GUIDE:
“___” Saying things out loud, usual convo etc.
(______) Thoughts.

Located in the robust part of the city Novena, lies a three-storey building, Katz café, one of the most famous and often visited store in the area, famous for its Frozen Fury Chicken Curry Combo Meal, addicting spicy curry, and brain-freezing inducing drinks. Kajirou Rouka, a young Japanese boy, once again walk his way through the familiar building and reach a certain room located in the second floor. He knocked the door softly and waits a bit.
After confirming nothing is out of place, Rouka opens the door and enter the room. Book, paper, unopened boxes, randomly placed furnitures. The room itself is pretty sizeable, but it feels nothing but cramped. The only space that looks remotely clean are the desk located at the corner of the room and the space near the TV with two sofa right on its side and a table in the middle. This has grown into a familiar sight for Rouka.
As he walks in he sees a girl sitting on the desk filled with computer, seemingly reading some printed document. A young face of teenage girl, a long black hair that reach out to her back, and a pair of beautiful blue eyes that gives up a mystical feel to it. Like a finely refined art, as if a princess from a picture book had just came out and appear in front of him. That is the impression Rouka has about her.
“..............”
Rouka waited a bit till the girl notice his presence and gives her a nod. Tsurara Maria, the heir of the prestigious Tsurara clan. This girl who calls herself Ria is Rouka’s boss and de facto teammates. Several weeks have passed since the two becomes a teammates, however they still haven’t had any conversation that last more than few minutes.
Rouka then proceed to sit down on the sofa and look at the already on TV. This what becomes their daily activity. Rouka looks at the TV for news and Ria stares at some documents on her desk.

Kajirou Rouka and Tsurara Maria are member C.O.I.N, Covert Operations Inter Navigators. A secret organization unknown to public eyes dealing with various supernatural activities. In order to prevent and control any possible incident, COIN agents are positioned across the country. Rouka and Ria’s team are the one given the duty protecting this part of the city. However, as one might guess, they are not getting much job to do. Although it’s also the sign of peace, the current state are not exactly favorable for the two.
Rouka continue to direct his focus to the TV screen that is showing a news report. “Mysterious death….. the seventh time this month” Rouka repeats what he got from the TV. Death by unknown cause, victim found lying on the pool of its own blood. There is no image shown on the screen, but the description given alone is enough for Rouka to picture such horrific sight.

---

The seventh time? Perhaps not, Maria deemed that her judgement is not wrong, she thought that it seemed odd that this [Bled Dry Cases] have been popping out a lot lately yet never showed any picture to prove such epidemic is existent. According to news reports, it is a level 5 disease that is extremely contaminating but to her it’s just a cop out, the media is literally advocating bunch of lies. While sucking at her lollipop, she tied her hair ponytail style and combed her fringe backward, there we can behold her blue eyes. (Liars. If it’s really a disease the victims shouldn’t be outright specific and according to resources, said victims are corrupt people and criminals alike. What? Who? I dunno. I can’t tell either. ) Followed by the next news, Malik Luces, an all time noble prize winner and the man who advocates the theory of supernatural evolution and his thoughts about the [Bled Dry Cases] says that; “Many times over, the Church are telling me that this is the work of God yet I come back at em’ if it’s God’s work then he shouldn’t be so self imposing to bloodshed, now do we? I get a lot of hardcore religious peeps yellin’ at me but I tell you this. You see Science has proven to be more valuable than any religious belief yet I myself is religious. I’d like to be one of those religious people claiming that this is the work of God but in my perspective, God wouldn’t punish people like that. Either way I’d like to thank everyone for supporting my quantum fuel technology, it helps us keep life clean and green.” Suddenly a reporter asked him more thoughts about the incidents. “Sir Luces if this epidemic causes lots of bloodshed or some supernatural phenomena, we’d like to you hear you name it.”

“Ah..this is so ridiculous.” He put his palm on his face thinking of how to coin this epidemic. “Ladies and Gentlmen, people of all ages. These [Bled Dry Cases] sounded too long, let us call it Saika. The Japanese term for slashed, slasher or disaster whatever do you call it. In a nutshell everything is a disaster.” The reporters alike continued spamming questions and he simply don’t want to answer them.

In his Limousine, he talks with a C.O.IN agent. “You do realize you’re giving them an idea that this *epidemic* is something beyond comprehension now Dr. Luces?”| The C.O.I.N agent is displeased with the subtle truths that he delivers to the public. “Let me tell you something Koorima. You hide the truth and replace it with a lie, people will follow it and when they witness the truth only to die, more people will be begging for the truth, Don’t you think it’s time that people must know about these entities? Didn’t I provide C.O.I.N and you whole lot supernatural investigators enough resources to deal with em?...”

Koorima enraged. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Luces.” Dr. Luces raised his voice. “Well I know what we’re dealing with. You should stop fabricating the truth from the world. If the people knows the truth then we could all live happy lives, heck even your daughter should be living a happy life. Ashamed.”

“Don’t you mention my daughter to me, she’s advocating what C.O.I.N believes in.” He said then Luces replied; “Alright, so being chained to do your bidding like a moth rotting in the flame is a fatherly love? Some father you are.”

Back to Katz Cafe.

Maria turns off the news, as simple as she hates the narcissistic Scientist . She sighed. “Rouka. Do you know what time is it?” (Sheesh.. All this mental work is taking a toll on me, I need to take a breath of fresh air.) “Also what’s the name of that girl I must babysit? Kuro? Crown? Kara? Karen?” All this she said while eating a pocketful of random food, the tone of her voice is however quite monotonous and all of this at once are simply happening while changing her clothes, she didn’t bother stripping and changing either. Finally, Maria had break the ice by cracking a conversation with her teammate.

Rouka raised his eyebrow as he responded to Ria’s calling. He let out a brief sigh, and direct his head to his behind where source of the voice comes from.
(Not again…)
Rouka feels to face palm himself in his heart as he quickly look down. Tsurara Maria who was wearing her school uniform not long ago is now standing barely naked as she slowly putting on her casual clothes. Another sight that Rouka feel ashamed getting used to, to be honest. So instead of immediately answer her question, he gives a very quick “Yeah” and continue to wait for her to finish changing.
After the sound of her changing stopped, Rouka once again look at her. A long sleeves grey shirt, black stocking, and a pair of brown boots. Paired with her beautiful look, one would expect her to be a model for a fashion magazine. Rouka make sure he is not making any weird faces and proceed to answer her question.
“It’s Chloe Lim. Please don’t forget about it, geez.”
Chloe Lim, a 15 years old girl who just awaken to a power to turn herself invisible after a traffic accident during her school trip event several months ago. Because her house just happen to be within the area, Ria is tasked to watch over her. Rouka never met her before, but judging from the picture on her document, she seems to be a kind-looking girl. Ria took this job before Rouka joins in, so he wasn’t part of the initial plan. The school Chloe Lim enrolls Navy Hills middle school division, an all-girl school. To be in perfect condition to watch over her, Ria goes all the way to transfer school there and even befriended with Chloe Lim’s older sister, Hazel Lim. So Rouka is left with nothing to do.
(But even after all that hassle, the person herself is not that up for it)
Ria clearly shows her dissatisfaction for the job, however she can't afford letting go of any job that comes to her. Meanwhile, Rouka himself don’t really have much to do. Five times a week after school, Rouka would come to this office as part of his duty as a team member. Due to lack of activity, He tried to clean up the place at first, but only to see it reverting to previous state the next day.
".........I'm not ordering you or anything, you really should just focus on what's in front of you."
The reason why this place is so full of mess is because Ria been reading all kinds of documents she can get her hand on. Looking through previous cases searching for loopholes so that she can fix it by herself. All in order to show the people in the HQ she's capable of taking a full case just like other team. To be honest, Rouka himself also want to get his hand on proper job by now, but the given his current condition, he doubt it will work out well.
After letting out a brief sigh, Rouka stood up from the sofa and heads to the exit.
"I'm going to go downstairs to get something to eat, do you want anything?"
The clock shows the time to be 2 PM, a little bit after lunch time but given light lunch he had today, his body starts to demand more.

She got his attention and denied at first thought but then her stomach growled loud enough that gives it as a yes. Sulking in thought; (I'm hungry after all.) All in all Ria echos what Rouka's telling him. "You're right, I can't focus when I'm hungry. I'll go with you downstairs and you know what else I need?" Her stomach growled even more which prompts it to the boy that she'll tell him everything later. "Screw that I'll tell you later once we're done eating." No matter how much Ria eat, she never gets fat or more like her metabolism is just fast which is something that Rouka should know by now even though it's just a short time they've been together.

The mission on the other hand is not something she's serious about, she recalled few days ago that she'll be in charge of Chloe Lim in reverence to Hazel Lim her somewhat "no-sense of space" classmate. Speaking of which she receives a text from her [Maria, we have swimming club practice later. Don't forget to attend! Coach is selecting people suited for the Olympics this year. No wait! Oh crap that's a secret but anyway just attend alright?] After reading the text, she is really confused on what Hazel meant and will ask her further details about it. (I've known you for a year and your always over excited of all things, just be direct to the point.) She replied;

[b][I won't forget to attend, it's fiercely cool for me to do so and I fiercely accept.][/b] While texting for a bit, she is unaware that Rouka is just in front of her waiting. She receives another text from her Swimming Coach; [Maria don't ever skip this training! WE NEED ELITE CONTENDERS FOR NEXT WEEK!]

Ria replied [b][I fiercely accept, Coach Ko.][/b]

(These idiots don't get what a nickname is....) Ria doesn't like to be called by her first and real name because she thinks it's too girly rather she would be known as Ria which sounds more genuine and cooler.

"Oi...shorty pants. Shall we go?"

@Madani

As Ria’s stomach suddenly start growling, Rouka quickly cover his mouth with his hand, all to hide any possible weird face he might be making. What a busy girl, he thought. Quickly after that, a familiar tone from Ria’s cellphone fills the quiet room, notifying her of incoming mail. While Ria writing respond to the said message, Rouka noticed a small vibration on his pants pocket.
"………"
Without even checking his phone, Rouka simply put his hand into his pocket and press the button to make it stop. What a worrywart, he thought to himself.
"Oi...shorty pants. Shall we go?"
While Rouka was lost in thought, Ria's voice pulled him back into reality. After giving her a nod, Rouka opens the door and the two descend to the first floor.



"Inspector Ouka, is there something wrong?"
"Ah, sorry, it is nothing. I was just checking an acquaintance."
"Is it that boy you've been talking about in the office?"
"You sure have good memory. Yes, it is him. But we can talk about it later, tell me the situation."
The seventh victim of Saika incident. An odd case where the victim had their blood overflowing from their own body. Just like the previous one, the victim's body are practically uninjured, but due to extreme amount of blood lost, the body looked like it had been sucked dry. The woman known as Inspector Ouka then crouch down to give the corpse a closer look. This is going nowhere, Ouka thought inside her head. During the course of several month, this sight is slowly turning into a common sight, and it's definitely not something to be celebrated.
"You got the victim data right?"
"Yes. Our Intel just finished it few hours ago" said her assistance as he showed her a tablet containing the requested data. Ouka give it a quick read and pay focus on one particular part of it.
".........Another Esper, huh. The unregistered one up to boot"
The unregistered, as the name imply it is data of Esper that not yet been registered in the COIN Esper database. Whatever it wants there is a reasoning behind it, Ouka thought as she clench her fist.
"We're done here. Whatever we're facing here is definitely not ordinary. I'm still not sure how come it manage to grab hold information we have not yet obtained, but that precisely why we must end this fast, or else the public will eventually connect the dots together."
"Ah, y-yes!"
Hides under the normality of the world, lies an unknown entity. No one yet to know what it wants nor what it seeks. But it is undoubtedly moving towards something. Comes with it are those one who supports it, opening the curtain to another side of the world that is yet to be explored.



The first floor of Katz cafe is the main hall, where the majority the costumer gathers. On the left side are lines of nicely tidied tables where the costumers enjoy their food and drink. Table and chair are made of fine high quality wood and the store's generally grey aesthetics gives up an antique feels to it and makes a really relaxing atmosphere.
It is slightly after the rush hour, so the number of costumer had already decreased a bit, but there still quite amount of costumer remains. Most of the remaining costumers are ones waiting in line at the counter, seemingly ordering the store famous shortcake for take-out. Without further ado, Rouka and Ria heads up to one of the empty table and press the table bell. Soon after, a young waitress come to their table.
"Ah, isn't it Rouka and Milady. Going to eat here today? or do you want me to call the Master?"
The waitress who approaches them is the floor chief of this Katz cafe, "Christine" is her stage name for the store. Meanwhile, the Master she is talking about is the de facto Manager of Katz cafe. While on-paper it is Ria who is the manager, the one who actually run the place is none other but Master himself. Rouka have only met him several times, but he gives up a gentle kind vibes. Master says that he's a former COIN agent but quit after he enters his sixties. No one ever mentioned said his real name, but as everyone simply call him Master, Rouka follows along. As people working here are people from Tsurara, all of them call Ria as milady. Which is a really fitting name for her, Rouka thought.
"No thanks, we're just here for extra lunch. Can you get me a pancake and a iced tea?" so he said stating his order. Ria herself said she have something to talk about, but decides so just hold it on till they finish eating. Therefore, Rouka decides to wait till Ria herself talk about it.

Guide
A view of Navy Hills

Novena District
Novena is linked with the city by MRT, buses and taxis. The area has no bus interchange, the nearest being in Toa Payoh.

Narration by Author:
"The national capital region, Novena is Singapore's busiest district. It is also known the district of justice as it is filled with military police 24/7 patrolling and government workers furthermore the place is rumored to have supernatural sightings mainly in off peak hours. Novena is a planning area located within the Central Region of Singapore. It is bounded by Toa Payoh to the north, Bukit Timah to the west- two cross districts that extends Novena.

Si Tong Kiao Hospital, set up by philanthropist Si Tong Kiao in 1844, being one of the oldest and busiest hospitals in Singapore, is located in this area and is 6 km away from Navy Hills. Data has it that victims of Saika are stationed in this hospital and a conspiracy theory states that Saika is within the hospital grounds."

Both descended from the office. The first floor of Katz Cafe is the main hall, where the majority the customers gather. On the left side are lines of nicely tidied tables where the costumers enjoy their food and drink and on the right are the couples section and farther right is the recreation section designed for kids. Ria noticed that there are a lot of kids aged 8-12 years old lately and the obvious Navy Hills students since the cafe is just a block away from Navy Hills Secondary School, Greyrat Secondary School, and Lady Meihua Girls School- these three are the most common schools in the area with Lady Meihua being a prestigious school.

"Shorty pants fiercely said it, Christine. I badly need food." Ria said and Christine's facial expression didn't wither, she continued smiling and abide by the order. "Very well Milady, Rouka." She proceeds giving out the orders. A waitress wearing a cat-ear accessory agreed to take it, "Alli-nyan to the rescue!" Suddenly she loses focus and starts hugging Ria and Rouka.

Allison Weaver is one of the veterans in Katz Cafe.

Ria sighed. She's very sensitive when it comes to such things. "Allison...." In a pained voice she said: "GET BACK TO WORK."

It nearly caused a scene if Allison didn't play into Ria's order. "YES!~ Milady. Anything else you may want to add?"
(I want more though.) She paused and think. "A cup of coffee as starter for sure, Blue Mountain and make it two for myself of course." Allison agreed to take Ria's orders.

As they received their food, their meal lasted for an hour well mainly for Ria since she ordered a Mad Hatter's Special; a tower cake filled black forest flavor with rare spicy strawberries. Red Velvet and the Jamaican version of the Blue Mountain.

Ria took the first sip of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee she had just ordered. It tasted quite smooth and mild ,it also exhibits a bright and vibrant yet smooth acidity, a clean taste with virtually no bitterness, and a bold yet sparkling aroma with a profusion of floral notes and sweet herbal and nutty overtones.
--------
Aftermath of the meal

"I'm full." She smiled. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot." She grabs Rouka's collar and whispered to his ear.

"Hey Rouka. "Hey Rouka. How effective do you think a bloodbath works? One with blood of a virgin like me perhaps."

Trivia激しい
Hageshi-Fierce

Ria's punchline/one liner and expression, it became a habit of hers associating it in every sentence.

““Hey Rouka. How effective do you think a bloodbath works? One with blood of a virgin like me perhaps."
".........! UGhh, ugh, *cough*. Now look what have you done. F*ck.”
It came without warning; Rouka almost spilled his cup of iced tea. To think that it is the question Ria been holding back all this time makes it even more ridiculous. No matter how long it has passed, Rouka still could not read what is going on this mischievous girl’s mind. After taking some solid second off, Rouka wiped his mouth and put down his tea.
“Aaaaaaaaaaa, what is it again? Bloodbath? What are you talking about?” he asked irritably. Although he can't guess what is inside the girl's mind, he know one thing for sure, 'it definitely can't be good'.

"Ah my me... look at you turning all red like that. Idiot~" She wacks Rouka with a magazine on his head softly. Based on his reactions, she finds it amusing that any abstract analogy or statement that she said, he reacts differently, either way she expects him to show retaliation.

She sips her coffee and continued; "I guess some people have a brain capacity of a 2 year old. Anyway let me make it clear." Ria went ahead and browse through her phone and connect to Rouka's phone sending him documents.

Confidential Info [Tsurara Database]- Access Maria Tsurara.
[Message] ; Rouka Kajirou

-Read it carefully, I don't care if the documentation are long.
-Also don't say anything out loud. I'll freeze you and bury you.
-P.S I want you to attend my swimming club later. Take photos of me.

The documents are basically photos, sightings and crime scene investigation of Saika in courtesy of the Tsurara database.

And so she continue talking; "Like I mentioned a while ago. How effective do you think a bloodbath works for a virgin? It's actually quite disturbing." She now talks softly so that no idiot will eavesdrop in their conversation.

"I know a European legend that by bathing in the blood of virgins help one retrain youth. Whoever this 'Saika' is, this person is certainly aiming for something by targeting 'us'. Of course whatever this bastard is up to, it must be stopped. So what did you think I was gonna say shorty pants?"

“Ouch” He screams when Ria hit his head with the magazine she pull out from the magazine rack that is right on her side of the seat. In respond, Rouka stand up and about to yell at her, but before he could he stopped and return to his seat. After letting out a small sigh, he let Ria to continue. Right away, Rouka’s phone rang notifying Ria’s message so he opens it.
The content of the mail itself is straightforward, it’s array of pictures depicting a very bloody scene. Instantly Rouka recalled back the news he heard earlier today. Saika… and because the Tsurara, the COIN is getting hold of this, then it means… the dots finally connects. Just as he thought, it is nothing good at all.

"I know a European legend that by bathing in the blood of virgins help one retrain youth."

European, bloodbath, virgins, Rouka knows this tale. The infamous Elizabeth Bathory. A girl born in the one of the noble families of Hungary, the Bathory family. One of the models for the vampire Carmilla. A wicked woman who bathed in the living blood of more than 600 women in order to preserve her own beauty. Many reports that in addition to having their blood drawn, the victim would have hot irons thrust into their mouths, their entire bodies stabbed with pins, and other kinds of tortures. She easily makes the most prolific serial killer in existence. Rouka knows that Ria aren't saying that this 'Saika' is her, but it does suggests that this 'Saika' could be a person like her. A person who would kill hundreds for whatever goal it aim for.

"Whoever this 'Saika' is, this person is certainly aiming for something by targeting 'us'. Of course whatever this bastard is up to, it must be stopped. So what did you think I was gonna say shorty pants?"

Us... that means the Esper. There are many saying for it. The evolved, inhuman, super-powered, mutant, monster, and much more. The term Rouka most familiar with is Kaii (怪異), or the strange. Basically, those who possess some short of supernatural power. The unknown part of this world that the mass don't know. Majority of COIN agents are one, and of course.... Rouka and Ria included. Lastly, the victims of Saika are none other than the Esper too. But the revelation aside, Rouka knows one thing for sure.
Saika... this person is dangerous. Rouka's senses are tingling. Chasing after this person is suicide move. But looking at Ria's eyes he know very well what she's going for here. Once again, letting out a sigh, he look straight into Ria's eyes and open his mouth.

"I'm sorry but, I believe we should not dip our hand into this. I know you want to do some actual job by now, but this is not for us. I can't help you with this." he said as he stares Ria with the most serious face he never made in front of her.

"...I suggest you just forget about it. You're going to attend your swimming club after this right? Okay, I will go take your picture." He added after a brief pause. He figures maybe it is better for her to literally cool down her head right now.

Ria laughed out loud but not to the point that everyone heard her laughter, Allison and Christine were the first one to notice it with each of their individual expression; Allison seem to find it unusual for the Lady to laugh while Christine just have a smile in her face. “That’s preposterous.” The atmosphere’s tension changed quickly from cutting tension all the way back to a serious one. “Let the adults handle it and besides we’re still kids, you’re like 12 and I’m like 17 well people often judge me by looks and make me look younger than I supposed to be. Appearances are deceiving don’t you think so.” As much as she hate to disclose it, she chooses not to disclose what she truly felt what Rouka just said. She had shown quite a ton of expression in the past 3 minutes, shifting from happy, sad, pissed and cranky.



Meanwhile, at Navy Hill. Hazel is with the swimming club girls team. “Guys! Pick it up! Faster! Faster! Get in the groove!” She’s back floating casually while the rest of the members are rigorously swimming. Coach Ko is just watching with a grin on her face, “That’s right Lim, get it in their heads!” Their Coach is just as passionate as Hazel and her teammates combined like as if this is a spartan drill.

“Bahhh! There’s only 3 of us! Nice going Captain. How long is Tsurara going to keep us stalling?” complained one of the club members right after the drill, Amber Pride. At this point it had already been decided who will be the candidates for the supposed swimming event; Hazel Lim, Amber Pride, Liyana Bin Amir and Tsurara Maria. However, even when the date of the competition coming close, Tsurara Maria continues her late tendency. No other girl dared to warn her about it or even challenge her in swimming. But at this rate, her position as starting member might be in danger.

Hazel kept quiet for a while, faith being shaken that Ria may ditch or not. “Coach Ko, Ria is the only one who can do the butterfly stroke at its best, besides the four of us synced well with the medley relay!” She said to pursue her.

“Amber has a point, Hazel. If Tsurara does not show up, we may have to turn her down and pick another teammate. As a leader, you need to be unbiased and make straight decisions. If she does not show up in half an hour then you know what to do.” replied the coach with stern tone.



“So yeah you get the point.” Ria just finished their topic. “Anyways.. to Navy Hills, Rouka. “ She quickly took out her bag and showed schoolgirl uniform and an orange long hair wig and some make up tools plus a handycam. “Boys are not allowed to watch girls mainly because guys these days are perverts. I need you to take pictures of me after all mainly because I don’t want Coach Ko to be nagging at me.” A while ago Ria said want but now she said need which totally threw the whole context. She’s literally serious about what’s gonna happen.

F*ck, I should’ve know this would happen! Shouted Rouka inside his heart as he regret his decision. Ria’s school is the Navy Hills, an all-girls school so of course a guy like him can’t get inside normally. So the only way for him to get in is none other than...

“A-Aah, ahaha, you’re kidding me right? I don’t even know how to put on makeup” answer Rouka nervously. But unbeknownst to him, that is the very word Ria was waiting for.

“Oh my, no need to worry.”

Rouka look up to Ria. She is… smiling. No, grinning. An expression Rouka have seen before but can’t get used to. With a sound of a snap, Allison the cat-eared maid of Katz cafe pops out once again.

“Allison, can you give Rouka a bit… help over here?”

“Understood, Milady!”

Like a beast hunting for its prey, Allison’s eyes glows and immediately grab hold of Rouka by the arm. No matter how much power he poured to pull himself, he couldn’t move an inch. Dammit, just how strong is she!
He cursed this whole situation. Although retired, Allison is a fully trained COIN agent. One does not simply fight back against a person like her.

“Agh, nooooo!”

“Fruitless struggle is unsightly, Rouka. What was it again the way you people call it…. Ah, I remember!”

Cheerfully, Ria pointed her index finger on her chin and say,

“...Rouka-chan~”

“NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Swiftly, Allison dragged Rouka’s powerless body to the upstair and into the dressing room. A cry for help echos throughout the cafe, but it gradually fades down, and the cafe once again return to its peaceful state.



A solid 15 minutes passed after the whole incident. As Ria peacefully waiting on her seat, a sound of footsteps was heard coming from the upstair. Showing up first was Allison who took Rouka with her earlier and comes after her walks a long haired girl, dressed in none other than the Navy Hill girl school uniform Ria prepared earlier for Rouka.

Allison and the girl quietly approach Ria seat. The mysterious girl was gloomy, looking at the ground all the time. Allison bows at Ria and return back to behind the counter, leaving the mysterious girl with Ria. After brief silent, the girl… no, Rouka raised his head shouted.

“AGH, this what you want right? There! F*ck. You’re satisfied now? Let’s go!”

Rouka urged as he exit the cafe. Outside, Ria catch up to Rouka and grabbed his hand and shoulder. “Be sure to get the act right, and don’t lust over girls.” she remind him. It was then, a boy passed by. “Tsurara, I didn’t expect to see you here. Where you goin’? “ That boy is one of her acquaintance, friend of a friend’s or classmate, whatever you wanna call it. They refer to each other last name basis. Now, the boy is too foreign for an asian country, he too have striking blue eyes but not as abnormal as Ria’s, he is a Dutch to be exact. He threw a lollipop to Ria and she catched it with one hand.

“School, Gospel-kun. “ For now, he is referred by last name. The guy notices the orange haired “girl” or so it seems, he started flirting with her, and caresses her face. “You’re cute.”

Instantly, Rouka feel a chill down his spine upon hearing the comment. Not even an hour into this look, someone already call him cute, not to mention by a guy. This whole thing makes him question his life decision.

“Well, thanks. I’m sorry, but we’re in a hurry. Let’s go.”

But he can’t afford getting depressed all the time, so he strongly refuse and start walking. But, Gospel… huh. I think I’ve heard that name before. I wonder from where…. His name caught Rouka’s mind for a second, but he quickly brush it off because he don’t want to be seen longer with his current look. Ria follows along, and on the way she noticed Rouka’s walking pace was faster than usual.



It didn’t take long for them to arrive to the school, as it is only 5 minutes away by walk. Luckily no guard questioning Rouka on the way in thanks to the school uniform. Without much problem, the two safely arrived to the outdoor pool area.

Seeing, Ria’s arrival, other student shows instantly direct their eyes at them. The first one to move was one a familiar looking girl. A short wavy hazel colored hair and eyes, Hazel Lim.

Hazel is relieved that Ria made it in time and hugs her. “Maria! Thank goodness you’re here, we’re about to call it a day but you’re the only one who can do the butterfly stroke! Oh, who is that beautiful lady?” she asked about Rouka as she hugs Ria so tightly that she couldn’t breathe.

“~~~~~~”

“Oh sorry!”

Noticing Ria is in pain, Hazel quickly let go of her and take a step back. After catching back her breath, Ria return to h
er usual haughty pose.

“This girl is my girlfriend.” she replied sarcastically.



Shortly after, Ria go to the dressing room and change into her school swimsuit. Provocated by Coach Ko, Ria set herself to beat Amber’s record which end up being one on one race against the two.

“HAHAHA! Tsurara is never gonna beat me.” boasted Amber.

After the two is set ready on the starting platform, Coach Ko start a countdown then blows the whistle, starting the test. Ria and Amber are against each other’s throat, as they compete which of them can go faster with butterfly stroke.The race looked tense at first, but Ria then accelerates and overcome Amber by a landslide.

“Tsurara wins!” shouted Coach Ko proclaiming Ria as the winner. Amber then raise from the pool while panting looking exhausted. As she face down on the floor, her 2 friends go to her side and try to cheer her up.

Rouka just stand there watching it all happen. Just like what she told him, Rouka have the handycam on his hand and records the whole thing. Rouka himself still not sure why Ria asked him to do this for her. After all this time, he still can’t read what is going on inside her head. For all he knows, Ria is a pretty awkward person who can’t really convey her feelings directly. Maybe this just her attempt to get closer with Rouka, but who knows.

“But still, she sure is amazing”
“Right~?”
“---!”

Rouka murmured to himself, but a reply suddenly came. It was Hazel, Ria’s friend and Chloe’s older sister.

“Ehehe, sorry to surprise you. Not sure if Maria talk about me, but my name is Hazel Lim. Her classmate.”
“Ah, yeah. I have heard about you. Pleased to meet you, I’m Rou-… Lucy”
“Pleased to meet you too, Lucy.”

Rouka almost spurted out his real name, but luckily, he managed to change it. Though, he feel a slight guilt as in truth Ria never actually say anything about Hazel, and he only know about her through the data he receive for Chloe’s case.

“Say, are you really Maria’s girlfriend?” asked Hazel mischievously.
“O-Of course not!”
“Ahaha, is that so~ She is a fun girl after all. So what is your relationship with her?”
“Aaaah, colleague I guess.”

Rouka himself still not really sure what kind of relationship he have with Ria. Just what Ria thinks of him, a teammate? Friend? Who knows.

“Colleague…?” asked Hazel dubiously.

Ah, crap! Thought Rouka. He accidentally slip his tongue there. No one should know they are working together.

“I mean friend! She and I once classmates and we met each other recently, so she invited me here to look at her!”
“Classmate? You mean in her previous school?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Hmmmm”
“………”

Hazel still appear to be doubting something. However, going any further in this direction is certainly dangerous, so Rouka decides to change the topic.

“How about you, Hazel? How did you become friend with Ri-, I mean Maria?”
“Do we look like that? If so, then I’m glad.”
“Glad?”
“Well, you see, no matter how much I push myself into her, she never really open up to me.” Hazel answer with slightly dejected tone.
“Ah, your question right. It is simple actually. When Maria first transfer in, our teacher ask me to be her guide. So naturally, I become the closest with her in class”

Without doubt, it must be the work of COIN, to make sure Ria can get close with Hazel. However, hearing from what Hazel says, it seems Ria herself is not really up to it and simply take the minimum approach to her.

“She never actually listen to me, but when I invited her to the swimming club, she agreed. So I figured we can be friend. I will be happy if she thinks the same way about me”

Hazel then continues to talk about Ria cheerfully, about how she is in class and other stuff. As Rouka thought, be it in school or in office, Ria still act the same. Cold, bossy, and egoistic. Rouka couldn’t help but to let out a sigh.

““UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!””

All of the sudden, a loud cheer can be heard from the neighbor pool.

“…What is that?”
“Ah, it’s the middle school division. The middle school division don’t have swimming pool, so they goes here for practice. I believe they’re cheering for Weiss.”
“Weiss?”
“Look, it is that girl.” says Hazel as she points at one girl.

Naturally, Rouka move his eyes to the direction where Hazel is pointing. There, he sees a white semi-long haired girl with a stern face. With collective manner, she climb out of the pool and quickly sit down to regulate her breathing. Right away, a girl come to approach her and try to hand her a towel, but the white girl didn’t take it and just walk away.

“Hm, is there something wrong over there?”
“Well, she is a pretty troubling girl after all.” answered Hazel with a dry laugh.

Wrapped in a bathrobes, Ria gets up and notices the commotion made by the crowd. None other than the famous Weiss herself. "I'm done. Rou--...I'm hungry and let's have dinner at my house. I want to bring Hazel too, after all she's one of the friends that I hold dearest to my heart." Whether or not what Ria says is true, her dull expression just makes it vague and deceiving, she expects Rouka to figure out that she's willing to go lengths to finish her mission. "I don't suppose you like to bring your sister along, the more the merrier I guess." She takes out her phone quickly and send a message.

[To Master:]
[I'll be bringing lovely guests along. Prepare a feast and open the swimming pool.]

"But you know....I'd like to finish something first." She takes off her robes and approaches Weiss, the commotion just got louder, implicitly challenging Weiss.

"Kristalgas. Lass uns schwimmen gehen." Speaking to her in German.

“Lieber nicht” the white girl replied shortly as she walk off to grab a towel from a pile of it at the side of the pool.

Other middle school girls appear to be looking a bit troubled. Being one of the fastest swimmer on the team, Tsurara Maria is a figure of admiration for them. Refusing an invitation from such person like that is unthinkable, but there stood Weiss Kristallglas who did just that without even a second thought. That is very like her, everyone thought, but no one expected it to happen in such way.

While everyone watches Weiss in awe, a sound of footsteps echos. Wiess something approaches the swimming poothout long, a small figure enter the area. “Yahho, is everyone doing okay~?” a cheerful voice belonging to the intruder brings a new air to the atmosphere. Black short hair with a white hairpin on her bang, a little girl wearing the school uniform of Navy Hill enters the area with a smile on her face. As expected, she quickly notice that awkwardness from the face of the surrounding.

“…Did something happen?” she ask one of the girl nearby. After a quick whisper, the girl nodded and approached Weiss. “Geez, you don’t have to act like that. I told you to be nice with everyone right? Hurry and be prepared!” the girl suddenly start yelling to Weiss.

Rouka could not believe what he just saw. Judging from how Weiss behave so far, he had expected her to be a person who will not listen to anyone, but there she is being yelled by a girl who is smaller than herself. What is more surprising is that Weiss actually listen to the girl and start preparing as she was told. After she put her goggles back on, Weiss returned to where Ria is.

“I’m sorry for what I just say. Please let me swim with you”

Weiss bowed a little before she walk ahead to the starting platform. On other hand, the girl approaches Coach Ko and asked her to organize the match. So efficient, Rouka thought. Then after that, that girl looked at Rouka before setting her target to Hazel Lim.

“Yahho~”
“Yahoo~”

The two cheerfully greeted each other. It took Rouka quite a while to notice. This new girl is none other than Chloe Lim, Ria’s protection target and Hazel Lim’s little sister.

“……” Rouka just quietly look at Chloe. According to the report he got, Chloe had suffered an injury on her left leg and temporarily left the swimming club, so why she is here?

“Ah, I believe you notice it already, but she’s my little sister”
“Nice to meet you, my name is Chloe Lim”

Chloe politely bowed as she introduce himself to Rouka. Naturally, the three then move on to a light talk as they wait for Ria and Weiss match to commence. So just like what the report said, Chloe really did was injured in the school trip incident and had to leave the swimming club as result. The reason why she is here right now is none other than Weiss.

“I don’t have to keep my bandage on anymore, but swimming will put too much strain to my leg so I still can’t rejoin.” She said dejectedly, but she quickly turn that frown upside down. “I came here to check on Weiss. As you see, she is a pretty awkward girl. It is my duty as her friend to support her!” So apparently, the one who invited Weiss to the swimming club is none other than Chloe herself.

“She saved me when we got stuck in the wood. She is really cool!” she excitedly talk about the moment during school trip incident. Chloe got injured when school bus fell from the cliff, and the one who take care of her during that time was Weiss. They become friend quickly, and soon after they return to their school activity, Chloe learn that Weiss have not join any club so Chloe suggested her to join the swimming club. Weiss was a fast learner and quickly become the middle school division ace, but because of her bulky and distant attitude, she is not exactly blend in with other club member. To help her with it, Chloe would occasionally visit the club like this to lighten up the mood so Weiss can hang out with everyone else easily.

“Just like your older sister, you’re really nice” Rouka honestly thought so. “You really think so? Ehehe” smiled Chloe so innocently. Hazel Lim and Chloe Lim. It seems both has a caring personality. Sister alike. They are the type of person who would bring smile to everyone they meet. In that aspect, both Weiss and Ria is quite alike.

“Ah, look, they’re starting!” cheered Hazel as she points at Weiss and Ria who is now ready to start their match.

"Draw!" The aftermath of the two top notched swimmers gave their all, and neither of the two can defeat each other. Coach Ko may have declared it as a draw but it's clear who had a faster acceleration and the stamina to beat each other. Internally, both swimming clubs are divided for they can't decide who is the real victor; for one Weiss had the acceleration point to where at certain points, she swam faster than Ria whereas the latter got the stamina to last long enough in the battle. The exhaustion on both faces are visibly seen, more so one can tell that Ria is much more exhausted than Weiss because she put more effort into winning.

Hazel gave Ria a big clap offering for doing her best, "Way to go Maria!" While at her aide, assisting the worn out Ria. "Don't call me that Hazel... I'm tired... I'm hungry..."

Weiss approached Ria and the two shook hands, she had a strange look on Ria; "Nice game, Tsurara-senpai. Strange though I may sound foolish but don't you think the water got colder on our last two rounds?" Both stared at each other briefly and tensions cut as Weiss simply laugh it off. "Oh well.. it doesn't matter. I look forward to watch you in the trials. Hopefully your crystal clear victory doesn't fall into a loss."

---

Match between Weiss and Ria ended in a draw. A pretty unexpected result for Rouka as he expected Ria to win. Regardless, the two shake hands without an issue. Rouka, as asked, recorded the whole race with the handycam.

"What am I doing here..." he mumbles. Just earlier today he came to the office like any other day, but somehow he end up in Ria's school while crossdressing and taking videos of girls in their swimsuit. All of those in spam of merely two hours. Rouka take a look at this wristwatch as it shows the time is now 4 PM in the afternoon.

Rouka glances to his side where Hazel and Chloe was, but they both are no longer there. With towels on their hands, Hazel and Chloe already went off to the competitors handing out towels to them. Hazel hands hers to Ria, and Chloe hands hers to Weiss. The relationships Ria has with Hazel is very similar to that of Chloe and Weiss. It is amusing to see such pairing to exist side-by-side like this.