That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Fighting Valiantly

The top half of the ship was falling.

"Th-The ship has split in two!" a man in a lifeboat shouted as they all watched, horrified. People who were in the water near the ship struggled to get out of the way.

CRAAASH!

WHIZ!

The top half of the ship slammed into the water, killing many. Something shot out of the water. It was Sebastian, holding Ciel and accompanied by Lacey.

"Thanks for the lift!" she said as their feet touched the deck, and they ran as fast as they could up the deck, which was tilting again as it filled with water.

"It does not seem that the bow here will hold for long either!" Sebastian observed. The ship rumbled as it began to sank. Sebastian leaped here and there with Ciel to avoid screaming people as they fell, with Lacey not too far behind. A life preserver ring fell toward them. Sebastian snatched it and landed on the railing at the tip of the bow. "Young Master." He slid the ring down around Ciel as Lacey scrambled up behind them. "Take a deep breath!"

"Eh!?" Ciel exclaimed. "Wha—!?"

"Just do it, Ciel!" Lacey told him.

"I hope that you can stay with him for the time being," Sebastian told Lacey.

"Yeah, no problem. Don't die," Lacey said, grabbing hold of Ciel while she kept a firm grip on her death scythe. Sebastian picked them both up.

"The situation being what it is, please do forgive me!" Sebastian told Ciel.

"What are you d......UWAAAAH!" Ciel yelled as Sebastian hurled him and Lacey as far away from the ship as possible as it was pulled under. The water rushed up to swallow it, swirling around in a dangerous undertow. Grell floated on the surface of the water a short distance away.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

William T. Spears's death scythe extended to hook onto his clothing, and William dragged him up out of the water.

"To think you can't even reap souls properly... Good grief," William said, annoyed. He dropped Grell unceremoniously into the boat on top of Ronald, whom he had already rescued. "Did you allow laziness to get the better of you during your suspension?" he muttered. "I'm not even part of dispatch, and yet here I am, a member of management, out in the field. I really do wish you'd give some thought to how I feel. Why, I shan't be able to clock out on time once again... dash it all." He stomped on Grell's face and whacked Ronald with his scythe. "Wake up! Grell Sutcliff! Ronald Knox!" he yelled at them with a vein throbbing on his head.

"Owww..." Grell groaned. "—Oh, Wiiill~!♥" he said with hearts in his eyes, perking up when he saw who it was. "You came to get me!!" He launched himself at Will with open arms. Will dodged and let him fall face-first into the ice cold water.

"I have not come here to get anybody," Will said angrily with his face cast partially in shadow. He pushed Grell's head back down with his death scythe. "I have come here to clean up after a good-for-nothing employee who can't do his job. We will set to the work of retrieval without delay, do you hear?"

"But...! We're all worn out, in case you hadn't noticed..." Ronald said wearily.

"The duty of a grim reaper is to collect souls reliably and punctually, whatever the situation," Will said mercilessly.

"That colder-than-the-sea gaze you're leveling at me at you trample my individual rights—! It's making my body do just the opposite! I'm burning up!" Grell said, blushing as he leaned on the side of the boat.

"Can't say the same for me, sir," Ronals said. "You sure seem to be rarin' to go, Mister Sutcliff, sir~!"

"I will require you to return to head quarters and submit your report immediately after we've finished our collections here," Will said, all business. He adjusted his glasses. "Your report on the transgressor, that is."