| The Best Time Off Is Always Earned From Hard Work. |

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From across the room, a beautiful white door opened. Unfortunately, the one opening it wasn’t nearly as charming.

“So?”

Yup. Just as always, a bundle of gentlemanly pride, this one.

“So? Not even a ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ for little ol’ me?”

“Did you get my message?”

“Haa…”

Rubbing the bridge of her nose in irritation along with a tired sigh, the woman opened a drawer from her desk, and lifted a rather short document from it.

“Message? Oh, you must mean the one on the fax from last night?”

“That’s the one.”

“Then yes, I did.”

“Ah, so you did.”

“Yup.”

“Well, what’d you think?”

“About your request?”

“Mhmmmm.”

“Well, it was a little hard to concentrate over the sound of the sirens and police waves heading toward your little… Cleanup Site, as you called it, but I did consider it.”

“Oh, now that’s just wonderful huh?” The man replied, grinning as he walked forward. “And the answer is?”

“Well, about that. I’ve got good news and bad news.”

Immediately, he stopped walking.

“...I’m listening…”

“The good news is your vacation has been approved.”

Visible joy and cheer began to appear on his face, as the newly formed smile face nearly stretched from ear to ear

“The bad news is you’ll be spending it out of town on work-related business.”

But that happiness was immediately shot dead on sight.

“...Huh?”

The woman, not bothering to mask the bags under her eyes with foundational make-up like usual, sighed as she repeated her previous statement with irritation.

“You’re going out of town. Leaving, for the rest of the year and maybe even longer.”

“Ah,” replied the man now standing in front of her with an outfit of dark brown leather and hints of orange. “So I heard you right the first time. Now I’m sure of it; you must be dreaming. Do you want me to pinch you or go grab some coffee? Cause clearly you’re still asleep.”

“Trust me, I’ve had enough coffee to last me three days,” she replied, leaning back into her luxurious chair before her haggard features grew worse. “And unfortunately for you, I’m still awake. Things have changed regarding the situation here, and as of now you’ve been repositioned on a long-term assignment.”

“Things have changed? What things?”

“For starters, the fact that as of last night’s police raid, you’ve essentially gotten rid of almost every Void-Synchro trafficking operation across the whole region.”

A small, yet sharp smirk appeared in place of the previous frown on the darker man’s face.

“Oh, they actually found the place? Nice.”

Not taking the bait, his boss continued. “After last night's stunt; the police and other proper authorities are now in clear control of the situation here. I just finished checking in with them, and now that we’ve got a green light from the upper-brass, we’re pretty much finished up with our work in this place.”

“Ok, that’s fair,” he replied as he decided to walk back across the room and throw his body limply into the expensive and glamorous white-leather sofa. “But normally we wait these situations out and see how things go from here before leaving for good. Why am I the only one leaving, and more importantly, what ‘work-related business’ would take up my vacation time?”

“One: The situation this time is very different from usual, and in my opinion, not in a good way. Two: Your vacation time has been converted into the mission itself, so that’s where it went.”

The man groaned exaggeratedly.

“Right, right; you said this would be a year-long mission or something, but I don’t buy that shit. For starters, there’s no way in hell I’m spending my time off working; and you must be out of your mind if you think I’m going far North or something to spend time. What, and where the hell did you sign me up for?”

“Where, I’ll explain. As for what; That’s confidential.”

“‘That’s Confidential,’ my ass,” he repeated mockingly. “You’re just bullshitting me at this point, Rio. As my handler, isn’t it your job to make sure I’m informed and brought up to speed on my missions?”

Grumbling audibly the woman, Rio, reached across the numerous stacks of paper on her desk and pulled out a maroon-coloured portfolio filled with paperwork. Just looking at it gave off an imposing feeling.

“Do you plan on reading this?”

“Do I ever read those things?”

“Exactly. Which is why, at this point, the information might as well be confidential considering you won’t bother to learn it anyway.”

“…You couldn’t just summarize it for me?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

“No, Vincent.”

“Alright alright,” he relented, waving his hands back away from her in a sign of surrender. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. As always,” he chuckled sarcastically. “Please, my lovely lady, tell me how I can assist you and it shall be done.”

“...Haaa…”

At this rate, her trusty partner’s ignorance would kill her if exhaustion didn’t come first. That being said, Rio dutifully lifted the portfolio back up and leaned into her chair before opening it up fully.

“Long story short, our mission here in the Western Kingdom’s capital is over; effective immediately. It's been a real hassle, but as of now our work involving the city of Linaria is officially done. That being said, another task was already assigned to us personally in hopes of being handled afterward and unfortunately, this one required a bit more preparation to be done in advance before we could actually get started on it.”

“...I’m not liking this.”

“Trust me, I haven’t even begun yet. Turns out that, while you were out busy rooting up the key players of the Linaria’s underworld and Void-Synchro trafficking routes, a certain noble's first-born just so happened to make up their mind regarding further educational studies.”

“...Ok?”

“As you should be well aware, military training these days has become essentially mandatory for any individual living on this planet. For many reasons, plenty of them valid, it is almost guaranteed that a person who finishes secondary education will more than likely take up some form of military training as a post-secondary endeavour. Are you following me so far?”

“...Due to the differences in Magnus' capabilities,” Vincent replied in honesty whilst narrowing his eyes. “Military training can mean a lot of things. Considering we’re talking about the first born of a noble family, I assume what you’re trying to imply is that they’re going to a Grand Star academy?”

“Got it in one,” the woman behind the desk smiled. “That’s correct. Due not just because of her lineage, but also due to her tremendous skill and ability, a certain noble daughter is going to be attending a preliminary test soon in order to attend her first year at a prestigious Grand Star Academy.”

“Alright, that’s nice. Congratulations, I guess, but what’s the catch here?”

“The catch, Vincent, is that alongside her; you will also be in attendance at this academy as a student enrolled into its first year undergraduate program.”

“That’s the thing,” Vincent sighed. “As what, woman?”

“What do you mean?” she smiled. “A student, like I said.”

“Are you being serious right now?”

“Haven’t you ever wanted to see what it was like being a student of one of the most prestigious academies of this era, Vincent? Now, I can make that happen with less than a snap of my fingers, you know?”

“Heh, not like it would matter anyway, but no thanks. I don’t fancy killing the foundations of our future now.”

“That’s a good mindset to have. For a second there, I thought you were gonna agree.”

“Oh, and if I did?”

“I would’ve canceled the mission immediately and sent you back home for a medical evaluation.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Of course, my number one employee.”

“I’m your only employee.”

“Keep up the good work, and it’ll stay that way.”

A small chuckle between the both of them interrupted the moment for a second, before the conversation continued.

“Back on topic, if the next job really is at a Grand Star Academy, I can understand the paperwork and setup aspect you’ve been talking about. Getting me in there is one thing, but it’s the rest of the job that doesn’t make any sense.”

“How so?”

“I’m not a bodyguard, or a hired security professional. I’m me.”

“Oh, I know.”

“If you know, then why would I be going to-”

As if an epiphany struck, Vincent cut himself off mid sentence. Changing his view and looking upward at the stained glass window as it illuminated the room, his mind finally began putting the pieces together. The sunlight that reached the windows came from directly overhead; a special design unique to this office in particular which signified the coming of afternoon.

“...I’m not going there as a bodyguard, am I?”

“Of course not. I can’t even trust you to take care of yourself, so how would I even begin to create a case for you to guard a noble's daughter?”

“...So it’s like a shadow, then.”

Standing up, Vincent brushed his black jeans off with a smile.

“Now that’s the kind of job I’m good for.”

Nodding her head behind the desk, Rio smiled slyly alongside him.

“That’s exactly why they proposed it. They couldn’t think of anyone better than you for the job.”

“Not that there’s anyone better than me to begin with.”

“Alright alright, settle down now hotshot.”

Spinning in her chair now, his employer continued summarizing the next long-term assignment they’d been given.

“Due to all Grand Star Academies restricting outside communication as much as necessary, this mission would essentially force you to travel alone to the on-site location and work with very little information. That being said, your experience in this sort of thing speaks for itself, and when it comes to reliable judgement, critical-thinking and problem solving on the spot, you really are in a league of your own.”

“Oh yeah, like I said.”

“Shush. With all that out of the way, your new mission, Vincent, is to infiltrate the Grand Star Academy alongside our VIP and ‘manage’ any… ‘Undesirable elements’, which may interfere or cause undue hardship to either the school, her learning experience, or the stability of her environment itself.”

“Heh,” Vincent spat. “So we’ve gone from employment with the governing body of the entire Western Continent to now acting an undercover hitsquad for the scion of a royal family? What kinda paycheck did you get your hands on for this?”

“Oh,” the woman smiled, her eyes shining past her fatigue. “If only you could comprehend how much, I’d tell you.”

“Tch, well whatever. Just make sure my expenses are handled, and I’m good.”

“Of course. After all, how else would you get by?”

“Eh, probably by doing the same thing I’m doing now.”

“Yeah, like anyone else would take you in.”

“Fair enough.”

With a grin, Vincent turned around and began walking to the exit, waving goodbye to his boss.

“Going somewhere?”

“Preliminary research.”

“Preliminary research? Grand Star Notre Dame is a ways away; not to mention you wouldn’t even be allowed anywhere close. What do you even plan on researching?”

“I’m not going that far,” he pocketed his hands. “Just down the road to the academy nearby. I’m going to get an idea as to what school is like.”

Rio’s eyes expanded for a moment, understanding the insinuation.

“...Right. That’s fine, then. Take care.”

With that, Vincent ended the conversation, and exited the room.

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“Damn. It sure is bright out here.”

Walking alone, Vincent took in the scenery around him with stride. Rio’s office was one hell of a place, but due to how often they moved, it’s location was always somewhere that had way too much luxury for him. It was either some hi-rise building or fancy hotel that he’d have to travel in and out of before going to or from work. It was quite a shock when he first saw the outside of the average, regular looking office that she decided to set up shop in here at Linaria, but once he entered the inside of that crazy place, he understood instantly why she chose it. That said, it was close to a pretty casual district, so it was definitely a step-up from the usual in his books.

“Mmmmpphhhhh…”

Stretching his arms above his shoulders, Vincent felt the blood rush through his body as it slowly but surely sped up his conscious thoughts. When he first arrived at the outside rural areas of Linaria, there wasn’t much to look at outside of cobblestone and makeshift houses. In every sense of the word, the place was as dull and monotonous as it got. Once he finished up work on the outskirts and got closer to the mainland, though, things changed drastically- if only on the outside.

The streets were flushed with brand new brick and cement. The furnished storefronts, clean walkways and well maintained roads stood out ridiculously if you compared it to the usable ones near the borderlands. People from all walks of life could be seen this early in the day, and as far as he could recall, this might’ve been the most amount of people he’d seen walking around outside in well…

“The entire time I’ve been here, probably…”

His usual strolls around the city were far less peaceful and usually a lot darker than this, so being beaten down by the bright sunshine during a busy afternoon rather than a rusty pipe during a chaotic night was a welcome change of pace. Yawning silently, Vincent rolled his ankles, tapping his stylish leather shoes onto the ground one one foot at a time, before continuing along his walk without pause.

"This place..."

Ahead of him was the farmer’s marketplace; which to his surprise was actually open and selling!

‘...Crazy how unfamiliar all this is during the day.’

Passing through the stalls at night and sneaking a bite or two to eat as the sellers were packing up was an occasional pastime of his. As such, he knew exactly which stalls sold the good stuff, and which to avoid like the plague. Surrounded by shoppers inspecting stalls and moving at a unified pace, it was almost like he had entered a completely unfamiliar place, even if his steps slowly guided him through the crowd with experienced ease. Few people could ignore him, more often than not due to his rather unique and uncommon outfit, but for the most part people kept their distance. Whether or not they were aware this unintentionally made a clear path for him to walk through wasn’t his problem, but it was still appreciated.

After passing through the market; now holding an apple which magically appeared in his hands, Vincent turned the corner, crossed the street, and soon enough arrived at the place he was looking for.

“...There it is.”

It wasn’t much, being honest. From the average citizen’s point of view, it was probably standard at best. Across the beige-coloured concrete directly on the other end of a crosswalk was a small water fountain, with a statue of two birds in the middle. Maybe it signified something, or maybe it was just decoration like what Rio had. Either way, behind the water fountain was a large building with three floors, and a name strewn across the middle of what appeared to be the second floor. Around the entrance, a few children dressed in uniform smiled and ate from brown bags; probably something they picked up from the market nearby.

“...Doesn’t look like much.”

The kids didn’t bother to look his way, so he bit into the apple he held and continued to watch.

“It doesn’t look like much because you’re standing over here, and not in there.”

A childish voice spoke from beside him, her tone as happy as could be.

“Well, someone’s excited.”

“Of course! After all,” she hummed. “I never got the chance to go to school before.”

“Heh,” Vincent smirked, taking another bite. “Neither did I, you know?”

“Well of course I know that, but this is our chance! Imagine it,” the girl spoke, as she ran in front of Vincent before spinning around in her white dress. “That could be us! Sitting down, chatting about our worries amongst our close friends, laughing, smiling, enjoying our lives~”

“Eh,” he shrugged. “That would imply that you could make friends to begin with, you know?”

“Hmph~!” The young girl puffed her cheeks angrily, as snow-white strands of hair fell down her face. “You’re just jealous because you always have that scary look on your face, so you can't make friends even if you tried.”

“Hey now, I’m a great guy when you get to know me.”

“How many people other than Rio and I could actually say that’s the truth,” the young girl smiled slyly. “Huh~?”

“...Tch,” Vincent spat. “I have friends. You just don’t know them.”

“Hehe,” the little girl laughed, smiling gleefully. “Sure, of course. And I’m sure they understand how wonderful you are just as much as we do.”

“Yup, they love me.”

“I’m sure, I’m sure.”

Turning around, the girl once again stared at the school in front of them. Her eyes, an almost melancholic shade of grey, watched over the three kids from afar with the slightest hint of longing in them.

“It’ll be a novel experience. A good one. I’m sure of it.”

A light breeze passed by, flowing her hair alongside the wind. The group of kids in front of the school had come to finish their meals and began to head back inside the building, leaving only the two bird statues from the fountain to keep them company.

*Crunch*

With that, the last of the apples was finished too.

“...Well, we can only hope, I guess.”

“...Mhm. Let’s give it our best, ok?”

“No offence, but you’re probably as dumb as I am when it comes to the whole ‘education’ thing.”

“Oh, that’s fine. After all, two heads are better than one, right?”

“Hah? So you’ll help out with work for once?”

“Hehe, of course! After all, doing homework and learning is part of the student experience!”

“Well… that’s one way of looking at it, I guess.”

In the blink of an eye, the young girl disappeared from his vision, before locks of white hair suddenly began covering his eyes.

“What you should be saying is thank you for keeping me company and helping me so much, my lovely Maria~!”

“Oh, my lovely Maria,” Vincent mocked, grinning goofily as she swung circles around his neck, seeming unaffected by gravity. “Thank you for keeping me company.”

She smiled back at him the same way.

“You’re welcome, my lovely Vincent.”

With a sudden stop as she rested atop his shoulder, her index finger, as small as it was, softly poked the front of his nose before making a ‘Boop!’ sound. Running a hand through her hair, the girl laughed and smiled as brightly as she could.

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“Honey…”

“Hm?”

An elderly couple, walking back home after finishing their usual trip to the market, spoke casually as they walked along their usual way home. Unusually, however, there happened to be someone new along their way standing across from the nearby school. His appearance looked rough and dangerous, but his smile was bright as he stared at the twin statues inside the fountain.

“Do you know that young man?” The elderly woman asked.

“Hmm,” her husband hummed, now taking a better look at the stranger’s features. He sure was unique, that was for sure, but he was also someone who left an impression. “I doubt we’ve crossed paths before at the school. He’s not someone who you’d forget easily, I think. Maybe his child is going to be enrolled soon?”

“Oh!” The missus smiled brightly. “Then you’ll get the chance to teach them, won’t you?”

“I suppose so,” he laughed. “I wonder if they’re as eye-catching as their father is.”

“Who knows, maybe they take after their mother, like ours did.”

“Haha! Maybe.”

“He should have brought her along. A strapping young man all alone like that might attract some unwanted attention if he’s not careful.”

“Are you implying that’s why you followed me everywhere when we were younger?”

“Oh please, I followed you everywhere because you were a trouble magnet. Someone had to take care of you.”

“Hahaha… And everyday, I’m grateful for that.”

The elderly couple smiled, rekindling old memories of love and life, but one last glance at the man from before left a lingering question in the old man’s head.

‘...There’s no one there, and yet… Why does it feel like he’s not alone?’

Try as he might, the man could not see anyone else nearby before they left, no matter how hard he looked.