The Armed Detective Agency, an organization of gifted individuals that takes jobs in the grey that even government agents wouldn't want to throw their hands at. They're quite skilled when it comes to solving mysteries ranging from lost pets to homicide cases, fighting evil-doers, and, Kath discovered recently, getting themselves injured.
When she and Dazai arrived at the scene, it seemed as though a butchery had just happened there.
It was. For the only living people they were able to recover were their members and another lady in a pink Kimono who, according to Dazai, was a Port Mafia executive. The rest of the Mafia agents lost their lives on the spot.
As Kath secured the Mafia leader in her threads, she couldn't help but worry about their enemy. The last time, they managed to erase a whole building from existence, just like that. And now, they took 3 of their members and a Mafia executive down quite easily.
Kath swallowed hard at what else the Guild was able to do. " You were right Mike, those guys are the worst enemies one could make for themselves. And to think we have to deal with them…"
As she was mumbling to herself over her cup of coffee back in the office, Yosano opened the door of the infirmary and helped out a rather shining and sparkling Kunikida, almost as though he was a newly unsealed item. " Kath, help me out here."
Kath gladly allowed her teacher to lean on her shoulder and marched him to his desk where he sat down, smiling broadly with a blank look. Kath was torn between laughing and pitying him for what he had to endure at the hands of their physician.
Looking back at the desk behind her, Kenji was soundly asleep, having been polished too by Yosano.
" Well, that leaves Atsushi," the woman stated, although Kath could swear there was a hint of excitement laced in her voice. " The kid is still unconscious and his wounds are untreated. If I hurry up I might be able to take him apart before the tiger heals him." She walked back into the infirmary, a spring in her steps. One could easily tell she was waiting for such an opportunity.
" You have my condolences, Atsushi-kun." Kath sweatdropped.
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The trauma of the treatment wore off quickly and everyone was up and about, doing what they could do for two reasons. One, there was still a member missing out there, since no sign of Kyouka could be found. And second, they were moving their base.
She had deduced that much would be needed in order to keep all of them safe. While they have splendid and strong members, they were still 6 gifted, one super smart detective, and a bunch of normal clerks who excelled in paperwork.
They were outnumbered.
Hiding was their best choice, even Kunikida and the President were discussing that very fact when Kath pinched her nose, her eyes stinging from how long she had stayed on her laptop.
Leaning back, she was met with the empty desk they had evacuated for Kyouka and her heart sank, wondering how the girl was faring, if she was safe and well, or if she was injured and afraid somewhere away from them. She would have gone out to search for her immediately, wasn't it for the president and Kunikida stopping her.
Going outside on your own is the same as asking the enemy to come and kill you.
This was war.
And that's why the president chose to go on his own, so he would make himself the only target right now and allow us to move to safety. With a sigh, she looked up at Kunikida again just as he was holding the phone away from his ear, a puzzled look on his face.
" What's the matter?"
" The call with the president just…" He placed the headpiece back into its cradle. " Could it be an enemy attack?"
" Yikes. Sounds bad." Kath winced. " I feel sorry for whoever dared to pull that out."
Atsushi seemed to have overheard them because he came running, saying they ought to hurry to the president's support.
" The president is fine," spoke Kunikida calmly.
" This is more like kids' play for the president, Atsushi-kun, you don't have to worry about him," Kath assured.
" How do you know that for sure?!"
At that, Kunikida exhaled before standing up and holding his hand for Atsushi. As the boy was prompted to grasp it, he suddenly found himself falling head first downwards. Atsushi blinked repeatedly, his mind struggling to process what happened. Kath stifled a laugh, she had experienced that same move before, and to that very day, she still remembered how bewildered she felt when she stopped standing and was just, laying on the ground like him.
" This is the first technique I learned from my master. I've never won a single match against him." Kunikida resumed his seat and continued with his work."He's not going to lose to a group of a dime-a-dozen assassins."
Kath walked up to the younger boy and gave him a hand, helping him to his feet as she rubbed his neck. " I knew you were strong, Kunikida-san. But to this level…"
" So you know, most of us received special training from the president," informed Kath as she had her stuffed animals haul Atsushi's boxes and folders to sort them. " You may be a different story, since your ability is mostly suitable for fighting, but for the rest of us, we can't depend on them much. That's why, we know how strong the president is, so have some trust in him too, alright."
Atsushi looked back and forth between her and Kunikida before nodding. Although as she walked past him, she was sure she heard him mumble ' The Armed Detective Agency is really fearsome'.
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" Hanazawa, how is the security coming?" Kunikida asked. Kath was pulling a few silvery strings that extended beyond the door of the chapel before holding a thumbs up.
Tanizaki then proceeded to open the video tabs on the computer. " Yosh. Everything is set up."
Atsushi looked longly at the thread wound around Kath's fingers, digging into her flesh and leaving red marks behind whenever she moved. " I don't understand, we could use normal security cameras, why do we have to depend on Hanazawa-san's animals?"
" For two reasons, Atsushi-kun." Rampo held his lollipop up and pointed it at the grey-haired boy. " First of all, in case the enemy has some means of getting past cameras, they won't be able to pass unnoticed by Kath's senses."
" Senses?" Atsushi looked back at the blond woman as though demanding an explanation.
" You see, I can share some of my senses with the stuffed animals to a certain degree," she said holding her silver-donned fist. " It's like I can hear and see what they're going through and so, though the connection isn't that clear. That's why I usually depend on the cameras and sensors planted in them."
" Which makes it almost impossible for anyone to get past unnoticed by her, unless they have an ability like mine." Tanizaki spun towards them.
" The second is as simple as you may guess," Yosano continued. " It's because those very plushies are weapons besides being sensors, so she can retaliate in time."
" I will keep all of us safe in here!" She held her reddened fists up enthusiastically.
The door then clicked open, and everyone directed their attention to the president as he walked up the aisle, a serious expression covering his face that made Kath swallow at what was in store for them.
" Listen, all. The Port Mafia seeks to eradicate the Agency. The Guild seeks to usurp the Agency. We must protect the Agency from those two foes."
Dazai, of all people, went and explained their plan. It was mainly to split up, a team tasked with defending the Agency's most valuable member, Yosano, and the other team was to deal with the foes, mostly depending on Tanizaki and Dazai's ability to contain them from a blind spot.
Kath was placed with the defense team, a very rational decision, she admitted, for she knew she would be most helpful there.
When Fukuzawa calmly announced that only one organization would remain standing up, her skin prickled. Even though she knew they had no choice in it, she really wished they wouldn't need to go that far.
But that was war, and she knew from past experience, that in situations like that, they had to fight tooth and nail to survive.
Swallowing whatever complaints her mind might have to offer, the girl looked up at her superior and coworkers. I'm defending every last one of them, I'm defending this Agency… A trickle of blood ran down her clenched fists as the silvery wires dug deep into them. I won't let a single soul die on me.