Infiltration.

In front of a parking lot several figures in formal clothing were seen. They were all waiting for something and as they waited more people began to arrive. Once it turned nine in the evening a woman in a black suit teleported in.

The others stood to attention when they saw her, however she didn't make a move for and just waited. An old man with a yew pendant approached her and bowed.

“I am glad to meet you again miss Namba. May I ask why we are not yet teleported?”

“It is good to see you Oireachtach. This group has been assigned a VIP. Until they come we can't enter.”

“Who might they be to deserve such honour?”

“You will see.” The woman smiled mischievously. The old man was a regular attendant of the auction and she had been his attendant for the past three years. In that time they had formed a friendship and she enjoyed seeing his calm facade break.

“I see you want to make a fool out of me again. But I have learned to expect the impossible when you do that. Last year's Circle of Brambles was a good lesson.”

“I think you underestimate our Blue Leaders’ resources, this year we have products capable of bringing even foreign organisations in.”

“Hm. I guess I won't be able to get them then. A poor exiled druid doesn't have the money for such luxuries.”

“Poor? You make and sell custom chimaeras for a living. You have enough money to pay my entire salary three times over.”

“But I can't equal the worth of an organisation, that would be stupid. At least one capable of heading to other countries.”

Namba was going to answer when a limousine entered the lot. Three figures exited it.

Two wore blue robes that covered their whole body, with hoods that covered their faces. Those two stood behind the third, who walked with confidence in his steps and a slight smile in his face. The third one dressed in a bright green suit with a neon pink tie. But no one in the lot dared to laugh or disdain the fashion disaster, for they could see the pendant in his neck. It depicted a meteor surrounded by a circle with diamonds encrusted in it, the symbol of the Heavenly Sphere Necromancers.

The Heavenly Sphere Necromancers were an ancient and powerful European group. It's main operations consisted in using necromancy to interrogate the dead, which gave them a lot of blackmail material and information. They had grown tremendously over their existence, having reached the point that no one bellow Rank 7 or belonging to an organisation with one dared to offend them. And while their offensive capabilities didn't reach the level of their divination they still knew how to raise the corpses of the dead and control Remnant Spirits.

In this city only the youkai leader’s faction, the Waning Moon and the Blue Leathers could treat them as equals. It was because of this that all the inhabitants in the lot bowed their heads in reference.

“You win again damn woman.” Whispered the druid. “Couldn't you have warned me to not give me a heart attack?”

“It's funnier this way.” She whispered back. She then moved to greet the necromancer.

“I am honoured to welcome you to this city, envoy of the Heavenly Sphere Necromancers. I am Namba Aoi, the one that will bring you to the auction.”

The necromancer smiled and moved to shake her hand.

“No need to be so stuffy! You are like the old carts back home. Honour this honour that. Bah! They don't know to enjoy life, the killjoys. And I didn't come here to be bored with formalities.” He paused a moment to look around and was satisfied by the impact of his words. The others had been struck dumb by the dissonance between their expectations and reality. He licked his lips and said.

“Such delicious surprise. I really enjoy this kind of thing. Now you know the perks of belonging to a strong group, to not give a single fuck about those useless formalities that plague the Hidden World.”

He took in their astonishment once anew and began laughing.

“Those faces. Oh Hades, those faces.” He stopped laughing. “But where are my manners? Not caring about needless rules is one thing but being rude another. My name is Vissarion Pulos, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. Above all of such a gorgeous woman.”

He winked at her while kissing her hand. Namba’s smile became strained, she had worked hard to reach this position but the fool could only see her looks, it seemed the Heavenly Sphere was not all it was said it was. She had just finished thinking this when her body heated up and her muscles cramped immobilising her.

“Now, now. It is not nice to insult your guests, is it? What is the problem of flirting a bit? You are a beautiful woman and you are weak, which do you think catches more attention?”

Namba didn't dare to speak too terrified, and aroused, to form coherent thoughts. She couldn't help but think about how he had managed to read her thoughts when another wave of heat coursed through her. She remained paralysed before she moaned from the heat.

The necromancer smiled at that.

“See? Now you are being honest, some fun is never bad. But I am a gentleman and forcing others is disgusting, so I will end your punishment now.”

Namba collapsed as a puppet whose strings were cut and curled in the ground moaning. Oireachtach moved to help her before stopping at her side and looking at Vissarion.

“Help her. It is nice to see people still value relationships even in this wretched business. Good boy.” Vissarion moved to pet him in the head and helped him lift Namba.

She tried to right herself, still blushing.

“My apologies for my indiscretion, master Pulos.”

“No problem beautiful. I will forgive you for a date. What do you think?”

“I'd be… honoured.” She practically couldn't say the last word but her fear won in the end.

“Good girl. Do you like fishing?”

“Huh?”

“Fishing. I love it nearly as much as breaking the pride of those that don't deserve it. I must catch em all, as you say here. It's the same as why I like Pokemon, the thrill of adding entries to your fishing notebook fills me with a feeling of accomplishment unequaled by nothing. It is better than sex even. I thought that I'd share my love for it in the date.”

“That's no problem, sir.” She was relieved that her worst fears didn't come to pass.

“It's a deal then. Shouldn't we be getting to the auction now?”

“Yes sir. Come around everyone.”

She beckoned everyone to her and made them circle her while she made some hand seals.

“Open the way!”

After these words a column of light fell upon everyone and they found themselves alone in the groups they had come in.

While the light lasted one of the blue robed figures spoke to Vissarion.

“That was creepy.”

“I needed to distract them from you guys. If they only look at me there are less chances of them discovering you since I only need to act weird instead of being careful of breaking my act.”

“What would you have done if it was a guy?” Said the second figure.

“Haven't you heard of homosexuality?”

The second figure was about to answer when the light died down and they found themselves in the middle of a lavishly decorated room. There were two doors at the right and left and an enormous doorway that led to the auction room in front of them. Vissarion went to look at the adornments and commented.

“Looks nice. A bit nouveau riche, but nice.”

He was examining the curtains when Namba approached him.

“Master Pulos I have been assigned to be your guide. Let me lead to your accommodations where you can wait until the auction starts.”

“Very well, perky butt.”

Namba stumbled when she heard what she was called, but she grit her teeth and smiled.

“Follow me.”

Vissarion was led to the right door and up two floors before she opened a door to a suite the size of a normal flat.

“Acceptable. Do you want to do something before the auction, shapely breasts?” He grabbed her chin and lifted her head.

Namba stepped back and widened her eyes as her words stuck to her throat.

“No then. I am glad to see you are not easy. The conquest will be sweeter that way. I look forward to tasting the fruits of my labour later.”

“I-I.”

Vissarion let her go and shoved her out of the room while coping a feel.

“Out for now. I need to plan how to get between those thighs of yours.”

Once she was out he collapsed on the couch and sighed.

“Playing the eccentric nymphomaniac takes a lot out of me.”

“I am surprised you chose that way. Doesn't seem to suit you.”

“If you mean that normally I don't care about sex you are right. But this makes it easier to do our job. If she is too worried trying to avoid giving me an excuse to rape her she will overlook both you and suspicious things I do. And my other option with the Heavenly Sphere was to be an amoral researcher, and that is more difficult." The word rape was said with disgust.

“I am glad you see that act for what it is. I'd be worried otherwise.”

“I am not a fool Akihiko. I feel dirty and disgusting, once this is done I will have to take a long shower and wash my mouth.”

“She is a member of the Blue Leathers though. She has probably done worse.”

“I don't pay evil unto evil, Ryuunosuke. Now then, we have to get to the mansion.”

He called Namba back into the room.

“I have heard of a beautiful mansion in here. Could I visit it?”

“I will ask my superiors.”

“Go then.”

She left the room in a hurry. She returned with a bulky man in row. He had brown hair and square jaw, broad shoulders and muscles. He looked Mediterranean.

“Mister Pulos I presume. I am Clark Rossi, head of security of this auction.”

Vissarion rose and began to shake his hand energetically.

“I have heard of you Clark! Your tale of rising from common thug to second in command of Japan's sixteenth greatest criminal syndicate is an inspiring one.”

Rossi smiled a grin that showed his teeth and began to increase the strength of his handshake, but Vissarion seemed to not realise and kept smiling. Seeing this he relaxed his grip and brought his hand away.

“May I ask why you want to see the mansion?”

“Because I have heard it was beautiful. And to fish in the pond, I have always wanted to fish pond koi, but no one lets me.”

Rossi looked at him intently while he spoke and nodded his head.

“You are not lying. I will allow it then. Have a nice evening, mister Pulos. Namba come with me, I have to give you instructions.

Once they left Vissarion stopped smiling and shaked his hand.

“What a massive killing intent that he has there. We didn't know he was aware of the spiritual world. I have to thank Akai for his lessons on faking my spiritual presence, he might have discovered us otherwise.”

“If that is the case how did he not see that we weren't undead?”

“If your disguises can fool wards they can fool him Ryuunosuke. He is not a Senjutsu user after all. Shut up now, she is returning.”

Namba came back to the room and bowed.

“Master Pulos, please follow me.”

“I would never miss a chance to see you walk. The rear view is nice.”

This time her smile didn't falter and she just lead them through more stairs until they reached a door.

“It is beyond here.”

She opened it and a view unfolded before their eyes. The room was vast, bigger that it could be. It held a bamboo forest in it and through it coursed a river. In the middle of it a traditional Japanese manor sat.

“A pocket dimension. As expected then. To the pond!”

“You were serious?!” Namba shouted before noticing her mistake. “My apologies master Poulos.”

“No problem. But I will choose your outfit during our date.”

“Understood.” She said with a pained smile.

They went to the side of the building before Vissarion produce a fishing rod from the breast of his suit. He was interrupted by the ground shaking.

Namba turned around and shouted.

“What was that?!”

“Namba.” Said Vissarion calmly.

“Yes?”

“I am a fuchsia penguin that likes to dance salsa.”

At these words Namba’s eyes clouded and she collapsed.

Akihiko grabbed her body and hid it behind some rocks.

“That was a weird trigger phrase for the curse, Gaius.”

Gaius smiled at him.

“Yes, and that's why no one said it accidentally.”

“Did you manage to curse Rossi?”

“Yes. He didn't doubt the handshake of a man capable of withstanding his grip. That'd make me a strong ki user and at my age I couldn't possibly be able to do that without him noticing.” He said the last phrase sarcastically.

“Good. Let us meet our guide. Be careful Ryuunosuke.”

“Got it.”