Mara completed her mission exactly the way she promised.
A quiet report arrived at Mori's desk at midnight. One of his men entered the office, bowed deeply and then handed the file over him. Mori skimmed the papers for barely ten seconds before a slow smile stretched on his face.
"The report said the rat died precisely at seven." Mori said while tapping the report with a finger. "It was a clean shot straight to the temple."
Then he chuckled softly. Mori was clearly impressed.
"The police are panicking. They can't find the bullet at all. They even brought in specialists and yet... Nothing. Not even a fragment."
Dazai stood beside the desk. His hands were inside his pockets while keeping his face unreadable. His eye flicked toward Mara who calmly stood in front of them like someone who had just finished a simple errand and not a murder.
Mori leaned back in his chair and looked at her with interest burning in his gaze.
"Well then, Ms. Fujisaki. If I may ask, what is your special ability?"
Dazai immediately stepped forward. His tone was light but he was also holding a hidden warning in it.
"Mori-san, prying too much might make her your enemy. An assassin always keep their secrets to themselves."
But Mara raised a hand and stopped him.
"It's not really a secret though?" she calmly said. "It's not like I am hiding it anyway."
Dazai's jaw tightened for a second. But he said nothing and watched her carefully. Then Mara lifted her right hand. Her palm was facing upward.
For a moment, nothing happened.
But then, a gun suddenly materialized out of thin air right onto her palm. It was a sleek black pistol that fits her hand perfectly.
Mori leaned forward. His eyes were filled with interest. But Mara did not react at all. She simply held the gun and looked at them. But the moment she loosened her fingers, the gun vanished again. Mori clapped his hands once. He was surely delighted by it.
"Amazing! You can create weapons out of nowhere? Truly marvelous!"
But Mara shook her head lightly.
"No. It's not creation." she corrected. "It's spatial access."
Mara spoke simply as if she had explained this many times before.
"My ability allows me to bring anything into my hands as long as that item is within a five hundred meter radius." she explained. "Weapons, tools... Anything."
Mori's eyes gleamed with greater interest.
"So you can retrieve anything from that distance? Even through walls?"
"Yes." Mara said. "As long as the item already exists. Although there are still a few limitations to it."
Dazai's frown deepened but not enough for Mori to notice. It was just enough to show his thoughts were racing.
So that's it? Is this the ability those scientists forced out of her? Is this what she suffered for? What they tested her for?
His stomach twisted unpleasantly. He kept his posture relaxed but his nails dug into his palms inside his pockets. Mori, on the other hand, was beyond thrilled.
"Incredible." he said while smiling like a child given a new toy. "Such precision and potential. Hmm... The possibilities are endless."
Mara simply dipped her head politely as if she was used to this type of reaction. Dazai, however, studied her face. Mara looked calm as if she had worn that same calm mask for many years. He wondered how much she had really gone through.
Mori closed the file and leaned back again.
"Well then. Ms. Fujisaki, you have exceeded my expectations. Your payment will be tripled as promised." He said before nodding toward her with genuine approval. "And oh. Start thinking about your demands. If you choose to work with the Port Mafia, we will accommodate your requests."
"Anything?" Mara asked.
"As long as it's reasonable."
Mara smiled politely after that.
"Then I appreciate that."
When Mara finally left the office, a quiet stillness settled in the room. Mori leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful hum while tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. Then he looked at Dazai.
"Well then." he said. "What do you think of her?"
Dazai didn't answer right away.
Instead, he picked up the nearest folder on Mori's desk and casually flipped through it. He was giving the impression that he didn't really care. His face stayed calm and almost bored while his eyes were scanning meaningless words on the page.
Only after a long moment did he speak.
"I think you should put her in a sub-executive position." Dazai slowly said.
Mori blinked his eyes in surprise.
"That high?"
Dazai shrugged lightly before closing the folder.
"I'm just thinking ahead." he said in a lazy tone. "Someone like her could be a very good addition to our support. If she works under the mafia, it will only strengthen your position."
His voice stayed smooth but his real reason was very different. If she worked under them, Dazai could keep her close, safe, watched and protected. But Mori didn't need to know that.
Then Dazai continued in that same careless and logical voice.
"And if the traditionalists hear that someone as dangerous and skilled as her is on our side, they will hesitate to attack us again. They will think twice before picking unnecessary fights. It's better for the organization."
Mori tapped his chin while thinking deeply. He seemed to consider the idea seriously. He was running through the political advantages and weighing the risks and benefits from his opinion.
"Hmm..."
The room stayed quiet for several seconds. But a small and childish voice suddenly chimed in.
"I agree!"
A tiny girl with curly blonde hair suddenly popped into existence beside Mori's desk. She was sitting on the edge of the table as if she had always been there. Elise kicked her legs happily and pointed at Dazai.
"Do what stupid Dazai said! I want a playmate!"
Dazai sighed. But Mori chuckled softly. His amusement was growing more obvious.
"Well, if even Elise-chan says so..." he said with a smile. "I suppose that settles it."
Then he turned his attention back to Dazai with a nod.
"Very well. I will accept your recommendation. Arrange her sub-executive position soon."
Dazai simply nodded his head.
"Understood."
But inside, he felt a small and indescribable wave of relief. His sister would stay close and somewhere he could finally watch over her. And this time, he wouldn't lose her again.
The next day, Dazai did not waste time.
The moment Mori gave his approval, he moved efficiently without leaving even a single detail unattended. The entire Port Mafia shifted according to his quiet orders. Although Dazai is not an official member of the Port Mafia, everyone who knew him still followed his orders.
First, he arranged Mara's official position. He worked on the needed paperwork, authorization and security clearance. Everything about her was handled within hours. From this day forward, she is now one of the sub-executive of the Port Mafia. It was a rank high enough to be respected, protected and untouchable by low level members.
No one questioned it. No one dared to. Not when everyone could feel how dangerous Dazai was.
Second, he arranged her living space. Dazai assigned her to a penthouse under the Port Mafia's hidden safe properties. It was high above the city with a wide view of Yokohama's lights. The interior was already luxurious but Dazai still ordered a full refurbishment. He put better locks, stronger windows, hidden emergency exits, silent alarms and a panic room disguised behind a bookshelf.
Third, he handled her salary. Most sub-executives received good pay but Dazai doubled it. He also arranged for her steady allowances that would never be questioned. On the papers, Dazai wrote the justification paperwork himself.
'High-risk talent must be compensated according to exceptional skill. Losing them would be a strategic blow.'
No one noticed the real truth woven between the lines. Dazai did not want her to struggle ever again.
Fourth, he quietly restructured the Port Mafia's weapon distribution system. He called for several squads of grunts and delivered the orders in his usual bored and lazy tone making it seem like a simple efficiency improvement.
"In every Port Mafia territory, put all kinds of weapons in it. Guns, blades, granades... Whatever fits the location. Do it as soon as possible."
The grunts exchanged confused glances.
"Why the sudden upgrade... Sir?" one dared to ask.
Dazai smiled lazily.
"Well, who knows? Maybe we will need it on short notice."
He never explained further. But what he didn't say the real reason. Mara's ability worked only within 500 meters. If she was ever caught in an attack, surrounded or cornered, then at least she would always have something to pull into her hand.
He couldn't erase what happened to her. He couldn't rewind the years she suffered. He couldn't undo the times she spent in the lab. He couldn't undo whatever they did to her eyes.
Because Dazai was not delusional.
He knew she had changed. He knew she wasn't the cheerful girl he grew up with. She wasn't the same little girl who clung to his sleeve whenever she felt anxious.
No. This version was quiet, careful and calculating. Her eyes reflected neither fear nor warmth. There was only a strange calm.
She had survived alone. She had killed alone. She had built herself from broken pieces without him. And Dazai had no right to drag her back to who she used to be.
All he could do now was make sure her present and future were safer than her past. And so, he would worked behind the scenes to make sure Yokohama itself became her arsenal.
After everything was arranged, Dazai stood in the quiet hallway of headquarters. He was watching the night sky through the glass windows.
The next day, Dazai had planned to check on Mara the next morning. Maybe he could pretend he was only passing by her new penthouse floor by accident. But he never got the chance.
Mori was calling him again. Dazai clicked his tongue softly. So he dragged himself to Mori's office and not bothering to hide his lack of enthusiasm. The doors opened and Mori was already waiting for with that calm and eerie smile he always wore when something troublesome was about to happen.
"Well then, Dazai-kun..." Mori said with a light tone. "I have a new job for you."
Dazai raised a brow but didn't respond. He simply stood there with bored eyes staring back at him. Mori placed a thin folder on his desk and pushed it toward him.
"There are rumors that the Old Boss is back."
Dazai raised a brow at that.
"Is that so?" Dazai lazily asked. "Didn't we already confirm he was dead?"
"But rumors are persistent, you know? Especially when people wish they were true."
Then he slid another object across the table.
"Which brings me to this."
Dazai watched silently as Mori gave him the Silver Oracle.
"With this, you can access everything. Every secret file. Every location. Every member database." Mori said.
Then a smile curved on Mori's lips.
"And with that access, I want you to confirm the truth about this rumor."
Dazai stared at the Silver Oracle but he said nothing.
"In exchange, I will begin working on what you asked for."
"And that is?"
"Your painless death." Mori simply said. "I will make a medicine that can finally kill you. Isn't that what you've always wanted, Dazai-kun?"
Dazai blinked. But inside his head, he was thinking something.
'What an idiot.'
"Is that so?" Dazai murmured. "That sounds generous of you, Mori-san."
Mori smiled warmly and completely ignoring the sarcasm behind his words. So Dazai took the Silver Oracle and put it inside the pocket of his suit.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"That is all." Mori said. "Ah, right. Avoid causing too much chaos during the investigation. We don't want unnecessary corpses piling up."
"No promises."