Chapter 77: Rejecting Shingetsu
By noon, Ian had finished showing Otonashi Chiya every corner of the Military Department.
"By the way, come with me to Director Lev's office. There's something I need to talk to him about," Chiya said suddenly.
"Oh... alright." Ian didn't ask what it was; he simply nodded obediently and followed Chiya to the administrative building where the Director's office was located.
Arriving at the door, Chiya knocked lightly. "Director Lev, it's Otonashi Chiya."
"Come in."
Upon hearing the response, Chiya pushed the door open. Director Lev looked up at him, the morning's events immediately springing to mind. "I heard you had a match with the 'Tsar' this morning and won. As expected, your strength is as unpredictable as the intelligence reports suggested. I'm sure he fully acknowledges your capabilities now."
"You flatter me, Director. I've come because I have a request," Chiya said calmly.
"What is it?" Lev asked.
"I feel that Ian might be a more suitable partner for me. I'd like to apply to have my partner changed from Shingetsu to Ian," Chiya stated his intent directly.
"Change partners?" Lev's expression turned to one of pure bewilderment. He never expected Chiya to make such a request—especially one that traded the elite Shingetsu for Ian.
While he didn't pay much attention to Ian, he knew the boy's strength was at the very bottom of the Leningrad Military Department. Ian's soft, unconfident personality wasn't exactly cut out for devil hunting. Shingetsu might have a terrible personality, but his strength was unquestionable—he just happened to be no match for Chiya.
Meanwhile...
"Eh?!" Ian was even more stunned. He never dreamed that the reason Chiya wanted to see the Director was to partner with him! It wasn't just a matter of being flattered; he felt he wasn't worthy of being Chiya's partner at all. In the entire Leningrad Military Department, only the "Tsar" had the strength to stand beside someone like Chiya. He knew his own limits; partnering with Chiya would only mean dragging him down.
"To be honest, even I don't have the authority to change your partner. This arrangement came directly from the military high command..." Lev said with some embarrassment.
The Leningrad Military Department was just a branch of the military. As a Director, he had little say in the face of the high command—his direct superiors. Their decisions were not things he could easily overturn.
"I see." Chiya wasn't particularly disappointed; he had suspected the success rate would be low. His main goal was to make a statement: he didn't want any more of these flamboyant, troublesome displays.
Recognizing Chiya's dissatisfaction toward Shingetsu, Director Lev continued, "However, while I can't change the partner assignment, I can relax the restrictions for you. Outside of official work and missions, you don't have to have any contact with the 'Tsar' at all."
This was the maximum compromise he could offer within his current authority.
"That works for me," Chiya nodded. According to Lev's terms, he and Shingetsu would remain partners on paper, but in reality, they would be nothing more than colleagues during a hunt, having nothing to do with each other in their daily lives.
"Wait!" Ian couldn't help but speak up. "Chiya, is this really okay? The 'Tsar,' he..." He was mainly worried about how Shingetsu would react once he heard the news.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Chiya said with a calm smile.
He figured that since Shingetsu didn't want to be his partner in the first place, the guy would probably be happy to hear about this arrangement.
"Oh... okay..." Since Chiya put it that way, Ian felt a lot more at ease.
As luck would have it, the office door was suddenly pushed open at that exact moment. Shingetsu walked in; the injury to his left arm appeared to be completely healed, and he had changed into a brand-new military uniform. Although his expression remained as icy as ever, a subtle change flickered across his face the moment he saw Otonashi Chiya.
"Your strength is formidable. I acknowledge you. From now on, I will be the one to show you around the interior and exterior of the department," Shingetsu stated bluntly, extending a direct invitation to Chiya.
"Huh...?" Chiya was genuinely stunned. The complete reversal in attitude was a bit too drastic, wasn't it?
"..." Ian shrank behind Chiya, not daring to utter a single word. He had already anticipated this might happen; while the "Tsar" was cold and arrogant, he placed immense value on strength. Chiya had clearly earned his respect, so a change in attitude wasn't actually that surprising.
However, this made things incredibly awkward for him. Ian wasn't the only one; even Director Lev felt the cringe in the air. He stayed silent, leaving Chiya to explain things himself.
Faced with such a direct invitation, Chiya found it difficult to treat Shingetsu with a poor attitude.
"I've already spoken with Director Lev. From now on, Ian will be the one guiding me through the department and the city," Chiya told Shingetsu in a calm, level tone.
Director Lev's expression shifted slightly. This kid—he just had to drag me into it!
"?" A flash of suspicious surprise darted through Shingetsu's eyes as he looked at Ian, who was hiding for dear life behind Chiya. Ian refused to make even a second of eye contact.
"Are you sure you aren't joking?" An air of disbelief colored Shingetsu's face. He could barely even remember who Ian was; the weaker a person was, the less interest he had in noticing them. The fact that he didn't recognize him proved Ian was weak—so why was Chiya choosing to associate with the weak? It was beyond his comprehension.
"I'm certainly not joking," Chiya replied peacefully. "Regarding our work, we'll just be normal partners as assigned."
To him, this wasn't a big deal; it was just a polite refusal of Shingetsu's invitation. Chiya checked the time and felt it was about time for lunch. "That's all, then. Let's go, Ian."
As Chiya walked out of the office, Ian hurried after him, not daring to look back at Shingetsu as if a single glance would cause him to spontaneously combust.
Left behind were Shingetsu, standing with his head lowered, and Director Lev, wearing an awkward smile. Shingetsu's hand had been resting on the edge of the Director's desk; suddenly, his fingers crushed the corner of the heavy wood into splinters.
Crack!
Such monstrous strength from such fair, slender hands! Yet, Director Lev remained silent, acting as though he didn't have the slightest bit of temper about his ruined furniture.
AN-
Enjoyyyyyyyy