Shining, dazzling, and brimming with confidence, the young orange-haired teen turned everyone’s gaze to her. With head held high, she took long strides—too long for her short legs to handle, but she made up for them with quick hops.

She stopped right in front of Hiro and pointed at his face. “You there! New recruit, I see? I’m quite surprised—disappointed, actually—that no one even dared to inform me beforehand. Or perhaps you’re an intruder? Hmmm?”

Hiro looked at Haruka, who shrugged in response.

“Usano, what are you talking about?” Leo asked. “I already told you about him earlier.”

“What?! Boss, why’d you tell— I mean—” She raked her fingers through her hair and exhaled. “Are you sure you told me? Because I don’t remember. Then again, insignificant matters like these don’t normally concern me.”

“Huh? Did I not tell you? Let me check our messages.” Leo pulled his phone out.

Haruka crossed her arms. “She’s lying. Don’t entertain her.”

“E-Eh?”

“Hmph!” Usano pouted. “There you go again making these false accusations. Why must you do this? Nothing better to do?”

Haruka glared at her. 

“Aaaaanywho.” She spun toward Hiro. “So you’re new, huh? You’re quite lucky. Not many get to see my face and live. Mwahahaha!”

“Um, okay.” Hiro turned to Leo. “So who’s this brat?”

She stomped her foot. “You dare address me as such?!”

Leo massaged his head while taking a sip of coffee. “I’m too tired for this. Usano, this is Hiro. Hiro, this is Usano. She arrived last night with another Lionheart member, but her partner left earlier with Yuu.”

Hiro furrowed his brows. “A kid? You’re telling me she’s a criminal too?”

“But of course!” Usano held her hand proudly over her chest. “My age is simply a testament to my amazing talents. And you better watch that mouth of yours. From now on, I’ll be your beloved senior. I expect nothing but the utmost respect from you.”

“I… I see. Nice to meet you, I guess.” Hiro extended his hand forward.

She shook his hand. Despite her small stature, her grip was strong. “Wow. Yuu was right. You really are weak.”

“So you did know about me.”

She whistled to feign ignorance.

Leo sighed. “Alright. We can’t waste any more time. Everyone, take a seat.”

Hiro sat down beside Haruka and waved at her. She nodded back at him. Usano glared at her as she sat across from them.

Leo turned on the large screens on the wall with a remote. They displayed multiple images of a freighter and a corresponding blueprint. “See, we’re in a bit of a conundrum right now. We just got intel on a cargo ship leaving for the Huasheng Kingdom later today. Take a look.”

He clicked on the remote. The screens showed footage of stevedores filling up freight containers with giant sacks. They carried them to the lowest compartment of the ship.

“These are all precious ores and metals that are mostly native to the Orin Kingdom,” Leo continued. “Pyrocrystals, novalite, koristone, you name it. As you can see, the freights on the upper deck are just a distraction. The real treasure is stored in the hidden lowest deck. It’s a huge haul. An estimated twenty million azures worth in that one ship.”

Hiro’s jaw dropped. He’d never heard of that much money in his life.

Leo stood up and leaned his hand on the table. After a deep exhale, he looked them each in the eyes. “I need you three to sneak into that ship and steal as much as you can.”

Usano threw her arms up. “A heist! Finally, a mission of great value, just like me.”

“What?!” Hiro’s shout echoed throughout the room. “I literally just recovered! I thought Maki was just gonna show me around today!”

“Aaand she will, eventually.” Leo smiled at him but couldn’t mask the uncertainty in his voice. “Look, we’re just terribly undermanned right now. I already sent everyone else out on a mission. You three are the only ones available.”

“Eh? What about Dr. Tenzo? Maki? Or that, uh… Golem guy?”

Usano squealed. “Big Sis is coming?!”

Haruka shushed her. “No.”

“Bruno’s more of a pacifist, really,” Leo said. “He prefers to stay as a house help unless it’s an emergency. Dr. Tenzo also has to stay behind in case the others fall into dire conditions. We can’t afford sending him out. I myself will be staying here and guiding you throughout the mission. As for Maki, well… She already said no. Unless it’s something that interests her, she never leaves her workshop.”

“But— But aren’t you her boss? Couldn’t you just convince her to come?”

Leo shook his head. “Last time I did, she pulled a strike, and we had no power for days. She already does so much for us. I don’t want to force her.”

Hiro thought it should be a criminal offense for someone like Maki to have this much power, an offense of similar severity to an act of terrorism. It was a testament to her significant role in the group, or perhaps the boss had less of a backbone than he assumed.

“We don’t need her,” Haruka said. “We don’t even need Hiro. He’s still new. I can do it myself.”

Hiro was both touched that she didn’t want to put him in danger and offended by her sharp words.

“That won’t do.” Leo clicked the remote once more. Pictures and videos of guards clad in bulletproof vests and rifles cycled through the screens. “This ship is heavily guarded. I don’t want to send you there alone, Haruka, regardless of your strength. Call it whatever you want—a stroke of luck or misfortune—but Hiro’s propensity to run away might prove helpful later on.”

Haruka stayed silent as she turned her head away, planting her focus on the large window. Hiro laughed nervously in an attempt to hide his shame.

“You guys worry too much!” Usano pointed at her chest with her thumb. “With me tagging along, you guys might as well sleep like babies!”

Haruka let out a deep sigh.

Leo cleared his throat loudly. “We’re still figuring out who, but this was most likely sanctioned by someone in our government. Huasheng’s borders have been closed off from the other three kingdoms for the last fifteen years. Smuggling items of this value there would take someone with a very high position. All the more reason to not pass up on this golden opportunity.”

“Um…” Hiro raised his hand. “This is probably a weird thing to ask, but what’ll you do with all those ores?”

“Supplies, equipment, materials. These ores will fetch a huge sum in the black market. We can keep this place running for years.”

Hiro looked down at the table. Money—if money was all they were after, what difference did they have with the petty Bandito?

“What’s wrong? Not satisfied with my answer?” Leo rested his chin under his hands. “Your heart’s in the right place. If you must know, targeting this ship will lead us one step closer to uncovering whoever this high-ranking official is. If we can crack him down, his days of corruption are over. Now, any more questions, new recruit?”

“U-Um… Just one more. Will there be civilians on the ship?”

“Probably. Like maybe the mechanics and ship crew. As much as we’d like to avoid contact with innocent people, if we’re left with no choice, then… no witnesses.”

It just occurred to Hiro how fortunate he was to escape such a fate when he first crossed paths with Haruka. He gulped nervously. “I-I don’t know if I’d be able to kill a random guy. I couldn’t even kill Bandito’s boss. I’ve never—” He bit his lip. “I’ve never k-killed anyone before.”

Usano covered her mouth as she laughed haughtily. “Oh, poor newbie. How pure, how innocent! Allow me to show you how a true master commits the act of ending one’s life.”

“What? You’re not gonna tell me you’ve killed people too.”

“Why yes, of course I did! A few here and there.”

He was speechless.

She smirked at him. “What? Dumbfounded at how great I am? Understandable.”

Leo tapped his finger repeatedly on the table, silencing everyone. “I’ve already heard from Maki about your inability to kill. And that’s fine. That’s not your mission. But Lionheart is a family. We are willing to go through such lengths to protect you, so I expect you to be willing to do the same for us. Right, Hiro?”

He slowly nodded.

“Now, then. I’ll get to the details.” The screen zoomed out and showed a map. A cursor hovered over a piece of land next to the sea. “This is Ruto Port, located in Koyama Town and is normally used for fisheries and shipping out seafood. The ship is set to leave from there at three o’ clock. You are to follow it into the ocean, but do not invade until I give you the cue. That way, their backup won’t be able to arrive from either kingdom on time. Take as much as you can, leave no witnesses, and try to make a clean escape. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir,” they all said.

“Splendid!” Leo chugged down the rest of his coffee. “And as for who I’m delegating as the leader of this mission…”

“Oh, oh! Me! Me!” Usano waved her arms high as she bounced from her seat.

“Haruka, you’re in charge.”

“Nooooo!”

Haruka nodded. “Understood.”

Leo clapped his hands together. “Alright! It takes about three hours to travel to Ruto, so I suggest getting your things ready as soon as possible. I’ll give you the rest of the details during your trip. Head down to the workshop and speak to Maki when you’re done. Meeting adjourned.”

With that, the three of them left the command center and went down the elevator. They stopped at the living quarters. The girls both entered their respective rooms. Hiro ventured down the hallway until he found his name hanging from the eleventh door. Using his card key, he stepped inside.

His room was spacious; a large bed fit for four people served as the centerpiece. It had its own walk-in closet. A switch by the door allowed him to choose from a variety of wallpaper designs. He stuck with a simple beige. It had two windows, but upon closer inspection, they were just screens that changed their scenic view with the touch of a button.

His clothes and necklace were folded neatly on top of his bed. The bloodstains had been washed off, and the singes from his fight with Yuusuke disappeared entirely. As he lifted his jacket up, an envelope slipped out. It had an intricately drawn sunflower at its center. Inside was a note written in cursive and sprinkled with glitter.

“Dearest Hiro,” the note said, “It was an absolute pleasure to meet you earlier. ‘Twas a shame I couldn’t finish washing your clothes before you woke up. I had to ask the dear doctor to fix the burnt areas. It should be good as new now. Just leave your gown in the basket inside your closet and place it in front of your door. I’ll have you know, I’m dying to have our little ‘date’ in the kitchen, as you offered. For now, I wish you all the best in your endeavors! Can’t wait to see you again~ Mwah. Love, Bruno, your ever supportive Golem.”

A chill ran down Hiro’s spine. This was too friendly for someone he’d just met. Did he send mixed signals? Did he accidentally make advances? After all, Golem did call it a date. Was it too early to make an invite like that? Perhaps that was just how Golem was? Hiro questioned his past demeanor and wondered if anyone else made the same misunderstanding.

He shook his head. Now was no time to dwell in his thoughts. He hurriedly put on his clothes and left the basket by his door like Golem requested. Taking the elevator down to the workshop, he was immediately met with a massive, shaven armpit. It belonged to Golem, who happened to be passing by the elevator as he lifted four wheels over his shoulders.

“Ah! Hiro!” Golem turned to him. “You’re here early. I see you got changed. Did you see my letter?”

Hiro fidgeted around before nodding.

“Great! Sorry if this is sudden, but I really want to ask. How did that letter make you feel?”

“H-Huh?!” Hiro looked away and covered his mouth, flustered. “I don’t… I just don’t know how to respond. Y-You’re a great guy and all, but—”

“Aw, really? And I thought I was getting better at these welcome letters. Koichi— Ah, you probably know him better as Dr. Tenzo. Every time I show him my letters, he always says they’re not sweet enough. Am I really that cold and unwelcoming?”

“So this was all his doing…” Hiro sighed. Golem was fooled by the doctor, yes. But Hiro realized that he was the biggest fool of all.

“Hobooooo!” Maki yelled from the other side of the workshop. She waved her arms excitedly at him. “Over here! Over here!”

She stood beside a white vehicle suspended in the air via hydraulic lifts. It had the peculiar design a white duck. The hood, shaped like a duck’s head with a sharp, pointed beak, was large enough for a person to fit inside. Sleek wings and a tail adorned its sides and rear respectively. A glass dome encased the upper half and granted a view of the inside, which had a dashboard of buttons and levers unfamiliar to Hiro.

“Ah, excuse me.” Golem bowed his head. “I need to help Maki finish up before the girls arrive.” The heavy load on his shoulders didn’t sway him as he walked over to the duck-like vehicle. One by one, he bolted the wheels into place.

Hiro followed him. Even though he carried nothing, he still couldn’t keep up with Golem’s long steps.

Maki took off her goggles and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. “Phew! The boss really put me to work this mornin’. Couldn’t just ask me the night before, huh? Anyways, look at you, hobo! Already on such a big mission! I’m jelly of your progress.”

Hiro rolled his eyes. “You know, if you wanna take my place, you can.”

She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. “You grew up so fast. Feels like just a few days since we first met.”

He sighed. “No intentions at all, huh?”

“Nope! But hey, you can’t say I didn’t help. I got you these!” She handed him a nanobarrier and a gun. “You’re probably gonna wimp out again with the gun, but hey, just in case, right?”

The gun felt just as heavy as it did the first time he held one. He tucked them both into his pockets. “Wow, thank you. I mean it. In all the commotion and hurry, I forgot to ask about equipment and stuff. This is so helpful.”

She blushed as she fidgeted with her hands. “Aw, shucks. A simple thank you is enough.”

“So, uh…” He turned to the vehicle beside them. “What exactly is this?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” Her mouth opened wide. “The boss didn’t tell you?! Oh no. Oh no no no. It’s super important to know everything about this beauty, you know.”

“...Really?”

“Yes, really! This is the ultimate key between your life and death! So pay attention!” She stood in front of the vehicle and knocked on its frame. “It’s sturdy! It’s fast! It’s built to last! No terrain can stop it from zoomin’ past! I call it…”

She paused for a few seconds. Hiro raised his eyebrows in suspense.

“The Duck!”