|???|

Before going back at her house, Cul decided to go out at the park located in front of Vocesai School. While travelling down the underpass, and also thinking on how to kill her next target, she thought of having a brief rest at the park. Even though she wants to supervise the laborers, she thought it really doesn't matter if she was there or not, knowing that she could trust the foreman she hired.

Running close to ninety-six kilometers per hour at her roaring machine, the wind that passing against her direction was making her dense coat dance violently behind her. The cool mist and steam which was forming at the thick night scapes of Vocesai was stinging at her skin and face, making her ride a little more of an endurance challenge. Her back light was merely sketching a delayed trail she had gone past, creating long streaks of red mirage across the roads and making it like it was like a devil's tail.

Seeing the lone white marble fountain from the distance, she decelerated and gone close to it while making her way at the park after a crazy ride.

The cloudless vesper sky of the city had just staged a beautiful night for Cul to have a break. She gone down at her bike and parked it near a bench where she would sat down, together with her sword. She opened up her bike's compartment and pulled off six beer cans and some tempura she had cooked back at the house, placed in a square container.

After grabbing the drinks and the food, she closed the compartment and sat down at the bench, overlooking the school nearby under the moonlight.

Opening the first can, she was thinking her next move. She knew that if Meiko had started to mess with Haku, or even tell to the Red Squad her findings, she will had a very difficult time to look after her. More on her headaches was the knowledge Meiko had about the photo she found at Haku's unit.

"If I could trick those guys a little more - just a little - to buy some time, probably Haku and I could pass this one without getting noticed by master. I need to get things done fast.." she thought to herself while drinking the beer, still looking at the view from her vantage. "I wonder... what could be Meiko's reaction when she saw me tomorrow? Like I never got poisoned? Like seeing her failure in front of her eyes."

She held down the can and picked up a tempura at the container. Before she took a bite, she checked out if the coating was even. "Poor Meiko... She's just like this prawn. Even she has a good face in the outside, still her evil tail is sticking out. What a poor little girl. Trying hard to kill someone she can't. From now on, I'll teach her a proper lesson in how things in this world works. On how to deal with everything." She said, then biting half of it, eating the coated end of the prawn.

After she had her little break, she puts down her fifth can and stood up as her target was visible at her sight, just passed by in front of the school gate on foot. She put the empty cans at the trash bin, but left the last can and the container with some tempuras still in it at the bench.

She rode again at her bike with an enthusiastic smile and fired up glare.

"It's game time!" she declared, zooming off the park, catching up with her target.

As Cul had left the scene, a guy was hiding up in the tree the whole time Cul was having her rest smiled when she smelled the food Cul had left. He gone down and approached the bench from where the food was. He sat down at the same bench where Cul was previously seated and started to have his very first 'normal' meal of the year.

|Kasane Konstruction|

Last night was a total nightmare for Ritsu. He had to do all the paperwork and computing receipts of Tei since she was out for a 'forced' paid day-off. He was almost up until three at Tei's workplace, finishing tower-high delivery reports and catching up on some of their clients who needs a delivery all over the entire city. Ruko was bringing coffee at his workplace from time to time but it seems to him it has no effect in getting Ritsu survived the dreaded shift. Without any time for rest nor leave, Ritsu dumped himself at the table and just slept there, her head was resting above Tei's Accounting and Sales Book, his hand was acting as his pillow and the other hand was holding a pen.

The night went on peaceful for Ritsu until the morning sun shone down at Vocesai, Ruko and Ted at that time was just getting out from the metal door to open the hardware for business. By the time the large silver roll-up panels were raised, the sun rays were penetrating at the gaps of the window blinds and holes from where Ritsu was, shining down at him like someone from above was watching over.

An hour had gone past and while the two were cleaning the hardware, the phone rang from Tei's workplace. Several more noise from the phone had been heard before Ritsu snapped from his sleeping. He partly opened his eyes and reached at the phone slowly.

"He-llo. Kasane Kons-truction. Go—od morning." he flatly said, then tried to shut his eyes and sleeps again. "Who- the- hell are you?"

|Kaito's Supershack|

"It's me Ritsu! Kaito's wife!" Tei happily responded over the phone.

"Agh.... You're supposed to do this things here. You gave me nightmares at this ton of work."

"But, I asked Sir Ted about my day-off, so why you are complaining! That computing thinggy there at my desk is easy - you didn't even have to use your brain at those."

Ritsu's voice on the other line had started to get a little loud when he was offended at Tei's words. "Hey! What do you mean, that I ain't using my brain at this nerve-racking job!"

"Why are you mad Ritsu? Do I know if you have a brain inside that nutshell you have?" she said, taunting him.

He groaned. "Ugh.. If you're not that strong, you're a dust to me a long time ago! Dang it!"

"But fate had chosen to make you like that, and me being strong, pretty and intelligent than everyone else!" she bragged, waiving her hair.

Ritsu let a sigh of surrender and talked lazily as he was standing from Tei's office chair, yawning. "What now? Why did you call this early at the hardware?"

"My husband needs your truck!" she said, looking at the portrait at the wall.

"So... I'm not the one whose needed?" he sarcastically said. "The 'truck' is what your 'husband' needs?"

"We need you also, you nitwit!" Tei exclaimed. "You're the driver of course!"

After drinking half of the cold coffee placed by Ruko several hours ago, Ritsu fired back. "Why Tei? Does anyone of you wasn't able to drive my ride?"

"Legally, no." Tei said. "Pretty obvious."

"Oh.." Ritsu jeered. "I thought your brain and your pretty face could drive! I was wrong."

"Get your truck and your lazy a** here, ASAP!" Tei gravely said, putting down the phone, hard.

The moment the call ended, she groaned in anger and clenched her hands.

"Ritsu... You are dead..." she said while making her way at the kitchen to cook some breakfast.

|Kasane Konstruction|

The moment Ritsu heard the line went dead, he knew to himself something bad would happen to him by the time when he arrives at the shop.

Looking at the telephone, he sighed. Then he gone out of Tei's workplace and headed straight to the restroom.

"Looks like I screwed my day." he said with sarcasm. "Just— so lovely."

Ruko heard Ritsu shutting the door of the restroom and went close just beside the door.

"Hey Ritsu! You're up!" he said, leaning himself at the wall beside the door.

"Of course I am!" he replied, irritated. "Did you see a person going in the restroom whose is not standing up wide awake? How on Earth did you think I made all the way here to the restroom? Did I float?"

"Eh...Of course not." Ruko said.

"Logic man. Logic."

"I just wanna..."

"Just wanna what, Ruko? Annoy me more?"

"No!" he defended. "I just want to talk about the plan.."

"If you said it straightaway, at least I have a good chance your words won't make you fly high across this block."

"Why are you so hot-headded too early in the morning?" Ruko asked, looking at his blue highlight at his hair.

"I'm screwed. Tei is mad at me right now." he helplessly said. "Tei wants me to go there to use the truck again for her 'future husband'."

"Oooh.." Ruko said. "Looks like you've gone too far.... too far this time."

"Blame the numbers, blame the accounts. They made my head spinning loose last night, I didn't care who the heck am I talking to."

"That's what Sir Ted was talking about. Tread carefully before making any sudden movements." Ruko reminded Ritsu. "And you messed up with the wrong person."

"Yeah. I know." he said.

"Anyway, we're going off topic." Ruko said, placing his hand at his pocket. "Did Tei reported about the progress of the mission? Did she told you 'bout anything?"

"No." he said, grabbing the knob of the door. "She ended the conversation before I could ask her about that. I'm sorry."

Ruko glanced at Ritsu the moment he was out of the restroom. "Just ask her about that when you come there. The report is vital to our next move for the coming days ahead."

Ritsu walked out and headed to the garage, Ruko followed behind. "Okay. Okay. I'll ask her 'bout it but... Who will fill out our duties here today? I'm sure me and Tei are probably off for the whole day."

Ruko smiled and patted his back lightly. "Don't worry Ritsu! We got that covered! We called out some of our members across the vicinity."

Ritsu was shocked. "Wa-wa-wait... do.. you..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Ruko mumbled in confirmation to Ritsu's guess.

"I hope you can handle them, those guys are creepy."

***Nearing the truck, Ruko promised to Ritsu. "Everything will gonna be alright! Just go there and do what Tei and Haku will ask to you."

Ritsu had started the truck's engine. After a brief moment, he waived goodbye at Ruko and drove off to see Tei at the shop.

After Ritsu had left, Ted approached Ruko from behind, where in that instance came from the back end of the store finishing some maintenance check at the cables.

"So Ruko.. Did Tei said anything about her mission?"

"Negative Sir Ted." he replied. "He blew Tei's hat."

He lifted lightly his glasses. "So.. We need to wait an entire day to know the progress?"

"Yes, Sir. I believe that we have to." Ruko said seriously, looking at the pavement while waiting for the temporary relievers.