~~~

He has me... I am unsure of precisely how much he knows, but he certainly knows enough to manipulate me however he pleases. This is the end. This man cannot be trusted. Once word spreads, my life at this school will be over. My life may not only end here either. I may have to leave the entire Mortal World itself if information spreads too quickly. There is but one thing that I can do now...

"What exactly are you asking me to do?" Yukiko asks.

"Do you know why I entered this school? It wasn't because of you. I didn't know someone like you would be here in the academy. Rather, I came here for my job..." he says simply.

"Job?" she asks in surprise, forgetting to act coldly towards him.

"Yes, I'm an agent from a certain organization known as the Knights Order, which keeps peace in the Mahou Kingdom and the Mortal World. The Knights Order is-"

"Wait, wait. Why work in the Mortal World? This non-magic world already has a non-magic peace-and-order system. So, why would they need the magical assistance from those not even from their own world?"

"That's true. They have their own system for dealings with their world, but what do they do with things that are not? People, creatures, and magic are often travelling to and from our world. With all of the inter-dimensional travelling, sometimes problems arise here. That's what we're here for: to deal with them," Tsukino explains.

"I see... The Knights Order is Mahou Kingdom's peace-and-order system, and also deals with the Mortal World's magic problems. In short, you're an agent currently assigned to the Mortal World, and you came to Yin-Yang Academy as a cover. Correct me if I am wrong."

"Impressive. You're exactly right. The Commander is the top of the Knights Order and has five Generals under him. Each General employs a number of lower-rank agents called Hunters, which is my position. The Commander doesn't communicate with Hunters, only the Generals, though there are a few special exceptions to this."

"Hm..."

It is not a complex system, but they seem oddly careful about their Commander's identity if only those five Generals and special cases may have any contact with him. I have never heard of the Knights Order either, which is unusual for such a large organization.... Wait.... is it truly a large organization?

"On average, how many Hunters does each General have?"

Takashi doesn't say anything for a moment.

Just when Yukiko was about to question him again, he finally speaks, "No Hunter knows for sure how many others there are total. Hunters meet the ones in their own unit regularly, but rarely see those from another. Each General is in complete control of their own unit, including the number they wish to hold. Some could hold a hundred, while others could have less than half that."

"How many are in your unit?"

"My General is a bit strange. He refuses to have more than ten in his unit, and he's happy as long as he has at least one. He handpicks each of his Hunters based on whether he likes them, and coincidentally, the ones he likes are all misfits..."

Assuming none of the Generals are in command of thousands, the Knights Order is shockingly small. Hiding the identity of a small organization's Commander from most of their own... They're cautious. But why? Perhaps Hunters... are worth fearing?

"Anyhow," Takashi interrupts her speculation, "That is what I need you for. My missions are not always easy, and I have no support. One such as yourself would do well as my companion."

"I got it... But first, tell me everything you know about me and how you found out."

"You're a spirit. Given your humanoid form and the fact that others can see you for such extended periods of time, you're a Shadow Spirit. Since that's the most hated type due to their usual extreme trouble-making nature, you're hiding it. I'm a Seer. Last summer, I encountered one with long silver hair and striking imperial purple eyes standing in a park of the Mortal World. Then I met someone with the same unique eyes and a hatred of me to a fault: you. You hate me because I'm a threat. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Everything Takashi had said so far made sense to Yukiko, and he didn't seem to be lying. She thinks he's untrustworthy and has a terrible method in asking for help, but she also doesn't think he's a bad guy.

"That makes us partners from today on," she finally says.

Takashi stares gaping at her in shock.

"Close your mouth. You'll swallow a bug... On second thought, leave it open."

He regains his composure and cracks a small but real smile for the first time since Yukiko met him.

"Pleasure to be working with you..." he trails off.

"Miyamoto Yukiko."

"Yukiko," he finishes.

"Miserable to be working with you, Takashi," she says in return.

He holds out his hand for her to shake, but instead, she laughs once and walk towards the door to the stairs.

"Lunch is over. Let's go," she says without turning back.