If you like our work, please follow us on our social media, join our discord and consider supporting us on Patreon:

Guido stood in front of a certain man's room. There existed a spy team called [Homura1], and Guido made that man the one responsible for it. The team was filled with odd fellows, but his inconsiderate and almost selfish attitude stood out even in the midst of them all, whilst the relatively rational Guido left the command to such man.

—Well, that's to be expected, Guido sighed to himself.

After all, he was the one who picked up that man. He took the young orphan under his wing, raising him to be a first-rate spy. Though he certainly hadn't expected him to grow up to be such an impactful existence.

The man just shut himself in his room. Coming out for neither breakfast nor lunch, he would not even set foot outside to visit the toilet. Wondering what he was up to in an exasperated manner, Guido knocked on the door. After not seeing any response for five seconds he decided on the least bothersome route of simply opening the door.

Gazing around the changed room, he was flabbergasted. The white wallpaper and red carpet—were both died in a crimson red. Liquid not unlike fresh blood was splashed around the interior of the room, even dirtying the bed and closets. It looked like a murder scene so grotesque that even the seasoned Guido had trouble holding back a scream. The Kagerou2 Palace, the formerly beautiful western-style room, had turned into a gruesome location.

An enormous canvas stood right in the center of the room, with a man standing in front of it. With a vacant expression, he gazed down at it.

"Marvelous—"

As if to strike down the canvas, he swung the painting brush, coloring the canvas and carpet, as well as Guido's face itself. Following that, maybe realizing something was off, he turned around with an intrigued Hm?.

"…Teacher, do you have some business with me?"

"What happened with you?"

"I just had the sudden urge to draw something. Teacher, could you buy me the paint I'm lacking?"

"…You sure work your teacher hard, huh."

—I came here for some serious business, so don't pull any idiotic crap on me, Guido hissed.

Well, rather than acting like an idiot, he might simply be one.

"A special mission. You will be separated from the team starting tomorrow, working solo for a while."

"Special…?"

Guido moved on to explain the details. The more he went on, the more the facial expression of the man started to change. The order he received was so harsh it would have had any other spy burst out in rage. Even Guido immediately declined despite being highly skilled himself. It was similar to telling one to throw their life away.

"Even you should have less than 10% of a success chance on this. If you fail, you die. Can you do it?"

"I accept—if that is your order, Teacher."

An immediate answer. Expecting a refusal, Guido was left dumbfounded. Meanwhile, the man ran the painting brush across the canvas yet again, coloring it red. Bowing his head in assent with a This should be enough for today, he met gaze with Guido.

"Teacher, I will leave behind a will if there ever comes a time I deem it necessary. Everything I have today is because of you. You picked me up back when I was an orphan and raised me into what I am now. My gratitude towards the boss is inexhaustible, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to say I love the members of [Homura]. I don't know my real family, but I consider all of you to be one. And my family members have their own friends, lovers, and relatives. If adding all of them up together results in taking up this entire country, then I deeply love this country."

"Don't you feel like wanting to run away…?"

"Not in the slightest."

Guido sighed. How pleasant it would have been if the man declined right there.

"Hey, stupid disciple, once this mission is over, how about you give yourself a title."

"What is a spy supposed to do with a title?"

Quite the unexpected and reasonable doubt, but Guido ignored him.

"[The world's strongest spy], how about it?"

What a childish naming sense he had. However, the other party unexpectedly enjoyed it.

"Marvelous—"

The departure would happen immediately. The man put away the brush, putting on his suit, setting up his weapons inside. A wrist clock, hidden wire used for strangulation, a fountain pen with a voice recorder, a razor inside the collar and long needles hidden in his sleeves. After the man's preparation ended in less than five minutes, Guido exhaled his words.

"Off you go."

The man's eyes opened wide. He seemed to have been caught off guard by these words he didn't hear often.

"—I'm going."

The relationship between them partially opened up, the man having a slightly bashful smile.

1 Written as Flame, blaze

2 Written as Heat haze