n

n

n

nOn the next day, after that huge battle to capture Shirou in Mihazono ruin, Akira and Carol once again came to the residential district of the ruin together. Due to the battle between the multi-legged tank monsters guarding the ruin and the powered suits from the Kugamayama city defence squad, plus the fight between Hammerz and Olivia, the ruin was left filled with rubble and wreckage, the city district was in a very bad state.

n

nIn the middle of that utterly destroyed ruin, Carol was going around collecting data to create a map while Akira was there to escort her.

n

nAkira looked around the surroundings with a rather surprised look on his face.

n

n“It seems that they were going at it pretty hard, huh? This might even be worse than the last one, right?”

n

nSince Carol was collecting data, she knew the extent of the damage to the area better than Akira. She had already expected that the damage to the ruin would be horrendous judging by how hard the two parties battled each other yesterday. Although she was discouraged after seeing such a battle from afar yesterday, today, she seemed to be doing just fine.

n

n“The damage is indeed worse than the last incident. I’ve done a bit of digging and it seems that the powered suits they were using yesterday are the same kind as those used to guard Kuzusuhara ruin. That might be the reason why.”

n

n“Do you think it has something to do with that guy from yesterday?”

n

n“That might be the case, that’s all I can say.”

n

nBoth Carol and Akira were suspecting that yesterday’s incident had something to do with Shirou. That incident happened right after Shirou and Olivia left. So, it was only natural for Carol and Akira, who were also there when that happened, to suspect they had something to do with this incident. Carol then continued.

n

n“Well, it has nothing to do with us anyway, right?”

n

n“Yeah, that’s true.”

n

nAkira reaffirmed her. Both of them were saying that in hopes that it would really be the case. After all, both Akira and Carol did not want to get involved in any more trouble. Since they were there in the very location of the incident right now, it was enough of a reason for them to worry that others might think they had something to do with that incident. Especially when they were trying to investigate the source of that incident. So, in order to get their minds off the matter, they changed the subject of their conversation.

n

n“But still, I thought that the ruin would be on high alert after a battle that serious, I wonder why that is not the case this time?”

n

nAkira’s question was completely understandable, but the answer to that question was a complete mystery for Carol as well, so she just gave an educated guess.

n

n“I bet it has something to do with Seranthal. It seems that those powered suits were originally from the area around the Seranthal building, you know?”

n

nAkira only threw a question without expecting a serious answer. However, Carol’s reply was quite a detailed answer, which caused him to be surprised. Akira’s expression indicated that he did not understand the meaning of what exactly she was saying so he threw another question.

n

n“Why does it have something to do with the Seranthal building?”

n

n“Seranthal building is an important building in this ruin after all, and those powered suits came from that place.”

n

nAkira still did not seem to understand the meaning of her answer. So, Carol reworded her answer to include an additional explanation.

n

nThe Seranthal building was treated as a relatively important building inside the Mihazono ruin. It was because there were branch offices of national-level government departments and old-world corporations on the upper floors of the Seranthal building.

n

nMoreover, after a city officer by the name of Yanagisawa made a deal with the caretaker AI of that building, they were allowed to borrow the first floor as well as the area around the Seranthal building. Judging from that fact, there was a good chance that Kugamayama city made some moves to make sure that yesterday’s incident would not spread too far.

n

nAfter listening to her explain, Akira nodded in admiration.

n

n“It’s pretty amazing that you even know about all that as well. Is it normal to know that much even though the incident just happened yesterday?”

n

n“To be honest, it’s much more surprising for me that you don’t know anything about it though. Don’t you have information sources mentioning something like that?”

n

n“Not really.”

n

nToward Akira, who responded so casually, Carol found that weird.

n

n“Is that so? Considering your Hunter Rank, to be honest, it would be completely understandable for information brokers to approach you… But you at least receive contract offers from all kinds of operator support, right? Don’t you get bits and pieces of information from their contract offers? Don’t they send some information in their offers, trying to show that they can give you information which are normally not out in the public?”

n

nAkira replied apathetically as if he was trying to hide something.

n

n“Oh, if it’s about that, I’ve basically refused all their offers.”

n

nOf course. Carol immediately noticed Akira’s reaction. But she misunderstood what Akira meant as she smiled and said.

n

n“Ah, I get it. I bet you have refused their offer without even opening their messages, right? It’s better if you make a habit of at least reading their offers first before refusing them, you know? But I somehow can understand. You just don’t want to bother yourself in doing something like that, right?”

n

n“Well, yeah.”

n

nIn reality, it was not rare for both individual Hunters and a team of Hunters with a high enough rank to sign contracts with independent support organizations. Although information was very important to them, Hunters did not have the time to check and hunt for information all the time.

n

nFor high-ranking Hunters from Hunter gangs such as Drankam, they could receive information via those gangs. As for the new Hunters, they had no other choice but to collect money from low-difficulty level ruins and common requests. They had to be satisfied with the common information that anyone could get for free on the network.

n

nBut for high ranking Hunters who did not work in teams, sometimes needed information. Information that was not easy to get, information that would effectively increase their earnings to match their high ranks. That was why many of them formed contracts with support organizations and formed connections with information brokers in order to create their own information network.

n

nMeanwhile, those companies were contracted to those high-ranking Hunters could expect extra revenues. That was why those successful high-ranking Hunters were often approached by various companies early on. Judging from his ranking alone, Akira was one of those successful Hunters.

n

nBut Akira’s case was special. As expected, companies would at least do some investigations first before sending their offers. In the case of Akira, the investigation would not only uncover his slum origin, but it would also uncover all the incidents that Akira was involved in.

n

nHe was the supporter of a certain large gang in the slums and the number of people he had killed, who got in his way. During the big battle which destroyed Haurias and Ezont Family, he had killed numerous people. He also had a suspicious connection to a Kugamayama city officer. With such details, no honest business would send an offer to him.

n

nOf course, there were some companies who still tried to make a contract with Akira even after all that he did. But they were blocked by the Hunter Office’s general communication line since he had an invitation setting meant for high-ranking Hunters. As for the offers that passed through that filter setting, Alpha basically was refusing them without even showing them to Akira.

n

nBecause of that, some tried to go through Inabe or Sheryl to contact Akira. But Inabe always came up with some excuses and left everything to Sheryl.

n

nAnd thus, Sheryl was basically the one receiving those offers. She did convey them to Akira. However, Akira would simply tell her to deal with them herself and there was no need to tell him about every incoming offer. Thus, Sheryl kept those offers on hold, saying that they did not satisfy all the requirements. She would leave them dangling while sapping profits for her own gang. Of course, she planned to inform Akira if she bumped into offers that would cause Akira trouble if she refused them.

n

nBecause of this, Akira’s information network was abnormally bad for a Hunter of his rank.

n

nCarol lightly smiled and said to Akira.

n

n“Well, getting into a contract means binding yourself down. So, I think it’s completely fine not making any contract as long as you’re also okay with that. I mean, you’re doing fine even without an information broker. Ah, by the way, you can ask me anything, you know? Although normally it won’t be free, I will call it even since you’re escorting me.”

n

n“Is that so? Well, in that case…”

n

nAkira thought that it would be a waste to let that chance slide and asked various questions, Carol answered all of his questions with her usual smile.

n

nAfter they finished their job in the morning, Akira and Carol returned back to the camping car to have a meal. As for the meal, they bought the 100 thousand Aurum per portion luxurious filling meal from the Hunter Office’s cafeteria. Hunters usually did not have a regular income, but Akira who was working as Carol’s escort currently had a fixed regular income. Thus, he was enjoying that chance to his heart’s content.

n

nSeeing Akira slowly eating and enjoying the hearty meal, Carol smiled and said with a slightly surprised face.

n

n“But still, you really eat quite a lot.”

n

n“Well, I’m at that age after all.”

n

nAs Akira casually replied and Carol once again checked his body.

n

n“Hmm, compared to the first time I met you, you’ve really grown taller, and your body complexion is also better. But still, it would’ve been easier for me if your body isn’t the only thing that has grown up.”

n

nCarol smiled when she said so. But Akira then smiled rather smugly and commented.

n

n“What are you talking about? I’m way stronger than before now, no? Not only my body, but I also only got myself better new equipment on top of my pure physical strength. Back then, I couldn’t even use my guns without an augmented suit, but now, I can withstand the recoil to some extent. Well, although, it might be also thanks to the better recoil dampener of the guns that I’m using right now.”

n

nCarol sighed and smiled wryly.

n

n“Oh my, that does sound reassuring.”

n

nUnlike Akira, who was still using his usual augmented suit, Carol had taken off her augmented suit and changed to a see-through dress. Until now, Carol had been paranoid to the point that she cannot seem to calm down unless in her augmented suit. It was thanks to the events that occurred yesterday that she was now able to relax in her casual dress.

n

nAlthough Carol was grateful to him, as someone whose work involved seducing the opposite gender, seeing Akira not showing any interest in her even after she had dolled up and had given him the green light, she could not help but feel conflicted.

n

nAkira, who was oblivious to Carol’s feelings, innocently continued enjoying his meal. With his body that was gradually turning super-human without him knowing, it was demanding more food and nutrition. Although the energy use of a super-human body was extremely effective compared to a normal human, it was not like it could run on zero energy. If he returned to his usual diet with worse quantity and quality, although it would not kill him, it would affect the health of his body. So, to further improve his physique, Akira was replenishing himself through food and drinks.

n

nAfter all, even super-humans could not live only by eating mist, that was if it was only mist.

n

n—*—*—*—

n

nAfter Shiori told Reina everything, Reina seemed to be deep in thought. In front of her, Shiori just stood in silence as if she was waiting for her verdict.

n

nReina had her hand on her face as she was wearing a conflicted expression. She was throwing glances at Shiori from time to time. Every time she glanced at Shiori, Shiori would react by looking even more and more worried.

n

nReina then sighed.

n

n“Shiori. After a lot of thinking, I don’t feel like I’ll find my decision anytime soon, so I’ll try to find my answer slowly. First of all, discuss such matters with me first next time.”

n

nShiori raised her eyebrows.

n

n“Milady, are you sure you’re okay with that?”

n

nShiori did not expect Reina to give her a second chance. She had resolved herself and was certain that Reina would leave her. Watching how Shiori was trying to hold back her emotion to no avail, only ending up displaying blooming joy on her face, Reina smiled wryly and said to her.

n

n“Well, if you ask me if it’s okay or not, then the answer is no, it’s not okay. If you ask me if I’m angry or not, I am angry. But you’re doing everything for my sake. Even if I question why you would go so far and the only thing that could come to mind is that you did it because I’m just that weak… So, I have no desire to pin the blame onto you.”

n

n“Milady. That is not correct. It’s all my own decision, so there’s no need for Milady-”

n

nAs Shiori was trying to tell Reina to just blame her. However, Reina suddenly cut her off mid-sentence.

n

n“The blame is mine, I decide that it is mine to take, that’s why the blame lies on me.”

n

nParents could not blame the children for their mistakes. But superiors were meant to take the blame if their subordinates made mistakes. No longer allowing Shiori to continue acting as her parent, protecting her daughter, Reina was trying her best, albeit imperfect, to act as Shiori’s master. As such, Reina was trying to take the blame in this situation.

n

n“Although I might be as useless as a mere decoration right now, even so, I will at least try my best. It will start with taking over responsibility. So, let’s give our best from here and on. Shiori, I’ll be in your care.”

n

n“…! Of course, Milady!”

n

nReina’s smile that showed her growth made Shiori’s reply filled with enthusiasm.

n

nKanae watched that scene unfold with a foxy smile. Reina noticed that and awkwardly blushed. She inadvertently raised her voice to hide her embarrassment as she said.

n

n“Alright, that’s the end of this discussion… So then, the next problem would be, what should we do from here on out?”

n

nReina once again made a difficult expression. She was looking at the white card squeezed between her middle and index fingers. It was originally left by Olivia for Akira, and Olivia was assuming that Shiori got it by tricking Akira. After listening to Shiori’s explanation, even Reina also thought that it was not a fair deal.

n

nAlice had said that she left the matter with Olivia to them for the time being, and due to Shiori’s mistake, they were not able to leave a good impression on Olivia. Therefore, this was the current position they had to start at.

n

nThere was also the option to go to Akira and make another deal but fairly this time, where both sides understood the worth of the card. However, after Reina understood the situation they were facing. That option had too many worrying factors.

n

n…If he knew that we basically tricked him into giving us this card, that would definitely cause trouble. But in the first place, now that it has come to this, it’s rather suspicious whether Akira had initially already known the worth of this card when he first received it.

n

nTo use the card to contact Olivia, they would need a method to connect to the old-world domain. So, the question would then shift to if Olivia had really given that card to someone that could not use it, or she did that exactly because she knew Akira could use the card. If it was the latter, it would open up two possibilities. Either Akira, as a high-ranking Hunter, had a device to help him connect to the old-world domain, or he was someone that did not need such a device right from the start. Either way, it meant there was a chance that Akira was an old-world connector.

n

nDoes Akira really not know the worth of this card? Or is it that he was only pretending not to know to hide that he’s an old-world connector? It’s completely possible that he was just playing ignorant and intentionally accepted Shiori’s deal. He might have known that he was being tricked but accepted it since he prioritized hiding his real identity… What should we do? Forget asking him… if he notices that we’re suspecting him, it might be bad, really, really bad for us.

n

nReina then remembered that Shiori once gave her a lecture about the importance of information. Some secrets might be guessed without knowing anything and might actually be safer when it was known. With knowledge, their way of interpreting an event could change. She felt like Akira was emphasizing that he did part with the card under a fair deal. At that time, she thought that it was because of how Akira was. He was very hard-headed when it came to certain subjects.

n

nWhat if Akira did that since he was worried that if he said something wrong, then that card might come back to him again? If that’s really the case, we have the option of admitting that we tricked him into giving us the card. So, we can then return him the card. This might actually be a good option for us.

n

nReina kept humming while thinking of her options there.

n

n“Seriously… what should we do now…”

n

nReina kept muttering that line without making a decision. But even so, she did not resort to asking Shiori. Relying upon and taking advantage of someone’s kindness were two different things. She told herself that asking Shiori meant allowing herself to be spoiled again by Shiori’s kindness.

n

nIt was something that she had been doing up until now. She did not make her own decision and allowed Shiori to decide for her. Thus, when Shiori made a suggestion, Reina mostly just nodded and agreed with anything that Shiori said. If that decision might cause a dangerous situation where someone might get killed, it was indeed easier to just let someone else make that decision. It was easier to make someone else the leader, the caretaker, to make that decision. As the master, if it was the correct decision, she could just praise her, and if it was not, she could scold her.

n

nIf she did that now, Reina knew that Shiori would simply smile and allow her to continue doing what she has been doing. That was why, the one who needed to control her from falling back to her old ways, was Reina herself. Since she had decided to act as Shiori and Kanae’s master, she had to decide. A decision that was made with reason. One that both of them can accept. This was her first step to show her resolve, as well as to term her pride as their master into reality.

n

nShiori simply stood next to Reina without saying anything. She understood that Reina’s mumbling was not meant as a plea for help. More than that, Shiori herself did not have a good solution. But whatever Reina decided on, as her servant, Shiori, was planning to obey her decision.

n

nBut of course, that did not mean she would just obey without saying anything.

n

n“Alright then. Since we can’t decide ourselves, let’s go meet Akira and discuss it with him.”

n

n“M-Milady?!”

n

nOf course, Shiori understood what Reina was thinking, that was exactly why she did not expect Reina would decide to meet Akira.

n

nKanae was also surprised by that decision and interjected.

n

n“Ahh, Milady, let me at least tell you this. Akira-boy is way stronger than before, even if both Ane-san and I were to take him on at the same time, we can’t say for sure that we would win. So, if it breaks into a fight, it would be very dangerous.”

n

n“Is that so? Well, in that case, let’s do our best to run away. I’m counting on the both of you.”

n

nSeeing Reina reply so casually like that, Kanae was dumbfounded, which was a rare thing for her.

n

n“W-well, it’s my job after all. So, I will do my job to the best of my ability, but, Milady, are you really sure?”

n

nReina gave a light smile.

n

n“Oh? And here I thought you always want to fight Akira seriously. Wouldn’t it be better for you if I fail my negotiation with him?”

n

n“That might indeed be the case but that’s already a thing of the past.”

n

nSeeing Kanae lightly denying it, Reina smiled wryly and said.

n

n“Oh, as I thought, that is now the case, huh?”

n

nKanae twitched back as if she just realized that she had slipped up, but she then laughed and admitted it.

n

n“Yep, it was really the case before! It’s fine, isn’t it?! And it was in the past too! But now, I’m being serious here, so Milady does not need to be concerned about that. So, now that you know, please don’t fail your negotiation, okay?”

n

n“I’ll do my best, but it’s just to be safe, okay?”

n

n“Yeah yeah.”

n

nAlthough Kanae lightly said so, it was her serious reply.

n

n“Shiori, so that’s it. I’ll be counting on you.”

n

n“O-of course”

n

nHaving made their decision, they then set to meet up with Akira. Just like Shiori, who seemed to be rather anxious, Reina, who was next to her was frowning from anxiety.

n

nDeath was an occupational hazard for Hunters. Thus, the dangerous upcoming negotiation with Akira was just like any other Hunter job. Reina told herself so as she made her resolve.

n

n—*—*—*—

n

nAkira was waiting next to the camping car for Reina’s group to arrive. After he finished his meal, Akira received a call from Reina saying that there was something she wanted to discuss with him.

n

nDuring that call, Reina offered to meet up at Steriana, but since Akria’s current job was to escort Carol, he refused. Carol, who was next to Akira at that time, heard that and said that it was okay to prioritize his business, so Akira agreed to meet up with Reina. But as expected, it was not like he could go to Steriana while he was in the middle of protecting Carol. Thus, he added the condition that Reina would come to meet him instead.

n

nReina’s group accepted his condition. Although Akira did not mean it in such a manner, asking other Hunters to meet up in the middle of the wasteland also meant that it would be a dangerous discussion. It meant that in case it ended up in a fight, it was to be expected that there would be death.

n

nAkira was the one who asked to change the meeting place from Steriana to the wasteland, and even emphasized that part. With that in mind, Reina’s group accepted his suggestion and went to meet him.

n

nReina’s group arrived on time. Akira looked at them with a rather confused expression when they arrived. Reina somehow looked anxious. If that was only that, he would not have cared that much. But even Kanae, who was always smiling, had a serious expression plastered on her face. Similarly, although she did not show animosity, Shiori also wore a grim expression while eluding a high-tense ready-to-fight attitude toward him.

n

n“Uhh, Reina, let me ask you this? You’re here just to talk, right?”

n

nReina smiled and replied.

n

n“Yes. Ahh, if it’s about Shiori and Kanae, don’t worry about them. They’re rather high-strung because of what happened yesterday. Like, you know, yesterday we didn’t even notice someone was stalking us before you told us, right? Shiori and Kanae are my bodyguards, so it’s like their pride was hurt because of that. Well, if you say that they’re a bit overprotective, yeah, I can’t really deny that, but that is what it is.”

n

n“Ohh, I see. Got it.”

n

nAkira said so and nodded, but Alpha quickly interjected.

n

n“Akira, just to let you know, she’s hiding a lot of things.”

n

n“Is that so? Well, even if they’re like that because of something else, I’m sure they have their own reasons to be that tense…”

n

nAkira lightly frowned. Reina noticed that slight change in Akira’s expression. It made her guess why his expression had changed so, she continued to smile and elaborated.

n

n“Well, it doesn’t change the fact they’re on the edge, so let me apologize for that. But it’s not like they have any animosity against you or wish to fight you. Just one more thing though, if you don’t believe me, then we’ll just leave, you’re okay with that, right?”

n

n“Alpha.”

n

n“…At least she’s not lying from my point of view.”

n

nWith those words, Akira’s worry was erased. Personally speaking, Akira could not care less about the situation that they were facing. The only thing that he cared about was whether they held any hostility toward him. And since Alpha gave her word, he thought that there should be no issues. Thus, Akira looked at Reina and lightly nodded.

n

n“It’s fine. I don’t know what you want to talk about, but if you have no wish to fight me, then I can at least hear out what you want to say.”

n

n“Thank you.”

n

nReina smiled and continued. Initially, they were at a loss about where to settle down and begin their discussion, but they ended up deciding to continue the discussion from where they currently were. It was mainly because Akira noticed that for some reason, Carol did not want to let Reina’s group into the camping car.

n

nSo as not to let them continue the long discussion while standing, Shiori and Kanae quickly prepared a table with some chairs. It did not even take 30 seconds for them to set it up. They even placed a tablecloth on top of the portable table with some drinks.

n

nAkira looked at that with an interest. Once they finished, he took a seat and directly faced Reina. Shiori and Kanae stood beside Reina while Carol stood behind Akira since she refused to sit on the chair that was offered to her.

n

nWith the place ready, Reina pulled himself together and started to talk with a solemn expression. She took out the white card and slid it to Akira.

n

n“It’s basically about this card.”

n

nAkira knitted his eyebrows.

n