"MAR... the Multi-Active Rescue unit?" Kinuhata Saiai blinked in confusion.
"Yes. MAR is technically a branch of the city's security and disaster relief forces. However, that's just a public guise," Yuuya explained, propping his cheek on his hand and squinting against the late afternoon sun. "The members of this organization are all carefully selected scumbags from the Kihara family. It's essentially a private, violent strike team disguised as rescue workers."
"Therestina Kihara Lifeline is the captain of MAR," Yuuya continued. "She uses the unit's authority to provide convenient cover-ups for the Kihara family's unethical research institutions."
"Was this hit instructed by the higher-ups of Academy City?" Takitsubo Rikou asked, rubbing her eyes as if she were about to fall asleep right there at the table.
"This is my own personal objective. But I have the operational authority to do it. Don't forget what my Dark Side division is responsible for," Yuuya said jokingly.
His unit was not under the jurisdiction of the General Board of Directors, nor did Aleister micro-manage it. On the contrary, because Yuuya was acting as a rogue anomaly that Aleister wanted to observe, the General Superintendent had to actively run interference for him.
"I see," Kinuhata said, her eyes widening slightly. "So it's no wonder you were directly appointed by the General Superintendent. Our ITEM unit super doesn't have that kind of autonomous power."
The authority to dictate their own targets was enormous—even greater than that of the Board Directors themselves. With that kind of blank check, they could theoretically assassinate a Board member and get away with it.
"But without official authorization from our handlers, we can't bypass the General Board's security nets. Those old men will definitely cause us trouble," Mugino Shizuri said impatiently, crossing her arms. Even ITEM had to obey the Board.
"That won't be a problem. After all, ITEM no longer belongs to the General Board. You've been fully incorporated into my division," Yuuya said with amusement.
"What?" Mugino narrowed her eyes.
"In other words, ITEM is officially disbanded," Yuuya stated.
"What a super terrible experience," Kinuhata pouted. "To just be dismantled like that..."
"Tch! I had a premonition yesterday that we were going to be liquidated," Mugino said with great dissatisfaction.
She leaned forward, her expression turning lethal. "Then why not just let me annihilate that organization and leave her in pieces? Capturing a target alive is a hassle. Such troublesome escort missions are not our forte."
Even in the Dark Side, ITEM's missions were almost exclusively search-and-destroy. Capturing a high-value target alive was more than ten times more difficult than simply turning them into ash with a Meltdowner beam.
"Because she has something I need," Yuuya said, his eyes half-closed. 'Therestina possesses the Initial Sample of the Ability Crystal. Only that specific crystal can wake up Kiyama-sensei's comatose students.'
Of course, Yuuya wasn't some flawless saint. But after interacting with Kiyama for years, he couldn't help but want to resolve the tragedy. He didn't have the power to fix it before, but now that he was a Level 5 with a System, it was no big deal to pull a few strings. Moreover, Kiyama was currently on the verge of total despair.
'There is no such thing as absolute good or evil in this city,' Yuuya thought. 'It's just about doing what you want and acting on your whims. If you want to do something, just do it. Why hesitate or overthink things?'
"Then... is there a commission fee for this?" Frenda hurriedly raised her hand, her eyes sparkling expectantly. But when she met Yuuya's gaze, she quickly chuckled nervously and shrank back into her chair.
"Of course. Take them, one for each of you. I treat my subordinates quite well."
Yuuya grinned mischievously. He snapped his fingers.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
Eight gleaming, solid gold bars materialized out of thin air, dropping heavily onto the patio table.
"This is your advance payment for this mission. Each one weighs about five pounds," Yuuya said casually. "How about that? Isn't that a decent bonus?"
"PFFT—!"
Kozaku Mitori immediately spit out the iced coffee she was drinking, coughing violently.
The former ITEM quartet was completely stunned. Kinuhata's mouth dropped open. Frenda's eyes almost popped out of her skull. Takitsubo actually woke up, and even the usually arrogant Mugino lost her composure, staring at the table in shock.
At the adjacent table, Iisu Rita, Yakumaru Itsuki, and Sakuragi Naru stared blankly at the massive gold bricks that had just appeared.
"Holy crap! Did you rob a central bank vault?!" Mitori cursed, wiping her mouth. She had only ever seen gold bars like this in movies. A five-pound bar of pure gold was worth tens of millions of yen. These eight bars combined were a staggering fortune.
"I'm just that rich," Yuuya shook his head nonchalantly. "These gold bars are just pocket change to me."
"A mission worth tens of millions of yen?! Hehe... is it really going to be given to me?! Is it really true?!"
Frenda abandoned all her previous fear. She lunged forward and hurriedly hugged a heavy gold brick to her chest, grinning foolishly as if she were afraid Yuuya would change his mind and take it back.
'Tens of millions of yen in solid gold!' Frenda calculated wildly. 'If I sell this, I won't have to worry about food or rent for years! My wish to buy a luxury apartment for my little sister Fremea in District 7 will finally come true!'
"..." Kinuhata's jaw remained slacked. 'This Great Demon King is super loaded...'
"U-Um... we don't want it..." Rita said weakly from the next table.
It didn't feel right to accept a massive gold brick on her very first mission—mainly because she was utterly terrified that accepting such a huge payout meant the mission was a guaranteed suicide run.
"You dare refuse what I'm giving you?" Yuuya immediately dropped his smile, putting on a cold, stern face.
The Scavenger girls shuddered simultaneously.
'This guy is a total tyrant!' Rita cried internally. She had no choice but to timidly reach over and pick up the gold brick. It weighed five pounds; it felt like carrying a small dumbbell.
"Also, these three are your new teammates," Yuuya said, pointing to Itsuki, Rita, and Naru. "This is their first real mission out of the detention center. So, Mugino, you're going to take them along to get a feel for things and help them become professional."
"What?!" Mugino immediately slammed her hand on the table, her temper flaring. "This infiltration is already difficult enough, and now you want us to drag along three newbies who know nothing?! Do we look like babysitters to you?!"
"Are you not listening to me?" Yuuya looked at the agitated Meltdowner, his expression completely blank, his voice dropping to a dangerous, freezing octave.
You couldn't be gentle with Mugino Shizuri. That was just her brutal personality. The gentler you were with her, the more she would try to walk all over you. It was precisely because of her cruel, dominant personality that her awakened ability was Atomic Collapse. You had to crush her ego to lead her.
Mugino's expression changed slightly as she felt the suffocating pressure radiating from Yuuya. She clicked her tongue, her shoulders tensing before finally giving in.
"I know... really," Mugino muttered reluctantly, looking away.
Frenda chuckled softly, hiding behind Takitsubo. 'How terrifying! He has Mugino completely under his thumb! Mugino is a woman who never backs down or lets anyone contradict her!'
Itsuki and Rita exchanged a wide-eyed glance. 'The Number Four is afraid of the Captain!'
'The Captain is definitely stronger than Atomic Collapse,' Itsuki deduced rapidly. 'And not just a little bit stronger—he must be overwhelmingly stronger. Otherwise, someone as proud as Meltdowner wouldn't back down so easily, even though they are both Level 5s.'
'There is a massive hierarchy even among the Level 5s,' Rita realized. 'If we want to have a good life in this unit, we absolutely must try our best to please the Captain.'
"Since there are no more objections," Yuuya grinned, the suffocating pressure vanishing instantly. "Let's begin the hunt!"
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