Chapter 399 It’s very well-behaved
“Creak—”
As the key turned, the worn-out door was slowly pushed open, and the thin black-haired girl returned to her dilapidated room after a long time.
“Hm?”
Just as Kazumi was about to close the door and change into slippers, her subconscious glance around made the girl’s movements pause. The action of closing the door changed to slowly closing it. The skull phantom on her wrist appeared, and she stared solemnly at the kitchen.
Although she hadn’t been back to her room for nearly a month, thanks to the girl’s excellent memory, Kazumi quickly identified that the kitchen had been disturbed. No matter who was responsible, it was not a situation Kazumi wished to see.
“You’re so vigilant, little Kazumi. I was only trying to help you dispose of the trash, and you found out.”
The shadow in the corner solidified with the girl’s questioning voice, and a tall black shadow condensed from it. The black shadow gradually shed its energy cloak, finally revealing a man in his iconic work suit, looking at Kazumi with a smile.
“Uncle Fukada!”
Upon seeing the familiar figure before her, Kazumi let go of her vigilance, closed the slightly ajar door with her backhand, changed into slippers, and walked towards Fukada Akihiko.
“I came because I thought you would be back today. How was your internship? Are you tired from work?”
With a gesture, Fukada Akihiko dispersed the power beneath his feet and walked into the living room. After being smashed once before, he had developed this habit. Otherwise, with the girl’s vigilance, which was higher than his own, she might have suspected he wasn’t himself if he hadn’t used his abilities.
Sitting on the sofa next to the living room, Fukada Akihiko inquired about the girl’s internship with concern.
As someone who had been through it, Fukada Akihiko valued the girl’s publicly maintained identity. Although he had agreed to Kazumi joining the [Shadow] organization, people still needed to come into contact with real society. Except for some paranoid perverts, even he needed to maintain a superficial identity to live under the sun, because staying in the darkness for too long could truly drive a person mad.
“It’s okay. It’s not what I expected. It’s not tiring, but it’s very boring.”
Kazumi obediently sat on the sofa beside him and replied.
“In that case, would you like me to arrange a place for you in an agency? It’s a small agency, but you can basically learn everything about being a hero. It won’t be a problem even if you want to work there in the future, but it will be a bit far from where you live now.”
Fukada Akihiko pondered for a moment, then turned to Kazumi and asked.
“Ha… I’ll think about it later. Anyway, the internship for this holiday has already ended.”
Fukada Akihiko’s words made Kazumi pause. The girl really didn’t expect the [Shadow] organization, or rather, an organization like Fukada Akihiko’s small group, to have such great influence that they even had a way to get into the Association’s agencies.
The fact that he could arrange it so easily proved that the other party must hold a high position within the agency, and they might even be a professional hero. Whether it was an insider from the organization who had reached a good position, or a hero from that side who was leaning towards the organization, this was incredibly important information for Kazumi.
Quickly analyzing and recording this information into her mental database, Kazumi politely declined a few times, and then brought this new option of “joining an agency related to Uncle” into her consideration.
“Well… if you want, you can bring your little boyfriend along too~”
Fukada Akihiko first agreed with Kazumi’s statement, but then seemed to remember something. His originally serious expression became mischievous, and he raised his eyebrows to tease Kazumi.
“Uncle Fukada!”
Kazumi gave Fukada Akihiko an exasperated glare. She could clearly tell that he was teasing her. Moreover, given Sato Shinichi’s family background, if he wanted to, he could definitely get an internship at a very good agency.
“Alright, alright. As soon as I mention your boyfriend, you always turn against your uncle. Girls grow up and leave, it’s pitiful that I’m so old and still working so hard to find the things you want. Sigh, I’m exhausted.”
Fukada Akihiko said with a smile, rolling his arms as if he had a sore back.
“Really?! Uncle Fukada, have you found everything?!”
Hearing Fukada Akihiko’s words, Kazumi’s eyes lit up. She ignored his teasing and knowingly ran to the back of the sofa, placing her small hands on his shoulders, and began to massage his shoulders with her unskilled hands, asking with some surprise.
“Ah, alright, alright. I knew you’d remember this.”
After enjoying the girl’s massage comfortably for a while, Fukada Akihiko raised his hand to stop Kazumi. He snapped his fingers with his right hand, and a large patch of black shadow instantly filled the empty space in the middle of the living room.
“I’ve found most of what you need. For some unclear materials, I’ve asked people to find similar substitutes, and they’re all in my shadow.”
“However, before I give them to you, I still want to ask clearly why you need these materials, or what type of power you have awakened. You can’t use the excuse of smashing things to fool me this time.”
Fukada Akihiko’s expression gradually became serious. After all, this was no longer a small request like playing around with Kazumi before. The collection of these materials this time took a lot of effort, even using some of his connections, not to mention the information he had gathered about the girl’s abilities in her missions.
Whether it was from the perspective of an uncle or a superior in the organization, Fukada Akihiko felt it was necessary to understand his little niece’s true strength, at least so he could provide help that matched her abilities.
“The specific content of the ability…”
Seeing Fukada Akihiko’s serious expression, Kazumi knew that with his keen senses, she had only managed to bluff her way through last time. This time, it involved truly joining the organization and acquiring power to complete missions. Therefore, Fukada Akihiko would not allow her to act recklessly without sufficient strength.
With this thought, the skull phantom on her wrist appeared, and a massive black wooden coffin slowly emerged from the alternate dimension before them.
[The energy feels much stronger than last time. Is it because of the things I brought her last time? Or is her ability still in a state of awakening?]
Just having a two-meter-tall, heavy coffin appear was already imposing, let alone the faint death aura and spirits that seemed to entwine around it. Fukada Akihiko silently made his evaluation, then used his shadow ability to shield the surroundings of the room again to prevent anyone from accidentally seeing. He turned to look at Kazumi, whose expression remained unchanged.
“Kazumi, I read in your file that your ability is summoning. Let me see your strongest summoned creature, so I can have a rough idea.”
“Strongest summoned creature?”
Hearing the description of her ability in her file, Kazumi wasn’t too surprised. After all, judging by her current fighting style, it did resemble a summoning-type ability user.
However, her fighting style wasn’t purely summoning-based. As for the strongest summoned creature, it should only be Little Black now…
“Yes. If the venue is inconvenient, we can change locations later. I just want to have a general understanding of the upper limit of your abilities. You don’t need to explain it to me in detail. Summoning your strongest summoned creature is the most time-saving method. If you want, we can do a more detailed ability check later.”
“No, no, it doesn’t take up much space. I’ll call it out now.”
Perhaps her hesitation made Fukada Akihiko misunderstand something. Kazumi quickly explained, and with a wave of her hand, the coffin in the living room disappeared into the magic array again.
“Kazumi, you…”
Fukada Akihiko turned his head in confusion, wanting to ask why the girl had recalled the [Black Coffin]. However, the scene that followed made even this experienced middle-aged man unable to help but open his mouth.
An eerie wriggling continuously snaked its way up the girl’s tender arm, and then, as if being broken open from the inside, a thin, withered, pale white claw emerged directly from within her body. Then, in a squeezed-out manner, a half-human monster that could only be described as rotten flesh elegantly landed on the ground on all fours. Dense black holes on its body contracted as if breathing, continuously inhaling and exhaling the dense, tooth-like hardened shells within the holes.
The monster seemed to sense something, and its thin mouth hissed silently a few times before obediently returning to its owner’s side, gently nuzzling the girl’s dangling right hand with its nearly hairless head, as docile and cute as a kitten waiting for its owner’s favor.
Reaching out to respond to Little Black’s affection, Kazumi looked at the momentarily stunned Fukada Akihiko somewhat awkwardly, scratched her cheek, and then, steeling herself, introduced.
“Uncle Fukada, this is Little Black. It’s very well-behaved.”
