"Hmph..." sighed a voice.
"Exactly where, in contrast, is this man Tomoke?" said the voice, looking at a document.
"No, don't worry, he went on a trip. In fact, I made sure he spent a lot of time with my grandson," said Tomoke.
"Actually, he gets along very well with Ranzo. Tell me, Turuku, don't you think it's a good idea for him to become the new one?" said Tomoke.
"Huh... Look, I know he's good, but his ability isn't the most striking or powerful," said Turuku.
"But to an Ais, it doesn't matter. You and I know what he was capable of," said Tomoke.
"Killing a bunch of people and a group of criminals was amazing," said Turuku.
"It was a complete massacre. First, he was far away with a rifle, then he went on the offensive with pistols, and finally he went into hand-to-hand combat," said Turuku.
"No one got out of there alive," said Turuku.
"In fact, that's how I found him in the beginning, before I took him to my family to work for us as a soldier," said Tomoke.
"It was in the cold snow in that place that he killed many people, but he did it to survive in those cold conditions," said Tomoke.
"But many of those people were a group that needed to be killed, but when we arrived, someone had massacred them," said Tomoke.
"But that's where I found him, and I didn't waste the opportunity and took him with me to serve us," said Tomoke.
"I believe that since I am the one who gave him a more comfortable life and saved him, he no longer has to be there," said Tomoke.
"I am the one he trusts the most, even though I found him in that massacre when he was just a 17-year-old boy," said Tomoke.
"Wow... Hmph... Well, even so, I have my doubts," said Turuku.
"Don't doubt it, just do it. It's better that way. Besides, he's been a soldier for the agency for three years now. He's 20 years old. It would be better to let him be," said Tomoke.
"Well, it seems there's no other option. You never make it easy for me," said Turuku.
Turuku stamped an ink seal on the document, which contained information about Sifon and a photo of him. After stamping it, Turuku put it on the agency's bulletin board and then asked someone to take this approval to Sifon.
After a few minutes, the person who took the approval document to Sifon, who was younger and had half of his face covered vertically on the right side with a bandage covering that entire area, returned.
Only the left side of his face was visible, which was the only part of Sifon's face that could be seen. After Sifon reviewed the approval document, he went to the roof, but to an open area near the stairs.
Sifon smokes there while looking at the document and decides to throw it away and let the wind carry it away, just in a moment of peace while Sifon is smoking, they hear footsteps nearby and a voice calls him.
"Hey, you're the one who will be the new seven, right?" said a voice behind Sifon.
"Who said that?" Sifon asks calmly without turning around.
"It was me. Maybe it's the first time we haven't seen each other, but I'm Keichiro Tawara," says the voice behind Sifon, which is a man's voice.
"Or rather, as they call me, they call me Eight," says Keichiro.
Voice of the narrator in the present—He is Keichiro Tawara, the former top eight mercenary in the agency—said the narrator.
"Aren't you afraid to reveal your name?" said Sifon.
"You don't have to be afraid, I really like people," said Eight, leaning on the railing.
"And you'll be the new Seven, right?" asked Eight.
"How do you know that?" asked Sifon.
"From the document you threw away a few moments ago. I was able to read it a few inches from here and see that they named you the new Seven," said Eight.
"That's interesting. They always choose the one they're most interested in to replace the old one," said Sifon neutrally as he smoked.
"Oh, come on... let's get to know each other better," said Eight.
"What do you think? I'm not interested," said Seven in a discouraged tone.
"Hey, don't say that. Your coldness breaks my heart," said Eight in an exaggerated tone.
Sifon looked coldly at Eight as if Seven's eyes were very sleepy. Eight observed him and realized that Seven was too neutral when he spoke and cold in his personality.
"It seems complicated to talk to him. Nah...
But what does it matter?" thought Eight.
"Hey, come with me. I'll introduce you to everyone else," said Eight.
"To be honest, I... already know two of them, so there's no need to introduce me," said Sifon.
Sifon's words made Eight realize that he is just someone who is too normal in his attitude, but too pessimistic when he speaks.
"Damn, I have to do something or I'll lose a friendship I could make with someone new," thought Eight.
"Ah! I'll tell him this," thought Eight.
"Listen, Seven, I have a family," said Eight.
Sifon's ears trembled for a moment at how strange it felt to hear this, then he turned to Eight.
"You have a family," said Sifon.
"Yes! My wife, my children, I have them," said Eight.
"Then you don't care if something happens to them now," said Siphon.
"What are you talking about? Family is the best thing," said Eight.
"Family is the best?" said Siphon.
"Well, you have a good point. They help you when you're in a moment of mental crisis," thought Siphon.
"Almost no one here has a family. Some do, but others don't," said Sifon.
"Some of them may be dead, and that's why, but others are just there in their normal lives," said Sifon.
"While another family member does something," said Sifon.
"Almost no one wants to have or involve their family in this, because they always work as a good threat," said Sifon.
"I know, but even so, they're well protected. No one will ever go," said Eight.
"Hmph... I didn't mean that. I mean... well, let's say... that," said Sifon.
"Sometimes, many of them die doing jobs like this, and besides, while you're working, someone could cheat on you," said Sifon.
"Cheated on? Do they put hats with horns on us?" said Eight.
"It would be fun to wear one to make my kids laugh," thought Eight.
"Huff... look, it's just a figure of speech to say that she's being unfaithful," said Sifon.
"Ah! Don't worry, that won't happen to me, besides, my wife is someone who doesn't get involved," said Eight.
"Whatever, hmph... I'm just going to leave," said Sifon, walking away.
"Wait! How about I introduce you to them," said Eight.
"Okay, but it would be better after a mission," said Sifon, walking away for real this time.
"Hey, don't quit, you have to accept that position," said Eight, watching Sifon leave.
As Sifon walks down the hallways, he takes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, opens the pack, takes one out, puts it in his mouth, puts the pack away, and then takes a lighter out of his pocket, lights the cigarette, and puts the lighter back in his pocket.
While smoking, Sifon sees an advertisement posted on the agency's pole announcing who the new Seven will be. The name has not been confirmed because the person has not confirmed it.
Sifon just grabs the poster and then crumples it up, turning it into a wrapper, which he throws in the trash and then walks away. While this is happening, he is watched by Ranzo, who is heading to the trash can.
He reaches into the container and pulls out the poster that Sifon has turned into a wrapper. Ranzo carefully unfolds the sheet and looks at all the information on it.
"Well... Sifon, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do, but you have to do them anyway," whispered Ranzo.
Sifon arrives at the reception desk and talks to the receptionist, who hands him a sheet of paper, but then someone takes it out of his hands.
"Nope... you're not going to do that. You're coming with me," said a voice.
It was Eight, who had also arrived. He waited for the right moment when Sifon was distracted to carry out a mission with him. Sifon looked at him with a normal expression, well, half of his face was hidden, only the left side was visible.
"Oh... come on, we have to get to know each other better. You're the new guy, after all," said Eight, grabbing his shoulder.
Eight takes Sifon away, talking to him as they leave. They arrive at a car that Eight will drive, but Sifon prefers to go alone. However, Eight won't let him and makes him get in the car so he can drive.
"Hey, this won't be fun, Seven. Besides, look on the bright side, we'll get to know each other better," said Eight.
Narrator with the voice of Sifon from the present being Seven: "Just so you know and don't get the wrong idea, Eight isn't gay, he's just very social with everyone despite being an introvert. In fact, I learned what introverts and extroverts are thanks to him," said the narrator with the voice of Sifon from the present.
"Well, anyway, just this mission and you take me to meet your family. That was the deal anyway," said Sifon.
"Also, don't call me Seven. I didn't accept the position of being Seven," said Sifon.
Eight drives to some streets on the outskirts, then stops in a parking lot. Sifon notices that someone is being watched nearby and wonders if it's a rich man or someone from there.
Just then, some armed men wearing masks appear and capture a girl and a man who were on a date. Sifon sees them with Eight and they follow closely behind to go after them. On the streets, Sifon doesn't lose focus, only to watch where they are going now.