Seryu Military Company Company Retreat
I told Fujigasaki Rinka the story of how I bought Alick and the trainees from the slave traders. She listened with a serious expression, nodding solemnly, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Alick, who was clinging to my side.
“Kyaaak, she’s so cute~!”
“Ugh…”
Fujigasaki Rinka rubbed her cheek against Alick’s and squeezed her in a tight hug. Alick frowned in clear discomfort, but she didn’t try to push the martial artist away. She simply endured it in silence.
It was probably because she knew Rinka was one of my close acquaintances. Even if it was unpleasant, she stayed still.
“Ah! Investor-nim! Why did you come all the way to the training grounds instead of waiting at the pension?”
Sawayanagi Azuma finished her speech and walked over to me. She seemed to have dressed up a bit in preparation for heading to the pension, though the green field jacket she wore was identical to Alick’s, giving her a distinct PMC operative vibe.
“I figured we’d be short on cars, so I came to help. This is my master, Fujigasaki.”
“Wait, you mean the Fujigasaki?”
When I introduced Fujigasaki Rinka—who was still happily rubbing her cheek against Alick’s—Sawayanagi Azuma looked genuinely shocked. For the world’s greatest fighter, her current appearance lacked any sense of dignity, yet Azuma seemed utterly astonished.
“You can see for yourself.”
“This is my first time seeing a celebrity in person!”
It was only natural for Sawayanagi Azuma to be surprised. In terms of my pre-possession memories, it was like going out with a friend only for them to casually bring along Messi and say, “Oh, this is my soccer coach.”
That said, Azuma didn’t seem to be a die-hard fan of Fujigasaki Rinka. She wasn’t making a huge fuss. It was more like the polite surprise of meeting a famous person—nothing more.
“So this is the disciple you invested in?”
“Yes. Technically it’s an acquisition, but since the investor-nim doesn’t have the proper certifications, I’m acting as the de facto CEO and taking responsibility.”
“I see. This kid’s pretty laid-back, so I’ll be counting on you to keep him in line.”
Hmm. I don’t exactly think of myself as laid-back. While Sawayanagi Azuma and Fujigasaki Rinka chatted, Alick finally wriggled free from Rinka’s embrace and hid behind my back.
“Aah! My little cutie ran away!”
“Alick isn’t a cutie. Alick is Alick.”
Leaving Fujigasaki Rinka and Alick to their little scuffle, Sawayanagi Azuma and Sawayanagi Mikiyo went to fetch their cars. In front of us stood all the trainees who had finished their training, staring at Fujigasaki Rinka.
The trainees had all endured brutal childhoods where even a television was considered a luxury. Sold by their parents and passed through slave traders, they only knew of Fujigasaki Rinka by name—they weren’t fans.
The two executives of Seryu-tai brought their vehicles. Sawayanagi Azuma’s was a regular passenger car, but Sawayanagi Mikiyo had brought a tiny kei car. If I hadn’t shown up, they really would have been crammed in like sardines.
Since it was the final day, everyone was clearing out their belongings from the training camp. The trunks were packed full, and luggage had to be placed in the passenger areas too, making things even tighter.
“I’ll take Darim and Alick in my car.”
“Understood! See you at the pension, Investor-nim!”
Since I would be responsible for both of them once training ended, I decided to drive them myself.
I planned to send Jeong Darim to university through a donation admission once she finished at the training camp. Given her special traits, any academic knowledge she gained there would surely produce excellent results.
As for Alick, I would entrust her to Mimata Chieri for agent training. On top of that, Chieri had arranged for her to receive lessons from a prestigious family that had historically served the Japanese imperial household. Alick would be able to become the perfect maid she dreamed of being.
I loaded the three of them into my car and headed for the reserved pension. Alick sat in the passenger seat beside me, practically fleeing from Fujigasaki Rinka, while Jeong Darim and Rinka took the back seats.
Fujigasaki Rinka stretched Jeong Darim’s cheeks with both hands and exclaimed, “This one’s cute too!” Darim simply wore her usual detached expression and let it happen. A very plant-like reaction—her interest only seemed to spike when actual plants were involved.
“Master, since when did you start liking cute things so much?”
I didn’t remember her being like this before. The Fujigasaki Rinka I recalled was a hot-blooded girl who lived and breathed martial arts. This version of her felt a little different.
“When you live deep in the mountains, you rarely get to see anything cute. And the more I master Shinkaiyatsude, the more small animals run away the moment they see me.”
It was true. Mastering the depths of that art increased one’s intimidation factor. Even enemies often froze in terror. To small animals, that dangerous aura must feel overwhelming. She said she was just excited to see something genuinely cute after so long.
“I think that’s the one.”
I pointed at the large Western-style mansion that looked like a classic pension. There was a path leading down to the valley, and several cars were already parked, meaning we weren’t the first to arrive.
“Welcome! You must be the group from Seryu Military Company?”
As we stepped out of the car, an elderly couple who appeared to be the owners greeted us warmly. Unlike Korean pensions where you simply came to play and eat, Japanese pensions looked Western on the outside but felt more like traditional hot spring inns.
I had heard beforehand that this pension also had its own hot spring baths.
“Have the other reserved guests arrived yet?”
“Not everyone, but quite a few have already come.”
I see. While we were talking with the owners, the rest of the people from the training camp arrived and began getting out of their vehicles.
“Those who arrived earlier are waiting in the communal dining hall.”
Since we had agreed to meet at eleven, it was almost time for lunch. Following the owners’ guidance, we headed to the so-called communal dining hall. It had several tables and could seat up to thirty people. With our group of roughly twenty, there would be plenty of room.
The owners had said not everyone had arrived yet, but once we showed up, the numbers seemed to match perfectly. It looked like the remaining trainees from the camp had just arrived.
There was, however, one completely unexpected person present—Konoe Akina, who had been engaged in a shadowy power struggle with her uncle to become the head of the Konoe family.
Of course, since she had been rescued alongside the Seryu-tai trainees, it wasn’t as if we had no connection at all.
The trainees seemed happy to see her and each went over to greet her. Konoe Akina exchanged pleasantries with her fellow “slave trader classmates” while flashing me a bright smile. I gave her a small nod in return.
I took Fujigasaki Rinka over to where the Seryu-tai members were gathered. Since she had shown up uninvited, I needed to introduce her properly. I had already mentioned that my master would be coming, but it was only polite to make formal introductions.
“This is Fujigasaki Rinka, my master. She came with me today.”
“Kahahahat! Nice to meet you all!”
As expected, everyone who heard the introduction fell into a brief, stunned silence. She was simply that famous. They looked completely flustered.
“I-I-I’m a fan…!”
Even within Seryu-tai, the combat fanatic Katayama Junichi stuttered as he greeted her. Starting with him, the rest of the Seryu-tai members swarmed Fujigasaki Rinka, showering her with “I’m a huge fan!” and “Can we take a picture together?” requests.
Since she had come without an invitation, the least she could do was provide a little fan service. Leaving Fujigasaki Rinka—who was shooting me a pleading look for help—I walked over to Mimata Chieri.
“Senior, you’re here early. I thought you said you might be late because of East Weapon work.”
“Hehe. I’m the boss, so I just left it to my subordinates and came.”
Watching Mimata Chieri casually munch on what appeared to be an appetizer roll with a completely relaxed expression, I seriously wondered if it was okay to leave East Weapon in her hands.
But despite her carefree appearance, she was actually extremely meticulous. She must have finished all her work before coming. With that thought, I sat down diagonally across from her.
“As you requested, I’ve taken care of everything regarding Jeong Darim’s schooling. Still, to enter university through donation admission, she needs a high school diploma. So I’ve arranged for her to enroll as a disguised third-year second-semester transfer student.”
“It’s not St. Francisco Girls’ Academy, is it?”
I asked just in case, since I would be in charge of the third-years. Mimata Chieri shook her head.
“Ahaha, that would be fun, but that school only accepts daughters from truly prestigious families. The minimum requirement is being an adopted child of a noble house. There simply wasn’t enough time to find a suitable noble family willing to become her adoptive parents.”
That made sense. If Mimata Chieri’s influence alone was enough to get someone in, it wouldn’t be Japan’s top girls’ academy.
“I’ve already purchased a small plot of land in Chiba for the research lab. I’ll ask Jeong Darim what kind of building she wants and have it constructed accordingly.”
With the lab situation handled, there was nothing else I needed to worry about. Alick’s matters had already been settled as well.
“Benefactor!”
“It’s Konoe-san. Have you been well?”
It was Konoe Akina, who still insisted on calling me her benefactor. It seemed she had finished catching up with the trainees and had come over to greet me.
“Thanks to the people you introduced me to, I’ve been doing very well.”
“Then…?”
“Yes. I am now the official head of the Konoe family. My mother will serve as acting head until I graduate from school, though.”
So Konoe Akina had won the succession war. Impressive. To think she had driven out an uncle who had spent an entire year consolidating his power.
“May I sit here?”
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Konoe Akina pointed at the seat across from me. I nodded. It was just a meal, after all. She could sit wherever she wanted.
“Sit wherever you like.”
“Alick will sit here…”
As soon as Konoe Akina took the seat opposite me, Alick claimed the chair right beside me. In the distance, Sawayanagi Azuma and Lianna Holden were staring at the empty seats around me with visibly disappointed expressions.
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