Shijima was resting in his private chamber back in his gangs base. His face had slightly lost its luster, which showed just how tired he was. This was caused by none other than his exhausting duty.

The battle between those two large gangs in the slum city had left a large vacant territory. Thankfully, the other slum gangs were able to talk it out and peacefully divide the vacant territory. The result from their discussion was that Sheryl would take half of the territory left by the Ezont Family. She would also lend all of that territory for Shijimas gang to manage. In exchange for that, the gang would share the profit from managing that territory fifty-fifty.

Of course, this would mean that Sheryls gang would get 50% of the profit without having to manage that territory. Normally speaking, it was a very greedy deal, despite that, the other gangs still accepted it. This showed just how frightened the other gangs were of Akira and Viola, who were behind Sheryls gang.

Having control of the territory meant that Shijima could fake the reports for the expense so that his own gang could gain more money. As a matter of fact, they were already doing it. But since no one could tell what kind of retribution Akira might bring down on them if it were to leak out, they were being extremely careful and only did it to a tolerable limit.

Now that Sheryl had lent the territory for him to manage, Shijma was employing people from the other gangs to work under him in order to manage it. As he was the head, he was also responsible for the distribution of profits. Unfortunately, with how big the Ezont familys territory was, it produced a large amount of profit. This caused more friction between the gangs. Shijima was basically having a hard time adjusting arrangements to appease everyone. Although managing this area did significantly increase his gangs prowess and influence, it also put him under a lot of stress.

One of Shijmas men then entered the room.

Boss, is it a good time?

Im resting right now. If its not an emergency, save it for later. If it is about some members from the other gangs fighting over a girl or something, let them settle that matter between their own gangs themself. Theres no need to bring everything to me.

No, its just that we noticed some movement from Sheryls gang. So just to be safe, Im here to report to you about it.

After hearing that report, Shijimas face stiffened. It seemed that an officer from City Management visited Sheryls base in order to meet Sheryl, himself. Normally, no one would believe it, but if it was the truth, it was not something that could be ignored.

Are you sure this information is correct?

One thing that we have confirmed is that a certain vehicle with the City Management emblem on it was spotted entering Sheryls base, along with someone wearing an expensive-looking suit. He was escorted by a bunch of heavily armed bodyguards who came out from that vehicle. This is from our men working in Sheryls base, thats why we know that this is definitely true.

Ive heard rumours that their relic shop relies on someone from City Management, as the gang provides side income to that person. City Management also dispatched manpower to guard that relic shop. Ive always thought that its just a rumour that Viola fabricated, but it seems that its not the case, huh?

Shijima looked immensely confused and uncertain. If he was able to use this information wisely, he would be able to gain a lot of benefit from it, but if not, it might end up with the destruction of his gang. There was no doubt that he had to be careful on how to deal with this situation.

Let the other gangs know about it too. If they ask for a meeting to discuss it, tell them that were still considering what to do regarding the same. And even if were going to convene a meeting, well only do it after I ask Sheryl about it.

Roger that, Boss.

After the guy left the room, Shijima frowned and mumbled.

Good grief, they were only a small gang made up of slum children not too long ago, and now it has grown significantly again.

Thinking about what kind of disturbance it might cause and how much work that he needed to do to take care of it, Shijima heaved a huge sigh.

***

Inside Sheryls room in her base, Akira and Inabe were sitting facing each other. Behind Inabe, there was a group of heavily armed soldiers as if they were planning to go to the inner part of a ruin later. Akira was also using an augmented suit and carried his SSB rifles. Though, he left his blade behind since it was too long, and might obstruct him from sitting down on a chair.

Sheryl was not sure if it was appropriate for her to stay, but due to Inabes request, she decided to leave the room. So after she placed the coffee on the table, she excused herself.

Inabe started.

Before we get into the heart of the matter, I have a few questions. Although it might be weird for me to be complaining, youre the one who wanted to have the meeting here. If you have a reason for it, please do tell me.

If you rather choose to meet somewhere in the ruin, we can go there now though.

No, its not something as secretive as that. Ah, did you choose this place since you thought this would be a discussion that is meant to be kept secret?

Its just that its more comfortable for me to talk somewhere Im familiar with.

I see.

After a short pause, Inabe stopped chasing the subject. Akira only thought that it was rather weird for Inabe to stop there, but he did not bother to think any further than that. In contrast to him, Inabe tried to read deeper into the situation.

At first, they originally planned to have the meeting in a high-class restaurant on the upper floor of the Kugama building. But Akira said that he would rather have the meeting in Sheryls base and so that plan was changed.

This was because Akira was being more careful than usual, considering that Inabe wanted to offer him a request without passing it through the Hunter Office. Furthermore, he knew from his conversation with Kibayashi that sometimes people invited high-ranking Hunters to some high-class restaurant that they were not familiar with to trick them into signing an unfair contract. That was why Akira chose to have the meeting in Sheryls base instead. Not to mention that in this case, he could use the excuse that this offer had come to him through Sheryl, so it was not strange if he wanted to have that meeting in Sheryls base.

From what Akira did, Inabe continued to ponder.

[He might have noticed that I was the person behind the deal he made in the deeper part of the Kuzusuhara ruin the other day. Or, it could be that Sheryls gang is actually Akiras gang and he had chosen to meet within his territory in order to gain the upper hand during negotiation. There is also the possibility of him deliberately making me visit this base in order to show off our relationship to the other gangs and exert more influence on them]

Inabe pondered just how much Akira was involved in everything since the day Viola visited the temporary base.

[If that is indeed the case, then Akira is not only a high-ranking Hunter, he is also a Hunter who thirsts for money and power. There are many Hunters who use slum city gangs to do covert illegal activities, after all.]

Inabe then came to a conclusion, although there was evidence that disproved his theories, it was still wise to be careful.

Now then, before we start, I have one thing to say. Although its not something so secretive for us to have this meeting in the inner part of a ruin, it is still a classified meeting related to the City Management. So Ill need you to keep this confidential as a proper Hunter, also remember that there are consequences if you break this promise. Are you okay with it?

Sure.

Then lets begin.

Inabe was planning to do a large-scale expedition to explore the inner part of the Kuzusuhara ruin. Not only would it involve a lot of Hunters, but he was also planning to deploy the humanoid weapons that were just approved for deployment recently. Of course, it would not be a cheap operation, if the expedition fails, it would incur a huge loss for him. But even so, Inabe placed his bet on the expedition and he was in the process of gathering the manpower necessary right now.

After hearing Inabe explain, Akira frowned and looked a bit conflicted.

Im sure you know about this, but I almost got killed in Kuzuusuhara ruin a few times recently, right? To be honest, I have no plans to go there anytime soon.

Facing danger is an occupational hazard for a Hunter. Moreover, we will leave most of the job to the humanoid soldiers. The Hunters would only be deployed once the robots finished securing the area, so you guys can focus only on gathering relics. Dont worry, the City Management also plans to deploy powerful powered suits as well, Im sure that youre familiar with the type of powered suit that were talking about here and just how powerful they are. And unlike during the previous incident in Kuzusuhara ruin, they will not be in a testing phase, so theyre not restricted to only melee weapons anymore. We will have enough fighting power to safely conduct the expedition.

Even if you say so

Even with that added, Akira seemed to be reluctant. But Inabe then continued.

I heard that youre ordering powerful equipment through a City Management staff member, Kibayashi, right? Im actually involved in that matter as well.

Akiras expression immediately changed.

What do you mean?

Akiras expression, stare, and voice were all projecting a level of hostility. Inabes bodyguards inadvertently reacted to that hostility. The mood inside the room immediately tensed up.

Although Inabe kept his calm demeanour from the outside, he was actually taken aback. The bodyguards for a City Managements officer were in no way weak. He thought that Akira should be aware of it and he would not try anything funny there, but Akiras stance was showing that he had no problem having a fight here and now.

Inabe thought that unnecessary intimidation might be counter-effective in this case as he changed his approach to the meeting.

Oh, dont misunderstand me. I have no plans to get in your way of getting new equipment if you refuse this offer. As a matter of fact, it is the opposite, I can help you with your new equipments if you accept this offer.

As Akiras intimidating aura gradually receded, Inabe let out a sigh of relief in his heart before continuing.

Youre looking for powerful equipment that you cant get through normal means, right? Not to mention that youre willing to spend most of your reward on it. Im sure that Kibayashi has some extraordinary connections that can help you with that, and I bet they will be able to answer your expectation well. But I know, theres still a limit on how far a mere staff can do. Unlike him, I can connect you with some powerful people. Just so you know, I can even get you that black powered suit. If you accept this offer and do a good job in gathering relics during the expedition, Im willing to help you out with your equipment. So how about that?

I dont really want that powered suit though.

Im just saying that I can even get you something that powerful. When youre looking for powerful equipment, money alone is not enough. Youll also need a high Hunter Rank. After all, there are many corporations that only make deals with Hunters with a high enough ranking. You are relying on Kibayashi in order to circumvent that problem, right?

Well, thats true, but

Then theres no reason to hesitate here. Although it sounds suspicious for me to say this, this expedition is a rare chance even for you. At least Ill let you know about this. During the expedition, the area would be closed from public access. After all, it would be troublesome if some Hunters not from the expedition team take away the relics in that area. It is difficult to get the chance to join this kind of expedition. Normally, Hunters would fight each other for this offer. As a matter of fact, theres an ongoing competition behind the scenes between the representatives of various Hunter gangs. You can join this expedition without the need to go through any of that. So, theres no reason for you to hesitate.

Akira himself thought that it was indeed an enticing offer, but that was exactly what made him suspicious.

To be honest, this offer sounds too good to be true for me though. Is there any reason you are prioritizing me that much?

Inabe took a short pause before he lightly smiled and confessed.

Well, I cant tell you all the details, but basically, youre already well past the criteria to be included in this operation. For example, your Hunter Rank. City Management actually decided to temporarily stop the supply line expansion into Kuzusuhara ruin. During this break, all the other officers are also planning to launch a large scale expedition. But in order to do that, they need enough capable manpower. Because of that, we are actually competing for Hunters above Rank 40, you see. Thats why were offering you all of these things in order to get you to join my expedition. Although I already received answers from the other Hunters who are above Rank 40, the more Hunters I have, the better it is.

Akira was okay with that answer, but he still requested extra confirmation.

Alpha.

Hes not lying, but hes also hiding something.

So hes not as kind as to tell me everything, huh.

Yep, exactly.

Just to be safe, Akira then asked Inabe a question with a serious face.

Im sorry if this offends you, but tell me, you have no wish to cause me any harm, right?

And here I thought what you would ask. Listen here, if you keep being paranoid like that, this is not how a negotiation-

Akiras intense serious stare stopped Inabe, who then fixed his tone and said with an equally serious expression.

No.

Alpha.

Not lying.

Akira lightly sighed.

Alright then, Ill take your offer. Sorry for being too careful. I hope you can understand if I say that I know someone by the name of Viola.

Inabe inadvertently smiled wryly.

That explains everything then. It seems that she has troubled you as well, huh?

Yeah.

Akira smiled bitterly. Those who knew what he was talking about would understand very well, such an awkward feeling of camaraderie wafted in the air.

After Inabe finished his business with Akira, he went to see the relic shop, and after a small talk with Sheryl, he finally left the base. This time, he headed to the lower district of Kugamayama city.

Inabe replayed in his mind what just happened in the base and smiled confidently.

[Akira, Sheryl, Viola, what a gathering of dangerous people. I wonder what they are planning, to form a gang together like that. The answer to that might lie in the reason why Akira is looking for powerful equipment. Well, it doesnt really matter, Ill use this chance to reap some profit for myself.]

One of Inabes men suddenly called him.

Inabe-sama, its about Drankam. The negotiator from Drankams side said that the Hunter were asking for is not doing so well. So it might be difficult to arrange a meeting with him.

It doesnt matter, tell them that were going there as originally planned. Inform them to threaten that Hunter if he doesnt seem interested. And if that still doesnt work, tell them to just leave the negotiation to us, Ill have a face to face talk with him.

Understood!

After a short pause, the same subordinate called Inabe again.

Inabe-sama, we can call Drankams negotiator right now if you wish.

Inabe smiled bitterly.

[So he even refused an order from Drankams officer, huh. Although hes an upcoming star, theyre basically spoiling this young Hunter. And this really is the guy that Yanagisawa has his eyes on too Honestly speaking, I dont like him.]

His hatred toward Yanagisawa caused Inabes face to stiffen.

[Well, it doesnt really matter. Ill just assume thats just how strong that Hunter is, Ill make good use of him.]

Inabe then readjusted his expression suitable for negotiation.

Connect me.

This is Mizuha. Inabe-sama, we are really sorry about this and we are really grateful for this chance, but unfortunately-

Inabe energetically cut short Mizuhas long apology.

Just listen here. Katsuya-kun, was it? I dont really know the reason, but I heard something happened to him and that he is no longer fit for duty. I bet it has caused you a lot of trouble considering that hes a team leader, right? If you keep that up, Im sure Yanagisawa would no longer evaluate you as highly. Man, that must be really rough.

Indeed, it is exactly as you say

I actually might have an inkling on how to fix it.

You do?!

Hearing Mizuhas rather exaggerated response, Inabes smile widened.

I wont say anything bad. Just arrange a meeting with him. Ill get him back on his feet and you wont worsen your relationship with me. Im heading there right now, so make the preparations for the meeting.

Inabe then closed the call without even waiting for Mizuhas reply. After all, there was no need to wait for her reply.

Katsuya was sitting with his head hung low inside his room. He did not even remember how he got back after Sheryl had left him. As a matter of fact, it was even suspicious if he remembered anything in the past few days. The half-eaten meal next to him showed that he had also lost his appetite. Although the light was on, it was because Yumina and the other girls turned them on, worried for him. There was no doubt if he was left alone, he would just continue to despair inside this dark space.

The shock from when he parted off with Sheryl still lingered in him.

Yumina and the other girls entered the room, worried for him. When they told Katsuya that Inabe came to see him, he only glanced and showed a minimal response. So Yumina and the other girls had no other choice but to grab his arm and carry him out of the room on their shoulders. He did not even resist when they did that.

Katsuya was sitting face to face with Inabe in Drankams visitor room. Many young Hunters gathered around Katsuya and Mizuha, and all of them seemed gloomy.

Even Inabe felt a bit creeped out after seeing it.

[So basically, the mood of the whole team is determined by the mood of the main actor of the team, huh? A team heavily affected by the condition of its leader I bet all of them are in Katsuyas team. I see now, as expected, the team is not fit for duty in this condition.]

Inabe then turned to Mizuha.

Ill have everyone but him leave this room.

But hes in this situation, so its not like we can just leave him alone-

No. This meeting includes private information for him and other information regarding the interest of City Management. So the fewer ears around, the better. Thats why I want everyone unrelated to leave the room.

Seeing that all of them were reluctant to leave, Inabe sighed and sent an intense glare as he once again ordered.

Leave!

Seeing that, Mizuha and the rest finally left the room. Yumina, who left last, turned around and bowed at Inabe as if pleading to him before she closed the door behind her.

[He even acted like that in front of a Drankams officer and an officer from City Management, huh? As I thought, the gang is really spoiling him. This is simply abnormal even for Yanagisawas influence. Honestly, these guys put too much stock in him. I just cant understand what they are thinking.]

Inabe decided to shelf that question for now. In order to start the negotiation, he then smiled and said to Katsuya.

Now then, Im not sure if youre even listening or not, but before we go on to the main subject, theres a small thing that I want to talk to you about. I heard that you got rejected by Sheryl, that must be rough.

Inabes tone was obviously directed to mock Katsuya instead of cheering him up, causing Katsuyas anger to well up. This anger turned into energy and returned the colour on his face as Katsuya who was unresponsive up until now sent a glare toward Inabes direction.

So why are you here? You have no business with a mere Hunter who has no relation to Sheryl, right?

Thats indeed correct, thats why I have some business with you.

Katsuya showed a bit of surprise. Inabes mocking smile shifted into a friendly one and he did that deliberately.

W-what do you mean?

As a businesswoman and the leader of a gang, there are times when she has to make hard decisions, thats all there is to it.

Inabes words rejuvenated Katsuyas hope, who had always been wishing that there was a reason why Sheryl did that. There must be some kind of misunderstanding there.

Tell me, tell me everything.

If you really want to know, stop hanging your head and straighten your back. Thats not how you present yourself during a negotiation, you know?

Katsuya flusteredly straightened his back. Seeing that, Inabe was sure that he had secured his victory.

Sorry to start from something unpleasant, but to put it in simple terms, Sheryl has debts, or more like a loan. Well, both refer to the same thing anyway.

Debt

From that word, Katsuya immediately made a guess that Akira was trying to get Sheryl by using that debt as an excuse. So naturally, he then thought that he might be able to take that debt off from Sheryl.

That debt, how much is it exactly?

I dont know the precise number, but one thing for sure, it is not small. Let me ask you this instead, how much do you think it might be?

Considering that it was large enough to force Sheryl to make such a hard decision, Katsuya paused for a bit before wording out his guess

Like, 30 million No, 50 million Aurum?

Katsuya only guessed that it must be pretty big but not completely out of reach for him when he said that. But Inabe shook his head and replied.

Unfortunately, its way more than that.

Way more than that? So I guess its not like 55 million either, so, 500 million?

Its at least 5 billion. It might go as high as 10 billion or even more.

Katsuya dropped his jaw and flusteredly exclaimed.

A-are you serious!? Thats just way too much no matter how you slice it

Its the debt of someone who can even attend that feast, you know? 30 million Aurum? 50 million Aurum? Heh, theres no way its that small. It seems that you dont fully understand the real worth of the people who can attend that feast. People in that event can casually make deals worth billions of Aurum. Well, although, theres a difference whether it is her debt or the debt of her organization.

Katsuya still had not fully recovered from the shock as he listened to Inabe.

The larger the corporation, the bigger the liability in the case that corporation goes under. And then the debt, well, investment, loan, you can call it whatever you want. It takes talent to be able to manage that much money. After all, the person loaning it out did it expecting to get something in return. That girl basically is just that talented, but then she failed. I guess thats what happened.

Katsuya understood that it was something out of his capabilities and frowned.

But even so, theres no doubt in her talent, so I bet shes trying to get up again with the little amount of money she has. And in reality, she is doing very well considering that shes able to attend that feast. Sheryl is actually earning money by selling relics at the moment. It is not something strange in the eastern district. Im sure she will be able to pay back her debt soon at this rate, thats why Im sponsoring her relic shop as well. We did talk about business during the feast, remember? Thats exactly what we were talking about back there.

Katsuya did not expect that Sheryl was having such a hard time, at the same time, he hated himself since he could not help her.

Sheryl needs relics for her relic shop, thats why she needs skilled Hunters. Fortunately, she has some connections with Akira Now then, I bet youre asking yourself why would she go to Akira when you yourself are a skilled Hunter, right?

Yeah.

Youre indeed a skilled Hunter, your Hunter Rank is pretty high as well. I myself have confirmed that youre a skilled Hunter based on the information that I gathered about you. But, unfortunately, youre not the kind of Hunter that Sheryl is looking for. After all, youre a skilled monster Hunter. Most of your track records are from subjugating monsters or protecting inter-city transports. So, unfortunately, this track record cant attest for your skill in hunting relics. But thats not the case for Akria. Hes doing very well as a relic Hunter. Hes basically a proficient treasure Hunter.

If its only that much, not too long ago I found some old-world terminal, right?

Just that one time out of coincidence, right? We cant really expect you to keep producing that kind of result just from that one time, right?

Katsuya could not argue back and just sat there in silence.

Moreover, even if its not from coincidence but from your talent, that doesnt change much from Sheryls point of view. Youre a Hunter from Drankam, the gang decides where the relics that you gathered will go, not you. I bet they wont let you give those relics to Sheryl even if it is to get on your good side, and it wont work even if Sheryl tries to negotiate with Drankam. The Hunters in Drankam are receiving a lot of support from the gang and it is not cheap. Its only to be expected that the relics its members gather will go there first. They will have no relics available for Sheryl. In contrast to that, Akira is an independent Hunter, which is rare to find. So, if she can just get on his good side, she will be able to expect some relics to go to her.

Katsuya imagined a lot of things and frowned.

Is he that good of a relic Hunter? Enough for Sheryl to do that?

I have my position to consider here, so make sure that this wont leak outside, okay? It seems that Akria brought back old-world automata just recently. I heard that he was working as a team, so the money from that automata will be distributed to the rest of his team and Sheryl wouldnt get anything this time. Even at this moment, there are many companies competing to get those automata. Just imagine how much it would profit Sheryl if those relics went to her instead. It wont be strange for her to expect Akira to achieve the same thing in the future. And the more Akira likes her, the better the chance his relics will go to her. I bet thats why she doesnt spare any effort in order to get Akira to like her.

Katsuya imagined even more and his frown deepened.

She did not know that you and Akira are on bad terms. After seeing how you reacted. As a businesswoman and the leader of her gang, her options were between you and Akira, but her only choice was to side with Akira. There was no room for her own feelings, it was a hard decision. Well, it is all just my guess though. Im not her after all, so I dont know what exactly she was thinking at that moment. But well, I can guess that much judging from how you two were talking during the feast.

Katsuya was hoping that there was a reason why Sheryl did that and this pretty much confirmed it for him. But what laid after was something that was out of his reach, something worse than he had expected.

Is there Really nothing that I can do?

Seeing Katsuya hand his head low in frustration again, Inabe then said to him, as if to give him hope.

Actually, Im planning a large scale expedition to Kuzusuhara ruins inner area and I need a lot of skilled Hunters for executing this plan. So yes, Im planning to hire a lot of skilled Hunters who specialize in hunting monsters in order to secure the area of the expedition. If were successful, Im sure we can return with a lot of relics from this expedition. Of course, I will have ownership over those relics and where to send them. Normally, I will prioritize sending those relics to corporations connected to City Management, but if you perform well during the expedition, I dont mind giving some of the relics to Sheryl. Of course, I will inform her that it was mostly thanks to your hard work. If Sheryl knows that she has other options for her sources of relics, Im sure her evaluation of Akira would lower, and she would not have to make that kind of tough decision anymore. She will have other options besides Akira. So, What do you think?

Inabe said so and gave Katsuya a friendly smile. But he was surprised when he looked at Katsuyas expression, a sense of resolve was welling up from his serious face. Katsuya then lowered his head to Inabe.

Please, let me join your expedition.

Of course, certainly.

Inabe was a bit overwhelmed by the powerful determination oozing out from Katsuya that felt like physical pressure.

[So this is the real him, huh. I see. No wonder Drankam is so invested in him. I bet the people around him lost to this as well, this would explain why Drankam has broken into factions.]

In order to keep control of the conversation, Inabe deliberately let off an authoritative smile.

We have a deal then. Dont worry, I will keep my promise. Thats why, keep this a secret, okay? I have my position to consider here. You get it, right?

Ah, yes.

Sounds good. If they ask you what happened, just tell them that you got fired up after I offered you a highly profitable ruin expedition. To be honest, I dont really care what excuse you make as long as you keep this a secret.

Okay.

Now then, I have nothing more I want to talk to you about. I need to go meet the original negotiator from Drankam to let her know that this matter has been settled. So, Ill take my leave.

Inabe stood up and walked towards the door. Katsuya also stood up, flustered, and bowed to Inabe.

Ah, um, thank you very much!

Youre welcome. Im looking forward to your work.

As Inabe left the room, he noticed that Yumina and the others were waiting nearby. Even Mizuha was present, so he called on her to request a meeting for another time.

Inabe found Mizuha and the others reaction rather weird, all of them looked delighted. The gloomy mood that they had right before they left the room was nowhere to be seen. Since Katsuya was still inside the room, there was no way they knew that Katsuya had cheered up.

[Were they eavesdropping? Good grief, these guys really have no manners.]

Inabe thought so and just pushed that matter out of his mind.

In reality, they did not eavesdrop. Considering just how much that it might hurt them in the future, there was no way a Drankam officer would do something like that to an officer from City Management. And of course, she would not let Yumina and the others do that as well.

Inside the room, Katsuya apologized to Yumina and the others for making them worry. He apologized, smiled and pumped himself up for the upcoming expedition.

Everyone present was delighted that Katsuya was able to cheer up in such a short time. Strangely enough, no one found it suspicious.