"So, what's going on?"
Kazuma broke the silence, his voice calm but sharp enough to draw attention. He directed his question at one of the women in front of him.
"Please remain calm, we are not here with bad intentions."
As those words were spoken, Yamazaki turned toward Kazuma. His gaze shifted, and then he spoke in a flat tone that somehow felt heavier.
"Kid, do you know what I trust the least?"
"Yeah?"
"That... the government."
Yamazaki's words instantly changed the atmosphere. Without warning, everyone there simultaneously drew their weapons and pointed them at him.
"See..."
The pressure came just like that—the killing intent released by Yamazaki flowed sharply through the air, enough to put anyone on immediate alert.
"Master... it's natural for them to react like that. By the way, do you have a warrant?"
"No..."
"Then, can you call your superior?"
They fell silent for a moment. There weren't many options left but to follow that instruction—especially after being warned earlier and now facing Yamazaki and Kazuma directly. The two of them were not ordinary threats; even for superhumans, their presence was clearly on a different level.
One of them quickly contacted her superior. After receiving a few faint scoldings from the other end, she swallowed hard, then hesitantly handed the phone to Yamazaki.
"Who is this?"
[Good evening, Yamazaki-san. I am Iori Yamori from the Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense. I apologize for my subordinates' actions, they only intended to escort you.]
"What?... Wait, Iori Yamori... are you Kondo's daughter?"
[I'm honored that you remember my father's name.]
"I tend to remember names of people who leave an impression."
[I see, I'm glad. But this is not the time for nostalgia. You probably know why you and your student have been called.]
"Is this about the incident a few days ago?"
[We've had quite a difficult time identifying the people behind that attack. They were quite well-known before the Day of Beginning.]
"That's impressive... I have a few guesses."
[Perhaps your guesses are accurate. That's why we want to discuss this. Global geopolitics is in turmoil, and the country that suddenly received economic sanctions further strengthens our suspicion.]
"Hmm... alright, I'll make some time."
Yamazaki briefly shifted his gaze toward Kazuma, his look short but meaningful, then said,
"Make some time..."
"Yeah?"
[We will be waiting...]
The call ended, leaving behind a heavier silence than before. The phone was then returned to the female officer.
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way!"
The officers—all women—immediately moved. They hurried toward the vehicle and treated Yamazaki and Kazuma almost like VVIP guests.
The black sedan then departed. In the back seat, Kazuma and Yamazaki sat side by side. After a few moments, Kazuma finally spoke.
"What's really going on?"
Yamazaki let out a quiet sigh before answering.
"Yeah... this is still related to what's been bothering you, kid. You're right, they are the global elites. Without realizing it, you've already been dragged into a dangerous pool."
"What!?"
"Congratulations... the government is watching you."
That sentence made Kazuma fall silent. His mind was instantly filled with clashing possibilities until it felt blank. He didn't even realize the journey they took until the car stopped at a house in a residential area of Minato district.
"This isn't what I expected."
Kazuma muttered, having imagined they would be taken to an official government facility.
"Ssssh... don't read too much manga. To secure information from the many eyes watching, a place like this is actually more effective. In a world where information warfare still exists, an unexpected location is the best protection."
"You know a lot... Master."
"Of course... who do you think your master is?"
The old man smirked slightly, showing traces of long experience etched into him—a former mercenary veteran who had long been involved in the harshness of battlefields, including invisible information warfare.
They were then led into an underground room. The place was completely soundproof, with strict security procedures—all electronic devices were confiscated first, ensuring that no conversation could be intercepted.
After going through the procedure, they stepped inside. There, a woman was already waiting. She wore a neat business outfit, her black hair cut in a short bob, sitting with her legs crossed elegantly as if she had long prepared for this meeting.
As soon as Yamazaki arrived, the woman immediately stood up and approached, greeting them with a professional yet warm demeanor.
"Welcome, Yamazaki-san and Satou-san. I've been waiting for you."
Just from her voice, Kazuma immediately recognized—she was the one who had spoken on the phone earlier.
"Iori... I came as you requested, so what is it?"
"You really can't do small talk first... alright then. Please, have a seat."
Iori gestured, guiding them to sit. Her guards briefly moved closer, as if intending to remain by her side, but Iori stopped them.
"Wait outside."
Without protest, they obeyed. The door closed, leaving only three people in the room. The atmosphere grew quieter, heavier—indicating that the conversation to follow was not trivial.
"Sorry for calling you again after your retirement."
"It's fine. Sometimes this old man is still needed in difficult times. So, tell me—what happened?"
Iori took a deep breath, as if gathering the right words. But before she began explaining, she glanced at Kazuma.
"Satou-san, do you know Omar Bradley?"
The question hung in the air.
Now, everything started to become clear. That even the government knew about his existence—along with the secret he had been trying to hide.
"If I ask how you know that name, it would probably be the same as underestimating a government intelligence agency... I don't know the man, but I know his name after what he did to me..."
"What did he do?"
"Sorry, this is dangerous if made public. Can I trust you?"
"It seems Satou-san doesn't trust the government very much... alright, I promise."
Kazuma slowly rolled up his sleeve. He focused, taking a deep breath before revealing his power. Instantly, the skin on his arm—even deeper inside—emitted a faint yellow glow. At the same time, the room's temperature rose, even though the air conditioning was still running.
Iori's eyes widened, clearly shocked by what she saw.
"What is this?"
"Yeah... this is Peach Blessing."
"That's nonsense! Peach Blessing can only be possessed by women!"
"Even if you deny it, this is still reality. Omar Bradley injected Mato Essence into my body. That's what allowed me to receive the Peach Blessing, just like women."
"That doesn't make sense... Alright—indeed, before the new government was formed, during the early days of the Day of Beginning, there were experiments to make men also receive the Peach Blessing. But it was stopped because it was considered inhumane—human experimentation cannot be tolerated... and you're saying someone succeeded!?"
Kazuma fell silent. He did not answer immediately, as if the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
But Yamazaki spoke up, delivering an undeniable fact.
"Wasn't this something that could be predicted? We can never truly stop human greed. Never—even after the world has changed. You should understand that, given the field you work in."
Iori was left speechless. She fell silent for a moment, taking a long breath as she tried to reorganize her thoughts, which were clearly shaken.
"Haah... sorry for being rude earlier. Honestly, it's hard for me to believe what I just saw... No wonder you don't want others to know about this. If this gets out, it could shake the world order that has been built by women since the manifestation of the Mato Gate."
"I know. That's why I don't say much. But... maybe because of that, I've become something like a golden apple for the organizations chasing me. That's why all this chaos is happening."
"Hmm... that makes sense." Iori nodded slowly, her expression turning serious again. "Now, let me explain the situation. The European Union has suddenly imposed economic sanctions on Japan."
Her tone was firm, yet it still carried a sense of oddity behind the decision. She then explained that behind the seemingly irrational policy, there was a group moving from the shadows, influencing European countries.
"This shows that the group—even though the current social order is dominated by women—still has the power to move nations."
Yamazaki responded calmly, as if it wasn't something surprising to him.
"That's only natural. A group built over hundreds of years by men won't just disappear. Let me guess... Bohemian Club."
The room fell silent again for a moment. Iori didn't answer immediately, but eventually she nodded slowly.
"You're absolutely right... it used to be known by that name. But now..."
"Eden..."
Kazuma cut in, his voice low yet certain—because he knew, all of this started from there.