A look of worry crossed Theo's face as he leaned forward. "You sure she's safe?"
"I told you we will keep her safe." The mustachioed man in the back waiting seat, hiding his face behind a newspaper, yelled out in response.
"You better keep your word."
The man put down his newspaper, showing off his vibrant red hair and a playful smile. "You seem to be overly concerned. Just trust Wild Dogs to take care of her. She's safe. Safer than ever, actually."
Theo sighed, but there was a glimmer of relief in his eyes. "Alright, just keep her safe, okay?"
The man with fiery red hair nodded, a mischievous smile dancing across his lips. "Always do." He tossed the newspaper into the nearby bin and leaned back in his seat, looking at ease.
Theo couldn't help but be amazed by the young man's expertise despite his suspicions of him working undercover.
Following their conversation in the hospital, Theo was ready to take the Leonia entrance exam. The event took place today live at Leonia's field. He's willing to go, but not before ensuring his sister is safe. That's why he made it. With assistance from Louis and his team, Theo designed a meticulously planned strategy to ensure his attendance at the test without any worries about Lizzy. Lizzy was aware that Theo would be taking the Leonia entrance exam. There was a minor disagreement, but they settled it right away. Even so, Theo felt worried when he thought about leaving Lizzy home alone. Therefore, he called Louis at the provided number. Louis nodded in agreement, acknowledging his peculiar way. Lizzy got a call from her friend on Friday afternoon, letting her know that her parents had won a picnic prize and wanted to invite Lizzy.
Louis was clearly the culprit, but how the redhead could have pulled it off remained a mystery to Theo. He also expressed gratitude for their assistance.
"Let's go!"
As Louis opened the front door, he saw a young driver sitting next door, who coolly lowered his sunglasses. He observed the displeased expression on Louis' face with his sharp brown eyes and then smirked in an irritating manner.
"How long have you been waiting?"
"Long enough," Louis remarked while sitting down and buckling up.
"I thought the one I asked was the young man outside," said the driver. He briefly looked at the nervous Theo. He didn't have to ask it again; Theo just opened his mouth to speak.
"No... not that long. I just dropped off my sister."
When the man saw Louis' irritated expression, he grinned. "Get in," he said in a soothing tone.
Theo sat at the back. He quickly scanned the car, but nothing caught his attention. The minibus appeared to be quite ordinary. As soon as he got in, he fastened his seat belt.
"Don't worry; I'm a licensed driver," the man reassured, attempting to ease the tension. "Everyone calls me Rafi, by the way."
The young man's speech had a rugged yet inviting quality to it. Theo's anxiety vanished instantly.
"Theodore Morgan, greetings."
The car took off, heading down Argon City's congested highway. Of course, Saturday was most people's ideal travel day.
Despite his age, Rafi was an excellent driver. He knew it immediately; it was part of his habit. Not many people used three pedals these days, but Rafi's fingers were lightning-fast at changing gears. A quick turn of the wheel was all it took for the driver to zoom ahead of the slower traffic. They soon found themselves on the main highway.
"Morgan, right?" Rafi asked while still focused on the road.
"Theo would be fine," Theo replied with a faint smile.
"Got it, Theo. Do you happen to know anything about us?"
"As Leonia's students?"
"As Wild Dogs."
Rafi went straight to the point, which shocked Theo. He glanced over at Louis, who seemed unfazed. Then his gaze went back to Rafi.
"I don't know; Louis hadn't given any further explanation. But I know you are part of Leonia's secret squad, officially recognized by the police and military. Thus, allows you to undertake high-risk missions such as combating Freajan terrorists and implementing protection programs."
"Pft!" Louis stifled a laugh, which made Theo furrow his brow. "Oh, that's fine, just carry on. Your answer was perfect."
"Don't give him inaccurate information," Rafi warned. "While you make a good point, your detail is weak. Our secret group is indeed known as Wild Dogs, and although we are not officially affiliated with Leonia, our members are students there. We are a specialized team operating under the Security Division, reporting solely to the chief or advisor of the Leonia Security Division. We are relatively unknown, so those who know us are not regular people. If nothing else, their authority will allow us to complete our mission.
"Our task is simple: take care of the issues that threaten Leonia and keep it safe. Same as the previous arson case. I offer sincere condolences for your loss. But even though it was a major incident, Wild Dogs would never have been sent there if Donn Marivaldi and William Wilxes hadn't attacked Leonia beforehand. We operate discreetly and covertly, keeping our operations shrouded in mystery."
"Secret... in all information?"
"All of the information."
Theo gave a slight head tilt. Louis had already winked and glanced at Theo to tell him to be quiet, but Theo had already disregarded his suggestion.
"So, what are those Louis explained to me in the hospital?"
In the blink of an eye, Louis peered out the window. The subsequent utter quiet was so oppressive that it forced Louis to speak up.
"Theo will join Wild Dogs. I think it's okay to tell him the truth."
"He hasn't even become a student at Leonia yet." Louis was already shivering from Rafi's harsh response. "How much did you tell him?"
"... Just a little."
"Not to that organization, right?"
Louis said nothing. As they continued their journey, they entered the outskirts of Hordrigg, the city adjacent to Argon and the site of Leonia. Rafi sighed heavily, unable to comprehend his friend's reasoning.
"Haaaa... well, let the chief decide."
"Ugh!"
Louis looked like he was about to vanish. Since the person in question was a child who had been hurt in the fire and was meant to be included in the protection program, Theo was already aware that Louis had no permission to inform anyone about the investigation. But for some reason, he knew Louis's actions weren't out of character. Theo could not suppress a giggle as Louis's usually arrogant expression became slightly more anxious.
"Theo, have you really been informed about... LOST?" Rafi asked earnestly.
A little change in Rafi's tone caused Theo to change his attitude. A more serious tone was creeping into the conversations.
"I did receive the investigation report from Louis. The summary contains information about LOST.
"That's pretty bad."
Louis responded calmly, "Right..."
"For you, understand?" Rafi expressed his thoughts with clarity. "Mika will make you clean the whole training room by yourself again,"
The mention of a particular name caught Theo's attention.
"Mika?"
"Well, of course, you haven't met her. Michaela Liane holds the esteemed position of chief of the Security Division, making her one of the most influential figures in her third year of service.
"Hee..."
Theo clenched his hands. Louis knew about the shift but opted not to say anything about it. That was obvious to him since it was one of the reasons Theo had declined entry to Leonia.
"Chief, huh?"
