Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Heavy Responsibility

"Miss Tokisaki, you don't look well," Ogai Mori remarked, glancing at the seemingly lifeless Tokisaki Kurumi, who resembled a frostbitten eggplant. It was nine in the morning at the Port Mafia headquarters, Boss building. "Have you encountered some terrible situation?"

"Not exactly terrible," Tokisaki Kurumi leaned back in her chair, sounding disheartened. "It's just… I've had to abandon some precious things for the sake of my current life."

"I see." Ogai Mori nodded as if he fully understood. "Though I don't know your past, if you wish to move toward the future, you must let go of past things. If you don't want to give anything up, you won't gain anything."

Tokisaki Kurumi shot him a strange look, unsure why he would resonate with the idea of transforming into a beautiful girl. But then she recalled the persona she had in Ogai Mori's eyes, and it dawned on her.

In Ogai Mori's perception, she was an esper from an unknown country who had to leave home and start anew in Japan for some reason. It seemed he interpreted her words as implying that since she had come to Japan to start a new life, she must sever ties with her past. She felt somewhat speechless at his sympathetic demeanor, as she wondered how much emotional baggage he had.

However, she had no intention of correcting him; a misunderstanding was fine, and it might even be better this way.

"My matters are unimportant, and my past has no bearing on the present," Tokisaki Kurumi collected her emotions and stated seriously, "Mr. Mori, I've come today regarding the deal we made last night."

Though as a spirit, her basic needs were easily met, constantly mooching off the hotel wasn't a sustainable plan. Moreover, if hotel staff discovered her living in a room with no guest, it would create an awkward situation. To avoid such circumstances, she had come to the Port Mafia immediately after getting out of bed.

Last night, before she embarked on her mission, Tokisaki Kurumi had made another deal with Ogai Mori: she would keep the secret of the previous Port Mafia Boss's death, and in return, Ogai Mori would provide her with the identity and funds necessary for living in this country.

"Everything you need has been prepared," Ogai Mori pushed an already prepared identification card towards her. "Your identity has been entered into the national database. As of now, you are a legally recognized ordinary citizen with a clean background. Although, I'm sure that soon your face will end up on the wanted list at the police station."

"Mr. Mori certainly has high expectations of me," Tokisaki Kurumi replied noncommittally, "and to not disappoint those expectations, I will do my best."

"The wanted list isn't something to fear for the members of the Mafia; rather, it's a symbol of honor… that's what Akutagawa-kun told me," Ogai Mori continued. "From what I know, many members even compare bounties on the wanted list in private. Are you interested in this, Miss Tokisaki?"

"I have little interest in others' opinions."

"I guessed as much."

Ogai Mori nodded and exchanged a glance with Elise, who then retrieved a heavy suitcase from under the table and placed it at Tokisaki Kurumi's feet. The suitcase produced a dull thud when it hit the ground.

After completing her task, Elise returned to Ogai Mori's side, resuming her role as his bodyguard.

"This is thirty million yen in cash, as a fee for keeping the secret," Ogai Mori stated.

"As expected of the Port Mafia; you are indeed wealthy."

"As for the salary of the guerilla leader, the base salary is eight hundred thousand yen a month. If you make significant contributions, you will receive additional rewards based on their extent."

"An eight hundred thousand yen base salary? That's impressive!"

"Please don't misunderstand, Miss Tokisaki; this isn't a personal benefit for you," Ogai Mori clarified. "Another guerilla squad leader, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, receives the same treatment."

"In that case, the workload I'll have will be the same as Akutagawa Ryunosuke's, correct?"

Tokisaki Kurumi glanced at the suitcase beside her. Her shadow enveloped it, and moments later, it vanished into her shadow.

"So, what is my first official task as a member of the Port Mafia?"

"I'm glad you asked." Ogai Mori took a file from his drawer and placed it on the table. "Your first task is to bring someone back to the Port Mafia."

"Who?"

"Armed Detective Agency member, Nakajima Atsushi."

Tokisaki Kurumi opened the file, pulling out the information inside. At first glance, she saw a photo of a young man. He looked weak and pale, as if he were suffering from malnutrition, and his dog-eared bangs made him appear even gloomier.

Nakajima Atsushi, ability: "The White Tiger."

Having grown up in an orphanage, he developed a timid personality due to the abuse he suffered from the headmaster. As he grew older, his overly timid nature conflicted with the overwhelming power of his ability. Unable to control "The White Tiger," one day it broke loose, causing him to transform into a white tiger and demolish the orphanage.

However, he was unaware of his ability; during its rampage, he had no memory, so he remained oblivious to both his power and its havoc.

The orphanage expelled him, leaving Nakajima Atsushi to wander the streets, moving from one city to another. During this time, "The White Tiger" manifested multiple times, destroying crops and preying on livestock, leading to significant property damage. Nevertheless, it was because of these events that Nakajima Atsushi managed to survive on the streets.

This series of destructive behaviors caught the government's attention, and the wandering white tiger was classified as an esper disaster, leading to a commission to the Armed Detective Agency to handle it.

Eventually, Armed Detective Agency member Dazai Osamu met Nakajima Atsushi. By a twist of fate, he deduced that Nakajima Atsushi was the white tiger.

However, Dazai Osamu chose not to hand Nakajima Atsushi over to the government but persuaded the director and other members to allow him to join the Armed Detective Agency instead.

That was Nakajima Atsushi's story.

The reason the Port Mafia wanted to capture him wasn't because he had offended the organization in any way.

"We received a commission from the North American esper group, "The Guild," to capture this man, Nakajima Atsushi, for a bounty of seven billion yen. Originally, this task was Akutagawa-kun responsibility, but after several failed capture attempts, I thought to hand it over to you."

Ogai Mori spoke calmly. "With your abilities, this should be quite easy for you".