To be honest, the system was pretty shitty.
To think that young girls barely ten years old were sent to the frontlines to fight bloody battles...
Unacceptable...
"In that case, I have a proposal. I wonder if you'd be willing to accept it, Mahiro."
"Hmm~ Let's hear it?"
"Well... I can provide you with a place to stay, but in return, you'd become a Civil Security Officer and join my Tendo Civil Security Corporation as my employee."
As she said this, Kisara visibly tensed up, her hands clenching slightly.
After locking eyes with her for a moment, he slowly spoke:
"Just out of curiosity—why me?"
"Because of your strength," Kisara said, enunciating each word.
Though he seemed to be hiding something and his identity was shrouded in mystery, she could tell—Yotsuba Mahiro's abilities were definitely not lacking.
And her company had just opened. It was the perfect time to recruit talent.
Even someone like Mahiro, whose background was unknown, was someone she had to secure!
"But the problem is, I don't have any registered identity. I'm an undocumented person."
"That's not an issue. I can help you with the paperwork. All you need to do is obtain a Civil Security license. As for salary, we can split it based on the commissions you complete."
Hah...
Who knew this girl could be so persistent?
But with things having reached this point, he truly had no reason to refuse.
At the moment, he did need a place to stay.
So he nodded and said, "Alright, I accept."
"Welcome to the [Tendo Civil Security Corporation]."
Seeing his agreement, Kisara immediately broke into a bright smile.
She extended her slender, delicate hand toward him, her boots tapping lightly against the floor as if she were in high spirits.
He gently took her hand in his.
However, from those slender fingertips, he detected a roughness that didn't quite match what one would expect from a young girl.
Calluses from sword training?
He had felt the same texture on Sayaka and Erika's hands before, so he couldn't be mistaken.
So yet another sword-wielding beauty, huh...
Their handshake didn't last long—more like a brief touch before parting.
But then, Kisara spoke up again:
"Besides that, there's one more thing. As your employer, I need to properly assess your abilities to assign missions. So tomorrow, I'll need to spar with you."
"Spar? Why? Wouldn't the civil officer license exam already determine my strength?"
He clearly remembered that civil officers had a ranking system—the higher the rank, the stronger the individual.
Rumor had it that the top-ranked pairs could even influence the world's military balance.
"Pfft, that thing's unreliable. The only way to know for sure is to test it out in person."
Kisara's perspective naturally came from her childhood friend, Rentaro Satomi.
Despite his considerable skill, his ranking was absurdly low—somewhere beyond the 120,000 mark, practically fodder-tier!
This was also the fundamental reason why her agency struggled to receive any commissions.
"Fine, suit yourself. But let me ask—am I the only employee in this company?"
"Of course not. For today, rest here. You'll meet him first thing tomorrow morning."
After settling Mahiro in, Kisara stood up and headed toward the inner room.
"That damn Rentaro, not even picking up my calls..."
The moment she turned away, her cheerful expression twisted into displeasure as she clenched her phone tightly, muttering under her breath.
But just as she was about to enter her room, she suddenly turned back and added:
"Oh, and you're not allowed in this room at night! If you dare sneak in, I'll absolutely cut you down!"
Though her delicate, snow-white cheeks were tinged with pink, the sharp glint in her narrow, phoenix-like eyes carried undeniable intensity.
Not that he was some kind of night-time prowler—he had no intention of forcing himself on a girl he'd just met.
Besides, if he really wanted to do something…
Wouldn't it have been easier when he picked her up earlier?
Watching as Kisara firmly shut the door, he sighed and shook his head. He got up, tossed his jacket over the back of the chair, and lay down on the sofa, shifting slightly to find a comfortable position.
Time passed, and soon it was deep into the night.
Outside the window, darkness enveloped the streets, leaving them eerily silent.
Yet, in this absolute stillness, Mahiro found himself unable to sleep.
Staring at the plain ceiling, he replayed the events of the day in his mind.
Honestly, today had been packed with one thing after another.
First, I inexplicably found myself in another world, then I picked up a starving beauty on the verge of death, and soon after, joined her private detective agency for various reasons...
Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
But aside from that, there was one more thing.
He raised his hand toward the ceiling, gazing at the ring on his index finger that emitted a faint phosphorescent glow even in the darkness.
This ring was a sacred relic from the Yotsuba family, yet no records matching it could be found.
However, after activating it, he discovered three functions of the ring.
First, the ability to traverse worlds.
It wasn't clear exactly which worlds he could travel to—it seemed random.
But when he wanted to return, there was a fixed anchor point.
All he had to do was wait for the energy to accumulate fully, so he could relax and enjoy his life in another world.
Second, the storage function.
That's right, just like in web novels, this ring also had a storage function, and the space inside was enormous.
But according to the information obtained from the ring, it seemed capable of storing not just inanimate objects but also living beings?
This, however, required experimentation to confirm.
Lastly, and most crucially—
After devouring the Philosopher's Stone, the ring appeared to have gained the ability to turn stone into gold.
Of course, this was just a general term.
Turning stone into gold was the ultimate goal pursued by medieval alchemists—primarily aimed at transforming base metals into noble metals, especially gold.
Later, different branches of research emerged, such as the creation of the Elixir of Life.
But throughout this process, one crucial catalyst was required—
The so-called "Philosopher's Stone."
Based on the information he traced before crossing worlds, the "Philosopher's Stone" was not a naturally occurring miracle but rather an object that stored magical formulas.
Within it lay a complex and vast magical formula for "material transmutation."
Unfortunately, before he could analyze it thoroughly, the ring on his hand had already devoured it.
"Let's give it a try."
Mahiro suddenly sat up from the sofa. He was quite interested in material transmutation as well.
So, he picked up a teacup and gently touched it with the ring.
Hum—
A faint glow of psions spread through the room like starlight.
A moment later, the ceramic teacup in his hand had transformed into solid gold.
According to the analysis of the information body, it wasn't just a superficial gold plating but a complete transmutation from the inside out.
Yet, Mahiro's brows furrowed.
A faint throbbing pain and dizziness pulsed through his mind.
"This is troubling..."
He had indeed "seen" traces of the activation sequence, but his eyes couldn't decipher it?!
Even when copied by his "Copy Eyes," he could only use it—he couldn't comprehend its underlying principles, let alone rewrite it!
This was either due to insufficient information or a lack of knowledge on his part.
"Let's try one more time."
With that, he set down the teacup and reached for another object on the coffee table before him...
...
...
...
The next day.
The sun rose from the horizon as usual, and the Tokyo area welcomed another new day.
Yet, in the early morning, the door was suddenly knocked on, followed by a voice calling out.
"Miss Kisara, are you awake? I forgot my keys."
It was a man's voice.
And this abrupt interruption forced Mahiro to halt his ongoing experiment.
After a whole night, most of the decorations on the table, including the tea table, had been transformed into gold by him. However, there hadn't been much progress in his understanding of "material transmutation."
If measured by a progress bar, it would only be at about 1%.
"Hey! Kisara-san!"
Knock knock knock—
This time, the knocking was louder than before, as if trying to wake the person inside the room.
But Mahiro glanced at the tightly closed bedroom door—it seemed Kisara still had no intention of getting up. So, he rose from the sofa and went to open the door for her.
The moment the door opened, the two of them locked eyes.
Standing at the door was a boy who looked somewhat gloomy.
He was staring at Mahiro with clear surprise on his face.
But soon, that surprise turned into wariness—he even reached for the holster at his waist.
Was he about to attack...?
...
...
...
At this moment, Satomi Rentaro was utterly bewildered.
When Kisara, his boss, had called him yesterday, he had been busy and hadn't been able to answer right away.
Later, he figured that since she had only called once, it probably wasn't urgent. By the time he was free, it was already too late, so he decided to check in the next day instead.
Now, the next day had come, and he knocked on the office door as usual.
But instead of seeing his usual boss—rubbing her sleepy eyes and looking half-awake—he was met with a strikingly handsome young man with delicate features!
For a moment, he thought he had the wrong place and turned to check the sign on the door. It clearly read: [Tendo Civil Security Corporation].
Had the boss hired a host from somewhere?
Though Kisara-san was only 15—a beautiful girl in the prime of her youth—the pressure from the Tendo family affairs had weighed heavily on her. If she had sought out a host, he could understand that.
But—
Kisara-san had poured all her savings into opening this civil security agency. She shouldn't have any money left.
How could she possibly afford such a handsome host?
Thus, after considering everything, Rentaro reached a conclusion—
This beautiful boy in front of him was an enemy who had barged into the agency!
What had he done to Kisara-san?!
As the tension thickened, Rentaro's hand slowly moved toward the pistol hidden at his waist.
Meanwhile, Mahiro's expression gradually calmed, his earlier smile fading.
Just as the situation was about to explode, a sudden scream shattered the standoff.
"Ah—!!"
"Kisara-san!"
Without another thought, Rentaro pushed past him and rushed into the agency.
What they saw next could only be described as an unlockable CG scene.
There was Kisara, still in her pajamas, sprawled ungracefully over the tea table, clutching several teacups in her hands.
"This is gold, right? It is, isn't it? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
To confirm, she even bit one of the cups. Seeing the teeth marks left behind, her excitement only grew.
Her eyes practically sparkled with gold!
That was what Mahiro noticed. But Rentaro saw something else entirely.
The tea table beneath Kisara, along with all the items on it—had turned into solid gold!
'This... how is this possible?!'
He clearly remembered that he had personally bought all these items, and they were just some worthless things.
How had they all turned into gold in just two and a half days???
"President, if you keep going, your underwear is about to show."
Seeing Kisara teetering on the edge of a wardrobe malfunction, Mahiro couldn't help but meddle a little.
Though, with his 5.0 vision, he still caught a glimpse.
White.
And the most ordinary style at that.
Well, it fit the "poor young lady" aesthetic perfectly.
But his use of "President" snapped Tendo Kisara out of her excitement. The girl looked down, realized her clothes were nearly slipping off, and shrieked, "Don't look!" before clutching her outfit and bolting back into her bedroom at lightning speed.
Mahiro: "..."
Rentaro: "..."
The two exchanged a brief glance, as if silently communicating something.
[Has she always been this unhinged?]
[Pretty much...]
Finally snapping out of his shock, Rentaro sighed inwardly.
Honestly, he couldn't blame Kisara. Even he had been stunned speechless by the sheer amount of gold before them.
After all, ever since leaving the Tendo family, the two of them had been barely scraping by on supermarket discount items.
Ten minutes later, all the golden tableware had been put away, leaving only an immovable golden coffee table behind.
Now dressed in her school uniform, Kisara sat upright on the sofa, her legs—tightly encased in black thigh-high socks—crossed elegantly. With her arms folded, she exuded the sharp, domineering aura of someone in charge.
Meanwhile, Mahiro lounged lazily on the opposite sofa, looking very much like an audience member ready to enjoy the show.
As for Rentaro, he knelt on the floor in a deep bow, head lowered, silently awaiting judgment.
"Satomi-kun, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Kisara-san—"
"I've told you countless times—in the office, you call me President!"
Whack!
A paper fan struck Rentaro's head with a sharp crack, the sound alone enough to make one wince.
"Y-Yes, President..."
Rentaro endured the pain.
But Kisara remained merciless, her gaze cold and pitiless as she demanded, "Now, explain. Why didn't you answer my call yesterday?"
"Well... I thought it wasn't urgent, so..."
"So you just ignored my call?! Do you have any idea I almost died yesterday?!"
Kisara smacked Rentaro repeatedly with the fan, her frustration nearly driving her to use sword techniques.
Well, it wasn't surprising she was this furious.
The situation yesterday was indeed quite dangerous, looking like a first encounter straight out of a Japanese manga.
But if she had met him a few minutes later, or not at all, Kisara's fate could have been much worse.
Starving to death on the spot or being picked up and turned into a weapon would have been the better outcomes. The worst-case scenarios—being dismembered for organ trafficking or even torn apart by wild dogs—were all possibilities.
"Well, President Kisara, weren't you going to introduce me to my colleague? Don't tell me it's this guy?"
Seeing that Kisara had vented enough, Mahiro finally spoke up leisurely.
Hearing his voice, Kisara realized this wasn't like usual when it was just her and Rentaro.
She cleared her throat.
"Ahem, yes, that's right. Let me introduce you. This irresponsible guy is your colleague and senior, Rentaro Satomi."
"Rentaro, this is Yotsuba Mahiro. From now on, you'll be working together. If there's anything he doesn't understand, Rentaro, make sure to teach him."
"Huh???"
This undignified exclamation came from Rentaro's mouth as he stared at Mahiro in disbelief.
"He's a Civil Security Officer too?"
"Not yet, but he will be soon. I'll take him to get his license in a few days."
Even as Kisara said this, Rentaro found it hard to believe.
After all, Mahiro looked so frail, even skinnier than himself, with a pale, delicate appearance like some young master from a wealthy family.
Could someone like this really become a Civil Security Officer?
"Miss Kisara, you haven't been scammed, have you?"
Rentaro quickly scrambled up from the floor and whispered into Kisara's ear.
Though he kept his voice low, Mahiro's heightened senses caught every word.
So he's being mistaken for a pretty boy.
"I understand your concerns, Rentaro, which is why I've prepared an initiation ceremony."
"Initiation ceremony? We have something like that?"
"Heh, of course. I prepared it specially."
Kisara flashed a proud smile before leading them out of the office.
The "initiation ceremony" Kisara referred to was a test of strength—in other words, a fight with the two of them.
But after being brought to the designated location by the girl, Mahiro was slightly surprised.
Even though this young lady was so poor she could barely afford food, she somehow owned a private dojo!
Sunlight streamed through the skylights into the spacious wooden-floored hall, illuminating specks of dust floating in the air.
What surprised him even more was that his opponent wasn't Kisara herself but the perpetually gloomy-looking Rentaro.
"Mechanical augmentations? Or prosthetics? Right arm, right leg, left eye—all mechanical? That's unexpected..."
"H-how did you know?"
Mahiro's muttered observation directly exposed Satomi Rentaro's secret, causing him to stagger back in shock.
"Ah, it's nothing. My eyes are just a bit special—they can see the truth of things."
Mahiro pointed to his own eyes as he spoke.
To prove his point, he then turned his gaze toward Kisara.
"Just like President Kisara, who suffers from congenital diabetes and has declining kidney function—she must have just undergone hemodialysis three days ago, right?"
"..."
Kisara remained silent, which was as good as confirmation.
But she was even more astonished by Mahiro's multitude of abilities.
Yesterday, he had led her to dine and dash with a power akin to teleportation. Then this morning, the office inexplicably had an abundance of gold, clearly transformed from the furniture they had used before.
And now, he possessed eyes that could see through others' secrets.
Just what kind of person was he?
Her wariness toward Mahiro had never faded. Even last night, she had someone investigate him.
But they found nothing.
There truly was no one named Yotsuba Mahiro in the Tokyo area—not even anyone with the surname Yotsuba.
So now, she had two possible conclusions.
Either Mahiro was lying and was a survivor of the New Human Creation Plan, or everything he said was true.
But the truth would soon come to light.
"Satomi-kun, Mahiro, you may begin."
"Understood."
Rentaro nodded cautiously.
The rules of this match were simple: fight with all their strength.
Rentaro immediately agreed without issue.
But Mahiro merely nodded. How much strength he would use depended entirely on his opponent's ability.
If they were too weak, he might accidentally kill them with a single punch.
But given that Rentaro had cybernetic enhancements—much like a certain Morgan Blackhand—he probably wouldn't be too weak, right?
The next moment, the fight began.
After settling into his stance, Rentaro suddenly lunged forward, closing the distance between them in an instant, and threw an uppercut without hesitation.
Though he hadn't used his full strength, the angle and timing were decent—at least, that's what Rentaro himself believed.
Yet Mahiro dodged it effortlessly, merely tilting his head without even shifting his feet.
"Holding back, Satomi-san? You're being a little disrespectful."
"My apologies. I'll get serious now."
Rentaro smiled apologetically before launching a flurry of attacks.
—Bam! Bam! Bam!
The two clashed fiercely at the center of the dojo.
To an outsider, it seemed like a back-and-forth, intense battle.
But that was only to an outsider.
To Mahiro, it was nothing of the sort.
Slow.
Far too slow.
Both in speed and power, it was like watching a snail crawl.
His combat skills were terrible—not even comparable to that bald guy, Kokonoe Yakumo.
Though each move was indeed profound and intricate, the execution was far too crude, and he kept holding back.
None of the strikes carried their full potential.
"Sigh…"
Mahiro exhaled lightly in resignation. As he dodged a hook, he clenched one hand into a fist and thrust it forward.
Boom!
The shockwave sent his clothes fluttering as the punch landed squarely on Rentaro's chest. With a heavy thud, the man was sent flying backward.
"Satomi-kun!"
Kisara couldn't help but cry out.
But midair, Rentaro had already adjusted his posture. Skidding across the wooden floor for four or five meters, he charged forward again.
"It's not over yet!!"
That had just been a probing attack—now it was time to get serious!
Rentaro closed the distance with all his might, planting his feet firmly.
Tendo Combat Style, Second Form, Sixteenth Technique—
"Hidden Bullet: Sky Wind!"
Like a rising dragon's strike, an upward kick shot straight up along Mahiro's centerline—it seemed he intended to end the match with this single decisive blow.
Leaning back slightly, the black leather boot whooshed past Mahiro's face with a sharp gust of wind.
"Hidden Bullet: Subtle Shining Cave!"
Before his right foot could even touch the ground, his left leg pushed off forcefully, executing a spinning front kick midair.
—Whap!
The strike was blocked once more by a forearm.
Rentaro, still maintaining his kicking stance, had beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He hastily retreated several steps.
Never before had he encountered such an opponent. He had already exerted 100% of his physical strength, yet his adversary had effortlessly deflected his attacks.
"Those two moves were somewhat interesting. But now it's my turn—please be careful."
Mahiro brushed the slightly dirtied hem of his clothes and politely reminded him.
Without waiting to see if his words had registered, he moved instantly.
Appearing before Rentaro as if teleporting, he mimicked the earlier stance and unleashed the same technique—
"Hidden Bullet: Sky Wind!"
A fierce gale surged upward—a ruthless high kick slicing through Rentaro's centerline.
Unfortunately, in his normal state, Rentaro lacked Mahiro's monstrous reflexes, let alone the speed of this strike, which was far swifter than anticipated.
Even if his eyes caught it, his body couldn't react in time.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the heel of the boot smashed squarely into his chin.
Crack!
Rentaro's body was instantly launched into the air, soaring backward.
For a brief moment, his mind went blank—as if his consciousness had been snuffed out.
By the time he regained awareness, he found himself sprawled on the ground.
"Rentaro-kun!"
This time, Kisara could no longer hold back. She rushed forward and helped him up.
"Are you alright?!"
"Cough—cough!"
Fortunately, Rentaro only coughed a few times—nothing too serious.
"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?"
Mahiro quickly approached as well, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine... But that move just now—"
More than the physical pain, what preoccupied him was the technique Mahiro had just used.
Yet it wasn't just Rentaro—even Kisara frowned slightly, casting a questioning glance toward Mahiro.
Even if she hadn't trained in the Tendo-ryu martial arts, it was obvious that Mahiro's attack was far more refined than Rentaro's—at least decades of dedicated practice would be needed to reach that level.
Even his senior disciple who had been expelled from the school—Nagisawa Shouma—probably couldn't achieve such mastery.
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. Because my eyes can see through the essence of things, I can instantly learn any technique used in front of me," Mahiro explained calmly.
Rentaro: "...?"
Kisara: "...??"
For real?
No joke?
He can instantly master any technique he sees?!
If Mahiro truly had no ulterior motives, then hadn't they just stumbled upon a treasure?!
In an instant, Kisara developed an immense interest in Mahiro!
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