After dinner.
　I told everyone I'd take Oz home, and he and I headed home early.

"Well, they were all nice!

Yeah, they were. Yeah, they're very understanding and helpful. It's a big difference from you.

"Mmm, 28 is as cold to me as ever. ...... Oh, maybe it's that. When you love someone, you want to be mean to them.

I'm gonna hurt you.

You're already hurting me!

　I ignore Oz as he holds his head and lets out a disgruntled "ooo".

Does Oz work for the Bureau now?

"Yes. So the name Oz is just for now. Unlike ...... to Eight.

　I thought about it for a moment and then asked the question.

How did Oz end up in the Bureau after the agency was dismantled?

"I didn't have a choice from the start. He said it was too dangerous for me to be out there yet, given my age and personality. ...... I'm so sorry. If Twite can do it, then I can do it!

No, I don't know about that. ......

　Oz is a lot more personable than I am. Oz is more personable than I am, but he's also more free-spirited and less suited to covert action.
　I'll be at the helm this time, but there's no guarantee she'll be able to do the same on her own.

　And I'm not even close.

　Oz said, "If Twight can do it," but I'm not perfect at it either.
　As I was thinking about this, Oz suddenly gave me a complicated look.

...... Hey, can I still call you 28 when we're alone?　I'm not used to calling you "twenty-eight", it's weird.

"It's weird because it sounds almost the same.

Hmm, but I don't like .......

　I told Oz with a sigh, "Do what you want," when he didn't get the point.

"I mean, could 28 be an escort?

"No, I only took the job because the conditions were right this time. To be honest, I'm not very good at it.

Well, you're right. There are only a few situations where the 28 can show its true potential. Besides, when we think of escorts, we usually think of eleven, don't we?

I'm sure you're right, but ...... what he's good at is general escorting. This time, the target of the escort must not even be aware of it, which is a bit of a tricky restriction.

"Oh, I see. Not for the clumsy eleven, then.

You're not so bad yourself.

No, I'm not. Oh, by the way, I met 11 the other day. He was really mad because 28 pulled out his hair.

He was mad?　I told him not to take it personally. ......?

...... That's not an apology, is it?

　Maybe so.
　But at that time, the fault was clearly on 11. It wasn't my fault, so I shouldn't have to apologize at all.

"As I told you at dinner, tomorrow I'll accompany you to Oz to register as an adventurer. Then I'll take your orders.

All right!　You mean the second kind.

　Not only me, but also Mize and the others will accompany him to this registration.
　At dinner, when I mentioned that Oz hadn't registered yet, Mize suggested that we go together since it was a good opportunity. We had no reason to refuse this suggestion, since it would be better to have our guards as close to us as possible.

By the way, what's the basic plan?　Either me or 28 should always be by Mize's side, right?

"Yeah. So I'm going to change my response depending on the size of the enemy. If there are only a few, I'll handle them. But if there's a large scale attack like today, Oz will handle it.

"Yeah, okay. Oh, but ...... I'm pretty flashy, to be honest.

　Oz said.
　But I'm well aware of that.

"That's fine.

"Oh, you're okay with that?

Yeah. And by the way, when you're around Mize, I want you to move with some flair.

　What do you mean?　When Oz tilted his head, I gave him a detailed explanation.

"This time, Oz will also play a role in controlling the enemy. In short, we're going to dare the enemy to recognize that there are strong people around Mize. The more conspicuous Oz is, the harder it will be for the enemy to move against him.

"I see. So I just have to be natural, right?



Yeah. But please use different weapons and magic for peacetime and escort. If you fight the same way during the escort as you do during peacetime, you'll soon be exposed.

　Oz nodded, "Okay.
　Oz's introduction came just after a major attack. The enemy will be wary of Oz to some extent from the start. If that is the case, it would be more effective to open the door and let them be on guard.

　The battles during the escort will become more and more flamboyant. But you can't turn your back on them. Fortunately, the enemy also wants to avoid attention, so the scale of the attack will probably only increase outside the city. Even if you fought a little too loudly in the city, you could make a good excuse such as "the demons were rampaging.

　In order to carry out the mission, it is okay to stand out a little.
　All you have to do is not let Mize know.

It's going to be harder than I thought, but ...... I can't afford to be weak. I have to do my best so that I don't embarrass my predecessor.

　These casual words reminded me vaguely of the organization I had belonged to.

　Oz, the current 02 is the second generation.

　The first 02 died during the war. He was fifty-eight years old.
　Oz was an orphan that the original 02 picked up during the war. In other words, he had a similar background to me.

　Oz felt indebted to the original 02, and began to study under him after he was picked up. He must have had talent to begin with. Now he has acquired the same level of ability as the original 02, and has finally taken over the number.

　Magic is greatly influenced by talent.
　But there are not many soldiers among us who have shown such remarkable talent.

"I'm counting on you, Oz.

"Hmm, I'll leave it to you.