Chapter 69: Sumire Muroto with Black Stockings and Big Waves
Amidst Mahiro and Kisara's joyful laughter, Enju's cheeks gradually turned red, like the morning glow.
Wanting to stay by his side out of fear of being abandoned, and hiding behind Mahiro out of shyness, these were not unpleasant memories for Asaka Mibu; rather, they were her most precious and cherished memories.
But recalling them still made her feel embarrassed.
However, this pleasant and relaxed atmosphere quickly dissipated with Rentaro's return.
"Before you die, do you have any last words, Satomi?"
Facing Tendo Kisara in her furious state, cold sweat slowly trickled down Rentaro's cheeks.
The girl who uttered such terrifying words was now holding her arms, impatiently kicking her boots, making clicking sounds.
Seeing this scene, Yotsuba Mahiro couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
Situations like today had occurred countless times over the past year.
Rentaro had once again forgotten to collect payment after completing a commission, and the other party, relying on his status as a police officer, refused to acknowledge the debt.
Many times in the past, he had to step in to retrieve the payment.
But he didn't expect it to happen again today...
And Aihara Enju was nonchalantly wrapped around him, playing with Asaka Mibu.
Well, this had nothing to do with Enju; it was all Rentaro's fault.
And it was still because of supermarket special offer bean sprouts... Was he really that poor?
Honestly, he was really curious how these two survived in the original work without starving to death!
Were they legendary hunger kings? Was that it?
"It's already happened, there's nothing I can do..."
Rentaro argued softly.
"You idiot! Die to atone for your sins!!!"
A loud roar echoed through the office, so loud that even the upstairs could probably hear it clearly.
Infuriated, Kisara immediately balled her fist and swung it, but Rentaro dodged it.
"Why are you dodging? You're so annoying!"
The girl looked like she wanted to devour someone, slamming the table with loud thuds.
"Sixty times! A full sixty times! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I don't think you, Satomi, you good-for-nothing idiot, will ever learn!"
"Don't talk nonsense, there weren't that many times!"
"How not! I've kept a record of every single one! If this company relied on you, we would have starved to death on the streets long ago, do you know that!!!"
Seeing Rentaro about to run, Kisara raised her fist and chased him, while Rentaro ran around the table.
"It's... it's just... your escape speed... is fast... why aren't you this diligent when it comes to... getting paid!!!"
The girl, lacking stamina, quickly fell behind, taking deep breaths to regulate her breathing.
"I say, let's try harder next time we get a new job, Miss Kisara."
"You good-for-nothing, you trash, you idiot! Stop talking nonsense! Do you think someone will always clean up your mess?!"
"And."
She glared fiercely at Rentaro.
"Don't call me Miss Kisara during working hours, call me President!"
She gathered her long hair, strode back to her desk, muttered, "Useless," and then sat back in her armchair.
Rentaro, on the other hand, sighed helplessly.
As usual, he pulled out his phone, ready to call the client to communicate.
"Don't you need my help this time?"
Seeing that their drama had ended, Mahiro leaned over and asked.
"No need… I always trouble you, and this is my own mess, so let me solve it myself."
Rentaro sighed, bit the bullet, and made the call to explain the situation, but the other party said:
"Huh? I thought you would definitely offer free service. This matter is over anyway, so let's consider it a free first-time special. If another incident occurs, I'll take care of you, hahahahahahaha."
"Hey, Inspector Tadajima, don't be like that. I can't explain this to President Mu Geng."
"What explanation is needed? Next time there's such a request, just prioritize you, isn't that good? I remember your President is still a high school student, right? Young people, don't always think about making money. In this line of work, you need to expand your network. Alright, I have things to do here, I'm hanging up."
"Hey, wait—"
Before Rentaro could finish speaking, Mahiro snatched the phone away.
"Hey, don't hang up yet."
"Who are you?"
It seemed that the person on the other end heard the voice change owners and hesitated for a moment before hanging up.
"Inspector Tadajima, right? I am Yotsuba Mahiro, an IFA of Tendo Civil Security Company."
"My colleague Rentaro Satomi completed the task as requested. You should now give us the due remuneration. As for expanding your network… sorry, we don't need your network. Are you saying your network is better than Atsuro Kuima's?"
"I suggest Inspector Tadajima immediately return the remuneration, otherwise I will come to your door to collect the debt."
Yotsuba Mahiro said all this in one breath, without the slightest politeness, even though he knew the other party's identity.
And Inspector Tadajima on the other side seemed truly stunned by his words, remaining silent for a long time.
Faintly, the sound of gasping could still be heard.
After a long while, the other side mumbled something softly, then hung up the phone.
He also returned the phone to Rentaro, then said to Kisara: "It's done. The payment will be transferred soon, President, please check it."
"It's good that you're here, Mahiro… Otherwise, we really wouldn't know what to do."
Kisara let out a slight sigh of relief, her tone carrying a hint of apology, then she angrily said to Rentaro, furious at his lack of initiative: "And you! This is the last time. If there's a next time, I'll sell you upstairs as collateral! Is that clear?!"
"Understood…"
Rentaro lowered his head, responding weakly.
After Kisara's anger had almost subsided, he raised his head, but his gaze towards Yotsuba Mahiro was somewhat complex.
"Thanks to you again this time, you're amazing…"
It was unclear whether Rentaro's words were praise or sarcasm.
However, Mahiro took it as praise for now, shrugging and saying, "It's nothing. For people like this, you just need to grasp their weak point. It's very simple."
As the saying goes, hit a snake at its seven-inch mark. It's the same with people; if you grasp their weakness, they'll pay up.
That being said, his rhetoric was basically the same every time.
Especially the last sentence about coming to collect the debt in person.
This was the nightmare of all clients, the fundamental reason no one dared to default on payment, because he really would come to collect the debt.
And every time, the other party would obediently pay the remuneration, and finally lie on the ground like a dog, only recovering three days later.
Therefore, no one dared to owe Yotsuba Mahiro remuneration.
"No, I'm not talking about that." Rentaro shook his head and said, "What I mean is, I didn't expect you to actually know Superintendent Kuima… That person used to be Miss Kisara's fiancé."
However, after she left the Tendo Family, this engagement was automatically dissolved.
"?"
He seemed to have heard some incredible information.
Atsuro Kuima was President Mu Geng's fiancé?
He really didn't know about this!
And…
"If you're talking about Atsuro Kuima, I actually don't know him at all; I just said it casually."
"Huh?!"
This time it was Rentaro's turn to be shocked. Thanks to this guy, he could so solemnly utter the name of the Tokyo Area Police Superintendent as his big banner.
In reality, it wasn't a big banner at all; it just appeared on the news he had just scrolled through.
If he had scrolled to Kikunojo Tendo or Holy Son, Yotsuba Mahiro would still have used them without hesitation.
"What are you two talking about?"
After confirming that the payment had been transferred, Kisara left her desk and came to the sofa.
"Oh, nothing, just chatting with Rentaro about today's request."
Mahiro casually replied, then looked at Rentaro.
"By the way, Satomi, did you and Enju deal with an infected or an infection source today?"
"It was an infected!" Aihara Enju suddenly interjected, "It was an uncle I met on the road. He seemed to have been attacked by a Gastrea and then turned into a big spider."
"Yes, just as Enju said, this infected individual is still a spider factor."
Another spider factor.
As for why he said 'another'? Because both the infection source and the infected individuals before were spider factors.
It felt as if he had poked a spider's nest.
And he could be 100% certain that someone was behind this, otherwise, how could a mere LV1 Gastrea bypass the monoliths and enter the Tokyo Area?
But if it was an infected individual this time…
"Satomi, did you encounter anyone strange at the scene this time?"
"Strange people… I didn't find any where the Gastrea was… But if it was at the crime scene, then one did appear."
Rentaro meticulously recounted the events.
At the crime scene, in that room about six tatami mats in size, he encountered a person over 190 cm tall, with extremely slender limbs and body, wearing a burgundy tailcoat with fine vertical stripes, a top hat, and a masquerade mask.
That person was not an IFA, but a murderer, who claimed to be the one who would destroy the world.
"Not only that, that person was terrifyingly strong…"
Rentaro Satomi recalled that memory with a heavy heart, still feeling lingering fear even now.
Even though he had taken his full-force blow, and his neck had been deformed by the impact, the next second he casually snapped it back into place.
This clearly exceeded the scope of human understanding!
"Is that so…" Mahiro cradled his head and leaned back on the sofa.
The plot is finally starting, huh…
It wasn't that he was concerned about the plot's direction, but rather calculating how much more time he needed.
Currently, it would still take some time for the ring to fully charge with energy.
As for other plans, he would have to accelerate the schedule.
…
…
…
After leaving the office, Mahiro went straight to Gomata Public University Affiliated Hospital to meet an old acquaintance there.
"Doctor, are you there?"
Yotsuba Mahiro's call echoed through the empty corridor in the northern part of the hospital.
The two lolis behind him clung tightly to his coattails, refusing to let go.
No need to mention Enju; the word 'fear' was clearly written all over her small face. And although Xiao Asaka tried to appear as calm as usual, her body couldn't help but feel fear in such a place.
"N-no… Mahiro, I… I think it's better to go home." Enju suggested.
"What about Xiao Asaka? Do you want to go back too?"
"No… No! I am Mahiro's sword. Even if we go to the netherworld, I will accompany Mahiro!"
Xiao Asaka was still being stubborn.
But her body was very honest, trembling slightly.
"Well, don't be so nervous. This isn't your first time here, and you've met the doctor. He's a good person."
Hearing him say this, Enju didn't say she wanted to go home anymore.
But mainly because Mahiro encouraged them by holding their small hands and walking straight into that dark, shadowy place ahead.
The place they were currently in was the hospital's morgue.
Chilling gusts of wind continuously blew from deep within.
But upon actually entering, one would find that this morgue was completely different from what they imagined.
Not only was there no unpleasant, pungent smell of disinfectant permeating the corridor, but instead, a strong scent of mint-based air freshener wafted through the air.
Moreover, what met their eyes were not rows of gurneys with bodies and white steel freezers, but rather various undergarments, bento boxes, and blackboards covered with what looked like German or something else, scattered everywhere.
It was just like someone's home.
"Doctor, where are you?"
"Here."
Turning his head at the sound, a corpse with sunken, darkened eye sockets immediately appeared before him. The shiny, bald head had bloody remnants of skin removal scars. It was an unfamiliar male corpse.
"Wow!"
Accompanied by such a soft, startling sound, a woman in a white coat emerged from behind the corpse.
"Waaah! The man-eating monster hag has appeared!! Mahiro, quickly save me!!!"
Enju was almost scared to tears by this mischievous act.
Even Xiao Asaka's face turned pale at that moment, and she instinctively tightened her grip on his hand.
And that woman, though called an old hag by Enju, was a true beauty.
She was under thirty, probably around 26, with abnormally pale skin and a faint presence, somewhat like a ghost. Her long bangs covered half of her eyes, but couldn't conceal her slender charm.
Her name was Sumire Muroto, the head of this forensic medicine classroom and a Gastrea researcher.
She was also one of the world's top minds.
The only regrettable thing was that this woman was a shut-in; if left unattended, she would even starve to death in the basement.
He had met this woman for the first time in this very manner.
"Welcome to hell, my dear Mahiro-chan."
Sumire Muroto theatrically spread her arms wide, revealing a black hip-hugging skirt under her white coat, and her perfectly proportioned black silk-clad legs.
"Doctor Sumire, next time, can you please stop doing these strange things? I don't mind, but I'm afraid Enju or Xiao Asaka might accidentally kill you in a moment of panic next time."
Mahiro said, handing over the takeout gift bag on his wrist.
"What a cold reaction, my darling number 2."
Sumire Muroto nonchalantly took the bag.
More than that, she was looking forward to the takeout Mahiro brought, but seeing that it was just a bento from a convenience store, she muttered to herself strange things like, "Why is it always this most failed crystallization of human products?"
"Putting aside the embarrassing term 'darling,' why am I number two? Who's number one?" Mahiro found a clean spot and sat down with the two lolis.
"Of course, it's Charlie. He's my lover now."
Sumire Muroto picked up her chopsticks and pointed at the bald corpse from earlier.
"Wasn't it a woman named Susan before?"
"Unfortunately, she's no longer with us. Now it's him. Corpses are great, you know, they don't talk nonsense. Only they can understand my feelings."
Sumire Muroto shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth and chewed.
"Of course, if Darling number two is willing to become a corpse for me to play with, it's fine to even be promoted to number one. I'll preserve your body well with embalming measures so you won't decay."
"No!!!"
It wasn't Mahiro who spoke up in refutation, but Enju and Asaka. They simultaneously rejected Sumire Muroto's suggestion, even shielding him and glaring slightly at the doctor.
"Don't make jokes like that anymore."
Mahiro reassuringly patted their little heads, then said, "I'm here for serious business today. How's the research on that thing I asked you about before coming along?"
"What an unfeeling man..."
Sumire Muroto said so, but she still put down her meal box and turned around to rummage through the pile of trash behind her.
Even when Yotsuba Mahiro heard such ambiguous words, he didn't react in the slightest.
After all, this woman just likes to play such nasty jokes.
"Here, what you wanted."
After a while, Sumire Muroto got up from the trash pile and handed him two injection syringes.
Inside were unknown yellow and green agents, looking like fluorescent liquid.
"The green one is the gene-enhancing agent you need, and the yellow one is an enhanced inhibitor. After injection, it can completely stop the erosion rate from increasing, but the effect only lasts for one month."
"Not an antidote?" Mahiro asked with a frown.
"Of course not. gastrula virus isn't that easy to deal with, even with your eyes helping, it's not possible. Otherwise, why would there still be no solution until now?" Sumire Muroto said as if it were obvious.
"However, if you're willing to let me study your eyes and brain properly, maybe there will be a solution."
"I think you just want to study them, don't you?"
"Tsk, was I found out?"