The trip back to the Black Bulls' hideout had been relatively uneventful, at least until they'd landed in front of the crumbling mansion deep in the Forsaken Region.
The moment their boots hit the ground, Magna jumped off his broom and marched straight through the creaky front doors like a man on a mission. Saru, as usual, floated down leisurely on his cloud, hands behind his head, humming a tune. Asta and Noelle followed behind, exchanging wary glances—they both had a feeling something stupid was about to happen.
Inside the base, the Black Bulls were already stirring with curiosity. Finral looked up from the couch as Magna stormed past. "Back so soon? I thought you'd be out there playing hero a bit longer."
"I ain't got time for your commentary, loverboy," Magna grumbled.
Seconds later, Magna kicked open the door to the captain's quarters.
"YAMI!!"
Inside, Yami Sukehiro didn't even look up from the toilet.
"Magna…" he said with the slow irritation of a man mid-dump and mid-nap. "You better have a damn good reason for bustin' in here. Or I swear I'm gonna use your face as toilet paper."
Magna stood ramrod straight, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. "I—I got a report! Important stuff! Big, shady stuff!"
Yami finally opened one eye, annoyed. "Talk."
"We were ambushed at a remote village. Whole place was covered in mist. Some freaky ice mages were about to execute all the villagers. We took 'em down, but… they were lookin' for this."
Magna reached into his pouch and pulled out a hastily scribbled drawing of the item—because the actual stone, of course, was no longer in his possession.
Yami squinted at the paper. "...That's a rock."
"Yeah but it's a weird rock! Saru has it!"
Yami flushed the toilet, stood, and cracked his neck. "Bring the monkey here."
—
A few minutes later, Saru stood proudly in front of Yami's desk, hands on his hips, grinning from ear to ear. The anti-magic bird was perched on his shoulder, pecking at his hair lazily.
"So… I heard you've got somethin' important," Yami said, looming over him. "Let's see it."
Saru tilted his head, playing dumb. "See what?"
Yami's brow twitched. "The stone, dumbass. The one those ice freaks were after."
"Ohhh that stone," Saru said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a shiny, palm-sized black stone with faint golden inscriptions swirling on the surface. The moment it was exposed to the room, the temperature dropped slightly—like it was radiating a pressure of its own.
Yami narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. That one. Hand it over."
Saru held it up… then quickly stuffed it back in his pocket, hugging it protectively.
"Nope."
Yami blinked. "What?"
"No deal," Saru said, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "This is mine now."
"Saru…"
"You want it? Then trade for it. I demand snacks."
Yami stared blankly.
"Snacks. Big ones. I want all the meat. And those tiny flaky cakes with cream in the middle."
"You mean cream puffs?"
"YES. I want those. And also—" Saru held up a finger dramatically, "—a week off from chores. I'm tired of scrubbing Magna's gross socks."
"HEY!" Magna shouted from the background.
Yami pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're blackmailing me. Over snacks."
"I call it 'negotiation.'"
The anti-magic bird chirped in agreement.
Yami sighed, turned, and muttered something under his breath.
Then, with a sharp look over his shoulder, he jabbed a finger at Saru.
"Fine. You got a deal. You hand over that stone now, and I'll give you every damn sweet in this base and ban you from chores for a week."
Saru grinned wide. "Pleasure doing business, boss."
He gently handed the stone over with both hands like it was a divine relic. The moment Yami touched it, his face darkened.
"…This thing's definitely not just a rock."
"See?" Saru said proudly. "Told you. Worth snacks."
Next Morning
The morning sun slanted lazily through the wide windows of the Black Bulls hideout, dust dancing in the air like stray embers from a worn-out fire. The squad was gathered in the front hall, the lingering fatigue from the previous day's mission still etched across their faces—well, all except for one.
"You guys had a real rough time out there," Yami said gruffly, arms crossed over his chest. He stood before Magna, Asta, and Noelle, who stood in a loose line, worn but proud. "Whatever. Good job, you idiots," he added with a dry laugh, puffing on his cigarette.
Before anyone could respond, something small and swift dropped from the ceiling like a comet.
"YAAAH!" Asta jumped back, ready to swing.
The something latched onto Yami's shoulder, tugging on his hair with childlike vigor.
"Yaaamiiiii," Saru whined, practically hanging from his captain's broad shoulders, "I was the one who did most of the work! Praise me too! Praise me toooo!"
The anti-magic bird—still perched loyally on his head—chirped along as if echoing Saru's demand.
Yami's brow twitched as a vein popped on his forehead. "Yeah yeah, you did good too, you damn monkey," he muttered, expression deadpan.
Satisfied, Saru launched off Yami's shoulder and landed dramatically in the middle of the group, puffing out his chest. One hand rested on his hip, the other held palm-up like a noble demanding tribute.
"I want reward," his entire body seemed to say without a word.
Yami shot him a glare. "Don't try your luck, you little freakin' menace."
Saru zipped his lips shut and backed up with an exaggerated bow, the bird chirping innocently.
Vanessa wandered into the room, mug in hand, clearly just up. She spotted the bird and immediately lit up. "Oooohhh, who's this little guy?" she cooed, crouching beside Saru and resting a warm hand on his shoulder. "He's so cute! What's her name?"
"Huh?" Saru blinked. "How would I know?"
"You haven't named him yet? How irresponsible!" Vanessa scolded, poking his forehead lightly.
"No way! You should give it to me! I'll name him and take better care of him!" Noelle barged in, eyes shining with uncharacteristic excitement. "Just look at that feathery little face!"
"Wait wait wait," Asta stepped forward, arms raised. "Why don't we all suggest a name? He's kinda like our team's new mascot, right?"
"Y'all are seriously arguing over a damn bird?" Magna grunted, though he was clearly listening in with interest. "Tch… fine. But I'm not lettin' some royal pain like Noelle name it!"
Noelle stomped her foot. "What was that, you delinquent? I'll have you know I have excellent taste!"
"Says the girl who wanted to name it 'Princess Fluff'!" Magna shouted back.
"I DID NOT!"
"Oh no, I like 'Princess Fluff,'" Vanessa teased.
"Guys, how about 'Feather'?" Asta suggested. "Simple, cool, gets the job done!"
"I vote 'Meatball,'" Saru said proudly, patting the bird on the head. "He kinda looks like one."
"NOOOOO" Everyone yelled in unison
"WHAT part of that thing looks like a meatball, you animal?!" Magna shouted.
"Tch, boring! Why don't we just ask him, then?" Saru muttered, reaching up and gently scooping the bird from his head into his palms.
The bird blinked up at him, tilting its head.
"Hey. What's your name?" Saru asked, dead serious.
The bird let out a single, crisp chirp. It sounded almost... knowing.
Saru nodded slowly, brows furrowed like he was listening to ancient prophecy.
Then he straightened up, cradling the bird like a sacred treasure. His face took on a rare, serious expression. "Hey guys."
Everyone stopped mid-bicker. Even Vanessa lowered her mug. The room quieted, the squad straightening instinctively—Saru never looked this solemn unless something important was coming.
"What is it, brat?" Magna asked, crossing his arms.
"She's not a boy..." Saru said, voice grave.
They all leaned in slightly.
"And her name is... Secre!" Saru suddenly shouted, shooting into the air like a bottle rocket, arms up with wild excitement. "HAHA! SE-CRE! SEEEEEE-CRE!"
The bird, now officially Secre, flapped her wings in mild confusion but didn't resist as Saru spun in circles.
The entire room groaned.
"You little punk, we just wasted ten minutes arguing and you pull that outta nowhere?!" Magna shouted, veins bulging.
"I was emotionally invested in Princess Fluff!" Noelle huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.
"I kinda liked Meatball," Vanessa muttered, stifling a giggle behind her wine glass.
"Secre, huh?" Asta said, crouching beside Saru and looking at the bird. "It's got a nice ring to it! Welcome to the team, Secre!"
Secre blinked once, then hopped onto Asta's shoulder and gave his cheek a gentle peck.
"She likes me," Asta grinned.
"HEY! She was mine first!" Saru shouted.
"You don't own her, you monkey runt!"
"YEAH I DO—WAIT, DO I?!"
Yami sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This place just keeps getting weirder..."
"By the way…" Yami said suddenly, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the room. His deep voice cut through the noise, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"I forgot to mention something."
Everyone perked up. Even Saru stopped spinning Secre around like a top.
"In recognition of your idiotic, reckless—but surprisingly effective—actions in that village… the Wizard King has awarded us a star."
There was a beat of stunned silence before—
"WHOOOOOOAAA, FOR REAL?!" Magna shouted, throwing both fists in the air and spinning around the room. "YEAH! WE ACTUALLY GOT ONE! WE'RE MOVING UP, BABY!"
"Wait…" Saru tilted his head. "Can I eat it?"
Vanessa chuckled from the corner. "It's not that kind of star, sweetheart."
"A star?" Asta blinked, turning to Vanessa. "What's that?"
Vanessa took a long sip of wine before answering. "The nine Magic Knight squads compete by earning stars. The more stars you have, the more your squad's accomplishments get recognized. It's a whole prestige thing. Golden Dawn's usually at the top with all their shiny perfectionist types."
"Woaaah, really?!" Asta's eyes sparkled. "So that means… we're climbing up in rank!"
"Technically, yes," Vanessa said, then looked at Yami with a slightly tired smirk. "So, Captain, what's our current standing?"
Yami looked deadpan. "With this shiny new star… that brings our total to a neat… minus thirty."
Asta froze like he'd just been turned to stone. "M-Minus?!"
Saru, meanwhile, looked amazed. "So wait… we got something and still lost?! That's awesome!!" He looked impressed in the way only Saru could.
"This is so not awesome," Noelle muttered, facepalming.
Vanessa gave a dry laugh. "We're not exactly the role model squad, you know."
"And now," Yami continued, reaching into his coat and pulling out three small coin pouches, "your wages for the month. Try not to blow it all in one night, you idiots."
He tossed them—one to Asta, one to Noelle, and one to Saru.
Asta caught his with a sparkly-eyed gasp. "Whoa! This is the first money I've ever earned!"
Noelle opened hers and gave a satisfied nod. "Finally, some actual compensation."
Saru caught his pouch with his foot, flipped it into the air, caught it with his teeth, and grinned like a maniac. "HAHA! NOW I CAN BUY ALL THE SNACKS!" He bolted toward the exit, shouting back, "Don't wait up, I'm raiding the market!"
"HEY!" Yami barked. "Don't spend it all on roasted bananas again, you damn monkey!"
"TOO LATEEEE!" Saru's voice echoed from down the hall.
Secre let out a chirp from Asta's shoulder, as if sighing in advance.