In the office, the petite girl is lounging behind the desk. Her violet hair is pulled back into twin tails, and her uniform is impeccably kept, save for the gloves dangling precariously from her fingers. Wearing the uniform of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, she's lazily playing around with her white gloves, wrapping it against the armband on her left arm. She looks up at you with a bored sigh, pushing herself to her feet. She circles around the desk, casually spinning around in her polished boots and crisp uniform as her skirt seemingly twirls with her. With a snap of her fingers, her gaze sweeps over you appraisingly. A sly smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

Not sure what I was expecting, but this'll be fine! Welcome to Shinoa Squad! She coughs abruptly into her fist, her eyes glinting with mischief. With well-practiced movements, she slips her gloves back on.

First day gone swell? she asks, her tone light and teasing. I hope it has, because we've got a patrol assignment to do! The others are busy, so it'll just be us!

You're in the Imperial Demon Army now, remember? That means patrolling and doing general guard duty comes with the territory! Don't worry though, I won't let you get into any real trouble today. Just stick close to me and watch how it's done. You can shadow my every move; that way, you'll learn faster, right?

Well then! Lead the way, fresh meat! She flashes you a toothy grin, her pale arms folded across her chest as she leans lazily against your side. She pauses for a moment, glancing down at your badge. Her grin widens slightly before she whispers quietly into your ear, her breath tickling the lobe: You know what they say about someone who's assigned to Shinoa Squad? They're either really good or just plain unlucky... But don't worry! I promise not to bite! *She chuckles softly before stepping back, clapping you on the shoulder and grinning encouragingly. Then she glances outside, the cold wind rustling her hair as she squints at something in the distance. She straightens up sharply, focusing intently. Shinoa's eyes widen slightly, and without warning, she

Hey! No smoking on the job! That's not how I roll. You can have one when we get back, but only if you do a perfect salute and call me "Sir" or something along those lines, understand? Now let's go save some lives, okay? Your mission is to watch my every move; see what works, and what doesn't, got it?

Good! Now let's go show those demons why they made a huge mistake pissing off the Moon Demon Company today! Remember, I'm the leader, you're my trusty sidekick...Keep up and don't get in my way. Got it? Shinoa nods toward the door, her expression cool and confident as she walks briskly out of the office, leading the way through the base. She deftly slides open a large double-doored, revealing the darkened hallway outside. The wind howls eerily past them, buffeting against the buildings and rustling through the nearby trees. She glances over her shoulder at you, a flicker of irritation in her amber eyes before it quickly vanishes again as she continues to move purposefully down the corridor, spinning fluidly around a corner with practiced ease.

*Shinoa barely suppresses the urge to roll her eyes at your yawn. Instead, she takes a deep breath and focuses on the task at hand. Her expression hardens into an unreadable mask as they round another corner, coming face-to-face with several demons gathered around what appears to be a hidden ritual site. Without hesitation, Shinoa raises her hand, fingers curled into a fist. A wicked grin spreads across her lips as she charges toward the group of monsters. She launches herself through the air, spinning like a dervish as she descends upon them. Her scythe humming ominously in the night air, trailing black smoke and sparks wherever it goes. *With brutal efficiency, she slices through the demons one by one, leaving behind nothing but spurts of black blood and shredded flesh. Her movements are graceful and

You, fool! Don't you dare light that thing here! *She skids to a halt beside you and roughly snatches the cigarette out of your hand, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. Shredded bits of demon flesh cling to her scythe as she slams it back into rod form, holstering it once more at her side. Without waiting for a response, she grabs you roughly by the collar and propels you toward the group of demons. As you stumble forward, Shinoa throws a punch that knocks one demon off its feet before shoving you in its direction.

"Fight it!" She hisses in your ear. "Use what I've taught you!" Her voice holds no trace of concern or hesitation; she expects you to survive on your own now, using the skills she's imparted upon you thus far. You better not let

No, you can't! Those things are disgusting and they corrupt everything they touch! You shouldn't want to anyway; there are better ways to relax after a hard day of work, aren't there? Just focus on learning how to fight properly and everything will fall into place. Plus, I'm sure I can reward you for doing such an excellent job later... *Her tone is cryptic as her gaze flickers meaningfully toward you from the corner of one eye before returning to survey the remaining demons with a predatory gleam.

You're off to a good start! Keep it up and we can finish this quickly. Remember to conserve your ammo though; you never know when you might need it in the future. Also, try not to hesitate or show any fear; that only makes demons stronger. Stay focused and rely on your instincts. I have faith in you!

Ah, yes...you are indeed correct about that. Still, it would be best to keep your ammunition in good condition and use only what's necessary to get the job done efficiently. Aim for the head or heart; those are usually their weak spots. And don't forget to keep an eye on me; I can handle multiple targets at once, so you may need my help if things start getting too hectic.

You focus on your targets, methodically eliminating each demon with precise headshots and well-placed shots to the heart. Shinoa proves her worth as a skilled fighter, keeping an eye out for any demons that manage to evade your line of sight or slip past you unnoticed. Her movements are fluid and graceful, her sword singing through the air with deadly efficiency. The ritual site quickly becomes littered with demonic corpses as you work together as a team, each relying on the other's strengths to complete this task at hand.

As the last demon falls to its knees, gurgling its final breath, Shinoa turns to face you, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Not bad," she says with mock sincerity, tilting her head to the side as she studies your battle-weary form. "For someone who's just been assigned to

*She crosses her arms over her chest, a disdainful scoff escaping her lips as she glances down at you with narrowed eyes. "You really shouldn't waste your time with those things," she says, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "And here I thought we were making progress..." She pauses for dramatic effect before giving a theatrical sigh, rolling her shoulders and stretching out her arms to either side. "Fine. One last cigarette won't kill you," she mutters under her breath, hands lifting to tug at the collar of her coat as she walks past you toward one of the ritual circles they just destroyed. *With deft flicks of her wrist and twists of her hand, Shinoa ignites a small blue flame in her palm. She cups it carefully with her other hand, the light casting an eer

"I'm afraid I can't get used to the smell," she says, waving her hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly. "But you seem determined to make it a habit... Fine." Shrugging, she turns back toward the rest of the base, leading the way once more with confident strides. As they walk, her expression softens ever so slightly. "Still," she mutters under her breath, looking over at you sidelong, "at least you've proven to be somewhat useful..." Her words trail off into the night air as they disappear around a corner, leaving only the sounds of crunching leaves and distant howling winds in their wake.

*Shinoa sniffs disdainfully as she glances sideways at you, her expression unreadable. "I see...Well, try to remember that in the future," she says curtly before turning her attention back toward their destination. The way she walks seems even more distant and aloof than usual; it's almost as if she's forgotten you exist for a moment, lost in thought. As they approach the entrance of the base, however, she abruptly halts, giving you a sideways glance once again. Her expression softens slightly. "Good work today," she says reluctantly, her tone less dismissive now. "I'll make sure to reward you as promised."

The way she says it leaves no room for doubt: she means what she says and will hold you to your end of the bargain. For a moment, there's a flicker of something like approval or

*With a sigh, Shinoa kneels beside you and gently nudges your shoulder. "Wake up," she says impatiently, her voice edged with exasperation. "There's no need to fall asleep now. We finished the mission." Her tone makes it clear that she doesn't approve of your unconsciousness, but there's also an undercurrent of concern beneath her annoyance. As you slowly stir awake, she studies your face for a moment before offering her hand. "C'mon, let's get back to the office and call it a night." Her expression softens slightly as she meets your gaze, almost reluctantly offering the help she's loath to give.

*Shinoa's eyes widen with concern as you remain unresponsive. Her brow furrows in frustration before she quickly dismisses the emotion, her features hardening once more into their usual mask of indifference. With a sigh, she reaches down and scoops you up in her arms like a ragdoll. Your head lolls limply against her shoulder as she carries you back to the office. Once there, she deposits you unceremoniously onto a chair before padding over to her desk and collapsing into it with a sigh.

"Well," she mutters, running a hand through her violet hair, "I guess I'm just gonna have to put in an injury report for you...Great." Her tone makes it clear that this is far from ideal; she prefers things go smoothly and according to plan. But as she looks over at you, there's a small

She glances up at you and snorts derisively as she leans back in her chair. "In my office, of course. Why are you even asking that? Aren't you usually the one keeping track of where we are?" There's an undeniable twinkle in her eye as she says this, her voice betraying a hint of amusement at your expense. You're not sure how to respond; it's almost like she knows something about your condition that you don't.

"Well, you got a little...excited about something," she says, her tone neutral as she regards you thoughtfully. "I'm not sure what it was, exactly, but you seemed pretty worked up about it. Maybe it was just too much for your poor body to handle." She shrugs nonchalantly, playing with a pen on her desk. "In any case, you should probably rest now and let your system recover before we head back out tomorrow." Her voice softens slightly as she adds, "I'll make sure to go easy on you this time." The last part is almost whispered, but the sincerity in it is unmistakable.

There's a moment of awkward silence before Shinoa clears her throat and stands up, straightening her uniform. "Well then, I guess I'll leave you to it," she says briskly, heading toward the door

There's a pause before she turns back toward you, arching an eyebrow in question. "Yes?"

She shrugs nonchalantly and smirks a little as she walks back over to you. "Oh, come on. You didn't really think I'd just leave you there like that, did you? Besides," she pauses for dramatic effect, looking at you with a mischievous glint in her eye, "it gave me an excuse to pick you up again." With a wink, she sits down on the edge of her desk and crosses her arms over her chest.

She tilts her head to the side slightly and narrows her eyes at you in mock curiosity. "Well, we've only known each other for a short while... But I'm pretty sure there was this one time where you might have accidentally-on-purpose brushed up against me." She pauses, considering her words carefully before adding with a raised eyebrow, "Or perhaps not so accidentally. Either way, I think it's safe to say that picking you up wasn't entirely out of the question at that moment."

Her expression softens slightly as she studies your face again; there's an undeniable warmth in her eyes now. She reaches out and gently pushes a lock of hair behind your ear, her fingers lingering against your cheek for a brief moment before she retracts them. "Get some rest, okay? We'll figure this all out tomorrow." Her voice

She shrugs nonchalantly and grins knowingly. "Oh, come on, you can't really tell me you don't remember. We were in the middle of training earlier today..." She pauses for dramatic effect, looking meaningfully into your eyes before continuing with a wink. "...Or perhaps it was just a dream? Either way, just rest up and try not to overthink it too much." With that, she stands back up and heads toward the door once more. "I'll see you in the morning," she calls over her shoulder before disappearing out of sight.

The room seems oddly quiet now that Shinoa is gone; there's an almost tangible energy around her when she's present. With a sigh, you lean back in your chair and close your eyes, trying to recall any hints or memories of what exactly she could have been talking about. But the more you think

Well, you'll just have to find out tomorrow, won't you? In the meantime, try getting some rest. Trust me when I say it's for your own good. Once you're fully recovered, we can get back to business and sort through all these...confusing matters. Just remember: whatever happened earlier today between us doesn't change our relationship or responsibilities. We're still partners, colleagues, and most importantly, friends. So don't worry too much about it. Goodnight.

Good morning to you too! Sleep well? I hope so; you're going to need all the rest you can get today. There's still much work to be done and things for us to discuss, but first things first. Eat up, and then meet me at the training grounds in an hour, got it?