Mato, Headquarters of the Tenth Unit, Anti-Demon Corps.
In a long corridor with dim lighting, a short young woman walked briskly. Her wavy hair swayed with each hurried step.
She wore the standard Anti-Demon Corps uniform, with two cute hair clips near her left eye. Her expression was serious, as though she couldn't afford to waste even a single second.
Wherever she passed, servants cleaning the corridor quickly stepped aside and bowed respectfully. This short woman might not be a combat member, but her position in the Tenth Unit was important enough to command that kind of respect.
She was Ginna Bizen, a non-combatant member of the Tenth Unit responsible for intelligence and administration.
"Will Ren-sama praise me for how quickly I got this done? I hope so."
Ginna murmured softly to herself, hugging the file tighter against her chest. Her footsteps quickened, nearly breaking into a half-run down the quiet corridor.
Ginna had an energetic and flamboyant personality. Her enthusiasm for work never waned, and she was fiercely loyal to the Anti-Demon Corps—especially to its Chief. And among all the Chief, her favorite was, without a doubt, Yamashiro Ren.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as a fanatical fan of an idol. She had idolized Ren ever since she first witnessed her fight, and from that moment on, she was willing to do anything for that woman.
Arriving before the grand office door, Ginna paused briefly. She straightened her hair with her hand, making sure her appearance was perfect before meeting her idol. A few deep breaths, then she raised her hand and knocked.
*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!*
"The door isn't locked. Come in."
Ren's voice came from behind the door—calm, authoritative, with that characteristic tone of arrogance.
Ginna gripped the doorknob, opened it slowly, and entered with care.
"Excuse me..."
"Ara~ it's Ginna."
Ren sat in her luxurious chair, her posture relaxed yet still graceful. She had her legs crossed, clad in black stockings, her short skirt riding up slightly to reveal her slender thighs. One hand propped up her face, elbow resting on the armrest. A faint smile graced her lips.
"What brings you here?"
Ginna nearly melted at that smile. She swallowed, doing her best to remain professional.
"Ren-sama. This is the information about the man you asked me to investigate yesterday." She stepped closer and placed the thick file on the desk.
"Thank you, Ginna." Ren took the file, her eyes briefly meeting hers. "You can be counted on."
That simple compliment was enough to make Ginna's smile radiate with joy.
"It was nothing! For Ren-sama, I'm willing to do anything!"
Ren smiled faintly at the over-the-top declaration—not an entirely sincere smile, but enough to make Ginna happy.
"Now then, let's see what kind of man Tenka's lover is."
Ren opened the file. Her violet eyes—filled with that trademark confidence and haughtiness—scanned each line methodically. A flicker of interest shone within them.
Since the founding of the Anti-Demon Corps, the number of Chief who had married could be counted on one hand. Every Captain represented the pinnacle of humanity—women of extraordinary power, brilliant achievements, and the highest social standing. The criteria for their partners naturally became exceedingly high.
Unfortunately, in this era, men were regarded as second-class citizens, subject to discrimination. Exceptional men were as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.
As a result, the majority of Chief chose not to marry. They preferred to remain single for life rather than compromise by settling for a man who wasn't their equal.
"Ho~ not a bad-looking face."
Ren commented as her eyes landed on the photograph on the first page.
A young man with white hair and dark red eyes stared into the camera with a flat expression. His features were sharp, his jaw strong, and there was something compelling in the look in his eyes.
"At least he's more handsome than Kyouka's pet."
Ren continued reading.
"Kamikawa Naoki, 18 years old, blood type A, third-year student at Kaminoge High School..." She smiled with a hint of mockery. "So Tenka has a thing for younger men? I can use this when we meet to take a jab at her."
She didn't skip a single detail. Her sharp eyes traced every line, searching for whatever it was that had made Tenka fall for this man.
After all, it was Ren who had granted Tenka the leave to go on her hot spring trip. She was curious about the man who had managed to capture the heart of the Sixth Unit's Captain.
"His academic performance is mediocre... actually, it's not even that good."
Ren's brow furrowed. Her impression of Naoki dropped slightly.
She herself was the type who excelled at everything with ease. In school, she had always topped the mock exams. In athletic competitions, she always brought home gold medals. She had even served as student council president, leading her school with an iron yet fair hand.
In short, Yamashiro Ren was a gifted and brilliant model student. She was accustomed to holding herself—and others—to high standards.
Learning that Naoki was a student with poor grades made her look down on him.
"Hm?" Her eyes stopped on one line. "His mother is a member of the Ninth Unit? Kamikawa Isuzu... she's a colleague of Fubuki-san."
Ren raised an eyebrow. That was interesting. The man had a connection to the Anti-Demon Corps—he wasn't entirely an outsider.
She finished reading quickly. Closing the file, she looked at Ginna, who was still standing faithfully, waiting.
"Ginna."
"Yes, Ren-sama?"
"Why is there no information about how this man and Tenka met?" Her tone sharpened slightly. "It's as if the two of them suddenly became a couple without ever having known each other before."
"That's..."
Ginna began to break into a cold sweat. Her back felt damp. Ren's dissatisfied gaze alone was enough to make her heart pound erratically.
"I... I don't know, Ren-sama." Her voice wavered slightly. "No matter how hard I investigated, I couldn't find when they first met. There doesn't seem to be any record of them meeting at all. It's like they... were suddenly together out of nowhere."
Ren stared at her for a few seconds, then let out a sigh.
"Never mind. It's not your fault."
She leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.
"With Tenka's Peach Blossom Blessing, she could have secretly teleported between Mato and the real world without anyone knowing. Perhaps they met somewhere that wasn't recorded." She waved her hand dismissively. "You may go."
Ginna exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. She bowed deeply.
"Yes! Then, I'll take my leave, Ren-sama."
She turned and walked toward the door. The moment it closed behind her, she nearly collapsed from the sheer relief.
"..."
Inside the room, Ren turned her gaze back to Naoki's photograph. Her eyes narrowed.
"Tenka has found her life partner." She murmured quietly. "I wonder how the other Chief will react. Some of them are bound to be surprised."
She tossed the file onto the desk with a careless gesture. The composed expression she had maintained all this while slowly faded, replaced by a coldness like arctic ice.
"Even now, I still haven't found the one who made me feel that humiliation." She said in a frigid voice. "That person is good at hiding."
Her hand unconsciously drifted to her own rear. The sting of that slap still lingered vividly in her memory—not the physical pain, but the wound to her pride that refused to heal.
Someone had humiliated her on her own territory.
Someone had smacked her rear as though she were a naughty woman in need of punishment.
And she didn't know who.
Ren had already conducted a large-scale search throughout all of Mato. Her subordinates had been deployed, informants scattered, and she herself had gone out to sweep through suspicious areas.
In the course of that search, she had encountered agents from other nations who had infiltrated Mato to steal Peach Blossoms. Ren had dealt with them brutally, venting her fury over her failure to find the real culprit.
But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough until she found that person.
"This isn't over!" Ren gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing. "Don't think you can live in peace after doing all of that to me!"
Her palm clenched into a fist on the desk.
Even though Ren didn't know who was behind it and had no clear leads, that didn't stop her from continuing the hunt. She would search until she found them. She would make them suffer a hundredfold what she had endured.
What she didn't realize was that she would soon be meeting that person before long.
Yet, she had no way of knowing it.
Outside the window, Mato's grey skies continued to churn, indifferent to one Captain's rage. And somewhere in the real world, Naoki was enjoying his vacation with Tenka, unaware that his name was now recorded in Ren's investigation file.