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The 9th Ward, Shinagawa District, CCG Branch Office.
”Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions, ten-millions, hundred-millions?”
Looking at the long string of zeros on the document, Kenji was a bit surprised.
”Five hundred million yen?”
Shinohara Yukinori nodded at him.
”That’s right, five hundred million yen.
Converted into your country’s currency, it’s about twenty-two million.”
Standing beside them, Mado Kureo explained at the right moment, “The reward bounty for an S-rank ghoul is one hundred million yen.
Plus all those C-rank ghouls from the first floor of the Ghoul Restaurant, we just rounded it all up to five hundred million yen.”
Shinohara looked at Kenji and spoke up again.
”Yes.
Faced with a powerhouse like you, the CCG is very willing to do you a personal favor.
So, what do you think?
Do you want to join the CCG?
After all, we all share the same goal of wiping out the ghouls.”
Even now, Shinohara had not given up on recruiting Kenji.
But Kenji shook his head.
They had already discussed this on the way over.
He had no intention of joining the CCG.
After all, the Washuu Clan was pulling the strings behind the organization, and he did not want to deal with them this early in the game.
”Alright then.”
Shinohara let out a helpless sigh.
All around them, the CCG members walking back and forth kept glancing over.
Usually, low-ranking staff rarely got to see high-ranking investigators, let alone seeing Shinohara Yukinori and Mado Kureo together at the same time.
These two were famous figures even at the CCG headquarters, so their presence at this branch office naturally drew a lot of eyes.
What shocked the onlookers even more was that these two senior investigators were escorting a complete stranger, and their tone even carried a hint of respect.
On top of that, this mysterious man was walking away with five hundred million yen in rewards.
Just how many ghouls did he have to kill to earn that much?
Looking at the massive sum of five hundred million yen, Kenji was still trying to figure out how to take it with him.
He had crossed over into this world without a local bank card, and carrying that much hard cash around was simply too inconvenient.
Seeing his dilemma, Mado Kureo reached into his coat, pulled out a black card, and handed it to Kenji.
”Mr.
Kenji, this is a Japanese black card reserved exclusively for CCG Special Class Investigators.
It carries a limit of one billion yen.
Because of my past achievements, the main headquarters made an exception and issued one to me.”
”However, I rarely have any use for it.
The headquarters provides everything I need for my daily life and work anyway.
You might as well take this card for now.”
Looking at the black card Mado was offering, Kenji did not hesitate.
He reached out and smoothly took it.
”Alright, I accept your kindness.
Also, Special Class Shinohara, please withdraw one hundred million yen from my reward money and pack it up for me. Get faster updates on g.com.
Leave the other four hundred million temporarily with the CCG.
I will come back to collect it when I need it.”
Kenji spoke calmly, his face completely blank as he made the request.
Hearing this, Shinohara looked at the black card in Kenji’s hand, then looked back at Kenji’s face.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.
In the end, he could only let out a quiet grunt of agreement.
Meanwhile, Mado Kureo froze on the spot.
His usually rigid, unbreadable face actually twitched, and his chest began to heave with heavy breaths.
Kenji glanced at the two of them, slightly confused by their reaction.
Mado giving him a black card was Mado’s own business, but that didn’t mean Kenji was just going to leave his own five hundred million yen behind.
”Mr.
Kenji…
you certainly have a unique sense of humor.”
Once they stepped out of the CCG building, Mado muttered in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Who would have thought that a man who was usually so emotionally detached and only interested in ghouls would actually lose his cool today?
Kenji did not care at all.
Acting as if he had completely missed the sarcasm in Mado’s voice, he raised his hand and hailed a passing taxi.
”First Class Mado, it is getting late.
I am still in a hurry to get my blade repaired.
I can’t wait to get back to hunting ghouls.”
Mado blinked in surprise.
Then, as if realizing something, he shook his head with a faint smile and followed Kenji into the backseat of the cab.
The 10th Ward, Meguro District.
”Mr.
Kenji, please forgive the humble state of my home.”
Mado pushed open the door to his three-hundred-square-meter apartment, flipped on the lights, and offered an apologetic nod.
Kenji: “…”
As a veteran First Class Investigator who had built up a lifetime of military merit, Mado had long been qualified for a promotion to Special Class.
The higher-ups at the CCG had been pushing him to accept it, but he simply could not move past the psychological scars of his past.
Because of that, he chose to remain stuck at First Class.
Besides his personal reasons, staying a First Class Investigator made it much easier for him to patrol the streets, hunt down ghouls, and gather leads on the One-Eyed Owl.
Furthermore, the wealth he had amassed over the years was more than enough to ensure that he and his family could live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
”Father?
You’re back?
Did you bring a guest?”
Just then, a clear female voice echoed from inside the apartment.
A tall, exceptionally attractive young woman with the same pale, off-white hair as Mado walked out into the hallway.
She was wearing a simple black tactical tank top, exposing a fair amount of smooth skin, paired with blue denim shorts that highlighted her long, slender legs.
This was Mado Kureo’s daughter, Mado Akira.
”And this is…
one of your colleagues, Father?”
Akira tilted her head, studying Kenji.
”Ah, Akira…
Mr.
Kenji, this is my daughter, Mado Akira.
She is also an investigator now.
Just last year, she graduated at the absolute top of her class from the CCG Academy!
Impressive, isn’t she?”
Kenji gave a slight nod, his eyes briefly sweeping over Akira before he turned back to her father.
”It is getting late, First Class Mado.
My time is very valuable.”
A slight smile played on Mado’s lips.
Without further delay, he led Kenji straight into his personal workshop.
Scanning the room, Kenji noticed dozens of unfinished Quinques scattered around, along with numerous sealed containers holding harvested kakuhou sacs.
”The workshop is a bit messy, please don’t mind it.
These are all kakuhou from A-rank ghouls, along with a few projects I am currently researching.”
Kenji nodded to show he understood, then unstrapped [Flowing Cloud] from his back and handed it over.
”How long will it take?”
”That depends entirely on what you want out of it, Mr.
Kenji.
If you just want me to repair and maintain the blade, it can be ready by tomorrow morning.”
”But if you want to upgrade this weapon and take it to the next level, it will take about two to three days.
It just so happens that we seized four S-rank kakuhou sacs during our last raid.
I can file a request with the headquarters to allocate one for our use, which will help upgrade your blade.”
Kenji raised an eyebrow at that.
“Will it turn into something like a Quinque?
I have no interest in using those kinds of weapons.”
Kenji’s blade was already imbued with an [RC Cell Suppressant].
If the weapon was modified into a standard Quinque format, it would likely dull the efficiency of that effect, and he simply wasn’t used to handling Quinques anyway.
”I only need my weapon to become harder, sharper, and more durable.
I don’t need any other useless gimmicks.”
Hearing his preference, Mado nodded in agreement.
”Very well.
In that case, please wait patiently for three days.
I will finish it as quickly as possible.
If you find yourself getting bored, you are welcome to go out and hunt more ghouls.
I have plenty of spare Quinques here that you can borrow.”
Kenji nodded, then turned and walked out of the room so Mado could work without distraction.
Over the next few days, he planned to visit the local black market to see if he could source some firearms.
In certain tactical situations, guns could provide an unexpected advantage.
Stepping out of the workshop, Kenji saw Akira working out intensely in the living room.
Their eyes met briefly, but Kenji simply walked past her and headed out the front door, leaving her to continue her training alone.
Akira watched his departing back until the door clicked shut.
Shaking off the distraction, she went back to her exercises, though her mind was full of questions.
What a strange guy.
Is he one of Father’s students?
He looks quite young, but I’ve never run into him at the CCG before.
Is he from another branch office?