Chapter 144

Right now, my dizziness and nausea were much better.

I washed my face at the sink, ruffled my hair, and looked in the mirror in front of me.

It was a little different from before.

My eyes are golden and creepy.

They seemed to be darker and deeper than before.

I washed my face again and a towel was offered to me.

"After all, may I call you Master?"

Rikka, her cheeks flushed and a shy smile on her face, said this as she offered me the towel.

"What should I do?"

Then I grinned, took the towel and wiped my face.

After the act was over, Rikka didn't say anything or ask me anything. When she finally did open her mouth, it was to say that she was hesitant to call me onii-chan.

I'm in trouble. I think he might have found out.

I want a baby. I want to have a baby, Rokka said, but then she reminded that she was my servant.

I guess she's planning to come with me.

Wherever........

I wondered if Rikka would stay here if she had a baby.

I left the bathroom and walked down from the corridor to the basement.

Marina must have known that something was wrong with my body. But she didn't say anything to me.

Well, no matter what I say, there's nothing I can do about it.

I talked to Tamamushi in the basement and handed her the capsule I received from Nanafushi.

When she saw the capsule, she knew immediately what it was.

"It's a storage medium." (*Kind of DVD)

With that, she took out some kind of handheld device from her pocket and inserted the capsule into it.

"Hmm."

Tamamushi stared at the LCD screen and shouted.

"It's the information on subhumans. It's a capture list and a trade list. It's a recording medium that the liaison always carries. It's not particularly rare."

Tamamushi stares at the screen and mutters as she scrolls through the images.

"It also contains a list of people who belong to the Protection Organization. Well, if that guy had it, it's not so much. So, you can get the information from Alice."

After saying that, Tamamushi stopped scrolling the screen and looked up at me.

Well, it's true that the information that the man had would not be very credible. He's the kind of guy who betrayed the Protection Organization without a second thought, trapped Clelia, Alice's boss, and tortured her to death. Kudan's organization probably didn't trust him either.

But at least it's information. There's no harm in looking it over.

"Can I have a look?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure, but it might make you sick. It's information about buying and selling young subhuman boys and girls as property."

Tamamushi frowned at my question, muttered and glanced at Rikka.

Rikka also belongs to the subhuman race. I think she is concerned about it.

"I know very little about my own people. The only one I know is my sister. And the one who raised me is Hizuki. I don't really get the idea that they are buying and selling my own kind. I don't even feel sympathy for them. So, don't worry about it."

Rikka speaks in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rikka and Kazehana are a clan with the blood of legendary beastmen. As that man said, they are also the clan that Kudan was interested in. That means they're a highly valuable clan.

Perhaps Rikka and Kazehana's mother knew about this.

With this in mind, I picked up the mobile device from Tamamushi and scrolled through the screen.

As Tamamushi had said, the pictures on the screen were of boys and girls.

From a quick glance, it seemed that the better the bloodline and the younger the child, the higher the value.

I wondered if the ones labeled "mixed" were hybrids. Those classified as such were being sold and bought for two to three pounds. But I guess it's better to get a price, even if it's a throwaway price. Perhaps, if they are deemed worthless, they will be killed on the spot. A living commodity needs to be maintained, you know.

"Hmm?”

Scrolling through the screen, I felt a strange tug and returned to the image.

"Kuroyuri Academy? Is she lives there as a human?"

"Hmm? Let me see."

Tamamushi raised her voice at my murmur.

I handed the device to Tamamushi and she tapped the screen.

"This is a target for capture."

"Does that mean it hasn't been captured yet?

"Yes. Yes, but it's a rare case."

"Rare case?"

"There are subhumans hiding in remote mountains and there are subhumans blending in with human society. Which is easier to capture?"

"There's more than one answer to that question."

"Okay? Well, then what one of them is the answer?"

Tamamushi asks me curiously.

"If you're only interested in capturing them, it's those who blend in with human society. In exchange for blending in with human society, their abilities as subhumans may be weakened. If they are weaker, they are easier to catch. However, if they want to avoid trouble, they are probably hiding deep in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. If they are not involved with the government, no one will complain if they are caught. Also, in terms of value, the latter is by far the most valuable, isn't it? Their abilities as a subhuman and their bloodline are important, right?"

"You're absolutely right."

Tamamushi nodded loudly after hearing my answer.

It's not difficult to see why, as Alice says, Kudan's organization is in a position to rule the world. If that's the case, they can put as much pressure as they want on their country partners to do something pretty reckless.

But well, it would be impossible to control everything in the world, and too much tightening would create a backlash.

What the upper echelons of the organization want is money, power, and prestige, and in order to get them, they need to maintain the balance of the world.

In other words, they don't want to get involved in the troubles caused by the underlings. The bottom line is to do well without causing trouble.

That's why, when it comes to capturing sub-humans, they would give priority to those who have nothing to do with the government. It would be much easier for them.

But to go after those who have been integrated into human society?

"Does it mean that they are worth the risk to get them?"

"That's right."

She nodded at my words and tapped the screen of the device.

"It is suspected that he is a half-breed of the White Wolf clan. It's a relative of Rikka's. I don't know if it's really a relative or not, but it's a possibility."

Tamamushi muttered, looking at the screen, then looked up and saw Rikka.

"I don't know. I've never heard of any relatives, even from my sister."

Rikka shrugged her shoulders and answered with a sigh.

Relatives, huh? The ancestors of Rikka and the others seemed to have lived in the time when Nanafushi was born. That why the blood has been passed down to the present day, so it is not surprising that they have relatives.

"Let me see."

I took the device from Tamamushi and looked at the screen.

The image on the screen was of a girl with grayish hair and slightly reddish eyes.

To put it bluntly, she looks like Rikka and the others.

It's only a suspicion, so it's not very credible.

But if Kudan's organization is after her, then she must certainly be a subhuman.

I'll ask Kazehana just to be sure, and if she says she doesn't know, I'll leave her alone.

We're busy, and we don't have any obligation to help someone who has nothing to do with this.

With that in mind, I was about to return the device to Tamamushi. Then, I noticed that underneath the image of the girl's face, there were several names listed. One of them was....

"Himehajo......"

I muttered the name and tapped the screen impatiently.

The name of the subhuman to be captured was Konohana Mai. She is a student at the high school of Kuroyuri Academy, and Yukina is her friend. She is an obstacle in the way of capturing subhumans. In other words, she is a target to be eliminated if necessary.

Then, I tapped on Yukina’s entry, and my eyes widened.

"What the hell......?"

I couldn't believe what I was reading there.

Yukina's parents were related to the protection organization. And they had already passed away. And who took in Yukina, who had no one to take care of her?

"Alice Melt."

My hand trembled as I held the terminal.

Alice is a substitute for Yukina's mother?

That man that Nanafushi had killed must have known about it. In addition to the credit for getting rid of Alice and eliminating the spy, he was supposed to get a girl who seemed to be related to the White Wolf clan. But when he saw Rikka, he was driven by greed and dug his own grave.

Oh, I see.

Kukuku, was that so?

"It seems that I owe Alice a debt."

If you have been protecting Yukina, that's a big debt.

After all, Yukina is my "little brother".

"Rikka."

"I am with my master."

Rikka answered my call without hesitation.

I've got a lot of things going on, but I have to prioritize this.

I thought that Yukina was the only one who could take over from me. But I also didn't want her to be involved.

But if I left her alone, Yukina's life would be in danger.

As long as Alice was known to be a spy, Yukina would certainly be targeted. And now that the information is out there.

The first to be targeted is the subhuman, or the first to be targeted is Yukina. That's probably the situation.

"Tamamushi, please continue to prepare for the move. And as soon as we're ready, we can move our base. I'll have someone with free time help you with this."

"Mm, okay."

(TinyTL)

Tamamushi nodded at my words and let out a sigh.

"Did you say Yukina? Those who are targeting her are out of luck."

"Oh?"

"Because now that Suzuhara has her eye on her, you're going to crush her for sure. That's it, thoroughly."

Tamamushi shrugs her shoulders.

I'm sure you're right. I'll be sure to crush him once he catches my eye. No matter what it takes.

And also――

"I'm taking my 'secret weapon', who has too much time thatonly get in the way of our move."

"W, what!? You're not taking Asahina with you, are you!?"

Tamamushi, who was shocked by my words, looked at Rikka.

"Oh, I feel sorry for the guy......."

"Um......"

Tamamushi nodded with a twitchy smile to Rikka who muttered with a twitchy smile as well.

This time, unlike the previous case, the other party does not recognize us at all. It was unlikely that we would even encounter the enemy. So Rikka alone will be enough to fight, and Asahina is acquainted with Yukina, so I just thought I'd bring her along.

Well, why are you guys so afraid of Asahina? (TinyTL)

***