Chapter 100: Probing

“So you’re saying that Night Star and the others are up to something unknown, and now the zombies outside are almost all gone?” In the office, Shoichiro Takashiro had naturally noticed the phenomenon caused by Night Star, Night Chen, and Kanade Tachibana. Listening to his subordinate’s report, he asked.

“That’s right. And according to intelligence, similar illusions have appeared in many places around the world. It’s almost identical to the legendary scene of angels descending for purification.” One man pointed to the tall apparition outside the window, a hint of apprehension flickering across his face as he reported to Shoichiro.

The scene outside left Shoichiro with complicated feelings. He had already accepted the fact of Night Star’s extraordinary abilities, but he hadn’t expected the little girl he brought along to possess such powers as well. Now, the two had found a way to make the zombies disappear. He should be happy, but he simply couldn’t feel any joy.

With the zombie crisis resolved, a new order would surely be established. Many leaders perished in the disaster, giving others the chance to seize power—but Night Star and Kanade Tachibana were the most daunting factors of all.

Having the two of them solve the zombie problem would make their reputation unparalleled in the world. If they truly sought power then, who could possibly stand in their way? Already troubled by this prospect, Shoichiro could not imagine what headaches Night Star might cause him in the future.

“...Has anyone gone to check on him?” After a moment’s silence, Shoichiro asked, his eyes flashing a hidden ruthlessness. The fate of the rabbit after the hunt, the bird after the bow—what did it matter if Night Star ended the zombie threat? Such power could not be used without consequence. Last time, Night Star’s condition led Shoichiro to suspect that his abilities came at a cost.

He could take advantage of Night Star’s weakness, strike him down before he recovered, and eliminate future troubles altogether. In a weakened state, Shoichiro doubted Night Star could withstand a bombardment of hot weapons.

“No one has gone yet,” someone below replied. None of them dared to see what was happening with Night Star. As Shoichiro’s trusted subordinates, they all knew their relationship with Night Star was not good—perhaps even hostile. If they went, they might not return alive.

“Send someone to probe. When they return, I want a detailed account of everything they saw—don’t miss a single detail!” Shoichiro ordered, holding onto this hopeful fantasy. How they accomplished it was their concern; he only needed to await the result. If Night Star truly emerged unharmed, he would simply have to behave himself.

“How about you go? If you bring back good news, you’ll surely get a promotion!”

“Why don’t you go? I’ll gladly let you have this golden opportunity—I won’t compete with you.”

The group stared at each other, none wanting to be the one to go. Who knew if Night Star, unharmed, might take offense and kill them? The issue sparked immediate argument, and Shoichiro, irritated, cut them off and randomly pointed to someone: “All of you, shut up! You, go!”

The chosen man instantly wore a mournful expression, as if heading to his doom. Those not selected smiled in relief. Slowly, the unlucky one left the office and made his way to where Night Star and the others were, thinking that disobeying Shoichiro would surely mean death, while probing Night Star might not. Thus, the choice was clear.

At the center of the magic circle, different souls radiated lights of various colors, spinning around the two as they were absorbed into Night Star’s body. Saeko Busujima couldn’t help but be entranced by the dazzling spectacle, but recalling Night Star’s words and her own duty, she tore herself away. Gripping her wooden sword, she scanned the surroundings—every whisper of movement caught her attention.

A sound from the distant lawn made Saeko instantly alert. She drew her wooden blade, a faint gleam of sword energy coating it, and aimed it at the source. Any hint of threat would be met with a swift strike.

“Don’t—don’t attack me! I just came to take a look!” A middle-aged man, hands raised in surrender, stepped out from behind a tree, afraid Saeko might cut him and the tree in half.

“Stop right there! If you come any closer, I’ll attack!” Seeing the man step out, Saeko eased her hostility a bit but remained vigilant, barring further approach. Even if it was a fellow human, she would not hesitate to kill anyone threatening Night Star.

“Alright, I won’t move forward! I just wanted to see what a real angel looked like, and how you managed to eliminate the zombies. I’m really just curious!” Hearing this, the man stopped in his tracks, even taking a step back, then looked past Saeko to where Night Star and Kanade Tachibana were focused and oblivious to him. He asked, “Are they alright? Using such abilities must be a heavy burden—are there any side effects, like weakness or unconsciousness? Or...?”

Most of his questions were clearly aimed at Night Star and Kanade’s condition. Saeko’s gaze grew increasingly hostile. Coming now with such questions was obviously ill-intentioned, and she finally warned, “Leave immediately, or you’ll regret it!”

She scraped the ground, slicing a long strip off the lawn with her sword. Faced with this threat, the middle-aged man’s expression collapsed, and he quickly conceded: “Wait, I’ll leave right now! I really am just curious! I was just worried he might have a problem! I’m leaving, I promise!”

Among Shoichiro’s subordinates, he was not skilled in probing for information, but, unlucky as he was to be chosen, he was nevertheless perceptive. Though he failed to glean any intelligence from Saeko’s mouth, his ability to read people led him to deduce from Saeko’s vigilance and the focused demeanor of Night Star and Kanade that they must not be disturbed for some reason.

Having made this deduction, he cheerfully went to report to Shoichiro. Although he’d gotten a fright, he hadn’t faced real danger and could even expect a promotion upon his return. He pictured a bright future, favored by Shoichiro, and felt smug over those who’d initially refused—let them regret it now! His steps grew light as he chuckled privately.

Arriving outside the office, he straightened his appearance, coughed a few times, then entered and excitedly gestured to Shoichiro: “President, this is definitely a great opportunity! Night Star and the girl seem to be engaged in something important and are incapable of action. Only the heiress of the Busujima family is guarding them. If we attack now, there’s a strong chance we could kill Night Star!”