Ticia walked at a slow pace within the hallway, hand in hand with her twin tailed daughter. They were followed by Fana, Jinxy and Bronz who had their rifles in hand.

““...””

None of them spoke, as a heavy atmosphere settled between them.

At first glance, people would think Ticia was angry at Ticinia, or at least, that is what Jinxy seemed to believe, seeing her slight fidgeting, but this was not the truth.

Ticia was not angry… She was just worried…

I really don’t want to let Ticinia lead this interrogation… Somehow, it feels like I’ll lose something…

Her worry was justified, as while they walked to their destination, Ticinia did not act like her usual self. She would usually always look towards her mother, a happy expression on her face, and Ticia would also smile back at her, pampering her at every occasion. They would have small talks, laugh together, and enjoy the time they had together.

But this was not the case right now. Ticinia was quiet, awfully quiet, with no emotions on her face whatsoever as she looked straight ahead.

Seeing her daughter like that only worsened Ticia’s mood, and her anxiousness rose as they approached their destination.

She also felt anger at herself, for involving her daughter in this whole mess instead of letting her enjoy every moment of her extremely brief childhood…

Probably sensing her mother’s anxiety and self blame, Ticinia tightened her grip on her mother’s hand, though she refused to look towards her, for some reason…

Ticia tightened her grip in return.

No good, I need to stay positive. She thought, calculating her next moves once again.

I’m not strong enough, but I can’t rely on that faction that’s only fishy. I need to step up my game before I lose something.

Those were her honest thoughts, which were shared by Rika, Meiko and Licia. As such, she needed to act on it.

First step is this interrogation session. Once we get some names out of them, Lidia and Nia can make their moves.

Her anxiousness disappeared for a moment, only to reappear as they finally reached the door at the end of the hallway.

Two ECGs in their armored skinsuit were on guard to each side of the locked door, weapons in hand. As soon as they saw the group approaching, they saluted them.

Ticia gave them an acknowledging nod, Ticinia doing the same. Fana and Bronz then took the lead, opening the door, and entering the room.

The room was rather dark, with only a feeble light. This light was focused on two men attached to chairs, mouth gagged. They seemed unconscious at the moment, though Ticia had a feeling they were faking it.

Same as yesterday huh? Well, not really… Ticia thought as she observed the wounds on their prisoners. Nothing much had changed since she last saw them, but she could see that some new bruises, that were not there yesterday, were now here. She could guess why they had those though…

As expected… She sighed, glancing towards an inexpressive Bronz. When I saw the anger in her eyes as she asked me how the prisoners should be treated. I knew the ECGs would ‘share their thoughts’ with them… Should I be happy about their emotional growth or not?

Ticia did not blame them for their actions behind her back, but she truly asked herself this question.

It’s not the time for that though.

“If you ever feel like it’s too much, tell me immediately.” She said to Ticinia, tightening her grip over her daughter’s hand again while glaring at the two men.

“Yes, mother.” Ticinia answered seriously.

Ticia made a quick glance towards her daughter, just to be sure, only to freeze for a brief second. Ticinia’s gaze was cold, extremely cold, as she stared at the men. She had never seen her daughter like that.

They both entered the room, followed closely by Jinxy. The door closed behind them, leaving them with the dim light as their only source of lighting.

Fana approached the two men, and without any warning, she kicked the chairs, making them gall. The men grunted as a result, unable to ignore the sudden pain caused by this act. Fana and Jinxy then proceeded to remove their gags somewhat forcefully.

“Agh! The hell? Can’t you treat us better?” The man on the right complained, only for Fana to point the muzzle of her rifle right at his face.

“Prisoners have no right to make demands.” Bronz sharply said as she approached them.

“Alright, alright, I’ll be quiet, missus.” The man added with a smirk. “But can we at least be put back up? This ain't much of a ‘dialogue pose’, if you get what I mean.”

Bronz simply looked towards Ticia, who nodded slightly, keeping a neutral face. Bronz and Fana then raised the men and their chairs.

“Ah, much appreciated, though I’d prefer it if you untied me too.” The man added, smiling. Ticia felt like rolling her eyes at the man’s antics.

I’ve seen people like that in the past. It’s hard to break their will…

“I believe you’re aware of the reason why I’m here?” She said as she crossed her arms, looking straight at the eyes of the man.

“Huh, it’s quite obvious.” The man kept his disgusting smile.

“We won’t speak.” The other added, glaring at Ticia.

“So he says.” The man on the right continued, chuckling. “But I’m not like him. Perhaps we could… come to an agreement?”

“You’re forgetting your current situation.” Ticia harshly said, and Fana hit the back of the man’s head with the cross of her rifle.

“Guh!”

“I am the one making the terms here, not you.” She added.

“Hah, welp, I tried.” The man, despite receiving the hit, seemed to still be in a good mood. “But too bad for you then, cause I won’t speak either.”

His smug look as he declared this irritated everyone present except Ticinia.

“Stop.” The twin tailed girl declared as Fana was about to hit the man again, making her freeze before withdrawing.

Ticinia took one step, but then felt a pull on her hand. Ticia still held her hand, refusing to let go.

Ticinia froze for a moment, before looking at her mother in the eyes, she smiled reassuringly at her.

‘It’s alright mom, I can support it.’

That’s what her smile seemed to say.

Her unsaid words got somehow transmitted, as Ticia, albeit reluctant, let go of her hand. Ticinia smiled one last time, before approaching the two prisoners with a poker face, no, a small, innocent smile.

“Why did you hurt my sisters, misters?” She asked innocently.

“Why?” The man on the left looked at her in utter disbelief, while the other bursted out laughing.

“Why you ask? It’s for money of course!” The man on the right said.

“Money? Do you like money?” Ticinia tilted her head cutely.

“Hah! I sure do!” The man sneered.

Ticia observed the situation, feeling weirded out by Ticinia’s behavior.

It’s not fit for the situation, what is she trying to do?

“...Why are you even bothering answering the questions of that kid?” The other man chided in, cautious.

“Relax, what’s that kid even gonna do to us? You Guards are too cautious.” The Escort teacher said, before looking mockingly towards Ticia. “If you’re trying to make us feel guilty by using this kid, then it’s no use. I’d do the same thing I’d done to the others.”

“You-” Ticia fumed, but stopped mid sentence as Ticinia spoke again.

“There must be a reason why you like money, right?” She asked, making innocent eyes.

“What?” The man seemed a bit baffled by her question.

“I’ve learned that there’s a reason behind everything, so you must have a reason why you love money so much!” Ticinia added, a proud look on her face. This was a very childlike reaction.

“...Hah! Maybe, maybe not, kid.” The man sneered.

“Hmmm…” Ticinia fainted pouting. “That’s not the answer I wanted…”

The man snickered at that, but fell silent as Ticinia began to stare at him straight in his eyes.

“Perhaps you want to buy something for yourself?” She asked, hiding her deep reflection behind the innocent child face she had.

“Yep! you got it right. I want to buy lots of chicks in the red district! I’ll have the time of my life then! Do you perhaps want to know what’s over there, kid?” The man continued to underestimate her, sneering.

“Disgusting bastard…” Ticia muttered, understanding that the man was enjoying the situation by trying to ruin Ticinia’s view of the world. And that would have worked, if Ticinia was a normal child that is…

“Ah, you want to see the prostitutes? You want to have a good time with them, I understand.”

““Eh?””

Her straightforward answer baffled not only the two men but also Ticia.

W-what does she understand exactly?

Ticinia smiled again for a small instant before returning to a thoughtful, cute pose.

“But that’s not all, is it? If you sold one of us, you’ll have way more money than just that!” She added, raising the value of herself and her sisters. It could have seemed like a child exaggerating, but what she said was correct, the clones WERE worth a lot of money, and the two men knew that.

“Hmmm… What could you do with all this money… If it were me, I’d share it with all my family!” Ticinia said innocently again.

“Your family?” The man questioned, curiosity birthing.

“Yes! I’d buy mom some alcohol!” She declared proudly, which made Ticia nearly fall from the suddenness.

“T-Ticinia?” She asked from behind, only to receive a ‘Teehee’ for answer.

“For eldest sister, I’d buy her lots of kittens! I’d buy strategy wargames for second sister, some training material for third sister, some…” Ticinia continued, telling the man what gift she would offer to all the Null CGs, before turning towards Fana.

What is she trying to achieve? Ticia asked herself once again.

“Of course, I won’t forget about Fana too!”

“Eh? Me?” Fana pointed at herself, bewildered as to why she would appear in this discussion.

“Yes!” Ticinia nodded strongly, a wry smile on her face as she observed the man’s reactions. “You see, mister, Fana is sick…”

“Oh? She is? Guh-”

Fana hit the man once again as he was looking at her curiously.

“Yes, it’s a very serious sickness that needs to be treated, and we'd need a lot of money for that!”

“She doesn’t seem that sick to me. She seems in perfect health, looking at the strength she has behind her punch-guh!?” The man said with a sneer as blood fell from the side of his mouth, only to receive another hit to the side of his jaw.

“Quiet.” Fana reprimanded, irritated by the man.

“Ah, but that’s because the illness hasn’t reached all of her body yet.” Ticinia continued her story, unperturbed by the events. “For now, it’s just in her left eye. Wanna see it, mister?”

“I’d rather not.” The man said while rolling his eyes, while the other looked at the scene with caution, wondering where all this was going.

“Anyway, all this to say that I’m pretty sure that you’d share your money with your family too, right?” Ticinia finished.

“Hah, I don’t have any family.” The man said, spitting to the ground.

“Liar~♪”

“Wh-!?”

““!?””

The mood changed as Ticinia suddenly accused in a playful tone.

“There’s someone, I just felt it.” She insisted with the innocence of a child.

“What are you on about kid? I’m an orphan, I don’t have any family.” The man replied with an incredulous face.

“Ah! You’re lying again! There IS someone!” Ticinia kept smiling, giving an odd feeling as she began to mumble to herself.

“Who is it? A parent? No… what you said about being an orphan was the truth… A kid perhaps? Nope, doesn’t seem that way. A sibling then? Ah! A reaction!”

Ticia did not see any changes in the man’s behavior, but Ticinia seemed to have felt something.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, kid, but this won’t work on me.” The man defended himself, still calm.

“Mister, can I tell you a little secret?” Ticinia said innocently, but before the man could even answer, she continued.

“Your emotions, I can feel them. Right now, you’re a bit nervous, you know?”

“I’m not-”

“Is it because you’re scared something might happen to your sibling? Ah! Another reaction!”

The questioning continued on, Ticinia’s questions getting more and more precise as the man paled. He wasn’t even able to talk back, Ticinia just guessed each time.

What she got was that the man had a half brother, and that he seemed very attached to him…

“Hmmm… Perhaps you need money for that person?” Ticinia questioned, and this time, the man twitched. Ticinia smiled. “So that’s it then, I think I get it. That person is sick, and you’re trying to get him  healed no matter the price!”

“...” The man stayed quiet, but even Ticia could see the desperation in his eyes. Ticinia was right.

“Rebot-ia? Could you search for this person’s brother?” Ticinia asked

“Right away!” Rebot-ia answered immediately, and another shift appeared from within the range of emotions Ticinia saw.

“H-hey!” The man tried to defend, but Rebot-ia was quicker.

“Found it! Edward Dwigbo, age: 38, profession: teacher at the academy. Relatives: One half brother: Anton Dwigbo, 16 years old, currently at the central hospital due to severe illness. There’s also other relatives on the list.”

“Nice! Perhaps we should go visit that person?” Ticinia suggested with a snicker.

“No! You little brat! I’ll kill you if you do anything to him!” The man lashed out.

“Eh? How? You’re tied up, mister.” Ticinia answered, a small innocent smile on her face that could also be interpreted as a mean play.

“You-gah!” Again, Fana struck, silencing the agitated man.

“Also, that person is going to die pretty soon?” Rebot-ia added.

“Is he? When exactly?”

“At the end of this week, apparently.”

“Wha-?” The man, already pale, became quiet for a very short moment.  “I-impossible… They told me he still had over six months to live!”

“Oh? Why are you reacting like this, mister? Your sibling is suffering, perhaps it would be better for him if things ended for good?” Ticinia tilted her head again.

“T-that-”

“But you just can’t take it huh? So you’re making your brother suffer more instead of letting him go, just for your own sake!” She added harshly, judging him now.

“...” The Escort teacher kept quiet, biting his lower lip as he looked down. 

“Edward?” The Guard teacher asked from the side, seeing that something was wrong.

“…If you speak, perhaps we can do something about it?” Ticinia suddenly offered.

“Eh?” The Escort teacher looked at her with a questioning look.

“One of my sister’s pretty good when it comes to medicine. I could ask her to help you, mister.”

“...Can she really help him?”

“Hey, Edward!?” The Guard teacher began to also panic, seeing his partner in crime about to spill everything, but the Escort teacher had already made a choice.

“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” He then glared at Ticinia with a serious expression. “Tell me! Can she save my brother?”

“No promises, but she’s in charge of Fana’s treatment, and look how healthy she is!” Ticinia pointed towards Fana, who nodded strongly. This seemed to be the breaking point of the man.

“Th-then please! I’ll tell you whatever you want! I’ll even be your slave!”

“We have a deal!” Ticinia said happily, before turning towards Bronz. “Sister Bronz, could you go find eighth sister and inform her to move immediately?”

Bronz hesitated for a bit, as she was not supposed to obey orders from Ticinia anymore. She looked towards Ticia, but Ticia herself was in no state to give her an answer…

Ticinia’s ability… is more powerful than I thought…

Now she understood why Felgoron had been turned into a crybaby by the twin tailed girl. This ability of hers, the ability to feel emotions, was an ability way too powerful… If used correctly, you could get any information you wanted, just like Ticinia was doing right now…

Can a person like that even be considered human? She asked herself, before immediately sensing what she just said.

Wait no! Don’t think like that, me!

As Ticia as having such internal debate, Rebot-ia called out again.

“You better hurry. Movements from the Guards suggests they’re about to eliminate him.”

““Wha-!?””

“There’s no way we would do that! They’re our allies!” The Guard teacher exclaimed.

“Allies? Hah, don’t joke with me.” The Escort teacher mocked. “I know very well we Escorts are just pawns for you all. that’s why we hate each other, and were it not for this job, we’d be staring daggers at one another in the hallways of the academy.”

“That's no-Guh!?”

“Quiet.”

Jinxy silenced the Guard teacher, though nobody knew if she did it because it would help the current situation, or just because of her orders to keep the men quiet when it was not time for them to speak. Fana took the hint though, and gagged the man again.

“Hurry Bronz. Secure the boy.” Ticinia ordered, her voice now void of any innocence she had until now. Bronz was shaken by this, and after a small, internal struggle, she nodded.

“Yes, Prime sister.” She exited the room in a hurry.

“Thank you.” The Escort teacher felt relief. As for Ticinia, this was the best result she could hope for.

“Now, will you tell us everything?” She asked with a smile.

“Yes.” The man nodded. He began to tell his story.

The man proceeded to spill everything about his life, though none asked him to do that. Overall, it was a classic story of a family with remarried parents dying, leaving the children to fend for themselves. As the eldest, the Escort teacher just had to take whatever job for the sake of his brother, as even more misfortune came when his brother was diagnosed with an incurable disease…

Ticia did not bother listening to everything, more concerned about her internal debate rather than what was happening, but Ticinia did.

“I see, I see, so there wasn’t simply one person, but a whole lot of them?” She said as the man finished his story. 

“Yeah.” Edward nodded. “They told me they’d give me so much money I wouldn’t have to worry about my brother’s sickness anymore.”

“Were the Doesson part of it?” Ticia suddenly asked, trying to get back on the conversation and avoid her own internal debate. It made Ticinia flinch, even though she was not looking at her mother.

“You mean the ones who gave the biggest reward? There were even some elements of the Twill faction, as well as some neutrals.” Edward answered.

“Once your brother has been safely brought back, could you write a list for us?” Ticinia added, to which Edward nodded strongly.

“Anything so long as my brother is safe and sound.”

“Then that leaves you, mister.” Ticinia said, turning towards the Guard teacher. Fana removed his gag.

“W-what? I won’t yield!” The man barked, glaring at Ticinia as if she was a monster.

“He has a wife and kids, he’ll speak easily.” The Escort teacher suddenly said, shocking his accomplice.

“Wha- Edward!?”

“Is that so?” Ticinia beamed a smile, though now that he had witnessed what just happened, the Guard teacher’s face whitened.

“Mister, why not speak before something happens to your family?”

“...”

 

***

 

“T-that’s all I know. Please, I beg you, leave my family out of this, you monster...” The Guard teacher said, nearly in tears. No sooner had Ticinia let out the words that they should do the same things he had done to the twins to his own kids, and that she had the backup of the academy, he spoke rather easily. Ticinia only had to orient the conversation in the good direction.

“You have my words! Thank you for answering!” Ticinia declared with a smile. “Mother, we can go now!” She said, going straight for the exit while avoiding her mother.

“...Ticinia?” Ticia felt something weird as her daughter avoided her, but before she could catch up to her, the guard teacher called up from behind.

“Wait! What will happen to us after this?”

“Dea- No, I take it back.” Ticia condemned them to immediate death, but held herself, Meiko’s words ringing in her mind like an alarm.

“...We shall deliver you to the police, you’ll be judged for your crimes there in accordance with the law, and your families won’t be involved.” She ended up saying, before leaving the room in a hurry.

Ticia hurried to catch up to her daughter.

Why is she acting like that? No, wait, could it be… Worry grew within her as she realized why Ticinia was avoiding her…

The ability to feel emotions was just too special. It could easily scare people away from Ticinia, in fear of the girl reading between the lines… Most people would say that this ability should never have come to be. And perhaps… Ticinia had the same thoughts…

This would explain why she never mentioned much of what she could ‘see’ to her sisters, ar even, Ticia for that matter, remaining vague instead. How could she simply say that she knows everything about them? This was extremely bothersome for the concerned person…

For example, how would Nillia feel if Ticinia blurted out in front of everybody that this stoic sister of hers was actually a scaredy cat?

But what would be the most dreadful to Ticinia? That would be the reaction her mother would have... Would Ticia be disappointed? Or scared? Ticinia was scared her relationship with her mother would never be the same anymore now… but she had already accepted it.

I can’t let her think that way! Ticia exclaimed in her mind. Yes, her ability is scary, I can’t deny this. But she is my daughter first and foremost, and I love her!

Seeing what others felt? Ticia did not care. To her, Ticinia was her daughter, that is all that mattered.

As soon as she caught up with Ticinia, she hugged her with all her force, surprising the little girl.

“...It’s okay, dear…” Ticia said in a trembling voice as she tightened the hug even more.

“Mom…” Ticinia turned her head, finally looking at her mom. A range of emotions were displayed in quick succession. Obviously, Ticinia was surprised, scared… Ticia did not need an ability to see it.

“Ticinia, listen closely and look at me in the eyes. You are you, and I love you for what you are, no matter what.” Ticia said in the most serious tone she could, and for a moment, Ticinia’s eyes grew big.

There was no way those emotions were false. Ticia wanted to transmit this in the most impactful way.

A tear fell down Ticinia's cheek, which Ticia caught with her finger.

“You did well.” She reassured, patting her daughter’s head. “I would have never thought of using their family as a mean to make them speak. You helped me a lot here. Thanks to that, we now have a list of targets your sisters will pay a visit to.”

The last part was said in a joking tone, which achieved its objective, as Ticinia chuckled.

“Thank you.” She said, reciprocating the hug with all her strength as she buried her face within the warmth of her mother.

“Mom, in the future, I want to continue doing interrogations. It’s easy for me to get information out of them.” She said after a while, staring straight at her mother in the eyes.

Her mother responded by laughing weakly while patting Ticinia's head.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to agree to that, I’m still scared something might happen to you, Ticinia, but I want to recognize your efforts. That’s why, if we need to do more ‘questioning’ in the future, please let either me or Rika be with you, we’ll always be on your side!”

The part about Rika was only her gut feeling, but if she discussed it with her, she was sure the woman would also agree. What mattered was Ticinia as a person, not her ability. Ticinia was happy, but she fainted pouting as she blushed.

“Muh, I’m happy, but I can do it by myself, I don’t need you or Rika to chaperone me everytime, mom.”

“Agh, I’m hurt…” Ticia seemed to have suffered heavy damage from the fairly obvious fake complaint. She looked at Ticinia with tears in her eyes. “How are you gonna heal the wound you just dealt to your mother?”

“Hugs?” Ticinia tilted her head innocently.

“Nuhuh, hugs won’t be enough.” Ticia said with a teasing smile. “I heard from Rika that you sing very well? Could you sing a song to your mother?”

“Yes!”

The mother-daughter duo began to walk again while chatting as if the scene from before had been a lie, watched over by Fana and Jinxy, who smiled warmly at the atmosphere between the two that came back to normal.

…That, plus the fact Fana held Jinxy back from joining the fray, as it was not the moment for her to intrude…

 

***

 

“Nyehehe…”

Lidia heard a creepy laugh behind her, which irritated her.

“Can you be quiet for a bit?” She scolded the perpetrator of the laugh, her sister Nia.

“Sorry, but I can’t hide my excitement!” The latter replied.

“Hide it, or it’s my fist that’s gonna make it disappear.” Lidia raised her fist for a moment, and Nia’s face paled.

“Ok ok! I get it, please don’t hit me!”

Lidia lowered her fist, and the both of them sighed.

“Geez, you’re too brutal sometimes, sis. I swear, this is gonna come back at you one day.” Nia complained.

“Like your pranks did with your ‘first friend ever’?” Lidia added with a smug look, which was effective at quieting down Nia, too effective perhaps…

“Sorry, I went too far.” She apologized immediately.

“No it’s ok, it’s the truth after all, and everything’s fine now anyway.” Nia waved it off, and though Lidia felt a bit guilty, Nia herself seemed fine, and had calmed down.

“This is the Valkyrie. Naughty troublemakers, can you hear me?”

Rika’s voice sounded in their earphones. Lidia quickly pushed a button on it and answered.

“Naughty troublemaker n°9 to Valkyrie, we hear you.”

“Good.” Rika seemed satisfied with the answer. “Are you in position right now?”

“Yup! We’re on a tree that leads right into their garden!” Nia answered faster than Lidia could.

“Then we’ll proceed with the mission.” Rika declared. “As soon as Rebot-ia deactivates their security systems, you enter the house and deliver ‘the gift’. Once you’re done, babysitter 1 and 2 will guide you to your next targets, is that clear? Also, naughty troublemaker n°9, you’re allowed to kill guards on sight, but don’t go overboard if it’s not necessary. It’s your mother’s orders.”

“Yes!”

“...Yes.”

Both of them replied, though Lidia replied a bit late, feeling a bit unhappy about the last part.

She obeyed orders perfectly, so why was she the one receiving a warning when Nia would surely cause more trouble than her!?

“Excellent. Rebot-ia will take down the security in two minutes. You’ll have about an hour and a half to act. Also, don’t forget your masks. Valkyrie, out.”

““Roger!”” Both of them answered, before putting their masks on. It was a rather simple design Rika had given them, covering their whole face. It was also assorted with their dark clothes.

“That’s one part I don’t get though, what’s the use of the mask when they can clearly tell we’re clones…” Nia grumbled.

“It’s for gas, obviously.” Lidia answered with utmost confidence towards Rika.

“Uh, yeaaah, suuure…” Nia replied with high doubts, knowing how gas masks worked. She was 100% those masks did not have such function and were mainly decorative. She thought Rika picked those because it would be cool.

And she was absolutely right, Rika could not help herself while she chose their attire…

Still, seeing how happy Lidia seemed, she opted out of saying this to her sister, fearing a fist coming her way…

Once they were done preparing, the both of them nodded at one another, serious looks on their faces, before jumping and landing in the garden, ready to cause trouble.

That night, various incidents happened that shook the capital…

Robbery of wealth as well as secret documents, degradation of property, and even some mysterious deaths were all reported one after the other…

The victims seemed to be picked randomly, as they were not focused on one faction in particular, but one thing linked up all the cases… As for said secret documents, they would then be revealed to the public at random moments within the day, creating scandals!

Each of the places where something happened, a mark and a name were left, as well as a message. The mark was all back, and consisted of a skull with a mask hiding his teeth. as for the message left…

‘Justice shall be done.’ Was what was written.

This caused a sensational wave among the public because of the number of victims in one night, as well as spooking a part of the wealthy people in the city, fearing they would be the next person targeted.

For the following days, the citizens were left wondering when the ‘Naughty troublemakers’ would strike again, and where…