Manifest Manufacturing

[Ding—]

[Nurture: Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi obedience level +1.]

[Received obedience level increase reward: Tiny Bell.]

[A tiny bell crafted using Azakana Craft. Its chime was crisp, and it had the special effect of concealing the sound source's location.]

[Received nurture material cost compensation.]

["Beginner Combat Record" ×2.]

[...]

Unlike the affinity increases of ordinary Operators,

Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, whose affinity toward Su Youzi was negative, had increased... an attribute known as obedience.

However, Su Youzi looked at Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's obedience increase reward.

Th-this... wasn't this an item she had used in last night's dream?

Hiss—

How strange.

Ever since Su Youzi had realized that the rewards for increasing the Operators' affinity were all closely related to their traits,

either they were things the Operators liked,

or... things that could be used in their future happy lives.

Su Youzi had often found herself unable to look directly at certain Operators' affinity increase rewards.

She walked out of the hospital room.

She had obtained rather valuable intelligence from Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.

For example, the blackish-purple Eye of Insight tattoo that had disappeared from the man's chest.

And, for example... the equipment the man had worn to resist Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's Mental Interference.

Su Youzi handed the Eye of Insight tattoo drawn by the girl, along with the blueprint of the headphone-like Technology Department equipment, to Kujo Ryuko, who was waiting outside the hospital room.

Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was a bona fide Mental Ability User.

When Mental Interference was activated, everything within its range was imprinted in the girl's mind as though it had been rendered in 3D.

Therefore... the Eye of Insight tattoo she had drawn and that piece of Technology Department equipment both held considerable reference value.

Kujo Ryuko frowned at the headphones in the blueprint.

"Epiphany..."

"What?" Su Youzi looked at Kujo Ryuko.

Beside them, Soga Ishikawa Irube, who had also heard Kujo Ryuko, stepped forward to explain to Su Youzi.

"Manifest Manufacturing."

"It's a remarkably mysterious Technology Department organization."

"Almost every piece of Technology Department equipment with epoch-making significance has their shadow behind it."

Su Youzi nodded to show that she understood.

Manifest Manufacturing's most representative product was the Medical Unit that had pulled Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi back from death's door—

Medical consumables with almost no drawbacks aside from their price.

Beyond that, all sorts of Technology Department equipment in the game, even... some items like those used in last night's dream, were filled with Manifest Manufacturing's presence.

"Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was right." Kujo Ryuko looked at the headphones in the blueprint.

"Equipment issued directly by Manifest Manufacturing is all very special."

"They aren't things you can simply buy with money."

"Following this lead, we might really uncover some clues."

After hesitating, Kujo Ryuko handed the blueprint in her hand to the young female police superintendent. "Hayabusa..."

"Go investigate these headphones."

"And..." With a slight furrow of her brow, Kujo Ryuko looked at the blackish-purple eye-shaped tattoo on the other blueprint.

Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had said that the Eye of Insight symbol had once lit up on the man's chest.

But when they had salvaged the taxi and the man's corpse from the sea, they had not seen the Eye of Insight symbol.

"Go examine that guy's chest."

"See whether there's anything unusual."

"Yes." The young female police superintendent nodded to show she understood.

"Oh, right—" As though she had suddenly remembered something, Kujo Ryuko added.

"Guangzheng District..."

"Inspect every recent corpse related to Altered Users from the entire vicinity of Tokyo."

"See if you can find any common ground."

"Understood, Lord Kujo." The young female police superintendent called Hayabusa turned and left.

"Senior Kujo, aren't you going with her?" Seeing Kujo Ryuko giving orders, Su Youzi stepped forward slightly and asked.

Based on what Su Youzi knew of Kujo Ryuko from the game,

whenever something involved Altered Users, Kujo Ryuko had always charged into the front lines.

Especially with an evil cult like this... one that dragged innocent people into its affairs and forcibly transformed them into Altered Users.

Kujo Ryuko should have been dying to dig three feet into the ground to root them out.

Her current behavior seemed very unusual.

Kujo Ryuko looked at Su Youzi.

Honestly... she truly wanted to rush out immediately, find the nest of those Eye of Insight cultists, and wipe them all out in one go.

But... she looked at Su Youzi.

"You're in danger too."

"You're their primary target."

"Staying by your side could also let me lie in wait for those people's trail."

Kujo Ryuko was practically saying outright, I'm staying by your side to protect you.

Su Youzi shook her head.

"As long as I don't leave the academy, I'm actually very safe."

Since the incident with Sakai Miho, not a single member of the Eye of Insight cult had appeared directly around her.

Other than the academy's fairly solid security measures, Su Youzi felt there was an even greater reason.

For example... this might merely be the calm before the storm.

Or perhaps... there was Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's remark—when Su Youzi mentioned "rats," it was as though she had immediately struck the other person's sore spot.

Su Youzi felt that things might not be so simple.

She looked at Soga Toyura, who was lying in a recliner within the Operator Cultivation interface, sunbathing while even hugging a life-sized body pillow.

It probably... had something to do with this girl.

"Senior Kujo, please go and focus on your work." Su Youzi smiled at Kujo Ryuko.

Su Youzi had a feeling in her heart.

The sooner this matter was resolved, the better.

She did not want to see another girl fall into the Evilfall Abyssal Anomaly and enter an Anomalous state.

"However..."

"Please be careful."

Taking two dark-red movie tickets from her pocket, Su Youzi stuffed them into Kujo Ryuko's hand.

"These are movie tickets for next weekend."

"Please come with me then, Senior Kujo."

"Mhm." Trying hard to keep her face composed and maintain a cold, forceful appearance before Su Youzi,

Kujo Ryuko carefully tucked the movie tickets, which seemed to still carry the warmth of the maiden's pocket, into the inner pocket of her clothes.

"While I'm investigating this."

"Youzi..."

"No matter what happens, don't leave the grounds of Shiritsu Megumi Garden Academy."

"Okay~" Su Youzi agreed with a smile.

Only after her scarlet eyes carefully studied the girl's reaction did Kujo Ryuko turn and leave.

Su Youzi watched Kujo Ryuko until she was gone.

Then, Su Youzi gracefully bowed to Soga Ishikawa Irube. "Uncle Iribe."

"I'll go to class first, then."

Aside from Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi and Kujo Ryuko's Combat Records,

she still had several batches of "crops" to harvest today.

"Mhm." Soga Ishikawa Irube nodded to show he understood.

The burly man carefully twisted the hospital room's doorknob and hunched over as he squeezed inside.

In the room, the girl curled up beneath the blankets still had reddened eyes.

The two of them listened as the maiden's footsteps outside gradually faded away.

"Fa..."

"Father..." The girl with reddened eyes choked out.

"I... I want to transfer schools."

Her hospital gown lay messily tossed aside.

The girl's pale hand gripped the blanket tightly.

She never wanted to see that demon again.

Didn't... want to?