Ghost Ashikabi

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sekirei anime. Only the OC is mine.

Chapter 33: What's next?

Miya felt sluggish as she woke up in her bedroom. Her body felt tired, sore in ways she'd not experienced a while. She could feel the dull, throbbing ache between her legs as muscles that had been disused for years felt the strain of having used for the first time in so long last night. A part of her just wanted to go back to sleep, to ignore the ache and let she fall blissfully unconscious so that she might regain her stamina.

However there were a few issues with that plan.

The first being embarrassing and sticky coat of dried liquid on her thighs. She would not be able to sleep knowing how dirty she was, not now that she'd woken up. The next was tied to the first. A body, the one she rested on top of, along with something still between her legs inside her and the hand that idly ran up and down her torso and hips, a meandering trail that caused her loins to yearn for more.

Opening her eyes, the landlady of Maison Izumo was greeted to the general fuzziness that comes when you've been asleep for several hours and are just now waking up. Fortunately, Miya was a Sekirei. The blurriness didn't last long, and her vision quickly sharpened to reveal...a smiling Renato under her which brought back the memories of how she ended up in this state.

After their battle yesterday where she'd made her decision and gotten winged Miya and Renato went up into her room and had her honeymoon night. After they'd gone at it like beasts in heat she'd finally admitted been reacting to Renato for weeks and had been trying to play it off, to pretend it's not happening, but she didn't want to betray her husband. Renato told her he'd understood and had known she'd been reacting to him that long and left her to decide for herself though he'd admitted he didn't expect her to get winged by him after that intense battle they'd had and screw each other silly.

Miya was more surprised that she had sex with a freaking dragon of all things! Not a human, a dragon!

"Good morning, Miya." Said person greeted with a soft eyes and a warm smile. It was one of the few times she'd seen that look, and having it directed at her sent a thrill down her spine.

She offered the black man a smile. "Good morning, Renato. Did you...sleep well?" she replied.

"Sleep well? No, I didn't sleep well. I had the most pleasant night of my life in so long."

Miya flushed and preened at the same time. That she could feel his sincerity through their bond only made the words hold that much more meaning.

"We should probably get out of bed." Renato suggested, "Or maybe not." He noticed Miya made no move, having no desire to move from the warmth of her Ashikabi's well-muscled body. Renato seemed to be of like mind. He didn't get out of bed either. Their eyes did not leave each other's face until their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

When they pulled back, Renato was still smiling and Miya felt her insides warm and his rod become erect again.

"Ready for another round?" Renato asked mischievously.

"You think you can go another round?" Miya asked back.

"You already know the answer to that."

…

The residents of the inn later got the news of Miya now being winged by Renato and they were all shocked and also happy for the two with Musubi of course being glad Miya had finally found love.

Matsu was jealous that the stuck up landlady had gone and had sex in the inn and yet tries to keep everyone else from doing so especially after the Brain type had secretly watched the two go at it through her hidden cameras she'd somehow planted in the landlady's room. Something the two did not appreciate and they both made her pay for it with multiple hanya masks, a dragon apparition and good old torture. She was never going to spy on them ever again.

Homura was just happy that Miya was moving on and was glad she ended up with Renato. If there's anyone he'd approve of being with Miya it was this man/dragon. Yahan, Akitsu, Kochou, Yashima and Ikki were the happiest for him as they'd felt their Ashikabi become complete. Alexa too smiled at this as she felt the two needed this after knowing that both lost significant others. She was only worried of how MBI and Neon would take this since Renato has the strongest Sekirei in his flock but knowing Renato, it wouldn't faze him at all.

Renato had also pointed out to Miya that she can no longer reinforce her 'no lewd acts in Maison Izumo' policy anymore since they'd done it like beasts last night, unless she wanted to be a hypocrite. A truth that Miya realized horribly and decided to blame it all on the man and tried to slice him to pieces with her sword but was soundly disarmed and screwed silly again.

…

Seo yawned as he, Hibiki and Hikari made their way to Izumo Inn to do his usual mooching for food and also fulfill his obligation of keeping an eye on his deceased best friend's wife, though he was also cautious about it due to the fact that one of the Ashikabi in that inn was the enigmatic Ghost Ashikabi himself who'd now been revealed as Renato Agba, someone who can turn into a freaking dragon, not to mention take out a Sekirei by himself if he wants! He knew he had to tread very lightly around him as setting off such a person was an easy one way trip to his grave by being sliced and diced when he least expected it or outright roasted alive along with his Sekirei being deactivated too.

But that wasn't the only issue he had to worry about. There was that angelic woman Alexa Lin who'd winged the fiery Homura and the gunslinger Train. If he screwed around with her he'd get smited brutally by her, roasted by Homura or shot full of holes by Train. Neither of which is a good way to go.

There are worse ways to die thank you!

And then there's that asshole…Neon. Yeah, he's been busy alright! He winged the crazy Karasuba, then Kaho and finally Kazehana and he's left piles of bodies in his wake while he was at it with Higa Izumi being one of his victims. No surprises there especially after he heard the dumb ass hired mercenaries to go after Neon.

Yeah, Seo hated that guy! It's because of him Takehito croaked and left Miya behind and he acted like he didn't do anything wrong. Seo also knew better than to mess with Neon since he could easily snap him like a toothpick before he could even use that upgrade Takehito gave him. If he hadn't shown up maybe Takehito would still be alive and things wouldn't have gone to shit.

"What do we have here? Oh, it's the worthless bum." Speak of the devil…the asshole is here…and with his Sekirei too. Oh shit.

Hibiki and Hikari were scared shitless simply because the Black Sekirei herself was there along with Kazehana also a single digit, both members of the original Discipline Squad and finally their Ashikabi who's a monster that made the first two look tame.

'We're so dead! We're so dead!' The twins thought in panic.

"And it's the bloodthirsty asshole. What brings your ugly mug back to Shinto Teito?" Seo fired back, "How many more bodies do you want to add to your body count?!"

Neon shrugged, "As many as I feel like since I don't kill every fucker I see…Even if they're worthless pieces of shit that still blame me for a death I had nothing to do with."

Seo growled, "You know damn well you're the reason Takehito's dead!"

"Takehito's the one who struck himself out. I warned him more than once but his stubborn ass didn't back down and he laid his bed. Now he's lying in it, six feet under." Neon said coldly.

"You heartless bastard!" Seo was restrained by his Sekirei, saving him from an ass-whooping or a brutal demise.

"Are you that desperate to die?!" Neon said, "Be glad that I respect Takehito enough to not outright obliterate you. How you two were best friends still eludes me."

"Like a heart-" ZZAAAPP! The Lightning Twins stopped their Ashikabi from digging his grave further and signing their death warrants.

"We're so sorry! We're so sorry! Please don't kill us!" They apologized and begged for their lives. They wanted to continue living, thank you very much! And they didn't need Seo reducing their lifespans drastically.

"You two have my sympathy." Neon replied to them. He really felt sorry for these two stuck with a worthless bum for an Ashikabi. "So I take it you're off to Izumo inn right?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah. We're out of food again and we're broke as usual." Hibiki answered.

"And it's all thanks to the bum." Kazehana stated.

"Pretty much." Hikari said.

"What do you know? We're on our way to Izumo inn too. Something that's long overdue." Kazehana added. Seo jumped to his feet in an instant with wide eyes, as if he didn't get zapped with electricity a few seconds ago.

"Oy! Are you trying to turn the city into a freaking crater?!" Seo yelled. He got a scoff in return from the merc.

"Like it'll come to that…"

"Not with you and Karasuba there! We both know Miya hates her guts! Then there's Renato too. Some of us want to continue living to a ripe old age."

"And you sure as hell ain't going to be one of them with your life path."

"Not with the stunt you're about to pull!"

Karasuba laughed and said, "Then feel free to run for your life bum. But I doubt your Sekirei want to go hungry for the rest of the day or even longer."

"Damn right about that!" Hikari yelled.

"Whatever…Feel free to follow us. Just don't piss me or my Sekirei off and we'll have no problems." Neon said as he left towards the inn that was now in view with the others following.

Seo was so tempted to use his 'special' upgrade to take out Neon right now but even he knew that it would get him six feet under faster than he could blink. So he had to choose between sucking it up and do nothing thereby extending his life or risk it and at least take something from this lunatic.

…

Miya heard a sigh coming from Renato while they both worked in the kitchen preparing lunch. Mentally she sensed more than just annoyance coming from him which told her it wasn't a minor issue.

Renato had long since sensed them coming to the inn. Neon and his Sekirei along with the bum Seo and his own Sekirei were almost at the inn. While he and Neon could be civil when they needed to he couldn't say the same for his hime Miya who hated Karasuba's guts and unless he reined her in they would turn the city into a fucking crater. Neon should obviously know about that but knowing that battle crazed lunatic he didn't give a damn. Typical.

"What's gotten you so upset Renato-kun?" Miya asked.

Renato sighed as he knew he couldn't hide anything from her as unlike his other Sekirei whom he could hide his feelings from when he tried; the same couldn't be for Miya considering she's the strongest of the Sekirei here.

"Incoming annoyances outside the inn." Renato replied, "Just be sure to keep calm about it please."

Miya stared back with a mock shock, "Ara?! Me? I'm the epitome of calm."

"I know but you have a moment when you throw that out of the window."

"Whatever do you mean?"

CRASH!

A deadpanned sigh followed along with "That." just as a body down the hallway.

"Could you check the front door while I check on what flew in?" Renato requested as he left the kitchen with Miya following a few seconds later and going to the front door. Approaching the body that crashed into the inn Renato noticed that it was the bloodied Seo who was barely alive after getting his ass kicked brutally by the battle crazy lunatic.

'For once I'm thankful to you for the gift Neon.' Renato thought as he crouched beside Seo, placing a hand on the near dead man's neck and snapping it and ending a threat to him and his himes. Renato had intended to end Seo earlier because of the bum's special ability given to him by Takehito that allows him to take control of any Sekirei whether winged or not, but due to certain events he didn't get to do so until now.

Yep. Renato was grateful for Neon's hair trigger personality.

Renato then got up and walked towards the front door.

With Miya…

Miya was none too happy about the door being ruined thanks to something or someone being sent through it from what she saw and she had a very good guess of who sent such a person through the door?

Neon-Sensei. He's a volatile man whom has no problem beating anyone that pisses him off to death. Smashing them through a door is definitely something he'd do.

"Ara, I'm fairly certain violent acts are prohibited in Maiso-oh." Her soft voice, so accustomed to chastising others, suddenly fell silent. And just like that she spotted said person in front of the destroyed door. She'd long since stopped blaming him for Takehito's death after being able to think about the circumstances and understanding it all, but never bothered to let Neon know that. Kazehana was there too, which was a surprise to her as she didn't expect her to be winged by Neon of all people but compared to other options there's no one better. In the Wind Sekirei's arms was Kaho, another young bird that he'd also winged and Miya could sense the young bird had grown much stronger under the man's care now being comforted by her former subordinate. Down on the ground are the unconscious/unresponsive Lighting Twins which confirmed who had been sent through the door of her home and in the state they were in it was clear he was dead and the trash had done something stupid to end up in such a state.

Finally there was…her. That mad dog, Karasuba; Someone she hates with every fiber of her being and would rather not deal with at all and the only reason Karasuba was not being sliced to pieces was because of the man she was winged to.

"It's been a long while…Miya." Neon began while taking short breaths to calm him down after sending that bum Seo through the door. After what the fucker did Neon's very justified with his actions. Just as they'd arrived at Maison Izumo, Seo tried to use his power on Kaho and was nearly successful in turning the young Sekirei against Neon. Fortunately for Kaho, Neon sensed her distress and mental cry for help through their bond and Neon went into action separating the fucker from his Sekirei and taking him out with precise brutality that ended with the Lightning Twins' Ashikabi flying through the door to the inn. Seo better hope he's dead from that or there'll be more hell coming his way. "We came here to pay a visit and sorry about the door. You can blame the piece of trash I sent through it, but I'll reimburse you for the costs of repairs."

"Sure. That'll be appreciated." Miya accepted, "Though may I know why you had to send the trash through my door to begin with?"

Neon sighed, "The bastard tried to fuck with me and use Kaho-chan against me."

Miya would have given him flack for his language but from the barely suppressed rage she could feel she had a feeling that wouldn't help. "And that's why you killed him on my property?" She stated while pointing behind Neon.

Neon glanced behind him and saw the unresponsive bodies of the Hibiki and Hikari. "Then he's lucky that he's dead now or else I'd do worse to him. And you shouldn't be worried about MBI showing up here since they won't want to risk pissing you off."

"They are already here, courtesy of you and your Discipline Squad especially that scum with you who's not welcome here." Miya deadpanned with added venom at the end aimed at the grinning Karasuba.

"You'll have to put up with her Miya as she's with me." Neon stated, "Don't tell me you're still mad at her because of what she did back then? You know about the circumstances that led to it."

"I know, which is the only reason I didn't kill her back then. Not to mention that you wouldn't have let me do so either." Miya replied, "And talking about grudges you're the last person to tell me to not hold anything against someone when you still hold a grudge against Renato."

"Don't you dare compare us Miya, unless you want to be made medium rare again, then it can be arranged." Neon warned.

Miya would have come back with a retort but someone else interrupted them. "Hey Miya, that was Seo and he's dead. And oh…Neon's here, with his Sekirei. Joy."

The stare down was on with the atmosphere quickly getting tense as the Sekirei could sense the animosity between both Ashikabi who hated each other with most of them hoping it didn't come to blows with only Karasuba eager to see them fight.

Luckily for them and disappointingly for Karasuba both men sighed and stood down. Neon then noticed how close Miya was to Renato and immediately figured it out.

"You have got to be shitting me!?" Neon exclaimed, getting his Sekirei's attention. "You winged Miya?!" Karasuba and Kazehana had wide eyes in shock.

Renato smirked as he held Miya close to him and the Sekirei Pillar answered with, "Yes, Sensei. Renato's my Ashikabi and by the way it was natural."

Well there was a few seconds of silence before Karasuba broke it cursing up a storm.

"Congratulations Miya! I'm glad to see you found love!" Kazehana said gleefully with Kaho sharing her sentiment. Neon however looked on in silence which made the others except Renato tense. The silence soon ended when Neon sighed and looked Renato and Miya right in the eyes.

"Like the others said…Congratulations to you two, especially Miya. Glad to see you're moving on." Neon said before focusing on Renato, "As for you, ya overgrown lizard…treat her well or else I'll obliterate you without a second thought."

Renato scoffed, "You've had a century to do so flame boy and I'm waiting for you to do so. Still, you don't have to worry about me mistreating Miya. She's in good hands."

"I'll hold you to that." Neon stated, "Now then with that taken care of we need to talk about something important and where is Alex?"

"I'm right here." Said person said from behind the group with Homura and Train beside her. "And I take it that it has to do with Aiko."

"Since you already know it'll make things easier for us." Neon said.

"Let's talk about this indoors and Sensei, I've long since stopped blaming you for what happened to Takehito as I'd time to think about it." Miya said before addressing Karasuba, "But you mad dog are still not welcome here."

"Then we'll talk outside then, where anyone can easily eavesdrop on us? What a genius alternative Miya." Neon said sarcastically.

"Miya." Renato said to his Sekirei, "Let her in for now…" Miya frowned, "…But if she misbehaves, you have free reign to butcher her." He finished.

Miya sighed before saying, "You're lucky I'm yours or I'd ignore you."

"Yes, I know I'm the envy of men in the world." Renato replied cheekily before warning Neon, "Keep Karasuba in line. She screws up and she can kiss her ass goodbye."

"Whatever. She'll behave." Neon dismissed him.

…

So Miya begrudgingly let Neon and all his Sekirei in with the Disciplinary Squad teacher carrying the bodies of Hibiki and Hikari inside and leaving them in an empty room with plans to take them to MBI when they leave. He also burned Seo's dead body too. Musubi was happy to see Karasuba and Kaho with the two returning the gesture especially with Musubi and Kaho about to duke it out before Miya gave them the ladle treatment and told them to not fight in her inn.

The others weren't exactly too keen to see Neon and his Sekirei in the inn especially Karasuba in the cases of Ikki and Matsu because of near death encounter for the former and the latter being put through hell when she'd worked alongside her. Renato had to reassure Ikki that she wasn't going to die as Karasuba couldn't even attempt anything while she was in the inn.

The three Rooks and their Sekirei ended up in the living room after Miya and Renato had to make more food for the visitors and then talked about Aiko and Alexa informed Neon about Project Re-Genesis, which gave the Battle Master a huge migraine.

"Even from beyond the grave that sick, delusional bitch still tries to fuck with our lives." Neon said with a hand over his forehead, "Just when I thought I'd put an end to the damned Bounty Rook project and ended her she still had a contingency plan to spite us somehow."

"The woman's as smart as she's crazy. Like a certain MBI CEO." Homura commented.

"Way too similar indeed." Kazehana agreed.

"You think Minaka's allied with her?" Ikki asked.

"I wouldn't put it past them to work together." Karasuba stated, "Insane minds like them think alike after all."

"Maybe, but I doubt that it's a solid partnership." Kochou said.

"Because both of them love to be in full control of the situation." Alexa filled in.

"And two control freaks like that never work well together." Yahan also added.

"Eventually one will try to double cross the other for full control." Renato said, "And the obvious one to do so is Aiko herself."

"The question though is when or has it already happened?" Matsu deadpanned.

"I can bet it that it already has happened. That woman's even crazier than Karasuba and that's saying something." Uzume said.

Karasuba laughed before saying, "Funny enough I agree with you Uzume. From what I saw during our encounter with Aiko she's much more bloodthirsty and crazier than I am."

"I hate to say it but the mad dog has a point." Miya said in agreement only to get a growl from Neon aimed at her.

"Miya, she has a name. Use it."

"I'll call her what I want here. Besides she acts like one anyways."

"Then you don't mind me calling you Mrs. Condescending Bitch."

Miya went wide eyed and became flustered while Karasuba began laughing and Kazehana and Matsu sighed.

"What did you call Miya flame brain?" Renato demanded in a threatening tone.

"That's the nickname I gave her back when I trained the original Disciplinary Squad." Neon replied calmly, "She was a condescending bitch before I made her medium rare and put her in a crater along with Kara-chan here. That brings back memories."

Miya groaned. "Don't remind me. I still haven't been able to live that down."

Karasuba had stopped laughing and said, "Indeed. Those were some great memories. I never thought I'd see someone beat down Miya like that and I so love reminding her of that fact."

"Along with nightmares." Matsu whimpered.

"You were quite the drill sergeant then." Kazehana added.

"Of course I was. Or else you'd all be dead or dissected at some sick bastard's lab table." Neon stated making most of the Sekirei flinch or cringe.

Alexa sighed, "Seriously Neon. Do you have to be so blunt and macabre?"

"Would you prefer me to sugar coat things?" Neon replied.

"It's how the lunatic is. No point trying to change that after all this time." Renato quipped.

"Like you two aren't messed up in the head. All three of us are." Neon fired back, "I just have no problem admitting it while you two try to hide it to feel better about yourselves."

"Um…I don't believe you're messed up in the head." Chiho spoke up getting everyone's attention. "Uzume has told me about how nice you were as her teacher Neon-san and then about how nice of a fellow tenant you are Renato-san. If you were messed up as you put it she wouldn't have told me all those good things about you."

"Chiho…there are nice people in the world who are just as messed up in the head as the typical lunatic in the madhouse." Renato stated, "I know so because I have met such people before."

"And Neon's right in the fact that the three of us are all messed up in the head." Alexa admitted calmly, "However, I don't keep it hidden to feel better about myself. I keep it hidden so as to not burden everyone around me and look for pity points. Fortunately, Homura and Train have helped me to keep the madness at bay."

"And we'll keep doing that. You damn well need it." Homura said.

"Yeah. What he said." Train added.

"I don't need to say much since most of us here know about how messed up I am and like Alexa I don't need the whole world knowing that I'm insane and not for self-gratification like the lunatic claims." Renato said, "I just stopped giving a damn about my mental state since God knows how long and it worked for me until you showed up and fucker Higa tried to mess with me."

Renato felt someone slap his arm. "Renato-san. No foul language in the inn." Miya reminded him. "I don't want Kusano to start using such language."

"Sorry about that Miya." Renato said, "Anyways, I'm able to stay even saner now thanks to my himes that I'm glad to have met because if not for them I don't know how things would be now." His Sekirei didn't need to say anything as they knew full well he loved them and they loved him back.

"Ugh! This is getting too mushy for my liking! Let's talk about something else." Neon said, "Like our next move now that Aiko is with Minaka and his insane game's has heated up. You and Alexa have to participate in this crazy game and I have to keep order."

"I've long since lost my element of surprise…no thanks to you and Minaka." Renato deadpanned, "So I have to unfortunately play along but I'll do it my way. Not Minaka's."

"Then there's the obvious fact that Minaka wants us to reach the final stage." Alexa pointed out. "With the knowledge of who we are he sees us as the best contestants here and would want to us to reach the finale and compete to ascend to godhood."

"History has never been kind to those who play god." The Nigerian said, "And it'll be no different for Minaka and Aiko as they'll get their comeuppance at the end of this 'game'."

…

Takami didn't know what to think anymore. Ever since that fateful day when Neon had been hired to train the 1st Disciplinary Squad, her entire world had been tossed on its head. As if dealing with that insane freak, Minaka, wasn't enough, now she had to deal with three freakishly powerhouses who could fight on par with—no, who were far stronger than any Sekirei she knew barring maybe Miya; three almost godlike beings that took the form of an angel, a god of war and flame and a dragon.

God what she wouldn't give for the good old days, back when she wasn't dealing with super-powered humans capable of destroying city blocks and ending lives with strange powers that defied even her ability to comprehend.

DING.

Takami blinked as the elevator doors slip open, snapping her out of her reverie. Good thing too. Her thoughts had been starting to travel down a rather dark road, one she'd rather not go right now.

The room she stepped into was the large office of her boss. Every time she wandered into this room, Takami couldn't help but think of that of an insane emperor's throne room. The interior was dark, with low lighting, almost midnight-colored walls, black marble floor and only a couple screens and monitors situated in random areas around the room to provide light. There was also a couch and a table set randomly in the center that appeared unusually cheerful, but she simply chalked that part of the decor to Minaka's insanity acting up.

Minaka was sitting behind his desk, feet propped up on the surface and hands behind his head. He looked to be dozing, though she couldn't tell because of those damn sunglasses. Just how the hell does he see in here with those stupid things on anyway?

Then there was that woman Aiko who was relaxing on the couch. That woman put Takami on edge just like when she was around Karasuba but Aiko made her look like a puppy as her bloodlust far exceeded that of the bloodthirsty Sekirei and Takami felt something even more sinister coming from her not to mention she was just as insane if not even more than Minaka himself. She'd shown up a few weeks ago as Minaka's new business partner for a new project he'd had in mind.

Takami walked up to the desk and slammed her clipboard down on the metal surface none too gently.

"BOW BEFORE YOUR NEW GOD!"

As Minaka jumped straight up from his seat and raised his hands in a grand gesture while shouting complete nonsense, Takami rolled her eyes.

"Do you ever tire of acting like an idiot?"

"I don't know what you mean, Takami." Pushing his sunglasses up unnecessarily, Minaka grinned at his second in command. It was the grin of deranged man, twisted and virulent, containing within it a madness that the white-haired woman always tried her utmost to ignore. "All I'm doing is acting as the gods made me. If that is a problem to some, then they can take it up with the gods."

"Like the gods will ever answer to any whiny mortal human." Aiko comments from her place on the couch.

"Well they do answer us mortals Aiko and while we're on the subject, how are our earth-bound gods this today?"

Takami shifted uncomfortably. Minaka was getting harder and harder to read as the days passed. His mind seemed to be degrading at a rate far quicker than before and Aiko seemed to help speed up that process. His brilliance remained, but it was becoming mired with his insanity.

"We do have some news about one of them. It appears that Agba Renato has winged Asama Miya."

Even now she remembered the shock when that news reached her. Asama Miya, winged? She'd first thought her men had made some kind of mistake. The very notion of that woman being winged by anyone was absurd.

And then she had been given the data confirming that Asama Miya had, indeed, been winged, and by someone she could actually bear with. It's the only silver lining of this new development.

"Really? Good! That's excellent news!"

"Excellent news?!" Takami's right eye began twitching. "How is that excellent news? One of the three people who can wipe out our city has now winged the strongest Sekirei! What about that could possibly be good?!"

"Ah, Takami, your narrow-minded thinking is why you've never progressed beyond this point." Takami grit her teeth, but Minaka didn't seem to notice or care. "It's good because this makes the game more interesting, of course!" He paused, and then shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter. What matters is that I can now use my latest creations!"

"Latest creations?" Takami didn't know why, but a sense of dread welled up inside of her at these words. What creations was he talking about? And why was she only learning of them now? It wouldn't be surprising if Aiko is involved with this either?

"Indeed. We created these for the sole purpose of making the game more interesting." Aiko explained, "Agba Renato, Lin Alexa and Cross Neon and their flocks are the perfect participants to test them out on."

"Indeed they are!" The man looked about ready to burst. Takami was just waiting for him to start squealing like some kind of fangirl. "Oh, this is so exciting! I must go prepare them immediately!" Minaka pressed a button on his console. "Prepare my helicopter! We're going on a journey! Come along Aiko! You're a part of this after all."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Aiko said as she got off the couch and followed the insane CEO.

"Wha—hey, wait! Where are you going?!"

Takami could do nothing more than follow Minaka and Aiko as they went up to the roof, where a helicopter waited for them.

"Minaka! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Why, I'm preparing, of course! What else would I be doing?" Minaka and Aiko hopped into the helicopter before he turned to his second-in-command. "I'll expect you to hold down the fort while we're gone, Takami. This shouldn't take more than a week or so."

"A week?!"

"Now fly! Fly and let us journey towards the heavens!"

"Minaka!"

Takami could do nothing more than gape as Hiroto Minaka and Aiko took off in a helicopter heading to who-the-hell-knew where. The helicopter soon faded into the distance, disappearing from her sight, and the snow-haired woman felt rage boiling up inside of her.

"DAMN YOU, HIROTO MINAKA!"

Chapter 33 End.

It's been so long since I updated this and the current outbreak didn't make things any better for me, not to mention I'm part of essential services meaning that I have to go to work with all the safety measures and the paranoia to go with it.

Yikes! This is such a crazy year.

Yeah, updates are going to be slow for all my stories. This one especially I want to get to the finale soon.

Until then leave a review and stay safe. Peace!