Chapter 121: The Ashura Field
"..."
Otonashi Chiya was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had been so desperate to get back and secure Denji and the others that he had completely overlooked what would happen when Reze, Shingetsu, Denji, and Kobeni finally met.
This was... the legendary "Ashura Field"—a battlefield of jealous hearts!
"Ahem..."
Chiya cleared his throat. "Everyone, calm down. Listen to me explain."
Due to the language barrier, he addressed Kobeni and Denji in Japanese first, before immediately switching to Russian for Shingetsu: "Calm down. Shingetsu, stop glaring at people like that."
In reality, everyone present—except Shingetsu—knew Japanese; as secret agents, they were naturally required to master multiple languages.
By now, Kobeni was trembling under Shingetsu's piercing gaze, her face turning pale. Denji, however, wasn't the least bit afraid of this person in men's clothing and glared back even harder. To Shingetsu, Denji just looked cute and ridiculous.
Only Chiya could truly keep Shingetsu in check. She immediately averted her eyes and stopped looking at the two with such an icy stare. Kobeni breathed a massive sigh of relief, while Denji snorted and looked away.
Only Reze remained smiling brightly. She hadn't participated in the silent "war" between Shingetsu, Denji, and Kobeni at all; in fact, she hadn't let go of Chiya's arm for a single second. No one could tell if she was genuinely acting or just enjoying the chaos from the front row.
Next to her, Furia was purely there for the entertainment, having cleared herself of suspicion from the very beginning. The other four Hybrids stood like statues, silent and motionless. Since they were men, this drama had nothing to do with them, and they had no intention of involving themselves and causing trouble.
"This is Denji, who is essentially my younger sister. And this is the tutor I hired, Higashiyama Kobeni."
Chiya introduced Denji and Kobeni first, repeating himself in both Japanese and Russian. Hearing "sister" and "tutor," the frost on Shingetsu's beautiful face thawed slightly. But if that little girl is Otonashi's sister, why is she so hostile? Is she some kind of 'brother-complex' type?
Denji pouted slightly. Although she wasn't entirely satisfied with being called his "sister," she knew it was the most appropriate identity for Chiya-gege to give her to the outside world.
Next, Chiya introduced Reze and Shingetsu. "This is my partner from my work in the Soviet Union, Shingetsu. And as for her..."
He felt Reze's status was a bit complicated to explain, so he paused to think before continuing: "She is my subordinate, Reze. She was originally a Soviet agent, but she has been recruited by me now."
Although Shingetsu disliked others calling her by her real name, these two girls were clearly close to Chiya, so she didn't object.
"And those five behind them were also Soviet agents; they are now my subordinates as well."
Chiya gave a brief introduction without detailing their identities as Weapon-Humans. Denji and Kobeni had likely never heard of such things, and explaining it would be too much trouble.
"We are all 'weapons' loyal to the Master," Furia said with a smile to Denji and Kobeni.
"Master...?"
Hearing that word, Denji's mind immediately jumped to some rather embarrassing associations. But this big sister—even though she's Soviet—her Japanese is so fluent! She's just as impressive as the secret agents on TV!
"Soviet agents...? Did something happen?"
Higashiyama Kobeni quickly picked up on the implications. Soviet agents—and so many of them—meant something major must have transpired.
"Indeed, things have escalated..."
Chiya gave Denji and Kobeni a brief overview of the entire ordeal. After hearing the story, Denji was furious. "That's horrible! How dare those guys treat Chiya-gege like that!"
Kobeni's heart pounded as she listened. If Otonashi-kun had truly been captured by the Soviet military, she might never have seen him again.
"I'm just glad Otonashi-kun is safe now. The Soviet military shouldn't try anything like that again, right?"
"They don't have the courage anymore. But if they're foolish enough to try, I wouldn't mind completely reshuffling their entire leadership," Chiya said. "However, we have a new problem. Based on the contract, the Japanese Cabinet was an accomplice. Knowing they've been exposed, they'll likely try to protect themselves or even strike first. And frankly, I plan to settle the score with them anyway."
While the earlier "Ashura Field" had been troublesome, Chiya had successfully diverted everyone's attention to the conflict with the Soviet military and the Cabinet—effectively, if only temporarily, neutralizing the romantic tension.
"So... what should we do now?" Kobeni asked worriedly.
Denji was equally anxious; she didn't want to be separated from Chiya-gege, nor did she want anything bad to happen to him.
"Don't worry too much. In a moment, I'll move you to a place where no one can find you. Once this is over, you can return to your normal lives," Chiya told them. "Now, go see if there's anything you want to take with you."
Denji and Kobeni immediately went to pack. A short while later, Kobeni had stuffed her essentials into a backpack and a suitcase. Denji, meanwhile, focused on packing her various video games—and most importantly, Pochita.
"The rest of you stay here for now. I'll be back once I've settled them," Chiya instructed Reze and the others.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Kobeni. "Oh, right. You'll have to transfer schools after this. I'm sorry about that."
Kobeni shook her head quickly. "It's okay."
She was deeply moved that Otonashi-kun was considering her needs amidst all this chaos. She had no real attachment to her current school anyway, as she didn't have many friends there. As long as she could continue her education, she was content. Her only lingering sadness was wondering how long it would be before she could see her sisters and her brother, Nori, again.
"When the time comes, perhaps we'll head to China or the US. Regardless, I'll find a new school for you, and you can continue to university there after high school," Chiya mused.
He hadn't fully decided which country to move to next. While China was his top choice, it wasn't a move he could make on a whim. However, he recalled a system he'd learned about: Devil Hunters in this world could do global "transfers," much like professional e-sports players. Essentially, he could put himself "on the market," and various countries would bid for the right to sign a work agreement with him.