Ch 293: The second hunt.

"Hey, am I the only one hearing a ringing sound?" asked Rin as she left her room.

"I'm hearing it as well." said Sakura, shutting down the television. "I thought I was getting temporary tinnitus."

Rin nodded and knocked on the door of Ayase’s room.

"It’s open." replied Tsugumi.

Rin opened the door, finding a naked Tsugumi busy untying an equally naked Ayase from the bed. Without a word, Rin helped her, and Ayase quickly put on some underwear, jeans and black T-shirt. In less than a minute, Tsugumi also wore underwear, white t-shirt, and black overalls.

They were just in time, as Ayase's head started disappearing from the top down.

"I'm getting Ayase's suit." said Tsugumi as she took from a drawer the two black suits provided by Gantz.

"Yes." nodded Rin, taking her own suit from her spatial ring. They didn't want to reveal the existence of spatial rings at this point.

Sakura joined them, and took her suit.

Two minutes later, they were all in the room with Gantz. Nishi and Kei Kishimoto were already there. Nishi, wearing casual street clothes over his suit, nodded to them in greeting.

"Hi." hesitantly said Kei, walking closer to them.

"Hi, Kei. You look tired."

"I haven't slept well, since last time."

"We understand. Stick to us, and we'll protect you." smiled Tsugumi, and Kei nodded gratefully.

"Hey, Nishi, is it always at night that we are summoned? How often does it happen?" asked Rin.

"Always at night, and once every few days. It varies." shrugged Nishi.

"Thanks." replied Rin.

Tsugumi handed Ayase her suit, and the girls, Kei included, went into the hallway to change. Rin remained in the room to guard the door. Meanwhile, more people were appearing.

Kei Kurono, which Rin decided to just call Kurono from now on, with Kato. An elderly woman in her late seventies or eighties, and a little kid who was maybe four. The dog, who started making the rounds to get some pats and sniff people.

The next person to be summoned was an attractive young woman with mid-neck, dark plum-colored hair that had longer bangs hanging on the right side and purple eyes. She was dressed in a white-trimmed pink athletic wear, running shoes, and a mostly green and blue parka.

She looked around, confused.

"Where am I?"

"We're in Tokyo, Japan, and that black ball over there is bringing people who were about to die. Or who just died, I'm not sure." said Rin. "It's my second time here. We've been given a second chance at life, but the sphere is making us work for it in return, and we don't get to say no. I'm Rin Tohsaka, nice to meet you."

"Shizuka Mikazuki." frowned Shizuka as she stared at the sphere, then jumped as beams of blue light burst from it to start bringing in another person.

"That's… so creepy." said Shizuka, walking closer to Rin. "Is that how I was brought here?"

Rin nodded.

"Trust me, you'll see worse by the time this is over."

"That's not encouraging." sighed Shizuka, staring at the person being brought over. There was something both disturbing and fascinating in seeing the insides of a human being as said human was breathing, and the heart was beating. When the process was done, another young woman stood there, completely confused.

She was very cute, with straight black hair reaching her waist, bangs that covered her forehead, and large purple eyes. She was dressed in a white sailor-type school uniform with a black collar and dark green ribbon.

She looked around, apparently feeling intimidated by being surrounded by many strangers staring at her, and her eyes fell on Rin, who smiled warmly and gestured to her. She warily walked closer.

"Hi. I'm Rin Tohsaka. What's your name?"

"I am Eru Chitanda. What is this place? I don't remember how I came here. And what is that garment you're holding?" asked Eru.

"I'd love to know as well." added Shizuka.

"That black sphere is either reviving people who just died, or saving them just before they would have died. I'm not sure which. We get to cheat death once. But there is a price to pay for it. In a few minutes, the sphere will send us to hunt some dangerous aliens."

"Aliens?" asked Shizuka, incredulous. "That's ridiculous."

"Yes, aliens." smiled Rin. "Do you think this black sphere is using human technology to bring us here?"

"…You have a point." conceded Shizuka. "I'm still not sure I'm not dreaming."

"Hunting aliens, like the Men in Black?" smiled Eru.

"Something like that, yes. But we don't negotiate with the aliens. We just capture or kill them. And we wear black as well." nodded Rin, lifting her hand holding her suit.

"What is this suit? I hope you're not going to ask me to wear something like this." said Shizuka with a disgusted expression.

"Don't wear one if you don't want to. You'll die anyway." smirked Nishi from the side.

"Did I ask for your input?" frowned Shizuka, vexed.

"Nishi doesn't have great social skills, but he isn't wrong. You really need to wear those." said Rin. She was about to explain when the door behind her opened, and Sakura, Ayase, Tsugumi and Kei walked in, all wearing the suits.

"Making friends?" smiled Sakura.

"I hope so. Eru, Shizuka, this is my sister Sakura, and my friends Ayase, Tsugumi, and Kei."

The girls smiled as they introduced themselves to each other.

"Do we really have to wear… this?" asked Shizuka.

"You can wear your normal clothes over it, but I would strongly advise it. The sphere gave them to us for a reason." said Rin, turning to Nishi.

"Nishi, what do those suits do, aside from that invisibility trick you used last time?"

"…They'll protect you from attacks, within limits. And when you know how to use them, they can amplify your strength. I can lift a car."

"Thanks for the tip." nodded Rin before turning back to Shizuka. "So, yes. You need to wear the suit the sphere will give you."

Then Gantz played the same music it had the previous time, gathering their attention, then stopped and displayed a message.

"J00r l1v3s ha\/3 3|\|d3d.

H0w j00 uZe j00r n3w l1v3s 1s 3n+1r3lY vp 2 m3.

Th4+'5 th3 +h30ry, 4nyw4yz."

"Why does it write like this?" asked Eru, squinting her eyes.

"To mess with us. The sphere is quirky." shrugged Sakura.

The lines disappeared after ten seconds, and were replaced by the drawing of a face that didn't look quite human. The hair looked more like a black helmet, and lines going down from the lips' corners seemed to indicate moving parts rather than flesh.

"J00 5hmvck5 w1ll n0w g0 0u+ 4nd d3f34+ +h1s p3rs0n.

Tanaka Alien

Characteristics:

S+r0ng

Fr3sh B1rD

Likes:

B1rD, ch1ck-b4lls.

Quote:

Hahh, Hahh, Hahh"

"This is the alien we're supposed to hunt?" asked Shizuki, a dubious expression on her face.

"Yes." nodded Rin.

The compartments on the sides and rear of the sphere opened, revealing the racks of weapons.

Rin ignored them for now and walked to the elderly and the kid who were huddled together in a corner.

"Greetings. I am Rin Tohsaka."

"Hello." replied the old woman. "I am Kayo Sugimoto, and this is my Grandson, Riota. I heard what you said to those young ladies. Do we really have to do something like this? We only wish to go home."

"I am afraid this isn't possible." gently said Rin. "We have no choice but to participate. Anyone who tries to run will… die. But if we do it and survive long enough, we can buy our freedom. Please wear the suits. They will help a lot."

Sakura on the side, who had already taken the two thin suitcases with the Sugimoto name on them and presented them to Kayo.

"I understand. Thank you." nodded Kayo, accepting the suitcases.

"Let's go change in the hallway" suggested Rin as Shizuka and Eru also took their suits, and they followed her out of the room.

"Don't bother, the door is locked." warned Rin as she saw Shizuka stare at the door leading out of the apartment.

"How much do you know about that sphere?" asked Shizuka, sighing, and starting to remove her clothes.

Ayase was in a corner, busy trying to put another black suit on the dog.

"This is our second time." said Rin as she changed. "Nishi has done it a lot more, but he's jaded as hell and… not great at socializing, let's put it like that. He'll be more sociable with you after you prove you can pull your own weight. The sphere has been nicknamed Gantz by someone, and the name has stuck. In a few minutes, Gantz will send us somewhere to fight this Tanaka Alien."

"The weapons available to us are a gun that makes things explode after a two seconds delay, another gun that captures the target and sends it away, a rifle that is a long-range version of the first gun, and a sword with a retractable blade. When the target is defeated, Gantz will bring us back here, heal our wounds if we have any, give us points depending on our contribution, then let us leave this apartment. A few nights later, you'll hear a ringing noise as a warning, then Gantz will bring you back here for the next mission. When you get 100 points, you have the option to leave. Your memories of anything related to Gantz will be erased, and you can resume a normal life."

"That doesn't make sense." frowned Eru. "Why has no one heard of this? Can't we simply run away the instant we are out of this place?"

"Some tried to run last time." said Rin, puling the tight suit up her legs. "They heard a ringing as a warning that they were getting close to the designated area's limits, but they decided to ignore it. Then their heads exploded. Nishi told us the same would happen to anyone mentioning a black sphere or anything related in public."

"Miss Tohsaka, could you please not mention the graphic details in front of my grandchild?" gently asked Kayo.

"I am sorry, and I understand your concern, but Riota needs to understand how serious this is. This isn't something he can share with another kid just by them promising they won't repeat it. Better to give him bad dreams now, than letting him believe the consequences wouldn't be extremely serious."

Kayo reluctantly nodded, hugging her scared grandchild.

Once they were all suited up, they returned to the main room, and Kato and Kurono took their turn changing.

Rin took from the weapon racks a gun from each model, a sword, and one of those miniature computers, then gestured to Sakura, Ayase and Tsugumi, and they gathered close.

"How do we go about the first quest?" whispered Rin. "I suggest that two of us guard Kayo and Riota, and the other two try to reach 100 pts each asap."

"I agree." nodded Sakura. "And we should make sure Kei, Eru and Shizuka survive as well. They're cute."

"Of course." whispered Ayase. Can I be part of the vanguard? I want my turn fighting."

"Hehe, Aya-nee is getting bloodthirsty. I'm fine being on escort duty." smiled Tsugumi.

"Sakura and Ayase as the vanguard, then? I don't care either way." asked Rin.

"Okay." nodded Sakura.

"What are you guys whispering about?" asked Shizuka, her eyes full of suspicion, having quietly walked closer. Eru was just one step behind her, looking eager to learn about it as well.

"…We were thinking about concentrating our efforts to get Kayo and her grandkid out of this mess first, before we think about getting out ourselves." said Rin. "So Ayase and Sakura will try to hog the rewards for a little while. We're sorry for the delay it will cause to your own liberation."

Rin's tone made clear that she wasn't all that sorry, actually.

"I see. That's… not convenient for me, but I don't disagree. The kid and his grandma should come first." sighed Shizuka, and Eru nodded vehemently.

"Yes, you're definitely a keeper. Both of you." smiled Sakura in approval at their reaction.

"What do you mean?" blinked Shizuka, thinking that Sakura's words were loaded with deep meaning.

"As part of our alien-hunting team, I mean." smiled Sakura. "The first time, some of the people here were thugs and Yakuza. They molested Kei before we put a stop to it. So we didn't try too hard to protect them from the consequences of their own decisions."

"More like we didn't try at all." snorted Tsugumi, before looking at them seriously. "And it did free slots in the team for Gantz to fill. Without that, who knows if you and Eru would be alive right now…"

"Oh… Yes, I'm certainly grateful for it. Let's get along and survive this, until we get free... Sakura, your head is disappearing." said Shizuka.

"Gantz has started sending us to the mission area." said Rin, glancing at the black sphere, and the one-hour countdown that had started.

…

"I don't know what to think. Is that alien even trying?" muttered Sakura as they saw the Tanak alien walk down the street, two grocery bags in hand. A small bird was perched on his left shoulder, with a beak that was a third of its body size.

The reason for Sakura's confusion was that the Tanaka alien was so obviously not human, that his current appearance couldn't even be called a disguise. There was a rigidity in its movements, the hair were a rigid shell, and most of all, the skin looked like plastic. Anyone taking a glance at it would immediately conclude it was some kind of robot.

The Tanaka alien was about to pass them by, walking on the other side of the street, and didn't seem to be paying them any attention. It made Sakura feel a bit guilty.

"Whatever." shrugged Ayase, aiming her capture gun, that Nishi nicknamed the Y-gun, toward the Tanaka alien, who suddenly stopped and turned to them.

Ayase fired, and the three micro-missiles few off, ensnaring the Tanaka alien with the energy wires at waist level.

"Gweh!" screamed the Tanaka alien. Ayase was about to pull the second trigger to start het sending process when the rear of the Tanaka alien's head and upper back opened like a hatch, and a huge, anthropomorphic, dark blue bird started extracting itself from it.

Shizuka and Eru were standing, mouth open as they stared wide-eyed at their first alien.

Sakura fired her own Y-gun, binding the bird alien before he could free its wings from the robotic shell and spread them, and pressed the sending trigger without waiting for the micro-missiles to anchor themselves to the ground.

A blue beam from above fell on the struggling alien, who made a very loud screech before the beam reached his serrated beak and silenced him.

The small bird was on the ground, angrily squawking at them, then disappeared in the grass bordering this part of the road when they stared at it.

"is that it?" asked Kato, sighing in relief.

"…No. I'm picking up several signals on the radar. Front and back." warned Tsugumi.

"Didn't you pick only one earlier?" frowned Kurono.

"I did. It seems those tools aren't that reliable."

Another Tanaka alien emerged from a side street eighty meters from them. it started walking toward them. Seconds later, another came from another street. And another.

In under thirty seconds, six Tanaka were closing in.

The head of one of them exploded, spreading blue gore around it, and Riota gasped. It seemed the shot had come from Nishi.

"Grandma!" sobbed Riota.

"It will be okay, Riota-chan." said Kayo with a hug, but she looked worriedly at the Tanaka Aliens.

"Over there, Kayo-san, Riota-chan." said Rin, pointing to a side street from which no Tanaka aliens were coming. The elderly woman and the kid hurried after her, with Tsugumi following them.

Meanwhile, Ayase and Sakura were aiming their Y-guns at the two closest enemies, waiting for them to go just a little closer before their opened fire.

Suddenly, the feet of the Tanaka Aliens left the ground, and they floated, then dashed close at a much greater speed. They opened their mouth, and a yellow glow could be seen coming from inside.

The other humans opened fire, but were surprised by the sudden speed of the Tanaka Aliens and missed. Ayase and Sakura didn't panic and switched their aim before firing, managing to entangle the two closest Tanaka Aliens.

Since the situation didn't allow them to play nice, Ayase pressed the second trigger of the Y-gun, then aimed with the lethal gun, which they had dubbed G-gun at another Tanaka Alien. She aimed at its chest, pressed the first trigger to lock it, then the second.

Sakura, on the other hand, had switched to her sword, extending the blade to two meters. She jumped toward another floating Tanaka Alien and swung. The razor-sharp blade bit through both shell and flesh easily, and severed the alien in two parts, from left shoulder to right ribs.

Two terrible screams came from a side street. First was a "KUEEEEEE!!!", then a man's scream.

"I'll go check!" said Ayase.

"Ok." replied Sakura, swatting away an angry alien bird that was trying to reach her face, and aiming her T-gun at one of the remaining two Tanaka Alien charging them. She only had one charge left, so the other would have to die, or be captured by one of the others.

"You guys, keep an eye on the two impaired aliens, kill them if they look like they'll free themselves!" reminded Sakura as she fired, and the Tanaka alien flew up at the last instant, causing the energy wires to entangle its feet only. The Alien was already opening the back hatch as it fell on the ground, and Sakura heard the sound of several G-guns being triggered. The Tanaka alien burst in gore before it could extract itself.

The last alien managed to get his mouth shot off when it was three meters from her, a horrible sound coming from it.

"KUEEEEEE!!!"

Sakura was caught in it but only felt a painful pressure on her ears and eyes from the sound wave attack. She put a stop to the scream by extending her sword to four meters and beheading the Tanaka alien.

Sakura looked back at the two Tanaka previously ensnared. They were still being transferred, but weren't a threat. The bird she had swatted had disappeared somewhere. After a quick look around to check for more enemies, she headed to the side street where Ayase had gone, only to find her coming back, holding Nishi's right. He was moaning in pain and fear, and Sakura winced as she saw blood coming from his ears and the empty cavities where his eyes had been.

"He'll be healed when we return to the room." said Ayase to the others.

Rin, Kayo, Riota and Tsugumi returned from the other street. Riota looked in fear at Nishi and sobbed, burying his face into his grandmother's lap.

"We didn't lose anyone." said Sakura. "Tsugumi, do you see any other hostile on the map?"

"You took a computer too, you know?" retorted Tsugumi as she checked her own.

"Yes, but I don't know how to use it yet."

Tsugumi frowned as her gaze switched repeatedly from her computer to a nearby building, a low-rise apartment complex.

"There are more, but I don't have a number. All I see is a blob in that building. Sakura, did you notice that your suit seems damaged, just like Nishi's?"

"I took a sonic blast, but I'm fine." nodded Sakura, glancing down at her suit. The fluid inside the caps was leaking out.

"If you took some damage, should we take the lead?" suggested Kato with hesitation.

"Thanks, but I'm good." replied Sakura, examining the building, and shortening the blade of her sword to sixty centimeters.

"It's going to be close combat in there. I will go with Ayase, Rin, and Tsugumi. All four of us are martial artists, and fighting in melee is our specialty. Kato, Kurono, Shizuka, and Eru, I will entrust the defense of Nishi, Riota and Kayo-san to you."

"Martial artists? What kind of martial arts?" eagerly asked Eru. Shizuka simply nodded and took Nishi's hand.

"Mixed Martial Arts and kendo." said Rin, setting her own sword to a size that would be practical in a hallway.

"We're going, wish us luck." said Tsugumi, a G-gun in each hand.

"Good luck!" replied Kato, echoed by the others.

The four girls headed toward the building's entrance and got inside.

"We clear each room before advancing further. Tsugumi, you stay in the hallway and shoot any bird that comes." suggested Rin.

"Okay." replied Tsugumi.

Sakura and Ayase positioned themselves in front of the first doors on the left and right, and tried to open them. They weren't locked. A look inside revealed apartments that were devoid of Tanaka aliens or even furniture, but they were dozens of fist-sized eggs on the ground.

"Shoot, it's a spawning ground. I don't want to kill babies, even if they're birds." grumbled Ayase.

"I don't, either. Let's ignore the eggs for now. If Gantz retrieves us without needing for us to do something about it, it will be fine."

"Yes, we'll do that." nodded Rin, taking a peek inside one of the rooms.

"Contact." said Tsugumi, already firing her gun. Two seconds later, a Tanaka collapsed back into the room it had just left, missing a head.

"Let's continue, we have dozens of apartments to clear." said Rin, and the girls resumed their progression. Most of the rooms held more eggs, and some had Tanaka aliens, with or without their robotic shells. One of them lived long enough to scream, and many Tanaka aliens walked or flew down the stairs.

The hallway became a shooting gallery, and the girls dealt with them easily.

Then came a scream of rage from upstairs.

"KRRAAWWWWW!!!!!!"

"One contact, moving toward the stairs." warned Tsugumi.

Her warning was unneeded, as they could hear the sounds of clawed feet approaching.

A silhouette jumped down from the stairs. A huge figure, maybe 220cm in height, with a roughly humanoid appearance, but with a bird's head, wings in place of arms, and bird legs with twenty-centimeter-long talons.

It snapped its huge, serrated beak open and closed once, and then charged them with a speed something that size shouldn't be able to reach.

Had the giant bird been facing normal humans, it would likely reach the range to use its talons and beak to great efficiency.

But it was facing four divine Agents, whose bodies were stronger and faster than its own, and they didn't need to hide their strength away from the others. There could only be one issue to this fight, and Sakura's blade became a blur, dismembering the giant bird as it reached them.

"Let's continue clearing the building. There may be more." said Sakura, and the others nodded.

They resumed their progression, until Rin who was acting as rear guard spoke.

"Stop, we're done. The transfer has started."

Sakura and Ayase turned and saw that Tsugumi was in the process of being transferred out, her forehead and cat headband missing.

"Good, we're not making scrambled eggs today." said Ayase with a sigh of relief.

They waited in the hallway until they were all sent back into the apartment.

Nishi was the last to be transferred, and he sighed in relief as he tried to wipe some of the blood off his face.

"Thank you." said Nishi with a heavy sigh. "I don't know which one of you helped me, but... thank you."

"It was me." shrugged Ayase. "It's fine, maybe you'll have an opportunity to return the favor before we're done."

Nishi nodded.

"How was it, inside?"

"Many Tanaka aliens with or without their shells, a bigger one as boss, and thousands of eggs. Destroying them wasn't part of the mission, and we didn't. The narrow hallways played in our favor and we shot most of the aliens before they could reach us" shrugged Tsugumi.

Gantz displayed a new message.

"T1m3 t0 5h4r3 +H3 p01|\|t5."

"I'm already getting tired of having to decode this crap." sighed Rin, putting the weapons back on their racks.

"Me too, Nee-san." nodded Sakura.

"Mr Nishi – 5 points.

4r3 j00 +H5 n3w K4t0-ch4n (l0l)?"

Nishi didn't even shrug. He was well used to Gantz's taunts.

"F1+n355 Fr34k – 0 points.

Try +0 b3 m0r3 u53fv11 n3x+ t1m3."

"I'm starting to hate that thing." said Shizuka with a glare.

"N05y t1tz – 0 points.

4t +h15 r4+5, y0v'll b5 tH3r3 f0r5\/5r!"

"I'm not nosy! I just love to solve mysteries! And that's sexual harassment!" vehemently protested Eru, flushing, one arm shielding her chest.

"Being called nosy is very tame, compared to what Gantz calls most of us." shrugged Rin.

Gantz might have wanted to prove Rin right, as Kurono's turn was next, and his evaluation was just as merciless as last time.

"Bitch – 0 point.

Y0u k3p+ 5t4r1ng 4t +h3 g1rl5' bv++5. I5 th4+ y0vr f3t15h?"

"I didn't!" protested Kurono, his face flushing in embarrassment. Both Shizuka and Eru shifted away from him.

"Perv." muttered Shizuka, making him flinch.

"Butter Dog – 1 point.

W4s +h3 b1rd d3l1c10us?"

"Catgirl – 25 points.

|\|1c3 j0b!"

"I killed five Tanaka. Does that mean they are worth 5 points each?" asked Tsugumi.

"We'll see with the next grades." replied Sakura.

"Super Scary Girl – 63 points.

Y0v m0|\|5+3r. 4r3 y0v 3v3n Hvm4N?"

"Ah! Promoted from Scary to Super Scary!" snickered Tsugumi.

"63 points!" asked Nishi, his eyes wide.

"I killed eleven adult Tanaka aliens and their boss, so…" shrugged Sakura.

"Scary Girl 2 (+1tz) – 35 points.

j00 c4n d0 1+ wh3n j0v w4n+!"

Ayase's brows twitched, and she stepped forward, delivering a kick to the black sphere. It should have caused it to tilt, at the very least, but it didn't move at all.

"-5 p01|\|t5 f0r +h3 v10l3nc3."

Ayase sighed.

Gantz continued delivering its grades.

"Kato-chan (lol) – 0 points.

tH3 d0g h4s m0r3 p01n+5 +h4n j00! Sh4m3!"

Kato shrugged It off, and Gantz continued. Kei was still nicknamed 'Naked Girl', Kayo and Riota were 'Old Broad' and 'Snotty Brat'.

Once done, Gantz stopped displaying any message.

"We can leave now. Gantz will bring us back here in a few days, probably." said Nishi. "If you take your suits with you, make sure you have them with you when the time come. Gantz won't replace them."

"Yes, see you next time, Nishi." replied Rin, and he left without another word.

"Kato, Kurono, please wait here for a few minutes while the rest of us change in the hallway." asked Ayase.

"Yes, sure." nodded Kato.

"Can we really return home now?" asked Eru as they started to remove their suits.

"Yes. But remember not to breathe a word of it to anyone. Or your head will explode." said Sakura.

"No one would believe us anyway." grumbled Shizuka. "Aliens, right in the middle of Tokyo… You guys said you have done this once already. Was it the same kind of aliens?"

"No. There was only one kid and an adult, but the adult was like that fictional horror character with a bladed glove, Freddy Krueger, would have been if he became a gym rat." said Ayase.

"…Why does that sphere even exists? I can't figure out its motives. Surely there are more efficient ways to deal with aliens than to revive humans. Or is this some kind of a reality show for aliens?" asked Shizuka.

Sakura paused in her half-dressed state, considering her options, then decided on a course of action and looked at Shizuka with a serious expression.

"We know something about it. But the source of that information is something that we only share with our group. If you want to learn more, Shizuka, you'll have to agree to join us. It would also be beneficial to you. We would give you training in martial arts, and your odds of survival would increase."

"…There's a catch, right?" asked Shizuka with suspicious eyes.

"You could say that, yes. The catch is that if you join us, you can't leave later."

"…Because I would know too much about that source of yours?"

Sakura only smiled in answer.

Shizuka kept putting on her athletic wear as she considered her options.

"Sakura, can I also join? I really need martial art training. My life is at stake!" asked Eru. "And when you killed that alien with your sword, you were so cool! I want to be able to do the same!"

"Yes, you can join. We will gladly have you." smiled Rin.

"…I want to join as well, please." said Kei with hesitation. "I want to be able to defend myself, even when you aren't here."

"Yes. Welcome to the team, Kei." warmly smiled Sakura, and Kei blushed.

Once they were all dressed, Rin opened the door to inform Kato and Kurono, and they said goodbye.

Sakura led the girls out of the apartment, and they paused near the building's entrance.

"About joining your group, do you do anything illegal?" asked Shizuka.

"We occasionally punish bad guys." nodded Tsugumi. "School delinquents, pimps, and other scums of society. Technically, this is illegal, yes. But we have some powerful sponsors, and we aren't worried about doing jail."

"This sounds dangerous." frowned Shizuka.

"Is it, but we are well prepared, and our sponsors do not send us against anything we can't handle." said Sakura. "That being said, you won't have to be involved with that part of our activities if you do not wish to. Joining us does not mean we will force you to hunt criminals. It will be your choice."

"What will you expect from me, then?"

"Only that you keep quiet about what we do, our sources, and be serious about the training. If we teach you martial arts, I do not want you to give up half-way and waste our time."

"That's a given." nodded Shizuka. "Alright, as long as you don't ask me to go against my morals, I'll join you guys. But if you try to involve me in something shady, I will leave, whether you want it or not."

Sakura shared a look with Rin, Ayase, and Tsugumi, and nodded.

"Alright. You're one of us now." nodded Sakura.

"Yes. Now what do you know about Gantz?" pressed Shizuka.

"For you to understand, let's use an example from the past. A few decades ago, the US and the USSR were in a cold war, and they had other countries as proxies. They interfered with each other's proxies to make life more difficult for the opposite superpower."

Sakura paused, and Shizuka, Eru and Kei nodded.

"In particular, let's take the case of Afghanistan, who was invaded by the Russians. The US sent weapons and CIA trainers to the Afghan resistance to support their fight against Russia."

"Weapons and trainers? I don't like where this is going…" muttered Shizuka, thinking about the weapons inside the black sphere.

"Yes, it's not great." confirmed Sakura. "Our world is another Afghanistan in a conflict between two extraterrestrial species, and we are the Afghan warriors. The black spheres are manufactured in a secret factory somewhere in Germany or western Europe using extraterrestrial technology that was secretly transmitted to Earth. But this is all the help we are getting. Those who gave us those technologies do not care about us. They just want to make life harder for the other ones who are coming to invade Earth."

"Oh crap." winced Shizuka.

"Indeed. There are some dark days ahead for humanity." grimly nodded Rin.

"And the aliens already there?" asked Eru.

"Immigrants, who may or may not be hostile to humans." shrugged Tsugumi. "Since we do not know, we prioritize using the capture guns whenever we can afford to."

"Are you working for those who built those black spheres? Are you guys like the trainers you mentioned?" asked Eru.

"No, we are a different group, and we have no contact with spheres' builders." replied Sakura. "But our goal is the same, prepare to fight the invaders while minimizing the losses during those hunting missions. At least, the losses among the decent people. Thugs and criminals can die to leave their spots for people more deserving of being revived."

"I see…" nodded Shizuka, before sighing. "I really do not want to participate in those missions, but it beats remaining a roadkill, damn that truck. How about we exchange phone numbers? Right now, I want to return home and sleep. But starting tomorrow, I want to receive all the martial training I can get."

"Yes." smiled Sakura and the others. "Prepare yourself, it will be intense."

"It better be, if we have a bunch of aliens coming." nodded Shizuka.

With the numbers exchanged, Shizuka and Eru each went in their own way, already calling the local equivalent of Uber. Kei, however, remained behind, hesitating.

"Do you have more questions about what we just said, Kei?" asked Sakura.

"It's not… about that…" said Kei, looking both hopeful and afraid. "Where you live… can I please come? Only for a while."

"Problems at home?" asked Sakura.

"Yes… there's… another me." confessed Kei.

"Another you?" blinked Sakura.

"Yes. I think Gantz… maybe made some sort of mistake… What if I didn't really die that day? What if I am a… copy?"

Sakura understood and gave Kei a tight hug.

"Original or copy, I do not care. You are the Kei who is our comrade and our friend. You will live we us from now on, okay?"

"Y-Yes, thank you." replied Kei with a strangled sob of relief.

"Yes. You're very welcome, Kei." smiled Rin. "There's only two conditions. First, you do your fair share of the chores. Second, you don't tell anyone about our private life. Anything you see or hear in our home, stays in our home."

"Yes, I promise." smiled Kei.

"Then let's go home. We'll help you get more clothes and necessities tomorrow." smiled Sakura, releasing Kei from her hug, but holding her hand. She could see the signs. After Sakura saved her from that wannabe rapist, Kei had started developing a crush on her. Something that Sakura was perfectly willing to encourage.

Kei didn't attempt to free her hand and followed, blushing.

When they reached the house in the suburbs they had taken over, after a bit of hypnosis and a generous pouch of diamonds to the previous owners, the girls were surprised when they saw that someone was already inside. The young woman rose from the sofa, where she had been watching the television.

Kei gasped as she saw the woman's appearance. The white, complex attire that showed off the top of the woman's thighs and the sides of her chest was one thing, but what really shocked Kei were the silver-white hair, and the two cat ears proudly standing on top of her head.

"Ah, you must be Unohana." smiled Sakura, remembering the reward for the Tanaka alien quest. "We were warned that you would come. I am Sakura Tohsaka. It is nice to meet you."

"That's right, nya. First-Class Mercenary Unohana, at your service."

The girls introduced themselves in turn.

"I was told that I was under your command for the next few months, nya. But strangely, I can't remember who gave me that order, or the payout. Is it substantial, nya? My Jormungand isn't cheap to maintain!"

"Let me put it this way, Unohana." said Sakura. "You will never find another mission that pays as much as this one."

"Jormungand? And those ears… Are you an alien?" asked Kei, looking apprehensive.

"An alien? No, I'm a genetically improved human, nya."

"Don't think too much, Kei. Just go with the flow." said Tsugumi.

"What are the parameters of the mission, nya?" asked Unohana.

"We expect an alien invasion to hit Earth in the not-too-distant future." said Rin. "More pilots will join us by then. Our mission will be to make them regret choosing our world as a destination, until they pack up and leave. You can take it easy for now, but if you wish to get out of this home, we will first have to do something about your clothes and your ears, so you won't stand out too much. We're trying to keep a low profile for now."

"Understood." said Unohana.

Sakura and Rin shared a look after they saw Eru's and Shizuka's expressions. With Unohana's features being so unique, it was quickly becoming impossible to hide the existence of magic.

"Alright, let's have 'The Talk'." said Rin. "We'll tell you everything."