Chapter 541: The Girl About to Meet the Great Leader
The black-haired girl sat at the table, sipping coffee from her hand. Her eyes occasionally swept across the surrounding soft-walled interior, then focused on the large door beside her before she reluctantly withdrew her gaze and picked up her mobile phone. The “No Signal” displayed in the top right corner of her phone caused the girl’s brow to furrow once more. Resigned, she found a boring built-in game on her phone and began to kill time.
“Click—”
Just as her phone screen was filled with colorful blocks, and the level count in the game reached twenty-four, the door was pushed open from the outside. Entering was a familiar figure that Kazumi hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Uncle Fukada.”
Putting down her phone, the girl quickly stood up. A rare, stiff smile appeared on her usually indifferent face.
“Cough, yes, I’ve kept you waiting, Little Kazumi. Were you bored all by yourself here?”
Today, Fukada Akihiko was unusually not wearing his tailored suit that seemed permanently attached to him. Instead, he was in a pure black combat outfit with dark red accents. A faint aura of bloodiness emanated from him, as if he had just stepped off the battlefield. Fukada Akihiko’s stern expression softened instantly, and he looked at his young niece, who was standing before him, with a gentle gaze. He walked to the opposite side of Kazumi, pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked.
“There was a slight signal.”
She revealed a small, displeased expression. After all, she had been effectively under house arrest in this small room for nearly half an hour. Considering the circumstances, it wasn’t her fault. She had a feeling that even if Leader Kurokawa Iori and Uncle Fukada Akihiko took her side, she would still want to escape through the walls.
“I understand. Otherwise, it would be easy to expose our location. Little Kazumi, please bear with it.”
Smiling awkwardly twice, Fukada Akihiko picked up the coffee pot from the table and poured himself a cup. Then, as if thinking of something, he looked at his niece, who still had that cute appearance, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“You actually taught the [Black Heron] a lesson. Your power is growing a bit too fast. Did you find something left to you by Masato and the others?”
“Something left by my parents?”
Fukada Akihiko’s words made a question mark appear above the girl’s small head. If she had to say, she did have quite a few relics left by her parents in her room. But the problem was, what did her parents’ belongings have to do with her powers? The information she had gathered from Kura previously was that her parents had joined the organization to remove the “dark power” within her. Since it was meant to eliminate her abilities, how could it be related to their enhancement?
“But Mom and Dad’s research wasn’t about eliminating my abilities… What should I do? How…” The girl’s jet-black eyes looked at Fukada Akihiko opposite her with confusion.
“Ah, I happened to hear Masato and them mention this before. It’s also the prototype for the power-enhancing medicine our organization is currently researching. Their initial goal also seemed to be based on you. As for specific objectives, I’m not sure. You just need to know that researchers like Masato and them always have some strange ideas in their heads.”
A hint of relaxation appeared on Fukada Akihiko’s face, as if reminiscing about past moments with his friend. He quickly pulled his thoughts back and looked at Kazumi, who seemed to be contemplating something, and sighed before continuing.
“However, growing too fast isn’t a good thing. You’ve already caught the attention of many important figures.”
“Important figures? Uncle Fukada, do you mean…” The news from Fukada Akihiko instantly calmed Kazumi. She looked at him with a serious expression and asked.
“The Great General of Executive [Poisonous Snake], with whom you undertook missions together at the beginning. The Great General [Extreme Cold] you rescued earlier. And what you did just now while resting… All the ability users at the Department Head level in the organization already know. And also, the Boss wants to see you.”
Kazumi counted on her fingers the attention she had attracted. Fukada Akihiko, with a sorrowful face, also put on a pretense. After her achievements on missions, his adorable niece had inexplicably become a rising star, drawing the attention of the entire organization. Although Fukada Akihiko had come to recognize Kazumi and her determination to become stronger for her parents’ expectations and her experiences, from an old father’s perspective, he was reluctant to have the girl thrown into such a dangerous vortex.
“Uncle Fukada, you’re saying the leader wants to see me?” The last half of Fukada Akihiko’s sentence made Kazumi’s eyebrows twitch involuntarily. She admitted to all the previous matters he mentioned, as they were all decisions she made. But this last part made Kazumi a little uncertain. The highest leader of the [Dark] Organization asking to see her so suddenly – had something happened?
“Ah, Little Kazumi, you don’t need to be nervous about this. I can guess why the Boss wants to see you. He probably wants to apologize to you in person.”
“Huh?” Fukada Akihiko’s casual reply completely stumped Kazumi. “Apologize to me?” Although the girl usually had no set principles, in this world where power reigned supreme, it seemed too fantastical for the leader of a vast villain organization to apologize to a small fry like her.
“That’s just how the Boss is. We were indeed a bit remiss this time. The Boss has a peaceful temper, so don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Drinking the coffee in his cup in one gulp, Fukada Akihiko stood up, patted Kazumi’s shoulder, and reassured her.
“The Boss highly respects rules and order. As long as you haven’t violated any regulations, he definitely won’t do anything to you. And, he also… seems to have something to tell you about Masato and them. Go ahead. With Uncle here, I won’t let you get hurt.”
Turning, he opened the room door and looked at Kazumi with a serious expression.
“Uh, okay.” The situation had developed a bit beyond her expectations, but since Uncle Fukada had already guaranteed it, she could only take things one step at a time. Following the direction Fukada Akihiko pointed, two thick, exquisite doors opened to reveal an office within. A strange feeling, similar to what one might feel when meeting a company’s top leader in her past life, inexplicably washed over her. Kazumi took a few deep breaths, rousing her brain from its earlier rest. She reached out and tidied her slightly messy hair. Then, as if remembering something, she crouched down and slowly removed the hood from her head, revealing a cold, indifferent face. She stepped forward.
