T-Teacher Kanaki! Have you finally found a girlfriend!?
E-Ehhhhh!?
Eto was so stunned by Artis misdirected remark that she jumped to conclusions.
No, its not like that at all. Leave that aside, you two should head ho.
Eh, where are you both going? This is all the more suspicious.
No, we are really nothing more than business acquaintances
Artis scrutinizing gaze threw into a state of internal turmoil. Felt was familiar with my true identity, and conversely, it would complicate matters even further should soone who recognized Felt catch a glimpse of with her.
Settle your worries; we dont have a connection like that; were simply business acquaintances.
Right then, Felt unexpectedly responded in kind.
To Felt, whose face was adorned with a mild smile, Arti cast a suspicion-filled glance.
Eh, really?
Hey, Arti. Thats disrespectful.
Haha, Teacher Kanaki is apparently a very popular guy. No problem, I am really only here to discuss business with him.
All right, then, Eto, Ill leave you in charge of Arti.
Oh, yes!
Halfway dragging Arti, who was still protesting, Eto departed.
While Arti may have been fooled, Eto sent a sowhat fishy stare. Perhaps she perceived an atmosphere in Felt that was in common with Xenia. She appeared to have grasped my intention when I boldly swept off her glance; consequently, she took Arti ho in a sensible way. Seriously, I was unable to act on an equal basis with Eto.
After an exhale, I addressed Felt, who was waving to Arti and company behind , in a school nurses tone of voice.
Then, shall we move to a different place and have a conversation? I recomnd a coffee shop thats close by.
Oh, how wonderful. Will you guide there?
Its special.
We ended up at a small coffee shop that I had visited with Fina before.
On entering the store, the owner, a familiar face, glanced at as if he had sothing to say, yet at the expression on my face, he withdrew to the rear of the store. The human beings around ranged from those who could read the atmosphere to those who couldnt.
Do you frequently drop by here?
Well, from ti to ti. How long have you been in the city, Ms. Felt?
The edge of Felts lips rose a split second later.
I have been here for about a week, I guess. You are knowledgeable, huh?
Likewise. I had no expectation that you would reach the school so swiftly.
Neither of us questioned what was going on.
Our discourse was cut short as the aroma of coffee perated the shop and footsteps were sounded coming from the rear of the room.
Thank you for waiting.
After saying this, the owner set the coffee down, bowing his head before withdrawing to the rear of the shop.
The stunning woman before my eyes, who had been tracking him with her eyes only, distorted the end of her lips in fascination.
This is a fine establishnt, isnt it?
You should at least drink the coffee before saying sothing like that.
It would be too pitiful for the owner to be evaluated solely on the rit of his withdrawal.
When each of us had sipped our coffee, it was ti for to get down to business.
So, what do you want from , coming all the way to the school? Is it a threat or sothing similar?
Hmm, thats what Sasha told , but for my part, its not quite the sa.
What do you an?
Felt then all of a sudden leaned forward from the table and locked her gaze into mine.
Hey, Mr. Kanaki! Wont you join us?
So it ca to that.
Of the several selections hovering in my brain, I spoke as I had predetermined how to respond in the event of this pattern.
What is your aning?
You see, I was taken aback by what I witnessed during our battle yesterday. It felt like an inspiration burst. Together with you, its bound to be entertaining!
Didnt you call an indestructible, eco-friendly toy yesterday?
Well, if you refuse , Kanaki, that might be the case. I didnt an to do that.
That was a lie. In that scenario, this woman will definitely be delighted.
But wouldnt your employer, Cannibal rchant, be upset with you if you did that arbitrarily?
Dont worry, Sasha and I have interacted with each other for a long ti. Besides, if I could win you over to my side, she would no doubt approve of it. She is especially protective of herself.
You know, I am not that formidable.
What are you talking about? With all that regenerative power, you would co in handy as a flesh barrier.
I see.
It took a second for to be convinced. Indeed, as a bodyguard, there could be no one better qualified than .
At my silence, Felt eyed in wondernt.
Why do you need to hesitate? It goes without saying that if you choose to join our group, the pay will be reasonable. Sasha will actually offer you more than enough, you know? Even you, Kanaki, must be tired of living your daily existence in secrecy and acting like a small-ti villain, right? Your ticulousness in eradicating evidence was appreciated by Sasha.
You have really done your howork on .
Eraser is well-known in this city. Because nowadays the A rate is the highest of all the most wanted criminals on the Seal wanted list.
A subtle note of mockery laced the margins of Felts words.
I see, so thats what that was all about.
I finally reached an understanding of what her goal was.
I was convinced on my own, and Felt naturally cocked her head.
Ngh? What is this about?
No, all this ti I was wondering why you guys traveled all the way from the distant city of Valiahar to be here. The only objective of coming to this city would be the Princess who attends Selbeth Academy, but I could figure out that you guys have no inclination to do anything with her when I was investigating your actions. Your remarks, nevertheless, have at last shed light on my doubts.
At Felts silent urging, I resud the subject.
So, in a nutshellyoure competing for the vacant territory, arent you? This city was previously impenetrable due to the presence of powerful wanted criminals, but recently they vanished in a flurry, leading individuals from nearby cities to vie with one another to seize the vacant territory. Well, it is a standard story of wars between countries or sothing like that.
Shiva, Hunter, Alice, and Matthias.
Thanks to their presence, this city was unknowingly protected.
In particular, the presence of Matthias must have been significant. He was, after all, the highest SS-rated man in the world, and there was only a handful of them in the world. Despite a decline in the number of jobs he was performing these days, there was no one who would have sought to encroach on his territory.
On the other hand, the event from last month at least established that Shiva, Hunter, and Alice had been eliminated. It was the ideal opportunity for those who wished to seize control of the city since Matthias was also rumored to have died and the Garrisoned Corps was still struggling to get back on its feet.
Even if I am an A , I would still only be a freshly elevated phony A-rated person, so to speak. I can understand why people would travel all the way from faraway Valiahar.
Hahaha. Mr. Kanaki, its beyond your imagination!
Felts eyes were radiant as she clapped her hands.
With a brain like that, Sasha wont complain anymore, no, she wont! And no talk of toying with you! So, Mr. Kanaki, with us
I refuse.
Eh?
As she uttered the word sharply, Felts movent ceased.
Well, may I ask you to repeat yourself again?
Fine, but my answer remains the sa, okay?
The temperature around Felt dropped drastically. A treacherous light began to seep into her eyes.
Just so you know, Mr. Kanaki, you do understand the aning of that answer, dont you? Sasha never fails to address even the tiniest of worries about her. Even now
You have four of your companions standing by outside, right?
Felts eyes wavered. That reaction alone was sufficient to answer my question. The number of individuals was perhaps a shock to .
Heildin, Fla-colored Shark, White Gale, and Sharp Execution. These are all wanted criminals that I had seen before arriving here. I forgot about the minor ones, but I rember Fla-colored Shark having an A-rate. Even so, it is my belief that Hunter would be superior among the A-rated ones.
Have you encountered them before?
Theres no chance of that. They are all wanted individuals from Valiahar, and I have only morized their faces by reading through the Valiahar wanted posters since yesterday.
The frequency of the wanted posters issued varied by city but was often twice a month.
Being a comrcial city, the frequency of publication of the wanted list of Valiahar was high, and it was published once a week.
But theres no significant recent activity of Heildin
The wanted poster was published about four years ago. I reviewed all of the wanted posters from the previous five years. Well, it was only until that period of ti.
Felt was frozen as if aghast. However, she soon ca to her senses and pounded on the table.
I-If you are that well inford, then why are you rejecting our proposal!? Our interests are aligned, and if you refuse, you will die!?
It was as if our positions had been reversed.
With this thought in mind, I dispassionately corrected her mistake.
Ms. Felt, you are wrong on two points. One, contrary to what you claid, our interests are not aligned. Only those who have a definite profit are murdered by you, or rather by your employer. I commit cris purely for pleasure. More to the point, in my case, I kill as a result of killing, not because I like killing. It is the process that is my goal. Besides, you and your colleagues inflicted harm on Mr. Hansa to begin with, right? How can I simply end up as a friend of soone like that?
I sighed when I reached this stage.
And another thing, you said I would die should I refuse this proposal.
I rested my chin on my hand and fixed my gaze on Felts eyes.
The ability of you guys to kill is out of the question.
Haha.
After a brief interval of silence, Felt gave a small shudder, and then
Ahahahaha! I thought you were the type of person who wouldnt say such things, Mr. Kanaki, but it turns out you defy my expectations!
Even I would be outraged if soone were to take over my territory with impunity. I enjoy my current lifestyle in my own way.
She nodded her head in understanding. Right now, for the first ti in a long ti, wrath overca .
Whether that was because I was really furious about the destruction of the city or for so other reason was hard to say though.
The series of laughter was followed by a few more monts, and when Felt finally regained her composure, her face had reverted to the one I had recognized from last nights encounter.
It was the face of a predator who regarded an opponent as prey.
I understand. I will tell Sasha that you dumped . She will employ all thods necessary to eliminate you, but your response wont alter despite that, right?
Yes. If soone dies because of it, then so be it. Lets drop the matter and say we did the utmost we could.
You truly are an intriguing character.
Perhaps more than Sasha
As soon as she got up from her seat, the windy end of her remarks was drowned out.
Ill call it a day then. The bill?
I will cover the cost. I had tea with a charming woman. Allow to pay that amount, please.
Haha, thank you for your kind words.
Thank you for the al, I called out to the owner in the back of the store, and Felt left the store directly.
I downed what little coffee was left in my cup. Having shoved the cold, bitter liquid down my throat, I grabbed my wallet and left my seat.
From this point on, there were a lot of things to take care of.
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