South of Tokyo, in Kanagawa Prefecture, on the outskirts of Yokohama City.
This area was an empty, desolate coastline. Bright headlights cut through the darkness as black Hummers sped down the road, crossing a salt flat toward their destination.
Soon, at the end of the barren salt flats, a "half" runway appeared, with the other half submerged under the sea.
After the convoy stopped, a young man wearing a black coat, with a delicate and handsome face and fair skin, stepped out of the passenger side of one of the cars.
"Young Master."
The black-clad individuals around him immediately bowed their heads in respect upon seeing him.
The young man, referred to as 'Young Master,' was none other than the heir of the prominent Yamata no Orochi family of Cassel Japan, the head of the prestigious Gen clan, Gen Chisei.
Looking at the vast runway almost submerged by seawater, Gen Chisei remained silent for a moment before finally asking, "Sakura, are you sure they'll land in a place like this?"
"The pilot said so."
The only woman in the group, a petite and cute girl who deliberately kept a serious face, adjusted her glasses and checked her watch. "Three more minutes. Since it's the principal's private plane, it shouldn't be late. It should land on time."
Three minutes. Gen Chisei glanced up at the night sky. He hated people who weren't punctual.
Besides, if it were someone of high status, it wouldn't matter. But why should he, Gen Chisei, have to come out and pick up a few students from the headquarters?
Despite his annoyance, he had to listen to his father's instructions.
Gen Chisei sat on the bumper of the Hummer and said indifferently, "Let's prepare a little. At least make it look like a proper welcome ceremony, so they don't say we're disrespecting the headquarters or mistreating the delegates they sent."
"Understood."
The black-clad men quickly got to work.
Though three minutes was a short amount of time, it was more than enough to set up a simple welcome ceremony.
Snow-white napkins were laid on the Hummer's hood, three tulip glasses were placed, champagne was poured into each one, with a fresh lemon slice perched on the rim of each glass, and a bouquet of flowers completed the setup.
As far as the ceremony was concerned, Gen Chisei felt it was sufficient to show respect to the headquarters.
A loud roar came from the sky above the sea. Thick, dark clouds covered the area like ink, and it felt as if some wild beast was approaching.
The sonic boom from the disturbance in the air could be clearly heard by everyone on the ground, even though the aircraft was still hundreds of meters away.
"It's coming," said Gen Chisei, casually holding a cigarette.
The Sleipnir descended like an out-of-control carriage. Its massive wings stirred up a storm on the sea's surface, and as the landing gear lowered, the tires scraped violently against the runway, sparking as it rushed forward like a beast in the night, roaring straight toward the group.
The powerful gusts of wind blasted toward them as the aircraft braked at top speed.
Gen Chisei remained unfazed, sitting on the bumper with his hair whipping in the wind. His eyes were cold and focused as he quietly watched the steel beast charging toward them, much like a rampaging bull.
The people beside Gen Chisei, whether the small girl or the tall, muscular men, remained completely still.
Not a word was spoken, as if they believed that as long as the young man was there, nothing could harm them, even if the raging steel monster crashed into them. Not even their eyebrows twitched.
It was like the saying: "Even when Mount Tai collapses in front of you, your face doesn't change."
Luckily, at the last moment, the Sleipnir came to a halt, and its nose was just a few meters away from the Hummer. For such a massive machine, that was incredibly close.
The pilot twitched his lips in frustration. He had come so close to ruining his reputation. He looked out the window and gave the young man a middle finger.
The cabin door opened, and the stairway descended.
"The Japanese branch's welcome ceremony is like this? Shouldn't they have prepared a bunch of girls with flowers or something?" said the leader, a blonde man with a rebellious look, glancing around with a displeased expression.
"There are so many runways in Japan, why did they choose to land here?" sighed the black-haired boy, who carried a black-sheathed sword at his side.
"Who knows? But it's really cold," said the last one, a man with curly blonde hair and gold-rimmed glasses.
Sitting on the bumper, Gen Chisei coldly stared at the three men, showing no intention of going over to greet them. With a cigarette dangling from his lips, he casually said, "Welcome, gentlemen. I am Gen Chisei, a graduate of Class 03 from Cassell College. I currently serve as the Director of the Japanese Division's Executive Bureau."
"Caesar Gattuso."
A man with long, golden hair walked forward, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at the young man. Then, he grinned, "You're pretty good, but next time, remember not to park like that."
"???"
Gen Chisei's temple twitched as his anger flared. What does he mean by parking like that?
Another man, wearing a black-sheathed sword at his waist, walked up. He glanced at Gen Chisei and said indifferently, "Chu Zihang, the way you parked your car, you could easily get yourself killed."
Gen Chisei's face twitched again. Finally, the last man, wearing glasses and looking somewhat gentle, approached and extended his hand to Gen Chisei. "Hello, I'm Adam Angelwid. Don't mind what they said, we appreciate you coming to greet us."
Finally, someone normal, Gen Chisei thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
The idea of intimidating the newcomers had completely evaporated after those few words from the two others.
"May I ask, which one of you is the leader of this mission?" Gen Chisei asked coldly.
Caesar, who had already gotten into the car, waved his hand lazily as though calling for a servant. "That's me. Is there anything else? Let's get going, I don't want to stay in this dark place. It's not interesting at all."
The people around them looked grim. Their respected young master was being treated with such disrespect, and naturally, their anger boiled.
Gen Chisei took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He handed Caesar a document. "Before we depart, please sign this to confirm."
"Is this the bill?"
Without even lifting his eyelids, Caesar took out a black card from his pocket and handed it over. "This is my credit card. Take it."
"???"
Gen Chisei's forehead twitched with veins, and he nearly lost his temper, wanting to slap that credit card out of his hand.
In just a few minutes of official contact, his usually impressive self-control had almost been broken several times.
This golden-haired man from the main branch had such an unbelievable level of arrogance. If it were anyone else, they might have already had him tied up and thrown into the Japanese Sea.
Stay calm, stay calm.
Gen Chisei repeated to himself in his mind as he said flatly, "This is the body handling plan. The risk factor for this mission is very high. If any of you meet with misfortune, your bodies will be airlifted back to your hometowns."
"Oh, not bad. Very thorough."
Caesar took the file, signed it elegantly, and then handed it back with a look of appreciation. He added, "I'll report this truthfully to the principal when I return."
Gen Chisei took a deep breath again. In just a few minutes, he had already fought the urge to slap this 'idiot' several times.
"By the way, the welcome ceremony you prepared is too simple. I'm not happy with it."
Caesar, with a cigar in his mouth, wore a look of rebellious swagger. "So, I've decided that tonight, I'll go experience some Japanese culture. You should know where to go, right? Chu Zihang, Adam, you guys wouldn't mind, right?"
Chu Zihang, who was resting in the back seat, spoke calmly, "Doesn't matter. You're the leader, you decide."
Do you think I'm your tour guide?
Gen Chisei kept his expression flat, thinking silently to himself that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have come tonight.
Perhaps... someone should turn this annoying guy into a cement post and drop him into the sea?
A dangerous thought brewed in Gen Chisei's mind as his gaze at Caesar grew increasingly hostile.
At this moment, Adam, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Everyone, I know it's a bit off-topic, but I have to ask. Mr. Gen Chisei, are those 'guests' over there part of the welcome ceremony as well?"
The dark, desolate salt flats were illuminated by dozens of golden eyes.
It was like being in a pitch-black cave, only to suddenly realize that the surroundings were filled with bloodthirsty bats. Those bright golden eyes exuded a sense of cruelty and bloodlust.
Gen Chisei's expression immediately turned serious, his face dark with displeasure. "No. They... are the Oni Clan."
"Looks like someone else is also welcoming us."
Adam pushed up the frame of his glasses, a gentle smile on his lips. "Mr. Gen Chisei, it seems your intelligence work isn't going so well, is it?"
********
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