Chapter: 86. Members of the Joint Squad (7k) (39/46)
Tokyo, Joint Squad Operations Center.
The meeting is about to begin.
Kanade sits quietly at one side of the conference table, flipping through the materials in front of him, waiting for the other members to take their seats.
Today marks his second official meeting since joining the Joint Squad.
As one of the parties involved in the “Blood Moon Incident” and the current captain of the “Special Unit Against the End,” he has been invited to participate as an advisor in the investigation of the “Stellar Society Incident.”
Based on the last meeting, Kanade is aware that the Joint Squad’s current focus of investigation revolves around the package lost by “Amakasu Hikaru” during the occurrence of the “Blood Moon Incident.”
Due to its timing and the event itself, this package is regarded as one of the key clues that may unravel the truth.
The Joint Squad is attempting to trace the whereabouts of this package, further clarify the context of the “Stellar Society Incident,” and confirm the list of participants alongside the hidden true objectives behind it.
After all, this incident not only caused a direct invasion of the Star Academy—one of the largest organizations of ability users—but even Professor Amakasu Hikaru, a high-ranking member, was taken away by the enemy, making its impact far beyond a typical attack.
What’s more serious is that the space-based orbital weapon developed by Special Unit Sema and the three academies, “Judgment Light,” was breached and used to launch maximum power “Elemental Fusion” strikes on the island where the S-class ability users are located.
It is this last point that made Special Unit Sema and the three academies realize the severity of the problem, ultimately deciding to jointly establish the “Joint Squad.”
Clearly, these events are not coincidental but have some deep-seated connections.
The goal of the Joint Squad is to quickly ascertain the truth and identify the mastermind behind the scenes to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.
However—
In the last meeting, Kanade noticed an abnormal detail.
From the review of the events to the current phase of intelligence integration, the Joint Squad has not mentioned a term he considers extremely critical—”β system.”
Not a single word about it.
Although Kanade first learned about the existence of the “β system” from the long-lost “DD-chan” while on the “Island of the Stellar Society,” and DD-chan is one of the executives of the Stellar Society, he still feels that DD-chan was not lying at that time.
Nonetheless, he has not disclosed this information to anyone, nor the suspicions regarding the possible betrayal behavior of the “X-Class Ability Users” and “Synthetic Light”—he has kept all this to himself.
Not just him; the informed “Shiro” also remains silent.
The reason is simple.
They both know well—without concrete evidence, it will only raise unnecessary doubts.
Moreover, the source of the information is a member of the opposing forces.
If he were to bring it up rashly, it might not only fail to expose the truth but could also lead to him being treated as a co-conspirator and become a subject of investigation.
……
“Nice to meet you, King of Black Flames—”
The voice from one side of the conference table pulled Kanade’s thoughts back to reality.
He turned to look at the source of the voice.
The speaker is the current captain of the “Joint Squad,” an ace-level ability user from Special Unit Sema—”Ace Shirayuki.”
She is a woman with an appearance and demeanor as pure and graceful as her title.
Her hair is as pure white as snow, cut into a neat bob, her gaze calm and her tone gentle.
Her figure is incredibly slender and tall, resembling that of a top model with a golden ratio.
Kanade has long heard of her name and rumors, but this is their first conversation.
“No, just call me Kanade, or Tsukimi is fine.” Kanade quickly interjected.
Although among ability users, especially ace-level ones, it is not uncommon to address each other by titles, Kanade has never liked being called that, especially since his title is somewhat over-the-top.
It’s fine for intimidating enemies during battle, but if someone calls him “King of Black Flames” every day, he would find it quite unbearable.
Upon hearing this, Shirayuki quickly nodded, her expression showing no signs of disturbance: “Understood, Mr. Tsukimi.”
Her voice is clear and calm, neither too familiar nor too distant, perfectly aligning with Kanade’s first impression of her as “mature and composed.”
Though Kanade arrived at the Joint Squad Operations Center two days ago, he and Shirayuki hadn’t met at that time as she was on an external assignment. Therefore, today is their formal introduction.
Currently, there are only eight people in the conference room.
Among them, two are intelligence personnel responsible for logistics and technical support.
Aside from Kanade, the advisor from Tsuki Academy, there are also two ace-level ability users from Special Unit Sema.
One of them is Shirayuki—the tall beauty with a ballet dancer’s elegant posture and snow-white short hair, exuding composure and grace in every movement.
The other is sitting next to her, a small girl who looks around twelve years old—”Ace Akagami,” whose appearance is cute and youthful but whose chest conflicts starkly with the lolita style, making her unforgettable and quite prominent.
Both are members of Special Unit Sema’s “Fairy Tale Team,” but unlike Shirayuki, Akagami, as a primary combat member, is frequently active on the front lines. Kanade has interacted with her on missions, so they are somewhat familiar.
Additionally, the Nihon Academy, Tsuki Academy, and Hoshi Academy have each sent an ace-level ability user to participate in this investigation.
It’s evident that Special Unit Sema and the three academies take the “Stellar Society Incident” more seriously than ever, dispatching five ace-level ability users at once.
No, perhaps there are even more than five—
“Today, the Hoshi Academy will send two ace-level ability users to assist in the investigation. One of them, like you, is also a survivor of the ‘Stellar Society Incident.'”
When Shirayuki spoke, Kanade’s mind involuntarily conjured the image of that girl.
He remembers she was a pretty girl with well-defined features and a pure demeanor, but when he tries to reconstruct her face in his mind, he finds the details strangely foggy, as if something obstructs his understanding of her.
But whenever he tries to think deeply about it, his brain concludes “everything is normal,” forcing him to stop contemplating the matter.
After the “Stellar Society Island” incident, Kanade heard the news about Erika’s disappearance.
So now, the only surviving party from Hoshi Academy is the one—Kaminari Kanon.
However, this is precisely what Kanade finds unbelievable.
At that time, she was just an ordinary student with no combat capability, yet in such a short time, she not only awakened her abilities but even advanced to an ace-level ability user?
As if to respond to his inner doubts, just then, a few gentle knocks sounded from outside the conference room door.
“It seems the timing is just right.”
Slightly glancing at the arrival notification on her watch, Shirayuki lifted her head and said calmly: “Come in.”
As the door was pushed open, a suspicious character dressed too “low-key” to the point of attracting attention entered—
Wearing a dark beret, sporting oversized sunglasses and a mask, and wrapped in a knee-length beige trench coat, the person was bundled up tight, with hardly any identifiable features visible.
Such attire instantly froze everyone present, and they all turned to look at the newcomer in unison.
A familiar figure followed closely behind.
It was Melissa, the ace-level ability user from Hoshi Academy.
She immediately sensed the strange atmosphere in the conference room and knew the reason behind it.
Melissa let out a sigh, approached the fully masked girl, patted her shoulder lightly, and gently urged: “Okay, don’t scare everyone, quickly take off those disguise items.”
Then she turned to the group, apologetically explaining: “I’m sorry; due to various incidents on her way here, we had to trouble her to dress like this.”
Upon hearing this, Akagami raised her tiny arm, blinking her large, jewel-like green eyes, and with an irresistibly cute tone that made one want to shout “adorable~” in their heart, she teased: “Did you accidentally turn into a wanted criminal?”
“No, it almost turned a crowd of people here into wanted criminals.” Melissa corrected with a deadpan expression.
Having long been accustomed to Akagami’s excessively cute voice from frequent frontline battles, Melissa has become almost completely immune to it.
But Kanon clearly has not adjusted yet.
Just hearing that overly cute tone made her tremble slightly, and the motion she was about to take to remove her hat froze in mid-air.
Noticing this, Melissa sighed softly and turned to Kanon: “Don’t mind it; that old lady’s voice has always been like that. It’s not like she’s intentionally trying to sound cute… well, you’ll get used to it.”
She patted Kanon’s shoulder, her tone somewhat resigned as if to say “I’ve been through this countless times already.”
“Who are you calling an old lady?!” Akagami exclaimed, suddenly standing up and slamming her tiny hand on the table angrily.
However, her small stature and soft movements made the scene appear more like a cute elementary school student throwing a tantrum, lacking any intimidation, and instead looking even more adorable.
“I’m a bright, vibrant, real twelve-year-old!!”
“Well… little Akagami, you’re clearly twelve years old, but that excess baggage in front is just too eye-catching—” Shirayuki seemed to be provoked by this remark, her gaze suddenly sharpening.
“Uh, I’m sorry…? I didn’t mean it… It wasn’t an insult about you being flat—whoa!? Wait, my waist! My waist is going to snap—!!”
As Akagami screamed, Shirayuki tightened her arm around her waist, making her look like a stuffed toy being punished.
Listening to their quarrel, Kanon finally noticed the “gap” between them—
The woman called “Shirayuki” had a tall and elegant figure, but she had almost no curves under her clothes; meanwhile, the “little Akagami,” who looked like a small student, had such an incongruous stature.
However—
From the unresponsive expressions of those present, it was clear this was not the first time they’d seen such an exchange.
Thus, Kanon could only silently avert her gaze, pretending to be accustomed to it and not showing any excessive reaction.
……
……
After the farce, the meeting finally returned to its original course.
Kanon and Melissa, under the watchful eyes of everyone, walked to the conference table one by one and made short self-introductions.
Then, they were assigned their seats by Shirayuki.
Kanon’s seat—whether by coincidence or not—happened to be right next to Kanade, while Melissa sat on her other side, placing her in between them.
A slight tremor ran through Kanon’s heart.
Though she had anticipated Kanade would also be assigned to join the Joint Squad, seeing him again, this close, made her heart quicken uncontrollably.
A glimpse of that familiar profile caused her breath to momentarily become uneven.
The longing that surged from the depths of her soul struck her again, and it felt stronger than ever.
This time, Kanon clearly understood that it was her shattered soul being attracted by some force, yearning for the scorching existence before her.
Every time she drew closer to Kanade, that restless power inside her became increasingly agitated, as if she might uncontrollably launch herself at him in the next moment.
Kanon bit her lip, forcing herself to divert her gaze from Kanade.
She slightly lowered her head, her hands casually resting on her knees, unconsciously clasping together, her fingertips turning pale from the pressure.
To suppress the almost suffocating impulse in her heart, she concentrated her gaze on a few ability users across the table.
Aside from the two logistics support personnel who were quietly communicating in front of the projection equipment and occasionally tapping on keyboards, directly opposite her was a girl who left a strong impression on her—”Ace Akagami.”
She was an adorable loli with doll-like features, her caramel-colored slightly curled hair draping over her shoulders, split at the ends, one side tied with a red ribbon. Her large and round emerald green eyes glistened like crystal, and her small yet cute stature, coupled with her slightly pouting cheeks when feeling unconvinced, resembled a twelve-year-old student perfectly.
However—her figure completely betrayed that youthful face, and the exaggerated curves she possessed revealed a striking contrast to reality, fitting the descriptions of “childlike” or “loli” perfectly.
Moreover, she was an extraordinarily concerned “legal loli”—her actual age seemed to be twelve, as if she had gone through three iterations.
Beside Akagami, the male figure had a completely different style.
Though he appeared to be in his mid-twenties, his middle-part hairstyle combined with thick-framed glasses, plus the ever-present forlorn expression on his face, gave him the air of an “insurance salesman,” with a wrinkled suit jacket and ill-fitting pants deepening the impression of a typical office worker, not at all like a combat elite.
If the man just looked like an uncle, the one sitting next to him was a true uncle.
With muscles so solid they threatened to rip through his short-sleeved shirt, and skin so dark it contrasted sharply with the little mustache by his mouth, he looked like a rugged worker straight from the construction site. If Kanon had to assign a title to him, the first phrase that popped into her mind would be “Super Heavy-Duty Plumber Mario.”
Yet compared to the jumping sprite in the game, he seemed more like the type to punch through fantasy monsters.
The last person was situated at the far corner, a woman seemingly very conscious of her presence, deliberately dressing in plain, understated clothes from head to toe, with long and heavy bangs obscuring half her face, barely revealing a refined jawline. Perhaps she could have been a striking beauty, but she now looked like a moody “shuttered hermit” who stayed indoors without ever going out.
The cuffs of her black hoodie rolled up slightly, exposing her pale wrist, and the aura she emanated fit the stereotype of a “shuttered hermit.”
Though these three each had their distinctive styles, their common traits could be summed up as—low-key, steady, and even somewhat “background characters,” capable of disappearing among a crowd instantly.
In contrast, Akagami and Shirayuki, the two beautiful girls, attracted far more attention. One was a cold beauty of noble elegance dancing like a ballet, while the other was a youthful girl with an innocent charm and a striking contrast, whose presence had been steadily occupying everyone’s attention since they entered the room.
It was uncertain whether their remarkable looks were so hard to conceal with makeup and attire, or if they were taking on striking roles in their tasks.
“So our mission is to track him?”
The “insurance salesman” broke the momentary silence, bringing Kanon’s thoughts back to the meeting at hand.
At this moment, the large screen in the center of the conference room was projecting their target—the ace-level ability user from Special Unit Sema, “Ace Steel Knight.”
In the image was a young man with golden short hair and sharp features, emanating a strikingly sharp and handsome aura even in a still image.
“Yes, for the next few days, our main task is to track and monitor him, confirming his whereabouts during the incident and any suspicious persons he may have interacted with.” Shirayuki nodded, responding seriously and calmly.
“Furthermore, this investigation belongs to the highest level of confidentiality.” She paused, her tone emphasizing: “Even within Special Unit Sema, no one has been notified.”
“So that means—we must conduct our actions without being noticed by Special Unit Sema, correct?” The plumber uncle raised a sturdy arm, asking cautiously.
His expression was surprisingly sincere, and his voice had a hint of restraint, creating a unique contrast with his rock-solid physique.
“That’s right.”
Shirayuki nodded gently, smoothly shifting her gaze to him, to the insurance man sitting beside him, and to the gloomy hermit girl whose expression hid behind her bangs, giving off an aura of “real-life invisibility.”
“This task must be carried out by members not affiliated with Special Unit Sema, so you three are the most suitable for this.”
Having finished, her gaze turned to Kanon and Melissa, sitting at one side, her tone softening a little:
“Since you two are new members of the Joint Squad, today you will familiarize yourselves with our existing investigation materials, while the detailed task arrangements will be discussed starting tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“I understand.”
Kanon and Melissa nodded in response almost simultaneously.
With Shirayuki’s words, the meeting was announced to be over.
Just as everyone was preparing to stand up, Akagami suddenly seemed to remember something, letting out a gentle “Ah” and raising her tiny hand to add:
“Oh right, Kanon-chan.”
Her tone was as lively and bright as ever, her voice sweet and cute enough to give chills, her emerald eyes sparkling with a mysterious light: “Because this task required you and Melissa to come over on short notice, and the time was too tight, you haven’t had a chance to receive the foundational training for ace-level ability users, right?”
“Ah, yes…”
Kanon subconsciously nodded in response, somewhat perplexed as to why the other party suddenly brought this up.
“Then—” Akagami’s lips curved into a slight grin as she said cheerfully, “For the training part, maybe we could ask Tsukimi-kun to act as a temporary coach?”
Saying this, she unabashedly directed her gaze toward Kanade, sitting beside Kanon.
“After all, Tsukimi-kun has been pretty free these days.” She added with a bit of a tease: “Always bothering me to arrange tasks for him when we just want him to feel secure as an advisor…”
“That is also true.” Shirayuki gently nodded in agreement, “Our ace members will all be on rotation for external assignments these days, so if it’s convenient for you, Mr. Tsukimi, perhaps you could accompany Miss Kanon for some basic adaptation training.”
—Huh? Alone with Tsukimi-kun… training one-on-one in the command center?
Kanon’s mind instantly conjured a peculiar image, her heart inexplicably racing a bit faster, and her cheeks involuntarily flushing slightly.
But just as she was about to organize her thoughts, Kanade had already nodded in response:
“I understand.”
Kanade’s tone was flat, his expression calm as if he were simply stating, “Tonight’s dinner will be ramen.”
However, Kanon felt her ears heating up uncontrollably.
—He, he actually responded immediately!? Tsukimi-kun, you…!?
Kanon’s eyes widened, unable to believe the response she had just heard.
She sneakily glanced at Kanade out of the corner of her eye, trying to confirm whether he had reluctantly accepted this arrangement.
But—there was none of that.
What she saw was his serious expression, even containing a hint of interest.
—Eh? Not just accepting… looks like he’s… even a bit eager!?
—Wait, why does Tsukimi-kun look so enthusiastic!?
Kanon’s mind was instantaneously flooded with shameless associations; a storm full of “suggestive material” began swirling in her brain, and her cheeks reddened at a visible rate, her thoughts almost spilling out from her ears.
Yet, just as Kanon was internally battling it out with “rationality vs. embarrassment,”
Kanade’s thoughts remained unusually calm.
To him, the existence of Kaminari Kanon was itself laden with mysteries—
A girl who was just an ordinary person a month ago suddenly becomes an ace-level ability user; such a thing is unprecedented in the entire history of ability users…
He held a great interest in her “abnormality.”
If he could take the opportunity for some one-on-one interaction with her under the guise of training, it would be the best chance to understand her.
Moreover, he indeed had some things he wanted to say to her directly.
With that thought in mind, Kanade gently turned his head to look at the girl beside him.
What he saw was a Kanon who seemed on the verge of slipping from her chair.
Her eyes were wandering, her expression in disarray, her cheeks flushed to the point that they could almost boil an egg; she looked as though she had been triggered into some overheat mode by the word “training.”
It was then that Kanade realized: Although this girl named “Kaminari Kanon” had some strange quirks, she seemed to harbor strong feelings for him.
And perhaps his recent behavior—was it not—
……
……
On the other side of the conference table, Akagami was quietly observing the scene, her eyes flashing with an excited and playful glimmer, like a spectator at a lively performance.
—Oh? Is this how it develops!? I never expected the King of Black Flames, who has always been immune to romance, would have a day of realization!?
—However, why are these two adults still showing such innocent reactions?
