Kiana: We're Professionals

"Wait… didn't anyone question it?" Shu asked, rubbing his head.

"Of course not," Himeko replied, swirling the… probably water… in her wine glass. Theresa hadn't thrown a fit yet, so it couldn't be anything stronger. "Everyone believes in your Fire Moth organization, Captain." She smiled, taking a sip.

Shu paused.

"…"

He felt a sudden surge of second-hand embarrassment.

"Quit teasing me," he groaned. "Help me figure out how to incorporate these people while maintaining Fire Moth's… image."

He grimaced as he flipped through the roster, looking at the others for help. He was terrible at this. His performance at the shelter had been the peak of his acting career. Now he had to devise a believable organizational structure for a completely fictional group.

This was a job for master manipulators, not him. He was just a wish-granting machine.

He glanced at Otto.

Old man, time to cough up some gold. Show me those Schicksal management skills.

Otto calmly took the roster, flipping to the last few pages. Densely written plans, in Otto's elegant script, covered the pages.

Shu's face lit up as he looked at Otto expectantly.

"Anything you don't understand?" Otto asked, smiling.

Shu nodded, holding up the notebook. "English, please."

Otto: "…"

He glanced at the others, then back at Shu, who held the notebook with an air of righteous indignation. Silence filled the room.

There's an imposter among us.

"Huh? Shu doesn't know English?" Kiana exclaimed, looking at Mei with a triumphant glint in her eyes. "See, Mei? Foreign languages are hard! So, it's okay if I'm not good at Global Literature!"

Shu: "…"

Thanks, Kiana, for reminding me of my linguistic shortcomings.

Otto chuckled, taking the notebook back.

He'd prepared these plans in advance, unsure if Shu would even agree to take on these survivors. If he did, the plans were foolproof. But now that Shu had already made his decision without reading them, it didn't matter if he understood them or not.

"I'll get you a translated version soon. Or would you prefer me to read it to you word for word?" he asked, smiling.

"Nah, you handle it," Shu said, seizing the opportunity to delegate.

"Fine." Otto shrugged. "Let's move to the dining car. It's a bit crowded in here."

Shu nodded eagerly. His back ached from lying in bed, and he wanted to stretch, but not with an audience.

"I've prepared a meal for everyone. It's still warm. We can talk while we eat," Mei said, smiling, nudging Kiana.

Mei left the room first, followed by Kiana, who chirped, "I'll help!"

Are you really going to help, or just eat everything before I get there?

Shu followed, stretching as he walked, glancing at Fu Hua, who had remained silent, a hesitant expression on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked. He'd noticed her trying to say something earlier.

Fu Hua hesitated, then spoke. "Shu, when you defeated Imperator…what did you see?"

"See?" Shu frowned, trying to remember, but his mind was blank. He shook his head. "I don't remember…"

"You don't remember?" Fu Hua looked surprised, then lowered her gaze. "I see…"

"Uh…was it important? I can try to remember," Shu offered, though he doubted he could.

"No need," Fu Hua said, a small smile touching her lips. "It's fine."

"?"

Since when did Fu Hua become so cryptic?

Puzzled, he entered the dining car, immediately feeling the weight of countless stares. The previously empty car was now full, and everyone fell silent as he appeared, staring at him as if he were some important leader or celebrity.

He shifted uncomfortably, yet a strange sense of pride swelled within him. Under their watchful gaze, he walked stiffly to the largest table in the center and sat down.

"Just in time for dinner," Otto said, raising his glass, a mischievous glint in his eye. Shu rolled his eyes. He's doing this on purpose.

"Where are we headed next?" he asked, picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite of food.

"I believe…it's ARC City," Kallen replied, her mouth full, yet still perfectly understandable.

ARC City? Another familiar name. He suddenly remembered something important.

"Uh…there's something I need to tell you all," he said, lowering his voice.

Everyone looked at him, then, as if by unspoken agreement, sped up their eating. With two Kaslanas going at full speed, the meal quickly disappeared. Under the watchful eyes of the other survivors, they cleared the table and moved to an empty carriage.

"Now, what I'm about to say…don't freak out," Shu began, sitting down among them.

"Just spit it out," Kiana said, picking her teeth with a toothpick. "What's there to freak out about?"

"I'm…not from your world," Shu said seriously.

Kiana dropped her toothpick.

Silence filled the carriage, everyone staring at him, stunned.

"Huh?!!!"