Chapter 5: Big Pieces

After what felt like an eternity had passed, the chair fully spun around to face Irina.

“Why hello, Irina,” said a corporate-like voice. “How’s life been treating you, hmm?”

Irina’s brows angled downwards—as if drooping from exasperation—as she stared down at the head of the man seated in a chair that was clearly too big for him.

Now, if Irina hadn’t known this man’s identity beforehand, she would have thought him to be…a child. Or, at the very least, the man had the stature of one.

The man’s top half barely peeked above the desk—barely extending past his shoulders.

“Hold on,” the man added, reaching under the chair. “Ah, there it is.”

Squeak… Squeak… Squeak…

After the repetitive squeaky noises, the chair elevated and the man was now fairly in view. The top of his scalp was clearly visible, but around it, gelled dark hair lined his head.

His body proportions were quite average, and if not for his small size, one could argue that he was well built. Faint bags graced the lower parts of his eyes, hinting at sleep deprivation.

And, in stark contrast to everyone who was present in the building, his suit was a pleasant beige color; well-tailored for his frame.

The man smiled—a forced one.

“What in Heaven’s name took you so long, Irina?!!” The man’s surprisingly loud—somewhat shriek-like—voice penetrated the entire office. “You were supposed to get here an hour ago.”

Irina planted her feet firmly on the floor, lightly crossing her arms.

“I had a minor setback, Osamu,” she responded to his query. “And besides, I’m not a little kid anymore. You do not have to know every single detail about me.”

There was a brief pause that hung in the atmosphere. Irina’s eyes drifted off to a corner in the office, while Osamu’s stayed fixed on her. His gaze was firm, enough to make Irina nervously rub her right arm.

“Hmm… So you’ve finally grown a spine, Irina…” Osamu’s lips softened to a more natural smile as he reclined into his chair. “…How time flies.”

“I suppose,” she chuckled lightly, returning the smile.

The tension in the air subsided, and the two individuals were now fully at ease with one another. There was a certain familiarity that resonated between them.

The man she conversed with was Osamu Watanabe. He was the head of the Shinjuku branch of Belova Industries; a large scale business conglomerate owned by Irina’s parents. It was such a massive success that multiple branches could be found across the globe.

“But I’m sure you have an idea why you’ve been called here, right?”

A slightly troubled expression flashed across Irina’s face for a short instant. Then she responded with a subtle nod.

“It’s almost time for you to fully embrace your position as The Hero.” Osamu paused a little, thinking of how best to phrase his next words. “And, at the same time, you must get ready to start managing the affairs of the company.”

“I understand that much, but why did I have to come to Tokyo?”

She had been residing in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for as long as she could remember. But she had already made a deduction based on events prior to her meeting.

“We believe the Demon King is still based in this city, and has reached Stage V,” Osamu answered, lowering his head.

Figures…

Irina had deduced correctly. That power she had faced did in fact belong to the Demon King. Now the question was: how would she handle the matter?

“So your parents, and I, decided that you’d enroll into college here. You’ll study Business Administration at the Higashi Shinjuku Academy. So, you can get a chance to learn not only how to manage the company, but also get to mix with people your age. You’d also get a feel for the culture here as well.”

“I have never heard of that institution before.”

“Well, it is a little less known than other colleges, yes. That doesn’t mean they are any less good at academics, I assure you. Besides, you are more likely to get a lot more intel going there than some fancy place.”

“I see…” Irina fully understood where he was coming from. Having more access to the common populace would result in having more leads. “Okay then. If it’s for the sake of the war and our company, I’ll do it.”

Osamu nodded in satisfaction at Irina’s utterance.

“Oh! Before you go, there’s someone you have to meet.”

“Hmm?!” Irina arched a brow as the elevator dinged. She spun around and surprise flickered on her features when the doors opened.

● ● ●

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Irina,” the youthful person greeted, stepping out of the elevator. “Or should I call you, The Hero?”

“Just Irina is fine.” She grinned before asking, “So, are you the ‘Genius Hero’ that the entire clan has been talking about recently?”

With a playful bow, he wore a smile. “Indeed, I am.”

Something that resembled a white lab coat draped over his shoulders. His black long sleeved shirt was tucked neatly into his tailored matching trousers. Both his hands were gloved, but…

The glove on his right was black, and the one on his left was white. His shoes followed this mismatched pattern, too—only the order being reversed.

“By the way, my name is Shun Nakamura. But you can call me, Shun.”

“Shun’s the one in charge of researching all things magical. And he also manages the development of tools or methods to enhance magic, too,” Osamu informed Irina. “He’ll assist you in raising your power up to Stage V.”

“Really? He can do that?” Irina regarded him with a tinge of skepticism.

“Hmm…” Shun hummed in thought. “See this elevator behind me? I designed and built it. While coming up here, did you at any point feel, relaxed…?”

He raised a brow as he posed the question.

“Actually, I did feel a lot calmer. Was that your doing?”

“Yup! That was the Magic Amplification System—M.A.S.—that I integrated into it. It helps promote magic circulation, acting like a sort of catalyst that—!”

“That’s quite enough, Shun.” Osamu had to end his rambling right there and then, else, they would have had to listen through an hour’s worth of technical gibberish. “You two get along now, alright?”

“Do not fret, Osamu. We will surely get along, right Irina?”

Irina gave an unsure nod.

“Great!” Shun exclaimed, attempting to sling an arm around her. She politely swatted it away, of course.

Osamu remembered something he’d been meaning to dive deeper into.

“Say, Irina? You said you had a ‘minor setback,’ or something like that. Care to share what it was?”

Shun went quiet, now focusing on Irina with a face filled with unfiltered curiosity and anticipation.

The persistent… Cutting her internal scowling short, she exhaled deeply through her parted mouth. I have to think this through.

She had most likely run into the Demon King, and lost spectacularly. If word got out, the entire clan would likely be thrown in a state of disarray, feeling that the enemy is making their move.

That would be, in truth, false. She was the one who had misjudged the situation, and attacked first. The next line of action the Heroic Clan would likely take is to bolster their attack. “Bolstering their attack” would most certainly entail raising her Stage to the highest known level.

Which would also mean, an intense training regimen.

I got it! A light bulb turned on in her head. I can just leave out the details, brilliant. And it would still be the truth, too.

“On my way over, I ran into…a robbery.”

“A robbery? How exciting! What did you do to intervene?”

Osamu leaned forward in his chair at Shun’s question, as if saying, “go on…”

Irina continued, “It was handled by someone else. I was beaten to it. And I…had to vent off a little frustration at my own inefficiency…”

After her account, she studied her audience’s faces to see if they bought her retelling.

“Just what you’d expect from a person of your caliber,” Shun praised, folding his arms while smiling to himself. “That kind of dedication must be why you’re The Hero.”

Right… Irina’s conscience nagged her even more after such praise.

“What do you mean by someone else?” Osamu questioned, locking his fingers over his desk.

Just give it a rest, Osamu!

Poising herself to give yet another convoluted narration, Shun interrupted.

“Mr. Osamu, can’t you see this is a very difficult topic for Irina? She is beating herself over it enough. It was probably just some other Hero or another magic user. Right, Irina?”

Nice one, Shun! Irina nodded, very pleased with his input.

“Oh, sorry for pressing so hard,” Osamu apologized. “Shun, show her to the bottom floor.”

“You mean the ground floor?”

“No, not at all,” interjected Shun. “A lot of things have changed since your previous visits.”

With a gleeful grin, Shun spun on his heel, heading for the elevator. Irina followed suit, still suspicious about this “bottom” floor.

Shun waved his right hand in a downward sweep over the control panel. A new set of buttons appeared, ranging from thirty all the way down to zero.

As Shun hit the lowest numbered button, he uttered in a theatrical voice, “To Ground Zero!”

Thus, they began their descent.