I adjusted my clothing, pulling at the slightly loose fabric. I was in the typical attire of a low-level Squire. I had on a dark blue button-up and black pants. A standard issue plate carrier compressed my shirt tight to my chest. It was marked with the Blue Crusade's symbol and held 'my' badge.

A long dark trench coat covered my small frame from the wind and freezing rain, marked with the Blue Crusade symbol along the back and arms. I knew about as well as anyone how intimidating seeing the coat could be. It had the added benefit of EMP threading, so I would be fully protected from pulse grenades if I had the misfortune of being hit by one.

It also had a built-in ECM weave, so smart bullets would have a hard time hitting me. Not that anyone even used smart-bullets anymore. They were far too expensive per shot compared to normal bullets, so only an assassin or corpo operator might use a couple. Even then, it was iffy. There was no point in shooting away your money.

Seeing as the shoemaker just set me as a fresh Squire in the records, I didn't have any of the fancy silver armor that higher-level Squires, Inquisitors, and Crusaders had. Probably for the best. That stuff definitely had trackers built into it.

Shinobu had even managed to get a Blue Crusade baseball hat, which I used to keep my annoying hair back and out of my face. It was the same dark blue nearly black as the rest of my attire. My Slashers hat might have some competition now... if I got out of here alive.

It was seriously impressive Shinobu managed to get a full kit in such a short amount of time, to the point I was half worried he flatlined some random Squire and stole their clothes. Doubt he went that far. Unless he was trying to set me up.

This was it. Blue Crusade Inc's Little Yukoto Precinct sat just across from me. The towering structure was an ever-intimidating sight. Unsurprisingly, the streets were barren of gangers and homeless. The silver gleams of Crusade armor were everywhere. I could feel countless eyes as if they knew.

I shifted from foot to foot. Everything would be fine. It had to be. I took a deep, calming breath and pushed all other thoughts to the back of my head. All my focus needed to be here and now. I kept a casual jaunt and headed for the door.

Several Squires chatted at the door, though none of them even gave me a glance. I kept my head slightly tilted down and headed in. Confidence was key here, so I didn't let my abundant nerves slow me down or show. I pushed through the front doors of the Blue Crusade precinct.

Why was I so nervous? I hadn't been this anxious since some of my first B&Es, and even then… I felt hyped up on caffeine or something, but I hadn't consumed much before this. Was it hunger? Or did I not fully sleep off whatever was hitting me back in Ichiban? Just- just focus. The sooner this was done, the sooner I could go back home to safety.

The front door entered into a small lobby with several hallways leading off of it. As per usual, I'd already memorized the entire layout of the building thanks to Eidetic Schematic. The layout was a little weird, as if the architects intentionally made it confusing to dissuade a slag from breaking in. Or to keep one trapped in.

Either way, having it memorized allowed me to walk with purpose, which led back to being confident. No one but security stopped someone when they look like they have something important to do. Although no one stopped me, they were watching me. I could feel the icy caress of insight all over my body as if they were just waiting for the right moment to attack-

I was just being paranoid... People were moving about in a constant flow inside of the lobby, headed from one place to the next. No one was even looking at me… I didn't remain idle for long either and immediately set out for one of the many hallways leading out of the lobby. I resisted a yawn and walked through it, rubbing at my eyes.

I followed just close enough behind a group of Squires to make it look like I was part of their group but not too close to catch their attention too much. We passed through several security gates, the Blue Crusade badge acting like one of those IRF cards. Every time one of the doors closed behind me, I could feel my heart speed up bit by bit. My exits were slowly but surely being cut off.

They turned down a different hallway, towards the armory I think, so I continued by myself. There was a noticeably high number of Aspirants moving through the halls around me, almost as if they were expecting a break-in. Were they waiting for me? No- no, that'd be crazy. Too much work for little ole' me.

The plethora of Aspirants wore simple clothes like I'd see of an off-duty Crusader. They weren't technically full members of the Crusade yet, being mere recruits till they showed their worth, but I would a hundred percent lose a fight against one. Most had been training for years for a chance at becoming a Squire.

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After shakily turning down several more halls, and passing by the various twisting rooms, I arrived at the low-security evidence lockup. Since there were so many crimes constantly happening all throughout Aythryn City, there was equally as much evidence. With so much, the evidence was divided between several different lockups based on type.

Low-security lockup was the place for mundane items that were considered 'safe'. No drugs, magic items, or weapons. They just had normal stuff here that might've been picked up at a crime scene, such as Shinobu's ring.

I stepped into the room. It was blessedly empty of onlookers. Heck, the place was barren except for a long counter on one side protected by a massive security barrier. The entire room felt like a cage. A jail cell. A perfectly laid trap-

I rubbed at my neck and moved to the counter. There was a bell there, which I lightly tapped. A couple seconds later, an elderly woman walked into the room on the opposite side of the counter. She gave me a long critical look as if nothing could get past her eyes. "Fill this out."

Grabbing the clipboard, I moved off to the side and slowly filled out the information on the requisition slip. Most of it was stuff I already knew thanks to the deets Shinobu sent me earlier and other things that were in my 'shoe'. The evidence I wanted was from the Idism Case.

After finishing up with it, I slid the clipboard back under the barrier. The Evidence Technician grabbed it and cast an all-knowing gaze over me as if she knew I wasn't really a Squire. Her beady little eyes watched me like a hawk, almost begging me to squirm and make the hunt a tad bit more interesting.

I tried to not let my nerves show and smiled at her, using what I learned from Honest Face to the best of my abilities. She looked down at the requisition slip with equal scrutiny before slowly moving back toward the evidence lockers. I knew better, her movements were just giving me time to admit to it all. To profess my guilt-

I sighed and leaned against the counter. Jitters passed all throughout my body. My head pulses with the erratic beats of my heart, sending wave after wave of pain through my brain. If I could just have a few moments to myself-

Bang!

I flinched back, going ramrod straight as the door behind me slammed open. I glanced over my shoulder, feeling my anxiety spike to unprecedented levels. An Inquisitor stepped into the small waiting room. They knew. He was here for me-

N-no, it was still too early to say. Maybe he was just here for evidence like me? It was seriously unhealthy to assume he was out to get me just because he showed up. This was the Blue Crusade building after all. It was only natural that an Inquisitor or Knight came by the evidence lock-up at some point.

Unlike Squires, Knights and Inquisitors wore the full silver armor one would expect of a knight from way back when. 'Course, it'd been innovated and improved substantially from then. As far as I understood it, each Crusader had personalized armor specifically made for them, though there were a few common points. For instance, Inquisitors all had eyes engraved over their heart. Fear dripped down my throat as said eye seemed to see right through me.

The Inquisitor in front of me had his silver armor over the thick Crusade trench coat most Crusader's liked to wear. Unlike some of the more outlandish designs I'd seen in my time, his armor was entirely focused on looking sleek. On being able to chase like a hound out of hell.

He only had on the silvery chest plate, bracers, and greaves covering him, unlike some of the super heavy-duty armor I'd seen. Two pistols sat slung in the utility belt at his waist. The most intimidating thing about him, other than his aura, was his head.

Just like every other higher-up of the Crusade, a smooth sheet of one-way silver covered his face entirely, blocking even the slightest micro expression from being read. Unlike some of the others, his was only a mask, allowing his black hair to peek out from the edges. Not that it helped the sheer intimidation factor the mask had.

The same longsword that every Inquisitor and Crusader wore as a sign of their office hung from his back. Each one of them was a form of vibro-blade that could easily cut through steel, flesh, and bone like it was mere butter. Heck, back when I was helping Iris, I'd seen firsthand how easily it could mess someone up.

The Inquisitor looked at me, or at least I think he looked at me. His mask tilted in my direction, making me stare at myself reflecting in it. It was as if I could instantly see every flaw with my disguise, and he was only waiting for me to admit my guilt-

I forced away a tremor and attempted to straighten my back even more, turning my head into the light slightly to make me seem more open. I also opened my eyes wider and looked toward him, though not too wide to scrunch my face. They were very simple tricks from Honest Face. "Sir."

He nodded at me, not saying anything. The silence stretched on. He was just waiting for me to stumble and outs myself. Just as the creeping temptation to bolt started to bleed into my mind, he casually moved to the wall and leaned up against it.

The elderly woman returned, drawing both of our attention. I nearly let out a sigh of relief when she carried in a box full of evidence and passed it to me. "Oh, Inquisitor Strumgard!"

Instantly, the sudden ease I felt turned to an ice-cold blade of fear. A barely suppressed shudder went down my spine. Chills filled me as if insight was warning me that death was but a moment away. I could feel countless blades cutting through me.

That fear ate away even quicker once the Inquisitor spoke in an icy voice. "Mary… how are you?"

The old woman laughed mockingly and seemed to watch me from her peripherals. "Preem, preem. Just helping out your Squire here."

"Oh?" The Inquisitor turned his covered face back toward me, exposing the guilt reflected in his mask. "My Shquire?"

Fuck.

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