???: Hurry up! You don't have a lot of time

???: I know!

Currently, a boy with black hair and dark blue eyes is seen rushing through a door and started running up a flight of stairs.

He is dressed in a white school uniform with a black tie, which is loosely tied around the collar of the white shirt and a black blazer is worn over his shirt. A pair of black trousers, secured with a plain leather belt along with a pair of shiny black leather shoes completes the look.

Boy: I'm running as fast as I can here!

???: Listen, we just got word that they've taken a Lycoris hostage. I estimate that you have one minute or less. Make it count, Akiri

The boy now known as Akiri quicken his pace, pushing himself further up the floors of the abandoned office building.

Meanwhile, up on the sixth floor of the building, a group of armed men is seen with their guns trained towards a group of girls in uniform hiding behind cover. One of the men had a girl with him at gunpoint.

Man: You've got ten seconds! Show your faces! Or she's dead meat!

He threatens as he pushes the muzzle of his pistol against the girl's head, and she flinches as she closed her eyes shut.

Back with the boy, he is still running up the stairs at a constant pace.

Akiri: HQ, which floor was it again?

He asked, however, there was no answer, only a constant buzz of static coming through his earpiece.

Akiri: HQ? HQ?! Karin, do you copy?!

He shouted, still no answer from the comms.

As he was about to continue upwards, he suddenly heard loud, rapid gunshots coming from the floor just above him. From his years of experience, he could tell that it was the distinct sound of a PK, a soviet 7.62mm belt-fed machine gun.

When he finally reached the sixth floor, the gunshots had already stopped and he arrives at the scene to see several dead men on the floor. There were bullet holes all over the room and the windows were shattered, the result of the prior machine gun fire.

He then saw a Lycoris, walking over, inspecting the dead bodies with a PK machine gun in her hands, which he assumes is the main culprit for the destruction seen. He then saw two others, running over to tend to another Lycoris which was on the ground, probably the hostage taken by the group of men.

Akiri: (thoughts) Looks like I'm too late...

He stares at the corpse of the men, the arms dealers that we're supposed to be taken in for interrogation.

???: Hello? Akiri, can you hear me? Akiri, come in

A familiar female voice spoke through the earpiece.

Akiri: There you are, Karin. What the hell happened?

He answered as he started to walk back down the stairs to avoid being seen by the Lycoris squad inside.

Karin: We don't know. But something happened to Radiata that interrupted our comms signal

Akiri: What? How?

Karin: That's what we're trying to figure out. Anyway, what happened over there?

Akiri: From what I can see, one of the Lycoris took the initiative to attack. All of the weapons dealers are dead

Karin: And the Lycoris they took hostage?

Akiri: She's unharmed

Karin: Thank goodness...

She lets out a breath of relief.

Akiri: But what now? The guns weren't there at the site. And with the dealers dead, there's no way we can track down where the weapons are

Karin: So the guns aren't there. Looks like I was correct on my hunch... Well, for now, get to headquarters right away. Commander Kusunoki wants to see you. Her face is unchanging as ever, but I could tell that she's pissed

Akiri: Give me a break. I just got here, and now I have to get an earful from her the first thing?

He said with a frustrated sigh while Karin lets out a giggle.

Karin: You were supposed to be there an hour ago and remain on standby. Where were you?

Akiri: I got lost, okay? I haven't been in Tokyo for a long time

Karin: Tell that to the commander when you see her

The person speaking then hung up and the boy lets out another frustrated sigh as he took out his earpiece and shoves it into his pocket. At that moment, he reached the ground floor and exited the office building. As soon as he does, his ears are assaulted by the blaring sounds of police sirens echoing in the distance.

He then silently walks down the sidewalk of the street as multiple police patrol cars speeds past him with their sirens on, and the boy places his hands in his pocket in order to not stand out as he quietly left the scene without a trace.

.

.

.

.

.

???: A total of one thousand smuggled firearms missing, a group of dead arms dealers... A failed operation...

Akiri is now seen standing in an office. Sitting at a desk in front of him, is a middle-aged woman with short red hair, wearing a light grey shirt with a white trench coat worn over. This is the commander of Direct Attack known only as Kusunoki.

Kusunoki: I can't say that I'm not disappointed in you, Akiri. I called you in because I was certain you of all people could get the job done

Akiri: Sorry to say, but there's only so much I could do on such a short notice. I got called in from all the way across the country all of the sudden, you can't expect me to be there exactly on time

The boy said.

Akiri: And besides, the mission was compromised because something happened to Radiata. You mind telling me what the hell happened there?

Kusunoki: It was just some technical difficulties

Akiri: Bullshit

Kusunoki: Language. Whatever happened on our end doesn't change the fact that we now have a whole arsenal of firearms missing with no way to track them

The boy was left without anything to counter her argument, and so, he only looks away and kept silent for a brief moment.

Akiri: So what now?

Kusunoki: I'm assigning you to one of our posts outside. You should see some familiar faces there. You just need to keep a low profile and wait for further orders

She continues as she slides over a piece of document on her desk and he picked it up before taking a short glance at it.

Akiri: If the situation is so dire, why don't you just let me stay here?

Kusunoki: You know exactly why. No one here can know you exist. Not the staff, not the Lycoris and certainly not the public or other outside organizations

He breathed in and lets out a sigh as he rolls his eyes.

Akiri: Right... Well, I'll be going then. No use arguing about anything with you

He muttered the last part quietly as he turns around and was about to walk out of the office, but he was stopped just as he was reaching the doorknob.

Kusunoki: And Akiri. Next time, don't mess up, got it?

Akiri: Yeah, yeah, got it

With that, he turns the doorknob and walks out of the room. On the way out, he walks past a girl with long black hair and purple eyes, wearing the navy blue coloured Lycoris uniform. He recognizes her as the girl he saw using the machine gun back at the abandoned office building.

He only kept walking silently as the girl did the same and enters the commander's office.

Akiri: (thoughts) So they're gonna use her as a scapegoat, huh...? Typical...

With a troubled look on his face, he paused for a brief moment to glance at the closed office door before continuing on his way.

???: Ara. Look who's just got scolded by the commander~

A familiar female voice spoke out in a playful tone and he turns towards the source of the voice to see a blonde-haired girl walking towards him.

Akiri: Karin...

The girl now known as Karin walked up to him with a smile.

Karin: So, what did she say to you?

Akiri: Just the usual. Nothing I haven't heard before

Karin: Ah, I see. By the way, she told you where you're gonna be stationed yet?

Akiri: Yeah. I'm heading there right now, actually

Karin: Eh, already? Don't wanna spend time with little old me before you go?

She asked with a pout and making sad eyes at him.

Akiri: I... really shouldn't. You know I can't hang around here much

Karin: Come on. We only talked with each other through the comms. We haven't been face to face with each other at all for years

Akiri: W-Well...

She could see that he was still unsure. Her eyes then widened slightly as a realization hits her and a smug grin slowly grew on her face.

Karin: Ooh, I know why you wanna go so much. You're excited to see your crush again, don't cha?

Akiri: Wh-What?! N-No, that's not it

His face grew slightly red, which the blonde girl immediately noticed and knew that she had hit precisely on the mark.

Karin: He he... Your face says otherwise

Akiri: Sh-Shut up...

Karin giggled, seeing the boy getting flustered and she decided to push on further to entertain herself.

Karin: I bet you're excited to see her again. The girl you have such a huge crush on. So, are you gonna ask her out this time? Or are you gonna chicken out again?

Akiri: I can kill you before you could even blink

He threatens with the scariest glare he could muster. However, she was completely unfazed and just waves it off with a smile.

Karin: Sorry~ Your threats stopped being scary to me a long time ago

Akiri: Ugh...

Karin: So, answer my question-

Akiri: Oh, wow! Look at the time! I should be going now and report at my post

Without another word, he turns around and bolted down the hallway at full speed, catching Karin completely surprised.

Karin: H-Hey! Come back here!

He ignored her and disappears from view as he turns a corner.

Karin: You can run, but you can't hide from me, Akiri!

Her shout echoes throughout the staff office, causing the other workers in the area to look at her with confused stares.

(Timeskip)

Akiri: This is the place...

The boy stopped walking as he arrived in front of what seemed like a regular old cafe called "Café LycoReco".

Although the establishment operates like any other cafés, its status as a small eatery is only a front as it is also one of several posts for stationing Lycoris outside of the DA headquarters.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself and he approaches the door before opening it. A bell rings welcomingly as the door swings open and he was met with a quaint-looking interior, as well as the strong smell of brewing coffee.

???: Ah, welcome!

A woman in green kimono wearing glasses greeted him, seated at one of the seats at the bar area.

As she had a longer look at the boy, is when she suddenly recognized him.

???: Eh?! Akiri?!

Akiri: Hey, Mizuki-san

The woman known as Mizuki seemed completely shocked at the sudden appearance of the boy

Mizuki: Wh-What the?! When did you-

???: Ah, I see you've finally arrived. Welcome back

A different voice spoke out and they saw that it was a tall, dark-skinned man appearing from the kitchen.

Akiri: Sensei. Good to see you still kicking

Mizuki: What? Mika-san, you knew he was coming?

She asked the man known as Mika.

Mika: Yes, Kusunoki told me just this morning. He'll be stationed here for the time being

Akiri: It's good working with you both again

He said with a polite, respectful bow, to which the two only return a nod with a smile.

The boy's eyes then started to wander around the room, seemingly looking for something.

Akiri: Where's-

Mizuki: Chisato? She's in the back changing to her uniform

Akiri: Oh...

Mika: Well, I just got another call from the commander. She said there's someone else getting assigned here

Mizuki: Eh? Really?

Mika: A Lycoris named Takina Inoue. She's being reassigned here after that incident in the last mission

Akiri: The arms deal?

A picture of the black-haired girl holding a smoking machine gun flashes in his mind.

Akiri: Ah... That one...

Mika: She'll be here tomorrow morning to act as Chisato's official partner. Looks like I need to prepare another room

Mizuki: Seems like this place is about to become a lot more crowded...

Akiri: Well, at least she'll be getting a new partner. An official one this time

Something then seemingly caught the eye of Mizuki.

Mizuki: Speak of the devil

???: Akiri? Akiri, is that you?

He heard a somewhat familiar female voice call out his name from behind, and he turned around to see someone very familiar to him.

Akiri: Hey, Chisato

Standing just in front of the door of the staff room, is a girl with medium-length blonde hair and red eyes with a red ribbon tied in a bow on the left side of her hair.

He recognizes her to be Chisato Nishikigi. Despite not having seen each other in years, the two of them instantly recognized each other as soon as they made eye contact.

Chisato: Akiri, it is you!

She exclaimed while grinning cheerfully as she ran over and excitedly wraps her arms around the boy, planting her face in his chest.

Chisato: I've missed you so much!

The boy was frozen for a brief moment before he returns the gesture and hugs her back with a slight smile while Mika and Mizuki only watched their reunion silently with smiles on her their faces.

Akiri: I missed you too, Chisato

After a few moments, she finally lets go and breaks the hug, still with a wide grin on her face and she reaches over and grabs his hands excitedly.

Chisato: Come on, we have so much to catch up on! Sensei! Two cups of your best coffee, please! Oh, and some snacks!

Mika: Coming right up

Chisato: Come on, let's sit down! You're gonna tell me everything about what you were up to while you're gone

She immediately started to drag him towards one of the tables and they sat down as Mizuki came over and place two cups of coffee on the table.

(Timeskip)

Akiri: ...And that's pretty much it, I guess. It's just the same things you Lycoris do actually

Chisato: Eh? That's it?

It has been well over an hour since they've sat down at the table, telling each other their experiences and stories about what they've been up to since the last time they saw each other.

Most of that time was spent by Chisato going on a tangent, talking about all sorts of things she had done and was carried away by it as she kept talking and talking while Akiri only listens with a smile on his face.

The snacks they ordered were all finished over the course of the conversation, as well as the coffee served to them, leaving them with empty cups and plates on the table.

Akiri: I'm telling you, I didn't really do anything impressive. Other than some confidential work that cannot be disclosed

Chisato: Aw, come on! I want to hear about those too!

Akiri: Sorry. Orders are orders

Chisato: Hmph, meanie...

She crosses her arms and looks away while pouting.

Chisato: Since when you're so uptight with following orders and stuff?

Akiri: What do you mean? I always follow my orders

Chisato: Alright, if you say so. So, what are your orders now?

Akiri: Don't know. Kusunoki just stationed me here and told me to wait for further instructions

Chisato: Then that means you'll be staying here for a while right?!

She asked excitedly as she slams her hands on the table with stars sparkling in her eyes.

Akiri: Yeah, I guess that's the case

Chisato squeals in excitement. At that time, they saw Mika coming from upstairs.

Mika: Akiri. Your room is ready. There's also a travel bag sent to you from DA. It's under your bed

Akiri: Right. Thanks, sensei

Mika: And here. Try this on

He handed the boy a dark blue coloured kimono, similar to the one Mika and Mizuki are wearing and he looked at it confused.

Akiri: Umm... What is this?

Mika: Hm? It's your work uniform

Akiri: Huh?

Mika: Why do you look so surprised? You're going to be working here from now on

Akiri: What?! No, hold on a minute, since when?

Mika: Since the moment you're stationed here. What, you think you're just gonna live here twiddling your thumbs doing nothing? While you wait for orders from DA, you'll be working here

He explained.

Mika: Besides, I've been looking for someone to help me in the kitchen for a while now

The boy only stared at the clothes he was handed in disbelief, with his jaw wide open and one of his eyes twitching, completely lost for words as Chisato leans in close to him with a smug grin.

Chisato: We're gonna be coworkers from now on. Welcome to LycoReco, A-ki-ri!

He could only sit there in silence with no choice but to accept fate, for there is no way out of this situation. He knew that it will be meaningless no matter how much he protests.

Akiri: You've gotta be kidding me...

Chisato: Come on, it's not so bad. We get to work together again. Just like old times

She said as she hugs his arm with the widest grin on her face, and he only looked at her before releasing a sigh. He then notices the faint glimmer of something from underneath Chisato's shirt.

Without needing to look any closer, he already knew what it was. The small, bronze owl-shaped pendant given by the Alan Institute to recipients of their "support".

Akiri: ...Like old times, huh?

Brief flashes of memories appeared in his mind, causing him to avert his gaze to the floor as he falls silent.

Before his mind could wander even further, he firmly shook his head, as if he is pushing away the memories. Releasing another sigh, he then smiled lightly at her.

Akiri: Alright. I'm looking forward to working with you, Chisato

Chisato: I'm looking forward to it too!

She replied, looking at him with a beaming smile, the sight of it warms the boy's heart as his smile grew wider.

And so, began a new chapter in the life of Akiri Shiranobu, spending his days from now on working at a small café with some old friends, and the girl who he has grown fond of for the longest time. What is awaiting them in the near future? Only time will certainly tell.