Chapter 351: Virtual and Reality |
Hoshino Gen restrained his emotions and stated calmly, "It is a good policy, and highly tempting for lower-tier Extraordinaries. However, I am rather curious. If I choose to remain a Wild Extraordinary, and in the future, some blind fool of a 'Registered Extraordinary' picks a fight and gets killed by me, what exactly will they use to hunt me down?"
"Hahaha!" Asaba Shinichi was amused by Hoshino Gen's words. "Don't think of those high officials as that stupid. You said it yourself, it's highly tempting for lower-tier Extraordinaries. Anyone with eyes can see that this policy was fundamentally designed to target those lower-tier Extraordinaries."
"I can guarantee that when they actually announce its implementation, they will definitely add a clause at the end saying something like 'S-Rank, A-Rank, and above Extraordinaries are excluded from this list.'" Asaba Shinichi leaned against the back of the sofa, spreading his hands. "Trust me, they won't willingly give you an excuse to cause a massive scene."
Anyone with a bit of knowledge about the Extraordinary profession understood that the higher an Extraordinary's tier, the more severe the Corruption they carried. Those with severe Corruption were easily provoked; restricting them through forceful means was obviously a highly unwise move... Therefore, Asaba Shinichi's prediction was not unreasonable.
Hearing this, Hoshino Gen furrowed his brows slightly, but quickly relaxed them. He opened his book again, his voice indifferent. "Let's hope so."
Sizzle—
At this moment, the aroma of meat searing in hot oil wafted out from the kitchen. Asaba Shinichi's nose twitched a couple of times as he cast his gaze toward the semi-open kitchen inside.
Through the glass, a slender figure wearing a blue-and-white piggy apron could be seen busying herself in front of the stove. With her movements, her beautiful hair, tied up in a high ponytail, swayed back and forth.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Asaba Shinichi sighed. "You're squeezing your employee far too ruthlessly. On the surface, you call her an assistant. Carrying bags when you go out is one thing, as that falls under an assistant's duties. But this little assistant of yours is juggling multiple roles! She's doing the cleaning, she acts as a homework ghostwriting service, and now she's even single-handedly taken on the job of a cook..."
"..."
Hoshino Gen looked up at him. "If you are done talking, then see yourself out."
"Hey now, I came all this way to bring you unreleased, classified information, and you're not even going to invite me to stay for a meal to show some appreciation?"
Hoshino Gen stared at him silently. "Then I will also give you a piece of classified information. That high official whose entire family died, the one you just mentioned? I had them killed."
"Whoa!" Asaba Shinichi was slightly surprised, though not surprised that Hoshino Gen had a habit of wiping out entire families. "You had them killed? Why didn't you do it yourself? Afraid of getting your hands dirty?"
"..." Hoshino Gen replied faintly. "Now we are even on information. You can leave."
"Fine, fine." Asaba Shinichi scoffed with a laugh. "I won't interrupt the alone time between you and your beautiful little assistant. But let me tell you one more thing."
"..."
"Have you been paying attention to the news on the dark web lately? That hacker from Italy has arrived in Tokyo. I crossed paths with her once, and her ability is quite interesting. It seems to possess [Sure-Hit] and [Space] attributes, and she also appears to have the means to see through other people's backgrounds. If you run into her next time, remember to call me. That woman offended me."
Hoshino Gen did not utter a word, which Asaba Shinichi took as silent agreement.
He grinned broadly. In an instant, his figure collapsed into a pool of shadows that scattered across the floor, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Hoshino Gen lowered his head and resumed reading his book.
...
After a hearty meal, Hoshino Gen tossed the antique shop keys to Shimizu Yu, telling her to remember to lock up after she finished cleaning, and headed home alone.
On his way, he ran into his new neighbor and classmate, Takanashi Chisaki, who was out with her grandmother. Both sides noticed each other, but neither took the initiative to say hello. They merely exchanged a brief glance before averting their eyes, acting exactly like complete strangers who didn't know each other at all.
However, in the instant they brushed past each other, Hoshino Gen sensed a certain peculiarity. He stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at the backs of the grandmother and granddaughter for a moment longer, but that strange feeling vanished once again.
He raised an eyebrow but did not take it to heart. Whether it was an illusion or if there really was something amiss, he was not the type to meddle in other people's business.
...
"Ayaha-chan~!"
In the bathroom, Shirayanagi Ayaha had just finished taking a shower. She had changed into a white nightgown and was drying her hair when a melodious call suddenly rang out from behind her.
Yet, Shirayanagi Ayaha did not have any extreme reaction to this. Instead, she turned her head with a calm, customary smile, as if she were perfectly used to it. "Welcome back, Carole."
With her beautiful hair highlighted in blue and pink, and wearing a flashy outfit that inexplicably suited her temperament and appearance, the Italian girl known by the codename [Hacker 01], Carole Ellen Morris, stood smiling brightly behind Shirayanagi Ayaha with her hands clasped behind her back.
Carole circled around Shirayanagi Ayaha, the smile on her exquisite face growing even more radiant. "Your complexion has improved quite a bit, Ayaha-chan! Is it because you returned to your homeland, or is it because you are about to see that childhood friend of yours who has been lingering in your soul and dreams?"
"It's a bit of both! Though, of course, it's mainly the latter!" Shirayanagi Ayaha did not show the slightest hint of shyness. Faced with her good friend's teasing, she admitted it very generously.
"Hmph!" Carole let out a snort, sounding somewhat dissatisfied, yet also like she was joking. "Even though your heart beats because of me, it is completely filled with someone else's figure. I can't help but feel like an absolute unlucky sucker."
"That's not true." Shirayanagi Ayaha turned to face Carole and smiled. "At least one-third of the space in my heart is reserved for you!"
Carole rolled her eyes. Then, stepping forward, she reached out with a slender, delicate index finger and hooked a necklace out from Shirayanagi Ayaha's collar.
The material of the necklace was very special, making it impossible to tell what it was made of. As Carole simply hooked her finger around the necklace's pendant, streams of radiant, transparent, ribbon-like energy bodies surged from her own body to her fingertips, subsequently flowing into the pendant.
"Even though I would drop dead if we didn't do this, having to trouble you every single time still makes me feel incredibly guilty."
Watching this miraculous scene unfold before her eyes—one she had long since grown accustomed to—Shirayanagi Ayaha raised a hand to scratch her cheek, her pretty face filled with an apologetic expression. "Even though you said it was to escape your wanted status, the world is so vast. With your abilities, you could go anywhere. Yet, just because of me, someone as free and untethered as you is bound to this city..."
"Don't be silly." Carole continued to charge the [Energy Battery] she had created herself, powering the normal operation of the virtual heart residing within the chest of the girl before her, who was as exquisite and fragile as porcelain.
Although she wore her usual boundless, exaggerated smile as she spoke, her words were completely serious. "You saved my life, so it is only natural that I owe you a life."
"Since I promised that I would keep you alive, as long as I don't hit a [Game Over], I will never let your heart stop beating."
"One day, I will turn the virtual into reality. I will make you a truly healthy, free girl."