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Chapter Text

Story Arc: A New Demon Hunter in Town

Episode 1: Punk and Goth

Chapter 1: An unexpected encounter

Plot: Rumi, Mira, Zoey plan to go out together and have fun, but something happens and their plans are turned upside down.

XXX

POV Narrator

A few days ago, HUNTR/X, Korea's most successful girl band and one of the most followed in the world, concluded their international tournament in Seoul, which spans much of Asia.

Due to the huge success they gained, the three girls were given a couple of weeks off by their manager, Bobby.

Rumi, Mira, and Zoey are walking the streets of Seoul, just wanting a quiet, fun day together.

Rumi is a 23-year-old young woman, 164 centimeters tall, with fair skin and a slim physique.

She has long, bright purple hair that reaches her calves, tied in a braid that starts at her hairline and runs down the nape of her neck. She has upturned, dark brown eyes, framed by long, black lashes.

Mira is a young woman of 22 years and 6 months, 169 centimeters tall.

Mira has a long, angular face with narrow brown eyes. Her hair is pink and flowing, pulled back into two long ponytails with side bangs.

Zoey is a 21-year-old young woman, 154 centimeters tall.

Zoey has black hair pulled back into two braided buns with micro bangs and fringe.

Like the other girls in her group, she has a slim build and long limbs. She stands out for her rounded features, especially the shape of her face and eyes.

To avoid worrying about fans and paparazzi, the girls "dressed up".

All the girls wear casual clothes, completely different from their fabulous outfits they wear on stage or during their various idol jobs.

In addition to their different clothes and lack of makeup, the girls wear accessories to make them harder to recognize.

Rum, thanks to her hoodie, uses the pink hood to hide her iconic long purple hair.

Mira uses a more fashionable disguise, hiding her identity with a black cap and yellow-framed sunglasses.

Zoey simply wears a yellow beret, which oddly enough, makes her look cute and adorable.

[Author's Note: As a writer and reader, I prefer Rumi, her character has so much to offer: internal conflict, enormous external burden, serious issues with her adoptive mother. Unfortunately, as a nerd/man, I'm more attracted to Zoey, she loves turtles. And I convinced my parents to name my younger brother after one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kindred spirits.]

"Girls, this is the first day of our little vacation, what do you want us to do?" asks Zoey, her expression happy and full of energy.

"Knowing you, Zoey, you'd have a list already made." Mira said, walking next to her nerdy friend.

"Yes, you know me well, Mira, I've lined up three or thirty-three places we can visit." Zoey said, extremely happy to spend time with her two friends without having to worry about concerts or fighting demons.

"I don't think we could visit 33 places in a single day. I think we should do more city tours." Rumi said, enjoying the idea of enjoying more fun days in the city with Miea and Zoey.

"Perfect!" Zoey exclaims, taking her smartphone out of her dress pocket, which shows a map of the city and lots of places to visit.

"If we visit at least three venues a day, we'll finish the program in eleven days, leaving us three days of vacation to improvise something," Zoey said enthusiastically, ready for the best mini-vacation of her life.

"Zoey, I like the enthusiasm, but we must not overdo it, we must stay fit and be ready for anything," Rumi said, not forgetting the responsibilities of her double life.

"Rumi, if you take a day off, the world won't suddenly end." Mira replies, loving her purple-haired friend, but she's too much of a workaholic.

"Someone has to be the woman in charge, we can't forget our duties." Rumi said, being the one most dedicated to her role as Demon Slayer for several reasons.

Rumi, unlike Mira and Zoey, did not have a normal childhood, since she was little she was raised to be an idol and a Demon Hunter.

Mira rolls her eyes, having heard similar phrases so many times.

According to the red-haired girl, Rumi's dedication is admirable, but he goes overboard, doing more harm than good.

"You need to go out more and work less, maybe go on a date," Mira suggests, wanting to help her friend unwind.

A slight blush appeared on Rumi's cheeks when Mira mentioned dating.

"I don't have time for dates." Rumi answers too quickly, still blushing.

While Rumi is the best singer and fighter on the team, she's also the worst at making friends, and even worse at finding love.

Mira and Zoey had their share of dates before joining HUNTR/X, nothing serious or long-term.

But both girls have kissed boys, which Rumi can't say she's done.

"Maybe on our tour of town you might find a cute guy or girl," Zoey suggests, thinking Rumi might play for the other team.

"Zoey!" Rumi exclaims, her face red as a chili pepper.

"You have nothing to fear with us, whatever you like, we'll be on your side." Mira said, trying to show that she cares for her purple-haired friend.

"Mira!" Rumi exclaims, unable to believe that her second friend also thinks she's a lesbian.

"I'm on the same page as Mira, I'll always have your back, Rumi. Unless the guy or girl is bad in the bad sense and not the good one," Zoey said, wishing only the best for Rumi, as well as Mira.

"What's the difference between bad good and bad ugly?" asks Rumi, trying to change the subject of the discussion.

"A good villain means a rebellious attitude, dressed in leather, and punching anyone who hurts you. A bad villain means an asshole who only takes and gives nothing, as well as verbal and/or physical violence." Zoey explains the differences between the two different types of villains, one is purely aesthetic, the other is toxic.

A small part of Rumi's brain begins to associate the word "Bad Ugly" with Celine, her guardian, who for many is her dear aunt, who raised her alone, making her an internationally famous star.

Unfortunately, the rest of Rumi's brain didn't accept this association.

"Girls, I appreciate you caring about me, but I don't need a boyfriend or girlfriend, just having you two in my life is enough to make me happy," Rumi said, feeling more than fulfilled with her deep friendship with Mira and Zoey.

"You're a sappy girl, Rumi." Mira said, her voice mocking, but her eyes were soft.

"I like it sweet," Zoey exclaims, hugging Rumi, having no problem showing affection.

"It's no surprise to me, you're made of sugar and fluffy stuff." Mira comments, continuing her tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside attitude.

"I take that as a compliment," Zoey replies, before looking at her smartphone screen.

"We're near a cafe with cats, so we can have a drink and a delicious meal while playing with these adorable creatures." Zoey said, showing a picture of the cafe and the adorable kittens on her smartphone.

"So cute!" Rumi mutters, having an inexplicable weakness for cats.

"You'll become an old lady with ten cats," Mira comments, releasing her grip on Rumi's shoulder.

"Two out of three are for the cats, let's go for the adorable kittens!" Zoey exclaims, rushing forward, dragging her purple-haired friend with her.

The two girls turned the corner of the street, when one of the world's oldest clichés came into play.

BONK

BONK

The two girls crashed into two boys, but the results were different.

XXX

Rumi's result was a cliché.

Rumi crashed into an athletic boy, ending up falling on her butt against the asphalt of the street.

Her pink hood fell down, revealing her long braid of purple hair.

The white-haired girl looks up to see a young white-haired man in front of her.

This person is called Nero, he is 22 years old, 185 centimeters tall, his distinctive feature is his short white hair and blue eyes.

Nero wears punk clothes, with a dark blue hooded jacket, a dark red torn T-shirt, a small necklace consisting of two outstretched wings surrounding a red gem, and black trousers with military boots.

On his back he carries a blue guitar case and under his left armpit he is carrying a small cardboard box.

"Are you okay... were you hurt?" Nero asks, speaking in rough Korean, with a strong foreign accent.

The stranger reaches out to help the purple-haired girl up.

Rumi grabs Nero's hand and stands up, his cheeks turning red during the whole process.

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm not hurt." Rumi replies, dusting off his pants.

Nero remains standing next to Rumi, seeming to have more or less understood what the purple-haired girl said.

Rumi looks at how Nero is holding her hand, instead of pulling it he lets her hold it, even though she doesn't know why.

An unprecedented sensation is appearing in Rumi's heart, a kind of warmth, which seems to extend through his skin.

If Rumi were to take off his hoodie, he might see the symbols of his demonic heritage, which react passively to Nero's presence.

XXX

Zoey's outcome was in some ways the opposite of Rumi's.

Zoey hit a tall, thin boy, she remained standing, while the boy fell to the asphalt.

The boy's name is V, he is a young adult of 23 years old, 188 centimeters tall, slim and thin, with fair skin and dark green eyes.

V has natural black hair, chin-length, with a long fringe combed to the left, which sometimes obscures his eye.

A distinctive feature of V are his black tattoos that decorate his neck, chest, stomach and arms.

V wears a long, sleeveless, open leather coat with sides tied together with strings, internal pockets, and a vest sewn to the front, resembling a corset.

He also wears black pants with a silver chain made of skulls on the right side of the belt and a fingerless glove on his right hand, black sandals.

V sports many accessories, including a tooth pendant around her neck, a silver ring on her left middle finger, and a spiked bracelet that crisscrosses around her left wrist.

Next to V is a silver metal stick.

"Sorry, my female friend Rumi and I were just running around without looking." Zoey said, speaking quickly, feeling terrible about what she'd done.

Zoey looks down and notices the silver cane fallen on the sidewalk, now she feels even worse.

According to Zoey, hurting someone is bad, hurting someone with a disability is extremely bad.

Without thinking much, Zoey grabs V's cane and begins to apologize again.

"I'm so sorry, I'm often in the clouds, but I never crash into anyone." Zoey said, holding the stick in her hands, continuing to talk instead of handing the stick to V.

"Instead of meaningless excuses, you could hand over what's mine." V said in a calm voice, having developed great patience since traveling with Nero and Nico.

The black-haired boy speaks fluent Korean without a trace of an accent.

"Here's your staff, you hurt yourself, do you need anything?" Zoey said, as she passed the silver staff to the young black-haired man.

"Like glass, human beings are fragile. Our extreme exposure to the precariousness and contingency of existence is evident in the very event of birth, but it is important to recognize and demonstrate how the intrinsic strength of human life lies in fragility." V responds with a poem, using his cane to stand up.

"Those words are wonderful," Zoey comments, feeling a certain fascination.

Zoey's eyes travel over V's body, noticing his tattoos.

For a second, images of the demons she's been facing for years appear in Zoey's mind, but the feeling of disgust/enmity quickly disappears.

Because Zoey's artistic side is interested in the unique shape of V's tattoos.

XXX

Mira, who stayed behind her two friends, saw how Rumi and Zoey were talking to a Punk and a Goth.

Not even two minutes ago, Mira was suggesting that Rumi get a boyfriend and have some fun.

Mira can't explain it, but something inside her tells her that these two boys are trouble.

"Punk, Goth, me and my girl friends, we have plans, we're sorry to bother you, but we have to go." Mira said, walking over to Rumi and Zoey, taking each of their hands.

"Mira, what are you doing, we can't just leave." Rumi said, freeing her hand from her more belligerent friend's grip.

"At the very least, we need to offer the boys a coffee or soda as an apology for the inconvenience," Zoey said, once again showing that she's the kindest and most compassionate of the group.

The purple-haired girl, unlike her red-haired friend, has a good feeling towards boys.

"Just now, you two girls should have been interested in men, Punks and Goths are only good at making their parents angry." Mira said, speaking from her own experience.

In her past, Mira often chose the most unconventional boys to irritate her parents in the worst ways.

"V, what did the red-haired girl say?" Nero asks in English, addressing his half-brother.

"Nothing big, just a protective woman towards her friends." V replies in English.

Rumi and Zoey move forward together, returning to the front of the boys, carrying Mira as well.

"V, I know you're not a talkative guy, but I barely speak or understand Korean like you do." Nero said in English, letting his half-brother talk to the three girls.

"The language barrier won't be a problem, the three of us speak English, although Zoey is the best among us," Rumi said, letting the two cute boys know that they speak their language.

"I grew up half my life in America, so it's normal for me to speak English well. Where are you two from?" Zoey asks, wanting to get to know the two foreign boys.

"Nero is originally from Italy, while I'm from the UK." V replies politely, being the one with good manners in the family.

"You're quite far from home. What brings you to Seoul? Work, vacation, or a special occasion?" Zoey asks, very curious.

"Zoey, don't be pushy." Rumi said, pulling her chatty friend towards her, not wanting her to scare the boys.

"No problem, in fact it's a relief, I was starting to get bored of talking to only two people who understand me." said Nero, having been able to communicate for weeks only with V or Nico.

"If you had paid more attention and put more effort into my actions, you could have a conversation with anyone in this country," V said, criticizing Nero for his inability to sit still and learn a new language.

"I'm a man of action, books are your thing, along with poetry and dark clothes." Nero said, more or less joking with his half-brother.

"You're also a man who can't walk alone in the city because he can't read the street signs and gets lost." V replies, with a precise countermove.

Nero prepares to retort, but the purple-haired girl speaks before him.

"If you two are having trouble finding your way, my friends and I wouldn't mind giving you a hand; the three of us know the city very well," Rumi said, trying to sound friendly and approachable, as if she were talking to fans.

"I agree with Rumi. After all, we're free for two weeks, so we can be tour guides for you two." Zoey said, forgetting for the moment about her plan to take Rumi and Mira to a café with adorable cats.

"Two against one, I can't help but accept." Rumi said in Korean, accepting her two friends' idea, but keeping an eye on the two boys.

"If you insist, it would be rude to refuse your hospitality, ladies." V said, giving a small, theatrical bow.

A radiant smile appears on Zoey's face, finding V's mysterious and gallant attitude endearing.

"Nico sent us to get some spare parts for our van, now we have to get back to this address ■■■." Nero said, lightly shaking the cardboard box he carries under his arm.

"It's not that far, we could walk to this address in half an hour," Rumi said, knowing the streets of Seoul very well.

"If I remember correctly, there's an ice cream shop near that address. We could get ice cream, my treat." Zoey said, wanting to offer something sweet as an apology and welcome.

"I almost forgot the last time I ate ice cream," Nero said, having been too busy these past few weeks to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

"This is a mistake we absolutely must fix," Zoey said, treating this matter as if it were a public threat.

The three super star girls began walking together with the two foreign boys.

"One step after another, life flows along the way, without a destination, a crossroads, a shadow, a smile and the unexpected, like a wind that improvises." Recites V, walking next to Zoey.

"Does your friend often spin nonsense poems out of thin air?" Mira asks, adding another thing to the list of things she doesn't like about the Goth boy.

"Unfortunately yes, V, he's an eccentric guy, but he pays for the gas and knows a lot." Nero replies in a low voice.

The White-Haired Boy has unwittingly learned more about literature from being around his Half-brother than he ever did from attending Italian lessons at school.

"Poems aren't meaningless, just listen and you'll understand their meaning." Zoey said, showing her deeper side as a lyricist/songwriter.

"Finally someone with some culture." V said, his voice calm.

Zoey's smile grows and she walks slightly closer to the black-haired boy.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Mira thinks, feeling as if she's walking with something dangerous that's pretending to be harmless.

'I have a good feeling about these guys,' Zoey thinks, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

'It's not the group outing I was expecting, but it's not bad.' Rumi thinks, casting a quick glance at the white-haired boy.

Continues ...

Chapter Text

Story Arc: A New Demon Hunter in Town

Episode 1: Punk and Goth (II)

Chapter 2: Conversations

XXX

POV Narrator

Three pretty girls and two attractive boys are walking on a quiet, quiet street in Seoul.

The five of them are eating ice cream, while exchanging travel stories and trivial facts.

"Are you telling me that in Romania, your van was stuck on the road for two hours because of a herd of cows?" Rumi asks, clutching a purple berry-flavored ice cream.

"Instead of facing vampires, I had to fight cows, a raging bull, and a drunken shepherd with a stick." Nero replies, holding a vanilla ice cream for himself and a peach ice cream for Nico.

"I'm jealous, the three of us have never been stuck in traffic because of adorable animals, only because of cars or engine breakdowns," Zoey said, taking a bite of her double-sided mint and stracciatella ice cream with whipped cream on top.

"Cows aren't adorable, much less colorblind bulls who confuse blue with red," Nero said, not having any pleasant memories with cattle.

"I would have bet on the bull, but Nero is like a cockroach. You can step on him, but he won't die." V said, referring to the times his half-brother was supposed to die, but didn't out of pure luck/stubbornness.

"Are you speaking, V?" Nero said, remembering that V should have literally shattered into a thousand pieces, but didn't because of his willpower.

The boy with the tattoos ignored Nero's comment, preferring to enjoy the ice cream... which was starting to melt.

"Hey, guys, from what I understand, you left London, went to Rome, then traveled across Europe and much of Asia to get to Seoul, all in a van," Rumi said, drawing this conclusion from Nero's short stories.

"Yes, we've traveled a bit everywhere and seen a bit of everything," said Nero, unable to recount the most interesting things about his journey across two continents.

"Why didn't you take a plane and take a thirteen-hour flight instead of driving ten days to get here?" Rumi asks, certain that it would have been easier and less expensive to use a plane than a van.

"It was actually 31 days, we had some stops here and there, some delays, some van breakdowns, various logistical issues, etc." V said, confirming that his journey was long and with many unforeseen events.

"People say women can't drive." Mira comments, having no idea that Nico, the crazy driver Nero mentioned, is a woman.

"We're not on a pleasure vacation, nor did we plan to end up in Seoul, we're on a big treasure hunt," Nero said, exaggerating certain aspects of his trip with V and Nico.

"You two are Treasure Hunters like: Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, Sydney Fox," Zoey said in a voice full of enthusiasm, referring to famous men and women who are adventurous archaeologists.

Zoey approaches V, her gaze full of bright stars.

"You, V, are the genius who solves all the puzzles and knows everything there is to know about myths and historical facts, you probably have an ancient manor in England and a tragic past," Zoey said, letting her imagination take over.

"You, Nero, are the strong, brave, and bold boy. The one who saves the day with a punch and a quip at the end of the scene." Zoey said, turning to Nero, her eyes shining even brighter than before.

Receiving this excessive attention from Zoey, Virgil's children began to get embarrassed.

"Zoey, you can't have ice cream with whipped cream anymore. Too much sugar isn't good for you." Mira said in a stern voice, taking Zoey's ice cream.

"I feel sorry for Zoey, she's a good girl and a wonderful friend, but sometimes she gets caught up in the moment," Rumi said, apologizing for Zoey's outburst.

The youngest girl of HUNTR/X sulks, she doesn't appreciate being treated like an overly energetic child, which is not far from the truth.

"He didn't do anything wrong, he even got a few things right about us," Nero said, not wanting to cause trouble for Zoey, who is a nice girl.

"Was I right? Really?" Zoey asks with a puzzled expression; she's not often right, especially when she's consuming sugar.

"Especially the part where I'm the brains of the team, Nero would be lost without me." V said, with a small smile towards the Half-brother.

"I believe you do, you look like a smart and cunning black warlock." Zoey said, blushing slightly, finding the boy with the tattoos endearing.

V didn't say anything, instead smiling faintly, appreciating the praise and Zoey's strange intuition.

Nero rolls his eyes, accustomed to this game in which V makes use of his intelligence and knowledge in numerous fields, especially the arcane and occult.

"As the muscle of this trio, V, I tell you not to go overboard with your boast about knowing dead languages, or I'll leave you to worry about lifting the heavy weights, we both know you can't do that," Nero said, having lost count of how many times he's had to beat up the big, bad demon while V gets busy with other things.

"So, are you really Treasure Hunters?" Rumi asks, trying to learn more about the two foreign boys.

"Not exactly, but we are looking for treasure, just not the one you're imagining." V replies, sounding enigmatic.

"Instead of a chest full of gold coins, you two were looking for a crystal skull or Francis Drake's journal?" Zoey said, with a joking tone.

"I'd love to, but we're looking for something much more boring—books." Nero said, in a bored voice, revealing the reason for their arrival in Seoul.

"Books?" the three girls say at the same time, each surprised and confused by Nero's words.

"Long story short, I'm a bit of a handyman, helping V find some old, musty books," Nero explains, providing the lowdown to the three girls, without mentioning the many paranormal aspects of this task.

"They're not just books, they're handwritten manuscripts from the 15th century, only a few dozen copies left in the world," V said, with an energy that belied his frail appearance.

The black-haired boy loves books, one of the things he has in common with his father.

"So you two are hunting down ancient books all over the world? That's a pretty unique pastime, may I ask why?" Zoey asks, still interested in Nero and V's treasure hunt.

"Pure love of knowledge and a small interest in collecting, even my mother collected rare books for her private library." V said, a hint of nostalgia for when he was little and his mother was still alive.

"For me it's just a long-term job, travel expenses and other things are nothing to V." Nero said, not having a great love for reading.

In many ways, Nero is more like his uncle than his father.

"I like books too," Zoey exclaims.

"Since I've never seen you hold a book," Mira said, unable to imagine Zoey as a quiet girl reading library books.

"When I lived in America, I used to go to the library a lot. But then I moved to Korea, and you know how hectic my life got," Zoey said, unable to discuss the hidden side of their lives with the boys around.

"I don't have time to visit a library anymore, I just download digital books, but it's getting hard to find the right time to read them," Zoey said, omitting that part of her reading list consists of nerdy stuff.

"I understand your problem, Zoey. Being with Nero and riding in a van makes it hard to get into the right frame of mind for a good book," V said, partially understanding Zoey's feelings.

The group chat lasted so long that the five of them didn't realize they'd reached their destination. The group of three girls and two boys arrived near a mostly empty parking lot, where a large van that looked like a camper was parked.

"Guys, is this your van?" Rumi asks, gesturing toward the customized van.

"Yes, my home away from home." Nero said, walking towards his four-wheeled home.

"More like a mobile mental hospital driven by someone who learned to drive from roller coasters," V said, looking less than fond of the van.

The group of five people approached the van, and among them Mira noticed something.

"Devil May Cry?" Mira said, reading aloud from the neon sign/installation on the sides of the van.

A small alarm bell has gone off in Mira's mind, perhaps it's a professional flaw, but just mentioning the word demon makes Mira slightly more tense than usual.

The red-haired girl walks more slowly so that she is at the back of the group, so she doesn't show her back to the two foreign boys.

'If this is all a plan by the demons to trap us, I'm ready for anything, but at least I have to say they've improved their acting skills.' Mira thinks, ready to summon her weapon and strike one of the boys, probably V first, who is covered in tattoos and seems the smartest.

Rumi, possessing a particularly sharp sixth sense, intuits what Mira is thinking.

The purple-haired girl approaches her red-haired friend and whispers, "Mira, don't do anything crazy, boys aren't threatening."

"Nico, come out, I brought you a surprise!" Nero exclaims loudly, not wanting to enter the van without announcing his presence.

Nico is a tough woman and there are a lot of weapons in the van, if she enters suddenly she can cause accidents of all kinds.

For example, during the first few weeks of traveling in the van across Europe, Nero entered the van when Nico was changing his clothes.

The end result was that Nico reflexively grabbed a gun and shot Nero between the eyes.

'Wait a second, if I remember correctly, Lady who is Dante's best friend, didn't she shoot him between the eyes? Is this a coincidence or a strange requirement to become best friends with a descendant of Sparda.' Nero thinks, not wanting to imagine the requirements to become a girlfriend, maybe stabbing him in the heart with a sword?

"I'm going right out!" exclaims a female voice with a Southern accent.

The van door opens and Nico steps out.

Nico has an attractive figure and light-tan skin. She has black, wavy, shoulder-length hair which she keeps pushed back with a plaited hairband. She wears red-framed glasses. Nico has several tattoos on her body.

Her outfit consists of a white tank top showing her midriff covered with a dark-yellow sleeveless jacket that resembles welding cape sleeves. She wears blue denim shorts with a brown worker belt which she tucks a pair of heavy red heatproof gloves into one side of, with a pocketed toolbelt slung on the other side, stabilized with a thigh strap. She also wears a pair of brown leather cowgirl boots with embossed patterning and tongue straps which appear to be decorated with pistol cartridges.

"Nico is a woman," Zoey mutters, surprised to find that Neron's mutual friend is a beautiful woman.

Rumi cannot wear clothes that show so much skin without revealing the marks of her demonic heritage.

Even on hot summer days, Rumi must wear long sleeves, avoid beaches and swimming pools, be careful, etc.

Mira was speechless at the sight of Nico. Mira's gaze began from the beautiful girl's legs, rose to her chest, and finally settled on her face.

'She's sexy, very sexy.' Mira thinks, forgetting her suspicions about the two boys.

"Nero, I'm sending you to get some spare parts to fix the engine, but instead you're bringing me three beautiful girls. Is it my birthday, by any chance?" the girl with glasses said jokingly, approaching her white-haired friend.

"I just got you an ice cream, the girls are just friendly people who helped us find our way," Nero said, handing the ice cream to Nico.

"I'm getting a lot of sweets today." Nico said, bringing the ice cream to his mouth, his eyes looking at the three girls, especially Mira.

"Ladies, this is Nicoletta Goldstein." V said, turning to the three girls on his left.

"Nicoletta, this is Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. They're some girls we met on the way home." V said, finishing the introductions.

"Call me, Nico. I thank you three for looking after my friends. They're troublemakers." Nico said, his voice friendly.

"It was our pleasure." Rumi replies politely, not lying at all, she sincerely enjoyed Nero and V's company. Rumi doesn't know why, but there's something about the two boys that... makes her feel good... safe?

"I'm going to put the box in the van." Nero said, wanting to stop cuddling the box; superhuman strength or not, it's still an object that takes up space.

"Don't touch my stuff, I'm working on something important." Nico said, rather protective of her little workshop and the tools she uses.

"I know." Nero replies, getting into the van.

With Nero out of the way, Nico decided to do his friend a little favor.

"Nero's a good guy, a little hotheaded and a little rough around the edges, but he's a really good guy. I'm surprised he's never found a girlfriend," Nico said, deliberately hinting at Nero's singleness.

'Is he single?' Rumi thinks, not realizing she's smiling.

"So what do we do now? Do we break up or stay together for a while?" Zoey asks, her voice awkward, playing with her hands.

"I wouldn't mind sticking around for a bit, I'm curious to see how this beast works." Mira said, giving the van a light slap.

It's pretty obvious that the interest in the custom van is just a cover for the red-haired girl's real interest.

"Mira, aren't you the only one who likes motorcycles?" Zoey said, offering her friend her own medicine.

"Motorcycles are elegant and fast, my favorite, but I also appreciate cars with powerful engines and a screaming engine. I got a driver's license for both vehicles," Mira said, taking out her wallet and showing her driving licenses.

"I forgot that fact." Zoey said, slightly embarrassed at having forgotten that Mira can drive a two-wheeled vehicle, as well as a four-wheeled one.

"I like motorcycles too." Nico said, smiling at Mira.

The girl with glasses often has a lot of time with Nero and V, so wasting time with another girl seems inviting.

"Girls, we can't invite ourselves into their trailer." Rumi said, needing to be the voice of reason for her group.

"Sir, your presence is welcome, but all three of us have responsibilities to attend to. An engine to repair, research to do, errands to run." V said, knowing his group's schedule by heart.

"Always ruining the party," Nico mutters, slamming his foot into the parking lot.

"Could we plan a group outing tomorrow?" Nero suggests, stepping out of the van, carrying three ice-cold cans of soda in his arms.

"Nero, we have a schedule to keep." V said, focused on finding the occult books that contain important information.

"V, if we take a break every now and then, nothing bad will happen, we're not in a race against time," Nero said, wanting to have fun, not just travel and defeat demons.

V remains silent, thinking about Nero's proposal.

The boy with the tattoos, however, makes a mistake when he shifts his gaze to Zoey and notices her puppy dog eyes.

"Every now and then it's good to take a break from our pursuit of happiness and just be happy," V responds, through a poem.

Nero throws each of the Latinas to the three girls he just met.

Rumi, Mira, and Zoey catch it with ease, having excellent reflexes due to their jobs as idols and Demon Slayers.

"Good reflexes." Nico said, appreciating what he saw.

"We're just keeping fit," Mira said, trying to maintain a dignified demeanor.

"I wrote the number for the handyman agency, Devil May Cry, on each of the soda cans," Nero said, pointing to one side of the drinks on offer.

Rumi looks down and notices that there's a number written on the soda can in marker.

"See you tomorrow afternoon?" Rumi suggests, trying not to blush.

"A six-way date in Seoul, I like that idea," Nico exclaims out loud, having longed for some good company.

Within minutes, the HUNTR/X Girl Band are gone, going to enjoy their vacation, not knowing they will have a restless night.

Meanwhile, Nico, V, and Nero are having a small meeting to plan their nightly activities. A certain area of Seoul is about to benefit from the services of the Devil May Cry agency.

Continues ...

Chapter Text

Story Arc: A New Demon Hunter in Town

Episode 1: Punk and Goth (III)

Chapter 3: Women's Gossip

XXX

POV Narrator

Mira, Rumi, and Zoey have just returned to their luxury penthouse. If they looked out the window, they'd see the sun starting to set.

"After such a beautiful day, lying on the couch is the cherry on top," Zoey said, making herself comfortable.

"I'm sorry, Zoey, but this time the couch doesn't appeal to me anymore, it's all yours." Mira said, sitting in an armchair, clutching some magazines she'd bought during her day.

The first magazine talks about motorcycles, the second shows women's motorcycle clothing and other leather clothing, and possible outfit combinations.

Clearly, the red-haired girl isn't known as the one who's always in fashion just for show.

"If you don't want the couch anymore, it means you've found something better. A certain Latina girl with glasses, perhaps?" Zoey asks with a mischievous smile, knowing full well the red-haired girl's tastes in men and women.

"Maybe yes, maybe no." Mira said, using her magazine to hide her face.

"Girls, let's not overdo it. We made some nice new friends today, and tomorrow afternoon we have to meet again, offer a city tour and lunch at a nice place," Rumi said, not wanting her two best (and only) friends to do anything out of line or weird.

"Have you by any chance already planned your wedding to Nero?" Zoey said, smiling like a cat who'd found a new toy.

"Nothing like that, I just want to get to know him better." Rumi replies, blushing slightly, having never thought about marriage or anything like that.

The purple-haired girl is a half-demon, an international idol and a demon hunter, who barely finds time to go out on the town with Zoey and Mira.

Thinking about having a serious relationship, getting married and starting a family are completely alien to Rumi.

Not only because of her busy lifestyle and responsibilities, but also because she's half-demon, making everything a thousand times more complicated.

"But it seems to me that you've already planned your first date, a city tour, a lunch, maybe you've planned a special desert?" Mira said, lowering the magazine, flashing a mischievous smile.

The red-haired girl also wants to have fun with Rumi, just like Zoey does.

"Desert? If Nero, V, and Nico want a piece of cake or a pastry, I'll have no problem offering it." Rumi replies, raising an eyebrow, completely unaware of the true meaning of Mira's words.

The amusement on Zoey's face quickly disappears.

"I forgot that you practically grew up in a country temple, with Celine as your mother and homeschooled," Zoey said, her voice devoid of happiness.

Always sorry for her purple-haired friend's unusual childhood.

"Our Rumi has grown a lot since we met her. But in some ways she's still a naive child," Mira said, running a hand through her hair, certain she'll have to ask some uncomfortable questions.

"I was never a naive child, I just lacked practical experience," Rumi said, trying to sound like an experienced and mature woman.

"If you don't understand my double entendres or insinuations, it speaks volumes about your lack of practical experience," Mira said, rising from her chair.

Zoey also stands up, not wanting to stand aside and let Mira deal with Rumi alone.

The two friends put their hands on Rumi's shoulders and force her to sit down, to have one of their serious discussions that don't involve their idol careers or their duty to cast out demons.

"First of all, just to be sure, do you like Nero?" Mira said, being direct with her questions.

The red-haired girl, for better or for worse, has always been someone who prefers to receive and give news straight to the face, without filters or unnecessary sweeteners.

"What do you mean I like Nero? That's a bit vague." Rumi said, slightly uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond.

"Do you find him as cute as a kitten on the internet or as attractive as those actors who don't wear shirts and give you bad ideas?" Zoey phrases her question in her own style, but provides two options: cute or attractive.

Rumi thinks back to his meeting with Nero, the young man with white hair; he only spoke to him for a short time, but he left a positive first impression.

The purple-haired girl can't explain it in words, but Nero had something that made him different from other men she had met in the past.

"It's embarrassing to admit, but Nero is a pleasure to look at," Rumi said, a slight blush on her cheeks, acting like a young girl dealing with her first crush.

Zoey can't help but smile for Rumi.

The maknae has known the purple-haired girl for several years, but has never seen her show interest in a man.

Well, at least not until Nero.

Zoey thought for a while that Rumi might be a lesbian, which caused some awkward moments.

For example, Zoey once arranged a surprise date for Rumi with a friend of hers from school...

It ended with Mira taking Rumi's place on the date with Zoey's old friend, who was a very cute girl and Mira's type.

Meanwhile, Rumi had a long argument with Zoey for overstepping her bounds.

At least, Zoey's past actions led to Mira coming out as bisexual.

"Zoey, do you like V?" Mira asks, turning her attention to the maknae, the youngest of the group.

Unlike Rumi, Zoey doesn't have to think about it much, knowing her tastes and feelings very well.

"V is a very handsome guy, a little mysterious, obviously cultured, and has great tattoos. If he were a vampire, I wouldn't mind being bitten," Zoey said, being quite open about her likes and dislikes.

Rumi blushes at Zoey's comment, while a frown appears on Mira's face.

"A simple yes would have worked, I don't want to hear some weird poem about ink hair and shadow-like tattoos," Mira comments, preferring not to hear all the details.

Rumi and Mira love Zoey, but she can become an endless chatterbox, especially when she's eaten too much sugar or is too excited.

'Maybe I could take the last few lines and make a song,' Zoey thinks, always keeping her mind open for new ideas.

"Good news, each of you likes a different guy, which means we won't have to go through something stupid like fighting over the same guy," Mira said, happy she didn't have to deal with such a problem; her life was already busy.

"I wouldn't do something like that. I care too much about you two and our friendship, I'd rather step aside than risk breaking what we have," Rumi admits, considering her bond with Mira and Zoey something invaluable and unique.

Mira had a hard time keeping a hard expression in the face of Rumi's confession.

"Rumi is too good a woman. If Nero does anything bad to her, I'll kill him." The red-haired girl thinks, more convinced than before to watch over Rumi during their appointment tomorrow afternoon.

"This is so beautiful and so sad at the same time," Zoey mutters, her eyes watering, her little heart feeling strong emotions.

"I love you too, Rumi." Zoey exclaims, hugging the purple-haired girl tightly.

"I care about you too, Zoey," Rumi said, hugging her back, appreciating the maknae's open and unconditional affection.

'Maybe I'm worrying too much,' Rumi thinks, feeling much better.

His thoughts about being half-demon sink into his mind, allowing brighter thoughts to emerge.

Mira, seeing this scene between Rumi and Zoey, can't help but feel a little jealous.

Mira, despite caring deeply for her two friends, is unable to be affectionate in a spontaneous or direct way.

Ironically, when it comes to violence, there is no problem in acting, but when it comes to love, there is a slight difficulty.

"Mira, don't just watch, come and join in the fun." Zoey said, moving her arm, making room for Mira.

"Girls, we have something important to discuss." The red-haired girl said, trying to keep a serious expression.

"Mira, don't be a Tsundere." Zoey said, teasing her overly serious friend.

"We're a team, for better or worse, you have to participate in the group hugs," Rumi said, wishing Mira would join.

"Just for a moment and we need to keep talking." Mira said, before joining Rumi and Zoey in the hug.

"Happy now, girls?" Mira asks, trying not to smile, but unfortunately failing.

"I'm so happy, we're on vacation, we had fun today, and each of us girls found a cute partner, and tomorrow we have a group date. If I can defeat the final boss of Grand Horizon 2 later, it'll be one of the best days of the year," Zoey said, full of positive energy.

"I think we've had a tender moment for far too long," Mira said, breaking the hug.

"Okay, someone wants some space." Zoey said, ending his hug.

'I love these moments.' Rumi thinks, caring deeply for Zoey and Mira, willing to do anything for them.

"Getting back to the discussion, Rumi, do you know where babies come from?" Mira asks with an awkward expression.

Unfortunately, the red-haired girl is forced to ask such a question, knowing that Rumi did not have a normal childhood and upbringing.

"Yes, I know, the stork brings babies to married couples who want children," Rumi recounts, as if it were one of the truths of the world.

Zoey and Mira, hearing these words, take on indescribable expressions.

"Mira, I'll leave it to you to explain to Rumi how things really work," Zoey said, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.

"I thought I'd have this discussion when I was older and with a child. Not with Rumi," Mira said, slapping her forehead.

If Celine were in this room right now, Mira would definitely give her a beating.

"Actually, I was joking. I got an A in anatomy, I know how reproduction works and everything." Rumi states, slightly embarrassed that her prank worked so well.

"Thank you for the little mercies." Mira exclaims, her voice filled with relief.

"I admit, we were completely fooled." Zoey said, giving a little applause for Rumi's prank.

"Honestly, I didn't think it would work. Do you really think I'm that ignorant about certain things?" Rumi asks, crossing her arms.

"I'll answer your question with a question: Have you ever been on a date alone with a guy?" Mira said, turning the metaphorical conversation table on its head.

"No." Rumi replies, knowing she can't lie to her female friends about this fact.

"Have you ever kissed a boy?" Mira asks, as if to emphasize how she's never been deceived before.

"No." Rumi admits, lowering her head slightly, clearly embarrassed.

"Rumi, if you had a pet and Celine was more strict, I'd say you'd be a modern-day Rapunzel," Zoey comments, trying to lighten the mood.

"A group outing is definitely the best option for Rumi," Mira said, showing her protective side.

"I agree, triple the fun and friends nearby for emergencies," Zoey said, trying to look on the bright side of a group date.

"Emergencies? You're not talking about demons, right?" Rumi asks, raising an eyebrow, sure her two friends are worried about something she doesn't know.

"Are you kidding again?" Zoey asks, her voice uncertain.

Mira instead sighs, while pinching her nose.

"If you feel uncomfortable during tomorrow's outing, just tell me and I'll fix it with a couple of punches," Mira said, always willing to help her friends by hook or by crook.

"Maybe we're being too overprotective? Rumi may be inexperienced, but she's not stupid. And Nero seems like a good guy to me," Zoey said, believing Mira was overdoing it with her pessimism.

"He dresses like a real punk," Mira comments, suspicious of Nero for a reason she can't explain.

"You can't judge a book by its cover or a person by how they like to dress," Zoey said, trying to explain her point.

"Since when did you get so mature?" Mira asks, not used to seeing Zoey acting like a serious woman outside of work.

"A lot of my favorite cartoons have episodes that teach you a life lesson," Zoey explains, taking inspiration from classics like Ben 10 (The Original Series) and the superheroes of DC and Marvel.

"I take it all back, Zoey will be Zoey." Mira said, her voice calm.

"What does this mean?" Zoey asks, pouting, which makes her look kind of cute.

"It means we love you and we don't want you to change," Rumi said, saving Mira from a little spat with Zoey.

The purple-haired girl's words were enough to make Zoey smile.

"If our group date works out tomorrow, could we do it again? Would a bike ride be too far-fetched for a second date?" Zoey asks, having plenty of ideas on how to make a date memorable.

"I don't know how to ride a bike," the purple-haired girl confesses, having never touched a bicycle in her life, because it wasn't considered a necessary or useful skill, according to Celine.

"Besides fighting demons, singing, dancing, what else did Celine teach you?" Mira asks, her voice rising slightly.

Rumi is silent for a few seconds, reflecting on everything her adoptive mother has taught her.

Of course, Rumi can't add lying and keeping secrets from her best friends/teammates/battle sisters to the list.

"Celine taught me how to braid my hair and take care of my appearance," Rumi replies, bringing up one of her adoptive mother's most helpful and innocent teachings.

"It falls into the category of teachings to become an idol." Mira said, her voice stern.

Clearly, Mira is less than happy that the purple-haired girl had a childhood deprived of many pleasures.

"I'm putting riding my bike with Rumi on the to-do list, I'm putting that at the top of the list," Zoey said, taking out her smartphone and starting to write something down.

"Is there a list?" asks Rumi, not knowing about such a thing.

"It exists now," Zoey declares, having started writing down a list of fun activities for the three of them.

Before Rumi could respond, his body stiffens, and beneath his clothes, his tattoos give her a sense of danger.

A few seconds later, Zoey and Mira also became more tense, receiving some sort of alarm from Honmoon.

"Girls, we have work to do." Rumi said, with a serious expression, putting everything aside to do the task she had been trained for since childhood.

"Why does the Bat-Signal have to go off at the worst possible times? We were talking about something extremely important." Zoey comments, getting up from the couch with feigned effort.

"Bat-Signal, seriously?" Mira asks, not too impressed by Zoey's words.

"The Honmoon in its mystical ways warns us and tells us where to go. It's basically our own personal radar/signal." Zoey explains why she thinks of the Honmoon as something akin to a Bat-Signal.

"Girls, the fun's over, we have demons to slay." Rumi said, summoning his magical weapon in his hands to emphasize his seriousness.

"Actually, Rumi is our living radar, she's the one most sensitive to Honmoon and the presence of demons," Zoey said, complimenting her purple-haired friend on her useful skills.

XXX

At the same time, in an abandoned area of the subway, a fight is taking place between a white-haired swordsman, a black-haired summoner, and a horde of demons.

Continues ...