#lichthiru

As Mahiru waited for the bus, he heard a persistent ringtone. He was alone at the bus stop so he was slightly confused by the ringtone. It wasn’t his phone so Mahiru looked around the bench. He found a phone under the bench and he wondered if the owner dropped it without knowing. The simple way to know was to answer the call so Mahiru swiped his finger over the screen.

“Someone answered!” A voice said excitedly. “I’m glad you found my friend’s phone.”

“It’s nothing.” Mahiru said, reassuringly. The person sounded genuinely excited and relieved so Mahiru was glad he answered the phone. “If you want, I can give this phone to the police station and your friend can pick it up there.”

“Actually, can you return it directly to him? He lives in a building close to the bus stop you’re at so it won’t be too much trouble. Please, he really needs it for his work and it’s an emergency.” The person begged and Mahiru hesitated. How did the person know that he was at a bus stop? “Will you help me?”

“… Sure.” Mahiru said after a moment. Even though he was suspicious, he knew he would worry for the rest of the day if he didn’t return the phone so the simple solution was to help. “What building does your friend live in?”

“SFA’s Tokyo Headquarter. Do you know where it is?” His answer shocked him. Mahiru knew of the SFA and he doubted that there was a single person that didn’t. They lived in a lavish building and ran their company from that building as well. The SFA held a variety of fundraisers throughout the year and helped so many causes and people.

“I know where it is.” He would often pass by the building and wonder what the members of the SFA were like. Considering everything they had done for the community, Mahiru thought they were extremely kind and considerate people. “I’ll make sure your friend gets his phone back so don’t worry. You’re a great friend for worrying about him so much.”

“I’m a great friend?” The person on the phone began to laugh until a cough cut him off. “You’re one interesting person if you say that about someone you just talked to. This might be a little entertaining. I hope we get to talk to again after you return the phone. The building’s door should be unlocked so just walk in and go to room 707 on the seventh floor.”

He disconnected the call and Mahiru couldn’t make any sense of what he said. He shrugged off any suspicion he had and began to walk. The SFA building wasn’t too far from the bus stop so it was only a short walk. Mahiru stopped at the bottom of the steps and stared up at the building. It towered over him and he was curious about who he would meet inside.

The door was unlocked like the person said it would be so Mahiru walked inside. He was surprised that the interior looked normal but there wasn’t a receptionist to greet him. In fact, the building was oddly empty considering how large it was. But Mahiru walked to the elevator to go to the seventh floor.

A soft bell chimed once he reached the seventh floor and Mahiru walked out of the elevator. Mahiru counted the room numbers until he found 707 and knocked on the door. To his surprised, it was already slightly opened and Mahiru peered inside. The room was dark and empty so he wondered if the person hadn’t returned yet. “I’ll just leave the phone on his desk for him.”

Mahiru entered the room and the phone began to buzz to life. He fumbled with it slightly and he saw that a chatroom had appeared on the screen. He was confused because he hadn’t turned on the phone or open the app but began to read the chat.

Mahiru had only barely finished reading Kuro’s message when he heard footsteps rushing towards him. A blond man crashed into the room and Mahiru could only guess that he was Hyde. He was out of breath but he shot suspicious eyes at Mahiru when he saw the phone in his hand. “Where did you get Sensei’s phone?”

“I just found it!” Mahiru quickly explained but Hyde continued to glare at him suspiciously. “The person that called me said that I should return it here.”

“Troublesome.” Someone walked into the room and sighed heavily. The man seemed uninterested in the situation at best and slightly annoyed at worst. He had heavy bags under his eyes and Mahiru worried about his health. “Thanks for returning Sensei’s phone. You can leave now.”

“You’re just going to let him leave? Sensei has been missing for years and this guy comes back with his phone and you’re not going to question him.” Someone else argued and Mahiru looked over Hyde’s shoulder to see more people walk into the room. A short man with violet hair asked, “Did a man give you this phone?”

Before he could answer, the phone rang again. Hyde quickly took the phone from him and answered it. “Sensei? Are you okay?”

Hyde became silent and a dark scowled appeared on his face. He turned on the speaker so the others could hear the mocking laugh of the caller. “It’s not Sensei, Brother Greed. He would be so hurt if he knew that you confused us but I won’t tell him.”

“Who are you?” Misono demanded but the man only answered with a laugh.

“You know who I am. We talked before but you wouldn’t listen to me so you forced my hand. If you don’t want to involve a civilian, you’ll give me the files I asked for.” Mahiru didn’t understand what the person was referring to but the others did. He was shocked when Hyde took his hand and began to drag him to the door.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Brother Greed. He’ll die if he leaves the building.” The voice stopped Hyde. “I placed a bomb at each of the exit and they’ll go off if a human tries to leave. You may be able to survive the explosion but I doubt a human would.”

“Damnit, Tsubaki! We can’t give you the files.” Misono screamed, rubbing his temple.

“Then we’re at an impasse.” The call ended and they all turned to Mahiru. He was confused by the situation and he couldn’t make any sense of it because the word ‘bomb’ echoed in his mind. The men around him were quiet as well and there were so many things he wanted to ask them that he didn’t know where to begin.

“So, what are we going to do?” Licht asked and Misono’s brows furrowed. They all knew they couldn’t have their discussion in front of Mahiru but they couldn’t leave him alone in the building either. The atmosphere was tense and Kuro turned away from them.

“Can’t deal. Just do whatever you want. C’mon kid.” Kuro took Mahiru’s arm and pulled him out to the hall. The others didn’t bother to stop him because they knew it was pointless to try. Mahiru saw the concern on their faces but followed Kuro out of the room. When Kuro closed the door behind them, Mahiru wondered if he would answer any of his questions.

“I didn’t catch your name.” Mahiru decided not to ask too many questions when he saw how guarded his expression was. The man leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. “My name’s Mahiru. I’m sorry I caused all this trouble. I didn’t think…”

“Don’t apologize. You couldn’t have known.” He stopped Mahiru. “My name’s Kuro but I doubt I can tell you much more. I’m sure they’re deciding how much to tell you right now.”

“Is there really a bomb in this building?” Mahiru asked hesitantly and shivered at the thought. He sat next to him and Kuro could see his hands trembling slightly. Unlike the members of the SFA, Mahiru was a normal human and Kuro doubted he experienced any danger in his life.

“Tsubaki, the person on the phone, isn’t someone who will make threats lightly.” Kuro knew that he had to be honest with him. But when he saw Mahiru become pale, he wanted to reassure him. “But the SFA will protect you. We made a promise to help and protect this city, after all. That includes you.”

“Thanks.” Mahiru smiled at him and Kuro had to turn away from it for a moment. It was bright and genuine, two things he wasn’t used to. They heard the door open and they looked up to see the others walk outside. Kuro stood and held out his hand to help Mahiru stand. He faced them and waited for them to speak first.

“My name’s Misono Alicein.” One held out his hand to him and Mahiru shook it. “This might be a little difficult for you but you won’t be able to leave this building for your own safety. Our fifth member will be returning soon to check the exits for bombs. It might take awhile but we’ll secure the bombs and you’ll be able to leave.”

“I understand…” Mahiru sighed, knowing that he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

“We won’t be able to know when you’ll be able to leave until we look at the bombs. You can stay in this room for the time being.” Misono showed Mahiru to one of the spare rooms they had on the second floor. They decided that he was the best person to show Mahiru around the building since he would be the most careful about revealing any secrets.

“Everyone has a room on this floor so just knock if you need anything.” Misono explained. “You can go anywhere in this building except for the seventh floor because Sensei’s research and confidential information are stored there. We have recreational rooms on the first floor if you’re bored. Sheets and blankets are in this closet.”

“Thank you.” Mahiru nodded to him but looked around the large room hesitantly. There were a lot of spare rooms it seemed and the building was large considering that there only seemed to be five residents. He still didn’t know what to make of the situation and the residents. But, if he was going to be trapped in a building with them, he wanted to be friends with everyone.

“Here, let me help you with that.” He said when he saw Misono struggling to take out the blankets from the closet. Their weight almost toppled him over and Mahiru gently grabbed his shoulders to steady him. “Are you okay? Thank you but I could’ve gotten them on my own.”

“Don’t look down on me.” Misono turned to face him with a light blush. He pushed the blankets into Mahiru’s arms. “As if this is too much for me, Peasant. If I could use my… never mind. This is nothing to someone as powerful as I am but you wouldn’t understand that.”

“I wasn’t trying to insult you. I just wanted to thank you for getting me these blankets. I’m sure you’re strong and capable.” Mahiru quickly amended and Misono raised a brow at him so he continued. “It seemed like the others look to you for leadership so they must respect you. They all seem like quite the characters and I can imagine how hard it is to control them.”

“They’re all peasants. Of course, they’ll listen to royalty.” Misono puffed his chest and grinned.

“I’m a peasant too but can we be friends? I’d like to get along with everyone while I’m here.” Mahiru asked as he set down the blankets.

“R-Really?” Misono fumbled with a blush for a moment but then he regained his composure. Honestly, he never had someone outside of the SFA ask to be his friend before. Looking into Mahiru’s kind eyes, he found that he wanted to know the human better. “I’ll be your friend if you really want to. You should be able to find everything so do you have any questions?”

Mahiru was quiet for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “The SFA aren’t what I expected so it’s a little hard taking this all in.”

“We’re mostly known for our fundraising but that’s only a small portion of what we do.” Misono said but he didn’t elaborate. He said the seventh floor had confidential information so Mahiru knew that he had his reasons for being vague. “You’re staying here but you’re not a part of this company so please don’t interfere with our work.”

“Is there anything I can do to help without interfering?” Mahiru asked. “I’ll be staying here and I don’t want to be a freeloader, even considering the situation. I can cook and clean so there must be something I can help with.”

“We don’t have a housekeeper.” Misono thought over letting him help around the building. Mahiru seemed to sincerely want to help but he couldn’t risk him stumbling across their secrets. To his shock, Mahiru took his hands in his.

“Please, Misono? I’m already causing enough trouble for all of you so I just want to help.”

“F-Fine.” Misono stumble and took back his hands. His heart was racing already but it beat harder when Mahiru beamed at his answer. “But you can only clean the first two floors and you’ll have to ask the other’s permission to clean their room. I’ll draw you a map of all the rooms and a schedule of when we’ll be eating.”

“Thank you, Misono. You’re so nice for letting me do this. I’m sure we’ll be great friends quickly.”

A soft piano tune filled the hall and Mahiru paused to listen to it. He wanted to explore the building to know where to start cleaning tomorrow but he couldn’t help but stop to listen to the light song. Something about the song drew Mahiru towards it and he followed the soft notes. The song took him to a large library and Mahiru peered inside.

In the center of the library was a dark haired man. Mahiru had seen him with the others but they hadn’t spoken yet so he wondered who he was. He seemed engrossed in his song so Mahiru didn’t want to interrupt him and watched him instead. Light streamed through the window and illuminated him. For a moment, it seemed like he had wings. Mahiru shook his head and told himself that it was a trick of the lights.

When the song ended, Mahiru had to clap. The man turned sharply to face him and his hard eyes suddenly made Mahiru feel like an intruder. “I’m sorry I interrupted your song. It was beautiful that I came in without being invited.”

“This is a library. You don’t need an invitation.” He said shortly and Mahiru laughed nervously. “You can come in if you want but don’t make too much noise while I’m practicing.”

“Thank you.” Mahiru walked into the library and looked at all the books lining the walls. There was also a trail of feathers on the ground and his eyes followed them to Licht. “I’m sure Misono already told you but I’m going to work as a housekeeper. This library seems like it needs the most work between all the dust and feathers.”

“You can see them?” Licht raised a brow at Mahiru and watched him carefully as he walked to him. Mahiru nodded as he plucked a feather off the piano and twirled it between his fingers. Then he ran his hand smoothly over his piano. Licht could see a deep respect in Mahiru’s eyes as he settled his hand on the piano.

“It’s beautiful, your piano. I’ll make sure to be careful when I polish it tomorrow. It’ll be a shame for it to be marred with dust or something like that.” Mahiru saw how worn the keys were and knew that Licht must’ve played often. “I never played before and I’m not a professional so I don’t know if this means anything but, you’re very talented.”

“Talent has nothing to do with how well I play. I’m an angel.” Licht said before he could stop himself. He almost bit his tongue when he realized his mistake and turned to see Mahiru’s reaction. To his shock, Mahiru laughed pleasantly. It almost sounded like chimes and Licht never heard anything more musical. Usually, people would give him strange looks when he claimed to be an angel but Mahiru didn’t.

“I should’ve known that you were an angel when I heard your song.” Mahiru chuckled and decided to humour him. At first, Licht’s hard eyes made him appear difficult to approach but, now that he was standing closer, he could see a kindness in them. “I’m certain that it could purify people’s heart if they hear it. Do you play often? I would love to hear you play again.”

“… Melon.” Licht said after a moment. His eyes were serious when he looked up at Mahiru but there was also something innocent about them as he went on. “I want melons for breakfast! You’re going to be our housekeeper and you’ll be cooking breakfast. If you let me have melons for breakfast, I’ll play one song for you. Misono never lets me have melons for breakfast.”

“Just a melon?” Mahiru knew that having only the fruit wouldn’t be a healthy breakfast. Licht eagerly nodded and his eyes pleaded with him so Mahiru decided to compromise. “How about melon bread with sliced melons? I can incorporate melons into the menu but you need to eat more than that. Deal?”

“Deal!” Licht smiled and Mahiru had to return it.

“Licht must like melons.” Mahiru looked into the fridge and saw that it was full of melons. There was barely anything else and he thought about going out to buy ingredients. Then, he sighed when he remembered that he couldn’t leave the building. Thinking about the bomb made him shiver and he closed the refrigerator. “I guess I should ask them to go out and buy more food.”

“You seem to be making yourself at home just fine despite the situation.” Mahiru turned to see Hyde leaning in the doorway. His piercing eyes studied Mahiru as if he were a prey to be killed. “You may have everyone else fooled but do you think you can trick me? You’re working with Tsubaki, aren’t you? What are you two planning?”

The accusations thrown at him were whispered in a low voice but they still caused Mahiru to stiffen. He didn’t know what he did to make Hyde distrust him but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes when he walked towards him. Mahiru tried to step back but he hit a wall. Before he could move, Hyde was in front of him and slammed his hands on the wall. Mahiru found himself trapped between Hyde’s arms and there was little space between them.

“Where’s Sensei? You had his phone and he wouldn’t just let someone take it from him. What did you do to him? Tell me before I force the truth out of you.” Hyde leaned closer to him with each word and closed what little distance they had between them. His eyes began to glow and Mahiru felt his legs weaken. “Are you working with Tsubaki?”

“I’m not. I don’t even know who he is.” Mahiru thought that he would be too scared to talk but something forced the words from his mouth. His answer didn’t do anything to quell Hyde’s anger and Mahiru’s hands tightened into fists. Mahiru’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of his situation. He doubted anything he said could stop him.

So, when Hyde leaned closer to him again, Mahiru headbutted him as hard as he could. Hyde went reeling back and he pushed him further away roughly. As he was recovering, Mahiru scurried to the other side of the room to place more distance between them. Hyde rubbed his head and groaned. “What was that?”

“I should be the one saying that!” Mahiru shot back. “You came in here and threw all these accusations at me when I’m already confused enough. I’m trying to make the best of a situation where I’m trapped in a building with a bomb and I can’t leave. I don’t need you yelling and glaring at me like that! Everything I told you before was the truth. I just wanted to do the right thing and return a phone but I’m stuck in this building with a bunch of strangers.”

While Mahiru’s words were filled with anger, tears and fear filled his eyes. Guilt washed over Hyde for a moment when he realized how wrong he was. He could sense that Mahiru was an ordinary human but his need for the truth blinded him to it. Hyde rarely apologized but he tried to.

“I’m sorry…” Mahiru didn’t immediately reply but his eyes never left Hyde’s. There was a strength in his brown eyes that surprised Hyde because it was rare for a human. He touched his forehead and chuckled to himself. “I learned my lesson so I’m not going to try anything again. You’re one strange man. That’s the first time someone headbutted me like that.”

“Well, you deserved it.” Mahiru stood straighter and levelled stern eyes at him. Hyde gave him a wry smile and nodded. His features softened when he laughed but then he bowed his head.

“I just thought that there was a chance to find Sensei again…”

Mahiru saw sadness passed his face and he took a cautious step towards him. “You must be very close to your sensei but that doesn’t excuse how you acted. I’ll forgive you this time but I don’t a repeat of this.”

“You didn’t enjoy being pinned to the wall? Most people say that forwardness is daring and a turn on.” Hyde said jokingly but Mahiru didn’t laugh. His lips were set in a hard line and he placed his hands on his hips. Even though he didn’t say anything, Hyde could hear him silently lecturing him. “I’m kidding. I’ll be on my best behaviour from now on.”

“You better be.” Mahiru said sternly but he let his body relaxed. Hyde kept a respectful distance between them to not scare him again but he was surprised when Mahiru took a step closer to him. He raised his hand and gently brushed his bangs aside. “It doesn’t look like there’ll be a mark. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I could’ve just pushed you so I guess we both overreacted.”

“You really are one strange person.” Hyde took his hand off his head and stepped back from him. Mahiru’s hand was soft but surprisingly strong so he held onto it. “Hey, you wanna team up with me and fight that angel? It’ll be fun to see who wins.”

“You mean Licht? Why would I want to fight him? He seems like a nice guy and so do you.” Mahiru slipped his hand from his and Hyde knew from his eyes that he wouldn’t be able to change his mind.

“Too bad, I had a feeling that we would’ve made a good team.” He ruffled his hair. “At least things are going to be a lot more interesting with you here.”

“He should be here soon. Why is he always late?” Misono looked at his watch and his frown deepened. Mahiru wondered who the fifth member would be and considered asking them. They were waiting in the lobby, eating the melon Mahiru cut. Beside him, Kuro was fiddling with his phone. Licht and Hyde were fighting over the melons on the couch across from him and Mahiru tried to stop them.

“Guys, there’s more melons in the fridge so there’s enough for everyone. If we run out, I’ll just cut another one. Now, are you two going to behave or do I need to separate you.” Mahiru said and they both grumbled but they stopped fighting.

“Great job, housewife.” Kuro said in a teasing voice and patted his back.

“I’m a housekeeper, not a housewife!” Mahiru denied with a blush. He wanted to argue further but stopped when Kuro tossed his phone onto his lap.

“Your new phone. It has the messaging app we use to communicate and Tsubaki won’t be able to hack it. You can use your old phone to talk to your friends and family but you should use that phone with us.” Kuro explained. “I customized it so if you want anything changed, just tell me.”

“Thank you.” Mahiru smiled at him and Kuro tried to shrug casually but a tint of pink still appeared on his cheeks.

“I’m back!” The door flew open and Mahiru turned to see who entered. They both froze when they saw each other. “Mahiru? What are you doing here?”

“Sakuya?” Mahiru jumped to his feet and ran to him. Instinctively, Mahiru threw his arms around Sakuya’s neck and he returned his hug. He was grateful to have Sakuya’s familiar and strong arms around him. “You never told me that you were a part of the SFA but thank god you’re here.”

“You two know each other?” Misono looked between the two and Mahiru nodded.

“Sakuya is my best friend and we’ve known each other since high school.” Mahiru turned to face the others when he explained how he knew him. He hugged Sakuya’s arm and jealousy crossed over their faces. While Mahiru didn’t notice it, Sakuya did and he had to grin at them. He wished that he knew that Mahiru was the human trapped in the building so he could’ve returned sooner.

“I thought I told you to stop with your little ‘vacations’. They’re dangerous.” Misono accused but Sakuya shrugged unapologetically. “Just sit down and tell us what you found.”

Sakuya sat down on the couch and nudged Kuro away so Mahiru could sit next to him. He made sure that Mahiru sat at the end so the others couldn’t sit next to him. He didn’t want to let the others next to him when he knew what they were.

“I checked all the doors and windows, from the roof to that front door. Tsubaki wasn’t lying. The bombs are small but they’re powerful enough to wreck this whole building.” Sakuya wished he could lie but he knew that he couldn’t when facing his pure, brown eyes. Mahiru stiffened next to him and he took his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, Mahiru, I’ll protect you.”

“Thank you.” Mahiru replied in a small voice. He trusted Sakuya because he was his best friend but he was still a little scared. Sakuya wouldn’t lie about something as serious as a bomb and his safety. The situation became more real to him and weight of it fell on him again. More questions appeared in his mind. Who was Tsubaki and what did he want so much that he would use a bomb?

“Wait, you just walked through that door and nothing happened. Maybe you were wrong about that bomb and he’s just using a fake or something.” Mahiru stood and Sakuya tried to grab his hand to stop him. He could see how desperate Mahiru was to escape the confusion he was in but he couldn’t let him leave the building. Sakuya flew after him and hugged him.

“Don’t! Trust me, you’re going to die if you try to leave. The bomb won’t go off for the five of us but you’re different. Please just trust me on this.” Sakuya’s arms around him shook and Mahiru was still trying to make sense of his words. He knew Sakuya for a long time and they were friends so he could tell that there was something he was holding back.

“What aren’t you telling me, Sakuya?” Mahiru turned in his arms to face him. His eyes begged for the truth that Sakuya couldn’t give him. “Please, tell me so I can understand. Someone’s threatening me with a bomb so I deserve to know. You’re my best friend, Sakuya, and we never lied to each other or kept secrets before.”

“I’m sorry, Mahiru.” Sakuya covered Mahiru’s eyes with his hand. He could hear Misono scream for him to stop but he couldn’t lie to him anymore. “I’ve been lying to you since we met. Tsubaki said that the bomb will only go off if a human tries to pass. You’re the only human here.”

“What?” Mahiru was confused by his wording when Sakuya pulled his hands away slowly. He gasped and he had to step back. Sakuya wanted to stop him and take him back into his arms but he would only scare Mahiru more if he tried. Fear and confusion clouded in his brown eyes but he couldn’t turn away from him. Sakuya couldn’t blame him either.

Anyone would be shocked to find that their best friend was a monster.

“Sakuya?” Mahiru was rooted where he stood. The hurt in Sakuya’s eyes made him want to comfort him but seeing his ram horns stopped him. His red eyes were still the same so Mahiru forced himself to focus on them as he stepped closer. “Is that you Sakuya?”

“I’m an incubus…” Sakuya admitted and he expected Mahiru to run from him. He felt his trembling fingers on his cheek and he forced himself not to reach out to him. Even though Mahiru was trying to hide it, Sakuya knew that he was still a little wary. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I just wanted to know what it was like to be human and have friends.”

“It’s just a lot to take in. I’m going to need a minute.” Mahiru wanted to sit down but when he looked at the couch, he saw the others watching him with guilty expressions. He remembered that Sakuya said that he was the only human and swallowed slightly.

“Move aside, incubus.” Licht stepped between Mahiru and Sakuya. He ignored his glare and focused on Mahiru. He spread out his white wings and wrapped them around Mahiru so their warmth would put him at ease. “I am an angel so you don’t need to be scared of me. It’s my duty to protect humans so you can sit next to me without being scared.”

“Hey, Lichtan, you might be cool but we all made a vow to protect humans when we joined the SFA! Even a demon like me can see the value in humans. Look, Mahiru, I might appear scary but I’m not going to hurt you.” Hyde stepped towards him but was stopped by Misono.

“You’re all scaring him so stop pushing him. Back away from Mahiru and give him some space. This is an order from the fairy prince!” Misono snapped at them and they all stepped away from Mahiru. “Are you okay, Mahiru?”

“I… I need some air.” Mahiru said but then he laughed bitterly to himself. “Wait, I can’t leave and I’m stuck in a house full of… I’m sorry, just give me a minute.”

Mahiru stormed out the hall and he was glad that none of them tried to stop him.

Mahiru looked up when he heard the door open. He ran to the stairway to be alone and he was curled into a ball at the top of the steps. He looked down the staircase to see Kuro at the bottom which shocked him a little. He thought that Sakuya would be the first to approach him again. He waited for Kuro to say something as he climbed the stairs but he walked past him.

Kuro went to the window and he opened it without a word. Mahiru instinctively stiffened and braced his body so Kuro said softly. “It’ll only explode if a human opens it and tries to climb through but this should be fine. You said you wanted fresh air, didn’t you? It’s pretty cool tonight so there’s a nice breeze.”

“So, what are you?” Mahiru asked and the accusation was clear in his voice.

“Vampire. So, if you want me to open any windows for you, you should only ask during the night. The windows are tinted to keep out sunlight but the rays will kill me if you open them.” Kuro said in a casual voice. His bored drawl made Mahiru laughed a little because it was out of place considering their situation. “Sakuya’s pacing outside, trying to decide if he should talk to you.”

“He is?” Mahiru looked at the door at the base of the staircase. He saw a shadow pass under the door occasionally and knew that it had to be Sakuya.

“He couldn’t tell you the truth no matter how much he wanted to. If humans knew about us, it’ll be complete chaos. He had to lie to you so don’t stay mad at him.” Kuro looked over his shoulder to Mahiru. “Mystical creatures like us are few are far between and we’ve been trying to survive without being discovered. Everyone has their past and regrets here in the SFA.”

“Very comforting.” Mahiru said sarcastically. Kuro sat next to him but made sure not to sit too close to him.

“But our lives changed when we met Sensei. SFA gave us a second chance and all we want is to protect humans like you. There are other, more dangerous creatures that targets human. The SFA was created to stop them and let mystical creatures live a peaceful life. Sensei made a lot of documents detailing our powers and weaknesses and experiments that he was conducting.”

“Are those the files that Tsubaki are after?” Mahiru asked and Kuro nodded.

“One day, Sensei left to talk to a potential member and never returned. We found out that the person he was meeting died the previous day so everyone’s worried about him. SFA’s nothing without him and his inventions. But if his files get into the wrong hands, it’ll be the end of our lives and you humans as well.”

“Fairies and incubus? Demons and angels? What did I get myself into?” Mahiru groaned and pressed his forehead to his knees.

“A lot of shit but we’re going to get you out of this alive.” Kuro promised and Mahiru looked up at him. Seeing his expression, Kuro suddenly felt protective. “I promise you that we’ll do everything we can for you.”