to why the last two came up on his head. Especially, considering that he thought to have already put 'that' part of his past, behind him especially since they do not need his protection. But didn't allowed it to show on his face either or prevent him from making his true intentions perfectly clear.
"...protect a few other loved ones I care about and that's about it. The rest can burn for all I care. Now, if the problem here is because you two think I can't do it just because I am a fat slob of a newbie who's wet behind the ears. You have another thing coming…"
Shinji then slowly walked towards the globe located at the middle of the room. He grabbed with one hand, stepped away the round table and replaced his left holding it by the stand with his right hand on top of it and gently pressed against it.
"Freeze!" Without even the need to chant a spell and merely muttering its name. Shinji casted a spell. Something that even the likes of veterans such as Crow and Agnicia does with slight difficulty.
Ice began to cover the globe at a very rapid pace, completely encasing it from the top to bottom.
*Crack! Crack!*
Shinji then shattered the globe into hundreds of pieces with an inhumanly strong grip. He then stepped five feet away from what remained of the globe on the floor and holding his right hand over his left elbow to stabilize in place. Shinji reached his arm forward in a straight motion. He takes a deep breath and…
"Lighting!"
*Boom*
Lightning bolts surges out of his fingers and reduces the frozen globe shards into nothingness.
Many Magical Girls outside assumed that it was the Valkyrie punishing the troublesome man that went inside and didn't bothered to rush to her quarters, ignoring the explosion and the smoke that came out of the windows.
Both Crow and Arcadia simply watched it all unfold with seemingly blank reactions on their faces.
"I 'borrowed' Ai-Chan's beginner's grimoire from her bag last night while she was still unconscious. I've also asked Kittypaws for a few pointers this morning after I was done with work. I originally intended to beat you at both of your silly little tests. My bad! I'm sorry, 'Paths' earlier. But, then I realized it was better for me to keep my true capacity hidden. It also would be too bothersome to fight someone of your level with basically no experience and be relied with anything that might come up in the future. I am lazy by nature after all…"
Shinji dusted off his pants, took a deep breath before finally opening his eyes once again and temper back to calmer.
"Now then! Do we have an agreement?"
"Yes." The two robotically answers. Their eyes fixed looking at the burned spot on the floor that once had what remained of a globe there until a few seconds ago with their faces still blank.
After hearing their answer, Shinji beams a goofy smile on his face and returns to his usual silly self.
"Great! Now let's party and eat some tacos! BWAHAHAHA!"
With his recognizable laughter louder than usual and echoing across the hallway, Shinji rushed out of the door, leaving Crow and Agnicia behind as they make small talk between themselves.
"Guess he really meant what he said earlier about not having a single quiet moment while having him around…"
"Yea…" Agnicia silently nods at Crow and answers with a short reply.
"…Can't move your legs either?"
"…Yea." Agnicia still speaking in single sentences.
"...I never expected to find someone, capable of making me feel this much fear for my life other than Master. Not a single demon that I fought in the past ever made me feel this way before. His anger and resolve over his decisions are on a whole other level…"
"It was hard keep composure in front of him..." Agnicia noticed that Crow hands were shaking a little as he chuckled.
"Haha! I wholeheartedly agree with you there! But, the relief of having someone as strong as him on our side and the excitement fighting against someone like him someday completely overshadows that. Don't you think so?" Crow reveals a third smile as he states that fact as Agnicia returns the gesture in kind.
"Absolutely! In a better day, we totally should ask him to spar against us at least once…"
"First things first though! We need to take a deep breath, move on, take our mind off things and dance to both his and Bink's devilish tunes. At least for today..."
"Hope his tacos are tasty as he claims. I'm haven't had the time to eat since yesterday because of work so I'm starving..."
It took a whole minute for the pair to regain their composure, become able to move their legs again and catch up with the otherwise (mostly) harmless fat man, who was sprinting down the hallway like a whirlwind and was now flipping the skirts of other Magical Girls to his heart content…