“Name?”

 

I am currently standing in a very fancy room. Like there’s nothing special in here, but I can just tell it’s probably the most expensive room I’ve ever been in. What did they call this? Antechamber?

 

“Aria.”

 

The man at the desk gives me a raised eyebrow, to which I tilt my head.

 

“Last name?”

 

Oh.

 

“I don’t have one. I suppose I would be registered under the name of the orphanage, Blanche.”

 

He spends almost a minute looking something up on the computer. I am fairly certain that personal information shouldn’t be accessible to civilians, but well. Yakuza.

 

“Let’s see here. Aria Blanche. 18 years old. Orphan. No history prior to the age of 5. No known parents. No known last name. So, what makes you think you can protect our Princess?”

 

Oh wow, they’re actually doing this? I mean me and Lumi loved reading the manga and light novels the orphanage had, but they’re actually saying Princess in real life?

 

“Uhh, it would be better to just show you, I can’t exactly explain.”

 

He let’s out a tired sigh.

 

“Fine. There are two tests, go through the door and you will meet someone to take you through the tests.”

 

I walk through the door the man was pointing to, and I’m lead to an even more expensive room. This one really fits the typical Japanese esthetic. Paper walls, low table with a tea set. Are those swords, I mean, katanas mounted to the wall?

 

I get a tingling sensation in my neck, and time slows down. I look around in confusion, before seeing a knife lunging at where my neck is. What the hell? Taking a few steps to the side, so I’m out of range, I watch at the world resumes at a normal speed and the knife misses.

 

The man who just attacked me goes wide eyed, but he quickly schools his expression and puts the knife away.

 

“Minus point for awareness, but good reactions.”

 

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to be attacked as I went through the door.”

 

“That is your job, always expect the unexpected.”

 

What is this? Even I know that is a typical cliche movie line.

 

“Well yes, I suppose, but I have not even started the job, and I’m not exactly getting attacked out of the blue in my daily life, you know I’m just a high schooler?”

 

“A high schooler that just moved faster than I could register and dodged a knife?”

 

The man raises and eyebrow.

 

“Oops?”

 

He let’s out a sigh, and I get a good look at him. He’s almost a head taller than me, with distinct Asian features and short glossy black hair. He’s slim, but I can feel the strain of the muscles beneath his suit. I can tell he’s fit, but it doesn’t look like it.

 

“Very well. Follow me to your tests. You may address me as Danchou.”

 

I shake my head in exasperation. My respect for the Yakuza and this particular family is dropping by the second. If I didn’t know better, I swear this guy would be a chuuni comedian.

 

Remembering his words. I follow him as he opens a door and motions for me to enter. Figuring this is probably one of the tests, just based on how ridiculous everything has been, I inject lightning into my brain and analyse the room.

 

It’s an empty room with white tiles around 1x1 meter. The entire room is probably 10x10, and 2-3 meters tall. I can hear mechanical whirring from behind the tile in front of me, and to the side. 

 

Slowly I can see the tiles being retracted, and crossbows with arrows being pointed at my location. Are they trying to kill me? As the first arrow fires, I notice the tip is looking like the cork of a wine bottle. Not trying to kill me.

 

Wanting to do something I’ve always seen in manga, I wait for the arrows to reach my range of motions, before grabbing both out of thin air. One to the right of me, and the one in front.

 

As I’m about to turn around and give Mr. Danchou a smug grin, I can feel the vibrations in the arrows and I quickly throw them away, before they spray something out of the tips.

 

“Have you had your fun now?”

 

“How is she so fast, I couldn’t even follow her motions.” I hear him mutter just loud enough for me to pick it up.

 

Crap, maybe I overdid it?

 

“Very well. You passed the first test. There will be no more surprises.” I raise an eyebrow at that statement. “No, really. There won’t. Second test is just a normal one versus one hand to hand combat, where your opponent has a knife.”

 

Not completely letting down my guard, I follow the man as I contemplate what just happened. I have never been in a combat situation before the incident with the three men, but I can tell that instincts and a certain mentality has altered me. I find thrill in the prospect of a confrontation. I just hope I won’t be turned into a battle junkie, sort of difficult to do in a world with laws and cameras. Though I guess cameras might not be such an obstacle anymore.

 

Shaking my thoughts away I follow the man out of the building, and we arrive outside at what I can only call a training ground.

 

There’s a circle in the middle with a chalk outline, and Mr. Danchou steps into the middle and takes out his knife. I roll my eyes, surprise surprise, of course it is him.

 

“Tell me, what kind of martial arts do you know?”

 

“None.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I mean. I’m strong, fast, and never had the opportunity to learn anything.”

 

Am I being to direct? Too truthful? I don’t know. Not sure I can manage to take this family seriously anymore.

 

“Very well, show me what you can do.”

 

“Errr.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I uh, I’ve never been in a fight before, so I don’t know how to hold back.”

 

It’s not necessarily a lie. I have never been in a fight. That last incident was a one sided slaughter, and I sort of ripped of a head without thinking about it.

 

The man just snorts. “I’ll be fine.”

 

Haah, he asked for it.

 

Getting into a stance he starts lunging at me, and I want to see if I can beat him without using abilities. I mean, I already have inhuman physical abilities without actually buffing them.

 

I’m still standing relaxed, when the knife is about half a meter away from me. I step in, and grab the knife wielding arm, before punching him in the ribs. I have no clue what I am doing, but when everything is moving slowly enough, even this is child’s play.

 

A second later Mr. Danchou is collapsed on the ground, and thinking back I might have broken a rib or two.

 

“Cough. Yeah fuck it. You’re hired. Nobody is going to fucking believe a little girl with these capabilities.”

 

Uhh, did he just completely flip his character?