The great nation of Si Lvain, that held great tracts of land and power, and was said to rule over half the world.
Its capital Rosario posessed of a worthy dignity that didnât put its fame of being the worldâs greatest to shame,
In a corner of the capitalâs eastern ward.
A squalid, lawless place even if within the capital, it was also commonly known as the slums
There was a two story building that was right at home in the townscape, blending into the scenery
It was the headquarters of the assassin group Black Mariaâs Third Squad.
â⌠hmmâ
Shizuru, who was sleeping on one side of the room, was roused awake by the morning light shining through the window and the song of the little birds.
The first thing he felt as he woke up was the touch of soft fur coming from behind his back to the back of his head.
He sat up and turned his head around, there was no need to check, Lady was there.
ââ good morning, my dearâ
Her voice felt good, clear, like the sound of a musical instrument.
Itâs not that Shizuru was an early riser, just that she was especially early in the mornings.
Yet Lady would always wait for Shizuru to wake, just like this.
As his self-proclaimed other half, she would of course think that he should at least get a little more sleep.
And above all, Lady loved the time that she could spend close to Shizuru.
âMorning Lady. Itâs a nice morning again, today, isnât itâ
âAhahaha. Whatâs with thatâ
Shizuru smiled wryly as he stretched his hand and stroked Lady.
Her pleased groan resonated with his spine. Shizuru then got up.
âLetâs get breakfast ready. Iâm going to the market, what about you?â
âIn that case I will goâ
The great wolf was as tall as an adult man even on all fours.
If she went outside like that, she would be certain to cause an uproar.
âReally? Then, pleaseâ
But Shizuru didnât show any unease toward Ladyâs offer and nodded.
It was as if this was an everyday happening.
In actual fact, he did entrust Lady with morning shopping everyday.
Not long after Shizuru nodded, her shape began to flicker like a heat haze.
Several seconds passed, and the black wolfâs form vanished without a trace.
In its place, there was a black-haired woman.
â Not only did the noble magic beast Lady understand human language, she was also able to use âBlackâ magic.
Among the eight colors of magic, Black was especially diverse. Something to change oneâs own form was only a simple matter.
However, as should be expected, every time Shizuru saw that form, he would unconsciously display a strange countenance.
â⌠canât you stop modelling yourself on Richelieu already? Itâs just that, whenever I see it I get chills down my spine ⌠I canât calm downâ
The suit she was wearing on her was white instead of black.
Her long slitted eyes would open instead of close, displaying their golden pupils.
These negative-image-like differences were there, but the shape of Ladyâs face and the lines of her body were completely the same as those of their boss Richelieu.
Shizuru weakly pleaded to Lady, but the response was as he could imagine.
âIâm sorry my dear. Boss and Cascaâs likenesses are the ones I can imagine most easily. But to walk around the slums as a girl that look like Casca will only invite troubleâ
âYesâ
Lady gave a graceful bow, then turned on her heels and left the room.
Each and every action of hers were again the same as Richelieuâs, making Shizuru smile wryly once again.
Not long after Lady left the room, Shizuru changed his clothes, washed his face, and opened the windows.
As he was immersed in the completely ingrained morning routine, he noticed a dull thud from outside the window.
As Shizuru lazily put on the top of his suit, he looked down and saw Lady carrying the shopping basket.
Meanwhile, there was a dirty looking man groaning at her feet.
He was probably making passes at Lady and got some severe punishment.
Though, since Shizuru had cautioned her to try to not kill anyone outside of work, there had been no murder incidents.
In that condition he must have had a few bones broken, the physician in him thought as he shook his head.
But still
âGetting into a fight this early in the morning and not even one minute after getting out of the house, the slumâs running normally today, huhâ
âGood that things are running as usual,â said Shizuru sarcastically as he stretched, seeing the scene that was by no means peaceful and quiet.
Just how much of a safe place was the place known as Japan.
Now that heâs gotten used to living here, he understood that more and more.
Then Shizuru walked up to the table that was one of the few pieces of furniture in the dreary room.
They were easy-to-carry goods, due to his job as a town physician, but for Shizuru, who could wield White, Healing magic, they were mostly for show.
If pressed to say what was important, it would then be the thing attached to its outside.
The one with the handle and scabbard made to disappear into the design.
The knife that had a blade about 10 centimeters long with a longer handle, which, if one were to look closely, was warped.
His most prized possession with a cutting edge several times sharper than a razor, that had a blade so delicate that it had to be sharpened again each time itâs used.
When Shizuru picked it up by the handle, he felt some blood and fat still sticking to it.
Which reminds me, when I cut with it last night, I thought I felt it hitting bone, he thought.
â⌠I have to sharpen it againâ
The voice that came out of himself was heavier than he thought.
Ever since Shizuru was picked up seven years ago and took on the job, he always felt heavy after killing someone.
Especially someone he knew, someone who he, as a physician, had examined and treated before.
He was definitely not good at this.
This was what Shizuru always thought the day after finishing a job.
Therefore Shizuru, the assassin group Black Mariaâs third squad sub-leader Shizuru, would mutter each day.
Every day, every morning, every time, he would repeat these words.
Today, he would again repeat it once more.
âAaaaah ⌠I should get out of here alreadyââŚâ