Accepting a Mission / Surprise

Getting back to the point, Koizumi felt a little like he was sitting on pins and needles under Reimu's stare. After all, that look in her eyes...

Forget it. Better to just eat quietly. If he said too much, he might get beaten to death.

He had already been beaten badly enough this morning. Actually, if Koizumi hadn't stopped Serenity, Serenity and Reimu might have gotten into a fistfight on the spot. No... Serenity was poisonous, and Reimu knew that, so she probably wouldn't have fought Serenity hand-to-hand.

Akame and the others looked strangely at Koizumi and Reimu. It seemed like they had been the ones behind this morning's incident, right?

But then again, Serenity seemed to be quite close to Koizumi. Was that just their imagination?

Of course, Hundred Personas remained perfectly calm. Serenity forming a contract with Koizumi had been within her expectations. Others might not know Serenity's past, but how could she, another Old Man of the Mountain, not know...

So when she learned that Koizumi was completely immune to Serenity's poison, she had already guessed this would happen.

Hata no Kokoro still wore the same expressionless face, merely sitting beside Koizumi and eating. She paid no attention to Serenity's abnormal behavior.

Perhaps she was the one with the fewest worries. Compared to Koizumi and Reimu, Hata no Kokoro only cared about masks.

"Koizumi, when will the matter of the talismans be resolved?"

Seeing that the atmosphere had grown a little heavy, Najenda decided to use a topic to draw everyone's attention elsewhere.

But then again, this topic was hardly interesting. Wouldn't it just make the atmosphere even more oppressive?

Talking business was never relaxing, okay...? Koizumi felt utterly speechless inside.

Koizumi could also tell that Najenda was trying to change the subject and ease the strange atmosphere around them, but wouldn't this topic only make things more depressing? It wasn't like she didn't know they were merely partners.

Still, Koizumi could understand how much Najenda valued things like talismans.

So in response to Najenda's question, Koizumi merely nodded faintly.

"Please rest assured. As long as the intelligence the Revolutionary Army provides reaches us, the talismans will definitely be completed on schedule."

Though Koizumi seemed easygoing, he was still very serious when it came time to handle proper business.

So Koizumi had said it plainly: once the intelligence arrived, the talismans would definitely be ready on time.

Reimu also nodded silently. Although she and Koizumi had gotten along unpleasantly this morning, she would still take care of what needed to be done. She wasn't some Gap Youkai who left behind a pile of messes for others to clean up.

When she got serious, Reimu was still quite dependable...

Najenda also relaxed inwardly. Her purpose in asking had been twofold: to ease the atmosphere and to make an inquiry.

The reason for the inquiry went without saying. Naturally, it was about the Revolutionary Army's talismans. No matter what, she had to urge them along a little.

Of course, she understood the principle of payment upon delivery. As a Boss, how could she not understand something so basic?

"Alright then. By the way, Leone, have there been any missions lately?"

Najenda's gaze turned toward Leone again. Leone had recently gone to the Imperial Capital for two reasons: intelligence and taking missions. After all, there were many impoverished commoners in the Imperial Capital filled with resentment. Their lives were already miserable, yet they were still bullied by others. It was simply outrageous.

Leone nodded silently and produced a document from who knew where.

"These are records of the crimes committed by the imperial noble Reias's family. They often bring young girls from other places into their home, feed them well at first, then secretly take them out of the Imperial Capital and place them in areas frequently inhabited by Danger Beasts. Then they watch the girls get tortured to death by the Danger Beasts. Also, they capture some humanoid Danger Beasts along with those girls..."

At that point, Leone paused slightly. Her face became extremely ugly, and she glanced at Reimu.

Seeing Leone's expression, Koizumi frowned slightly and roughly understood what Leone wanted to say.

Taking a Mission

Danger Beast hybrids were regarded as a taboo, whether in the Empire or in other nations.

Legend had it that there was once a village where a woman had been raped by a humanoid Danger Beast and eventually gave birth to a child. From the moment he was born, he possessed immense strength, and even blades could not cut his flesh.

But the people of the village treated him like a monster. In the end, his biological mother tearfully drowned him alive, because he was a cursed child, a taboo that would bring misfortune.

Many places in the Empire were steeped in superstition. The birth of such a child would only be a tragedy. But there were exceptions. In the eastern Empire, there was a religion called the Peaceful Path Sect. Its leader was a hybrid of human and Danger Beast. It was said that he had possessed healing and prophetic abilities from birth, and he was now revered by countless believers.

That was why, when they had been in the Empire, Reimu had been so unwelcome among the Imperial Guard, who had even attacked her outright.

Leone had acted that way to spare Reimu's feelings. In their eyes, Reimu truly was...

Reimu's mouth twitched fiercely. If she still could not understand after hearing this much, then she had been a Hakurei Shrine Maiden for nothing.

At least she still had a brain. Without intelligence, she could never have resolved so many incidents.

Incidents frequently occurred in Gensokyo, and as Gensokyo's administrator, Reimu was responsible for resolving them one by one.

Najenda glanced at Reimu, a trace of understanding flashing through her eyes. She also understood what Leone meant.

Reimu rolled her eyes at them and spoke in extreme exasperation. "Don't worry about me. I'm not some Danger Beast hybrid. Stop overthinking it. I'm just a shrine maiden. How could I be a Danger Beast hybrid..." If I were a Danger Beast hybrid, how could I possibly be a shrine maiden? Shrine maidens might not care about bloodlines, but it's not like just any Danger Beast hybrid can become one...

Najenda smiled faintly, showing understanding. In truth, many people were like this, constantly denying their own bloodline.

All Najenda could do for such people was show understanding. After all, not everyone could accept having such a bloodline.

Mixed-blood people of different races also often hated the blood of those other races within them. That was perfectly normal.

So Najenda looked at Reimu with a face full of understanding, making black lines appear across Reimu's forehead.

Understand my ass! I'm obviously human! Why are you all suspecting me of being some ridiculous Danger Beast hybrid?

It had been like this since the Imperial Capital. Even now that she had arrived at Night Raid, people still suspected her of that.

Forget it... Better not say too much... Every word just brings tears... I've been in a terrible mood all day. Looks like today is just incompatible with me, Hakurei Reimu. First I saw something irritating early in the morning, and now people are... understanding me!?

Understanding my ass! I don't need this pointless understanding at all, okay!?

Reimu lowered her head in complete exasperation and silently continued eating. Better to treat it as background noise. Listening to too much of it would only make her angry.

Koizumi could not help finding it amusing. Reimu really was a little pitiful. Forget it, he should not laugh at her.

"Alright, keep going. Just ignore Reimu..." Koizumi also knew that Reimu was not some absurd Danger Beast hybrid. It had always been those idiots imagining things on their own. Although Reimu had kept explaining, it seemed to be useless.

Najenda nodded and gave Leone another look, telling her to continue.

Akame and the others listened with great seriousness, as though afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

"This is the pattern of movements for Reias's family. I have more or less sorted it out. Also, the client was a servant of the Reias family. He was abducted into the Reias household along with those young girls, but because he was a man, they still found some use for him. They abused him every day, and he personally witnessed his lover being... by a humanoid Danger Beast. So he hopes that we of Night Raid can bring divine punishment upon their entire family..."

By the way, the words "bring divine punishment" should be treated as a joke. No one had the right to judge anyone else. It was nothing but self-righteousness... That was what Koizumi thought. Those who passed judgment were not gods, after all. Did they really think they had the right to do so? They merely acted in the way that best suited their current emotions.

Wasn't Night Raid choosing to help its clients because of emotions such as disgust and hatred?

Actions born from such emotions were what they called judgment. Put bluntly, such judgment was merely self-righteousness. Of course, that did not mean Koizumi was displeased by their actions. He was merely saying it.

"Then where is that client?" Koizumi was curious. Surely Reias would not watch his servant hire assassins without knowing anything? That noble would be a little too foolish. Of course, not every noble would care about their subordinates' private actions, but with the person being in the Imperial Capital, being so careless could only be called idiotic.

"He committed suicide. He said that although he had left Reias's home without Reias knowing this time, he would definitely be discovered eventually. So he chose to kill himself, hoping only that Night Raid could avenge him and his lover. He also said that every day, people in the Reias household who could no longer endure it chose suicide, so his death would not arouse any suspicion."

Complex emotions flickered in Leone's eyes. Seeing such things often naturally made one numb.

But no matter how many times she saw them, Leone could never calm the feeling in her heart.

Koizumi also pressed his lips together slightly, a trace of complexity surfacing in his eyes. He seemed able to understand that person's feelings.

It was the feeling of failing to protect those around you, of watching the people beside you suffer before your eyes while being powerless to do anything... Koizumi had vaguely experienced that pain before... Remilia being injured by Berserker, and the final battle, where she had painfully fought her own sister to the death and ultimately died by her sister's hand...

Watching Remilia vanish before his eyes had also made Koizumi feel as though he were suffocating.

After a while, Koizumi let out a faint sigh. It seemed there was much darkness in that Imperial Capital that he did not know about.

Amid those complicated feelings, Koizumi could not help recalling Seryu, the girl who constantly talked about justice.

If she found out that such things existed in the Imperial Capital whose public order she managed, what kind of expression would she make? And that Ouka... no matter how he looked at him, he did not seem like a good person.

Come to think of it, he had been away from the Imperial Capital for one or two days. Should he send Serenity to check how Seryu was doing?

Forget it. He should deal with what was in front of him first.

"Najenda... could you give this mission to me...?"

After calming his emotions, Koizumi turned his gaze toward Najenda and spoke slowly.

At the same time, everyone else looked at Koizumi in surprise, including Reimu and Hata no Kokoro.

Surprise

To be honest, Koizumi and the others had only joined Night Raid as a temporary measure. It was not because they wanted to join, but because they needed to cooperate, and Koizumi's group had nowhere else to stay except Night Raid.

After all, everyone was on the same side—though "same side" needed quotation marks and special emphasis.

So Najenda and the others had never expected Koizumi's group to accept Night Raid's missions.

Although Reimu's group had decent character, that did not mean they would necessarily help them complete missions.

So Koizumi stepping forward to take this mission on his own initiative was an unbelievable matter to Najenda and the others.

Reimu and Hata no Kokoro also stared at Koizumi in shock. Had something gone wrong with this guy's head? Did he have nothing better to do after eating his fill?

Of course, that was only what Reimu thought. Hata no Kokoro was merely surprised that Koizumi would take a mission.

Koizumi, meanwhile, looked at everyone with a speechless expression. What was wrong with him taking a mission? Why were they all looking so shocked? Was it really necessary? It was as though he could never accept a Night Raid mission in his entire life.

"Why are you all so surprised...? I'm only taking a mission. It isn't something worth being shocked about."

Koizumi rolled his eyes at Najenda and the others as he spoke calmly.

"No, it's just that Koizumi and your companions don't seem like people who enjoy trouble, so we thought you would not concern yourself with Night Raid's missions..." Najenda said with a bitter smile.

It could not be helped. Everyone in Night Raid knew that Reimu liked a leisurely life. Leone had told them about it, so subconsciously, they had assumed Koizumi was similar to Reimu.

"The one who likes leisure is Reimu, not me. I consider myself someone who quite enjoys joining in the excitement..."

The corners of Koizumi's mouth rose slightly. He had not said anything wrong. Reimu was the one who liked leisure, not him.

Though he also rather liked leisure, because who would not want an easy life, the current circumstances did not allow him to relax.

So he could only choose bitterness before sweetness. First, he would get through this difficult period, then he could enjoy the sweeter days afterward.

Everyone understood the principle of enduring hardship before enjoying sweetness. Koizumi naturally understood it too, which was why that was the mindset he now held.

As for why he chose this mission, it was because Koizumi needed to get used to this kind of life. He had chosen this utterly wicked noble as his first kill. Since he would have to kill sooner or later, it made no difference whether he acted early or late.

If he did not act sooner, he might become even less accustomed to killing later on.

So Koizumi chose to participate in a Night Raid mission now. If possible, it would be best to get used to this sort of thing.

The things he would face in the future could be extremely cruel. Thinking of Lady Remilia's sister, Koizumi's heart could not help trembling. She was no ordinary being. She possessed both vampire and demon blood like Remilia, and her strength seemed even greater than Remilia's. She had directly killed Remilia in a head-on battle.

Such strength was simply terrifying. At the very least, Koizumi had no possibility of defeating her.

Just seeing her made his heart tremble... At the very least, Koizumi had to change his current situation and work hard to become stronger.

As Servants, Reimu and the others had essentially had their strength set already. To change it, their Saint Graphs would have to become stronger.

But Koizumi was different. As a human, he possessed endless possibilities for becoming stronger, and those possibilities lay in contracts.

He could keep forming contracts and continuously grow stronger... Come to think of it, he had formed a contract with Serenity. Did that mean he had obtained Serenity's poisonous body? Apparently not... Reimu had attacked him this morning, yet he was completely fine now...

"So, you mean to accept this mission?" Najenda confirmed once again to avoid any mistakes.

Koizumi nodded calmly. Since he had accepted it, he could not casually back out of the mission... That would be far too shameless.

No, this was no longer simply a matter of shamelessness. It was a matter of honesty...

"If that is the case, then this mission will be given to you... But in case something unexpected happens, Akame and the others should accompany you..." Najenda was not worried about Koizumi's strength. She merely feared an accident. Akame and the others were highly experienced, so if they accompanied him, Najenda would not need to worry about anything.

Koizumi could not help giving a bitter smile. As expected, they were still worried about his lack of experience... Though that was understandable.

After all, he was still a newcomer when it came to being an assassin. It was perfectly normal for Akame and the others to guide him.

Koizumi swept his gaze over Bulat and the others, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.

There was no helping it. Even if he trusted his own abilities, Akame and the others probably would not feel at ease about him.

Koizumi could only press his lips together and say nothing more. It was better to accept their goodwill.

Otherwise, it would not be confidence. It would be stubbornly showing off, and Reimu and Hata no Kokoro would worry about him too.

Thinking that, Koizumi could only nod and say nothing more, his gaze passing over Akame and the others.

"In that case, let Akame give me a hand. Night Raid doesn't need to send so many people, right?" Koizumi's lips curved upward slightly. Compared with the others, Akame should be more suitable for teaming up with him.

Compared to Leone and the others, Koizumi was more accustomed to partnering with someone as calm as Akame.

Moreover, Akame's combat ability was among the top ranks in Night Raid. Night Raid's strongest was Susanoo, followed by Bulat, and then Akame.

So Akame was among the very strongest people in Night Raid.

"If you're still worried, Chelsea can come with Akame and me. Chelsea's Imperial Arm ability is very useful, isn't it?" Koizumi was not lying. He knew Chelsea's Imperial Arm ability, and it truly was very useful.

Transformation Free: Gaia Foundation, a makeup-type Imperial Arm, was Chelsea's Imperial Arm.

It was said to have been stolen from some governor's residence, and it allowed its user to transform into anything according to their own will.

It was not particularly useful in direct combat, but it was highly suited for assassination and reconnaissance.