5-2 As a Possibility

Date: September 6

Place: Kyoto Headquarters

[Yui]

"What do youー" I didn't let Rei defend herself.

"Is this what you call me for?" I interrupted her as I walk closer to them.

"Relax, I was just helping him to wipe his sweat off," she explained, showing her hands up in the air to serve as proof that she's not lying. I looked at Noel who was embarrassed as I apologize for misunderstanding the situation. He puts his shirt on while Rei walked straight to me and held my hand. She looked straight to my eyes like she was leaving a message.

"I'll have to go somewhere and I need you to guard my post for the time being. If someone comes and finds me, tell them I left for a meeting," she says finally letting go of my hand that she held tightly.

"Why is she here? I can guard your post," he says, smiling confidently.

"To keep you company. And who knows? You might learn some things or two from her," she smiled and left.

I was going to follow her and ask what's going on so I stepped out of the lounge. I was planning to chase her but she's already far from where I stand. I shouted her name instead and she didn't seem to have heard my desperate call. I see her making a call as she hops into the elevator. Then, I remembered the piece of paper she handed me earlier when she held my hand. I went back inside to check what it is.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, warry of my expression.

"No, it's nothing. I'll just go to her desk and read some files. You can do whatever she tasked you to," I said when I noticed the file he holds. She must've given him his first mission by now. How lucky, I want a mission too.

I got a random file on her desk and sat on her swivel chair. I opened the file to serve as a shield for Noel not to notice that I'm looking at something else. After I looked at it, it took me a while to process what it meant. There was only a drawing of an eye, I guess she didn't have time to write it with words. She's being watched by someone. But why would she drag me here if It's only her being tailed? If I'm right, there must be someone desperate enough to infiltrate this room to get something. What would be special enough to be stolen from this place?

I tried to look around this place after I crumpled the paper and put it in my pocket. All I see is a normal lounge with loads of files everywhere. However hard I try to look for something inside this room or inside my empty brain, I couldn't come up with something. And a thought crossed my mind.

Could it be connected to the people at that time when I was kidnapped? If it wasー...information! That must be it! When I look at it this way it kind of makes sense. There are a lot of files here that contains different task they have completed. I glanced at the shelf right beside Rei's table that is yet to be filled with black files; the private ones that are forbidden to be leaked to the public. Then another thing popped up like a light bulb. It was the USB that was on the bag of the person who helped me and Rei escaped the explosion of that house. This might be serious.

[Rei]

I called Haru on the phone when I went into the elevator where nobody is inside with me.

"Hello? Rei?" he greets.

"You don't mind if I borrow Yui for a bit, do you? I tasked her for a personal business of mine," I asked, wasting no time to beat around the bush.

"Don't worry. Misaki already filled me in. Just be careful," he hanged up. Judging from his tone and short reply, he must have already figured it out. I'm quite surprised that all of them are intelligent enough to get this kind of situation quickly. When the elevator doors slid open, someone was waiting for me outside.

~~

Well, That was a relief. I didn't need to go to the armory and get some requests from the higher-ups to get the materials we'll be needing. A messenger came and gave me a bag that is full of traps, tp crystals, and some knives that I requested to be refined. And all I need to do now is go straight to the training room where I hope they still are.

[Yui]

After I finished my thought, I decided to sit back in the chair to avoid giving Noel some hints. I grabbed a file that caught my eye. It was a file that I was familiar with. This is so nostalgic. After opening the page where I saw some pictures, I can't stop looking at them. It hasn't been a month and yet, I miss them so much that I wish they're here right now; reviewing their tasks, practicing their knives, and laughing as they should be. I still remember them being enthusiastic every day after they got closer to Rei. And who would forget the faces they made when they were first recruited and were sent out on the field where they lost their loved ones.

[Noel]

I've got a feeling that she is the girl that Vincent told me to meet. She's even quite my type...What am I even thinking? I should just focus on this file. It is my first mission after all. But doesn't this look easy? We only need to get a few unOrdinary samples for the research team, scout some areas, and clear some grounds.

"What is it?" she asked when she noticed me taking glances at her from time to time.

"I was just wondering, you've been looking at that page for a while now," I reasoned. I am curious as to why she hasn't turned to the next page yet.

"What a keen eye you have," she smiled and walked towards me and took a seat beside me. I haven't responded yet and just took a gulp, nervously smiling at why she was smiling and looking sad at the same time. She looks like she wants to show it to me but hesitates for a moment, then sighs.

"This is my favorite file," she says showing me what's inside while pointing at the pictures of kids with their background checks and their descriptions. All the nine kids are on this single page, all their grief hidden behind their forced smile. "They look cute don't they?" I saw her tears about to fall but her lips were smiling. I still don't understand why and it looks like she's preparing herself to tell me her reason. I sat, patiently waiting for her explanations.

"They're Rei's late members," she says already wiping her tears so they won't continue to roll down. "They didn't come back after that night," she stops, I know it's hard to admit something they hate. I didn't wait for her to finish her sentence because I don't want to see someone crying in front of me.

* * * * *

"Kristel died because of me!" she cries, crying silently in this quiet and small room where her sobs echoed. I can't see her face, it's blurry. But by instinct, I stretched my hands and wiped her tears.

* * * * *

"It's not your fault," I say. When I realized that I was wiping Yui's tears away, I stopped and took my distance. I looked at her to see that she looked shocked and confused so I immediately apologize.

"It's alright," she says. "Besides, even if I took a big hit for the loss of this cute little assasinsー" she hesitates.

"You must be very close to them," I commented. Was what I saw earlier my memory? Is she the girl who I'm looking for? If I think about it, I remembered something before when I saw her too. The time when I was drawn by the fountain, I met her on my way there. No, I might be jumping to conclusions. Let's just put it as a possibility.

    She shakes her head and took a look at the pictures, touching their cheeks like she's caressing them in her imagination. "I am. But they were even closer to Rei and Cedrick who taught and raised them as if they were their siblings," she says, giving me the file to take a look. One by one, I read their names, their profiles and sometimes found myself pitying them. "How could I ever forget the moment when both of them came back. Rei was mentally and physically destroyed. She didn't say a word and just walked back to our room without tending her wounds, changing their clothes, neither eating. She was like that for two days straight. And I feel sorry for Cedrick because she vented everything to him," she continues.

"Is it alright for me to know about that?" I asked and she answered with a shrug.

"Could you keep this a secret? Just in case," putting her index finger near her lips and winks. I just nodded. She's too cute.

    Then we heard some shouting person outside, followed by a scream of a near-death situation of a person. I took no time to waste and rushed my way to see what's the commotion outside as I see Yui brought the file back to its rightful place before I got out of the lounge.

"Excuse me. Let me through," I say as I push myself onwards from this crowd and leaving Yui alone.

    Then, there I saw Rei, standing in the middle of the crowd that has been dumbfounded by the scene. She holds a knife that was dripping with blood and a man sitting on the floor who supports his wounded hand.

"I will never take it back!" the wounded man said.

"Stop it," says the man's companions. "You might get killed," another man says, both desperately want to retrieve the wounded man. "No!" he continues to shout.

"We better go," I say when I finally got a hold of Rei's shoulder. But she didn't even move. She was stuck standing in that spot where I can see her flaming rage. She won't budge even when I was pulling her by the arm. She wouldn't take her eyes off of that wounded man who keeps harassing her with words. She just stood still and glared at him. Just what did he do to anger her this much?