After five minutes, he pulled up to the secondary gate of Shuchi'in Academy, which was meant for staff only. This school was massive, so he had to drive a bit further in.
"Man, this school is big, but it's still smaller than what I've seen before. Haha, it's bringing back memories. Although, I still can't get over people moaning like a slut when they taste my food. Damn... what a logic."
Driving through the cherry blossoms outside the car window, he was transported back to his middle school days at Totsuki Culinary Academy, where he spent only two out of three semesters before dropping out.
Yeah, you guys heard the story...
He had to rekindle his culinary skills because, in his previous life, he became an orphan at the age of six and ended up living under his grandpa's wing, who was a professional chef and owned his restaurant. His grandpa taught him a lot about cooking, but his talent stuck as a sous chef.
Life had its twists and turns, and the future was unpredictable. In the end, he became an engineer while continuing to run his grandpa's restaurant.
"Sigh, sorry, Grandpa. I never did beat Gordon. But thanks to your teachings, I'm surviving in this world. Although this new body— that... sounds weird. Call it. New life, new potential..."
In this new life, at the age of 9, he needed to sharpen his culinary skills pronto. Dimitry agreed and sent 001 to Totsuki, as there was a mission to assassinate an American congressman by poisoning his food in a famous restaurant.
Dimitry also had a keen interest in the Underground Culinary world. To cut a long story short, after 001 completed the mission without a hitch, he returned to the shadows, conquering the underground culinary scene under the alias: Nobody.
Speaking of the underground culinary world, the famous chefs there never revealed their true identities. They always hid their faces with bandanas or masks and used aliases. These chefs weren't famous outside of the underworld, except if they chose to have another public persona, which they rarely did.
"Let's hope that old man Nakiri doesn't find me here."
He grinned at the memory of Senzaemon Nakiri trying to keep him at Totsuki Academy, but he'd dropped out anyway. He'd had nothing more to learn at Totsuki, and the old man knew it. So, he'd introduced him to someone who became his cooking mentor. His smile was gone from his lips as he recalled something.
"Wait, if I remember correctly, I was supposed to find a chef for an upcoming banquet, right? Ah, fuck..."
He parked the car, and when he stepped out onto the asphalt, he was greeted by the parking lot's changing scenery, from white to pink, signaling the cherry blossoms' peak. Glancing to the west, he spotted a clock tower.
Since the school placed the parking lot quite a distance from the main buildings, Minoru and the other teachers couldn't just stroll into the school directly from their cars.
So, he had to walk a bit further...
As he arrived at the main street connecting to the main gate and turned right, he beheld a large fountain featuring a statue of a man in traditional Japanese armor on a horse. This picturesque scene was complemented by the presence of the grand auditorium and the clock tower, all aligned to form a central axis.
"Still, no one's around at this hour."
It was empty, but as he strolled along with a calm and steady pace, he spotted Yor waiting, gazing off into the distance. They hadn't made any prior arrangements, but he headed her way anyway.
---
'Why does it have to be this way?'
The teacher usually strolled in at 8:30, with the staff showing up earlier at 8. But today was a little different. See, teachers without heavyweight titles like Principal or School Affairs could roll in at 10, while the event kicked off at 11.
"Ugh, it's freezing out here."
Yor muttered, her body shivering from the cold air.
The thing was, she was pretty sure Minoru usually beat her to school. She even asked him once about his schedule for getting to school, and he said, "I usually arrive around 7:45 AM." So, she decided to wait for him before heading to the teacher's office since Minoru mentioned they were on the same team for School Affairs.
'Did something happen to him? Maybe... he had a car accident!?'
Worry gnawed at her. Maybe he had died somewhere. She knew it because Minoru was the kind of person who took everything seriously. Anyway, where the hell is he?
Ding, dang, deng, dong...!
The tower clock's bell seemed to ring endlessly, and Yor took it as a sign that more than an hour had gone by.
"It's already 8 o'clock. Huh..."
She grumbled, standing there for a good half-hour. Minoru still hadn't shown up.
"Biar-sa—"
"ACHOO!!!"
A sneeze burst out of her as she couldn't take it anymore. It was still bone-chilling, even though spring was supposedly here.
'Wait...'
Yor turned to the source of the voice, interrupting her musings, and there was Minoru, gazing at her with a touch of... concern.
"Oh, Yanagi-san. Good morning..."
A relieved smile broke across her face.
But Minoru hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Good morning, Biar-san..."
He handed her a handkerchief. Yor tilted her head, puzzled, but accepted it and grabbed it with her right hand. Minoru could tell she wasn't quite aware.
"I'm sorry, but..." He paused, hesitant to break it to her, but it had to be done, "Your snot is dripping."
Yor went white as a sheet, then turned as red as a volcano about to erupt.
"D-D-D-Don't..." Her eyes were spinning like crazy from embarrassment. "KYAAA DON'T LOOOOK!!!"
She shouted, eyes squeezed shut. Minoru's eyes widened as he saw a slap coming from his right, and it was coming in hot. Barely dodging Yor's full-strength slap, he leaned back, poker face still intact.
---
2001
It had been a year since he wrapped up his training, and 001 was now on patrol duty in the desolate mountains, where the Ruska Bratva's camp called home.
He strolled through the unforgiving Siberian wilderness like a true native, ignoring the biting cold and relentless winds. But this silver-haired young man had his sights set on the west, where he had to check various designated areas.
As time ticked away, he reached the final checkpoint and decided to pay a visit to his usual cave hideout. However, his step suddenly came to a screeching halt.
"What the—"
He swiftly raised his AK-47, ready to defend himself. But as he lowered his rifle...
"Grrrrrrrrr!"
He discovered the source of the growling—a scrawny, grey-furred husky puppy. Despite its emaciated appearance, it stood its ground, eyeing 001 with a mix of wariness, prepared to face this unexpected intruder.
Upon closer inspection, 001 realized that the puppy was, in fact, the older sibling of a pack of seven, diligently guarding his six younger brothers and sisters. They cowered behind him, clearly afraid of the intruder. 001 decided to step out of the cave, showing he meant no harm, and retrieved an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) from his small bag as a peace offering.
After some time, he retraced his steps back to his camp but couldn't help but hear the faint sound of paws following him.
"What are you guys doing, tailing me like this?"
The pack of seven puppies trailed behind him, their eyes filled with gratitude for the meal that had saved them from hunger. And that's how he found his most loyal allies and became part of a new, unexpected family.
---
Back to the present.
8:01 AM, April 1st, 2014.
Loid had just touched down at Tokyo Airport from Luxemburg. His objective was to report back to the queen in person, despite her having granted him an extended vacation.
"I'll head directly to the kindergarten to meet Anya. It's Pet Day, and they're having an outdoor class. After that, I'll ensure Her Highness's (Teresa) safety."
He waved down a taxi. Upon reaching the vehicle, he instructed the driver on the destination. However, he couldn't help but worry about Anya. He hoped she'd behave well while staying with Teresa.
Anya Forger was indeed living with Teresa. Today marked her last day in her apartment. As a princess, Teresa was aware of Loid's true identity as a spy. He had been her neighbor, and she knew about Anya.
'Today, Anya and Bond have an important mission. Hehe~'
In the guest room, Anya stared at herself in the mirror with determination. Turning around, she met the gaze of a large dog she had brought with her from Luxemburg. Bond was no ordinary dog as he had the uncanny ability to foresee the future.
"Agent Bond!"
"Borf!"
Anya smiled at his enthusiastic reply.
"Today, we must defeat the first son to impress him. Hopefully, he'll take us to his house, and we can thank Bossman for sparing Chichi."
"Borf!"
Bond agreed.
She knew what was at stake and wanted to see Minoru to express her gratitude and affection, but she feared it might never happen.
"Kekeke...."
She giggled, feeling a rush of excitement. Just then, there was a knock on her door.
"Anya-chan, are you ready for school?"
Teresa's voice came from the other side.
"Oui~~~"
When she opened the door, Teresa greeted her with a warm smile.
Teresa then closed her eyes briefly and drifted into deep thought.
[If I were to marry him... that means I'd get to experience this someday, right!!?]
'Onee-san, boss-man is already married.'
Seeing Teresa daydreaming, Anya couldn't help but overhear her thoughts and felt a bit sorry for her.
"Teresa-sama..."
The soft voice interrupted Teresa and Anya's thoughts. Both of them turned to Alexandra, who stood there with a respectful bow.
"The car is already waiting for us."
"Thank you, Alec," Teresa replied with a smile. She then turned to Anya, "Onee-chan will drop you off at school. Let's go, Anya-chan."
"Borf!"
"Of course, Bond. You're coming with us today."
"Agent Bond..." Anya said with a serious tone, "He's now Agent Bond," Both Teresa and Alexandra smiled, deciding to play along.
"I understand, Agent Anya," Teresa winked at her, earning an enthusiastic response from Anya, "Yeay~~!"
They made their way to the front door but were momentarily halted by an unusual sight.
The atmosphere grew tense, and Bond quickly hid behind Anya, who stood with her mouth agape in shock. For Teresa and Alexandra, this was a common occurrence before leaving the apartment, and they patiently waited for a moment.
Six dogs, divided into two groups, formed a line in the corridor, resembling soldiers saluting their superiors. The last dog, the leader, sat near the front door with a serious expression, waiting.
"Good job… Alpha, Delta, Beta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, and Gamma."
Teresa beamed and addressed them.
The seven dogs responded with a chorus of enthusiastic "Woof!" They saluted with their trained right paws, leaving Anya even more awestruck.
"ANYA ALSO WANTED THESE DOGGIES TOO!"
Anya couldn't contain her admiration for the impressive dogs.
Right from the start, she knew that these dogs belonged to 001, which sounded really waku-waku. However, now, she found them even cooler than she had imagined.
Anya glanced at Teresa and sensed her longing for the dog's owner. She could also sense a flush on Teresa's cheeks and decided to see what was going on.
[When will he take these dogs back?]
Teresa began to see that Yanagi-sensei couldn't be the owner, as the dogs didn't react to his photo.
[It means… he's not him?]
Anya turned her attention back to the serious dogs, their fluffy chests puffed out like disciplined soldiers. She couldn't understand their thoughts, but her telepathic ability allowed her to grasp their feelings.
'They miss boss-man. Anya really sad.'
Anya decided to approach the dogs and gently pat each one on the head.
"It's alright… good doggy, good doggy..."
Teresa and Alexandra found it adorable but knew it was time to leave.
"Alright, let's go, Anya-chan."
Anya let out a sigh and proposed, "Can Anya bring them?"
"I don't mind, but I'm concerned about the other, pets..."
Teresa struggled to express it. However, Anya decided to read her thoughts anyway.
[I didn't want other pets to be intimidated by them since these dogs only listen to me. In the worst scenario, they might try to eat them because they're carnivores.]
"Hu-Huh..."
Anya's imagination ran wild, fearing her classmates might become a doggy's dinner.
With teary eyes, she said, "Anya will just bring Bond to school. But can we let them watch anime?"
Teresa's smile reflected relief.
"Anya-chan is a good girl!" Teresa praised and came up with an idea, "Alec, please set up the TV so they can watch our school's event, live."
"I understand, Teresa-sama."
Alexandra replied, setting up the TV as requested. Anya continued to watch Teresa closely.
[This way, maybe I can see their reaction if somehow they see Yanagi-sensei on TV.]
Anya, realizing Teresa's plan, had her mouth agape.
'OH NO! ANYA'S IDEA WILL EXPOSE BOSSMAN'S IDENTITY!'
But then, she detected Bond's ability to predict future events.
'They look happy…'
Anya had a vision of the seven dogs happily watching a screen with Minoru on it. However, the dogs suddenly began barking loudly at the TV and rushed to the front door, but they couldn't open it as Alexandra had locked it. In her vision, she also saw a clock tower displaying 10:30 and chaos unfolding at the school. Despite Minoru's efforts to prevent it, the chaos seemed... inevitable.
"NOOO!"
Anya cried out and rushed towards Bond.
"Bond! Show me more! Let me see it again!"
Bond's head spun as she shook him vigorously.
"Teresa-sama, I set up the TV as you requested..."
"Thank you, Alec. Alright then…"
Teresa walked over to Anya and gently tugged her.
"Let's go, Anya-chan~"
Anya cried as she didn't want to leave.
"NOOO! Anya has an important mission to do!"
Teresa guided her to the front door, followed by Alexandra, who maintained a professional demeanor. The seven dogs saluted as Teresa passed by. Alpha, with his method, opened the door handle, and Teresa smiled at the familiar sight.
"Thank you, Alpha."
"Woof."
Time passes...
'My mission...'
In the luxury sedan, Anya stared blankly at the car's ceiling, determined to continue her mission.
'That's right! Anya won't give up easily! Anya will gather other agents for this mission!'
With unwavering determination, she clenched her tiny fists. She was resolute in her commitment to helping Minoru, no matter the cost.
---
Stones?