"Good morning. Oh? You're back? When? Last night?" the man with slightly dark reddish hair and a height over six feet asked. Hayato quickly took a seat at the dining table.
Zen, the person he was addressing, nodded. In fact, he had just returned last night after a three-day mission. Zen glanced at Yato briefly and then surveyed his surroundings, which still appeared quiet.
"Fai? Not awake yet? Sebastian is at home; does he know?" Zen inquired to make sure. Inside the headquarters, there were several unwritten rules that had to be followed to avoid World War III breaking out in their living space.
Rule number one: You couldn't be late, and you couldn't eat outside during breakfast, lunch, and dinner as long as Sebastian was at home and the members were not on a mission. Sebastian enjoyed cooking and preparing a variety of foods, but he also appreciated when his hard work was valued. All the members knew that and made efforts to keep the housekeeper from going on strike and causing unwanted issues. The rule didn't apply to Kevin and Elle.
"He's in the shower. He just finished exercising; we did it together earlier. Haha, he knows, he knows, so he won't be late," Yato replied with a half-laugh due to Zen's warning. Not long after the two of them chatted, Rezt came downstairs while yawning. The young man with messy black hair, who never seemed put-together, stumbled down as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Good morning, Rezt. Didn't sleep because you were playing games again? Sebastian might scold you if he sees you like this," Hayato gently chided. Rezt let out a rough breath because it was indeed true. He nodded and then dragged his body to the bathroom located near the kitchen.
The second rule was that you couldn't look unkempt at the dining table, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sebastian didn't expect the members to dress formally or wear shirts like Zen, but he wanted them to wear decent clothes and present themselves reasonably. Rezt was a bad example. The rule didn't apply to Elle.
"That kid often makes Sebastian angry. Why can't he at least restrain himself during meals at the table?" Zen grumbled when he saw Rezt once again coming downstairs with a disheveled appearance. Hayato chuckled lightly at Zen's remark.
"He's still seventeen, still young. Just let it be, as long as he's still listening to us. The real danger would be if he started arguing and not listening, but you and I know that kid well, well, not... all members know his childish nature very well," Hayato explained with a small smile. Besides Elle, Rezt was the youngest member living in the headquarters. That's why he was considered a rebellious teenager who couldn't control his emotions and a gaming fanatic who needed constant supervision.
"Good morning, back already, Zen? How was the mission? Any issues?" Fai inquired as he pulled a chair next to Yato and sat down immediately. Zen turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, the silver-haired young man who always looked dashing, calling him. Zen shook his head in response.
"No issues, everything went smoothly. I think Elle might have exaggerated a bit by categorizing this as a class X mission. I only needed two days to handle it, and I spent another day finding a place to stay near the target location," Zen added. Fai raised an eyebrow upon hearing the response from the number one Fighter in the headquarters. Fai thought that if he went on a similar mission, he likely wouldn't return for months, if at all. The mission Zen had undertaken the day before involved dismantling a group of more than a hundred members who were distributing and selling restricted drugs.
"It's not Elle who misjudged, but it seems like your mind is a bit tangled, and you're taking it out on them. Don't do that. Listening to you talk like this, I feel sorry for the targets," Fai conveyed while lightly patting Zen's shoulder. Zen furrowed his brow in confusion, and Hayato just laughed, understanding Fai's intention.
Rezt returned from the bathroom looking more presentable, pulled the chair beside Zen, and sat down slowly.
"Breakfast isn't ready yet?" Rezt asked, stifling another yawn. Fai propped his chin on his hand and gazed at their younger sibling.
"Of course not, you know the rule. And if it's past the designated time, all hell breaks loose. Do you want to wake up the others, little brother?" Fai asked Rezt.
The third rule was that food wouldn't be taken out of the kitchen until all members gathered at the designated time. And when that time came, Sebastian would place the cooked dishes on the dining table, acknowledging the faces missing from the gathering.
"Are you looking for trouble? Watch yourself," threatened Rezt, annoyed by Fai's teasing.
"Good morning, oh, quite a crowd already," greeted Rei warmly as he chose a seat furthest away from the others, given that the chair next to Zen was already occupied. During his time at the headquarters, Rei wasn't particularly close to many people. He was only accustomed to discussing mission matters or engaging in light chitchat. Otherwise, he was mainly close to Zen.
"What were you up to? Why did it take you so long to come out?" Zen quipped with a puzzled expression, to which Rei only let out a small chuckle.
"Sorry, sorry. I took too long in the shower and lost track of time, but I'm not late, right? I'm safe, I'm in the clear today," Rei patted his chest and looked towards the kitchen, where Sebastian was standing, dressed neatly with his always-present apron whenever he was in the kitchen.
"I want milk; why can't Sebastian prepare the drinks first?" Rezt interjected before Zen could respond to Rei's previous remark.
"Hold on, you know the rules, right? Just be patient for a bit, it's only half an hour more, and you'll get everything," Hayato added.
The fourth rule was that no one was allowed to enter or use the kitchen while Sebastian was in there. The kitchen was Sebastian's domain and a sacred place for the members of the headquarters. Besides Sebastian, the only other skilled cook was Fai. However, Fai could only prepare light dishes due to his time living alone. Zen, who had almost caused the kitchen to explode, was strictly forbidden from entering while Sebastian was present. They could simply ask the well-dressed young man for whatever they needed—snacks or light meals. Sebastian always had them prepared and stored in the refrigerator. The members only needed to reheat them in the microwave. The rule applied to everyone.
"Good morning, my darlings, good morning, my dearest sibling. How did you sleep? Soundly? Not scared?" the one-eyed young man greeted Rezt. It was a common sight to see Rezt being teased by the other members, as his reactions were always entertaining to watch.
"Shut the fuck up..." Rezt grumbled, holding back his emotions. He didn't want Sebastian to shoot him a look for causing a commotion at the dining table. Break chuckled playfully, pulled out a chair, and sat next to Rei. He placed his sword on the floor and gazed at the other members.
The fifth rule was that there should be no disturbances at the dining table. While eating, it was fine to converse or discuss something. However, Sebastian wouldn't be pleased if anyone started fighting or raised their voices in front of the food he had prepared. The rule applied to everyone.
"Rezt is always so full of energy, I really like that. Hm? A new kid on the block, huh? Well, that could be trouble if they end up being late. Have you guys made sure to inform them about the dining room rules?" Break asked, double-checking. His dark red eye fixed its gaze on the faces of each member around him. The pallor, the inability to answer immediately—it was as if they were struggling hard to remember if they had informed the new recruit about the unwritten rules of the headquarters. Break fought hard to suppress his laughter as he observed their reactions. Slowly, he bit his tongue.
"No one informed them? Don't worry, I managed to tell them," Break said, causing all the members to wear the same relieved expression. "Oh, wait, did I not?" he continued, making Hayato quickly jump up from his chair and rush upstairs to make sure the new member wasn't running late. Break held back his laughter; the white-haired youth always enjoyed playing pranks on the Wall members. He twisted words and often set traps for them. Break was known as a mischievous and dangerous young man to be avoided if one didn't want trouble.
However, due to his playful nature, the atmosphere in the headquarters never felt cold. The atmosphere inside was always lively and warm—despite being noisy and filled with arguments, Break had his own way of making everyone feel not alone when they were there. Even though they worked illegally, even though they were assassins, even though they weren't related by blood, the members were always interconnected and had their own ways of complementing each other.