"You're insane, aren't you?" Kuroo asked, staring down at Inuoka, who keep on knocking in a steady pace for two minutes straight.

"He'll open the door in another minute, just wait," Inuoka replied with a grin, "Trust me on this."

Exactly 60 seconds later, the door was slammed open by the owner of the house.

He was rather short, Kuroo noticed, with small and a bit fragile figure. He was wearing a pair of trackpants, socks, also a red jacket over his white hoodie. He also had brownish black hair that ended just a bit above his chin. His fingertips were wrapped in bandages, and he also had a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

"Inuoka, it hasn't been 10 minutes since I kicked you out of here."

Kuroo almost choked. How blunt and straightforward. It's so familiar.

"But Kozume-san, I brought your neighbor! He wanted to borrow your laptop! Or maybe you can fix his broken one?"

Kozume? Wait, wasn't that... Kenma's last name?

The house owner eyed Kuroo up and down, and Kuroo swore, he could recognize his golden eyes anywhere.

"Fine. Come in," the same strict, yet welcoming tone.

Inuoka closed the door behind him, while Kozume led Kuroo inside the house. He notices there were lots of unopened packages and letters, all were stacked neatly at the corner of the living room, just beside the large TV. And even the TV itself was attached to a complete set of the newest gaming tools, while two pairs of headphones sat on the couch.

"So? What do you need the laptop for?"

Kuroo couldn't reply, and this silence gave him a chuckle from Kozume.

"Video games?"

Kuroo only mumbled his confirmation.

"What genre do you want to play? Action? Adventure? Roleplay? Sports? Strategy? Racing?" Kozume asked, as he entered a room, which, Kuroo noticed with awe, was a walk-in closet, but instead of clothes, it was filled with video games.

"Fantasy RPG."

"There. The one with the purple label. Pick whichever you like," Kozume instructed, pointing at the left side of the closet, where everything inside the rack was labeled with light purple, "Inuoka will take care of the rest."

Kuroo nodded, as as Kozume left, he began to explore the heaven. "Holy shit, this guy has everything."

"That's Kozume-san for you~" Inuoka sang, waltzing into the room, "We are collectors and as he worked in this area, getting the latest version of games and its necessities are easy! Have you found what you want?"

Kuroo hummed, pulling out his choice, "Forsaken Felines: The Siege. I'm surprised you have it! This game isn't that popular!"

"Yet," Inuoka commented, "I love the game. The graphics's, the storyline, it's one of my favorites. By the way, what's your ID on this? And do you remember how far have you gotten at the game?"

"The ID's Panther171. I'm still stuck on level 51, at the First Gate. Why did you ask?"

"You wouldn't mind getting a little help, right?" Inuoka questioned with a slight grin, "Put that back in the rack, and get to the living room. Shoo, shoo!"

Kuroo obliged. He walked out of the room (with a hint of lingering sadness, as he had to leave the small heaven), and sat on the couch at the living room. His cat, Pudding, looked so friendly after who knows how long, and this time he didn't act hostile at all when Kuroo tried to pet his head.

"You like cats?"

Kuroo turned, surprised that Kozume was already standing in front of him. His glasses was taken off, and his aura now felt welcoming.

"Well... I got Pudding from an old friend..." Kuroo replied, feeling slightly bitter at the irony. Kozume. This stranger have the same last name as the old owner of the cat.

"I see. I would like to have a cat, too, but it might ruin everything here. This cat of yours seemed smart, though. I like him."

"Thanks."

"You can bring your broken laptop here, I'm quite sure I'll be able to fix it. In the meantime, you can use mine."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you? I mean, I literally can't live without video games and you just brought it back to my life."

"Just come over as often as you can. Inuoka can be too hard to handle sometimes. By the way, I didn't catch your name before."

His faint smile was overwhelming, Kuroo found it hard not to stumble over his own words. "It's Kuroo Tetsurou. And you are?"

"Kozume Kenma."

Kuroo.exe has stopped working.

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Shouyou didn't say a thing as he drove back to his house. Natsu sat beside him with an excited smile on her face, and he couldn't help but to sigh at the oddity.

"What's up with you? Seriously, that grin is getting creepy."

Natsu puffed out her cheeks. "Hey, I just joined a gang led by my old friend. Am I not allowed to feel happy?"

"I don't understand what's so great about that," Shou muttered, "After Kenma-san's death, Lev turned into a really cruel mafia boss."

"You're exaggerating."

"You don't have to believe me. Just see it yourself. He's abnormally strict towards new recruits, some even quit before they become official members."

"You mean there's tests?"

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one here."

"Nii-chan, please," Natsu whined, "Do you not like the idea of me working with you?"

"Well... I don't mind that..." Shouyou huffed, "But you can get killed, Natsu. Our chance of dying us far greater than normal civilians."

"And it's my job to fix that, right? I'm your doctor."

Shouyou didn't reply. He kept his mouth shut as he drove, not even once sparing a glance at Natsu.

He was frustrated. He knows really well that Natsu is stubborn, and no one can change her mind. There's little to no chance that Lev will allow her to back out, either. But he really doesn't want to see Natsu got hurt. Most probably, it's just his overprotective big brother instinct. But he's worrying for a good reason, right?

"Nii-san... Are you mad?"

Shouyou only huffed. He stopped the car in front of his house, gesturing Natsu to get herself out, and a few minutes later the two found themselves sitting in the living room.

"Listen." Natsu's ears perked up, and she quickly looked at her distressed brother, ready to memorize everything he's saying, "It won't be easy. There's a few tests and the judgement is on Lev himself, or anyone he chooses. Usually it's among the elite members, and this time I will be excluded for sure, so I can't help you. They have high standards and they expect a lot from you."

"The most important skill is your physical and mental endurance. After that, self-defense. Martial arts, bonus points if you can use weapons and especially firearms."

"Wait, you have guns?!"

"Well, duh. Of course," Shouyou chuckled as he pulled up the end of his shirt, revealing a loaded gun in its holster, "It's not hard to use this. The tricky part is aiming." He pulled out the weapon and set it on the coffee table.

"As for the fact that you're a woman, things get a bit tricky. How should I put it...? It would be really useful if you are... entertaining. Beautiful, charming, pleasing, all-..."

"Woah, hold up," Natsu interrupted, narrowing her eyes, "That sounds... degrading..."

"N-No, that's not what I mean! Ugh..." Shou inhaled deeply, "It's mostly for info gathering purposes. There are special cases where... a woman can do a man's job, but a man can't do a woman's job."

"Ah, now that's tolerable."

"Whatever. It's getting late, you should go to sleep. Tomorrow's a big day."

"Sweet. Okay then," Natsu stood up from her seat, and gave her brother a kiss on his forehead, "Goodnight, Nii-chan. I promise I'll be alright."

Shouyou sent her a small smile in return, ruffling her hair as he bid her goodnight as well, watching as she approached her room, and closed the door behind her. He heard the click of the lights being turned off, and he immediately left the room, towards the front door. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number as he walked out of the house.

"Alright, she's gone. Now what's the plan?"

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"No."

"Makki, it is my party."

Hanamaki groaned. His boss, the CEO of the Idaina company, is more than just a genius at business. He's also a gentleman for the ladies around, and an amazing leader among his colleagues.

Moreover, as Makki knows beyond anyone else...

He's a real idiot.

Like seriously. He's a CEO. The star of his company's silver anniversary party. He was supposed to be the king, 'Your Majesty', the one all the guests looked up to as he entered the stage.

And here he is, pouting over his unfulfilled request.

"Trashykawa, I told you, no. Never."

"What's so wrong with it?! It's my party, my rule! I want to, and I will bring Tofu!" Oikawa Tooru exclaimed as he crossed his arms, glaring at his assistant.

"What will you do if that dog sheds her hair? And if one of the guests is allergic, things could get complicated! Not mentioning if that dog runs around and scaring people! Or if she's the one who got scared?!"

Just then, a Border Collie entered the room, and ran straight to her owner. The dog sat in front of Oikawa, and the man grinned as he scratched the dog's neck.

"Tofu!" Oikawa called, and the dog barked, "See, Makki? She's a good girl! Why can't you understand? The party will last for hours, there's no way I'm leaving her alone in the house, she hates that!"

"You leave her for work everyday, idiot."

"The party's nighttime, usually I'm home around those hours. It's different. She's a friendly dog, Makki, she used to be with the Fire Department! She knows how to behave, and-..."

"It's not just about the dog, Shittykawa. What will people say if you bring a dog to a formal party?!"

"I guess it can't be helped..." Oikawa muttered, and he ignored Hanamaki's suspicious gaze as he pulled out his phone, typing for a minute before showing the screen to Makki.

And that's when Makki knew it's over.

What's on the screen is an email draft, directed to the decoration team for the party. And the underlined part of it is the bad news of the week.

'Please make the whole party alien-themed. I know it sounds strange, but I would appreciate it very much.'

"Makki..." Oikawa growled victoriously, "If you don't let Tofu come, I'll press 'send'. No kidding."

Makki instinctively went to grab the phone, but Oikawa, being an ex-soldier, easily pulled the device away, gripping it tightly as he smirked.

"Nuh-uh, bitch. Let me bring Tofu or we're having an alien-themed party. Your choice."

"Alien-themed?! Are you insane?!"

"I'll wear my new pyjamas! I wanna hear everyone's comments! And also the-..."

"Trashykawa, you-..."

"Oh! UFO-shaped cookies will be cool, right?! I-..."

"Oikawa-..."

"Alien keychains, Makki! Let's give those to everyone who comes! We can-..."

"Fine, fine, FINE!!" Makki cut off in desperation, "FINE, YOU CAN BRING TOFU!! Now give me the phone!!"

"FINALLY!!" Oikawa cheered, raising from his seat, "Makki, catch!" he exclaimed, throwing the phone to his assistant, which barely caught it, almost pressing the 'send' button (which made him panic, of course, but since when does Oikawa care? Oh, he doesn't).

"You hear that, Tofu?! You can come with me!" The dog only ran around her owner in excitement, while Makki erased the email draft and set the phone back on the desk.

"Why do I even work for you..." he muttered, which caused Oikawa to stare at his assistant in surprise.

"Because you know me since high school!"

"And how is that relevant?"

Oikawa patted Tofu's head for the last time, before he sat back in front of his desk. "You know me well enough to decide to work for me!"

"If anything, the only one who can handle your antics is Iwaizumi. I can't believe that guy-..." Hanamaki suddenly stopped, as he realized whom he had mentioned. Oikawa's expression turned bitter, as he clenched his fist and looked away.

"... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought him up."

The CEO shook his head, "It's understandable," he sighed, "even sometimes I almost said his name instead of yours."

Makki let out a deep breath. "Seriously, though. That ace disappeared without a trace. What was he thinking?"

"Who knows..." Oikawa crossed his arms, looking down, "I wonder what Iwa-chan's doing right now..."

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"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," a black-haired male said to his phone, before he ended the call, and let out a heavy sigh. He stared at screen for a few more seconds, his brows furrowed as his grip around the cellphone tightened.

A quiet 'crack' was heard, and the man huffed, placing the phone back in his pocket.

"The fuck's that guy thinking..." he muttered, raising from his seat and walked towards the hotel room's balcony. Leaning on the railings, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, while his gaze landed on the jeep that had just stopped in front of the building.

"Ah, he's early. He'd better not forget to bring it."

The man pulled out his phone. The recent text, 'I'm here' made him smirk in satisfaction, but soon enough it turned into a frown as he received a new call, although different from before.

"What do you want?"

'For you not to be so rude. I thought I told you to stop smoking.'

"I thought I told you to stop meddling into my business," he retorted, blowing out a puff of smoke.

A chuckle was heard in reply, 'I guess we're even, then. Anyways. Is that your client, Kishi? The one with the black jeep?'

"Yes, he is. What about it?"

'Just making sure. It's quite unusual for you to meet up, what's the occasion?'

"... I don't exactly trust him. Does it concern you, Fukurō?"

The man on the phone ignored his question, 'I have a job for you.'

"And you were supposed to be my priority?"

'I expect nothing less.'

The man, Kishi, huffed, putting off his cigarette and dropped the rest of it on the ashtray as walked back inside, "Fine. Send me the files, I'll see what I can do."

'Already did. We'll talk more later; your guest has already arrived.' The call ended, and Kishi threw the device onto his bed before he fixed his tie.

Then someone knocked on the door.

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XxMiracleBoyxX:
Anyone here?

Woof-Woof:
It's not safe to start a public chatroom here, you know?

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Im in a rush. Need to find anyone asap.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Anyways can i trust u?

Woof-Woof:
What's with this? And the sudden disappearance of correct spellings?

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Not important. Can i trust u?

Woof-Woof:
Suspicious. Wait a sec.

Woof-Woof:
Alright, the chat's private now. What is it? Never said I'll help a complete stranger but I can try.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Its crazy i know but im currently locked up. I stole this phone when my captor isnt looking but he will be back.

Woof-Woof:
... I can't possibly get you out of there.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
U dont have 2.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Pls find someone 4 me. A gamer, username 4LostClaws4.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Tell him 'You win. I'll do anything.' Will u do it?

Woof-Woof:
Is he your friend? That message doesn't sounds like you're asking for help.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
We had a fight. It doesnt matter. Will u do it? Hes not that hard to find. Pls?

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Shit someones coming.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Will u?

Woof-Woof:
...Okay. I'll help you.

XxMiracleBoyxX:
Thx a lot!!!!!! I owe u! Ill pay u back asap! U saved my life!!!

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