It was a little after midnight. The only light in my room came from the monitor of my PC, and my face probably looked pretty spooky in its light as I frowned at it in dissatisfaction.

Ugh, fine. I might as well be honest here and admit that I wasn't really frowning at the screen; I'd been doing that for a while even before I turned on the PC. The reason behind my sour mood was actually quite simple, and it was related to a certain lovely yet decidedly naggy girlfriend of mine. She was pretty angry at me when I returned covered in blood, but after I cleaned up and I let her confirm that I was unharmed (or at the very least I had no more injuries than before I left) she calmed down a little.

That calm before the storm naturally lasted precisely until the moment I explained to her that I would be accompanying the weird huntress and her even weirder sword on starlit strolls through the most scenic and romantic parts of the city every night from now on. Her words, not mine, and from that it was easy to understand why I was currently feeling more than a little down. Some might say it was our first outright lover's quarrel, but the way she left, it felt more like a lover's cold war, which was not nearly as benign or amusing.

Anyhow, I shook my head and put the topic aside for the moment. I was sure I'd have to come back to it when I tried to convince Judy that my interest in Rinne was about far from romantic as Proxima Centaury, but for the time being, I had more important things to do. Such as replying to the message right in front of me.

"Admin: Are you serious? No Research Society activity whatsoever?"

After I typed that into the chatbox, it took less than three seconds for someone to respond.

"Morosemoose: I was surprised too."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: THEY MUST BE AFRAID OF THE ARCHMAGE OF THE ISLAND TOO! ＼(º □ º l|l)/"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: I WOULD KNOW, I LIVE HERE! HE IS SCAAAAARY!!! ( ≧Д≦)"

"Morosemoose: Yeah, I know. The man has a reputation for not tolerating anyone else on his territory."

"Admin: Are you sure we are talking about the same guy?"

"Morosemoose: Pretty sure? The post of the arch-mage is one for life."

"Admin: That still makes no sense. His 'territory' has a mansion full of Draconians in it, and he was making sneaky deals with the Abyssals."

"Admin: Plus, I've heard from a first-hand source that the Research Society was not only on the island, but he's in contact with them."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: WUT MATE!? SERIOUSLY!!!??? ∑(O_O')"

"Morosemoose: I'm a little skeptical too. I've never read anything about that on the forums."

"Admin: You must've heard of the incident at the School a few weeks ago."

"Morosemoose: … Yes?"

"Admin: Did you think the Abyssals causing a ruckus materialized out of nowhere?"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: HE GOT YOU THERE! (─‿‿─)"

"Morosemoose: To be fair, the mages clamped down on the island pretty hard after the incident, so it's obvious I would be out of the loop. I'm not even on Critias."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: BUT I AM! I AM RIGHT HERE! (Oω<)~☆˝"

"Admin: And you didn't provide a single report to the database about what happened."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: SOWWWY…

⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄"

"Morosemoose: Actually, how do YOU know about what happened over there?"

"Admin: I just told you, I have an informant with first-hand information on the events."

"Morosemoose: One of ours?"

"Morosemoose: I've read there was an asset involved in what happened."

"Admin: No, not her. Let's just say it's a third party not directly affiliated with us."

"Morosemoose: ... Is that safe?"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: YEAH!! BE CAREFUL, ADMIN!!!!!!!"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: THE HIGHER UPS ARE ALLERGIC TO OUTSIDERS! (ó﹏ò｡)"

"Admin: Don't worry; my source of information is about as reliable and confidential as I am."

"Morosemoose: Then why didn't you add the info you got from them to the database yet?"

"Admin: Because first I have to come up with a reasonable explanation for how I received the intel in the first place."

"Admin: I don't want to appear compromised to the higher-ups either."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: DON'T WORRY BOSS-MAN!!!!"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: IF YOU GET BUSTED, I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR ASSISTANT FOR YOU!!! (❤ω❤)"

"Admin: I won't be, but even if I somehow was busted, you better not."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: (｡T ω T｡)"

I let out a small sigh and readjusted my posture in my seat, and after some hesitation, I also patted down and lightly massaged my injured side. It didn't really hurt per se, but it was itching like crazy, and I didn't dare to actually scratch it lest I would accidentally tear off some scabs and ruin all of Snowy's hard work. The kneading didn't help a lot, so I diverted my attention back to the screen instead.

"Admin: That aside, have you guys found anything related to my other query?"

"Morosemoose: About the woman with the Japanese sword?"

"Morosemoose: I tried to PM some guys I know, but they didn't answer yet. Nothing on my end, sorry."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: OH! OH! I ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU!!! (´｡• ω •｡`)"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: I FOUND THIS IN THE ARCHIVED POSTS! I’M SENDING IT OVER!!!! ⊂( ･∀･) 彡=͟͟͞͞ ⌧ "

A few seconds after he wrote that, there was a new notification about a message in my PM box. I opened it, and it contained a single link pointing at one of the archived forum threads of the Hub's slightly more public section, where the average Celestial users, plus some of the more socially active agents, congregated.

I quickly skimmed what was written there, and it turned out to be a fairly straightforward back-and-forth discussion between a handful of users about an encounter one of them had in the past. It was in that user's posts where the keyword 'Onikiri' appeared in relation to… wait for it… a secret clan of demon-hunting ninjas. Yes, I'm dead serious.

From what little information the posts provided, it appeared that they were an off-shoot of some kind of minor, neutral supernatural faction based in the Far East. There was no mention of sentient swords in the discussion, but Onikiri was mentioned as some kind of sacred weapon used for hunting demons, youkai, and whatever other supernatural nasties they came across. If we are at that, apparently the 'clan' mainly consisted of a handful of individuals centered around the current generation's wielder of Onikiri, and when they ran out of monsters to slay in the area they currently occupied, the entire clan would move on to greener pastures.

In conclusion, they were nomadic, monster-exterminating, highly visible ninjas. At least that was new. It would also explain what Rinne was doing here. Or rather, it would clarify some of her motivations, as I already knew she was here to hunt the stray Chimera. Speaking of which, I made a mental note to ask her about where she learned about the Chimera in the first place, as unless this clan of hers had some pretty amazing intelligence network, she showed up too fast for my liking. My bet was on the Arch-mage once again, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and ask anyway. Not that he deserved it.

Anyhow, since it was just a short discussion with some dead links strewn in for good measure, I didn't learn a lot, but it was still better than nothing.

"Admin: It's second-hand information, but it seems trustworthy enough to act as a starting point."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: HE-HE-HE! DON'T WORRY ADMIN! I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER LEAD!! (￣ω￣)"

"Morosemoose: You do?"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: YUP! I KNOW A GUY WHO KNOWS A GAL WHO KNOWS A GUY WHO SHOULD KNOW AAAAAAALL ABOUT THEM!!!"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: I WILL ASK MY CONTACT TO INTRODUCE ME, AND THEN I WILL INTERROGATE HIM ALL SECRET AGENT LIKE! COOL, HUH? o(>ω<)o "

"Admin: Yes, yes, very cool. Good luck with that, and thank you for your hard work."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: I WAS PRAISED!! YAY!!!! ଘ(੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭✧"

I let out a shallow sigh and stretched my back. Maybe it was because of my superficial injuries that were not a big deal at all in any way, but I was already feeling uncomfortably numb in my seat even though it's been less than an hour since I sat down. Because of that, and since it didn't seem like they could show me anything new, I typed:

"Admin: I suppose that's it for today. Thanks for the help, guys."

"Morosemoose: You're welcome, though I couldn't help much."

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: YOU ARE WELCOME, ADMIN!!"

"W1NG3D N1NJ4: I WILL GO TO BED NOW. I HAVE LECTURES IN THE MORNING. BYE-BYE!!! (￣ρ￣)..zzZZ "

"Admin: Sleep well."

"Morosemoose: Goodnight. I should also hit the sack. I had a long day at work."

"Admin: Do that. Admin, out."

"Morosemoose: Bye."

With that brief exchange of farewells over, I closed the Celestial Hub and immediately stood up. It only took a few seconds for my vertical orientation to get my blood to flow all nice and proper, and once my joints were no longer stiff, I decided I might as well go for the whole mile and do some light exercises.

I did just that, starting with a few pushups, but I was always an avid advocate of multitasking, so I didn't let my minds stay idle while my body was moving. For a start, I decided to check on Rinne. I went through a lot of trouble to mark her, so I figured it was about time I capitalized on my efforts. I used my Far Sight without any further delay, but much to my disappointment, I found her quietly sleeping under a pile of blankets in what looked like a modest motel bedroom.

In retrospect I don't even know what I was expecting; it was well after midnight after all. Nonetheless, being cautious was my current motto, so I observed her for a short while, just to be sure before I moved on to the others on my roll call list. The members of our merry little gang were also all in dreamland, so there was nothing to see or say on that front either.

As such, I moved on to our irritating antagonists, starting with everyone's favorite(sic!) asshole Abyssal lord… who was still laying in his bed doing his best dead herring impression. Every time I looked at him like this, I was tempted to hop over and liven up his life a little. I wasn't thinking of anything major, just some silly little pranks to get him to stop staring at the ceiling with those glassy eyes; like replacing all of his medicine with industrial-strength laxatives, or releasing a herd of feral skunks into his bed-chamber, or a pipe bomb filled with sneezing powder. And shrapnel. But mostly sneezing powder.

Unfortunately, my recent agreement with Judy prohibited me from engaging in such activities, as traveling into the heart of the Abyss for 'silly' reasons like that was deemed unsafe, so I had no choice but to cancel my order for a pack of skunks from the local animal shelter. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to order even the weirdest things over the internet…

But I'm kidding, of course. I wasn't so evil to trap those poor skunks in the same room as Crowey; it would be just straight-up animal abuse! Anyways, since the pranks were off the table, I proceeded to observe him for a few minutes, just on the off-chance that some of his minions would conveniently show up to give him a report. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened, so I switched over to doing situps and then promptly moved on to my next target.

Said target was, of course, no one else but Dr. Labcoat Guy! I've actually observed his activities over the whole evening, and I had a good grasp on his plans and affiliations, but I figured it never hurt to take one more look, just in case.

Once my vision settled, I immediately tried to close my eyes because of the sudden, sharp light coming from the workbench right in front of me. That was, of course, quite impossible considering that there were no eyes or eyelids involved in the process of observing the scenery, but biological habits die hard.

Once I overcame the first surprise, I took a closer look at my unfamiliar environment. It was similar to the underground room where I marked Mr. Labcoat, except about half the size, and most of the space was taken up by various metalworking tools and equipment. In fact, the place was so cramped with them I wondered how anyone could even safely work there.

"Ki-hi-hi! Almost done!" the person actually working there exclaimed in a voice muffled by the large welder's mask in front of his face. At the moment, Labcoat Guy was standing in front of a large vice attached to one of the workbenches with a welding torch in one hand and a metal brush in the other. In the aforementioned vice, there was a weirdly shaped angular piece of metal with a large hole in the middle, and the man was apparently putting the finishing touches on it.

"My assessment remains unchanged," a second voice chimed in, and when I swiveled my point of view in its direction, I noticed the ridiculously dressed fembot sitting on her heels while facing the corner.

"Silence, Galatea! You are in the timeout corner until you reflect on your behavior," the guy retorted after raising his welding mask, but since she didn't reply, he turned back to the thing in the vice, let his mask back down and then he continued to weld… well, something on it. To be honest, I still had no idea what it was supposed to be. Maybe a post-modern sculpture?

Anyhow, after a few short seconds he raised the mask again, then he used the metal brush in his other hand to quickly clean off the slag from the welding area before he let out a satisfied grunt. He placed his tools onto the bench, and after struggling with the crank for a moment, he successfully removed the object he produced from the grasp of the vice.

"Ki-hi-hi-hi! Look Galatea! It's finished!" he called out in an excited voice while raising the thing over his head like a certain elven purveyor of master swords and green tunics.

"Negative. Master told me to sit in the corner until I've done reflecting. According to the progress bar, I'm only 68% done," the fembot answered with an understandably mechanical shaking of her head.

"Stop being obstinate and look over here already!" Saying so, Labcoat Guy swiftly stuck his head through the hole in the object in his hands, and only then did I realized what it was…!

Well, okay, I admit I still didn't know what the actual name of the thing was supposed to be, but in practice, it looked like a rigid combination of a pair of shoulder pads, a literal chest plate that didn't even reach down to the guy's abdomen, and a tall neck guard that was more like an oversized shirt collar made of metal. All of that was a single piece, with no articulation or any moving parts, and on the surface it appeared it was made of a collection of welded together metal triangles, kind of like a low-polygon model from an old video game.

Once he had it over his shoulders, the guy let out a satisfied chuckle and called out, "You don't have to reflect on things anymore, so turn around already!"

The fembot in the corner let out a series of audible mechanical noises (though I was about ninety percent sure she was making them with her mouth) and then she ultimately replied, "Negative. I believe it's for my own good that I continue to run reflection.exe to completion."

"Stop being obstinate!" Labcoat Guy griped as he walked over with a weird gait, probably because of the extra weight on his shoulders, and he gingerly nudged the android with his feet. "Come on already!"

The absurdly dressed mechanical woman let out a deep sigh and finally stood up and turned around.

"Analyzing new equipment," she stated in a mechanical voice while looking over her master, after which she added, "Impractical to the highest degree," in a truly authoritative tone that managed to bleed through even her synthesized voice.

"It's not impractical!" Labcoat Guy denied with unusual vehemence. "Look! It has neck protection for any future sneak attacks!"

"Error. No sneak attacks necessitating such protection have been found," the fembot countered.

"I told you already! Someone hit me in the back of the neck!" Hilariously enough, he tried to point at the affected area, but because of the construction of his 'protective gear', he couldn't raise his arm high enough, so after some struggling, he simply crossed his arms in front of his chest… which was also foiled by the points and edges on the chest-plate segment, so at last he let out a defeated sigh and whispered, "MkI suffers from some design flaws, I should work them out in MkII…"

In the meantime, the android looked over her master one more time and ultimately asked him, "Master?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"Do you intend to wear this tomorrow?"

Labcoat Guy didn't answer right away, instead he glanced over to the large clock on the wall.

"It's getting late, so I won't be able to make the MkII version today, which means I'll have to."

"Understood," she nodded and extended her hands towards him. "Please hand over the protective equipment. I will perform the final adjustment so that master can go to bed."

"You want to do that?" he inquired with a faint hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Affirmative. Sleep deprivation may negatively affect tomorrow's operation."

"You're not wrong about that…" he muttered as he awkwardly lifted the completely impractical spaulder/neck guard hybrid over his head. "Can I really leave this to you?"

"Affirmative," she repeated with a firm nod, and after just a bit more hesitation he handed it over to her.

"All right. To be honest, I'm feeling a little drowsy, and I have to be in my best condition for tomorrow!" As he said that, the corners of Labcoat Guy's lips quickly curled into an eager smile and he simultaneously began to rub his palms together in a very dastardly display. "Tomorrow Endymonion's granddaughter will be there as well! Ki-hi-hi! I should make sure to leave an impression!"

"I'm sure master will leave a very deep one," she encouraged him, though I could, probably due to spending so much time with my own deadpan companion, detect a distinct sarcastic edge in her words.

"Very well! I'm going to bed now! See you in the morning!"

"Good night, master," the fembot replied with a small nod, and the moment her master turned around and headed towards the exit, she immediately walked over to the cabinet in the corner filled with various, brightly colored painting cans.

I had a good idea of what she was planning, but since Labcoat Guy was steadily getting out of 'range', I decided to cut my strategic observation of them for the day. As it happened, this also coincided with the moment I finished with my light workout routine for the day. I actually felt strangely refreshed, and even my wounds didn't itch so much anymore.

I looked over myself, and after a brief moment of hesitation, I decided that, while it meant I would have to change some of my bandages, it was best I cleaned myself up a little. After that… well, today was incredibly long and hectic, so I figured I would try to relax a little, at least as much as I could. Not being able to sleep had its downsides from time to time…