Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki.

Thanks to my interactions with Junko Hokkaido, a true young lady, over the past two days.

Makoto Haramura also learned her professional coffee-making skills quite well.

As for why they didn't learn from Misaki Shokuhou, well, those who know, know.

About ten minutes had passed.

Makoto Haramura was already seated on the sofa, with two cups of coffee, already brewed and emitting a rich aroma, placed on either side.

"It should be about time."

He picked up the cup, took a small sip, and while inwardly admiring his own skill, Makoto Haramura's gaze fell upon the closed door.

"Click——"

The door opened promptly, and the first person to enter was a face that had been turned into a pig's head.

Hmm, this pig-faced face looks so familiar no matter how you look at it.

"Komaba?"

"Yes, Boss."

The reply came in a muffled, buzzing voice, and Makoto Haramura could also detect a hint of anger in it.

“Miss Frenda Seville has arrived.”

Seemingly not wanting to talk to Haramura Makoto any longer, Komaba Toshitoku stepped aside, letting the girl, who was completely hidden behind him, enter the room before closing the door.

"They're still arguing with me."

Makoto Haramura chuckled and shook his head, then his gaze fell on the girl standing at the door. She had fluffy long golden hair and azure eyes, a petite and slender figure, and wore a beret with a cute British style, along with black stockings.

"Fremya's sister, is that right? Please have a seat. I heard you wanted to see me?"

The blonde girl in the beret seemed quite at ease. Upon hearing what Haramura Makoto said, she strode briskly to the seat opposite him and extended her small hand towards him.

"—Frenda Seville!"

"Fremya's sister, thank you for taking care of Fremya."

She looks small and has a youthful appearance.

However, he doesn't come across as childish in his interactions with others.

This was Makoto Haramura's first assessment of the girl named Frenda in front of him.

"Let's get straight to the point."

"I don't know what you want to see me about. According to normal theory, apart from Fremia, we shouldn't have any more contact."

"Your previous performance should prove this point."

After taking another sip of coffee, Makoto Haramura was completely absorbed in the moment.

That's right!

Just as Makoto Haramura said, whether it was in 'Skill Out' or now in 'Leo', Frenda always seemed to want to avoid contact with them.

They usually entrust their younger sister to them without worry.

However, when he sees his younger sister, he never comes to their territory on his own initiative, but instead asks Makoto Haramura or Toshitoku Komaba to take his sister to a designated location.

Is it true that the living expenses are all given to Fremia in one lump sum, and then Fremia passes them on to them?

Although Haramura and Komaba Toshitoku never asked for it over such a long time, the money had already accumulated into an extremely frightening figure.

All these signs indicate that...

Frenda didn't want to be associated with this group of incompetent armed men, so she was actively avoiding them.

They were happy with this arrangement because Fremia's sister's analysis alone was quite telling, suggesting a mutual consent between the two parties.

“I know, but the situation has changed now.”

Chapter 025 Sorry, I refuse

"Giving up in a place like this, you shouldn't be completely unaware of my identity, right?"

"Mmm, it tastes really good. Where did you buy it?"

Picking up the coffee that Makoto Haramura had brewed, Frenda took a hearty sip, her eyes narrowing into slits, the corners of her eyes curving upwards.

"Hmm, I have a guess."

"You must be from the Anbu, right?"

Ignoring Frenda's question about coffee, Makoto Haramura's voice became slightly more serious.

Ultimately, the powerless armed groups are simply a manifestation of the dark side of Academy City.

As the leader of a group, Makoto Haramura would naturally have some understanding of the "reality" of this city.

After all, what are the spheres of influence of armed groups that lack the capability to fight?

Ruins, factories, alleys, and paths.

These kinds of places are the best for when you want to do something.

"If you already know the outcome, then what I'm about to say will be much simpler."

"Because our organization needs some external manpower right now."

"Therefore, we need to develop you into an external organization of our organization."

"Simply put, the result is that you become our handyman, responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks."

Frenda straightened up abruptly, and her previously somewhat casual gaze sharpened.

What does it feel like? How can I describe it?

Right, it felt like a sniper had their heart locked onto.

"So this is a notification?"

Makoto Haramura's face turned completely cold.

"There's no other way; due to my status, this is just a notification."

Frenda gently shook her head, spread her hands, and pretended to be helpless.

Blah, blah—

The coffee spoon gently stirred the coffee in the cup, making a clinking sound.

"Why did things suddenly change? What happened?"

There was no direct verbal refusal, nor any outright outburst of anger.

The room was still filled with the crisp sound of clattering, but Haramura Makoto's voice was louder and clearer.

"Well, no matter what, Fremia is with you."

"Because of my work, I can't keep Fremia with me, since she might be used to retaliate against me."

"That's why I usually keep my distance from you guys."

“When we needed external organizations to provide cover, I also removed you from the list.”

Frenda yawned, and her hands left the table, falling naturally to her sides.

"So even though you two are a good match, you haven't been approached."

"There are only a few secret agents who are qualified to seek assistance from external organizations. We are probably the only one they need to seek, so you have always been relatively peaceful."

"But this time is different."

"Because of the unsuccessful mission last night, Mugino was very angry, so our organization needs to add an outer organization. Originally, we were eyeing 'Dead Knot', since we heard that there are quite a few ability users in it, and training them should be useful."

"But who knew that the 'Dead Knot' group would suddenly disappear?"

"Since there are no other suitable options, we had no choice but to come to you."

She looked at Haramura Makoto, her face, which had been stern, suddenly broke into a strange smile.

"That's right, that's right!"

"The Mugino I'm referring to is our leader, Mugino Shizuri."

"Its name in this city is 'Atomic Collapse,' you—should—have—heard of—it—, right—?"

First, she explained that the actual situation was not what she wanted, and then she used the things she had done to help us in the past to make me relax my resistance.

Finally, the name of LV5 "Atomic Collapse" is brought up again, using this insurmountable mountain to put enough pressure on it.

In just a few words, the girl Frenda in front of him demonstrated her extremely skillful negotiation techniques.

"Of course I've heard of it, the famous LV5."

Haramura Makoto's eyelids drooped, his hands stopped moving, and his voice turned cold.

"If we go against someone like that, we'll probably be wiped out the very next day."

In reality, considering that Makoto Haramura's "Leo" has been developing for so long, it only completely occupies one school district, which is actually a slow pace.

To be a bit more aggressive, given the Leo's cohesion and combat power, it's actually possible for them to control the entire powerless armed group in Academy City.

But Makoto Haramura never did it.

They always stayed within their own little world, quietly making a fortune.

The reason for this is that he has always been on guard, on guard against the higher-ups in Academy City.

He feared that the higher-ups in Academy City wouldn't want to see someone emerge who could unite all the powerless armed groups.

After all, the emergence of such people means that a portion of their interests will be divided up.

But he never expected that they had been hiding for so long, and now they were being forced for reasons he hadn't anticipated, but for something else entirely.

"Just agree."

“Those who were previously recruited into the organization were all liaised with us by the leader.”

"Therefore, the mortality rate during missions is quite high, which leads to the frequent replacement of our peripheral organizations."

"However, because of your relationship with me."

"So we've made adjustments in that regard. You just need to send your lower-level personnel to us to work with, provide us with reliable intelligence, and be responsible for tasks like surveillance."

Frenda appeared very confident, seemingly quite certain that she could persuade Haramura Makoto.

"By the way, becoming our peripheral organization isn't entirely without its advantages."

"At least in terms of arms, you have more legitimate channels to buy better weapons."

"Anyway, he's just a regular delinquent who can be replaced at any time. Even if he dies, it won't affect you much."

Finally, will you use small favors to destroy the last line of defense in your heart?

Makoto Haramura chuckled, his hands hanging naturally at his sides just like Frenda's.

If it were the leader of an ordinary, incompetent armed group, he would probably surrender immediately, grovel, and offer his loyalty.

But his savings over the past two years haven't been for nothing.

"Sorry, I refuse."

Are you sure you're going to refuse?

It was clear that Frenda was indeed taken aback by Makoto Haramura's reply, but at the same time, she gripped the hems of her skirt tightly on both sides.

"Of course I'm sure, so you've already set it up here?"

"Otherwise, you might not be able to leave today. I don't know the rule that envoys are not killed in a war."

"what--"

The atmosphere in the space suddenly changed, and a flash of anger appeared in Frenda's eyes.

"Of course, I'll take Fremia with me."

Chapter 026 Conflict Begins

"So, was it your pathetic pride that drove you to make this decision?"