" of you scurrying around on my stomping grounds!" Akira paced back and forth, irritably shouting into her phone. "Who the hell do you take me for? You lookin' down on me, huh?! If warnings don't stick, I'll gladly come over to give a full educational course!"

  Erina sat on the couch near the window, holding an ice pack to her bruised stomach as she watched the tiny patriarch huff and puff. Her torn left stocking had been removed and replaced with bandages for her cut. A small mint green adhesive bandage decorated her cheek.

  They were in one of Akira's offices on the Reverse side of the world. Dark red carpet covered the floor and the furniture was crafted from dark mahogany and cashmere. Erina silently noted the painting on the wall opposite the window—a replica of the larger mural in Hiro's office.

  "Please calm down, Akira-san," said the male voice on the phone. "Outbreaks have been reported all over Japan. As much as we wished to avoid intruding on your territory, many of the pests in the area survived by retreating where we were unwilling to go. As such, we took it upon ourselves to handle matters. It wouldn't do to ask you to clean our mess for us, after all."

  "Ahh, so you're pest control experts who break into someone's home, spray poison everywhere, and don't even have the courtesy to knock, is that it?" Sarcasm dripped from Akira's voice. "Don't forget to bill me while you're at it."

  "We were on a tight schedule." The man's voice was taut as a rope. "I'd hoped to avoid encountering you or your men at all."

  "So you can keep sculking in the dark."

  "So that you wouldn't be entangled in our affairs. You have my sincerest apologies for Asayuki's behavior."

  "Ooh! Sorry words from the mighty ace of the Association? Kyaaa~! All I ever wanted for my birthday!" Akira dropped the act, glaring out the window over her sector. "And after trampling through my territory last year too?"

  "…Of course," said the man. Erina could feel him biting a remark back. "I will arrange for amends. We can… reconsider the terms."

  "How about I let you in on a little secret?" said Akira. "You can't throw money at all your problems and expect them to go away."

  "Naturally."

  "Stay out of my business and focus your efforts elsewhere. Shinjuku will take care of itself, no thanks to you." Akira turned away from the window, her gold eyes narrowed and severe. "Do you know why we take the little finger first? A man can't truly grip a sword without it."

  There was no reply from the other side.

  "Careful how much you twist it. The body will take notice eventually."

  Akira hung up. She dropped into the chair at her desk with a sigh, rummaging in her pocket. She carelessly threw a lighter onto the table and put a cigarette in her mouth. Her chair tilted onto its back legs as she kicked back and put her boots up, eyes closed and her hands behind her head.

  Erina realized Akira had opened one eye at her. She hastily got up. In this situation, was she supposed to…?

  She took the lighter from the table. Akira closed her eyes again. Erina took that as a sign that she was doing the right thing. Cupping her hand around the end of the cigarette, Erina clicked the lighter until smoke rose, and then she sat back down.

  Akira exhaled, her shoulders loosening. "If you don't like it, open the window."

  Erina did. The smoke seemed to beeline straight for it and exit of its own volition.

  "Excuse me," said Erina. "That man sounded familiar."

  "You survived Asayuki, right?"

  What a choice of words, thought Erina. Survived, not fought.

  "She was probably in touch with him," said Akira. "The name's Darius Lohrs of the Binding Association."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "What is that? Who are they?"

  "The simplest explanation? Wizard police." Akira opened her eyes. "The institution's been around for ages. They're the ones who intervene to keep the Surface and the Reverse apart. They scrub info from the net, make cover stories, and exorcize youkai who raise too much of a fuss on the other side. Any hint of magic on the Surface—you can bet they'll be there to make sure anyone who saw anything doesn't breathe a word of it." She snarled through her teeth, "Pains in my ass."

  "I-I see," said Erina.

  "The woman you met was Asayuki Saya." Akira took another long drag, her eyes on the ceiling. "Sword Saint, they call her. Unrivalled in the blade. The deadliest youkai slayer in the world. The Association doesn't call her in for anything besides total extermination, they barely have a leash on her. The only reason she's never been fired is because she's too damn good to replace—sometimes you just need a really big hammer for really big problems. It's a miracle and a half you held out as long as you did. She must've figured one measly trash mob wasn't worth going all out for."

  "But," said Erina. "You seemed like you were even with her."

  "Hah!" Akira's bark of laughter was mirthless. "They call the Association's top dogs the Three Equalizers. The best magic killers in the world. Doesn't matter what kind of magic you cast or what ability you possess—we're all equally helpless before them. That sword of hers… what did she call it? Nanashi? Negates all magic, no exceptions."

  "Nanashi…" Erina blinked. "She named her sword No Name?"

  "Strong doesn't always mean creative."

  "I… see. Then, Darius—"

  "Is someone you never want to meet." The front legs of Akira's chair hit the ground. She took the cigarette out of her mouth and leaned forward. "You listen here, and you listen well. Never, ever confront Darius. You see him, you run for your life. Don't even think about fighting. Not for a single second. Got that?"

  Erina quickly nodded. "Yes, sir."

  Akira nodded back. Seemingly satisfied, she leaned back in her chair.

  "But, Akira…" Erina dawdled for a moment before deciding there was no harm in at least asking. "Why is he so dangerous?"

  She put the cigarette back in her mouth. The orange smolder on its end burned hot and bright as Akira's chest expanded. Another cloud filled the air in front of her, and even then, it took her several seconds more to finally answer.

  "He's their number one since the second he signed on years ago," she said. Scorn dripped from her voice. "The perfect icon of a protector of humanity with a one hundred percent flawless track record. 'Gunslinging Guardian Angel.' 'Hero of Light.' They say he's so powerful, he locked his powers away under five layers of seals of his own volition and he's still the nastiest piece of work you'll ever meet. However strong you imagine he is, you're not imagining hard enough. And on top of all that, he's got two Affinities." Catching Erina's blank look, she pursed her lips. "Don't tell me you've never heard that word before."

  "Um…"

  "'Course not. Specialization? Primary ability? Most people only pick up a couple magic fields in their lives, and of them, they only really get good with one. Something that comes to define them as much as they come to define it through the way they use it. A concept they align with on a fundamental level. Their Affinity. Am I ringing any bells?"

  "I see," said Erina. "So that is the term for it."

  Akira nodded. "Some got it basic, like fire or water magic. Others push their Affinity so far that how they use it in practice has almost nothing to do with what it really is. It's best to do that, really—info goes a long way, at least as much as brute strength. The less you show your hand, the better. The more you know about your enemy, the more weaknesses you can dig up and pry open to beat 'em down."

  Erina made small noises as she listened along. "But Darius?"

  "Two, like I said. A unicorn is about as rare as having two. The only ones I've heard who have 'em and are still kicking are the Four Horsemen."

  "Four Horse—?"

  "Word on the street is he calls his Radiant Light and Absolute Zero." Akira ignored Erina's question entirely.

  Erina hesitated briefly. If Akira didn't want to talk, she couldn't exactly force her. She switched tracks. "Radiant Light sounds like light magic."

  "Gee, ya think?"

  "And absolute zero… do you mean temperature?"

  "Pfft, you wish it was that easy." Akira shook her head with a grin, but all levity vaporized in an instant as she locked eyes with her again. "It's void. The ultimate element. He has the power to erase. Any attack, any spell, any concept you can wrap your head around—he can up and delete it. Whatever you throw at him vanishes, whatever shield you have does nothing. The strongest mage in the world, who's mastered the most powerful element in the world…"

  Erina gulped.

  "Disgusting. Some people are just born with a winning lottery ticket." A dark smile crossed Akira's face. "Know what's the worst part? Asayuki's still the deadlier one."

  "How is that possible?"

  Akira opened her mouth, but a knock on the door drew their attention before she could answer.

  "Enter!" said Akira.

  "Boss." One of her goons entered the office. He spared Erina a passing glance—she broke eye contact and lowered her head—and then bowed to his patriarch. "The body has been processed and moved as requested."

  "Wonderful news! Get out, I was in the middle of something."

  "Yes, boss."

  As the man left, Akira took one last drag of her cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray on her table. She turned to Erina. "I need you at the lab. Can you walk?"

  "I… can walk." Erina was tired. Her mana pool was all but dried up. What little she recovered over time went straight into the slowest, most basic regeneration spell. Her leg, her stomach, her back, her arms, her head—she was hurting all over. "Will I be required to cast something?"

  Akira frowned. "…Been a long day for you, huh?" She waved in the general direction of the door. "Fine, I get it. Get yourself home and see me there first thing tomorrow."

  "Thank you, Akira." Erina got up and bowed, immensely relieved. "I will see you tomorrow."

  "Yeah, yeah."