A sedan moved smoothly along the roads of Tokyo Prefecture, heading toward one of the Mato Gates located in Shibuya District. These gates had manifested across various regions of Japan, becoming permanent connections between this world and Mato.
Inside the car, Ren's phone was connected to someone.
After finishing the negotiation, she immediately headed back to MDF headquarters on the Mato side. Before that, however, she still had to report the outcome of the meeting.
[How did it go...?]
"He accepted it. But he doesn't want to become a permanent member—only an intern."
[Good. Even with that status, at least we can still keep an eye on him. Anything else?]
"Because of his intern status, he's only willing to stay there for six months. That's his limit. And... he's also asking for an appropriate salary."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
[Shouldn't he be grateful that we're protecting him?]
"Hah... who knows." Ren turned toward the window, watching the reflection of the city lights rushing past. "The more I learn about him, the more interesting he becomes."
[Is that so...? I've read the report. His mother was also an MDF member, wasn't she? Yumera Satou.]
"Yes. But she's been in a coma for ten years since the Kyoto incident that left her severely injured."
[Well... whatever the case, good work. Keep reporting any developments.]
"I know. But... can you handle the matter regarding the Onmyojin Agency?"
Ren's tone changed slightly—more serious.
The Onmyojin Agency was not a group of onmyoji in the traditional sense. They were established several years after the appearance of the Mato Gates, focusing on researching the supernatural phenomena that accompanied them.
They were also the ones who developed firearms effective against Shuuki. Because of that contribution, the government could not intervene with them carelessly—even though rumors circulated that they conducted human experiments that crossed ethical boundaries.
And to Ren, those were not merely rumors.
She knew the truth.
[...Shall I deal with them, without interfering with your relationship with them?]
Ren did not answer immediately. She understood the position of the Onmyojin Agency very well—they were far too valuable to simply eliminate. Many things could not be explained through scientific approaches alone, and that was precisely where their role became crucial.
More than that, they were also a card she could make use of... at the right time.
"I'm counting on you... Prime Minister."
The call ended.
Ren slowly lowered her phone and let out a long breath. Her gaze returned to the road ahead, yet without realizing it, the corner of her lips lifted into a faint smile that was difficult to interpret.
'Kazuma Satou...'
Her thoughts revolved around that one name.
'I'll make you into a well-trained dog.'
Behind her calm expression, her old obsession had not changed in the slightest.
...
At the same time, at Yamazaki's Dojo.
Silence lingered briefly after Ren Yamashiro's departure.
"Hey, do you know how long I've been waiting for you before that woman showed up?"
Kazuma let out a quiet sigh. He knew he had arrived late—far too absorbed in books at the library.
"Yeah, I have a life to live too, Master."
"Heh... even so, your life won't be simple anymore from now on. Not after accepting that girl's offer."
"You make it sound like I had another choice."
Yamazaki smirked faintly.
"Enough of that. As punishment—do push-ups while carrying the Buddha statue behind the temple."
Kazuma fell silent for a moment.
"...That one?"
"Yes. That one."
It should be noted that the Buddha statue in question weighed close to one ton.
Kazuma simply sighed and stood up without much complaint. He knew his teacher well enough to understand that this was not merely punishment—it was part of his training.
...
After returning to his residence, Kazuma immediately contacted his best friend, Takeshi Hongo.
"Takeshi... can you talk?"
[What do you mean, am I mute!?]
"No, idiot. This is important. For the next six months, I'll be taking a leave from classes."
[Whoa... are you planning to repeat a year!?]
"Even if I did, I could still get through using connections."
[Tch, you damn genius.]
"I'll take that as a compliment."
[Then where are you going?]
Kazuma remained silent for a moment before answering.
"It's not something I can tell you."
[Oh, come on... I'm your best friend. Since when do we keep secrets from each other?]
"You're talking as if we're a couple. Stop that."
[Ugh... I'm still normal, okay!?]
Kazuma let out a light sigh and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Just think of it as... me taking an opportunity that won't come twice."
[An opportunity? That sounds suspicious.]
"It is."
There was a brief pause between them.
[Then... is it dangerous?]
The question came out in a different tone—more serious.
Kazuma stared blankly ahead.
"...Yeah."
On the other end, Takeshi did not respond immediately.
[Hah... you. You're always attracting trouble.]
"I'm not the one looking for it."
[Yeah, yeah. Trouble is the one looking for a genius like you, right?]
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
[...Alright. I won't push. But one thing—don't die somewhere weird.]
"I'll do my best."
[And when you come back—you're buying the food.]
"Of course."
The call ended shortly afterward.
Kazuma slowly lowered his phone. The room became quiet again, filled only with the distant sounds of the city outside.
Six months.
A period that sounded short, yet long enough to change many things.
He lay down and stared at the ceiling.
This time, there was no turning back.
...
The next morning, Kazuma headed to Shibuya—the location of one of the Mato Gates. The area was heavily guarded, filled with female officers whose abilities were active as they stood watch at every corner.
An ordinary person—especially a man—would never be able to enter a place like this. However, with the recommendation letter he possessed, Kazuma passed through the inspections without much difficulty.
Inside stood the headquarters of Unit 10—the unit directly commanded by Ren Yamashiro.
As soon as he passed through the gate, the scenery before him changed dramatically. Instead of a modern military facility, the building resembled a mansion built in traditional Japanese architecture. Its classical atmosphere was so strong that it seemed separated from the outside world.
Kazuma stepped inside and was guided toward a hall.
There, he saw Ren.
The woman stood with a stern expression, seemingly scolding someone in front of her. From her tone alone, it was clear she was not holding back.
Standing before Ren was a young girl—smaller in stature, with a visibly intimidated demeanor.
At a glance, Kazuma felt that the girl looked like a rabbit standing directly before a tiger.
The girl had red eyes and long pale-blue hair that reached the middle of her back. Her bangs were long, and her hair was styled into two braided buns on either side of her head. A small golden hairpin adorned with a blue gemstone decorated her hair.
"If you keep being like this, you'll never improve!"
"Heee... please forgive me..."
Her voice was small, almost drowned out.
Seeing that, Kazuma finally spoke up, his tone casual but clear enough to cut through the situation.
"Waaah... what's this? Is Ren Yamashiro bullying someone?"
Ren immediately turned her head, one eyebrow slightly raised when she saw who had arrived.
"You've arrived."
"Yeah. And it seems I arrived at a rather... interesting time."
Kazuma glanced at the girl standing in front of Ren, then looked back at the commander.
"If this is how you train your members, I'm starting to doubt yesterday's decision."
Ren snorted softly.
"Don't interfere. This is part of my job."
"It looks more like venting your emotions."
The atmosphere immediately became slightly tense.
The blue-haired girl could only stand stiffly in place, clearly unsure how she was supposed to react.
Ren crossed her arms and stared at Kazuma without looking away.
"You haven't even officially joined yet, and you're already talking too much."
Kazuma shrugged lightly.
"Intern. Don't get the title wrong."
Ren fell silent for a moment before letting out a short sigh.
"...Tch."
She glanced at the girl in front of her, her expression returning to calm—though traces of tension still remained.
"Let me introduce her. This is Bell Tsukiyono. Captain of Unit 3." Ren paused briefly before continuing in a slightly different tone. "And Bell, he'll be assigned to your unit."
The girl—Bell—looked slightly surprised. Her red eyes blinked slowly, as if making sure she had heard correctly.
Ren then shifted her gaze to Kazuma.
"Allow me to introduce him. This is Kazuma Satou. The only man in the world who possesses an Ability like ours."
For a moment, silence returned.
Bell looked at Kazuma hesitantly. There was a mixture of curiosity and caution in her eyes.
"So... you're the one..."
Her voice was soft, almost as if she were speaking to herself.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow.
"The one?"
Bell seemed slightly flustered and quickly bowed.
"Ah—sorry! I mean... I've heard a little about you from internal reports..."
"A little, huh."
Kazuma's tone was flat, but not oppressive. He simply observed Bell's reaction casually.
Ren crossed her arms.
"Starting today, you'll be working together. So get used to each other."
Kazuma let out a short sigh.
"Straight to it, huh."
"You're not here to relax."
Kazuma turned toward Bell.
"In that case... it's nice to meet you, Captain of Unit 3."
Bell looked slightly awkward, but she still tried to maintain her composure.
"...It's nice to meet you too, Satou-san."
Ren looked back and forth between the two before speaking briefly.
"We'll start with an evaluation. I want to see the extent of your abilities."
"Getting straight to work, huh."
"That's the procedure."
"Are you sure this isn't just to satisfy your curiosity?"
Ren shot a sharp look at Kazuma. Her gaze was cold and piercing, yet Kazuma appeared completely unaffected—as if that pressure meant nothing to him.
In truth, Kazuma found a certain kind of enjoyment in dealing with people like Ren—women with overwhelming arrogance and nearly absolute confidence. Disturbing their balance felt like a small game that he found amusing.
On the other hand, Bell could only remain silent.
She looked at Kazuma with a mixture of amazement and concern. His casual attitude in front of Ren Yamashiro—a person known as the strongest human on Earth—was not something normal.
At least, not for most people.
"You talk too much," Ren finally said, her voice low.
"And you're too serious," Kazuma replied without hesitation.
For a moment, the air around them seemed to tighten.
Yet instead of exploding, Ren simply took a short breath.
"...Follow me."
She turned around without waiting for a response and walked toward the training area.
Kazuma shrugged lightly before following after her.
Bell hesitated for a moment before hurriedly following behind them.