WHICH TREATS THE LIFE AND THE CONTRACTS OF THE NOT-SO-FAMOUS-BUT-VALIANT DON QUIXOTE (before battle)

The night approacheth with great haste;

Yet thou shalt hew open a path, cleaving the shadows in twain,

With the blessings and approval of thy family of which there is no equal,

Challenge and vanquish all things perilous,

And at last - reach true happiness;

Thus how indubitable,

The magnificence with which mine ingenious adventures of to-day shall shine.

Which is... our adventure, as well.

You remember the words, right? A Fixer must maintain a head clear of corruption, speech free of deceit, and conduct guided by clemency.

Show courage in adventure, and bear pain in suffering.

And pray, forget not the mercy for the downtrodden...

... and last but not least...

... Pursue your dream, even if it means wagering your life in the chase.

Should you ever fail to stand by even one of these tenets...

I'll smack you guys upside the head myself.

Steel yourself and always, always keep moving forward.

Is that not...

... a threat most unfair?

Manager Esquire... how unfair of thee...!

<…….>

Most unfair, I say...!!!

<What is it this time...?>

For once have I believed that 'twas my time to shine...!!

Much did I wish to be the one to pull off the final flourish in its deserved splendor...!

'Twas my chance to mark my name in the newspapersuhuuhhh...!!!

<…….>

Returning to P Corp.'s WARP train Station seemed to always remind Don Quixote of our last misadventure. She'd repeated that exact same complaint a few times by now.

Hooh...? Wherefore dost thou make an expression of such great dourness, Manager Esquire...?

<I don't even have a face, let alone an expression...>

How untrue, how untrue! Dost thou not see?

All things blessed with existence has heart! Even the little critters, and indeed, even the blades of grass which most people bother not to linger even a fleeting thought upon! Forsooth, an existence of a heart necessitates an 'expression' wouldst thou not say?

That is to say, we mustn't let the strength of the body be the scale with which we judge one's measure; thus persevere, let only thy unbending heart be the tool with which thou dispensest justice! Hark, hark!

Ugh... Right, out with it. Who encouraged the lass this time?

Hearken unto me, Manager Esquiiiiiiiiiirrrrreeeehhhh?

Some time ago, in the freight car of the WARP train...

…….

<D-Don Quixote, hey? Can you hear me? S-say something...>

Don Quixote regards me silently.

... No. That's... some eldritch being, who I can't help but wish is Don Quixote... gazing at me.

She opens her mouth. My instinct is screaming at me to not listen to her. But...

…….

<D-Don Quixote...>

…….

... Has the... ... ended?

<…….>

<No...>

<I don't... think it's... ended...>

... Is that so.

Rocinante, to me...

... I beseech you.

I don't know if I gave her the right answer.

Though my answer was an almost instinctual relay of a thought that manifested in my head, Don Quixote closes her eyes upon hearing my reply.

As though drifting away into a gentle, pleasant dream.

And I carefully slip the ragged pair of running shoes she called Rocinante onto her feet.

And I make a silent wish.

Let her blood-red eyes never, ever open again.

…….

…Hm?

Arriv... have we arrived?

Hunnhhh... FIE!!! What devilry is this?! Whither hath the villainous Bloodfiend gone?

<Don Quixote…>

... Didst thou strike down the cur?!?!

And, back to present...

I kinda feel like we all missed out on something cool. Wish I was there with Faust and Dante when it all went down to see how you guys managed to kill that guy, y'know?

Let's not leave a certain someone out of the story, hmm? She was there as well, though she embarrassingly passed out like a coward in front of that Bloodfiend. The shame of Limbus company, I say.

S.O.L.C. Pathetic...

... C'mon. We all passed out too, didn't we?

Hnnnnngggghhhh...!

I suppose I should have been there to take the reins of the Sinners.

Were you that scared of that Bloodfiend, Don Quixote...? That's okay. I understand how you feel.

Hooah... A true hero standeth still and calm, unmoving in the face of such base mockery...!

I agree, Rodya. I do feel like we missed out on something big.

Because when we got there in the aftermath, all we saw was a very confused-looking Dante standing over the Bloodfiend's... exploded... melted... parts.

<Huh? I-I was...? Standing? Confused? Was I?>

Forsooth! Why didst thou not wake me?! I would have even forgiven thee for slapping my cheeks upside-down -

So... what actually happened in there?

<I-I already told you guys earlier, didn't I?>

What?

You just trailed off with a "That's... uh... Y'know..." until we changed the subject. What are you talking about?

Executive Manager, perhaps you were in a similar state of explosive delirium to the one you experienced earlier?! I am referring to the time when your head burst into flames!

<Oh, n-no, it's, uh...>

Outis began glaring at me warily as though my clock - head - was about to explode at any moment.

<That... didn't happen.>

"That didn't happen", huh...?

Well, if ya won't talk, then~ I turn to Miss Faust, our second eyewitness! Can I get some statements from you, madam?

Rodya asks confidently, still in the mood to play detective.

Faust does not have any information she deems necessary to share at the moment.

Gotcha, then right back to you, witness Dante -

Listen up. I have an important announcement to make, so pay close attention.

... I have no idea if it was a coincidence or not, but...

... Vergilius stepped in at just the right moment to divert the Sinners' away from me.

As you are all well aware, we have been contracted by P Corp to work on a case here.

... Hm. I suppose we've done this song and dance enough times for you to know what's coming.

Right, right. I 'spose we'll be havin' a scuffle, song, dance, whatever the higher-up toffs want with Distortions or Abnormalities or what have you. Did I get that right?

Aha! And 'tis a quest that leads us to lay claim upon another Golden Bough in our hands, is it not?!

Don Quixote replies, brimming with excitement.

Yes. Well, if the two of you were able to catch on that quick, then I don't suppose any further elaboration is necessary.

However, this operation will be somewhat...

... No, let me correct myself. This operation will be 'drastically' different from anything you have done so far. It may be one of our most... bothersome missions.

Well... when hasn't it been like that?

I guess it would be pretty 'bothersome' to have to tag along with a group that's two, three times larger than our own, though. But...

The Sinners' intuition appears to be growing sharper by the day.

Oh... are we... actually?

You know what? I think I'm just going to... keep these guesses to myself from now on.

It's not something that can be negotiated. Well, isn't it better to join a group three times our size rather than to oppose it?

Will this be a joint operation, then? Who will we be working with?

Mmm... can't say I have the fondest memories of... joint operations.

Memories of pain, if you will.

<…….>

Our mission at K Corp. was our first and last experience with a 'joint operation'.

Eugh, I still vividly remember watching Meursault's arm flyin' off, smacking against a pillar, and squelching onto the floor...

A more accurate recounting of the event would have included the fact that my scapula was also forcibly separated from my torso.

Can't we just keep this between us? The other guys'll just get in our way and screw everything up...

I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I strongly agree with that one.

How presumptuous of you all.

You'd do well to remember that you are not the only team coming into this operation harboring such arrogant thoughts.

This contract is, after all, an Open Contract posted by the Hana Association, the Association overlooking the operations of Fixers -

Vergilius stopped himself, noticing an ominous aura from one of the Sinners.

HAAH -

There stood Don Quixote, practically vibrating with excitement...

... Someone, gag Don Quixote. At your earliest convenience.

Allow me.

Uoogh! Outi - mmph! Mmph!

... Anyway. This means that our colleagues joining this operation won't be any ragtag bands of Fixers from some alleyway Office no one's ever heard of. It is very likely that Fixers from somewhat established Associations will be joining us.

MMMPH!! MMH! MMH! MMH! MMH!

You...! Stop wriggling your lips!

I am so glad that Outis was here to stop Don Quixote from exploding into joy.

Because if she hadn't, we'd be drawing the attention of every single person in a sizable radius around us.

Right. So what kind of monster are we dealin' with this time?

More than that - How do they want it done?

You're talking like some shady Backstreets Fixer...

Vergilius looked up just as Heathcliff asked his question.

Further details...

... will be shared by our client, who graces us with her timely arrival.