As soon as Diavolo reawakened, he found himself staring at a clean ceiling of a particular room. But unlike last time, this room was very familiar. A bed to his right and another to his left. Two doors, one to his right and another ahead, as well as a large window on the wall to his left. A room that he had gotten very comfortable with and accustomed to over the past few months.

And yet even in this luxurious and comfortable environment, he could not be relieved.

There was no one in the room. But they must be out there somewhere.

There was a lingering feeling that this was a dream due to the silence and gentle but warm luminescence from outside, but it felt pretty real. He quickly got up and left the room, heading downstairs to where there was the highest chance of meeting someone.

"Look who's awake," he heard a voice he felt he hadn't heard in ages, "If I had a province for every time you get heavily injured, my son probably wouldn't even have to work so hard," calmly sipping tea.

"I shall let the others know." The man beside him slightly bowed and walked away.

"Sit down. Both of us have many things to discuss… as well as with the others."

Diavolo made a contorted face. "No… as things are now… even sitting will make me feel guilty."

William sighed.

In due time, one after another, the living room was filled with people. The first to come was Arashi and Randolf, followed by three unknown individuals. Then Hannah, accompanying another new face.

"How's your chest?" Arashi directly asked.

Diavolo reflexively placed his hand on the dreaded spot, made a frustrated face and made a fist.

"Seems like you're good." Arashi sighed. "Firstly let's introduce the new faces. These three are the other Shard Guardians. From the right we have—"

"I don't care about that. When are we leaving?"

"Pfft! The heck? Quite the spiteful one we have here!" The one wearing a hoodie chuckled.

"Ugh, ignore him, Chipo. I already got the feeling he wasn't going to be rational the first time I laid eyes on him," the man with short preppy hair scoffed.

"Should I whip up a good salmon? He might be hungry," the other with auburn hair suggested with a smile.

And just like that the people got busy conversing amongst themselves without a care for Diavolo, as if the previous spectacle didn't even happen, or… like he wasn't even standing there.

This extra time was given to Diavolo to come back to a conversing mood, but on the contrary, the unexpectedly nonchalant atmosphere started to get on his nerves. And then he couldn't take it anymore.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL?!" He broke the constant chattering to a halt. "How can you be like this?! After all that! Suzume has been taken away and you're all chatting like you're in some kind of tea party!!! Do you not care?! While we're wasting time here, who knows what they're doing to her!!! If none of you want to take this seriously, then—!!"

"Sheesh, if you had that much energy right after getting up, then we should've just forced you out of your slumber while we were still returning," a new voice came from the side. "Damn, you look like shit." He chuckled and poked his ear as if fixing his hearing.

"Shin…" Diavolo muttered and lowered his voice for a moment, until he went back into hysteria. "You understand, right?! You fought those guys! Unlike these people who just stood around having their shards taken, we fought into death's door and back! If we leave it to people like them who pretend like all this is someone else's problem, then nothing can be done! If it's us, we can do it!

That's right! Surge! Let's practice Hybrid Surge! And this time, with that power I unlocked again! Oh… you weren't awake back then, were you… A-anyway! This time for sure! We'll—"

"Yu, do it."

"Oh dear…" Yukio smiled awkwardly and made a few motions with his fingers, immediately following which was water from various sources in the room gathering around and enveloping Diavolo's head.

Burr! Bb-prrr!

He attempted to speak and tear the water off to no avail. Instead it just squirmed around on its own like his struggles didn't matter in the least, until finally leaving before he lost his breath completely, returning to their respective sources.

"There! Much better!"

"Bitch, you tryin'a kill me?!" His eyes shrunk and he cursed with a hoarse voice.

"Hahaha! That's the pissed off face I'm more used to!" Shin laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.

"Huh…?"

"Eat something and sit. Let's not get hasty and discuss things with everyone."

"But—"

"How many days do you think have passed?"

"..."

"Exactly. The time during which you were out cold, we had been trying our best to take appropriate measures as much as we could. That's exactly why the other guardians are here. We weren't sitting idle. The rest of us are just as frustrated, Diav. It only seems like we're laid back because you still think it has been mere hours."

"..."

"That's why… You really have to calm down. We'll brief you in on everything that's been going on, and… we also need to hear things from you."

"... Alright," Diavolo solemnly agreed. "I'm sorry… everyone." He slouched his head down apologetically.

"Sooo… salmon, herring or squid?" the third unknown man asked.

Grrrrr

"..."

"... A buffet then!"

----------------------------------------

Once Diavolo had freshened up and everything settled down, the real meeting started.

"Whah arh we," Munch! "waiding hor, den?" (Diavolo)

"... Well you sure switched moods fast." (Shin)

"Then, I'll start from the beginning again. The three here are the other shard guardians. From the left, this is Chipo Hawartyapilo." (Arashi)

"...Uh, what?" (Diavolo)

"I get that a lot. Just call me Chipo." (Chipo)

"And next is Sheng Hu." (Arashi)

"Although in this country's naming convention, it would be Hu Sheng, isn't it?" (Sheng Hu)

"Doesn't matter. They'll use whatever we're used to. And the one bringing all the food is…" (Arashi)

"Arnold Fernando! How's the fish?" (Arnold)

"Itsh greah! Ah cad I ged shum shald plesh?" (Diavolo)

"It's fine if you slow down. The food isn't going anywhere." Arnold passed the salt. "Glad you liked it!"

"So… aren't you going to ask why the guardians are here?" (Arashi)

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Why'sh eberyone here?" (Diavolo)

"Sheesh. To think this is the same guy who was freaking out a moment ago." (Chipo)

"Hahaha! I get Diav! Anybody'd be in a bad mood in an empty stomach! It's been over a week!" (Shin)

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"No id'sh jusht…" Gulp! "It's just that you're right. I've calmed down. If you weren't doing anything, the others wouldn't have come here. I was the only one taking a long ass nap. I apologize."

"Oh? The child's spouting some grown up words!" (Arashi)

"Guh! Just… get to the point…" (Diavolo)

"Ah well. There's another person left to be introduced." Arashi looked towards the woman who was remaining. "This person is… Layla's mother. Lauren Neftis."

"......" Diavolo's arm instantly froze as he was about to take another bite.

"I'll let you decide what you want to ask first…" (Arashi)

"What does it matter?" Diavolo's voice became solemn again. "We'll need to know both anyways. But… just tell me one thing. Is she related to those guys in any way?"

"Not in the least," Arashi replied. "Master William had been doing his own side of the work while we were away. Mrs Neftis is clean. She was simply being given shelter, but at the same time being kept under surveillance… just in case."

"Then there's no reason to show her animosity. Suzume comes first. Tell me what we know so far about Hisao. And this time, no hiding the details."

Arashi stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "Suzu should be fine… at least for now. Remember that Hisao had made a device that could extract the shard without problems? Turns out he only had five of them, so he had no choice to take Suzu away, so he could use the old method on her."

"Wait… five? If each were used against you four, then—"

"You broke it… on your first encounter."

"First… encounter…" Diavolo recalled the fight he had while taking Suzume home.

"Hisao didn't want to waste any chances. Somewhere on one of those men was the device. And you broke it while fighting them."

"So, then… it's my fault that Suzume was taken away?"

"What are you, a drama queen? Their goal is to take the shard and you prevented it. Case closed. What happens now is something we just have to deal with."

Diavolo nodded, still somewhat uneasy. "What now?"

"The old method requires ample preparation. Since the existence of the shard relies on your very genes, they need samples from her and study them properly. After that, they'll need to manipulate her body in just the right way so the shard is generated. Only after that can they take it out. Or rather… rip it out."

Diavolo's knuckles clenched. "How long?"

"More than a month? Depends on how well their procedures go. Till then, she'll probably be kept in a state of stasis."

Diavolo sighed in relief. "So we still have time… after that failure… we still have a chance."

"Uh, duh? Why do you think we're not panicking?" Chipo intervened.

"And what about Layla?" Diavolo asked looking at Lauren.

Hearing Layla's name, Lauren lowered her face in guilt and shame. But her expression showed more confusion and disbelief.

"About that, allow me to explain." Stanley stepped forward.

"Why? Is she too ashamed to talk about her?" Diavolo mildly scoffed. That's as much as he could hold back after the unexpected betrayal he experienced. He never thought it was even conceivable for that Layla to do such a thing. It was still understandable for her to not be able to do anything out of fear. Recalling her reaction with Yukio on the day they went to the carnival, that was the kind of impression she gave off. Her attitude didn't even seem the least bit like a guise. Everything about her felt genuine. And yet…

"No, it is due to her not being able to speak our language."

"...Oh."

"There isn't much to add. Both of them are from the northwest. They were living peaceful lives until one day Miss Layla suddenly wished to come here. This occured around two months ago."

"Two months ago is basically when we were first attacked. And then she suddenly wished to come here? She's clearly a part of this!" Diavolo raised his voice. "To think there could be someone who can hide their true face like this…"

At that time, Lauren seemed to sense his distress and spoke out some incomprehensible things with anxiousness.

"What is she saying?"

"Hmm, I understand." Stanley nodded. "She asks us to believe her that Layla is not the type of person to do such a thing. Throughout her entire life, it had basically only been the two of them living together. As such it is impossible for her to have a bad influence from someone."

"And her father?" (Yukio)

"The Miss' father was an auction house manager that suffered a huge loss at some point. He eventually met gambling and quickly spiralled to poverty and drinking. She doesn't know where he is now."

"Then can't that be it? This guy who suddenly vanishes and Layla who suddenly wishes to come here… There could be a connection." (Diavolo)

"It would be more practical to think about things that we actually have leads on."

"..." Diavolo sat silently, having a flash of a personal event that he too doesn't have a lead to yet.

"However, it is still viable that she was forced into it. Madam Neftis also reports that she had gotten more quiet than usual before she insisted on coming here. Although it is still possible that it's simply Madam Neftis looking a little too much at it."

"But that's not the main issue here, I think. Why did it have to be Layla?" Shin interrupted. "Suppose she is innocent as Mrs Neftis says she is. Why did Hisao bother going all the way there just make her fool us? It could've been anyone. You can't tell me that Hisao was looking for someone as innocent as her after he thwarted his units, right? All of that just to get back at us? Sounds ridiculous."

"She says it is due to her deteriorating health. It is possible she was blackmailed into helping for a cure."

"Don't screw with me!!!" Diavolo shot up. "You're telling me you're the only mother-daughter pair he found where the mother is suffering from an illness?! You're hiding something! Spit it out! Do you not know what is important right now?!"

Lauren pressed her lips together and looked down, holding onto her knees tightly out of fear and guilt.

"Calm down Diav. Shouting at her won't solve anything."

"I am calm!" he exclaimed and paused, and sighed, sitting back down. "I trusted her."

"We all did." (Shin)

"There's definitely a reason why Hisao chose her. If it's about giving a cure, why didn't he secure her mother as well? Or treat her as a hostage? After this, what is she supposed to do once she gets the cure? Return here? We'll catch her directly then!" (Diavolo)

"That's…" (Shin)

"That's something we'd like to know as well. Hisao is supposed to only want the Blue Moon Gem. Layla doesn't have anything to do with it. It wouldn't make sense for him to involve himself with something else in the meantime." (Arashi)

"What now?" (Diavolo)

"We have more than a month. Hisao is preparing for the extraction. So we prepare too. I hope that someone here is smart enough to guess that rushing in while he's still preparing is a bad idea after what we went through." (Arashi)

Diavolo gritted his teeth.

"And that is why the guardians are here. To train you guys. They know about the nature of the shards better than anyone else." (Arashi)

"So we're taking days off school again?" (Yukio)

"I'm glad to see you're still carefree enough to think about school right now. Here's the plan, then. Each of you will be getting appropriate training in suitable environments. Shin dealing with electricity goes with Randolf. Hannah goes with Sheng Hu. If he does anything weird to you, you run to us." (Arashi)

"Eh?" (Hannah)

"H-h-hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" (Sheng Hu)

"Yukio goes with Arnold. And Diavolo goes with me. Any questions?" (Arashi)

"Um, yes. There are four of us but five Generals, so…" (Yukio)

"The five of us will fight the remaining General, so don't worry." (Arashi)

"What if there are others as well? Nobody says only the Generals are there, right?" (Shin)

"Leave that to us." (Arashi)

"What about that kid eavesdropping on us from there?" (Chipo)

At that moment, everybody in the room looked towards the direction she pointed towards. The room went silent and nothing was happening. It was only then that Chipo spoke out. "Hey, all of us know you're there. No use holding your breath. Just come out."

Right on cue, the addressed timidly came emerged from the corner.

"M-Marvin?! What are you doing here?!" (Hannah)

"... The teacher was absent, so class ended early." (Marvin)

"How much did you hear?"

"..."

"...Don't tell me… all of it?"

"N-no, but…"

"I'm sorry everyone. I'll get him back to his room right now. Marvin, come on. Let's go."

"No!"

"Marvin! You don't know what we're dealing with here! This is none of your business!"

"But I want it to be!"

"Marvin, stop being stubborn!"

"You're always like this! You're always treating me like a kid and never letting me take responsibilities of my own!"

"You're a middle schooler!"

"You started dealing with family matters much earlier than I did!"

"No, it's different! My case is—!"

"Is it because I'm from a branch?! Because I'm not your direct sibling?!"

"Marvin!!!"

"Okkkay~ I'm gonna have to stop you right there before you slap him, missy," Chipo intervened and got up. "If he's all gungho, then why not let him? We have a free slot anyway."

"... Are you being serious right now? You've seen the state Diavolo was in. Marvin still hasn't even figured out what his Material is!"

"I know. If it's the very basic level of Material, I don't need those devices to sense it. Plasma, Gas, Liquid and Solid. I can feel their respective auras from the people in this room. But this kid… he's a blank slate. It doesn't matter which Material he practices."

"... What do you mean?"

"I'm sure he knows as well, right? He's probably secretly used the device many times on his own. Yet he didn't get a reading. Am I right?"

Marvin clenched his fists and looked down as confirmation.

"So…" Hannah gulped. "Does this mean that he can't—"

"He can learn any Material he wants!"

"...Eh?"

"Eh?"

"""EH???"""

"Tch! This is why I hate those devices. They don't express what the individual is really capable of. Shallowly grouping people into four… how pathetic! I bet you guys can only envision your powers after you know what kind of affinity you have, can't you? Rather than actually testing out and rigorously digging deep…"

"C-c-can I really learn any Material I want to?! Is it true?!"

"Huh? Did you mishear me? Of course you can, squirt! I've taken a liking to you! I'll be the one training him! Does anyone object?"

"..."

"Good! Although you'll be fine with anything, you're gonna start with my specialties first! Any problem?"

"N-n-no, sir! Affirmative! I'll do my best!"

Thus a high spirit middle schooler was added to a party of people about to fight a death battle.