The rain in Siracusa seemed to never stop.
When a man with slightly curly black hair, wearing a Victorian-style bowler hat, entered a café amid the drizzle, nobody paid him much attention.
Yet, as if he were expecting someone, the man sat quietly, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, silent and patient—clearly waiting for something.
About half an hour later, the person he awaited finally arrived—and this time, it did cause a bit of a stir. After all, the newcomer was unmistakably from one of Siracusa's mafia families. A prominent member of the Rosati family, no less.
The café patrons immediately feared a gang clash was imminent and scattered hurriedly. The black-haired man—Hugh—glanced around with eyes that always carried a hint of weariness, then smiled faintly.
"It appears your reputation here is quite frightening."
Hugh spoke lightly to the Rosati family member before him, who forced a strained smile and replied, in a humorously ingratiating tone:
"But surely not as much as yours, sir. After all, here you are practically the herald of destruction."
Hugh chuckled softly.
"So, judging from your words, am I unwelcome?"
"Oh, certainly not… after all, we're completely reliant on you for information about the 'Wolf Hunter.'"
The Rosati man's smile turned increasingly forced, clearly uneasy. Hugh exhaled calmly, turning slightly in his seat and continuing casually:
"Well then… I shall deliver the Hunter's latest message, as always. Based on the traces I've gathered throughout Siracusa recently, I regret to inform you—the Wolf Hunter's next target will most likely be your family."
"That is, the Rossatis."
Hugh snapped his fingers lightly, unconcerned by the sweat streaming down the Rosati man's face.
"Could you perhaps negotiate with her—"
"She acts entirely according to her own will. All I can do is interpret the trail she leaves behind, nothing more."
Hugh stood up, speaking evenly. He then lowered his gaze to the Rosati family member, continuing:
"However, you aren't entirely without options. As I've suggested previously, you can seek shelter from us. T Corp will offer you a place of refuge, allowing you to escape the Wolf Hunter's attacks."
"Of course, you'll have to pay a price during your stay. But please believe me—your ordinary lives certainly won't be restricted."
Hugh shrugged slightly as the Rosati member bowed his head in submission, reluctantly replying:
"We… we'll consider your offer. Before the Wolf Hunter arrives, we'll give you our answer…"
Hugh gave another casual shrug, then vanished into Siracusa's unending drizzle, escorted respectfully by the Rosati man. As Hugh disappeared, the man wiped the mingled rain and sweat from his forehead and hastily departed.
"Ah… It seems the timing is about right."
After leaving, Hugh released a soft sigh, looking up toward the grey sky, murmuring quietly to himself.
He hadn't concealed anything. The Wolf Hunter's next target truly was the Rosati family.
According to his predictions, the Rossatis would likely seek help from T Corp before officially facing the Hunter. And naturally, T Corp had no intention of containing the Wolf Hunter herself.
Rather, their true goal was containing the Rosati family.
T Corp needed their time.
And before the Rossatis descended into despair, Hugh was confident they'd naturally lean into T Corp's protection.
He didn't need all of them—just a portion would suffice…
The same applied to the other families. With the Wolf Hunter's threat alone, Hugh believed he could bring a large portion of Siracusa's families into T Corp's "Time Protocol." But to achieve this, of course, he required even greater pressure from the Wolf Hunter…
For this, Hugh had already prepared ample countermeasures.
That's why he'd said the timing was just right.
"Hm… Da'at and Kali should also be arriving soon. Then it's about time to meet up with them."
Thinking this, Hugh began walking through the steady drizzle toward a distant destination, one hand pressed lightly on the brim of his hat.
...
"So, this is Siracusa?"
Holding an umbrella, Kali glanced around. Beside her was Da'at, lightly gripping the arm Kali used to hold the umbrella. Kali's gaze swept across their surroundings, and she let out a soft sigh.
They really had come outside the City…
This world really is strange. To think there's actually something beyond the City itself…
Her gaze roamed aimlessly for a moment before eventually settling back on Da'at. She bent down slightly and spoke softly:
"Da'at… Where exactly do we go next?"
"Hm… we need to meet up with someone from another company first. For this Abnormality recovery operation, we're getting assistance from another group."
Da'at paused briefly, then continued:
"The founder of T Corp—Hugh—is the one we're meeting now. For this mission, he approached us first. He probably has something he hopes to gain from this."
"T Corp…? They're not yet a Wing of the World here?"
Upon hearing Da'at's words, Kali was momentarily surprised, murmuring to herself.
She truly was surprised. To think that, in this City's timeline, T Corp had yet to become a Wing. Instead, it was the Lab—L Corp—that had managed it first…
Kali shook her head slightly, pushing the thought away and asking instead:
"So where is he now?"
"There. Just up ahead."
Da'at tilted her head slightly forward, smiling. Kali looked up and saw Hugh approaching through the rain.
"Greetings, Ms. Da'at. And… Ms. Kali. Before your arrival, X had mentioned you to me."
Hugh bowed courteously, smiling gently.
"In that case, let's not waste time with formalities—let's discuss the Wolf Hunter directly."
"Regarding the Wolf Hunter… Our side has certain requests, but let's hear your requirements first."
Hugh spoke evenly, offering another small bow. Da'at nodded, replying with a calm voice:
"This time, L Corp needs to retrieve two Abnormalities. One is the 'Wolf Hunter' you've referred to—our internal code: the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary."
"And we suspect the target of the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary is also hiding somewhere here in Siracusa, possibly among one of the mafia families… Internally, we've designated it as—"
"—The Big and Will be Bad Wolf."