"Sigh..."
"You must be tired, Commander."
"Yeah, I am. I try to act young, but my body is starting to show its age. A little bit of overexertion, and I feel it right away. Ah, to be young again..."
Hayate and Tatenashi were in the commander's office, compiling documents on the new members of Section 6—the boys and girls, especially Sho.
By the way, Sho and the others were being hired from September, avoiding the busy month of August.
"In that case, I should work hard too, to lighten your load, shouldn't I?"
"Tatenashi, I know you're working just as hard as I am."
"Is it the difference in our youth, then?"
Hayate mumbled about how she envied the young, all while poring over a report in her hands.
"Two types of 'Kamen Rider' powered suits I've never seen before... an unknown form of magic called 'Formula Armament'... 'Imagine Breaker,' which negates supernatural abilities... and even Stand abilities..."
"In my opinion, it's already a done deal. There's no doubt that he has some connection to Kōhei Shintani."
No matter how talented he was, it was hard to believe that one person could possess such a concentration of unique abilities and technologies. Hayate agreed with that sentiment.
"Just because there's a connection doesn't mean they're allies, does it?"
"We can't rule out the possibility that his personality is being controlled using an unknown ability. He might even have something like 'Mental Out' psychological control."
"If you go that far, anything is possible, isn't it?"
"We must consider every possibility. Especially with him. We don't know what will fly out if we prod him."
In the end, the only conclusion they could reach was that they had to wait and see how he performed.
"Are you okay with having such a ticking bomb inside the organization? For you, Commander, isn't the stress from the 'outside' greater?"
"That's the thing. It seems we can't scout anyone else from the outside..."
"Is recruiting the only option, then...?"
"That's one of the things we're considering. I've already asked Nanoha-chan to keep an eye out for any good candidates. We'll also try to scout at events like the Summer Inter-Middle and the Phoenix Star-Fighting Festival."
They had tried their best to re-establish the Special Duty Section 6 by gathering the original members of Mobile Section 6, but not everyone had rejoined.
Only about a third of the original members had returned. The current core combat staff consisted of Hayate's own force, the Wolkenritter, as well as Fate, Teana, and Subaru.
Nanoha was working with the Instruction Corps at the same time. Although Nanoha herself wanted to focus solely on Section 6, the other fields didn't have the luxury of easily letting go of such a talented person. Every organization was running on a shoestring budget.
Still, once Caro and Erio, who were currently in the training academy, finished their instruction courses, they were scheduled to become full-time Section 6 members. Even that was a stretch for Hayate.
It was certain that things would get much easier once Sho and the others joined the team.
"We got so many special exceptions, but that also means we have more enemies. I'd rather everyone just get along."
"If only that were possible."
"Life would be easy, huh?"
"For now, we have the current case to deal with."
"It was a case we got saddled with to please the higher-ups, but I have a feeling it might lead to something unexpected in an unexpected place."
They both heard Fate's report. They had taken on one of the most troublesome cases in this area, where crimes tended to escalate more than elsewhere.
They were both certain of it.
"Military clones, huh?"
"It's quite bold of someone to be making something like that on this isolated island. And Level 5 clones at that."
"I think that's precisely why scientists and buyers are clamoring for them. Honestly, where is this girl, Mikoto Misaka, anyway?"
The perpetrator of the laboratory assault was undoubtedly Mikoto Misaka. The international law prohibited the creation of clones, especially military clones. The opponent was unquestionably committing a crime.
However, that didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted to a criminal.
If they didn't follow the proper procedures, they would end up causing trouble for those around them.
"She probably wants to solve it herself. After all, she is a Level 5. If I were in her shoes, I'd do the same. It's only natural to want to handle your own clones yourself, isn't it?"
"I wish she'd consulted with an adult first. Well, for the time being, we'll leave it to Fate and the others... I just hope Fate-chan doesn't get carried away."
Considering Fate's past, Hayate worried that she would be more zealous than anyone in solving this case.
She earnestly wished that Fate would do well and not get ahead of herself.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"It's Hebigura."
"Come in."
A man in a Section 6 uniform entered. He held a terminal in his hand.
His name was Shōta Hebigura. He was one of the few members who had joined from the Special Duty Section 6. He was a pleasant young man in his early thirties and an indispensable asset who handled all the clerical work for Section 6.
He was about 180cm tall and had a strong physique that seemed a waste for an office worker.
"The procedures for the newly hired members have been completed, as you requested. Please check them."
"Alright, alright."
Hebigura was older than Hayate, of course, but he followed her orders without complaint. He treated Hayate with respect.
As Hayate was looking over the documents, there was another knock on the door.
A girl in a maid uniform appeared. Since everyone else was in uniform, she looked out of place in her costume.
But the girl herself was completely serious. The maid uniform wasn't just for show.
It was Ram, one of the twin maids.
"Excuse me. I have come to clean the room."
"Thanks, go ahead."
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
She said, "Please leave it to me," but her work wasn't particularly serious.
The girls who were at the Dangerous Zombie's house had received various treatments. For most of them, their emotional scars were more severe than their physical ones, so their social rehabilitation would take some time.
Of course, the Special Duty Section 6 wasn't just there to help and then leave them. They intended to do their best to assist with their lives afterward as well.
Because they handled things so carefully, their workload increased, but no one on the team complained.
And two of those girls who had gone through such a terrible experience, Rem and Ram, decided to work as cleaners and general assistants for Section 6, as they had wished.
Compared to the other girls, the twins had less contact with the Dangerous Zombie. Thanks to that, they were able to return to their normal lives quickly.
When they were taken into custody by Section 6, they were wearing maid uniforms, which seemed to have an effect. Hayate, the commander, gladly accepted the twins' offer.
"Ah, what a blessing for my eyes."
"I agree."
"A man who understands."
Tatenashi sighed at Hayate and Hebigura, who were exchanging thumbs-ups. Perhaps this was the secret to how they got along so well despite their age difference.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
"I'll be going as well."
Their respective tasks were finished, and the room was once again left with only Hayate and Tatenashi.
"Still, Rem-chan seems to do a better job with a lot of things, doesn't she?"
"She does, doesn't she..."
After Ram, who had cleaned the square room in a haphazard manner, and Hebigura, who had received Hayate's approval stamp, left the room, Hayate and Tatenashi mumbled to themselves.
---------
Ram was in the kitchenette, preparing tea for the office staff. Since the main members of the unit were Japanese, tea here meant green tea.
As she placed a cup for each person and rice crackers on a tray, a voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
"That tea is for us, isn't it? Want me to carry it?"
"...Hebigura."
"Hey, hey. Don't call me by my last name."
Hebigura appeared behind her without a sound. He stood blocking the entrance as if to prevent her from leaving.
"No, thank you. This is Ram's job."
"Hmph. Is that so?"
Hebigura didn't seem interested in the exchange from the start. Even with his cold, almost callous tone, the smile on his face didn't waver.
Ram quickly finished preparing and picked up the tray.
"The tea will get cold. Will you move please?"
"Don't be in such a hurry. I think it tastes better a little cooler, you know?"
Ram sighed deeply and put the tray down once. She folded her arms and, in a manner unbecoming of a servant, prompted him to continue.
"I don't intend to have any difficult conversations, you know? I just want to make some small talk."
"...I'm surprised you're here. And what's with the simple alias, Hebigura?"
"Well, I guess I'm not trustworthy, am I?"
"Of course not. Because you're a spy from the 'I-Wo'."
"I know."
Hebigura admitted it with an ease that would have made any other member of the unit fall over in shock. But Hebigura wouldn't make such a mistake.
"I've been watching you all this time, and you're working quite diligently for a man like you."
"Ah, so that's why you were staring at me so much. I thought it was a passionate love call."
"...Say that joke again, and I'll throw this at your face."
"Stop, stop!"
Hebigura reacted dramatically to Ram's threat with a teacup.
"My motive, you ask... How about I've awakened a sense of justice?"
"From the first time we met, I thought you were a slippery man... You don't believe that for a second, do you?"
"That's not true. This identity the Professor gave me is perfect. It's so good that none of the talented staff here would ever suspect a thing. I'm a Bureau official with a secure future and a high salary."
It was a common desire. But there was more to his words.
"Well, I have no interest in world peace. I'm just listening to the Professor to kill some time. There's no shortage of exciting cases to be had here, after all."
"That's just like you, I suppose. That part of you is so clearly barbaric. I wonder why the Professor would entrust a mission to a man like you."
Among the "I-Wo," where everyone had their own selfish motives, it was very rare for someone to follow another person's orders.
The fact that they had to give orders to someone like Hebigura was a testament to their lack of manpower.
"My role isn't particularly important, anyway. I've only been told to leak information about Section 6. The Professor probably wouldn't care if I slack off or betray them... So?"
"What?"
"Hey, hey. Am I the only one talking? You have nothing to say?"
He jabbed his chin, signaling that it was her turn.
"You're the one who started talking to me, aren't you?"
"I was surprised, though. That you and your sister would end up working here. It threw me off a little."
Hebigura continued to talk regardless.
Hebigura had met Ram before, but he never expected that she would be taken into custody by Section 6 and become a colleague.
"...It was convenient. We know too little about this world. I'm in this body, and a good-hearted person who would protect us for free... I don't want this place to disappear."
"As I said earlier, I have no intention of destroying this unit, so you can rest assured."
"That's good."
"Huh?"
"---Because if your goal was to destroy this place, Ram would have to reconsider a lot of things."
Ram's eyes became a shade sharper.
"Hey, hey. Don't go toying with my heart. What would you do?"
"Be clear. Depending on the answer, I might report you to the Commander."
"I won't do anything. Not for now, anyway. Besides, I don't think anyone benefits from a fight between us. Do you want to lose the convenient place you've found just because of a conflict with me?"
"..."
Ram had been assertive, but she could only glare at him without saying a word. She couldn't speak. Her prideful self would never show it in her attitude.
For Ram, a girl summoned to this world, being under the protection of a kind-hearted group like Section 6 was the most convenient thing possible.
And Ram knew that Section 6 was walking a precarious tightrope.
Therefore, she couldn't afford to do anything flashy that would create a weakness.
"Oh, and another thing. It's not just me; it seems the Professor has no intention of destroying Special Duty Section 6 either. Rather, they'd be in trouble if it disappeared."
"...Is that so?"
From behind, another office worker's voice was heard.
"Ah, Hebigura-san. Could I have a moment?"
"Oh! Wait up, I'll be right there! ...Well then. Let's try to stay out of each other's way from now on."
"That was a long chat. My drink has gotten cold."
"My bad. I apologize."
Hebigura lightly raised his hand and left the area.
Ram tossed a thought to his retreating back.
"I can sympathize with one thing you said. I also have no interest in world peace. I just want us... no, just Rem, to live in peace. We're both only thinking about ourselves."
Whether Hebigura heard her or not, he didn't react and returned to his role as a Bureau official.
"Sister? What's wrong?"
Perhaps she had taken too long to prepare. Replacing Hebigura, Ram's sister, Rem, came to check on her.
Rem also wore the same maid uniform as Ram. Being twins, they were identical. The only things that distinguished them were their hair color and a certain part of their bodies' volume.
"It's nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment. I'll make the tea again."
"Oh, Rem will help too!"
The tea they prepared together was said to have been very popular.
Ram's gaze remained fixed on Hebigura, who was smiling and sipping his tea.
--------------------------------------------
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