“Is the girl still cackling and staring at her computer screen?”

Claus lowered his binoculars and nodded. “Seems like it.” He brushed his spiky blonde hair and said, “Are we sure she’s Chief Kimura’s daughter?”

Seth shrugged. “Must take after her mother instead, like me.”

Claus snorted. “Do you always have to bring up your mother?”

“Yes.”

Claus sighed, ignoring the silver-haired ace soldier leaning on the wall next to him.

At the moment, the two members of the Legends Security Company were on the clock watching Chihiro after getting a message that she left the Myth Inc. HQ to head home. To do that, they took up a spot on the rooftop of a nearby building, both securing the perimeter around the Kimura home and keeping an eye on Chihiro.

Seth glanced at Chihiro who was clearly visible through her bedroom window. Eyeing her disheveled appearance and oversized pajama set that looked like it would fall off at a slight breeze, he frowned and said, “Is it common for young women these days to dress so carelessly? I understand sacrificing utility for fashion and comfort over appearances, but that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“And that’s why we’re on patrol.” Claus lowered his binoculars as Chihiro started to stretch, respectfully averting his gaze as her clothes started to slip. “...Especially since the Chief’s daughter is so careless.” He glanced around the surroundings and said, “Is the distortion field still active?”

Seth held out his hands and said, “What do you take me for? Of course it is active.”

“Just checking to make sure you haven’t gotten careless since you stopped being an insane madman set on destroying the world.”

Seth chuckled. “I would like to call it being an extreme environmentalist. And should the person who let his intimate tapes with his lover accidentally air in Italy while doing recon be saying that?”

Claus’s face turned a bright red and he said, “I-It was only for a few seconds!”

“A very loud few seconds. Ones that will never be just a memory due to the internet.” Seth paused and then said, “Is that why she’s with-”

Claus whipped out a combat knife from his belt and pressed it against Seth’s neck. “I hate you.”

Seth casually pushed it away and said, “Love and hate bloom from the same source, you know?”

“...You were *so* much better when you were insane.”

“And you were so much more agreeable when you were delusional. But alas, time changes us all.”

Claus clicked his tongue and then pulled out his phone, opening the LEGENDS app they used to coordinate for their jobs. Checking the bulletin board, he muttered, “President and Beauty arrived in America. Noname is with the Prodigy girls, Chief is patrolling HQ… and it looks like Reaper has cleared up the bioweapon situation.”

Seth sighed. “Pity. I was looking forward to getting some light exercise in.”

“...Light exercise for you is razing a city to the ground.”

Seth thoughtfully rubbed his chin and said, “Do you think we could convince Mikata to head back to Africa and take out some warlords?”

“...” Claus pointedly ignored Seth and shifted his attention to watching the people passing by.

“No? Then how about a group karaoke night? Chief said that Boss didn’t have many male friends, so it would be good to unwind, would it not?”

“Could you just shut up?”

“Fine, fine.”

Silence.

“...So. Do you like Tiffany or Eris more?”

“#$@# you.”

“Sorry. I know you might like that since you almost went all the way with that Don, but-”

“Mother #$@#@&!”

“I love my mother a great deal, but even I draw the line there, Claus.”

“%@#$@! #$@#$@#! @#$@#$@#!”

Seth chuckled and then pulled out his phone to make the routine update that Claus was forgetting in his rage.

xxx

Seigi took a look around at the surroundings slowly flickering into existence.

Towering buildings with shattered windows, overturned cars, flames and smoke in the distance… It was too real to be just a simulation. If he didn’t know any better, he would have mistaken it for one of the warzones he crossed in his misspent youth.

Still, it was just a simulation. And the reason why he was in such a simulation…

Seigi shifted his gaze to the three girls standing in front of him. Shu, Yuri, and Suzume. “So you want me to train you three how to fight?”

Shu threw a few punches and kicks to warm up before shaking her head. “It’s more Suzu-chan than us, Hero-san.”

“Don’t call me that.” Seigi reflexively responded before looking over at Suzume and Yuri.

The shrine maiden looked a bit nervous, awkwardly holding a wooden mallet.

Meanwhile, Yuri looked comfortable casually swinging a katana back and forth.

Seeing that, Seigi reached up to scratch his head and said, “Not that I mind too much about helping you girls… but why? You don’t plan to beat up stalkers or anything, do you?”

Yuri sheathed her katana and said, “Of course not. That’s what you and the other LEGENDS staff are for, right?”

“Yes. So then…?”

Yuri let out a bright smile and said, “We just want to embarrass Chichi in <World Line> when we do our first collab together.”

Seigi blinked. ‘...It seems that high school girls are as terrifying as ever when they hold a grudge.’

His long experience dealing with troublesome women told him that leaving this be was going to cause an issue later. It wasn’t outright bullying, but it was still going to cause a lot of friction between the group members.

But that wasn’t his job, and it was definitely above his paygrade.

Seigi shrugged and then said, “Alright. In that case…”

Was the system reading his mind? Or did it take his words as confirmation of the start of combat?

A pair of black and white machetes appeared on Seigi’s sides, followed shortly by the appearance of a chest harness carrying a pair of pistols.

Yuri’s eyes widened and she quickly drew her sword.

Shu pursed her lips and got into a ready position.

Suzume let out a nervous laugh and said, “U-Um. Please go easy on us, Seigi-san?”

Seigi reached up to crack his neck and said, “Just to be sure, if you die in the game, you don’t die in real life, right?”

Yuri slowly nodded. “That’s what Alphy-senpai said-”

*BANG*

Suzume gasped. “Yuri!”

Yuri froze for a bit, her eyes wide. Then she slumped over and fell to the ground, exploding in a splash of crimson lights… before promptly popping back into existence just where she stood. She frantically clutched at her forehead before turning to glare at Seigi. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”

Seigi lowered his pistol and shrugged. “Best way to learn is to get the lesson beaten into you. And since you can’t die here…” He spun his pistol around before tucking it back into his harness. Taking a step forward, he smoothly drew his machetes and said, “...Let’s cram as much battle sense as we can into you three.”

“W-Wait! S-Seigi-sa- EEEEK!”

“I-I haven’t learned how to catch- GAH!”

“How the hell do you block dual- FU-!”

Seigi watched as three explosions of light erupted in front of him before making a mental count in his head. ‘One, two, three… Three seconds.’

The moment the girls popped back into existence, Seigi smiled and said, “Try not to die too much.”

Yuri froze and slowly turned to look at Suzume and Shu. “...Is it just me, or do you two think this was a bad idea?”

Suzume let out a nervous laugh. “U-Um… Better now than-”

“Less talking, more not dying.”

xxx

Time passed.

The Prototype girls streamed while the Prodigy girls schemed. The Smith family continued adjusting to a (somewhat) ordinary lifestyle after Aurora’s birth.

John went around doing a proper job as a CEO and manager along with sorting out family affairs. Specifically, he got around to buying a proper house… well, houses, for his immediate and extended family.

And overall, relatively normal days passed without too much excitement.

In Japan.

But overseas…

xxx

January 8th, at LAX Airport in Los Angeles. There, a man and woman stepped out of a private jet from Japan together.

The man adjusted his suit and then walked forward, holding a leather suitcase in his left hand. A slight breeze ruffled his dark blue hair while he swept his icy blue eyes around the surroundings. “So this is John’s homeland…”

The woman walked to the man’s side, nervously adjusting her pink blouse and checking on her jeans. Her silver hair shifted behind her in the breeze while the sunlight highlighted her chocolate-colored skin. Glancing at the man, she said, “I-I don’t stand out too much, do I, Master?”

The man let out a deep sigh. “I think that will be inevitable considering how beautiful you are, Sitri.”

Sitri blushed and then happily walked over to Qing’s right side, wrapping herself around his right arm.

Qing blushed as well, but he quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat. “In any case-”

“You finally arrived.”

A masculine voice without a discernible accent. No, an accent that was uniquely indistinct, sounding a bit like everything but nothing at the same time.

Qing glanced towards the speaker.

A man with a shaved head hidden beneath a baseball cap. He wore casual clothes, a plain white t-shirt and jeans, but there was nothing casual about his trained muscles on full display.

Toby Reaper.

Giving a small wave to Qing, Toby smiled and said, “It’s been a while.”

Qing walked forward, leading Sitri beside him, and said, “I would have preferred it to be longer since it would mean less troubles… but it can’t be helped.”

Toby nodded. “That’s what happens when you make the Employer step in to do the job himself.”

Qing groaned. “Please do not remind me.”

Sitri lowered her head and muttered, “Sorry, Qing.”

Qing shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Sitri. I should have been more responsible and taken you into consideration with my duties.”

Sitri raised her head, staring at Qing with watery red eyes. “Qing…”

At that time, a woman with short black hair cleared her throat behind the loveydovey couple. “Ahem.” Eva Won stepped out from the plane cockpit, smoothing her crimson dress, and said, “Can we get going? Leo owes me a date, and it’s not happening until we get you two back to your new homes.”

A man wearing a plain blue dress shirt and black slacks stepped out of the cockpit and sighed. “You don’t have to be so rude to them, Eva. Besides, aren’t you the one who kept me waiting ten years?”

Eva reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “That’s because you didn’t chase me hard enough, Leo.”

“...”

Toby chuckled and then said, “Come on. I’ll drive us back to meet the rest of the team.”