Chapter 68: Welcoming a New Life in the Morning Glow
"Oh dear~"
Miori Sima immediately let go upon hearing that, seemingly stunned.
With a 'snap!', she opened the metal folding fan in her hand, covering her surprisingly upturned lips, but her eyes were already sparkling with shrewdness.
"Mr. Yotsuba, for my rudeness just now, Miori deeply apologizes..."
Miori Sima bowed slightly to him and said softly, "To make up for this apology, may I, a humble girl, invite Mr. Yotsuba to lunch? And I am willing to pay a high price to hire you to Sima Heavy Industries, how about it?"
"No way! Get that idea out of your head, you vixen!!!"
Tendo Kisara shielded him, like a hen protecting her chick.
"I wasn't asking you, Mother Orangutan. I was asking Mr. Yotsuba."
Miori Sima stepped past Kisara and continued, "It must be inconvenient working under that Mother Orangutan, right?"
"Not only is the work location poor, but the salary is also pitifully low. Why don't you come to our Sima Heavy Industries?"
"I, Miori Sima, can promise you not only a high salary but also free provision of all necessary weapons and equipment~"
She not only ignored the obstructing Kisara but even brazenly tried to poach him right in front of Kisara.
Originally, she had planned to visit the IISO branch as usual to see if there were any promising IFA prospects, but she never expected to stumble upon such a pleasant surprise!
And it was under her arch-rival, Tendo Kisara!
Although she had indeed intended to provoke the other party at first, as her greatest pleasure in life was teasing Tendo Kisara.
But upon hearing the ranking of over 8,000, she clearly became unsettled, and the idea of recruiting him into her own company had already sprouted in her mind.
Although Sima Heavy Industries was the world's largest arms dealer, it didn't have any representative IFA pairs.
Sponsoring those ranked in the top fifty was even harder than ascending to heaven.
As for Yotsuba Mahiro, although an IP ranking of over 8,000 wasn't considered high, this was merely his initial ranking after the assessment, without being paired with an Initiator yet.
If he were paired with a suitable Initiator, then breaking into the top hundred, or even the top fifty, would no longer be a dream!
So, she was betting on Yotsuba Mahiro's future!
In addition, she also had a feeling that Yotsuba Mahiro might be hiding something; this was a woman's intuition.
Her intuition was usually surprisingly accurate.
"Don't ignore me!"
No longer able to tolerate Miori Sima's disregard, Kisara let out an angry roar.
Instantly, everyone in the hall turned their gaze towards them.
But upon seeing Miori Sima, they all turned their heads away, pretending not to see anything.
Sima Heavy Industries, they couldn't afford to offend them.
"Oh, you're still here, Kisara."
Miori Sima looked at her with a smile, feigning surprise in her tone, but her face showed no hint of astonishment.
"Sorry, sorry, your chest is too big, so I couldn't see your face at all. I thought it was a Mother Orangutan that escaped from some zoo."
"!"
—Crack, crack
Kisara's tightly clenched fists, which had turned somewhat pale, inexplicably made a sound of bones rubbing together.
It was truly hard to imagine what kind of strength she had to exert to make her hands produce such a noise.
"Well, let's ignore that Mother Orangutan for now."
Miori Sima paid no mind to Kisara's anger and instead hugged Mahiro's arm.
"Hey, seriously, Mahiro-kun, do you want to come to Sima Heavy Industries? If you're not satisfied with the conditions I just offered, we can discuss them again~"
No matter what, it's definitely going to be more than what that Mother Orangutan can offer.
And I heard that Mother Orangutan can't even afford to eat anymore."
Almost every sentence was laced with sarcasm directed at Kisara, and most importantly, what she said was true.
The first time they met, Tendo Kisara had actually fainted from hunger.
However—
"Thank you for the olive branch, Miss Sima. But I'm very sorry, I'm currently just a novice without even an Initiator, not worthy of such high regard from Miss Sima."
Mahiro subtly pulled his arm free and took two steps back, revealing a polite smile.
Please don't drag me into your war...
—Creak, creak—
On Kisara's side, a strange sound was already coming from between her teeth, clearly indicating she was on the verge of losing control.
She deeply regretted not bringing Snow Shadow with her when she left, otherwise she would have definitely used Miori's blood to consecrate her blade.
This time, Miori Sima did not hug him, remaining in place with a smiling expression.
"It's alright, Sima Heavy Industries can find you the most suitable Initiator.... Besides, those high-ranking IFAs also started as novices, didn't they?"
—Pop!
Kisara, with her head slightly lowered, made a sound of bursting blood vessels, her scattered hair curtain completely obscuring her gloomy face.
She quietly walked to the side of the main door and took one of the poles from the isolation barrier.
"Hey, Mahiru-kun, don't you think the color of the floor tiles is a bit monotonous? It's missing the color of Miori's blood!"
Kisara pointed one end of the pole at the other party, her eyes beneath the hair curtain having completely lost their luster.
Although she and Yotsuba Mahiro had only known each other for a few days, he was her cherished treasure!
Especially that Midas touch magic trick, which was absolutely crucial for the agency!
And Miori Sima's act of poaching someone right in front of her, coupled with her sarcastic remarks, had thoroughly enraged her.
"President Mu Geng, calm down. Damaging things here will incur compensation."
Turning his head to see Kisara looking like she wanted to kill someone, Mahiro calmly advised her while subtly retreating a few steps to the side, to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Heh heh, calm? You say calm? Mahiru-kun, my anger is ecstatic!"
Kisara started breathing heavily, clearly unable to suppress the rage in her heart, even normal sentence construction had become impossible for her.
"You vixen, sooner or later, I'm going to short sell your company's stock to crash your company! Then I'll take advantage of the chaos at the shareholders' meeting and make you cry yourselves to death."
"Don't be silly, Sima Heavy Industries is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, a Japanese basic industry included in the 'Nikkei Tokyo 60'. Trying to short it is simply suicidal. Besides, how much capital can a daughter who ran away from the Tendo Family have? Going long on our company's stock, on the other hand, could make you a fortune."
"If you want me to buy your company's stock, I'd rather bite my tongue off!"
"...Looks like you want to fight, don't you?"
"Rest in peace."
Miori reached into the sleeve of her kimono, took out her custom-made M1911 pistol, and with a gun in one hand and an iron fan in the other, assumed the stance of Tendo-ryu.
"I don't know what Tendo-ryu is. It's just a newly created martial art that's barely a century old. Bow down to Sima-ryu."
Kisara brought the pole back to her waist, slowly lowered her body, assumed the Tendo-ryu's unique "Nirvana Myoshin Stance," and said coldly:
"Shut up, you vixen! You can say those crazy things when you're in hell."
The battle between the two was on the verge of breaking out.
The hall was enveloped in a tense atmosphere, followed by two female voices simultaneously—
"Sima-ryu Two Heavens Orange Butterfly Hell—"
"Tendo-ryu Sword Drawing Technique Type One, Number Two—"
At the beginning of their confrontation, the bodyguards responsible for Miori Sima's safety stood frozen in place, at a loss.
He couldn't afford to offend either his young lady or the young lady from the Tendo Family opposite him.
The security guards also retreated one after another.
A dragon-tiger struggle was not something ordinary people like them could intervene in.
They were just a bunch of workers...
...
...
...
The battle between Tendo Kisara and Miori Sima ultimately ended without a clear result.
However, Yotsuba Mahiro had a blast watching the show.
Not only did he secretly learn many sword techniques and moves, but watching women fight was simply the most enjoyable thing.
Especially when they were two beautiful girls, it was incredibly pleasing to the eye.
However, although the two couldn't determine a winner, overall, Tendo Kisara had a slight edge.
Even though Miori Sima had been holding back and teasing her throughout the process.
But after all, Kisara's kidney function wasn't very good, and her weapon was just an iron pole from an isolation barrier. Being able to fight Miori Sima to a draw with that was already quite impressive.
If she were in peak condition, in a real sword fight, Tendo Kisara would likely have a higher chance of winning.
After watching this farcical fight, Mahiro went straight home.
Perhaps this was the first time in his life he felt a sense of home, knowing that someone was waiting for him there.
Although it felt a little unfamiliar, it seemed... quite nice.
"I'm home~"
"...Wel-welcome home, Master."
As soon as he entered the door, he heard little Mibu's voice.
Accompanied by faint footsteps on the floor, barefoot Asaka came from the living room to the entrance.
It must be said that after being cleaned, little Mibu was indeed cute. The small beauty-in-the-making was beginning to show her charm, especially her waterfall-like black hair, which was incredibly smooth and fell naturally down her back. If she wore a white hairband, she would perfectly resemble her original appearance.
However.
Since he had thrown away all her old clothes, little Mibu was now wearing his white shirt.
Although it wasn't as baggy as he imagined, on the frail girl, it still looked like a dress, hanging loosely on her slender frame.
And those crimson eyes no longer held the vigilance and fear of yesterday, but they still had a lifeless quality.
And most importantly, this address...
"...I mean, little Mibu, you don't need to call me Master or anything, it makes it sound like I'm a pervert. If you're willing, just call me big brother, Big Brother Mahiro. How does that sound?"
Having a loli call him Master or something, while satisfying, would truly lead to someone calling the police if an outsider heard it!
"Mahiro... Big Brother?" Asaka Mibu gently mouthed the words.
She seemed very unfamiliar with the word 'big brother,' as if she was learning it for the first time.
"Yes, that's right."
Mahiro nodded, bent down, and gently stroked her long hair.
"I'm your big brother, little Mibu is your little sister, and this is your home. You don't have to be so reserved when you see me."
The girl seemed to have grown accustomed to his gentle touch, so she wasn't nervous or trembling, but rather stared at him blankly.
"...Big Brother... Little Sister... Home? C-can I... have a home too?"
The girl hesitated, pointing at herself with doubt, clearly the word "home" held a very different meaning for her.
Born as a Cursed Child, mercilessly abandoned by her parents, with nowhere to belong in the vast world, Asaka Mibu always held a difficult-to-resolve emotion towards other children who naturally enjoyed the right to parental love. She yearned for the meaning of "home" and it was deeply etched in her heart.
She longed for it yet feared it, afraid of being abandoned by "home" again.
"Of course you can. I've already told you, this is your home."
"Is... is that so? I... have a home now... Thank you... Thank you very much..." Asaka Mibu murmured in response.
However, for some reason, her eyes were already filled with sparkling tears, blurring her vision, and without her even noticing, they slowly trickled down her cheeks.
The girl reached out a fingertip and gently touched the warm liquid, a little puzzled.
Oh, that's strange.
Why am I crying?
Even when I was severely beaten before, no matter how badly I was hurt, I never cried...
But now—
Why is this happening?
Why does my heart feel so much pain?
It's so strange...
"Don't cry. It's just a small matter. From now on, I'll protect little Mibu well as your big brother."
"...To you, it might be a small matter... But to me, it's definitely not a small matter... Thank you... Truly, thank you..."
Asaka Mibu could no longer hold back. The tears brimming in her eyes burst forth like a dam breaking.
Like a normal child, she started to sob uncontrollably.
She had completely accepted Mahiro's kindness.
Her long-empty, fragile heart was finally filled with something new, and a new meaning, and new emotions appeared in her lifeless eyes for the first time.
Her world, which had been an endless gray, was now colored with dazzling and vibrant hues.
Her heart, once shattered by darkness, was reunited once more.
The girl could no longer maintain her usual strength in front of Mahiro, and finally, after being abandoned and enduring countless pains, she cried for the first time.
Like a wounded little beast, she had found new life.
When she was alone, she could silently endure all the pain by herself, hiding in a corner to lick her wounds.
But now.
From relying solely on herself, from this moment on, she had one more person to rely on.
She wouldn't have to suffer from cold or hunger anymore;
She wouldn't have to endure bullying anymore;
She could cry when she was sad;
She wouldn't have to silently endure alone when she was hurt...
This person in front of her, who appeared like a deity and saved her, had become her new reliance from today onwards...
'This is truly wonderful...'
Aside from 'wonderful,' the girl couldn't think of any other words.
If this was a dream, she hoped she would never wake up.
At this moment, Asaka Mibu completely released herself.
"Cry, cry. The past hardships are over, and a beautiful future awaits you, little Mibu."
Watching the girl sobbing uncontrollably, Mahiro knelt down, opened his arms, and gently embraced the petite girl.
The girl's body, at the moment of touch, stiffened for an instant, an instinctive reaction making her want to push away and escape.
But she quickly suppressed her wary heart, realizing again that the person in front of her was different from those who had beaten her before.
This was her savior, the deity who rescued her from suffering, her hero!
She gradually relaxed, even reaching out her arms, tightly hugging his neck, and crying loudly.
Just like that, the girl named Asaka Mibu, just like her name, left her past suffering in the night, and welcomed a new life under the morning glow of dawn.
...
.....
....
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
"Yotsuba boy, come and play ~ Big Brother will let you experience a unique and wonderful feeling ~"
"Yotsuba ~ Do you want to play with Big Sister today? Big Sister can take you into an extremely wonderful realm ~"
The Ootori Turn Turn Turn Bar on the first floor and the nightclub on the second floor, as always, wanted to solicit his business.
Unfortunately, Yotsuba Mahiro was not interested in any of this, or rather... avoiding it was more accurate.
After expressing a clear refusal, under their regretful gazes, Mahiro arrived at the office on the third floor.
"President Mu Geng."
"Oh, Mahiro, you're here."
His President Mu Geng was sitting at her desk as usual, but she seemed very busy, her ten slender fingers constantly tapping on the keyboard, not even looking up.
She even had her glasses on.
According to her own explanation, they were not prescription glasses, but for anti-blue light and to relieve fatigue.
The current Tendo Kisara now had a bit of a strong woman's demeanor.
Well, it was normal for such a change to occur.
The current Tendo Office was not the same as in the original work; because of him, the office's reputation had been completely established, claiming to be able to complete any commission.
Commissions kept pouring in, and even the Holy Son's designated commissions had been accepted several times.
Not only did the office have many incoming commissions, but the business of the entire building was also booming, whether it was the bar and nightclub downstairs or the lending company upstairs.
After all, people have their needs; some customers would go downstairs to have fun after completing a commission.
Those who needed money could go upstairs to handle it directly.
"Mahiro, please have this."
"Oh, thank you, Enju."
"You're welcome...."
Asaka Mibu brought a cup of hot tea and placed it neatly in front of him, then stood straight beside his sofa.
After a year of transformation, Asaka Mibu had also undergone tremendous changes.
Compared to a year ago, she was like a completely different person.
First, in terms of physique, she was no longer as thin as a year ago, but had become well-proportioned, quite cute and beautiful.
Her waist-length black hair was also very well-managed, with a pure white headband he had given her on her head, and the long hair hanging down her back was tied with a white ribbon higher up, looking elegant and gentle.
But in terms of personality...
It was equally unbearable... no, it was a drastic change.
She was no longer as timid and tearful as she was at first.
The current Asaka Mibu was quiet, reticent, and somewhat cold.
Leaving aside her height and physique, just from her demeanor, she was like an ice queen, completely unrecognizable from her original state, and it was hard to imagine her as someone who would cry like a child.
As for why she became like this, it was actually his own fault.
After registering as a partner with the IFA, although Mahiro did not want her to go out and fight, he still hoped she would have some self-preservation ability.
And because she had a talent for kendo, he asked Kisara to teach her all combat techniques.
But he never expected that Enju, while practicing kendo with Kisara, seemed to have flipped some strange switch.
Her personality began to become meticulous, even strict, like a little samurai.
Of course, this was in front of others; in front of Mahiro, she was still the same Enju, a girl with the personality of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
"Oh, right, Mahiro, there are no commissions for you today ~"
Kisara seemed to have finished her work, finally moved her gaze away from the computer screen, took off her glasses and put them aside, and said:
"The last commission, Satomi, has already gone, and it's just a simple handling of a Gastrea that appeared in a private residence."
"Gastrea again? And in a private residence in the city center?" Mahiro picked up his teacup and took a sip, frowning.
"Yes, this is the tenth time this month ~~~"
Kisara stretched heavily in her boss chair, revealing her good figure, then tasted the tea Enju had brought her, and continued, "But this time the location is a residential area towards the suburbs."
"Is that so..."
Mahiro hesitated slightly.
Although he knew the plot should unfold around this time, he was a bit unsure.
After all, the original work didn't mention so many Gastrea attacks!
"By the way, where's Enju? She should have gone to the scene with Satomi, right?"
"Yes, they went together."
Kisara nodded, but then changed the subject, "But speaking of it, your relationship is really strange ~ Although Satomi is Enju's promoter, her relationship with you is better, and she completely ignores Satomi ~"
Over the past year, Aihara Enju and Rentaro had not gotten along very well.
Although Enju had returned to her naturally lively personality, she wasn't very enthusiastic about Rentaro, but was very dependent on Mahiro, who first called her by her name.
Every night she would run to his house to stay... no, it should be said she had already moved into his house.
Her relationship with Rentaro had indeed become that of colleagues working together.
However, Rentaro himself didn't seem to have any opinion on this mode of interaction.
"If I had known this, I should have given Enju to you back then, so your ranking would be higher, right?
And Enju could be my secretary." Kisara sighed softly.
Currently, Yotsuba Mahiro's ranking had reached 970, but his influence was greater than that of the highest-ranked 275 in the Tokyo area.
The reason was simple: Yotsuba Mahiro had risen to this rank single-handedly, and his commissions had never failed!
He was a complete and utter strongest lone wolf.
And as soon as Kisara's words fell, Enju's body visibly trembled slightly, looking at Kisara with a hint of resentment.
It was already regrettable that she couldn't fight alongside Mahiro.
Now, President Mu Geng even wanted to separate her bond with Mahiro!
Very unhappy!
Mahiro also couldn't help but chuckle, "Come on, if Enju followed me, I wouldn't let her fight either, and Satomi would have to wait for the IFA to assign a new Initiator.
I heard that the last IFA to be assigned an Initiator had to wait for several months.
And most importantly, my Enju wouldn't be willing to be your secretary."
"Yes."
Asaka Mibu nodded vigorously and very seriously, "I am a samurai, a blade belonging only to Mahiro, whether in life or death, to cut through thorns and open a path for Mahiro, even if I break, I will not hesitate!"
"Your relationship is really subtle ~"
Kisara propped her chin, repeatedly scrutinizing their combination.
And Mahiro also couldn't help but sigh softly:
"Enju, why have you become so old-fashioned? You won't even call me brother anymore, you're not cute at all.
Back then, even when you slept, you would cling tightly to my clothes, and usually, you were always so gentle and weak, always hiding behind me on the street....."
"---Mahiro! Please don't talk about such things anymore, that's in the past!"
Asaka Mibu let out a cute, shy cry, interrupting him.
Immediately, bursts of laughter echoed through the office.
This kind of Enju is what I like....