The arrival of the two beautiful women added a distinct brilliance to the office.
As a gesture of politeness, the three people originally in the office all stood up. One of the beautiful women, upon seeing the towering Aomori, her eyes lit up. She twisted her slender waist and came to his side.
"Aomori, we weren't too late, were we?" This was, of course, Ms. Fujiwara.
"No, just in time."
"That's good." Ms. Fujiwara studied Aomori carefully for a moment before remarking, "You look better with glasses on."
"Do I?" Aomori pushed up his glasses, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
These were certainly not the Disguise Glasses of the Superman parody, since he wasn't doing anything illicit, he didn't need them. Aomori was merely wearing regular glasses as a simple disguise; after all, he was now something of a big star, and many more people recognized him.
Meanwhile, the other woman who had arrived with Ms. Fujiwara was her lawyer friend.
Seeing Ms. Fujiwara approach the handsome young man, she understood he must be the client for the day. After a brief glance at Aomori, she immediately entered work mode.
"I am Tomoko Kitahara, a lawyer from Kitahara Law Office. I have been entrusted by Omohara-san to take full responsibility for the acquisition of your company. This is my business card."
Tomoko Kitahara's features weren't as delicate as Ms. Fujiwara's, but she possessed an excellent aura. Facing such a beauty, Kenji and the minor employee awkwardly accepted the card, unable to speak coherently.
Next came the main event: a performance by the esteemed lawyer, Tomoko Kitahara. Her imposing presence was fully unleashed. She was articulate, well-reasoned, and spoke with mesmerizing eloquence, successfully persuading Kenji to sign the equity transfer agreement through a combination of subtle pressure and skillful guidance.
Kenji successfully divested, and Aomori acquired the company at a low price. Both parties were delighted.
"Factory Director Takahara, according to the contract, I will have people take over your factory in seven days. Please ensure all personal items are removed within this time. Of course, if Factory Director Takahara is interested in continuing to work at the factory, I would welcome it. The same goes for the other employees."
"Yes, we will give it serious consideration!"
The two sides shook hands and bid farewell.
Aomori was left with the two stunning women. He first exchanged a few polite words with the lawyer, Tomoko Kitahara: "Thank you very much for your help, Lawyer Kitahara. Your reputation as an attorney is well-deserved."
"Aomori-san, you are the true young talent, acquiring such a large company at your age," Tomoko returned the compliment.
"What about me? What about me? I helped a lot, too! How are you going to thank me?" Ms. Fujiwara pointed to her own nose, unwilling to be left out.
Seeing the sky begin to dim, Aomori hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll treat you both to dinner."
"Really?" Ms. Fujiwara exaggeratedly exclaimed. "You know, I've known him for half a year, and he's never taken me out to eat. Looks like I'm riding on your coattails this time, Tomoko."
Tomoko, who was well acquainted with Ms. Fujiwara's nature, simply smiled and remained silent.
Aomori couldn't pull out his Motorcycle in front of them, so he opted to drive Ms. Fujiwara's small car. He took the wheel while the two women sat in the back.
All along the way, the two women chattered away like orioles, whispering secrets to each other. But with Aomori's acute hearing, he heard everything clearly; most of their conversation revolved around him.
Aomori remained unperturbed, driving steadily into the busy district of Z-City. He found a parking lot, parked the car, and led the two beauties to the front of a shop.
The shop looked small and its decor was not ornate, but it appeared simple and refined.
Ms. Fujiwara's eyes widened. "You're treating us to this?"
"So... ko... Pig... Trotter... Rice?" Tomoko read the name of the shop sign out loud, syllable by syllable.
"That's right. This place offers great value and good food; it's my first choice when eating out." As he spoke, Aomori walked into the small restaurant and said to the young girl at the counter, "Three orders of the signature Soko Pig Trotter Rice. One large, two small."
"Coming right up!" The girl looked up, a big smile blossoming on her face as she sweetly said, "Aomori-nii, you're here! It's been a few days since I saw you last."
"Mm, I've been busy with work."
After chatting briefly with the girl, Aomori led the two women to an empty table and sat down.
The pork trotters were already stewed; the cook simply took them, sliced them, piled the meat onto white rice, added a braised egg and a bit of green vegetable, and drizzled hot gravy over it. The whole process took no more than two or three minutes before the dishes were served.
"Here you go! One large, and two small signature Soko Pig Trotter Rice!"
As the food arrived, the aroma was irresistible.
Ms. Fujiwara and Tomoko exchanged a glance, swallowed their saliva, put aside their aversion to fatty meat, and each picked up a piece of the trotter and put it in their mouths.
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
The pork trotter meat was tender but not greasy, refreshing and palatable. The well-stewed meat, paired with the savory gravy, was exquisite and worthy of high praise.
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
The two women covered their small mouths, eating large bites, and soon their plates were clean, leaving their stomachs visibly round.
Aomori, meanwhile, had already finished five large bowls; the high consumption of physical energy necessitated a high intake of food.
"I can't move. I want to lie down," Ms. Fujiwara said, looking up at the ceiling, having turned into a 'vegetable'.
"If you lie down like that, you'll find your waist has gotten thicker tomorrow," Tomoko warned.
Hearing this, the 'vegetable' immediately flipped over. Ms. Fujiwara stood up and declared with righteous indignation, "Aomori, you're going out on patrol, aren't you? How can we just abandon you? We're coming with you!"
Aomori didn't mind. After all, having bait would increase the chance of finding a Monster.
The three agreed and decided to go on patrol together.
Though they called it a patrol, Ms. Fujiwara and Tomoko Kitahara treated it like a casual stroll. A handsome man walking with two beautiful women made passersby briefly unsure who to envy more.
After patrolling a shopping mall, Aomori and the two women emerged onto the street and suddenly saw thick smoke rising in the distance. There seemed to be a disturbance.
"There couldn't actually be a Monster, could there?" Ms. Fujiwara and Tomoko Kitahara looked at each other.
"You two head the other way. I'm going to check that out." Aomori didn't wait for their reply. He activated his movement technique, and after a few leaps, his silhouette was out of sight.
"What should we do? Should we just go home?" Tomoko asked.
Ms. Fujiwara bit her lip and said, "Let's go back and get the car, then meet up with Aomori. Maybe we can help him."
Tomoko nodded.
...
The commotion was not as large as they had imagined. People weren't fleeing in panic but were instead gathered in a circle, watching the scene unfold.
Aomori arrived at the source, jumped onto the top of a streetlamp, and looked into the inner circle of the crowd. He did indeed find a Monster, but it was being suppressed by dozens of well-equipped, heavily armed people in soldier uniforms.
"Are these the Police Guard?"
The Police Guard is an armed force under the City-State Unified Government, intended to deal with large-scale criminal activity, including Monsters and dangerous wanted criminals.
Their strength is generally sufficient to handle a few Wolf-level Threats, but they struggle greatly against Tiger-level Threats, rarely succeeding, especially when heavy weaponry cannot be used in urban areas. Consequently, their deployment efficiency is low; the few times Aomori had encountered them, they were usually cleaning up the aftermath of a defeated Monster.
The creature they were suppressing now was a Wolf-level Monster: a large centipede, about a man's height, with an infant-like face on its head. This appearance immediately put Aomori on alert.
"I recall that the Centipede Monsters have a whole family, don't they?"