// Companion(s) Equipped! //

// //

// //

// //

// //

___

"Right." Shu intructs as the squad move forward with vigilance.

"Left.... Left.... Straight.... Left... Right.... Left-"

As the Sorcerer continues instructing, you all focus on clearing the path and watching cautiously from front and back for any threats or cameras. Whenever a camera gets destroyed, though, Shu won't be able to see how you guys are if your pov trackers are not in one piece. So you all ended up just using something that can stun them temporarily and running away from their sight before their vision comes back thanks to the sticky rocks you have homemade- Just in case.

"Stop stop-"

Shu quickly says, noticing something. You all stop to peek on the right side hall, seeing that there's a door not so far with a iron plate that says "Commander Brisko" on it.

An office??? It is guarded by two men.

"That's where they store Ike's cell key... Can't believe these people also store information of which commander officers keeps certain key numbers in this data.." Shu mutters, but adds more. "A man is inside that office, we need to not cause a big scene, yet maintain a distraction somehow-"

"Oh oh! Got it." Luca says as he looks at Mysta with an unreadable but goofy look.

"Don't look at me, I'm not going to start wearing a maid dress and act like a cat girl-"

.

.

.

.

"Hey, boys! How you doin'~?💕"

Vox facepalms, trying not to wheeze loudly as Luca is punching on a wall quietly, choking on his breath and laughing silently. You are just silently questioning about your life as you blankly see Mysta now running away from the annoyed armed officers, keeping them distracted somehow.

"Okay, someone go in now..." Shu starts, but slightly hesitating, "We need a second distractor though...-"

"I got this-" Vox signs in, ready to seduce a man with his voice. He could have done that job with the guards, but he really was waiting for Mysta to do it instead...-

"But what if we need a plan B..?" You insecurely ask, thinking twice about any kind of trap there will be in inside the office.

"Then make one, as I save you guys time." Vox assures as he now walks towards the door and knocks on it.

"Pspspsps,,,- Yin,,,!" Luca whispers to you.

"Yes,,,?"

"Take a look a this,,," Luca suggests as he holds your hand to guide you somewhere. You walk around a corner after the coast is clear and he points a vent that is on the ceiling.

"Let's vent,,,

.

.

.

.

like among us~!" Luca eagerly says, eyes sparkling.

"Pfffft,,,," Shu says, hearing the conversation. "Kinda sussy, kinda sussy,,,~"

"Oh wait- you're right,,,!!! That might be connected to the office..."

You exclaim silently, not paying much in mind as you prepare one of your gadgets from your suitcase to remove the vent cap. Once you hold the tool firmly, Luca starts raising you up toward the vent with his hands like Simba- You swiftly unscrew it before carefully opening the vent.

Finally, Luca raises you more up, letting you climb on it.

"What about you, Luca?" You worryingly ask once noticing that the vent is actually too small to fit for him on the inside than it seems.

"I'll let you know from down here if anyone is approaching- you go ahead!" Luca encourages with a thumbs up.

Without wasting more time, you carefully crawl in the vent, stunning a few cameras that are somehow placed in it. The surprising thing is that the vent is clean enough to move around in it, as if the VSF knew that someone would crawl in it...-

You quietly unscrew the gears of the vent cap that is from the other end before removing it away from sight. You cautiously peek in to see the office along with a blonde man that is inside the room, wearing a jacket and a bulletproof chest plate- Definitely not Luca by the short haircut, too.

'He freaking looks like a highlighter from my pencil case...' You think in your mind unconsciously.

'Yeah, just putting the image of that guy's face on my highlighter wouldn't make a difference at all-'

Wait, what the heck are you thinking of that right now-?

You hold that thought for later anyway, deciding to scrutinize around the officer more...: Styled chairs... Coach... Modern bookshelves.... Slightly organized desk.... Badges... hologram trophies....Pictures eh image screens(?).....

Aha, a pinboard with key numbers!

"Good job, sweetcheeks. What a great shortcut to get to the office." Shu praises, seeing that you made it to other end of the vent successfully in your point of view camera.

"You'll have to thank me!" You can hear Luca saying that from your walkie-talkie, making you alert by how a bit loud it is so you adjusted the volume and hoping the officer from the office is not noticing-

And thank goodness he didn't- the AC is kinda too loud from where you are....- ;0-0)

"...State your business." The blonde man says with a serious tone.

OMG, WHY IS HE SO COOL?! HE LOOKS LIKE HE JUST CAME FROM AN ACTION GENRE ANIME-

"A visitor, I'm here to take a tour around the VSF building." The Voice Demon can be heard from the other side of the door, speaking so smoothly as ever.

"Come in."

Huh??? That easily???

Oh, you can see Vox coming in- The highlighter guy seems pretty distracted, so you signed to Vox to buy you more time. He surprisingly was able to notice you at the ceiling and winked, not noticeable at you but intended that it was for you as a sign that he gets it.

"Having a great night, commander Brisko..?" Vox greets as he smiles. The officer just raises slightly his eyebrow as he looks at the demon up and down by the strange clothing.

"It's morning... sir." The commander, known as "Brisko", points out.

"Oh, really? Couldn't see the time at the moment, when was the last time the Sun came and shine on this city?" Vox asks, rubbing his chin calmly with a tiny smile.

"Or am I looking right in front of him?"

'OH MY GOOOOD, so smooth,,,-' You thought as you internally choked slightly but continue to silently take out a stretching hook from your suitcase and raise It towards the pinboard.

"Key #TJ05,,," Shu whispers from your earpiece, already looking for Ike's cell number.

"H-Huh..?" Brisko blabs as he looks at Vox with a shocked look, not sure how to process the words. "Are you talking about me???"

"No, I'm talking about that lamp- it's too shiny for my eyes..." Vox suddenly blurts out, quickly revealing that he's trying not to squint his eyes by how the lamp is shining too much.

"Oh right- excuse me...-" The commander excuses as he smoothly turns off the lamp with a quick touch scan.

'Pfffff' Both you and Shu quietly say as you listen to the interaction. The key turns out to be at the very bottom, and farthest one unlike the others for your struggles.

Ugh, the sticks keep stretching or shrinking too much-

"But in any matter, why do you come here if you're looking for a tour guide? There was a station for tourists who seek for tour helpers right in the front desk floor." The commander reasonably asks as he stands from his chair, going around so he can lean on the front border of his desk. "Have any of the staff unit there couldn't provide your proper guide service? I can come and fix that-"

Good, the stick is on the right length-

"Oh no, no, good sir. I'm here to more like, choose you, as my tour guide." Vox corrects confidently. "I'm sure one of the most skilled veterans who have been working here for a long while can be a big help with providing, other important details many could have missed."

S-So close to,,, hook,,,,,

"Ah...." Brisko trails off, having his faltered look hardened into a serious one. "Is that so...?"

.

.

.

.

.

Vox is silently looking at the officer, waiting for a reaction.

"...If you're busy at the moment, I understand. I can ask another senior if they're available for something trivial-"

Little did you know, you're slowly slipping from the vent as you try and reach for the hanging key- if only your stick was longer...-

"NO!!! I actually understand!" The officer finally responds but much more loudly. "I, Sonny Brisko, Commander of the VSF Department, will gladly show you the history of the true legacy the past and the present has been passed for the citizens future, Mr. Tourist."

Huh...?

Wow, this guy is not as hard to deceive like Luca...-/ih

Finally you are able to reach for the key and got it by your hook. You quietly cheer as you carefully and quickly make the hook come to you.

You quickly grab the key with your hand before securing it in one of your deep pockets. You quickly alerted Vox that you're done here by showing him a thumbs up, taking your locked suitcase with you before crawling back-

But too late, before Vox and Shu can notice your dangerous state, the vent suddenly breaks out into a big hole due to the instability of the supporting panels....

"W-Woah!" You yelp loudly by the sudden downward motion, not ready to take a fall hit-

.

You can't feel the impact.

You are trembling, puzzled that you're not feeling any pain from fractures or injuries, until you realize you got immediately caught by a strong pair of arms-

"...Uh...?" You softly whisper as you slowly opening your eyes to see your savior.

Which is actually not Vox, but the officer who you're supposed to hide from-

'Oh uh,,,,' You think to yourself, already knowing you just messed up big time by your recklessness-

"Oh no no no,,,-" You can hear Shu quietly responding from your earpiece, not knowing what else to say but you can tell that he's slightly panicking for you. He's literally typing something very fast-

"Eh... Y/N?" The squad hears Luca nervously calling out- "I'm getting chased right now-"

"You what?! I'm still trying to sacrifice my body to run away from these b*tches!!!" Mysta screams out with lack of air, it seems that he has been running nonstop. "I hate it here!!!"

Nonetheless, your panicking condition is not helping you either-

"O-Oh,,, hi,,," You insecurely greet at the officer that's holding you carefully, weakly waving with a shy, nervous look. Before hiding your mouth with your other hand. The officer has his mouth lightly opened by your sudden appearance before speaking.

"Are you okay, miss...? What are you doing up there...?" Sonny asks as he inspects your legs for any scratches or injuries for Vox's shock. Who just stands there, speechless and sweating at the situation you're both in.

"A-Ah,,, I got stuck in there... sorry,,,," You half-lie, looking ashamed as you look down. Making you look like a kicked, little animal.

To be honest, you're not even sure if you remembered how to return into the other vent smoothly with such small space in the first place so-

"Stuck...?" The officer gushes, in disbelief. "Who in the world would have the idea of putting you into a vent....?" He then darkly asks, making you tremble more.

"Taichou!!!" Voices can be heard from outside, cueing more armed men. "We found a sussy man shoving a young girl into the vent.

"Show him to me!"

Sonny firmly commands as he carefully places you on the floor, turning towards the door with a hard look. You just quickly went to Vox's side to hand him the key, who just quickly disappears into the shadow to take advantage that he's been ignored- probably on his way to Ike's cell.

The door opens to reveal two armed men holding on to the Mafia Boss you have last seen few minutes ago.

'Luca?' You internally thought as you panic, questioning why he didn't fight back.

'Don't worry, I have a plan with Luca,,,!' Shu reassures, as Luca is there as planned. So you're lightly assured for now.

"Is that the man who got you stuck into the vent...?" Sonny asks gently as he turns to you with a soft look.

"Say yes,,,!" Shu whispers.

"Y-Yes,,,," You respond with a believable scared tone, shrinking yourself a little without making eye contact with Luca. "The vent was so dark,,,,"

Gosh, your acting was kinda looking so real that you can see Luca almost looking like kicked puppy ah-

'SORRY, LUCA! I'M SORRRRRYYYYYY!!! I BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS!!! T-T' You cry in your thoughts,,,, (ówò;

'I know this is good acting, but omg, I'm sorry for making you climb into the vent, Yin,,,, :'c' Luca sobs internally.

Sonny seems to buy as he now turns back to Luca with an unreadable look. "To the interrogation room-" Sonny strictly orders, "I'll be there in a moment."

The two armed men salute before dragging Luca away, as Sonny turns around as if thinking about something.

"...Where's that tourist?" Sonny trails off in thought.

"T-Tourist...?" You concernedly ask, making the officer glance at you.

"Oh, don't worry. That's not important right now- what matters is your safety at this current moment... Ah... You haven't answered one of my questions, are you alright?" Sonny asks gently.

"Tell him you are not." Shu says, the audience can see him resting his face on his gloved hand while eating popcorn.

"Ah... I think I feel some pain on my left arm from the fall,,," You weakly hold your said arm, making the VSF commander gasps with worry.

Wait, what?

"Oh no... I'm so sorry." Sonny apologizes as he places his hands on your shoulders with concern.

"Don't worry,,, at least you've saved me from having a much more severe injury..." You say as you give him a tiny smile, showing how grateful you are, "Thank you, my hero,,,," You gently thank him, you can already sense the flowery aura around you like the ones in those funny love animes-

It was your honest statement, he did save you.

*BOOM!*

An explosion of butterflies can be heard from the blonde-haired commander's heart.

"A-At your service,,,," He lightly stutters, slightly flustered by how sweet you sound.

___

"Hey, Ike is saved." Vox is heard from the earpiece and while on his side, he finds himself with Ike who seems to be glad to see his friends coming to pick him up.

"Gosh, I can't believe you guys made it here to get me,,,," Ike gushes quietly, right now following Vox in the halls. "Where's little Y/N?"

"Distracting a VSF commander." Vox calmly responds noticing the conversation you are having with Sonny through your speaker.

"WHAT?!" The Novelist is now panicking, "WHERE IS SHE?!"

"Okay, Ike- calm down. She can handle it for now- Mysta just said he's going to lose the guys that are chasing him first before coming to pick up Y/N along with Luca-

"I need to get her away from him- he's dangerous as f*ck!!!" Ike warns as he just remembers the time he witnessed Sonny beating up a criminal to death.

"Ah-" Vox quietly whispers before handing the spare earpiece to the Novelist. "Shu."

"Eyyyyy." Shu greets the Novelist.

"Don't "Eyyyyyyy" me yet, Shu! Did you just put her into trouble?!" Ike interrogates the said sorcerer alarmingly.

"Okay, I was also panicking too- she just somehow fell into the situation- but was able to manage to distract the officer as we speak,,,-" Shu tries to explain despite how nervous he sounds by a couple of voice cracks he just made.

"We'll talk later, Y/N now needs us- and don't worry about Luca, I just saw him now dealing with the guys that are with him few minutes ago,,,, I recommend you to not watch that, though." Shu quickly advices at the end, making both the Voice Demon and the Novelist sweatdrop.

"Agh, fine! But after all this, I'm going to have a looong lecture with you all about the importance of her safety!" Ike scolds before moving forward beside Vox.

___

// Meet the New Companion! //

// An Officer from the future with a straightforward attitude. He's reliable in a pinch despite being rough around the edges. //