Chapter 71

"I'm only looking for you as a precaution, Chufei."

Efnir glanced at Yukina beside her, and their Yukina met.

She paused.

"Because the additional spot is for my younger sister, Shiomi Yukina, she is joining the operation as a replacement agent, using the codename... 'Fifina'."

("Wait, wait a minute!? You mean... your sister? Shiomi Yukina??")

Masaki Hina's voice suddenly changed tone; she was clearly surprised as well.

("Why is your sister there too?")

"Something unexpected happened..."

("You're planning to... make her your agent?")

Masaki Hina's tone was as flat as ever, but Efnir could still detect a hint of surprise in it.

No, not yet.

("And you...?")

"I already said it was an accident."

Efnir took a deep breath and emphasized again.

"Just to be on the safe side, I plan to temporarily hand over 'Fifina' to her, which I currently possess..."

Masaki Hina was silent for a moment, then her voice came again.

("The 'FIfina' Beacon is in your hands, and as an experienced agent, you have the authority to make temporary changes to its ownership without having to report such matters to me.")

Masaki Hina paused for a moment, then continued.

("But... is it really okay? Letting her come with you might be dangerous. Of course, I'm not saying it's impossible. On the contrary, I've always thought that your sister, Shiomi Yukina, becoming your agent might not necessarily be a bad thing, whether for us, for you, or for her. You can't protect her forever; she needs to grow up on her own.")

"Yes, thank you for granting permission. After all, it's important property of the organization, and your commitment makes things much easier for me. However, the last sentence is superfluous."

("In that case, I won't say anything more. Let's leave anything else for after the battle. The mission must continue. I wish you a triumphant return.")

"I will."

Communication was cut off.

95. Prospective Agent

Efnir took off her headset, remained silent, and sighed.

"Sister..."

Yukina cautiously glanced at Efnir, and seeing Efnir lower her gaze with a slightly serious expression, Yukina blinked her beautiful eyes and whispered thoughtfully:

"Sis... I'm sorry... please don't be angry..."

Yukina gently tugged at Efnir's arm, but received no response, so she could only keep her mouth shut and remain silent.

After a long while, Efnir suddenly spoke.

"Yukina, what I just said was directed at both my boss and you, didn't you hear it?"

"Um..."

"You will now accompany me on missions as a quasi-agent."

"Sis, does this mean you've accepted me as someone who will fight alongside you...?"

Yukina's eyes held a hopeful look, but it was immediately shattered.

"I never said that."

Efnir glanced at Yukina, who was still angry. The unintentional look in her eyes startled Yukina, who pulled her hand back, but Efnir immediately grabbed it again.

There was a cold, hard object in her palm. Yukina opened her hands, and the familiar Butterfly Hairpin appeared in her eyes.

"This is... 'Fifina'? Sister, will you let me follow you...?"

She looked up with delight, only to see Efnir looking at her with a solemn and serious gaze she had never seen before.

"Just in case, I'm entrusting 'Fifina' to you now, but Yukina, you must promise me. Battles can change in an instant, and danger can occur at any moment, so I require you to stay by my side, to completely and utterly obey my commands, and to follow my orders without reservation. You must not act on your own. Can you do that? If not, I will send someone back to you right now."

Startled for a moment by Efnir's stern expression, Yukina gritted her teeth and answered loudly, "I... I will try my best..."

"Say 'I can do it'."

"I can do it..."

Seeing Yukina's shoulders trembling slightly, Efnir pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

"There's one last thing I need to tell you beforehand—if, and I mean if, I encounter danger and I want you to leave, you must leave without delay, okay?"

"This is... no, we can't let Naoko be put in danger Naoko..."

"No 'no' is not allowed. This is not only to protect you, but also so that I can fight with all my might."

Yukina was unable to answer.

Yukina understood what Efnir was saying. Yukina had not undergone systematic training or related studies. The agent's power was just a fairly sharp dagger to her, which might be more than enough for simple self-defense, but if she encountered a truly powerful opponent, she would only be throwing her life away.

Although Yukina was reluctant to think that way, it was the truth. If the situation was unclear, she would only be a hindrance by staying by Efnir's side, and would also distract Efnir and put her in danger.

Yukina genuinely wanted to fight alongside her sister and face danger together, but she understood that many things in this world cannot be accomplished simply by having determination.

Meeting Efnir's gaze, Yukina clutched the Beacon tightly in her hand, gently biting her lip, and nodded.

"I see..."

"From now on, you will follow me."

Efnir reached out and slid her hand across Yukina's waist, pulling Yukina into her arms.

A faint smell of aviation fuel lingered in the cabin.

The air was very noisy, and a biting wind swept wildly outside the window. The engine ravaged the steel behemoth, emitting a dull roar.

At this moment, the man in black said, "... Miss Efnir, it's time to prepare for landing."

"Um."

Efnir released Yukina and looked out the window. She could see a desolate, collapsed area of houses. This was the abandoned old town, no longer suitable for habitation after the Defense Line were tightened.

At this point, I could feel a change in the vibrations coming from the soles of my feet and the seat behind me.

Yukina instinctively clung to Efnir's arm.

Although she kept insisting on coming, she was still afraid of the unknown battle that was about to take place.

"Take this opportunity to call your aunt and uncle; they must be very worried about you."

Yukina came with her. Efnir didn't say a word about the outcome; she didn't know what her parents were feeling at that moment.

But in any case, parents should have the right to know what their daughter is doing.

"Um..."

Yukina took out her phone and started dialing.

The destination was a building next to an abandoned cemetery. From a distance, Efnir could see no fewer than forty soldiers in the vicinity.

The helicopter landed on a roadside that hadn't been maintained for a long time, and then several figures came out of the building to greet it.

The person in the lead was a woman, whom Efnir saw as soon as she stepped off the helicopter.

"Ayaka?"

Efnir looked surprised.

The person in front of me is none other than the current head of the Special Disaster Division and the commander-in-chief, Fushihara Ayaka.

Now she's dressed in special forces gear, a rifle slung at her waist, and is smiling as she approaches Efnir.

"Long time no see, Efnir."

Efnir looked at the fully armed Fushihara Ayaka in front of her, somewhat surprised, but more suspicious.

She never expected that Fushihara Ayaka would appear in this place. Normally, Fushihara Ayaka and Masaki Hina would only sit in the rear and command, and rarely rode their own horses.

Now that Fushihara Ayaka is dressed in special forces gear, it's hard to believe she just happened to be passing by.

"Ayaka? What are you doing here? Aren't you the commander-in-chief?"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

Fushihara Ayaka chuckled. "There's no reason why I shouldn't be here, is there? Or did Masaki Hina say something to you?"

"She didn't say anything. Oh, right, she said someone would be waiting for me here. Could that person be you?"

"That's not wrong."

Fushihara Ayaka shrugged.

"Alright, alright, look at you. I came here precisely because I value this matter, right? There's no need to be so surprised."

"No, it's precisely because you're here that I feel this mission is not so simple."

Fushihara Ayaka simply smiled and did not deny it.

"Let's talk about this later. Let's go inside first and discuss it as we walk."

After saying that, Fushihara Ayaka turned around and walked into the dilapidated building.

Efnir and Yukina followed. Along the way, Efnir saw many soldiers on duty, as well as a lot of equipment and weapons.

"Ayaka, may I ask what happened?"

"Come with me and you'll see."

"Is this your temporary command post?"

Efnir glanced at the soldiers on guard around her and asked.

"You could say that."

Fushihara Ayaka turned around and glanced up, pointing to the ceiling where there was a huge wooden plank. There seemed to be something on it, but she couldn't make it out.

"This is an abandoned building, originally used as a funeral home. The crematorium is just behind it, and as you can see outside, it's not far from the cemetery. So it's relatively spacious here, which is acceptable as a temporary command post. Of course, more importantly, this is where Nishizaki Yuki was found, so I chose to use this place as the center to spread out a search network."

"Yuki? You found her? Where is she now?"

"No."

Fushihara Ayaka shook her head.

"She wasn't discovered by our people, but she is indeed here. I'll take you to see her now. By the way, Efnir, since you've brought a new face along, aren't you going to introduce her?"

As she spoke, Fushihara Ayaka glanced at Yukina behind Efnir and smiled knowingly.

Efnir instinctively grabbed Yukina's hand.

She is my sister.

"Eh? Sister? Which sister?"

Fushihara Ayaka's words immediately brought both Efnir and Yukina to their attention.

"Sister... do you... have any other younger sisters outside?"