Nagumo Shian's Request
The surroundings exploded into chaos. Guards shouted orders while guests screamed, and right beside me I heard Sawayanagi Azuma’s voice cracking with panic.
“I-Investor! You can’t die!”
Hmm. I didn’t actually die, but this is awkward. Come to think of it, she still believed I was just a shadow-manipulating superhuman, so of course she’d be terrified. I’d have to tell her about my regeneration later. For now I stopped savoring the plush softness of Nagumo Shian’s breasts and lifted my head.
“I’m not dead. You kept insisting I wear the vest, Senior, so the bullet couldn’t get through.”
I tugged down the collar of my shirt to show the inside. Mimata Chieri had forced me into it that morning, claiming that even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of taking a bullet during this incident could expose my abilities if I walked away unscathed.
It had been a special round; the vest stopped the front but the bullet had still punched into my back. The front plate remained intact, though, so I could show it off without issue. Sawayanagi Azuma let out a shaky breath, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Mimata Chieri already knew what I could do, yet the relief on her face said she’d been just as tense as the rest of us.
“Thank you. I’m alive because of you.”
Nagumo Shian looked deeply moved, as if she had never expected me to throw my body in front of a bullet for her. Setting the emotion aside, I first checked the direction the shot had come from. Another sniper round could arrive at any moment.
“The bullet came from this way…”
Judging by the angle, it had flown in from behind and to the left of my back. There was a window there, but from that position Nagumo Shian should have been hard to see…?
Just as I thought. It seemed an upper-tier assassin from Kurotsukidoo had taken the shot. The fact that they had sniped from an obscured angle suggested they possessed clairvoyance or a similar trait.
“They even deployed a sniper…!”
Nagumo Shian ground her teeth, then called over one of her secretaries.
“Contact the White Dragon Society. Tell them we’ll pay two hundred thousand per Kurotsukidoo executive head. The deadline is one month.”
The White Dragon Society was a rival organization to Kurotsukidoo. Nagumo Shian clearly believed in an eye for an eye; since they had targeted her, she would target their leadership. Two hundred thousand was probably in dollars. It wasn’t an especially high bounty for named executives, but when she noticed my questioning look, Nagumo Shian explained.
“They’re already desperate to kill each other. Two hundred thousand will feel like a nice bonus and spur them to work even harder.”
She murmured the words, then settled back into her seat. I see. The White Dragon Society had been hostile toward Kurotsukidoo from the start, so there was no need to offer a fortune.
Even if we had wanted to resume the meal, the table was ruined from when I had tackled Nagumo Shian to shield her. Breakfast was no longer an option.
“In that case, it’s better if we each head out on our own. Ryuta, you said you’re returning to Korea the day after tomorrow, correct?”
“Yes. It’s a scheduled trip.”
Exactly. Staying clustered together only made us easier targets. Splitting up and returning to our respective duties was the smarter move.
“Then I won’t see you for a while. I must repay you for saving my life… Ah, that’s it!”
After a moment’s thought, Nagumo Shian’s expression turned playfully wicked. I still didn’t understand why everyone connected to the Taira name made that face when talking about repayment. Still, if it was a reward, it couldn’t be anything bad for me.
“I’ll give you a favor token just like the one I gave your grandfather. There is no time limit. Whenever you wish, simply tell me what you desire.”
“You’ll grant me anything at all?”
“Of course… anything at all… ♥”
Nagumo Shian gave me a bewitching smile that stirred the imagination, pulled me into a warm hug, then moved on to speak with Mimata Chieri and Sawayanagi Azuma about future plans. Anything at all… She really knew how to make a man’s heart race. What a seductive maman.
“…That’s how we’ll proceed. I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Have a safe trip, President!”
“Goodbye~.”
Nagumo Shian climbed into the car we had arrived in and offered her farewell. Sawayanagi Azuma gave a crisp, military-style bow, while Mimata Chieri waved with a bright smile. I exchanged one last meaningful look with Nagumo Shian and bowed my head.
Once Nagumo Shian had left, Mimata Chieri approached me with a serious expression. What now?
“Hubae-nim.”
“Yes, Sunbae-nim.”
“When you’re with Nagumo Shian-nim… may I watch in secret?”
Asking something so shameless with those pure, innocent eyes only confirmed that Mimata Chieri was not entirely sane.
“What are you even saying? We need to figure out how to handle the operation first.”
“Will the Investor help us too?”
“I leave for Korea the day after tomorrow, so I can join one or two short operations before then.”
“In that case, please assist our Seryu unit instead of taking the defense mission for East Weapon.”
At my words Sawayanagi Azuma’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She pulled out a tablet and pointed to a spot on the map of Akita Prefecture. Sure enough, it was one of the dangerous red points. Actively helping the Seryu unit take the fight to the enemy looked far better than passively holding position and waiting for Kurotsukidoo to attack.
“If the Investor assists us, we should be able to secure even the high-reward red points.”
Since I had invested in them, the Seryu Military Company personnel had used both their dividends and my support funds to drastically upgrade their equipment. Their combat strength must have risen considerably. That confidence was why they were willing to challenge the red points.
I didn’t know exactly how difficult the red points Nagumo Shian had mentioned were, but with the reinforced Seryu unit and my participation, securing them seemed entirely possible.
“All right. I’ll help you tonight and tomorrow. I have to catch a flight the day after tomorrow.”
“Hehe, wonderful!”
“I have to lead East Weapon, so I won’t be able to join you, Hubae-nim.”
Mimata Chieri looked crestfallen. It couldn’t be helped. A company president couldn’t simply tag along on another organization’s mission.
“You are the president of East Weapon, so it can’t be avoided. However, if this operation is evaluated well…”
I leaned in and whispered directly into Mimata Chieri’s ear. She gave a tiny, adorable flinch as my breath brushed her skin.
“I won’t complain if you secretly watch me have sex once, Sunbae-nim.”
“Haa♥ I will definitely protect Akita City!!”
Seeing Mimata Chieri already letting out a heated moan, I wondered if I had made a mistake promising her anything at all. Nagumo Shian had left us two vehicles. Mimata Chieri took one while Sawayanagi Azuma and I rode in the other.
Since we were already in Akita City, Mimata Chieri would reach the operation area quickly. Our base camp was in Daisen City, so the drive would take about an hour. With time to spare, we could discuss which red point to tackle on the way.
“Please head to this address.”
Sawayanagi Azuma gave the driver the location of the Seryu unit’s staging point. The navigation showed an industrial district. It wasn’t part of Taira Food’s property but a smaller factory on the outskirts.
“So where exactly are we striking today?”
“I’d like to clear a point in Yurihonjo City.”
Yurihonjo City lay to the south of Akita and west of Daisen, along Japan’s western coastal highway. Kurotsukidoo had been expanding north of Akita City, but Yurihonjo was the only southern foothold they had managed to seize.
Ever since Kurotsukidoo brought Yurihonjo into their territory, traffic along National Route 7 that ran the western coast had become unreliable. PMCs traveling to support Taira Food were suffering indiscriminate attacks. Retaking Yurihonjo and stabilizing the rear was now a top priority.
“If we clear the difficult points while the Investor is here, our Seryu unit will be able to recapture Yurihonjo with our own strength.”
I nodded at Sawayanagi Azuma’s words. From the Seryu Military Company’s perspective, successfully retaking Yurihonjo would earn them rewards on an entirely different scale than before. That was why they wanted to attempt it using only their own power.
“The first point we will attack is right here.”
Sawayanagi Azuma zoomed in on the map of Yurihonjo City, indicating the sewage treatment plant in the southeast. The reward was listed at 5.5 million yen. I didn’t know how many points existed inside Yurihonjo, but clearing them all would easily net over fifty million yen.
“From what I can see, the sewage plant and the softball stadium directly above it form the core of Kurotsukidoo’s territory. We’ll ambush their reinforcements coming from the southeast.”
“There’s a high chance of urban combat breaking out in the commercial buildings right next to it.”
“Which is why it’s crucial we clean them out swiftly before that happens.”
By the time we finished discussing the operation, we had reached the Seryu unit’s base camp. What I had assumed was an ordinary factory turned out to be an abandoned plant that had stood empty for some time.
“I’ll take my leave here.”
Once we had unloaded our luggage, the driver bowed and drove back toward Nagumo Shian’s headquarters. What should we do until two o’clock? The earlier shooting had left me hungry. Maybe we should eat first?
“Shall we grab the breakfast we missed earlier? I saw a convenience store on the way.”
“Ah, yes please, Investor!”
“Then hop on behind me.”
Fortunately I had brought my compact electric bike just in case. It would be perfect for getting around the abandoned factory grounds. I told her to get on, but Sawayanagi Azuma simply stood there, fidgeting and staring at her toes. Hmm? Why was she acting like that?
“Aren’t you getting on?”
“Before we go…”
Her cheeks flushed as she slowly lifted the hem of her skirt.
“How about we do some pre-meal exercise first?”
I killed the bike’s engine. Pre-meal exercise sounded excellent. The main Seryu force wouldn’t arrive for quite a while, so it was probably smarter to spend the wait on this kind of “exercise.”
Sawayanagi Azuma lifting her skirt.
