The sudden appearance of Takumi Enatsu, leaning against a lamppost as if he'd been there for hours, was enough to make Makoto freeze. The exhaustion and fear from Airi's crisis were instantly replaced by a surge of pure, unadulterated anger.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Makoto snarled, his glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Takumi, completely unfazed, ignored the question. He pushed himself off the lamppost and began walking, gesturing for Makoto to follow. "Don't worry about taking that girl to the hospital. I've already dispatched agents to treat her. They'll be there soon."
Makoto's eyes narrowed to slits. The cold logic of Takumi's statement cut through his rage. "How do you even know about this?"
Takumi smirked, a predatory glint in his eye. "Haven't you figured it out yet? I followed you."
Makoto was momentarily stunned into silence. He felt a profound sense of violation, of his personal life being stripped away. "You seriously went that far just to recruit me? Even—"
"Yes. Anything," Takumi interrupted sharply, his voice losing its playful edge for a moment. He began to walk faster. "Come on, follow me."
Makoto, shaking off his annoyance, decided to drop the topic for now. There were more pressing matters at hand. He jogged to catch up. "Why send agents? Shouldn't she be taken to a proper hospital for medical treatment?"
Takumi glanced back over his shoulder. The streetlights illuminated a serious expression on his face. "She is. The boss of the Seirei Exorcist Group also runs the hospital. It's a dual operation."
Makoto raised an eyebrow, his confusion temporarily overriding his anger. "Wait... He runs both the Seirei Exorcist Group and a hospital?"
Takumi nodded. "Yes. All Seirei Exorcist Group buildings or agencies are hidden. If a Seirei were to pass by one, it could bring disaster—natural or otherwise. To avoid detection, the boss built the exorcist headquarters beneath the hospital. It's the perfect cover."
Makoto processed this information as they walked, the revelation doing little to quell the unease bubbling inside him. Just as they reached the brightly lit hospital entrance, his phone buzzed. It was Renji.
"Some people are here to help Airi," Renji said, his voice laced with both relief and confusion.
A wave of profound relief washed over Makoto. He let out a long, shaky sigh. "Good. Let them help her. How's Gramps?"
"He's asleep for now," Renji replied.
Makoto hung up and turned to Takumi, the fight draining out of him. He looked at the stark, sterile hospital, a place that now held his last and only hope. His anger was gone, replaced by a quiet, desperate resolve. "Alright, I guess I'm in."
Takumi chuckled, the sound devoid of warmth. "Who knows? The boss has the final say. But if I had to guess, I'd say there's an 80% chance he'll be interested in you."
Makoto crossed his arms, a hint of his old bitterness returning. "You were so determined to recruit me that you even stalked me. You weren't going to take no for an answer, were you?"
Takumi grinned, that unsettling smirk back on his face. "Let's just say you're... different."
Makoto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you've said that before."
"No, not like that," Takumi said seriously, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. "Do you remember how I explained that everything has Standz—humans, objects, even the tiniest things? For example, to show how small an object's Standz is compared to a human's—well, imagine if a human's Standz is like a sea, while for objects, it's just a drop of water. But you... you have none. Not even a trace. You're like a walking corpse."
Makoto stared at him, baffled. The late-night street seemed to tilt on its axis. He couldn't form a coherent thought. "Why the hell am I different?"
Takumi shrugged, a shrug of genuine confusion. "Honestly, I don't know. This hasn't happened before. But what's remarkable is that you still function—and not just function, but exhibit strength and speed beyond human limits. You're a mystery, Makoto. And mysteries interest us."
Makoto remained silent, trying to process everything, as they arrived at the hospital's brightly lit entrance. He felt hollowed out, a strange, dizzying emptiness where his life force should have been. Takumi walked up to the counter, flashed a badge, and was led with Makoto to an elevator at the back of the lobby.
Inside the elevator, Takumi leaned against the wall, a triumphant glint in his eye. "So, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
Makoto, glancing around emotionlessly at the polished steel walls, replied, "You could've used a better color scheme."
Takumi forced a smile, a flash of genuine annoyance on his face, and pressed the final button on the panel, entering a secret pin with a series of quick, precise taps. The elevator began its descent, the pressure making Makoto's ears pop.
Makoto broke the tense silence. "How are you so sure I don't have Standz?"
"Simple," Takumi replied, the playfulness returning to his voice. "It's called Standz Sensing. Anyone with training can do it. You focus your Standz pressure on someone, and their Standz reacts to yours. It shows you how big or small theirs is."
"And what did you sense with me?" Makoto asked.
"Nothing," Takumi said bluntly. "No reaction at all. It was like sensing an empty void."
Makoto thought for a moment, the information swirling in his head like a dark vortex. "What happens if you sense someone with more Standz pressure than you?"
Takumi laughed dryly, a humorless bark. "If their pressure is less than mine, I feel a slight tickle or shiver. But if it's greater, it's like being crushed by double gravity. Trust me, it's not fun. And some people have such immense Standz pressure that sensing them can kill you outright."
Makoto raised an eyebrow, a familiar, challenging glint in his eyes. "Why not train to increase your Standz, then?"
"You can't," Takumi explained. "The Standz you're born with is the one you'll have until you die. Training only helps refine your abilities—it doesn't increase your Standz level."
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened with a soft chime. Makoto stepped out, momentarily stunned. Before him lay the Seirei Exorcist Group's underground headquarters—a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility filled with gleaming metal, high-tech equipment, and the quiet buzz of unseen energy. It was a stark contrast to the sterile hospital above.
"Wow…" he muttered, before quickly regaining his trademark stoic expression upon noticing Takumi's amused smile.
"One favor," Takumi said, turning serious and placing a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Don't tell the newbies you're Standz-less. It would contradict everything we've told them and could cause chaos. Keep it to yourself until the high-ups figure out why, or until they're strong enough to sense it for themselves."
"Don't worry," Makoto replied. "I barely talk to people anyway."
Takumi smirked. "Well, you'll have to, since you'll be working with them. Actually, we're meeting them now before your meeting with the boss. He's not here at the moment."
Makoto sighed, his patience wearing thin. "Fine. How many?"
Takumi opened a nearby door. "About four."
Inside, four individuals—Haruto, Miwafe, Yuna, and Rin—turned to stare at Makoto, their expressions a mix of curiosity and confusion.