Mikumo quietly examined the young man in front of her.
To her eyes, he looked completely ordinary.
His face was average. His build was average. The kind of person you'd pass on the street without giving a second glance.
And yet, this very ordinary young man had managed to make Fūrinji Hayato work for him.
That alone was abnormal.
When Mikumo was younger, she had fought alongside Fūrinji Hayato against the Yomi.
She knew his temperament well.
In his youth, he was violent, hot-blooded, and ruthless.
He had once beaten more than five hundred martial artists half to death by accident.
After tasting victory, he never stopped.
Challenging dojo after dojo.
Breaking schools one after another.
He joined her against the Yomi not just because he despised their methods, but because he wanted to challenge their strongest fighters.
And during that time, he had truly struggled against them.
Now, with age, his temperament had calmed.
But he was still not someone who could be ordered around casually.
"Young man," Mikumo finally said, "who are you? And what do you want with me?"
At her age, curiosity was rare.
Yet she couldn't deny it.
This young man had sparked it.
"My name is Emiya," he replied. "You can think of me as a traveler. I came today because I want you to work for me."
"Oh?" Mikumo raised an eyebrow. "So you want to recruit me."
"Exactly."
"I have no intention of joining another organization."
"Don't you want to hear the offer first?"
Mikumo laughed.
Her curiosity vanished instantly, her expression turning cold.
"Do you think material rewards can move an old woman like me?"
Emiya nodded without hesitation.
"I do."
Mikumo ignored him and turned to Fūrinji Hayato.
"Since when did you let such a dull person command you, Fūrinji?"
Fūrinji smiled wryly.
"I received something from him. In exchange, I promised to do three things for him every year."
"In that sense, he's my boss now."
Mikumo froze.
"Every year?"
"Yes. Every year."
"Three things a year..." Mikumo said slowly. "Then you must have received something extraordinary."
For people like her and Fūrinji Hayato, such conditions were unthinkable unless the debt was enormous.
"It truly is extraordinary," Fūrinji said. "Three things a year wouldn't be enough. Even ten or twenty wouldn't be too much."
"To be honest, if he had brought it to the Yomi, you would've treated him as an honored guest."
Fūrinji wasn't the type to exaggerate.
That made Mikumo's interest surge again.
Her gaze shifted back to Emiya.
"Are you planning to use that thing to trade with me?"
If so, she was willing to listen.
Emiya shook his head.
"The masters of Ryōzanpaku work for me as employer and employee."
"But with you, I want a superior-subordinate relationship."
"So I'll offer you something better."
Mikumo placed her hands on the table and thought briefly.
"Very well," she said. "I'll hear your terms."
"It's the opposite," Emiya replied.
"...The opposite?"
"I won't set the conditions," Emiya said casually.
"You will."
"If I want you to work for me, I'll give you whatever you want."
Even Mikumo was shaken.
Her pupils shrank sharply.
"To hand over negotiation control to an old woman..." she muttered.
"You really are unusual."
"It seems I misjudged you."
That confidence alone proved he wasn't ordinary.
"Go ahead," Emiya said. "Name your conditions."
Mikumo steadied herself.
"First," she said, "tell me what you used to convince Fūrinji Hayato."
"A supernatural power."
"...Supernatural?"
"A real one."
As Emiya spoke, the Dragon of Greed appeared behind him, coiling through the restaurant.
Mikumo's calm shattered.
Shock rippled through her.
"What... is that?"
"A Nen Beast," Emiya said.
"Created using Nen. A power that controls life aura."
"With Nen, people gain abilities beyond human limits."
He raised his hand.
The Dragon of Greed circled him obediently.
"This is what convinced Ryōzanpaku."
Mikumo fell silent.
If she hadn't seen it herself, she would never have believed such a thing existed.
Nen.
That was what had moved Fūrinji Hayato.
No wonder he spoke of an unrepayable debt.
"So," she said slowly, "you've learned Nen as well?"
Fūrinji nodded.
"And do you also have a Nen Beast?"
"No," Fūrinji replied.
"Nen has six types: Enhancement, Transmutation, Manipulation, Conjuration, Emission, and Specialization."
"I'm a Transmuter. That type isn't suited for Nen Beasts."
"But I can change my aura's shape and properties."
He flicked his hand.
A faint, nearly invisible thread flashed past Mikumo's fingers.
Too fast to track.
Her expression darkened.
A strand of hair slid from her forehead onto the table.
"I just transformed my aura into a cutting thread," Fūrinji said calmly.
"It can split a diamond."
Mikumo understood immediately.
If it could cut diamond, it could cut her.
Effortlessly.
Her unease deepened.
In the past, defeating her would've required a brutal fight.
Now?
She realized she could've died instantly.
"Did everyone at Ryōzanpaku learn Nen?" she asked.
"Yes."
Mikumo laughed bitterly.
"Then the Yomi stands no chance anymore."
"If conflict breaks out, we'd be annihilated."
Emiya chuckled.
Crushing the Yomi would be effortless.
Nen was true supernatural power.
"I accept," Mikumo said decisively.
"I'll join you."
The Yomi was obsolete.
She wouldn't stay aboard a sinking ship.
"Congratulations," Emiya said, extending his hand.
"You've made a wise choice."
"From now on, I'm your boss."
"What a smooth talker," Mikumo snorted.
"Do you know how old I am?"
Emiya didn't mind.
"As your boss, a piece of advice," he said.
"Don't call yourself an 'old woman' anymore."
"I have companions hundreds of years old. Even gods millions of years old."
"If you say that in front of them, you might offend someone."
Mikumo froze.
Fūrinji added, "Emiya isn't from this world. He travels between worlds."
"Nen also comes from another world."
Realization struck her.
No wonder she'd never heard of Nen.
The Yomi was massive.
As a top member, she shouldn't have been ignorant of such power.
So it came from another world.
Her new boss was far more dangerous than she'd imagined.
"I... understand," Mikumo nodded, correcting herself.
Using "I" again felt strangely unfamiliar.
Emiya didn't dwell on it.
Since she had joined him, he didn't hold back.
He immediately taught her Nen.
Just like with Fūrinji, he personally opened her aura nodes.
Her aura awakened instantly.
Mikumo learned Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu with ease.
Her Kushinada-style jujutsu emphasized technique over brute force.
Her control was unmatched.
Nen suited her perfectly.
After learning Hatsu, Emiya tested her affinity.
Manipulator.
Exactly as expected.
When Mikumo sensed Fūrinji Hayato's aura, she was impressed.
When she sensed Emiya's-
Every muscle in her body tensed.
Her instincts screamed.
She nearly jumped away.
Emiya laughed.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Did I scare you?"
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