(Leon's POV)

  We met up with Arkgrim in another hall, where Deputy Commander Reshet was wrapping up the tour. I stood there, unable to feel my legs from excitement. The horror I had experienced in Corporal Sato's head didn't extinguish my fire; on the contrary, it fanned it to the heavens. I realized: if things are that bad, if they are so scared and having such a hard time out there, then I am obligated to be there. I have to become the one who watches their backs.

  I looked at Arkgrim. He looked somewhat... at peace? Strange. But from his gaze, I understood: he realized I wouldn't back down. His black eyes read something like, "Alright, idiot, I won't stop you, but I'll at least keep an eye on you."

  "Where were you, Arkgrim?" I asked as we headed for the exit. "You missed the most important part about syncing with the bio-suits!"

  "Just was in the restroom," he grumbled, adjusting his collar. "The doors there are... too automatic."

  We stepped out into the fresh air. The January sun blinded my eyes, reflecting off the armored walls of the headquarters.

  "Well, Leon, I see you liked it," Arkgrim sighed. "Since your brain has completely boiled over with heroism, I suggest we go to a pizzeria. A holiday should end with carbohydrates."

  I agreed. We reached the nearest pizzeria, sat at a corner booth, and had barely placed our order when Arkgrim suddenly turned pale. More accurately, his eyes widened, and he tried to quietly slide under the table.

  "Leon... Leon, let's scram! She's coming!"

  He tried to jump up, but someone's hand in a leather glove landed on his shoulder and forcefully pressed him back into the booth. I looked up. Before us stood that same green-haired girl from the mall—Rabuki Nihoro.

  "What do you want?" Arkgrim started sharply, trying to free his shoulder.

  "Nothing much..." she unceremoniously sat down next to him, shoving him into the corner. "Saw you by the headquarters. Were you at the open house?"

  "Yes," I answered, a bit flustered.

  "Leon, don't reveal secrets to this witch!" Arkgrim hissed.

  Rabuki glared at him angrily, then shifted her gaze to me:

  "Planning to join the Exterminator Corps?"

  "Yes," I answered firmly.

  "And which Legion are you aiming for?"

  "I don't know," I admitted honestly. "Wherever they assign me."

  She snorted and nodded at Arkgrim:

  "Is this little twerp always so snarky?"

  "HEY! Why did you even show up?" Arkgrim indignantly protested.

  At that moment, the waiter brought our order—a huge, piping hot fifty-centimeter pizza. The smell of melted cheese and pepperoni filled the table.

  "Here, my treat," Rabuki smirked, pushing the pizza toward us.

  Arkgrim's eyes instantly lit up. All his anger vanished somewhere.

  "Alright..." he muttered, already grabbing the first slice. "You can sit with us. Just don't touch my half."

  He immediately pulled the pizza toward his side and started devouring it at such a speed as if he hadn't eaten in a week.

  "Does he always act like a savage?" Rabuki asked, crossing her arms.

  "Sometimes," I smiled.

  "Why do you drag this squirt around with you?" she nodded dismissively at Arkgrim.

  "Hey, hey, hey! Who are you calling a squirt?" Arkgrim froze with a full mouth. "Look who's talking! We're practically the same age anyway!"

  Rabuki laughed, and it wasn't the kindest laugh:

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  "A child is a child. Sit quietly and don't butt into adults' conversations."

  "What?!" Arkgrim put down his crust.

  "What you heard!"

  "You know what they say? When two cowboys are talking..."

  Arkgrim immediately interrupted, "When two cowboys are talking, the revolver stays silent!"

  Rabuki froze for a moment, then arched an eyebrow:

  "What?" she clearly hadn't expected such a comparison. "That's completely off-topic."

  "What do you mean off-topic?!" Arkgrim protested.

  She looked at him like he was crazy:

  "Are you an idiot? The saying is that 'the horses stay silent'."

  "Well then you stay silent!" he snapped back.

  "WHY YOU LITTLE... You're annoying!" Rabuki leaned forward, and sparks literally flew between them from the tension. I sat there like I was caught in the crossfire. "Rabuki, why did you even sit down with us?"

  At that moment, my phone vibrated shortly in my pocket. I secretly peeked at the screen. A message in the chat.

  Arkgrim: "Grab the pizza and let's get out of here quick."

  I looked up. Rabuki was intently staring at Arkgrim's hand, which was clutching his "space-phone".

  "What kind of phone is that?" she asked, a dangerous curiosity awakening in her voice. "Where's it from?"

  Before Arkgrim could react, she deftly snatched the gadget from his hands.

  "HEY! Have you completely lost it?!" Arkgrim flared up. "Give it back, I'll tear you to shreds!"

  She twirled the bezel-less, thin, and incredibly high-tech device in her hands.

  "Don't get ahead of yourself," she smirked, ignoring his threats. "Where did you get this? Thin, nice... They don't sell these. Even my father doesn't have one like this."

  Arkgrim didn't argue anymore. In a flash, with a sharp movement, he snatched the phone back, grabbed a mug from the table, and threw it at her. While Rabuki dodged, he vaulted over the table in one motion, grabbed the box with the remaining pizza, and ran out the doors of the pizzeria.

  "WHY YOU L-L... I'M GONNA GET YOU!" Rabuki bolted from her seat and flew after him like a bullet.

  I was left sitting alone, staring at the empty table.

  "What the hell is going on here..." I whispered, covering my face with my hands.

  The adventures continued.

  (Arkgrim's POV)

  Damn it! This pizza box is not the most aerodynamic thing in the world; running with it is incredibly awkward. And this crazy Nihoro wasn't falling behind, her boots stomping right behind my back.

  And then—BZZZT!—my wrist bracelet treacherously blinked red.

  "Are you kidding me?!" I hissed. "I can't even just run fast? The system considers this 'anomalous acceleration'?"

  I felt the electric shocks prickling my skin, preventing my muscles from working at full capacity. If I don't speed up now, she's going to smear me across the asphalt. I ducked into a narrow alley between buildings, hoping to confuse the trail, but ran into a dead-end concrete wall. Three meters high.

  "Aha! Gotcha!" Rabuki flew around the corner, breathing heavily, but smirking triumphantly. "Where are you going to go now?"

  I didn't answer. I just tucked in and, with one light jump, flew to the top of the wall, landing on the other side. But the joy was short-lived.

  As soon as I landed on that side, the atmosphere shifted drastically. It didn't smell like the city here—it smelled like danger. People started stepping out of the shadows. Six... no, eight. They moved not like street punks, but like trained dogs. One of them, a tall man in a gray coat, stepped forward and twirled a knife in his hands.

  "Kid..." he said with a thick foreign accent. "Show us a miracle. We've been looking for you for a long time."

  At that moment, Rabuki vaulted over the wall I had just disappeared behind.

  "Caught you!" she yelled, grabbing me by the collar. But she immediately cut herself off upon seeing the guys with knives.

  Her hand instantly moved from the scruff of my neck to my shoulder, and with a jerk, she shoved me behind her back.

  "Get behind me! Now!" she commanded in a tone that brooked no arguments.

  "Little girl, step aside nicely," the guy with the knife grumbled. There were more and more people around; they were forming a ring around us.

  "Why do you need him?" Rabuki tensed; I could feel the hidden bio-suit starting to vibrate under her jacket.

  "He'll just answer a couple of questions, and we'll let him go," the foreigner grinned.

  Yeah, right. Tell me another fairy tale. Rabuki apparently thought the same. Sharply, like a mother cat grabbing her kitten, she grabbed me by the scruff of the neck with one hand, and pushed off the wall with the other.

  "Rulf! Pick me up! Coordinates sent!" she yelled into a microphone on her collar.

  We jumped back over the same wall again. But these guys weren't falling behind. I saw them vault over the obstacle with frightening ease.

  "They have good physical conditioning," Rabuki noted, dragging me down the alley. "They don't look like an ordinary gang. Did you owe someone money, squirt?"

  "I don't think so!" I answered, trying not to drop the pizza.

  "Run!" she commanded.

  "Run where?" I got angry. "Let me go, I'll take them out myself right now! That main guy has a bio-suit too, I can feel it!"

  Rabuki cast a surprised sideways glance at me as we ran:

  "How did you know, kid? He didn't even activate it!"

  I didn't answer. Instead, I simply jumped up and sat on her shoulders while she sprinted down the street. Freaking convenient! I opened the box and started stuffing a slice of pizza into my mouth.

  "ARKGRIM, NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" she yelled, feeling the extra weight. "DUMP THAT BOX!"

  "Damn, what a waste..." With a sigh, I hurled the box backward, right into the faces of our pursuers. A piece of pepperoni slapped one of them in the eye, which gave us a couple of seconds' head start.

  At that moment, a black armored sedan rolled up to the curb with screeching tires. The doors flew open. Rabuki literally tossed me into the cabin, flew in after me, and yelled to the driver:

  "FLOOR IT!"

  The car tore away from the spot, pressing me into the leather seat. The pursuers were left behind, but through the rear window, I saw them calmly pulling out walkie-talkies.

  'Yeah...' I thought, finishing chewing the last slice of pizza I managed to save. 'So much for going to the Corps. Looks like those guys aren't the type to ask for autographs.'

  I glanced at Rabuki. She was furious, her hair disheveled, but she was still holding my arm tightly, as if afraid I would evaporate.