When Kazuma arrived at the police headquarters, the atmosphere in the building looked quite busy. Several officers were walking back and forth carrying documents, while others spoke briefly through their communication devices.
However, there was one thing that immediately stood out.
Most of the people working there were women.
That was not something unusual in the current world. Since social norms shifted after the emergence of powers from the Mato peach, the position of men in many fields had gradually changed. Professions that were once dominated by men—including the military and police were now largely filled by women who possessed physical abilities and Abilities far beyond ordinary humans.
Kazuma himself was already used to seeing such a scene.
He walked past several officers who were chatting in the corridor before finally arriving at the reception desk at the front.
Interestingly, the person sitting behind the desk was actually a man.
The man looked slightly older than Kazuma, wearing a neat police uniform. When he saw Kazuma approaching, he lifted his head from the computer screen.
"Good afternoon. How can I help you?"
Kazuma stopped in front of the desk and replied politely.
"My name is Kazuma Satou. I was asked to come for a follow-up investigation."
Hearing that name, the receptionist seemed to recognize something.
"Oh… Satou-san."
He immediately typed a few things on his computer before nodding slightly.
"Yes, your name is already listed here."
The receptionist stood up from his chair and gestured for Kazuma to follow him.
"Please come with me. They are already waiting."
Kazuma gave a short nod and walked behind him through the police office corridor. Their footsteps echoed softly on the clean floor as they passed several workrooms and administrative desks filled with stacks of documents.
The deeper they went into the building, the quieter the surroundings became.
A few minutes later, the man stopped in front of a closed wooden door.
Kazuma stopped as well.
But at that moment—
his body tensed almost without him realizing it.
Since training for the past three months under Yamazaki Kudo, there was one ability that had slowly formed within him.
Danger Sense.
A sharp intuition honed through intense training—the ability to detect threats before they actually appear.
And now…
that sense reacted.
Kazuma stood in front of the door with a calm expression, but inside him there was a faint sense of unease.
Not fear.
More like… a warning.
There was something behind that door that made his instincts alert.
The receptionist in front of him seemed unaware of anything.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door twice.
Tok. Tok.
The sound echoed softly in the quiet corridor.
"Come in."
A voice was heard from inside.
The receptionist immediately opened the door and gestured for Kazuma to enter.
Kazuma stepped into the room.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, he immediately realized something was off.
This was clearly not an ordinary investigation room, let alone an interrogation room like the one he had visited yesterday. There was no cold metal table, no obvious surveillance cameras, and no simple chairs typically used for questioning witnesses.
Instead, the room was much more spacious and well-organized.
More like the office of a high-ranking official.
Only then did Kazuma recall something.
'This is the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters.'
If a room like this existed in the building, then only someone with a very high position would be allowed to use it.
But the most surprising thing was not the room.
It was the person inside it.
Behind the large desk at the far end of the room sat a young woman—someone whose face was almost impossible not to recognize.
She possessed striking beauty.
Her hair was dark purple, neatly cut in an elegant hime-cut style. Her violet eyes were sharp yet calm, radiating an authority that was difficult to put into words.
On the left side of her head was a red cord accessory shaped like a decorative flower.
She wore a formal version of the Anti-Demon Corps uniform.
A neat long-sleeved jacket, short pants paired with black stockings, and high-heeled boots that gave a firm yet graceful impression. A gold cord connected the row of buttons on her uniform, while white gloves covered her hands.
A thin golden chain linked the belt at her waist to her uniform jacket—a symbol of high authority.
That symbol belonged to only one person in that organization.
Ren Yamashiro.
The supreme commander of MDF.
One of the most influential women in the world.
Kazuma stood still for a second.
But his mind immediately worked quickly.
'Well… this is getting suspicious.'
This room was clearly the office of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
Yet the person sitting in the main seat was not the commissioner.
But Ren Yamashiro.
That could only mean one thing—
the original owner of this office had most likely been asked to leave his own room.
The receptionist who escorted Kazuma stood straight and gave a report.
"I have brought Yamashiro-sama."
Ren Yamashiro did not even lift her head.
"Good. You may leave."
She waved her hand casually, signaling him to go.
Without any protest, the man immediately bowed briefly and left the room. The door closed again, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than before.
Now there were only two people in the room.
Ren Yamashiro and Kazuma.
Kazuma stood calmly, but his eyes quietly observed the situation around him.
Meanwhile, Ren seemed to be looking at a file in her hand. She flipped through several pages casually, as if reading something quite interesting.
A few seconds later, she stood up from her chair.
Her steps were light yet full of authority as she walked toward Kazuma.
Her violet eyes looked at the young man with a calmness that was hard to read.
"Hm…"
She stopped right in front of him.
"You have a close relationship with Yamazaki Kudo?"
The file in her hand clearly contained information about Kazuma—his brief history, background, and his activities over the past few months.
Kazuma answered without hesitation.
"He's my teacher."
Ren Yamashiro slightly raised her eyebrow, then gave a faint smile.
"Wow, that's impressive."
Her tone sounded light, almost like a casual compliment. But from the way she said it, it was hard to tell whether it was genuine admiration or just a passing remark.
Kazuma carefully observed the woman in front of him.
The name Ren Yamashiro was far too famous to ignore. Almost everyone in the world knew her—not only because of her beauty, but because of her power, which was at a level that was almost unreasonable.
She was the youngest commander in MDF history.
Someone who had risen to the top of the most powerful military organization in the world at a very young age.
Kazuma himself had heard various rumors about her.
Some people said Ren Yamashiro was a military genius.
Others called her a monster blessed with extraordinary power.
But there were also simpler rumors—that the woman was quite arrogant.
The reason was obvious.
With such overwhelming Ability and the highest position in MDF, there was almost no one who could stand on equal footing with her.
"Alright," Ren Yamashiro finally said after staring at him for a moment. "There's nothing suspicious about you."
She closed the file in her hand with a light motion.
"That means Tenma acted on her own."
Kazuma immediately frowned.
'What!?'
His thoughts reacted instantly.
'Wasn't that obvious from the start?'
He had already gone through a long investigation yesterday—eight full hours answering various questions from the police.
And now, after calling him again just to say that…
'Why did she even speculate that I was at fault!?'
Kazuma restrained his expression, keeping it calm. Facing the MDF Commander directly was not a situation where he could freely show emotion.
Meanwhile, Ren seemed completely unbothered by the silence.
She walked back to the desk, then leaned lightly against its edge.
Her violet gaze returned to Kazuma, this time with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Tenma Aoi had a rather rare ability," she said casually. "A support-type that can amplify both herself and others several times over if properly developed."
She spun the file in one hand as if the information was nothing more than a trivial note.
"With proper training, that kind of ability could be extremely useful in operations."
Ren paused briefly before continuing.
"Too bad she did something like this."
Her tone remained flat, devoid of clear emotion.
Then her eyes once again assessed Kazuma from head to toe.
"I don't understand what she saw in you."
For a few seconds, the room fell silent.
Kazuma remained standing with a calm expression, but inside his mind, a simple conclusion formed.
'So the rumor about her being arrogant is actually true.'
It was true that Ren Yamashiro had a reputation as an overwhelmingly powerful individual, but from the way she spoke, it was clear she had extreme confidence—perhaps even too much.
Yet strangely, her tone didn't sound like a direct insult.
More like… an objective evaluation from someone accustomed to viewing others from a much higher position.
Ren herself didn't seem to care about how her words might be perceived.
She closed the file and spoke again casually,
"Anyway, Tenma's matter is finished."
Then she looked at Kazuma once more.
"So now I'm only curious about one thing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You… are quite interesting. Being able to subdue a rampaging Ability user without a single injury." Ren said while looking at Kazuma with undisguised interest. "I've seen the footage."
She stopped right in front of him, then added in a relaxed tone—
"That's exactly why I want you."
A few seconds later, she said something that changed the atmosphere of the room.
"So? Want to become my dog?"
The room instantly felt quieter than before.
Kazuma remained standing still, but his mind immediately moved.
He realized one thing very clearly.
Ren Yamashiro was someone extraordinary from birth.
She was born into an influential family, raised with the best education, and had shown exceptional achievements in many fields since childhood.
Then came the day she consumed the Mato Peach.
From that moment on, her name became legend.
The Ability she gained was known as Vairocana.
A power that allowed her to utilize eight manifestations of Buddha, depending on the mandala appearing within her pupils.
That power was far too overwhelming to ignore.
In a short time, Ren Yamashiro transformed from a genius student into a national asset of Japan.
That was why she could stand at the peak of MDF at such a young age.
However—the offer she had just made was clearly not normal.
Kazuma wasn't stupid.
He understood very well the meaning behind the word Ren chose.
Not servant.
Not subordinate.
But dog.
In Ren Yamashiro's eyes, Kazuma was not someone she wanted to employ.
He was a wild dog of interest—a creature she had found and wanted to tame.
Kazuma looked at the woman for a few seconds. He knew he was fairly handsome, diligent, and talented, but that didn't mean he had to lower himself to become someone's dog.
Then finally, he spoke calmly.
"No."