The Kurotsuki Hall Purge
When I first arrived in Akita Prefecture, my biggest worries had been twofold: whether Mimata Chieri or the members of the Seryu Corps had been injured or killed, and whether I would make it back in time for my trip with Yukiko in four days. After all, I had promised her, and if I was late, she would definitely sulk.
Fortunately, the strategy where Nagumo Shian and I drew the enemy's attention while Sawayanagi Tobey sowed chaos worked out perfectly. We were able to completely annihilate the Kurotsuki Hall by dawn that very day. Originally, I hadn't thought it could be resolved in just four days, but we captured the clairvoyant sniper Yang Shueshi early and I defeated Dang Sohwa easily thanks to my trait. That allowed us to wrap things up immediately.
I had tormented Nagumo Shian until morning, but she must have had considerable stamina. She woke up right on schedule to handle the aftermath and headed to the conference room. Thanks to her consideration, I slept for about an hour longer before slowly getting ready and heading to the Taira Food headquarters.
It seemed the meeting wasn't over yet. I could hear the murmur of ongoing conversation. Since post-battle cleanup wasn't my responsibility, I didn't bother entering the conference room and instead slipped into a nearby reception lounge.
While waiting, I figured the kids waiting in Akita City might be worried, so I decided to contact Konoe Akina.
After ending the chat with Konoe Akina, I heard people leaving the conference room and stepped out of the reception lounge myself. Several people were emerging from the conference room, including Mimata Chieri and Sawayanagi Azuma. The two of them must have sensed my presence, because they turned to look in my direction.
“Oh, Hubae-nim!”
“Investor-nim!”
Mimata Chieri and Sawayanagi Azuma greeted me warmly. The rest of the Seryu Corps apparently hadn't needed to attend the meeting, so only these two were present.
“Where is Nagumo Shian-nim?”
“She's still in the conference room.”
“Then let's go in together for a moment.”
I led Mimata Chieri and Sawayanagi Azuma back into the conference room. Sawayanagi Azuma didn't really have anything to discuss with Nagumo Shian, but I brought her along anyway so it wouldn't seem like I was excluding her by only taking Mimata Chieri.
I knocked on the conference room door and entered. Nagumo Shian was still conversing with her chief secretary and several executives. When she turned her head at the sound of the door opening and saw me, her face lit up with a bright smile.
“I thought you would still be sleeping, but here you are.”
“I have a proposal for… Daemo-nim.”
I had almost called her “big sis,” but with her chief secretary and several executives present, I used the title by which Nagumo Shian was known in Akita Prefecture—Daemo. Did she look a little disappointed when I called her that? Her reaction was so adorable that I couldn't help but smile slightly.
“A proposal? Wait just a moment. Let me finish what I was saying, and then we can talk while we have lunch together.”
At Nagumo Shian's words, we nodded and left the conference room, heading back to the reception lounge where I had been waiting earlier to sit down. There was no need to listen to a boring meeting, after all. It was much better to wait comfortably in the lounge's soft chairs.
“If we're going to talk over lunch, I should let the Seryu Corps know to eat on their own.”
Sawayanagi Azuma picked up her phone and sent a message to someone in the Seryu Corps. Meanwhile, Mimata Chieri pressed herself close to me and began asking about what had happened that morning.
“Hubae-nim, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“Aww, you know what I mean.”
Of course I knew. Mimata Chieri was asking how the sex with Nagumo Shian had been. She really was an incorrigible netorare woman. Given the location and the circumstances, it felt a bit awkward to talk about, so I changed the subject.
“I'm not sure? By the way, Senpai, you said before that you wanted to learn some martial arts, right?”
“Yes. I can cover long and medium range with sniping and shooting, but close combat is too much for me.”
From what I'd seen during our previous spar, Mimata Chieri had shown incredible talent by immediately copying my Shinkai Yatsude technique.
“I found a martial arts manual in Seoul. I think it was called Palgeuk Seonhyeong Kwon (Eight Extremes Immortal Form Fist)? I'll check it out, and if it's good, I'll let you learn it.”
“Did you get it with me in mind?”
“Of course.”
It was true that I'd bought it thinking of Mimata Chieri, but I'd also purchased it so I could pass it on to that Kiyohira guy if possible. The two of them were about fifty-fifty in my mind. Seeing how overjoyed she looked at the idea of it being a gift, I'd have to pick out a different martial arts book for Kiyohira.
“Investor-nim, what were you talking about?”
“Ah, just talking about the trip to Korea.”
It was Sawayanagi Azuma, who had apparently finished sending her message. Since we'd left Seoul in such a hurry after the building explosion incident, I hadn't been able to buy her a gift. So I simply said we were talking about the trip. Fortunately, Mimata Chieri didn't bring up the gift and accidentally provoke Sawayanagi Azuma.
“Oh, then please tell me about how you rescued those boys and girls! I'm so curious.”
“It happened like this. After going to Pyongyang, I wanted to visit the territory ceded from Russia, so I arrived at a small city called Kraskino.”
I didn't mention that I'd gone to the slave trader myself. Instead, I said that while sightseeing, I'd overheard a tout and followed him on the chance that there might be ability users there.
“It seems superhumans don't sell well because their abilities let them protect themselves. None of them were even adults, so I decided to rescue them. Well, it was more like buying them with money, though.”
“Still, it's fortunate… that you saved them, Investor-nim…”
In truth, I'd bought them because I wanted to recruit a future mid-boss as my subordinate, but Sawayanagi Azuma seemed to think I was some incredible saint for rescuing them from the lab. It was a bit burdensome, but thinking positively, it wasn't a bad thing.
“The Seryu Corps will be returning soon too, right?”
“Yes, probably tomorrow by car?”
“Only have a few people drive to Akita City tomorrow and take the plane. The kids are staying at a hotel near Akita Airport. Still, it would be good to have a few Seryu Corps members with us when we board the plane.”
At my words, Sawayanagi Azuma began counting people on her fingers.
“Kiyona, the Hori and Mari sisters, Shigeru, and Junichi can drive, and the rest can take the plane.”
“Then that would be me, six from the Seryu Corps, and six kids—thirteen seats to reserve… When will you be returning, Senpai?”
I asked because I wasn't sure whether to reserve a seat for Mimata Chieri as well, and she nodded.
“Yes. Once today's work is finished, there's no reason for me to stay. There's no need for me to take on dangerous missions, and once the security consignment contract is completed today, I won't have any reason to remain here.”
That made sense. From now on, some personnel from East Weapon would stay behind to handle security duties. There was no need for the president, Mimata Chieri, to remain here herself.
“Then we'll reserve fourteen seats.”
“Since I'm your secretary, Hubae-nim, I'll make the reservation right now.”
“The situation is a bit complicated. The kids don't have IDs. And we have to bring two prisoners as well…”
“Ayy, don't worry about that much.”
Mimata Chieri waved her hand as if to say it was nothing. Having worked as a Taira Group operative for so long, she must have created fake identities or shipped people as cargo several times before. She made a few calls and sent some texts, then smiled brightly and said it was taken care of.
Impressive. As expected, she was more than qualified to be my secretary. By the time the flight reservations were complete, Nagumo Shian's secretary opened the door to the reception lounge.
“Please head to the dining room.”
We were guided to the limousine I had ridden yesterday. Inside, Nagumo Shian was waiting for us, wearing an elegant kimono different from the one she'd worn at dawn.
“Let's go to the best restaurant in Daisen.”
The best restaurant, huh… Since I'd said I had a proposal for her, it seemed she intended for us to eat at a high-end private room restaurant. But the road seemed somehow familiar?
The place we arrived at was Nagumo Shian's mansion—the same one I'd left this morning. So that was why the road had felt familiar.
“My house chef is the best in Daisen, so this is the best restaurant in Daisen.”
“I see…! Since the president's company is the best in Akita, her house must be the best restaurant.”
At Nagumo Shian's words, both Mimata Chieri and Sawayanagi Azuma nodded in agreement.
“I called ahead, so the food should already be prepared. Let's go in.”
Following Nagumo Shian's lead, we headed to the mansion's dining room. Since I'd slept in and skipped breakfast before heading to Taira Food, this was my first time seeing the dining room.