"Leaving now, Yank?"
Mizaistom looked calmly at the young man before him and asked.
The young man nodded. "Yes. Now that I've figured out who I am, it's time to go."
With that, he turned to leave, but suddenly looked back. "Mr. Mizaistom, thank you for your guidance. I'm sorry I didn't become what you hoped I would. From now on, I'll just be Machi-"
Sadness showed in Machi's eyes. He felt he should give up everything from before and start over.
"Is that necessary? You only made a mistake because you'd had too much to drink, and that Class C wanted criminal ambushed you from behind. That doesn't prove you're a complete failure."
Mizaistom's point was simple: there was no need to take a single failure so seriously that he abandoned everything from his past, his hard-earned Hunter License, and even his own name.
Machi shook his head. "It's not because I failed. I can't accept that my carelessness let Blackbra escape containment. I bear a share of every sin he committed after his escape."
"But Blackbra was already shot dead by a police officer named James. There's no evidence he committed any crimes after escaping containment."
Mizaistom still wanted to persuade Machi.
But Machi had clearly already made up his mind. He said softly, "That glory belongs to someone else. Right now, the name Yank carries nothing but sin. Mr. Mizaistom, I'll become a Crime Hunter again under the name Machi, rather than-a temp."
Machi paused before saying those last words, then turned and left.
Mizaistom said nothing. He simply folded his arms and watched Machi recede into the distance, then turned to meet up with Ginta so they could catch the last train.
The year Yank became a Hunter, Mizaistom happened to be an examiner for the