Chapter 23: First Mission

Aruta and Mono were immediately startled to see Sako standing in front of them. Sako was equally surprised to see Aruta and Mono.

"Sako, these two are Aruta and Mono," Kuroto continued. "You'll be on the same team-" Before Kuroto could finish his sentence, the three kids simultaneously exclaimed, "NO WAY!!"

Kuroto was taken aback. "Huh?! Wait, do you already know each other?" asked a confused Kuroto.

"Who would want to team up with a pervert and a cold, aloof guy like these two?" Sako retorted with a scowl.

"Hey, show some respect," Aruta said.

"Tch," Sako turned her face away.

"Hey," Mono called out to Sako, but she remained unmoved.

"Hey, Sako," Mono's voice rose, but Sako still didn't budge.

"Hey, you damn brat," Mono grabbed Sako's hand, forcing her to turn around. Mono glared at her. "You're part of this team now. Show some respect to your teammates," Mono said in a low but intimidating voice.

"So what if I don't?" Sako shot back, glaring at Mono.

"Oh, you still have the guts, huh?" Mono began to lose his temper. Aruta, standing beside Mono, was also getting riled up by Sako's words.

With her other hand that not held by Mono, Sako grabbed Mono's collar and said, "Yeah, what if I do?"

Aruta stepped closer to Sako and restrained her hand, which was gripping Mono's collar. "Don't you have any manners?"

"You wanna attack me? Go ahead. I'll kill you," Sako said.

The tension was rising, but suddenly Kuroto arrived and grabbed the back collars of Aruta and Mono's shirts. Meanwhile, Haruki grabbed the back of Sako's collar. Kuroto and Haruki lifted them up as if they were picking up cats.

"Huh?" Aruta, Mono, and Sako were all surprised.

"Geez, you guys are like cats ready to fight," Kuroto said. "Save your energy. Fight during the mission."

"Huff, I guess I have no choice. I have to team up with guys like these," Sako sighed. Aruta and Mono grew even more annoyed at Sako's expression.

"Alright, that's enough. Kuroto, you better get going. You're already running late. I'll stay here and wait for Gren and the others to return," Haruki said.

"Okay," Kuroto replied. "Hand Sako over to me."

Haruki handed Sako over to Kuroto. Quickly, Kuroto slung Sako over his shoulder while carrying Aruta and Mono like rolled-up mats.

"Hey, what the-" Before Mono could finish, Kuroto dashed off at super speed.

"BWAAaaahhh!!"

Kuroto took them to a nearby parking lot and approached a car. He opened the car door and tossed the three kids inside.

"Ouch," Mono, who was thrown in first by Kuroto, felt dizzy for a moment but quickly recovered. He turned to see where he had been thrown and was shocked to see Aruta being thrown toward him.

"H-hey," Mono couldn't dodge in time, and Aruta crashed into him.

"Ouch," Aruta hissed, holding his head. He looked toward Kuroto and saw him about to throw Sako in. "H-hey, wait-"

Kuroto didn't listen and threw Sako in.

"Waa!" Sako crashed into Aruta and landed on top of him. "Ouch," Sako felt dizzy for a moment. When she regained her focus, she was shocked to find herself on top of Aruta.

"Are you oka-"

Before Aruta could finish, Sako slapped him hard across the face. "Get away from me!" Not stopping there, she continued to hit and slap Aruta. "You... slap... such a... slap... pervert... slap... jerk!!"

Meanwhile, Mono, who was in the back, had to endure the fight between Aruta and Sako. "Mmmh mhmmh mmh!" Mono's voice was muffled as his mouth was pressed against Aruta's back. Luckily, Aruta's back shifted, allowing Mono to breathe. "Hey, stop it, you two!" Unfortunately, his luck didn't last long as his mouth was soon hit by Aruta's elbow.

"Hey, enough already!" Aruta pinched both of Sako's cheeks.

"H-hey, don't touch me!" Sako retaliated by pulling Aruta's hair.

Not long after, Kuroto got in and sat in the driver's seat. "Alright, enough fighting. Sit nicely in your seats," Kuroto said as he fastened his seatbelt.

Aruta and Sako finally calmed down and returned to their seats, though they were still sulking and avoiding each other's gazes.

"Phew, finally," Mono muttered as he sat back down.

"Alright, it's time to go!" Kuroto announced.

***

Kuroto drove Aruta, Mono, and Sako to a parking lot near a supermarket.

"Alright, let's get out," Kuroto said as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Huh? Are we doing a mission at the supermarket?" Aruta asked.

"Waahh!! Is the mission shopping?? If you're paying, I'm totally in!" Sako exclaimed excitedly.

"Unfortunately, that's not our mission," Kuroto replied.

"Hahh," Sako pouted in disappointment.

Kuroto got out of the car, followed by the three kids.

"We'll continue on foot. Don't worry, the location isn't far from here," Kuroto said.

"Okay," the three kids replied in unison.

They followed Kuroto as they walked. It was already dark, and the streets were quite empty. After a while, they arrived in front of a narrow alley.

"We're almost there."

A short while later, they stood in front of the gate of a very old house. The walls were cracked, and the roof looked worn out.

"This is the location of our mission today. According to the information I received, there's a 'natural magic field' inside this house. Several people have entered and couldn't get out. Your task is to 'lift' the magic field and rescue anyone who might still be alive inside," Kuroto explained.

"Magic field? What's that?" Aruta asked.

"A magic field is an area filled with LYNK energy. Magic fields are divided into two types: natural and artificial. Natural magic fields are created when a 'magic object' settles in a place for a very long time. Over time, a natural magic field forms with the magic object as its core," Kuroto explained.

"Uhh, what's a magic object?" Aruta asked.

"A magic object is an item that possesses its own LYNK energy. So, magic objects can take various forms, from ordinary items to things you've never seen before," Kuroto answered.

"I see. So, do we have to destroy the magic object to lift the magic field?" Aruta asked.

"No need to destroy it. Just removing the object from the magic field is enough," Mono, who was beside Aruta, chimed in.

"Smart! As for artificial magic fields, they are created intentionally by someone. It takes at least twenty-four hours to create an artificial magic field. The core of an artificial magic field is the person who created it. Dealing with artificial magic fields is more complicated because the field remains even if the creator leaves it," Kuroto explained.

"Alright, I think that's enough. Mono is quite knowledgeable and can lead you into the magic field inside the house. He should already know about magic fields," Kuroto said.

"What about you?" Mono asked.

"I'm going to grab some Hotwings Grilled Chicken (Ayam Bakar Hotwings) first. You know how crowded that place gets, even though it just opened. Well, it opens during dinner time, so no wonder it's packed," Kuroto replied. "I'll head out now. The place is about to open," Kuroto said. "Oh, one more thing. Aruta, Sako, be careful. If you're not, I'm not even sure if your bodies will make it out of there," Kuroto said, this time more seriously. But soon, his seriousness faded. "Alright, good luck, everyone!" He then dashed off, leaving the three kids behind.

"Huff that guy," Mono muttered. "Let's go in."

***

Aruta, Sako, and Mono began to enter the house, with Mono leading the way. As they stepped inside, Aruta and Sako were surprised to see that the interior was much larger than the outside appearance suggested. Upon entering, they found themselves in a massive room with two large staircases on the opposite side. The room was clean and resembled a hall. Between the two staircases was a large corridor. On the second floor, there was a corridor parallel to the entrance, with several doors surrounding the hall.

"It seems the magic field here has made the interior of the house much larger than its exterior," Mono said. "This house is quite big if we explore it with just one team. Aruta, you and Sako will search the first floor. I'll take the second floor," Mono instructed.

"By yourself?" Aruta asked.

"I'm more experienced than both of you. I'll be fine on my own. You two stick together for safety," Mono said.

Aruta glanced at Sako, who was still scowling at him. He turned back to Mono and whispered, "You're making me team up with her so you don't have to, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Mono admitted.

"Ugh damn you," Aruta whispered.

"Alright, good luck," Mono said as he started climbing the stairs to the second floor.

Aruta turned back to Sako and muttered, "Perfect, I'm stuck with this girl."

"Huff, stop staring. Let's get this over with, you pervert. I want to go home quickly," Sako said, walking ahead of Aruta.

"Hey, don't call me a pervert just because of these shoes. And one more thing, my name is Aruta!" Aruta said angrily, following behind Sako.

Sako and Aruta began to explore the main corridor on the first floor.

"Be careful. If something happens to you, I'm not helping," Sako said.

"Ugh, fine fine," Aruta replied. "I'm not sure this mission is going to go smoothly," Aruta muttered.