ch1-ch20 · 012-ch12

Chapter 12: Crisis

Even during work, Narashima the Hunter stayed lodged in the corner of my mind.

No, not the corner. Dead center of my brain.

The anxiety that Lumiel had been found out — because my high-ranked sister figured it out, there's precedent.

"(Sis said she knew because we're family...)"

But was that really all it was?

If it was some kind of intuition that only high-rank Hunters can sense, then making contact with an S-Rank Hunter was extremely bad.

Fortunately, he didn't actually see Lumiel, and thanks to my sister's warning, I was at least aware beforehand that she might be targeted.

Sis said her preparations would be done soon too. Same as always — keep calm, keep calm...

"Maeda, you bastard!! You got the lot numbers wrong!!"

"I'm sorry—!!"

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I finished work a bit early, clocked out on time, and trudged home.

"Koh, you got yelled at again today."

"Today was completely my fault..."

"Koh, you seem restless."

"..."

I know. I know the reason.

That vague sense of unease inside me definitely lowered the precision of my work.

The Association's seriousness — mobilizing even high-rank Hunters to find Lumiel — makes me even more anxious.

"(I don't know if reporting this to Sis is the right call or not...)"

I have no idea how much power the Hunter Association has, but am I overthinking it to worry about wiretapping?

Damn, I'm completely off-balance... Maeda Hagane, age 25, what happened to keeping calm... just calm down and count Lumiels — one Lumiel, two Lumiels, three Lumiels...

"Maeda-kun! Oh good, there you are!"

I turned toward the voice from behind, and there stood a coworker auntie holding shopping bags.

She handed me a bag full of snacks.

"These are the ones I like."

Lumiel, delighted on my shoulder.

"Everyone pitched in for Rumi-chan. I wanted to make her a proper side dish, but I don't know what she likes or dislikes, y'know?"

"This really helps. Thank you so much for going out of your way."

"Oh, it's nothing! You can bring her again, you know? We'll talk to the department head about it."

With that, the auntie swept away like a storm — and in her place, Narashima the Hunter was standing there.

"Good evening."

"!?"

Seeing his bashful smile, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.

He didn't hear that conversation... right?

"Sorryyy, I forgot to ask something, so I came again. I won't take much of your time —"

Narashima the Hunter's eyes glinted suspiciously.

"Because Rumi-chan is waiting for you at home, right?"

Damn it! So he did hear.

Which means next, he's going to ask who Lumiel is.

This is a shake-down. Don't let it show.

I told myself that, and calmly ran through my options.

Route 1:

"Yeah, she's a relative's kid who went missing." → "Oh? May I ask your relative's name?"

Result: Lie exposed.

Route 2:

"Yeah, that's my cat's name." → "I heard from your coworker. That was the name of a child, right?"

Result: Lie exposed.

Route 3:

"Ah, Lumiel is, well, she's a relative's kid from overseas (pull out phone, casually show a random overseas family photo). She came to visit work once when I was looking after her, and everyone doted on her. My coworkers think she's still at my place, but she's already gone back. Yeah, I couldn't bring myself to correct them, and now I've got all these snacks—" → "You're suspicious."

Result: Lie exposed.

(I'm in a leaky boat. What's the best response here...?)

Just as I tried to kick my brain into overdrive —

"Maeedaaa!!!"

A thunderous roar shook me from behind.

"You've got some nerve, leaving work unfinished and clocking out on time, huh?!"

I turned around, and there was the department head with a demonic expression.

(Saved — no, I'm not!!)

The department head grabbed me by the collar and dragged me back toward the office.

"No, I already clocked out!! And I was talking to this person—"

"Shut up!! Get back here now!!!"

Narashima the Hunter watched me being dragged away, dumbfounded.

...Wait, is he laughing?

Narashima the Hunter seemed to try saying something, but it was drowned out by the department head's yelling.

"Maeda!! Didn't I tell you work isn't over until I go home?! You think you can just leave with work still pending?!"

"I'm telling you, it's already past clock-out time!!!"

"Don't care!!! Just get over here!!!"

And so I was forcibly escorted back to the company.

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I was typing away at my keyboard in the dim office.

The usual overtime (no overtime pay, of course), but this one time, the department head saved my skin (by the way, the department head went home after lecturing me for about ten minutes).

On my desk, the white cat Lumiel was relaxing while looking down at the night view.

"...Do you think that guy earlier caught on to Lumiel?"

"He can't see me unless I want him to. So he wouldn't notice."

In cat mode, it seems she still can't be detected even by Hunters.

If that's the case, then something else gave us away, and the name "Lumiel" was the decisive blow.

My phone buzzed with a notification.

Sis: Don't go home. Stay where you are.

It was an ominous message from my sister.

I quickly replied.

Me: Huh? What's up?

Sis: Hunter Association is at Koh's place

Sis: [Photo sent]

That was unmistakably my new home.

And surrounding the new home — a bunch of figures in suits.

I could see nearly ten of them just from this angle.

"This is bad... there's evidence we've been living together at the house."

The number drill on the desk.

The hiragana chart in the bathroom.

Stuff you wouldn't find in a single almost-thirty guy's apartment.

"Please don't tell me they'll find my secret stash too... no, anything but the back of the bookshelf!!"

"Secret... stash?"

"Nothing, forget it."

"Suspicious..."

Besides, I haven't even committed a crime — can they just search my house without permission!? That's an invasion of privacy!! Where's the justice in that!?

"Our home. I'll take out the intruders..."

"Wait, calm down, Lumiel."

Solving things with violence would make everything worse.

But this is bad... what the hell do I do...

Sis: Stay calm

Sis: I'll protect you both no matter what

"Sis..."

I almost teared up a little.

"Someone's coming in."

At Lumiel's words, I quickly shut my laptop and hid under the desk. A split second later, all the office lights came on, and I heard several sets of footsteps entering.

"Maeda-san, you're here, right? Let's talk calmly."

A calm but intimidating voice echoed through the office. I held Lumiel close under the desk, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"You don't need to run. We just wanna talk to you."

No way. There's no way this is a friendly visit, given the situation.

"...What do we do?"

I asked quietly, and Lumiel answered softly.

"Kill them."

"Give me literally any other option."

Aghhh—! Hiding here forever won't solve anything. I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and crawled out from under the desk.

"...What is it you want to talk about?"

When I stood up, there were several men in suits in front of me. In the center, Narashima the Hunter stood with his arms crossed, looking at me.

"You're the Hero of Aoba Town, aren't you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Come on, don't try to play dumb in this situation."

Narashima the Hunter answered with a wry smile.

The suited guys behind him weren't moving an inch, which was terrifying in itself.

"I'll be blunt. We want to recruit you into the Hunting Dogs Guild."

So that's what this is.

But I can't accept that.

"It's not a bad deal, y'know. If you're a Hunter with Descent Arts, the country's basically guaranteeing you top-class pay. Big signing bonus too. There's bonuses, hefty hazard pay. Great benefits."

I honestly really want to hear more about this!

But this isn't about money.

I'm sick of this cat-and-mouse game.

Let me explain my situation in good faith.

"Sorry, but I'll have to decline. I've already decided on a guild to join."

"Hmm, so you're not denying you have Descent Arts."

"..."

"This is what Mineyama-san predicted, huh."

Narashima the Hunter smirked darkly.

Will he actually back off quietly?

He held up one finger and began to explain.

"Maeda-san, you know about Draft Rights?"

"Draft Rights?"

"It's like the pro baseball draft. To distribute talent fairly, Awakeners above a certain rank — especially those with rare skills — have the right for multiple guilds to compete for their acquisition."

You're telling me I can't even choose which guild to join? That's ridiculous. Even the baseball draft only gives negotiation rights, not a final decision. And by that logic, since I turned down his offer, negotiations are already over.

When I told him that, Narashima the Hunter sighed softly.

"For normal Awakeners, yeah. But you're different."

His sharp, beast-like gaze pierced through me.

"A skill as dangerous as yours needs to be safely managed by a state-certified guild. If it's misused and brings down the country, we can't just overlook that, right?"

"Dangerous...?"

Lumiel's anger burned quietly beside me.

Please, just stay calm.

"Even the guild I've decided on can teach me."

"I don't know which one it is, but that guild is gonna waive their right to acquire you. Not just them — probably most guilds think of you as a 'dangerous, hands-off' case."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because nobody's gonna pick a fight with us over it. Well, this time's special — we don't usually go this hard."

The Hunting Dogs Guild crushing opposition through sheer authority —

That's exactly how it sounded.

"Waive their right..."

"You're too high-profile and too risky to just leave be. But we can put that skill to proper use."

As if the option to refuse never existed from the start, Narashima the Hunter slowly closed the distance —

"You got business with one of my members?"

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