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"I still don't know why you need me in this and not doing it yourself, Twilight."
"I need your motherhood's intuition, Handler," Loid Forger begged. Not Twilight, Loid, as Handler noticed in the emergency report. It was Twilight begging her help as an old associate more than as superior, for a matter regarding his cover family. "You have experience in raising a kid, both I and Yor have none of prior experience, and I'm afraid that Plan B will not just be in jeopardy if we don't do something about it, but also destroy all other plans."
"But seriously? You want me to tail your daughter in school and watch how her current relationship going with Damian Desmond? For what?"
Loid recollected himself, and Twilight answered, "This will be good for the mission. Specifically, Plan B of friendship scheme to get into Donovan Desmond's inner circle via friendship between our children. With Melinda Desmond still preferring occultism over therapy, we need to make sure Anya's in good grace with him and he won't jeopardize anything in the future. Like throwing tantrums when Melinda invites our family to their property."
Handler wanted to snark that he's just concerned that his little girl might caught ire from a son of one of the wealthiest and most influential political figure, even after his report that his initial first impression with Donovan was...amicable, but she swallowed the words. "Very well. I shall see if there's anything wrong or missed by you."
"I'll be in your debt, Handler."
It has been a long time since I'm infiltrating anything by myself...
The disguise was just something simple: an unremarkable, middle-aged school janitor, and judging from her stolen ID card that she got after the actual janitor stayed at home over stomach ache (that she totally did not cause by that expired sauce), about to retire in 8 years. The good thing about this person's identity was that she's also a licensed window cleaner, so she's able to hang around the windows, planting bugs and-
"Thanks, old lady."
Handler's eyes twitched against the high school student whose bench she just cleaned. She was old, but not that old. Even her disguised identity wasn't that wrinkled.
She sighed. Kids truly thought anything above 30 were ancients.
Regardless, the unique thing about this infiltration, was that it require her motherly side to watch the matter, not her spying side. So it didn't need her keen mind and eyes to monitor anything, but rather her nature as a woman with a kid of her own to see what's going on at the school, and correctly used her skills in infiltrating some gossipy queen's circle a decade ago, to measure the likely current relationship between Anya and Damian, friendly or not.
And watching all these adorable little children, talking and playing with friends, waved at teachers...it reminded her of good old days before war. When her family was fully intact, and all were right in the world.
This time, the memory lane was bittersweet than threatening to rip her heart apart and made her regressing back. Time did heal...eventually.
The dust kept getting in her eye, huh?
Then she finally saw her target: Anya Forger, together with her rich first friend, Becky Blackbell. She noticed the little girl was giggling, likely from a little joke that Blackbell's little heiress told her. She was really adorable little one, with beautiful green eyes, fluffy hair and bursting energy. Even with her little fight with Desmond and surprising punching power, it was unbelievable that at one point the whole first grade was scared of her.
She noticed the girl perked up, and she looked like she's struggling to not huff herself up in pride. While Becky was staring at her as if the hornlike ornaments on her head just grew five inches, Handler's motherly side was struggling to not just cooing at the sweet little girl, grab her and make her snuggle into her chest right away.
No, Handler, she recomposed herself. You're here to make sure Anya's relationship with Damian Desmond is fine. Not to kiss her cheek for being adorable to the maximum.
Then Anya's head turned around, as if she heard a gunshot.
She almost saw her, and Handler was forced to get into her act, cleaning the nearest bench.
Okay, that was weird. It was almost like she could read what's going on in her head.
Anya then loudly gulped. The little scholar then walked away with Becky, whistled...very poorly. As if she just got caught stealing a cookie from the jar of Henry Henderson.
What a peculiar youngling. No wonder Twilight, even today after losing himself to his father figure persona, listed Anya's growth in his report as 'unpredictable'.
The older woman noticed several things in the school, window just recently cleaned after she watched the inside of Anya's PE class.
One: Anya Forger had one of the worst handwriting in the world. She already took notice to correct some of them in case they were legit incomprehensible than just a dumb mistake. As well as making report for Twilight to focus in his daughter's handwriting soon.
And cut off some of her Bondman's consumption. Girl clearly viewed everything as if she's a super secret agent, calling homeworks 'missions' and all.
Two: This school's curriculum were too advanced for any small children. At least four grades too high for them. No wonder a kid from mere orphanage struggled so much in this elite academia. Twilight was truly lucky she didn't failed all her tests already.
Three: Unless there's a system to remove Tonitrus Bolt, or at least to appeal for the lesser crimes, it's...far too harsh. Especially since, from Twilight's own account, Anya's second Tonitrus was from a missing handkerchief. Good thing that Madam Schlag, from a report by Twilight, was already softening from Swan's recent scandal. Or else Anya would get 5 bolts just from those alone.
Four: Damian Desmond...was likely having crush for Anya.
No, it wasn't just the 'Gossip Queen of Hemburg'-her persona in one of her most infamous mission- that called it. The way he looked at her whenever he thought no one's looking, the mean faces when his two entourages almost noticed it, it was clear the little kid was struggling between wanting to hate her guts for punching him that hard in first day, or staring at her eyes all day long for being so adorable. And said admiration definitely grew after some of her own heroics tales, so at this point Damian couldn't be crushing her just for her adorableness alone. That time she stopped the bus hijackers definitely carved way into his heart.
The boy's a classic hot and cold lover, The Tsundere.
I'm surprised Twilight maintained a good track record with mood-swinging targets, considering how he's unable to see such a blatant example.
The Handler shook her head. No, Twilight couldn't be blamed to not see it. Kids could be weird, unpredictable, hence why they cannot be diagnosed with anti-social behaviors of adult. Damian being spoiled tsundere, of course, would confuse anyone without experience from it. She knew; herself was one toward her deceased husband before their marriage, and only motherhood finally tamed that cold side of hers.
But still...nothing indicate how their relationship truly grew now.
Handler shook her head. Maybe she really needed to break into Damian's dormitory.
Many missions where Handler had to read someone's private messages, private diary, secrets written in disappearing ink. As spy, privacy of targets were something to be penetrated, destroyed, and exposed for the greater good. It sucked, especially when the targets were decent people who just happened to know something important. But as her trainer said, you can't make an omelette without breaking an egg.
And yet, few made her felt so bad about breaking someone's privacy.
She almost cried reading the diary. It was clear that Damian...hadn't had a good family life, between distant father, even distant brother, and a mother who struggled between her genuine love for her children, and her own growing animosity with her husband.
That prick couldn't even be bothered to at least try to become more than strangers to his own family!
Speaking of husband, she really needed to find out why, of all thing, she suspected Donovan to be an alien. But with how detached he acted, no wonder he could be mistaken as one.
Also regarding Anya...well, he tried way too hard in convincing himself that she was just a stinky commoner that he obviously had crush at.
Classic Tsundere.
Then she read the latest entry.
I don't understand. I thought Father is detached to the common world, hence why I told him I don't care about those commoners, even if I do care for some here. But then he admonished me? Saying my mind is too narrow?
Then when I asked what he meant, of course he just left!
I just...I just don't understand him...
Treating family like strangers instead of guiding them fully, even during a lesson that he started...Of course Donovan would do that.
Regardless of her fury towards the patriarch, her spying side wanted to photograph the latest entry with her spying camera, as a way to nudge Twilight where to investigate. Especially knowing that it contrasted directly in few appearances of his that showed his blank, uncaring self.
But her motherly side, wanted to let Damian keep this secret for once.
At the end, Handler decided the sole person who knew about this incident, for the time being, was her only.
I'll give him the kid privacy for now. Can't abuse the family issue of a little child like this.
But just before she walked out of the room, she noticed several scribbles that was tossed into the bin.
One of them had tons of pink crayon on it.
She smirked. Now this, on the other hand...
Two hours later...
"Damian," Anya approached him, now sulked, alone with no one around. Poor boy must've now remembered how his latest interaction with his father went after Emile and Ewen had to leave him for their own business.
Damian barely huffed at her, but it's clear he's too saddened to have energy to do anything else against her. Handler herself noticed the actual name of Desmond's scion being used than the malapropism of Sy-on Boy, showing that she might wanted to be serious this time.
Then again, Handler noticed the sun's already dimming, ready to go into sunset. Anyone would be exhausted after hours at prodigious school. Herself also ready to go home after this conversation, ready to write about how Damian and Anya were...amicable. Crush or not.
"I heard that your father got angry at you for not caring one bit about commoners."
Sylvia almost snapped her mop in half. How the hell she-
"Wh-wuh, bleh-W-why should you even care?!"
Sylvia sighed. Of course the little brat wouldn't be honest. Even after his reaction was all but confirmed it.
Well, it's obvious he's not a natural politician, since even Anya, the adorable simpleton, rolled her eyes at him.
"Mama met your mother last week; she talked about how your father got upset at you for saying such thing, and how you looked so sad. Don't worry, Mama only told Anya about it, no one else know!"
Sylvia almost gasped. Yor Forger-nee Briar heard from the matriarch of Desmond family herself? Twilight truly picked the best cover wife for Strix.
And once again, Anya suspiciously huffed in pride. Truly a peculiar child.
"Y-y-yeah, so?"
"Then," the little girl dragging her foot shyly, almost 180 degree from her brief look of full confidence, "Why don't you start to know how commoners think, by becoming my friend? I mean, I want to regardless of your issues, but..."
What a smart little girl. She noticed Damian wanted that approval from his reclusive father, and Anya gave him a way by offering to mingling with a commoner. By friendship with commoner who already cared.
Commoner with Papa who had enough pull to rent some huge castle, but she's not telling.
Meanwhile, with Anya herself, she used her shimmering eyes on Damian to get what she wanted from him:an acceptance of her friendship.
And unlike what happened in the first report of Twilight after the punching incident, where he rejected her apology, Damian's expression softened.
"O, okay..."
The Handler almost awwed at the sight of the little Forger smiled as Donovan's second son accepted her handshake. These two were truly wholesome pair, and Papa Twilight would be happy to know about it.
Unless he's the overprotective type, but Twilight would be too objective for that...right?
Anya's eyes brightened so much she almost shone brighter than the day itself, and Damian blushed hard at the sight of her cute smile. "So! Since we're friends now, can Anya plays in your house next weekend, Sy-On Boy?!"
This time, Handler's mop couldn't handle the pressure and ended up splintered in half. W-what a sudden turn of event by Anya. No wonder Loid ordered so many migraine pills since Strix commencing.
Meanwhile, the little boy just...stammering, temperature in his body rising as his face became as red as cooked lobster.
Yeah, his crush was completely obvious to anyone watching.
After a while of stammering, Damian finally answered, "N-no way, stubby!" Damian rejected, red face completely steaming, "Y-y-you won't get into my mansion that easy! N-not in a million years!"
"Oh no. World peace is still so far away..." Anya was crestfallen after her failure, and Damian himself already ran toward his dormitory.
Handler wiped her sweat after yet another failure of Anya's personal quest to go in the mansion. I guess concept of Puppy Love is too big for Anya to understand now. Otherwise she'd know her desire to play there is closer than it look.
Anya suddenly looked confused, but Handler did not have the energy to think about yet another of her peculiar behaviors now. She already seen enough, and the older lady decided to call the day, and summarize everything she saw.
First point: Damian was truly a bona fide tsundere. And Anya likely too innocent to even understand the concept of crush if the little gremlin couldn't understand why Damian Desmond acted so peculiar in front of her.
Second point: Her best agent was an idiot who had zero understanding on the concept of someone who hide their feelings. Before this last conversation she'd just chalked it to kids being kids, but Damian was so obvious, he must be an idiot for not even suggesting it as a possibility. A retraining on target observation was imminent for him.
Third point: Anya Forger's the most unpredictable kid in the world. And judging by her spy lingo, either future agent of Ostania's spying agency (hopefully in a peaceful world), or an even worse private investigator than the guy who called himself Daybreak.
Fourth point: Emotion wisely, that was one of the hardest mission she ever got into. These kids were truly something.
Twilight better pay her dinner for this nonsense.
"A-A-Are you sure about it?"
Twilight read the report again, in both his spy persona and psychiatrist papa persona.
Neither sides of him felt positive at all about the report, especially the last line.
P.S. Damian is a Tsundere for your little daughter, you dork.
"Yes," Handler said with utmost certainty. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Damian Desmond is just a dumb little kid who still can't figure out how his crush work. That's why he acted so erratically. It's easy to mistake it as plain hatred, but-"
Crush. That word almost ruined Twilight's resolve entirely, but he kept going, "H-how could he develops a puppy love on my d-Anya?"
"Seriously?" Handler scoffed. "Your little daughter is very adorable, agent. All it took would be for her to look even prettier and vulnerable for him to fall for her. Add stuffs like that bus incident, and it's no wonder he likes her a lot. Even if he's not honest about it."
"I...I see..." Twilight wiped the sweat in his forehead, but then his expression darkened, "Are you absolutely sure about Damian Desmond having puppy love for Anya? And you're not seeing things through, this thing young people call as, 'shipping goggles'?"
"Well," Handler tossed something to Twilight instead of yelling at him for suggested she was being unprofessional and as deluded as her gossip queen persona. "Here. Something I photographed from the room of Damian Desmond. His own thought about Anya, and the only one where he's not convincing himself that Anya's just some stinky commoner."
Twilight eagerly accepted it, to find out if his handler just let her gossipy queen side took over in the personal mission, and made up anything in her report. This newest development sounded too bizarre to be true-
Anya Desmond Anya Desmond Anya Desmond Anya Desmond Anya Desmond
Five lines of him writing Anya's name with his family name, as if he thought what it'd feel like if he gave her his name.
Then on the back of it...
A scribble. Five meany faces of a boy, assumed to be Damian's, one crossed face of a girl in pink crayon with stupid looking eyes...and one face of similar boy, surrounded with pink hearts. Looking at the girl from below, this time drawn far prettier with bright eyes and everything nice.
"...I'm going to talk to him."
"...Twilight?"
Twilight grabbed something from the desk. "I just want to talk to him."
"Twilight, is that our newest taser gun?"
Said gun brightened the office, set the photographed final evidence on fire. "I just need to talk to him."
"Damn it, Twilight. He's only a kid. SIX YEARS OLD CHILD!"
"Mama?"
"Yes, Miss Anya?"
"What's Puppy Love? Does that means Damian loves puppy more than anything?"
Mama almost split the cutting board in half.