Chapter 237: An Unexpected Answer
“You!!”
With a heavy slap on the table, the boy’s words made Fukada Akihiko’s head heat up, and he immediately stood up. The shadows beneath his feet quickly covered his body, forming a dark red and white shadow armor from bottom to top.
But the boy opposite him acted as if he hadn’t felt his reaction, still bowing with a standard, sincere, and serious gesture, without any intention of looking up.
“……”
After looking at Kurokawa Iori for two silent glances, and then glancing at Masashi Sakuraba, who was watching the show, Fukada Akihiko slowly lowered his raised hand and sat back on the sofa.
The other party’s sincere demeanor left him with nowhere to vent his anger at the moment. The energy on his body slowly dispersed. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand and began to sort out his thoughts that had become somewhat chaotic due to the other party’s words.
What was all this about?
His beloved little niece was designed and drawn into the organization by an adversary with whom he had a grudge. Upon receiving the news, he rushed to the culprit’s house without even having time to personally hand over his work report to the leader.
The result was that his sworn enemy, who usually only stopped short of fighting whenever they met, was respectfully calling him uncle here? And then he said he wanted to marry his precious little niece???
If he hadn’t known for sure that the other party’s abilities had strong resistance to mental attacks, Fukada Akihiko would have suspected that this guy had been brainwashed by Kirie with her abilities.
“Uh… Kurokawa… Iori… why don’t you sit down first, and tell me in detail about the reason for this matter.”
Looking uncomfortably at the boy who had completely changed from his impression, Fukada Akihiko’s expression became very subtle.
With marriage as the goal???
The sudden respect for him was because he had taken a liking to Kazumi? But his abilities and status did not seem like someone with flaws in this regard, so why would he suddenly fall in love with Kazumi, with whom he had only had a few missions?
And another point, although in Fukada Akihiko’s eyes, his little Kazumi was the cutest girl in the world. But it had to be acknowledged that the young girl’s appearance did not reach the level of causing national ruin, and the saying of falling in love at first sight just because of eye contact was almost untenable.
As for playing with emotions?
Don’t joke, his little Kazumi was as pure as a white flower in terms of emotions. Even her current relationship was fraught with difficulties. Before that, even interacting with people around her. At that time, Fukada Akihiko had been so worried about his daughter’s matters that he had aged prematurely.
Moreover, Kurokawa Iori’s abilities also gave him a much richer life experience than ordinary people. Apart from his impulsive temper, he was basically a terrifying opponent who was rational and cruel to a frightening degree.
“Yes, Uncle Fukada!”
Standing up, Kurokawa Iori nodded obediently, sat down on the opposite sofa with great care, his eyes flickered twice, revealing a trace of morbid longing, and finally he looked up to meet Fukada Akihiko’s extremely stern gaze and said firmly.
“She is one of us, and she is destined to walk with me to the end.”
“Nonsense!!”
With another heavy slap on the table, his large hands deeply embedded in the thick solid wood table, interrupting Kurokawa Iori’s speech.
Although Fukada Akihiko knew that his current actions seemed a bit too impulsive, wouldn’t anyone get excited if this happened to them? If a pig wanted to be offered to their own cabbage, fine, but what kind of logic was it for an ancient god from beyond this realm to offer to their cabbage!!
What did he mean by “one of us”? Would his adorable little Kazumi be in the same category as you, a monster covered in tentacles? Whether you’re even human is a separate matter!
Although Fukada Akihiko’s thoughts were completely disorganized at the moment, he couldn’t show it in front of Kurokawa Iori. His previous impulse was just anger at the other party’s actions, but now it seemed that things were quite different from what he had imagined. If that was the case, it was best not to act.
After all, looking at it calmly, Kurokawa Iori’s position within the entire organization was very important, even his abilities were irreplaceable. They were currently in the final stage of the operation, and no matter what, they couldn’t afford to slip up because of this.
“I know better than you what kind of person Kazumi is. She doesn’t belong to the darkness, and her parents don’t wish to involve her in this matter again.”
“I don’t care if you are seeking revenge against me, or if you have taken a liking to her talent, or if you want to obtain something left by Masato from her, you cannot lay a hand on her. This is my last bottom line.”
“Otherwise, even if you are a collective of evil thoughts, I will still be able to kill you!”
A dark, deep dagger emitting black mist appeared in Fukada Akihiko’s hand at some unknown time. The vaporized, ethereal dagger was placed against the boy’s neck. His firm face revealed a materialized killing intent, and his lips parted slightly, spitting cold words.
“Then, Uncle Fukada, does this mean you agree to our matter now!! As for the location, I have fixed residences and industries in every region of Japan. If you want to go abroad, whether it’s Eastern Europe or West Africa, there are several small countries controlled by the [Puppet]. We can finalize it anytime if needed, and over there…”
But the boy opposite him seemed to not feel Fukada Akihiko’s words at all. His light red pupils emitted a burst of intense color, and he began to describe the scene in his mind as if talking to himself.
“Shell!!”
The other party’s inexplicable response completely destroyed the atmosphere that Fukada Akihiko had created, but the words that followed made him jolt. Without any time to say more, two shadow blades slashed directly towards the boy’s mouth.
Powerful energy exploded in front of Kurokawa Iori’s face. The boy’s originally gentle head was blown into pieces, revealing a pile of intertwined, disgusting tentacles and a single tongue covered in sharp teeth coiled within.
Fukada Akihiko could no longer care if the other party would be angry because of his words. He also didn’t know what kind of madness had possessed this guy to reveal part of the plan like this. It should be known that the only executives who truly knew the full plan were himself, the deputy leader, and Kurokawa Iori, who was in charge of connecting various aspects.
As for the other executives, not to mention the possibility of rebellion, they were also temporarily subdued by the fear of the leader [Shadow]’s powerful strength. If those crazy guys knew the leader’s true purpose, who knew what would happen.
Another point, although Masashi Sakuraba was publicly on closer terms with Kurokawa Iori, he also had some interactions with other executives. If the news leaked from here, it might lead to some undesirable consequences.
The black tentacles continued to squirm, and the skin, which looked like a popped balloon, was slowly repaired by the surging tentacles. Finally, it inflated the entire head like filling a balloon.
The boy’s head wobbled like half a balloon, his broken mouth opening and closing, allowing one to see the tentacles connected to his face within. The long tongue was split in half and inserted directly into the eye sockets. His originally colorless eyes emitted a trace of scarlet gaze, and his calm and gentle voice echoed in the room again.
“Sorry, I said the wrong thing.”
Fukada Akihiko had received too much of a shock today. The moment he made his move, he had already planned to notify Kirie, who could appease his emotions, to come over. What he didn’t expect was that this enraged, cruel, and nihilistic negative energy monster did not attack directly, but instead honestly bowed and apologized?
But from another perspective, given his personality, to not be enraged even when he took the initiative to attack, how important was his little girl to him?
“It’s alright, I’ll proactively tell the leader. Kazumi Shimizu cannot join the organization, not even if she has passed the organization’s tests!”
“I’ve checked the selected reserve candidates with my authority, and her name isn’t even on the list. I won’t pursue whether it was you or Kirie who added her, but now, all information about her must be cleared immediately.”
Fingers tapped incessantly on the table. Since the other party had such an attitude, Fukada Akihiko no longer wanted to beat around the bush with him. It was most important to get the young girl out while she had just joined.
Looking at Kurokawa Iori, who was silent with his head down, perhaps because the other party’s attitude was too unbelievable, or perhaps fearing that he would revert to his previous explosive state, Fukada Akihiko continued to try to appease him.
“I cannot agree to your pursuit. Kazumi already has a boyfriend with a stable relationship, and Kazumi was never meant to be a part of this dark world.”
“I’ve seen the qualifications and résumés of the new recruits. I’m more optimistic about Yumi Mikiko, and she’s also more suitable for the [Poisonous Snake] curse squad. You should also take a liking to Take Akita. That child is quite suitable for you in terms of experience and gaze, so there’s no need to cling to her.”
“If it’s for revenge against me, then the fact that we can sit down and talk properly now is enough to explain some things. It was my fault before. Twenty power exoskeletons Type III, and three bottles of Titan serum, how about treating them as an apology?”
Fukada Akihiko’s words were sincere, and the compensation he offered was very tempting. This level of resources was enough to directly stack up an elite squad of subordinates.
“But… they’re all dead.”
After listening to the words from the other side, Kurokawa Iori slowly raised his head, a strange expression appeared on his face, and he said.
“Dead? How is that possible? The qualifications of this group should be very good. Even the newcomer test shouldn’t result in a total wipeout. Who killed them?”
He frowned slightly in confusion. In his opinion, at least three or four people should have survived this batch.
As for Kazumi, he didn’t think the girl’s mediocre abilities would allow her to pass such a test. She should have been selected to pass specifically targeting him or something similar, or perhaps she hadn’t participated in the test at all.
Could it be that [Shell]’s emotions erupted again at that time, killing everyone present, and that’s why they found the so-called talented Kazumi to fill in?
Before he could ask the question in his heart, a touch of madness on the boy’s gentle face made Fukada Akihiko’s heart startled. A low and frenzied whisper slowly echoed in his ears.
“Kazumi Shimizu.”
(Ps: One chapter every five hours, really something.)
