Chapter 67: Number 328 — Aihara Enju
The next day.
Following the address Kisara sent, he took a taxi to a towering skyscraper.
This was the Tokyo branch of the IFA.
It was an international organization (International Initiator Supervising Organization), abbreviated as IFA, that manages and assigns Initiators and Promoters to partner, and establishes IP ranking management.
"So slow!"
As soon as he entered the IFA branch lobby, Tendo Kisara, who had been waiting for a long time, let out a delicate shout and hurried towards him, her hard-soled, round-toed leather shoes clicking.
Today, Kisara was still in a black JK uniform, but her crossed arms and slightly narrowed, sharp eyes showed her displeasure. The girl who usually smiled so cutely now had an unhappy expression.
And to his surprise, Rentaro Satomi had also come today.
He even looked at him apologetically, seemingly apologizing for Kisara.
"Why are you only just arriving?!" Kisara demanded.
"My apologies, my apologies. Yesterday, I found a child outside and brought her home to care for, so I was a little late today."
"A child? Is she one of the Cursed Children?"
Rentaro was the first to react.
However, when Mahiro confirmed it, Kisara's gaze towards him became subtle.
"I say, you're so late today, you didn't do anything strange to the child you just picked up at home, did you? As your President, I have a responsibility and obligation to tell you that's not allowed. I'll call the police!"
Kisara's attitude slightly surprised him, but this strange statement was quite a headache.
"President Mu Geng, you can doubt my character, but you can't doubt my interests. While lolis are fine, I'm not such a scumbag as to lay hands on a child."
Not to mention such a pitiful child.
Mahiro simply didn't want to get entangled with Kisara on this topic, so he looked at Rentaro beside him and asked:
"By the way, Mr. Satomi, why are you here today? If it's to accompany me for the IFA license exam, there's no need for so many people to come along, is there?"
Actually, Kisara didn't need to come today either; she just needed to give him the address.
Although it was an exam, he wasn't a child.
But she insisted on it, as if afraid her precious item would be snatched away, so there was nothing he could do…
"Oh, as for me… I received a call from the IFA yesterday, saying they found a suitable Initiator."
"?"
Yotsuba Mahiro slowly typed out a question mark.
He had always wondered about this; he remembered that Rentaro Satomi, as the protagonist, should have a loli named Aihara Enju by his side, but he hadn't seen her in the few days they had known each other.
So, they hadn't become partners yet…
No, what plot point is this now? It seems the plot hasn't even started yet?!
Seeing his confusion, Kisara thought he was confused about the IFA partner system, so she explained:
"Now, with too many people wanting to become IFA, there aren't enough Initiators to assign. So, after getting an IFA license, one usually has to wait a while to be assigned an Initiator from the IFA."
In fact, the reason for the Initiator shortage was not just too many IFA, or the Cursed Children being in short supply.
It was because when this system was first established, those children were easy to capture.
However, some people completely disregarded their partners, sacrificing Initiators at will and then frequently replenishing them from the IFA.
Coupled with those children gradually growing up and becoming smarter, they all hid, and some even resisted fiercely.
This led to the current situation where Initiators are in short supply and are very difficult to catch.
"But as for you, Mahiro, you don't need to worry about this. From your expression, you must want to adopt that girl, right? So, after getting your IFA license, you can bring her here to register her as your Initiator."
"I don't want to do that. Little Mibu is already pitiful enough, and for fighting, I alone am sufficient."
"So that child is named Mibu…"
Kisara smiled brightly: "You seem to cherish her… In that case, you should all the more let her become an Initiator. I know your strength, Mahiro, is unquestionable, but do you know? Cursed Children can only live longer by regularly injecting inhibitors."
Besides issuing IFA licenses and being responsible for assigning Initiators, the most important role of the IFA was to provide inhibitors for the gastrula virus to IFA partners.
If inhibitors were not used regularly, the gastrula virus infection rate in the Initiator's body would gradually increase. When it exceeded 50%, they would lose themselves and turn into a Gastrea.
This was the fundamental reason for the IFA's international standing.
"While that's a good idea, let me consider it."
Mahiro didn't immediately agree.
In fact, he was more willing to adopt another child from the IFA, which would mean saving another one.
But his idea was quickly dispelled.
Because as they were chatting, a man in a suit came over and told Rentaro that he could go pick up his Initiator.
Since there was still some time before the exam, Mahiro also followed to take a look.
"Ah!!! Let go of me!!!"
They were led to a room. Soon after they entered, a girl was escorted in by several staff members, as if she were a prisoner.
She was only wearing a white dress, and her exposed slender arms and body were covered in scars.
Her waist-length orange hair was almost standing on end, as if she were a frizzball.
She struggled frantically.
With the strength of a Cursed Child, even several strong men shouldn't have been able to control her, but this girl was easily subdued by two staff members.
And they were told, "This Cursed Child's emotions are very unstable, and she is violent. Although a small amount of muscle relaxant has been injected, caution is still needed when making contact."
The girl glared at them, her ominous crimson eyes showing three parts ferocity and seven parts fear.
She also wore a collar and an identification tag around her neck, just like an item for sale.
"Number 328… Aihara Enju," Yotsuba Mahiro unconsciously murmured the girl's name.
At that instant, the air suddenly fell silent.
Rentaro and Kisara both turned their heads to stare at him.
Even the restrained girl stopped struggling, and even the anger and ferocity in her eyes lessened considerably, replaced by a hint of confusion.
"How do you know her name? Do you know her? Or… did your eyes see it?"
Tendo Kisara had completely accepted the premise of his Replication Demon Eye.
After all, if illogical creatures like Gastrea existed, then his eyes weren't so hard to accept.
"Uh… yes," Mahiro said with a teasing smile.
And after getting a positive answer from him, Kisara didn't find it particularly surprising.
It really is convenient, having a Replication Demon Eye.
However, it was thanks to Yotsuba Mahiro's single sentence that the girl completely calmed down.
After confirming that Number 328 would not harm anyone, the two staff members released her and left.
"My name is Rentaro Satomi. From today, I am your Promoter, and you are my Initiator," Rentaro said to the girl, his slightly gloomy face showing no signs of joy or sorrow.
However, Number 328 ignored Rentaro.
Instead, her gaze was fixed on Yotsuba Mahiro, who stood with Kisara.
"…Who is he?"
This was the first time the girl spoke. Although her voice was a little hoarse, it couldn't hide its clear tone.
Rentaro stated directly: "His name is Yotsuba Mahiro, he's my colleague, and from now on, he will be your colleague too."
"Yotsuba… Mahiro…"
Number 328 slowly chewed on the name, as if wanting to engrave it firmly in her mind.
A little later, after Rentaro had collected a week's supply of inhibitors from the other staff members, he left with Number 328.
And Yotsuba Mahiro's IFA exam had already begun.
The assessment process was extremely boring.
Besides the physical examination to collect basic data, the rest consisted of shooting tests, strength tests, and speed and endurance tests.
He easily scored well above the full marks for all of these.
After all, the technological crystallization produced by the Fourth Research Lab was not some street-side trash; it was the strongest artificial weapon.
By the way, there was no written test in the IFA assessment.
That's true.
Most of those who become IFAs, apart from criminals seeking immunity from their crimes, are people who can't make a living in society. Professional combat personnel are extremely rare.
Out of several hundred thousand people worldwide, there are only a few thousand.
However, one thing that surprised him was that the IFA license was issued immediately after the assessment.
Is their efficiency that fast?
When he returned to the hall with his IFA license, he saw Tendo Kisara waiting for him there, as if guarding against a thief.
Following her gaze around, Yotsuba Mahiro noticed that many eyes in the hall were focused on him, or rather, on their batch of freshly minted IFAs.
When Kisara spotted him, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked towards him.
"Hey, hey, Mahiru-kun, what's your IP ranking? It must be high, right? It must be within the top 100,000... No, I think with Mahiru-kun's strength, being around 20,000 is definitely not a problem!"
She looked like a lottery player waiting for the results, even more excited than him.
"Well, when I got the license, I put it away without looking carefully, so I don't know..."
As he spoke, he pulled the license out of his pocket again.
Before he could even look, Kisara squeezed her head over, her long black hair completely blocking his view, and a faint scent of shampoo lingered in his nostrils.
Immediately after, he heard Tendo Kisara's cry of surprise.
"8... 8360th?!"
Kisara was shocked.
And it wasn't just her; even the headhunters and representatives from other companies around them were startled.
Getting an IP ranking of over 8,000 after the assessment?!
Does that mean this young man's strength already surpasses the vast majority of IFA pairs?!
It should be known that IFAs who climb to the thousands are usually combinations of Initiators and Promoters, or rather, most of their achievements come from the Initiator's strength.
Most IFAs, after the assessment, rank outside the 100,000s, and even Rentaro is outside the 120,000s.
Those with excellent scores are only in the 90,000s, at most hovering around 80,000.
But this young man, who looks like a rich young master, directly got a ranking of over 8,000?!
You can't be serious!
However, the IFAs who took the assessment with Mahiro didn't feel the slightest surprise; in fact, recalling what happened during the exam, they were still a bit shaken.
Because they knew perfectly well that this guy was simply a monster.
Not only did he smash the strength testing machine with one punch, but even when a new one was brought in, he still got an error reading.
In the shooting test, he hit every shot, all bullseyes.
And in the long-distance running for endurance and speed, it was even more outrageous; he completely dominated all of them.
He was a complete hexagonal warrior!!!
"Oh, isn't this Kisara?"
Just then, a female voice, distinctly Kansai-accented, leisurely drifted over.
In the direction of the hall, a beautiful young woman with a noble and elegant demeanor gracefully approached.
Even the furisode kimono could not conceal her graceful figure.
Although she had a doll-like face, a tear mole at the corner of her left eye added a touch of charm to her.
"Tch, snake woman."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Kisara disdainfully pursed her lips, but still put on a fake smile and went to meet her.
"Isn't this the young lady of the Sima family? What brings you here..."
However, the young lady of the Sima family ignored Kisara, bypassed her, and came directly in front of Yotsuba Mahiro, scrutinizing him carefully.
"May I be so bold as to ask, what is your relationship with this Mother Orangutan, young man?"
The moment they brushed past each other, Tendo Kisara instantly froze in place.
"..."
Yotsuba Mahiro did not respond.
As the other party observed him, he also observed the other party.
If his memory served him right, this woman should be—Miori Sima, the daughter of Sima Heavy Industries.
However, perhaps because of her background as a businesswoman, her smile seemed very fake.
At least to him, it seemed very fake, not sincere at all.
And from her appearance, she seemed to be deliberately approaching him, using it to provoke Tendo Kisara.
In fact, she succeeded.
Kisara was now gritting her teeth, a vein throbbing on her forehead, on the verge of exploding in anger.
However, adhering to basic courtesy, he tentatively greeted her.
"Hello, Miss Sima, I am Yotsuba Mahiro, a new employee of Tendo Civil Security Company."
"I see, I am Miori Sima of Sima Heavy Industries. Nice to meet you." Saying this, Miori Sima extended her fair, delicate hand towards him.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Sima."
He also extended his hand and lightly shook hers, but it was only a brief touch.
But even so, Miori Sima still showed a look of "surprise."
"It seems Mr. Yotsuba is not only very polite but also very capable. By the way, what is Mr. Yotsuba's IP ranking?"
Miori Sima asked this deliberately.
After the handshake just now, she had already obtained a lot of information.
There were no calluses on his hands; from his appearance, his body seemed very slender, with only a handsome face that was no less than that of a celebrity.
To recruit such a person into her office, had Tendo Kisara gone mad?
Unless he was a survivor of the New Human Creation Project like Rentaro, but how could that be possible?
The number of modified soldiers back then was not large to begin with, not to mention those who died in the great war; the remaining ones were basically rare species, so how could they be easily discovered?
But it was none of her business; she was eager to see Kisara's company go bankrupt and then watch her end up on the streets.
That way, it would be even easier for her to mock her.
"I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to disclose my ranking," Yotsuba Mahiro politely declined.
Although he wasn't sure what this young woman was planning, he had a feeling it was nothing good.
Especially that cunning, fox-like smile of hers, it always reminded him of Erika's playful smile.
"If Miss Sima has nothing else, then I'll be leaving. I have something to do."
He had no time to argue with this woman; little Mibu was waiting for him at home.
"Oh, don't be in such a hurry. What's the harm in just revealing a little bit to me?"
As soon as he turned around, Miori Sima pounced on him, grabbing his arm as if to flirt.
This woman was doing it on purpose!
"Let go of me, you vixen!"
Her actions completely enraged Kisara, who immediately stepped forward to pull Miori Sima away.
But with a slight dodge, she was evaded.
Then she hugged him again.
"No way~"
Miori Sima said coyly, "I'm just curious about Mr. Yotsuba's ranking. Could it be that because of this runaway Mother Orangutan, Mr. Yotsuba suffered unfair treatment like Rentaro, and your ranking was placed outside the 100,000s?"
"How could that be?! Let go of me!"
Kisara, pulling at Miori Sima, angrily retorted, "Satomi-kun's situation was his own reason; he didn't want to show his true strength! And Mahiru-kun is very powerful! He's already achieved a thousand-place ranking in the 8,000s!"
By the end, Kisara, as if showing off her toy, proudly puffed out her chest.
But Mahiro himself, upon hearing it, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Madam Kisara, should I say you're naive, or should I say you're impulsive?
Clearly, the other party said that to provoke you, and you actually fell for it and directly sold me out, didn't you?