V2C1 Part3

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<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n{Chapter 1} Work after work\n

Part III\n

In fact, just the other day, Mizuho had just gone to dinner with Huang Hideo, who was with her at the rookie exam. Marion beside her knows what’s going on and laughs with a troubled expression on her face.\n

“So, Omine-sama, how long does the escort have to last?”\n

　As Marion notices, she asks a question and Shima responds.\n

“Yes, about that, I’ll have the two of you to leave immediately, and you’ll be gone for about three weeks.”\n

“Eh ……it’s surprisingly short,”\n

“Because it is expected that in three weeks’ time, the situation in Miramar will change decisively, and the assassination of Brigadier General Mathew will be much less important, and the Chinese or Indian branch will be sent at that time.”\n

“The situation ……?　May I ask why?”\n

“Yeah, it’s ……”\n

　Actually, the day to determine the fate of this Miramar nation was approaching by the minute.\n

　It was at an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations that Brigadier General Mathew was invited.\n

　Brigadier General Mathew was scheduled to make a speech on the floor to publicize the current situation of the Miramar, to call for democratization and to get the international community to put pressure on the military regime.\n

　Mathew’s aim was to put pressure on the military regime to democratize from inside and outside the country, while at the same time breaking the regime’s power within the military to expand its democratic forces and pave the way for the first ordinary elections since the founding of the Millenarian nation after the military regime was overthrown.\n

　And so, he said, the deadline is the day of the extraordinary UN meeting.\n

“Then it’s ……”\n

“Well, Brigadier General Mathew might be a good strategist. Also, Please keep that in mind as you read his profile.”\n

“Yes.”\n

　Mizuho and Marion agreed to the request, and as they stood up, Mizuho turned back to Hisae.\n

“Hisae-san,”\n

What’s up?\n

“This request is for an escort, but even if I defeat the opponent’s ability and incapacitate him, it still completes the request, doesn’t it?”\n

　Seeing Mizuho grin, Hisae chuckled at this Mizuho-like proposal.\n

“Of course. It’s a high probability that the request will be terminated in that case. It is difficult to hire freelance talent in a hurry. But don’t let your guard down. I’ll send you more information later.”\n

　Mizuho nodded in response and left the room in a dignified manner.\n

　As they left, Shima also called out to Hisae, smiling wryly.\n

” Was it okay to leave it to those two?　Honestly, considering the capabilities of those two…….”\n

“Well, the job is quite easy”\n

　They are excellent gifted individuals who have acquired the high rank of Rank A. \n

　Since rank A abilities are very powerful, they are rarely dispatched for requests such as this one.\n

　For this request, the client had informed them in advance of the danger of the summoned demons and their number, which they believed to be the work of the other ability user.\n

　From that information, it was clear that the request did not require two rank A super-ranked ability holders.\n

“Even if the two of them are super talented, they’re still rookies. I need them to get some experience somewhere.”\n

“You want to take care of two people who are likely to carry the future of the Japanese branch, or rather the entire institution, with them. But I can’t help but feel that this is a great service to those around you.”\n

　Mizuho and Marion are rookies, but rank A in the World Ability Agency is not to be scoffed at.\n

　It is said that there are only a few rank A ability users in each branch, and their hidden power is equivalent to a division of an advanced country’s military. Of course, it’s hard to say, depending on the type of ability a person has, but it’s that great.\n

　That is why the countries of the world are also avoiding any hostile situation with this secretive global organization of people with abilities.\n

“Maybe so. But that’s why we want to take good care of them. Besides, isn’t it true that we are short of people?”\n

“Hmmm, yes.”\n

　Shima smiled and bowed in affirmation to Hisae.\n

　Thus, it was decided to dispatch the two would-be aces of the next generation of the Japanese branch to Miramar, but things moved in a different direction than Hisae had envisioned.\n

　She received an email from Mizuho, asking her to dispatch a person with a superior ability in close combat to secure her request.\n

　From the report from Mizuho, it appears that the ability users hired by the military government of Miramar were much more skilled than expected. In addition, Mizuho said there was a high probability that there was more than one enemy with abilities.\n

　There are certainly ability users in the world who do not belong to the agency. And the agency is not aware of all of them. In fact, each country harbors ability users in secret.\n

　But that’s not the issue here.\n

　The fact that they asked for assistance despite the fact that they have sent two rank A’s was itself unusual.\n

　It is true that Mizuho and Marion were newcomers. There may be errors of judgment and enemy strategy that are invisible to their inexperience. However, it’s not normal to anticipate that.\n

　To be honest, the two of them should be able to solve this problem by forceful push without regard to strategy or judgment.\n

　When Hisae dispatched Mizuho and Marion, she was only concerned about how these two would complete the request. There is no such thing as failure. That’s not what she was worried about in the first place.\n

　The only thing of interest was how they would respond to the abilities hired by the enemy. So she thought it would be safe to say that this request was a great success if it helped the two to understand what the two of us would be dealing with in the future.\n

“I wonder if we’ve been asked to do something totally outrageous……”\n

Hisae finished reading Mizuho’s report and stuck her cheekbones in the desk.\n

“After all, they did what I told them to do. Mizuho-chan is not good at protecting, because of her personality. Wonder if the support is requested on that ……. However, I wonder if it is possible to think of a method other than defeating the opponent. Marion-san seems to be having a hard time as well.”\n

　Mizuho’s behavior was exactly as she imagined it would be, making Hisae laugh bitterly. But she wanted them to accept the request, and she also thought that they could do that.\n

“I’m not sure if I’m overthinking it, but this opponent is definitely unpleasant. Even though they are young, they are not at all intimidated by their rank A counterparts, but rather, this action seems to be a calculated one. I don’t think there are a lot of freelancer ability users but …… what kind of people are they anyway?”\n

　To be honest, even Hisae thought that this opponent was troublesome. Even though that person is a freelancer, there should be no one who is not familiar with the World Ability Users Agency.\n

　In addition, the ability and circumspection of not letting your tail get the better of you at all is likely to be an opponent with a lot of experience in real battles.\n

　Although Hisae still felt that the request would not fail, a slight uneasiness came over her.\n

“It may be a little too much of a service, but ……”\n

　When she said that, she checked the list of abilities that are currently available for dispatch.\n

　But most of the ability users have gone out and there is no one available.\n

　There’s no choice but to look for ability users who have received less urgent requests, but with the ones who are excellent at close quarters combat, which is what Mizuho wants, there are even fewer options.\n

“Fuu, it’s still tough……”\n

　Just as Hisae exhaled heavily and thought about dismissing Mizuho’s request for support, there was a knock on the door of the branch manager’s office.\n

“Come in.”\n

 As she said so, the door opened and her secretary, Kakitate Shima, came in with a polite bow.\n

“Excuse me, Omine-sama,”\n

“Oh, good job. Shima-chan, you’re surprisingly late.”\n

“I’m sorry. I just had to stop off on my way back.”\n

“Wow, it’s rare to see Shima-chan take a detour.”\n

“No, I got the data for the list of affiliations of those who obtained their ranks in last month’s rookie exam, which was a bit late. It’s something that hasn’t been reflected in the institutional data yet.”\n

“You came all the way out here to get it?　Many thanks.”\n

　Hisae receives the USB memory stick from Shima and tries to put it in her desk drawer.\n

“Omine-sama,”\n

“Hmm?　What is it?”\n

“Sorry, but could you please check the contents?　Actually, there is something that I’m curious about…….”\n

“Huh?　Is there anything wrong?”\n

“Yes, Omine-sama, did you know of a candidate named Domori Hiroto in last month’s rookie exam?”\n

“…… Domori?　I don’t think there was a kid like that. …… Who is that?”\n

“I see. ……. Now, please take a look at the list.”\n

　With a questioning look on her face, she plugged the USB memory stick into her desktop computer and opened up the data to check the list.\n

　There was indeed a photo of Mizuho, Marion, and a photo of Hiroto Domori on the list. Surprised, Hisae clicked on the photo of Hiroto and pulled up the detailed data of the test results.\n

“Huh?　Eh?　No way, really?　But he surely belongs to the Japan Branch!”\n

“Yes. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard about it, but he is indeed assigned to the Japan Branch. I hadn’t checked, partly because of the delay in getting official data.”\n

“This …… I don’t recognize such a child. I’ve never seen this boy before.”\n

“I knew it. Omine-sama is also exhausted. I hadn’t heard from Omine-sama so I didn’t think it was possible, but ……”\n

” Shima-chan, why are you saying this?”\n

　That being said, Shima explained in detail what happened today.\n

　The highway was crowded, so she had no choice but to use the side roads to come to the branch.\n

　It was crowded there as well, so she was driving down a slightly different road, when she felt a wave of powerful barriers being set up, so she went to investigate.\n

　And then she mentioned a boy she met there.\n

“Such a thing…..it would be a bad thing for Domori-kun too. I’ll apologize next time I get a chance. But …… what a coincidence.”\n

“Totally. It was really a coincidence. And he seemed to be eager to work for the agency. Apparently, his life was a bit difficult and he happened to be working part-time at …… that construction site. And I just checked it out and his rank is D.”\n

“Really, not that great for a rookie.”\n

“He said it was probably because everyone around him was so great that he was at the bottom of the pile and didn’t stand out much.”\n

　While thinking of …… that she still forgot about it, she looked again at the detailed data of Hiroto on her computer with a sense of apology.\n

“Huh?　What?　This data on his ability!”\n

“What’s wrong?”\n

“Look at this!”\n

[Thirty-two points on the written test (just barely an F, considering many factors), body techniques A (including the assessment of the swordsman), basic spiritual power D (not measurable, but as a result of discussions), perfection of techniques and abilities D (probably due to good luck, but as a result of discussions), judgment and intuition A (as a result of long discussions).]\n

　Shima, who was next to Hisae across the desk, looked at the computer on which the data of the test results were projected.\n

“T-This is …… some kind of …… distorted, no, unique result,”\n

　Shima’s face twitched at the description of this ability assessment, which she had never seen before.\n

“This boy stands out like a sore thumb!　How could I forget? Hey, more details on this bracketed annotation?”\n

　Hisae read the process of rank certification, which is described in more detail.\n

“W-what?　This ……. In the physical arts, it is even with Al and …… Sword Sage!”(TN: I should really have gone with Kensei which would’ve been easier for me)\n

　Both Hisae and Shima can’t help but roll their eyes.\n

“His spiritual power is very strong, but it’s uncertain if he’s using it!　Luckily, he was able to beat out Manticore in the ability proficiency test!　Normally, we wouldn’t let a rookie test go up against such an advanced hexenbiest like Manticore!　Their intuition is no different from that of the average person, but their judgment is the best of all candidates. ……!”\n

“O-Omine sama, please calm down.”\n

　Shima hushes a surprised and excited Hisae, but Shima herself is also astonished as well.\n

“What is …… this boy?”\n

“I’ve never heard of anything like it, for sure.”\n

“How was he Shima-chan, what was he like?”\n

“Yes, very much in my strike zone…… Ahem!　From what I could tell from talking to him, he didn’t seem to have any problems with personality at all.”\n

　Hisae stares at Shima with jaded eyes.\n

“I-Is there anything ?”\n

“Shima-chan …… no, it’s fine. But I’m not going to forget such a boy, even though I’m tired.”\n

　Hisae becomes serious and thoughtful.\n

　Shima agrees. Person with such a unique ability will stand out even if they don’t like it. It’s no wonder that they’re the most memorable if they’re not good at it.\n

　…… They forget him.\n

　For Hisa, there was something cautious about this Domori Hiroto, but she quickly reconsidered.\n

　The reason is that the test results are described in so much detail in the data of the agency.\n

　There is no doubt that he was there and would had taken the test.\n

　As Shima read Hisae’s thoughts, she makes a guess.\n

“Maybe …… the vampire at that time was the cause.”\n

“Hmm. …… that may be true. By the way, Mizuho-chan and Marion-san also said that their memories are very fuzzy due to the abilities of the vampire that attacked them.”\n

“Yes. Omine-sama was also confronted by a vampire alone. I believe that is highly likely”.\n

“I see. …… That explains a lot. …… Ha!”\n

“What happened?　Did you remember something?”\n

Shima asks hopefully because of the way Hisae suddenly remembered something.\n

“No, …… it’s nothing, ……. It’s just that now I have a kind of uncomfortable feeling ……”\n

　It was a strong emotion, akin to guilt, for a moment for Hisae, but it came over her.\n

　Shima nodded, seeing the expression on her face.\n

“I knew it was ……”\n

“What?　Shima-chan”\n

”Omine-sama’s reaction just now was very similar to the reactions I’ve heard from Mizuho-san and Marion-san. Now, it seems to me that it’s definitely the influence of the vampire from the test. Besides, the vampire has already disappeared, so its influence will gradually fade away. I don’t think you need to be too concerned about it.”\n

“So ……. I will do that.”\n

“Please.”\n

“Oh, and by the way, Shima, will you read this to me?”\n

　Hisae changed her mind and showed her a text message from Mizuho that had been bothering her before Shima’s arrival.\n

“This is …… troubling. I didn’t expect that.”\n

“Isn’t it?　That’s what was bothering me earlier.”\n

“There are so many requests, there are no available personnel at the moment. But still, a request for support from the place where you sent two rank A’s…….”\n

　Hisae plopped down on the desk as if tired.\n

“That’s true~. Even so, I wouldn’t be ashamed to send a rank A in such a case ……. Moreover, they prefer a person with abilities that are good at close quarters combat if possible: …… Ah!”\n

“Omine-sama?”\n

“There is one!　There is an available ability user who is good at melee combat!”\n

“Huh?　Don’t tell me…….”\n

“Yes!　This boy!　Look …… at this strange body art ability. Even if his rank is a D, he can still meet Mizuho’s requirements.”\n

“It’s true that in terms of …… proximity capabilities alone, yes, but …… But ……”\n

“What?”\n

“It’s just to buy time for Mizuho-san’s attack, right?　The cooperation must be set up so that you don’t get caught in the process. …… If you don’t have training in coordination, or at least a rank C or higher, then Domori-kun would be in danger. Omine-sama, you’re right, we’re short on manpower, but he’s not good enough.”\n

“……. It’s okay, Mizuho is also rank A in that area!”\n

“He’s a rookie. And he hasn’t had any experience with cooperation before……”\n

“Hahaha, it’s okay, it’s okay!　Just in time! It seems that Domori-kun here also wanted to get a request sooner, so it’s a real killing two birds with one stone!　Well the location is little foreign to him!”\n

“Domori-kun seems to be a high school student…….”\n

“Just a week or so!　And Mizuho might even get this done faster!　You need to take care of the school, Shima-chan.”\n

　Shima sighed heavily.\n

　Hisae was staring in a different direction, deliberately not looking at Shima.\n

　Shima respected Nissae, but she always felt that this bad habit of hers was inexplicably problematic.\n

　Hisae occasionally …… or even frequently “stopped thinking” as a result.\n

—end—-\n

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