The 100 Operators Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really love you

Chapter 24

1650 December 7 1096
BlackSteel Headquarter
Columbia

"Uh huh, you got it, boss." A female with long brown hair and fox ears puts away her phone with a sigh, "Tomorrow or the next day..." She mutters with a frown as she starts to walk to her room.

"Franka?" A female with shoulder-length light gray hair and 2 blue horns sticking out of her, appears from a door in front of the female fox ears, prompting the latter to lightly jump back with her fox tail puffing.

Franka relaxes her body as she hears her name before lightly glaring, "Lissy, how many times have I said to not scare me like that?"

"And how many times have I said to not call me that? Liskarm. L.I.S.K.A.R.M."

"Yeah yeah. Anyway, boss just called and dropped a job on me like a meteor. In or out?"

Liskarm sighs, "Details, remember?"

Franka blinks before lightly knocking on her while sticking her tongue out a bit, "Oopsy, come on, I'll explain it back in our dorm... Before that, take this!" She jumps on top of Liskarm with a Cheshire grin and begins to tickle her before the latter could react.

Liskarm tries to resist by keeping her mouth shut and swatting Franka's hand away, but soon she's giggling while writhing as she stands, "S-sto, stop! Fran-ka!

"This is payback for jumpscaring me!"

Franka keeps tickling Liskarm for a few more minutes before releasing her from her hold. The latter keeps giggling for a few more seconds before calming down then glares at the former.

Franka notices the glare but merely sticks her tongue out. She then starts to walk away, "Enough playing around for now. It's from Rhodes Island hiring us for backup for an operation in a few more days."

1700 December 7 1096
Ashura's Room
Inside Rhodes Island

"Nian, you stop..." He groans again as he presses his hand against his stomach, "I'm going to hurl..."

Nian's mouth twitches, "You have anything for that, Darling?"

"That? Oh, yeah, in the drawer over there... I think." He weakly points over to the top cabinet in the kitchen. Squeezing one last time, she stops then heads over to the cabinet.

"Nope, nope, nope, here it is." She takes a small bottle out then heads back, "Here you go Darling."

"Thank you..." Ashura pops one into his mouth then swallows it dry, prompting Nian to look at him with a raised eyebrow, though he doesn't notice it.

Melantha and Fang have recovered enough to keep their heads raised and they perk up after hearing what Nian said, "Can -?"

The door swings open, revealing Texas stepping inside with an awkward look that she tries to hide by putting on a poker face.

Ashura flinches at the sound as he looks at the wolf coming her way over to him, "Hey, Texas?"

Texas nods, before looking back at the door with an annoyed look, "Exusia, stop hiding by the door."

"Don't wanna." Exusia pops her head a bit to look inside, though she quickly hides when she sees him looking at her.

Texas sighs, "Wasn't this your idea...? I want to spend time with him, but we got packages to deliver." She quickly glances over to him, only to see a flinch and an awkward look, "Ashura? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a stomachache..." He looks away at the end, trying to not see the warmth and concern in Texas's eyes.

"Do you have the medicine for that? Want me to go get it?"

"No, it's fine since I already ate one." He lightly dangles the bottle before setting it down, not noticing Melantha and Fang eyeing it and trying to reach for it, "What brings you here?"

"Her legs, Darling," Nian cuts in with a joke, though it results in Ashura looking at her weirdly while Texas stifles her giggle.

"...That... Ok, bad pun. What made you to come here?" He tiredly asks as he glances over to Nian, "No more puns, please."

"Awww~ but they are fun Darling." Nian hugs him again while rubbing her chin on top of his hood.

Ashura opens his mouth at Nian but Texas cuts in, "Exusia wanted to talk to you, even though we should be delivering!" She raises her voice at the end while looking at the doorway.

"Who's side are you on anyway?!"

"The responsible side!"

He groans as he slowly gets up from his chair with Nian moving away when she feels him moving, "Alright, alright, I'll go talk to her outside..." Making the rest, even the incapacitated, try to stop him to no avail.

Exusia hears his words and jumps in the middle of the door with a panic expression, "No no no, you stay sitted!" She quickly heads over then drags him back to his chair with him not resisting.

After making sure Ashura is properly seated, silence envelops them all while a single person comes under fire by multiple eyes. Exusia sighs after a while, "Nothing important... I... Just wanted to know if this was the ruthless Doctor... Even though Kal'tsit told us about his... Situation." Texas nods as confirmation.

He slowly nods, "Yeah, I don't remember anything, just pieces that everyone else tells me... I used to be a huge asshole, huh," He bitterly mutters at the end.

"Yeah... Yeah but that was the past, so, so, everything is fine now," Exusia tries to cheer him up, but it comes out as awkward with her face twitching, prompting Ashura to shake his head.

"No, everybody suffered because of me, and someone needs to clean up my mess." He glances over to the mirror in the room then quietly sighs in relief, "Even if I don't want to."

All of them look at him with admiration in their eyes, even Melantha and Fang, though not for long as they focus on their stomach. Ashura tries to keep a straight face, though it shows some cracks.

Nian opens her mouth but gets interrupted as the door swings open again, making her click her tongue as she sees Shining and Nearl coming in.

"Ah, Ashura. We brought – what happened to you?" Shining lifts her bag up to eye level before lowering it down with a blink, "And the rest of you too?"

Ashura weakly waves his hand, "Just a minor stomach ache due to finishing some noodle soup." He tilts his head at the pot in front of him then puts his other hand on top of his stomach, "Urgh..."

Nearl blinks, "Cooking...? You could have called us..." Despite her effort, some sadness leaks out in her tone while her ears droop a bit.

He awkwardly scratches his cheek while looking away, "Erm, I was, um, I wanted to learn how to cook since both of you won't be able to come here always to cook." He glances at them, "How about teaching me?"

Both Shining and Nearl visibly brighten up, to the point of almost blinding everyone else, as they take off their shoes (Ashura made it a rule to come in without shoes) then walk over to him, "Don't worry, Ashura, we won't let you down!"

Ashura licks his dry mouth that's hidden by his mask, "Yeah, yeah, looking forward to it..."

*Authors Note*

Mello, I am not dead (yet). So, I got a couple news I want to share regarding the future of my fics. Good news I'll be graduating in Mid-August then entering diploma in March with me hopefully getting my own house so that I don't have to drive from and to campus everyday, which should give me more freedom in writing and flexible time. Bad news? My health is declining now due to stress and that virus or whatever in campus which forced me to up my meds amount, memory slowly worsening which results in my writing skills decreasing and other stuff. Anyway, I'll try to sort my life out as much as possible but no promises on that front.