It was only her second day at Crocus and she already wished she wasn’t ordered to come here. Her first day ended up being a disaster. She shared a bed with a strange man and woke up to find all her money missing. Whatever ensued after that was not pleasant, to put it mildly. She never had much money, but she never was completely broke like she was now either. As much as she wanted to beat the shit out of that blonde guy for robbing her, she had more important things to do.

The bronze-skinned assassin walked through the rubble-ridden streets towards the Rune Knight quarters. She noticed that the Rune Knight buildings were already in the process of being repaired. Of course… Top priority! She knew once the repairs are complete it will be a real pain to infiltrate the building. Realizing now was the best time to sneak in and steal the intel she was asked to, she ran along the walls until she found an opening.

Obviously, the Rune Knights were not stupid; they blocked every hole that was big enough for someone to enter. However, they were probably too understaffed to fix the smaller holes. For Michelle, a single crack was enough. She reached an isolated section of the wall and looked around to ensure no one was around to witness her breaking in. Once she confirmed that she was alone, she cast her Haze. Her hazy wind form slowly slinked into the crack and she formed back into herself when she was on the other side. She crouched down and looked around to see where she can hide before someone spots her. After all, it was a very bright day and her haze does not do much to conceal her.

The infiltration was eventless so far. She had reached the grassy patch at the rear end of the compound and it looked deserted. Looks like most of the cops are inside or at the front. The assassin tip-toed to the nearest door and tried opening it. Of course, it was locked. She suspected as much and that was why she had sustained her haze. All doors had keyholes and this one was no exception. Just like the crack, she used the keyhole and was on the inside of the building in no time. However, the moment she entered the building, she had to wonder if it was a mistake. Michelle heard loud consistent bellowing from somewhere within the building and soon the entire building began to shake. For a moment, Michelle thought it was an earthquake, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the yelling that was reverberating through the inner walls.

She kept close to the wall and approached the source of the yelling. It appeared to be coming through a door to her right. The woman had no idea why she got curious about who was causing all this ruckus. Not to mention all the commotion was likely to attract more Rune Knights to the spot. So, if anything, she should be running away from there; but she couldn’t help but want to know. She opened the door very slightly and peeked through to find a golden-haired man standing in the middle of what seemed to be a training hall and yelling at the top of his voice. The floor underneath him shook violently as an electrifying aura zapped the air around him. Michelle’s eyes widened in disbelief. She always thought the Rune Knights were complete losers and had no idea they had someone as powerful among their ranks. She watched the man, with her mouth slightly agape at his powerful form, and completely forgot about her predicament. Suddenly, the man dropped to the ground; his hair changed to black and his aura vanished. This brought her back to reality and she realized she needed to get the hell out of there if she wished not to be caught.

Her need to escape became more clear and urgent when she heard the man say something about ‘cafeteria’. She knew that meant he would be exiting the training hall. The assassin looked around to see if there were any other rooms nearby she could quickly get in to hide. But, unfortunately, she ran out of luck. The next door in the long corridor was quite far away and she knew she wouldn’t make it there before the man makes it out of the door. Realizing she had no other choice, she stood next to the door, sticking very close to the wall and hoped to knock the man out immediately after he exited the training hall. She knew she wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against this one.

If the man came out through the door, Michelle would move swiftly in an attempt to hit him at the back of his head. However, in her hurry, she would accidentally trip over her own foot and fall face-first on the man clumsily. She knew she had messed up; so, she would immediately pull her hand back and act surprised. “AH!” she would yelp. If they both fell down, she would quickly hoist herself up on her elbows, while still staying on top of him and speak in her sweet voice. “I’m so sorry…”

Michelle knew she had no choice but to play along for a while, until she found an opportunity to slip away without raising suspicion. If she made a run for it immediately after he turned his back, that would definitely cause an alarm. Wishing to avoid that, she kept her act on. First things first, she wanted to avoid answering many questions. The more she talks, the more she had to lie, and the easier it becomes to accidentally say something inconsistent. So, she decided to keep him distracted enough so that he believes whatever she says and doesn’t prod too much for details.

The muscular man gave her a goofy chuckle; a reaction that she seemed to elicit out of every man when she was that close to them. She had done this act numerous times before to mess it up. Smiling back ‘nervously’, she put her hands on his chest and got off him while ‘accidentally’ brushing her bosom on her way up. The contact was very short and seemed natural and accidental; but it would be long enough to surprise any man. She sat across him with both her legs folded towards her right and looked right into the Rune Knight’s eyes as she responded to his question.

“Oh! I’m not a Rune Knight… yet. But I would like to become one. You know… After the attack, I thought I would sign up and do my part. The guards at the gate gave me directions, but it looks like I got them mixed up,” she said, laughing at the last bit and scratching her head. The assassin remained seated on the ground and would give the man an opportunity to offer his hand to help her up. She knew, the more chivalrous you make the men feel, the easier it is to keep them distracted. However, despite her sound plan, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of attraction towards the black-haired Rune Knight across her. Of course, Michelle would never accept that she was capable of showing emotions. But they were very much there, suppressed as they may be. Deep down, the true Michelle gave a small smile at the odd combination of power and innocence that the man had showed so far.

Michelle gently lifted her chin and looked up at the Rune Knight as he got off the floor. Her eyes remained wide and lips slightly parted, still holding onto her damsel in distress act. However, as much as she can act, she couldn’t help but feel the rising tension between the two as she held onto his hand while he helped her get back up. Her eyes involuntarily followed his muscular arms and chest. The shy and gentle façade slowly retreated, and her true naughty side waited for a chance to flirt. Among all the emotional conflict within, the logical Michelle saw an opportunity to complete the mission; the assassin may not have mastered control over herself yet, but she wasn’t going to simply forget about why she was there.

There she was, wondering where the barracks might be and how she would get there without raising an alarm. And the answer stood right in front of her. His offer to give her a tour made her eyes go even wider and she smiled. “You would?! That’s so sweet of you…” she blurted out, with her hand still on his. “But, are you sure? I would hate to intrude,” she added, sounding a little worried. She knew there was no way he was going to retract the offer, but she had to play the part and say the right things.

If Fenrir was still willing to give her the tour, she would hold both her hands in front of her chest and make an ecstatic sound. “Thank you so much! I’m Michelle, by the way,” she would say, followed by a curtsy. Her immediate thought would be to ask the Rune Knight man to take her to the barracks; the sooner she got this over with, the better. But, before she could utter a word, her stomach growled and that kind of made the decision for her. “How about we go to the mess hall first and then to the barracks?” she said, a little embarrassed. However, she quickly followed that with a bold suggestion, surprising even herself. “After that… Maybe… You can show me your quarters?” The words came out right as she thought them, giving her no time to assess the implications. What is wrong with me?! She was glad, at least, she didn’t say it in a flirtatious tone. “Er- I mean… After I join… I was just curious what kind of room I’ll be staying in,” she blurted, trying to cover up, all the while avoiding eye contact.

Hopefully, Fenrir wouldn’t think much on it and take her to the mess quickly, avoiding any awkward silences.

Thankfully, there was no awkward silence or embarrassing pauses. The purple-haired assassin sighed softly as her new guide to the Rune Knight compound turned towards the exit and began walking. Michelle kept very close to him as they made their way towards the mess hall and took in her surroundings carefully. She made it seem like she was excited to be there, which she was, but for completely different reasons than the Rune Knight might assume. Walking alongside the Rune Knight made the others not question her existence within the walls.

Michelle looked around at every building that was within the walls and was surprised how quickly they had managed to repair the damage. Every passing moment, her opinion regarding the Rune Knights improved. Many may laugh at them, but they surely weren’t a bunch she would like to cross. “You guys are really efficient. The buildings are all back to being functional… And it hasn’t even been a week,” she said, wondering out loud. They had even managed to put up the concrete fence real quick. She realized had it not been for her infiltration capabilities, it would be impossible to penetrate these walls. Now, the question was, could she pull it off on her way out too?

Although no other Rune Knight looked at her with suspicion on their way to the mess hall, thanks to being around Fenrir, Michelle couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was too visible. Everything about her was exotic; from her skin colour to her hair and even her eye colour. It was all too easy to remember. If something went wrong here, anybody could spot her and there won’t be any ‘hiding in plain vision’. She needed to do this right and do it fast.

But… There was also the desire to prolong it a bit so that she can spend some time knowing this innocent man she was following. She had no option but to admit to herself that she may be interested in the man… curious, at the very least. The young lady thanked Fenrir as he held the door open for her. “Thank you,” she said, smiling at him as she entered the hall. The hall was simple and efficient. Stalls on one end, tables on the other; nothing much to awe at except for the sheer size of it. But what truly mattered was the choices they had on food. Michelle remembered the sad excuse for food the commoners were handed the previous night; these men were surely better off compared to them.

“Oh! I’m not a picky eater… What do you recommend?” she asked, taking the plate he offered. She noticed the man was quite excited about the food and reckoned he must have tried everything there to find out what was best. Besides, she knew whatever she got here would be way better than what she might find out in the city, anyway. She would follow him to the stalls and fill her plate with whatever he recommended.

Michelle couldn’t help but laugh when the man asked if she can call her ‘Michi’. No one had ever attempted to give her nicknames, and to be frank, she didn’t mind it actually. “Of course! Michi is fine. What do I call you?” she asked, realizing the man hadn’t given his name yet.

Michelle wasn’t looking at the men ogling at her, but she could still feel their eyes move up and down, stopping at her curves. From the corner of her eyes, she could even see one of them gulp visibly. The assassin was much used to this; so much that it doesn’t bother her the least. In fact, over the years, she had learned to use this to her advantage. But, there was no advantage to gain here. So, she ignored it completely. She watched as her ‘guide’ filled his plate with different dishes. The woman was no stranger to large meals herself, but even to her, this seemed a bit odd. However, she wasn’t one to judge. She followed him and filled her plate with a decent amount of food too. There was plenty of variety and she had make a few difficult decisions with some of them, but in the end, she managed to strike that perfect balance of healthy and tasty. “I think I’ll try a bit of everything I like,” she said, smiling at him as he turned to look at her. While her plate was nowhere as full as Baron’s, it was still a lot more than what usually women ate out of their fear of being fat. Michelle couldn’t care less; she worked out really hard every day. There was no way she was going to get fat.

Thinking of working out, she couldn’t help but notice the muscles in front of her. She would have loved to brawl with him under the right circumstances. He was surely much stronger than she was; maybe she can learn a few things. But for that to happen, she should end the day without revealing her true identity. As they sat down to eat, she would chirpily ask him, “So… After the tour, maybe another day, do you think you can teach me how to fight?” She was no novice, but he didn’t need to know that yet. If at all she had to fight him, it would be better if he thought she was a clueless damsel in distress. Awaiting his response, she would pick up the sliced pineapples on her plate and take a small bite. The men were still staring at her and it began to annoy her a little bit. She turned around to make sure her companion cannot see her expression and frowned at the staring Rune Knights; that death glare was enough to make them go back to their ‘busy’ job and leave the two alone.

Michelle couldn’t believe the sight in front of her. Is this guy serious?! She watched, completely dumbstruck, as he devoured the food in his plate like someone who hadn’t seen food in weeks. Realizing she had been staring at him for almost an entire minute, she blushed and looked down into her plate. She had to admit even when eating like a monster, the man had his innocent charm. The chocolate-skinned girl tried to keep up with her food. She didn’t want him waiting for her as she ate her food. But it seemed an impossible task. By the time she was done with even quarter her plate, he was already digging into his dessert.

She was startled when he asked her if she wished to ‘fight’ her. His excited tone made her swallow too fast and gave her a hiccup; she had to immediately gulp down the glass of water to stop it. “Er… Not fight… I meant, train,” she tried to clarify, but it was drowned in his follow-up response. She gave up on correcting him; her pride wanted him to fight her seriously even though she knew she might be pushing her luck here. So, instead, she simply smiled and thanked him. “Thank you.”

Michelle thought for a moment before answering his question about her capabilities. She wasn’t sure she wanted to divulge much information, but also knew it would be suspicious if she remained cryptic all the time. So, she gave up only enough to ensure the man doesn’t doubt her intentions. “Oh! I fight close range. Know a few things about getting behind enemy lines and taking out key targets. I would love to be in your squad,” she said, smiling widely. “What about you? Do you use magic?” she followed up with a question, truly eager to know what this man was capable of. After all, she did come here to gather intel.

And then, the topic shifted to his room again. Even with her slightly darker skin, it would be obvious that plenty of blood had gushed into her face, turning her red. The usually phlegmatic assassin couldn’t understand why she was having his flurry of feelings around this man. She actively avoided asking herself that question, worried she might have to come to a conclusion she does not like, which was highly likely. So, she kept stuffing herself with the rest of the food on her plate, trying to finish it before it became a ridiculously long wait for her guide. Hearing him apologize, she swallowed quickly and dismissed his worry. “Not at all! I’m excited too. I’m very happy I ran into someone like you. Made my day so much easier,” she said. None of that was a lie, at least.

Michelle found the man’s style of combat very impressive and bold. “I’m always scared to take on multiple targets at the same time. Too many blind-spots to cover,” she admitted. There was something that she could learn from him; maybe, if things went well. While she did get a look at his aura during his training, she couldn’t really make out what kind of magic it was and what it did. Does it make him super strong? she wondered. The way he spoke of being in the frontlines and dishing out damage on every side, it would make perfect sense for him to utilize a magic that helps him in close combat. As much as she wanted to prod him for more information, she decided not to. She was worried he might think she was more interested in his magic than in him.

The mess hall seemed to fill up really quick and many more men—even some women—began to stare at her. Not wishing to gather any more attention than she already had, the dark-skinned girl was more than ready to leave when Fenrir got up all excited to continue the tour. Frankly, she couldn’t wait to see his room either, but before that, she needed to know where the barracks was. “You think we can first go see the barracks? I really want to know how you guys train around here,” she said with a little excitement in her voice.

She would follow her guide and exit the mess with him, if he did, without making eye contact with any of the other Rune Knights there. Wishing to know more, she chose to ask about his motivations instead of his magic this time around. “So… Fenrir? Why did you join the Rune Knights?” she asked, as she followed him to wherever she was taking him, which she hoped would be the barracks.

The assassin admired how he talked so lightly about losing. Losing a battle, failing a mission… These are things that haunted the young lady for many nights. Unfortunately, she did not have the same easy-going spirit as he did, and she knew she couldn’t afford it either. The lady existed to serve her master and she would be of no use to him if she kept failing over and over. That was one of her biggest fear.

Fenrir held the door open for her again, and she was pleased. "Thank you!" she said as she walked through and waited for him to follow. This one is a keeper. Although her shy smile was an act in the beginning, the longer she was around him, the more real it became.

After posing the questions, Michelle always listened well and never interrupted, giving him enough time to open up as much as he wished and also processing all the information at the same time. She didn’t wish to say anything insensitive, especially after realizing the man had lost all his memories recently. She wondered how her life would be if something like that happened to her. Would the man she cared for so much and was willing to give her life for even notice that she was missing? These were questions she never asked herself; but being with this Rune Knight had kindled many things that her brain had avoided exploring all these years.

The dark-skinned lady was broken out of her reverie when Fenrir stopped and pointed towards a building, announcing it as the barracks. There! The woman knew most of the crucial information would be at HQ; but that also meant it was a lot more difficult to infiltrate and steal intel without getting caught. The barracks, however, had less security but still had some vital information. For example, while she was preparing for this mission, she overheard one of the inebriated Rune Knight at a nearby bar, and he mentioned checking a ‘patrol calendar’ at the barracks. That was what she came into the compound for.

Excited at the opportunity, Michelle placed her fingers on his elbow and then gently brushed it down to his palm in a tugging motion. “I wanna see what’s inside! Can we, please?,” she asked, all wide-eyed and eager. If he said yes, she would smile widely and thank him.

There were many reasons why Michelle was excited, and even nervous to be frank. While she had been deceiving people to get her way almost all her life, for some reason, she felt bad for taking advantage of this innocent man. She sincerely hoped none of her actions get him into trouble, and made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t involve him in any more of her schemes. The young assassin already felt guilty enough.

Fenrir opened the door for her again; it felt like she could get used to this. She thanked him and entered the barracks. It was a lot more compact than she expected it to be. The doors were much closer to each other compared to the training hall she first entered through, for obvious reasons. She followed Fenrir up the steps, and had no problem keeping up with him all the way up. It will take a lot more to drain this lady’s energy.

“You live all the way up in the top floor? The view must be breath-taking,” she said in awe, as she ran towards the nearest window before following him to his room. It was indeed a beautiful view. While she couldn’t see the edges of the huge city, it was still high enough for her to get a wonderful bird’s view. A large smile came up on her face involuntarily. Realizing Fenrir had already walked to his room, she jogged quickly to where he was.

The purple-haired lady entered his room tentatively and looked around. It wasn’t too big, but she thought it was perfect. While she always keeps her room very neat and tidy, she didn’t mind the shabbiness for once. She found it very fitting with the man’s character. Walking up to the training dummy with a chuckle, she stood in front of it and turned towards Fenrir, taking a fighting stance. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about her mission and was truly enjoying the present. Standing with one hand behind her and the other in front, she beckoned Fenrir to come at her. “You wouldn’t need that dummy after I join the ranks,” she said, with a naughty smile.

As she had already seen this happen before when he was training before, she was not much surprised when his hair colour changed from black to golden again. She knew this was some kind of magic that made him a lot more powerful. So, there was no point trying to block his attacks; she was pretty sure his attack can overpower her blocks and manage to push through. The assassin, therefore, made herself ready to dodge.

The first jab was rather easy to dodge, but that didn’t make her lose her guard. She knew there was always a follow-up attack after a direct one. So, she put her right leg back and swirled around right in time to escape the following heel kick. His leg zoomed past her with mere inches to spare in between. Had she not been trained the way she was, it would have been a definite hit. It also proved that Fenrir was not kidding around either.

Right after the kick, the assassin saw an opportunity, at which she immediately pounced on. Maybe because they were in a cramped space, Fenrir seemed to have lost a bit of his balance after the kick, and Michelle immediately charged forward and pushed him down. Unfortunately, however, she lost her balance too while pushing and fell right on top of the man. Thankfully, she pushed in the direction where the bed was and it would cushion their fall. For the second time on the same day, Michelle was on top of Fenrir; and this time, it was while they were on a bed.

Her attraction towards him became a lot more apparent and kind of irresistible at that moment. The usually phlegmatic assassin had trouble keeping her feelings in check and she traced her hands down his biceps as she pushed herself up. She wouldn’t get up completely, but would instead sit on top of his torso and smirk naughtily. “Gotcha!” she would say, booping his nose with her finger. Lost in her internal battle, she would be completely vulnerable to anything Fenrir does next.

The purple-haired assassin giggled as she ‘booped’ the innocent Rune Knight and let out a squeal when he muttered a dismissal before reversing their positions. She took a sharp breath in and looked right into his eyes as he dug his hips into hers and pinned her down the same way she did him. Her laugh faded slowly into a smirk as she snaked her arms around his neck and held him there. Pulling him down, with her lips almost touching his ear, she whispered softly. “There is no winning in training.”

What followed wouldn’t be considered training under any circumstances, but that’s how she will guise it as for the naïve Saiyan. “I’ll show you a secret training method that made me so fast,” she said, giggling. Michelle had not forgotten her mission, but that was not the priority right then. She had given in to the moment and enjoying the company of this man who had made her feel a lot of things that she had never felt before. It made her wonder what more new things were in store for her, and the curiosity was too much to pass up on.

The dark-skinned beauty would definitely have a lot of fun teaching Fenrir the art of pleasing women all the while keeping his innocence intact. By the time they were done, she would be forced into her ethereal wind form and completely breathless. The assassin did feel a bit guilty that she used him to get into the Rune Knight campus and would soon have to leave him without so much as a goodbye. She only hoped they would meet again sometime, under better circumstances, and have the chance to make up an excuse for her terrible manners.

-Exit-