When Hotaka had called up his mentor at three o'clock in the morning, it was hardly welcome. The man was happily lying in bed, sprawled out across 99% of the mattress while his husband was angrily cursing him in his sleep. Their daughter lay on her own bed, having gone to sleep with great difficulty. But the moment the phone started ringing, all of that peacefulness was gone out of the window, both the Major and Akito waking up.

Upon realizing their sleeping positions, the ravenette frowned deeply before becoming pissed off, kicking the man to his right repeatedly to express it. He then grabbed the blanket and bundled himself up in it, extremely aggravated. This time he vowed to take his rightful half of the bed instead of letting the other male push him nearly off of it. Even as the Major patted his head apologetically, he growled like a wolverine, aggressive as always. So, instead, the navy-haired male picked up the phone, answering it.

"Y'ello?" the man hummed, Akito turning on his side to shoot daggers at the man, "It's Hotaka, isn't it?"

"I need you to go to Athain with me. Now."

Akito shot a threatening glare at the Major. He was daring him to accept the invitation, on the verge of tearing his face off. It was probably more often than not that the smaller male was about as civilized as a rabid dog infected with rabies. Regardless, what was he to do with the male anyway? Sighing, the navy-haired male pushed his hair out of his face and listened to his mentee explain everything from start to finish.

"Hey, relax. You shouldn't be going alone anyway - "

"Brat," the ravenette grimaced, but whether it was directed to the Major or to his mentee was unclear.

"Look, I get it's important to you, but can't this wait until at least morning? No? You're hopeless, kiddo. Fine, fine, I get it. I'll meet you at the airport then. Give me thirty."

The minute the man got off the phone, he was met with the back of Akito, who had taken it upon himself to claim 90% of the bed for himself. Since the man wasn't going to be needing it, he figured he was more than entitled to it. Within a minute, he was knocked out, snoring rather loudly, a nasty habit of his. He was not very popular during their time in the military, and, in fact, since Akito was still on the payroll, he was not very popular at all. But, since he was a lieutenant, nurse or not, they had to suck it up and deal with it.

Sighing, the Major got to work dressing himself. Considering the purple-haired male expressed that both of them would have all expenses paid, he didn't really feel like packing clothes. Instead, he put on one of his favorite warm shirts and a random pair of pants before tucking his phone in one of the pockets and attaching his gun at his hip. Before he left, he also made sure to kiss his little girl on the forehead. The man then traveled all the way to the airport at 3am in the morning. He groaned. He was definitely the only instructor in Drisless that went that far for a student.

. . .

"Wake up, Major," Hotaka blurted out, shaking the man awake.

"I hate waking up..."

Feeling slightly guilty, the younger male sighed, passing the man a coffee before they went on their merry way. Well, they went on their way. The Major was, by no means, merry. In fact, he was sulking continually, dragging his feet while his mentee led him through the streets of Athain. He was making a beeline for his destination, marching through a clearly sketchy neighborhood. And as such, the navy-haired man wasn't sure his determination was a good thing in that case. He was doing an awful lot for a girl.

Of course, he dismissed the thought, knowing of the purple-haired male's nature. After all, he would help anyone regardless of who they were, and he would put all of his efforts into it as well. Though he had a problem with that, too, he supposed it was better than him being apathetic. A detective like that could cause some issues, particularly because of all the sensitive information the kid had access to. Still, no matter what Hotaka did, he never could stay right in the middle. Because "all people were good", he had to treat them as such. Everything he had seen and experienced and yet, still, "people were good"; the Major couldn't understand it.

Sooner or later, they ran into a massive building, or, perhaps a mansion of some sort. The only thing was mansions didn't typically have good-for-nothings loitering all around them, did they? Everyone was armed to the tee, some with multiple guns, some with just one, but either way, it spelled out danger very clearly. The navy-haired man gazed down at the younger male, trying to discern whether he had taken precautions to bring his own weapon. And, thankfully, the kid was smart enough to have not only a pistol at his hip but a pocket knife, too.

"We really going in there?" the man grumbled, grabbing hold of his own gun, "I mean, there have to be other ways to get the information you want."

"I'm not a good enough hacker to get into the Athainian government's private records."

"You can't hire someone - "

"No!" Hotaka snapped, realizing his error before muttering an apology and lowering his voice, "It's just...I can't involve other people in this. The fewer the people that know...the better."

"But it's fine to involve them in this? Where did your priorities go, kiddo?"

The male frowned, not answering the question. He clearly had his own set of problems, something that wouldn't easily be solved. And since he wasn't saying a word about his plan, the Major figured he already had something laid out or that he was just winging it. Regardless, he let the younger male take the lead, figuring he knew best either way. The two entered the mansion, one of them immediately becoming extremely aggravated.

"Oh, those bastards!" the navy-haired man growled, pulling out a handful of hard candy out of his pocket and munching on it angrily.

The smell of smoke was very rampant, particularly in the entranceway. That was probably because most of the individuals crowded around that area, both inside and out. Still, once they got up the stairs, it was a little better. The Major didn't seem to think so, continuing to ruin his teeth to avoid the temptation. The surprise trip just kept getting better and better, didn't it? He really hoped he would be treated to some kind of meal for all his hard work. And since the kid's employer was loaded, it wouldn't hurt to have some kind of monetary compensation either. The man grumbled under his breath.

The dirty looks the two of them were shot were far from friendly, and, in fact, many of them sought to get closer than was comfortable. They were probably trying to intimidate them enough to either rob them or scare them off the property, but that wasn't going to happen. Neither of them were going without sleep in a foreign country to just turn back. No, they were planning on leaving with what they wanted to know.

However, the Major noticed that, as they got closer and closer to their destination at the top floor, Hotaka became more...unstable. His eyes became dark and his patience ran thin, something the man thought wasn't possible. But it was happening right in front of him and he was at a loss for words. And all of a sudden, when another one of the individuals sought to taunt the boy by getting a little too close, the purple-haired male wasted no time. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it behind his back before slamming him to the wall.

"You're not gettin' away with that, brat!"

For some reason, though the individuals of the mansion clearly had little to no care for their peers, it seemed they disliked having them treated like that. With great aggression and little thought in their minds, they all attacked, screaming and causing an obnoxious amount of violence. Of course, the Major was aptly prepared for it, as was his mentee, but it didn't make it any less of a terrible situation. It would have been preferable to just ignore them. So why was Hotaka so on edge? He never struck first like that.

As the younger male continually used his bare hands to use his opponents' force against them, the navy-haired man followed along. After all, the moment they introduced guns, it was going to be a bloodbath. Though, the man didn't know why he thought that particular yakuza group would be so kind as not to use weapons. Rather, so many of them used blunt objects in an attempt to dispose of the intruders. It came in handy once the man snatched one or two away and used them himself, but then a gunshot was heard.

"Shut the fuck up, you pieces of shit!" a female voice yelled, making all of the men freeze in their tracks, "I could hear you from upstairs!"

Hotaka darted his eyes over to a very familiar individual, one he wished he hadn't met before. Though he had been trained for years at that point, he had never been able to win a fight against the young woman. Nervous that she would seek to take it upon herself to dispose of him and the Major, the male paused as well, letting the man he held to the wall fall on his behind. And, no matter who moved next to him, he never took his eyes off of the mercenary.

"Damn," one of the men grumbled, "The bitch is here."

"Yeah, the fucking bitch is here! "the girl repeated, "And she's telling these pathetic cockroaches to get lost! You can fucking hear, can't you?! Or have you all been sticking your dicks in one another's ears?!"

The men murmured, not responding but heeding her words. It wasn't like they could easily ignore her. After all, like it weighed nothing at all, the orange-haired girl carried on her shoulder a massive machine gun. Maybe she was making a point that she had the power there but they felt greatly irritated at her prideful display of it. It was like she knew that, no matter what they did, they could never beat her. That was why she was second in charge. No one with a dick ever messed with her, and if they did, they probably wouldn't have it after her hospitality. That was the kind of reputation she enjoyed.

"Oh, look, they can hear! You got three seconds to get out of my sight or I start shooting!"

The mob dispersed in the blink of an eye, all of them knowing she would make good on her promise. And though the Major saw to heed her warning as well, Hotaka held him back. The navy-haired man, at first, was very concerned over this, knowing that she was not just bluffing. However, to the purple-haired male, who had run into her quite a few times, he knew that she was not the kind of person that would attack unless she was provoked. And since they were considered "guests", however loose the term, she was more inclined to hear them out for a profit than to start spraying bullets.

"Well, now," the orange-haired mercenary sighed, giving a mischievous grin, "Need something?"

"I'd like to buy some information," the younger male mumbled, shaky breath from both the exercise and the fear of the girl in front of him, "Where is - "

"Eh, he's out right now. It's Sunday, so...he won't be back until the sun goes down. But I can hook you up. Follow me and get your money ready."

The Major looked on in amazement. The way the building was run was far from organized. Rather, it seemed that it existed in complete anarchy where the strong claimed ownership over the weak. Then again, there was really nothing else to expect from the Gensai Group. Even in Afrua, they were notorious, their influence reaching across most of the eastern side of the world, and there was word they were trying to go into the west. The man couldn't even begin to imagine the chaos that would ensue if that ever came to be.

Led through the hallways of the mansion, they were soon seated in a room that hardly suited the atmosphere of the place. Overly expensive, it had tons of lavish things, not that the Major thought they really knew the value of. It seemed more like they had it just for the sake of having it. Regardless, the fact stood that they had far more money than a majority of Afruan nobles. Though, that was probably to be expected since their clientele was the wealthy and the sinister. And since the two overlapped more often than not, the amount they raked it must have been astronomical.

"Alrighty, we don't usually sell info to cops, so you'll have to give me information before I can return the favor."

"What?" the navy-haired man scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair he was given.

"Well, it's bad for business. If we let you buy information about the wrong-doings of wealthy people and they get arrested, we don't get to take their money. Simple as that. We'd prefer a lifetime of payment rather than a single time. Which I can't say for my bastard of a 'boss'...Fuck him."

"Okay?"

"I don't want information about your clients," Hotaka sighed, leaning forward out of interest in the topic, "I want to know about an illegal citizen of Athain. You have access to that, don't you? I'm willing to pay - "

"Yeah, wouldn't say 'willing'. You're gonna fucking pay. What's the name?"

"(Y/n) Shiratori. 19 years old tomorrow, raised in the capital."

The orange-haired woman nodded, beginning to type away at the computer. Her fingers were very deft, reminding the male of just how agile she could be. His first encounter with her had been when she attempted to get information about Ryota. It was probably high in demand for nobles, and therefore a highly valuable bit of knowledge. No doubt it was intended to sell for millions, and considering the number of people that despised the Akiyama family, it would clearly be a great source of income.

However, Hotaka had been on shift when the mercenary had tried to extract the information. He'd noticed someone had been inside the Akiyama manor and had taken necessary precautions to draw her out. When she did reveal herself, she was surprised she got caught but didn't run away nor back down. Instead, the two engaged in a very fierce fight. In the end, the only reason she had to retreat was not that she was no match for Hotaka. On the contrary, she was even better than he was, but when the other bodyguards of the Akiyama family joined him, she thought it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Here she is. Anything in particular?"

"I need to know where she was from her birth to six years old."

The orange-haired young woman narrowed her eyes, skimming over the tons of information she had on the girl. Of course, there had been quite a substantial sum to cover up it all from a very "generous" donor. But they had never accepted it, especially since they had more individuals that were willing to pay more. As such, the information was fully available for Hotaka to buy, though it would cost him a pretty penny.

"That's right. One of the girls here had to work really hard to get this information. That means your total is going up from our standard charge. And since you're affiliated with a rival of ours, it'll cost you two - no, three times that charge."

"Affiliated?" the Major sighed, rolling his eyes at the statement.

"Yeah, not my rules. My dick of a boss is super salty when it comes to them, in particular. And you're running a favor on behalf of the Akiyama family who works with them, so it's gonna rise in price. If you don't like it, get the fuck out. If you do, pay the fuck up."

The navy-haired man just wanted to go home already. Honestly, the entire situation was more irritating than any day of his life. Maybe if he could get a coffee within the hour, it would have turned out fine, but at that particular moment, the only thing he wanted to do was punch everyone with reckless abandon. Of course, as the consequences of the boy next to him showed, that didn't work so well when you were in the Gensai Group's territory. He was beginning to see how they earned their reputation.

"Money's not an issue," Hotaka mumbled, discussing something quietly with the woman.

"Sure! Then, I'll print this all out for you to take home."

. . .

When day rose again, the (h/c) haired girl was presented with the sight of Shota. At first, she flinched, thinking he knew what she was up to. However, as nothing happened for a while, she realized he was simply sitting on the couch, reading quietly. It was only when she moved her feet onto the floor that he looked up. The male had a shy smile on his face, as if he knew she did not want to see his face first thing in the morning. Still, he was there, so he did his best to make up for that fact.

"Something going on?" she questioned, yawning with exhaustion, "It's not every day I find you in this room."

"No, I tried not to intrude! It's just that today is special! So I brought...breakfast?"

The male held up the tray he had brought, lifting it from the table. He blushed, slightly embarrassed at the thought of escalating the meaning of the day. Of course, he wasn't even sure if she wanted to celebrate, but, if she did, he wasn't overstepping his bounds, was he? The male shook his head. He would have to wait to hear it from her. Although, from the look of it, she was unaware of the meaning of the day.

"Y-Your birthday!" he explained, watching as she gave a small smile, "I'm not really sure what you want to do today, but, if you have any wishes, I'll...do my best, okay? O-Of course, if you don't want to do anything, it's okay. I'm trying to give you space like you wanted."

"Really?"

"Yes! I didn't make any plans and I don't expect anything. I-I also went...easy on the gifts. I knew you probably wouldn't like too many. So, I did okay, right?"

"Surprisingly!"

The red-haired male gave a gentle smile, looking down at the ground with bashfulness. He was fully prepared to be yelled at for the attention. Still, she seemed happy. Or, at the very least, she didn't seem burdened. Regardless, it was nice to have a bit of her gratitude, the male handing her gift to her. Though he wanted to buy loads and loads of expensive things to show her how much he valued her, he had to settle on something a little less.

As she began to unwrap the large box, she was wary. The size of the box made her hesitate about the cost of the gift. Particularly, it was that side of her that valued monetary restraint that made her uneasy. But, still, she was a little excited about what she was going to receive. Opening the box, she reveled in the sight of nothing expensive, but things that she very much liked.

"I don't know if your tastes have changed or anything since the amnesia...but these were all of your favorite snacks. There's more, obviously! I gave the kitchen a menu for today to make all your favorite meals. I just figured it would be an acceptable gift, right?"

"I don't remember a lot of these, but I recognize a few of them."

"Then I guess it'll be like trying them for the first time."

"I'm gonna get started right away!"

Grabbing a snack randomly from the box, the younger girl smiled wide, pulling out some kind of hard candy. As she popped one in her mouth, she gave a delighted expression, the pleasant taste of it telling her all she needed to know. Very happy with it, she could only imagine how breakfast would taste. Eager to have some, she shooed the redhead away for her to get changed into the comfiest and warmest thing she had in the closet.

And as she came down the stairs, suddenly she found confetti falling down from the sky. Looking up, she saw a very giggly Nami caught red-handed. The younger girl rushed down the stairs and hugged her affectionately, wishing her a happy birthday. The same went for Okura, who stood quietly in front of the dining table. Though it was a little embarrassing to receive their congratulations, it made her strangely happy nonetheless.