Since Kaine was found, the emergency order was canceled and the personnel could get some rest.
But Eiji was still confused and curious about those two teenagers.
What was Kaine's actual status in NOX? Why was he so special that a full-scale emergency was issued just to find him?
Those questions kept swirling wildly in Eiji's mind—like he needed answers to finally ease his curiosity.
But that girl had looked at him sharply and told him to stay out of it.
It irritated him.
'Damn... tonight was really confusing.'
Not wanting to stay tangled in his own confusion, Eiji returned to his apartment to rest.
Elsewhere, Shizuka and Kaine were on their way from downtown Kyoto to the NOX headquarters about 10 kilometers away.
The whole ride, Kaine stared out the car window, watching the adults outside going about their daily lives.
Some were eating at restaurants, some playing at arcades, shopping, watching movies, and more.
"Is eating dango considered normal too?"
"What do you mean?" Shizuka asked, glancing briefly at him.
"I saw it on TV. They were eating dango and talking with others."
Shizuka fell silent, then turned her eyes back to the front, letting the driver continue toward NOX headquarters.
She didn't know how to respond—Reika hadn't told her anything about that.
For now, her goal was simple: get Kaine back to NOX and bring him before Reika. That was the mission Reika had assigned her.
After a fairly long ride, their car arrived in the wide parking area of NOX HQ.
And it wasn't just the lot that was vast—the building in front of them was enormous as well.
Inside, hundreds of people worked under NOX—tracking Yakuma activity and reporting Kanjin incidents.
Yakuma were pure, uncontrolled demons. Kanjin, meanwhile, were humans possessed by demons.
Fighting Yakuma was much harder—they retained full power, unlike Kanjin who could only access about 50% of a demon's strength.
Even so, the survival rate for humans who became Kanjin was almost zero.
Shizuka and Kaine walked in casually, undisturbed by the stares from other employees. They were used to it.
"Wasn't Reika out of town?" Kaine asked.
"She rushed back the moment she heard you ran off."
"What's the big deal? I just wanted some dango!"
"Dango, dango... is that all you ever think about?" Shizuka muttered, glancing at him.
They took the elevator and arrived at the floor where Reika's office was located.
Shizuka stopped in front of the door and knocked gently.
"Excuse me."
"Come in, Shizuka."
The door opened, and Shizuka brought Kaine inside with her.
They found Reika sitting at her desk, talking with a man—her acquaintance from the Tokyo branch.
"So, this is the one?" the man asked.
Reika glanced at him and smiled, then turned back to Kaine.
Yes—he was Subject 497, the one they had rescued from the enemy's secret facility in Okinawa.
Among all the test subjects, Kaine was the most promising success.
Reika stood up and walked toward Kaine.
Even though Kaine was powerful and highly adaptive, in front of Reika—who possessed overwhelming demonic power—he could only lower his head, obedient like a child.
"Were you looking for something, Kaine?" Reika asked.
"I was eating dango."
"You could've just had someone bring you dango to your room," Reika said.
"It feels different."
She smiled gently and raised her hand, softly brushing Kaine's hair with care and affection—like a mother comforting her child.
Reika had seen it all: the 13 horrifying experiments done to Kaine.
One of them had killed him, and those mad scientists brought him back to life with a machine.
He had no name. They only ever called him Subject 497.
But Reika had found the experiment logs—and in the research files, the letters K.A.I.N.E were written, which stood for:
Kinetic Adaptable Infernal Nano-Entity.
In short, he was an Utsuwa, not a Keiyakusha.
Utsuwa were humans fused with demon fragments—no contracts, no commands. They were demons themselves in human vessels.
Keiyakusha, by contrast, were people who formed lifelong contracts with demons. Many low demons had been captured and forced into contracts.
Their defining feature was a weapon—used to channel demonic power.
That's why most NOX personnel always carried katanas—one of the tools for channeling such power.
As for raw strength? Utsuwa were always superior.
They could tap into their demon power without limits.
Keiyakusha, however, had to follow certain conditions—like the strength of their bond with the contracted demon.
The stronger the bond, the more power they could used it.
"That's good. How did it taste?" Reika asked, kindly.
"Sweet, savory, chewy, warm. I liked the sweet paste they poured on top," Kaine said, shifting from cold to enthusiastic.
"Really? I like that kind of dango too."
"You do, Ms. Reika?" Kaine asked.
Reika smiled, closed her eyes, and gave a soft chuckle as she nodded.
"Ms. Yomiya, you shouldn't get too close to him. That's a direct order from the Council."
Reika heard what her friend said.
Yes—the Council prioritized controlling Kaine due to his immense power.
But restraining him without cause would only remind him of the lab facility again.
Eventually, he would rebel—and become a threat to humanity.
Reika could already see how flawed the Council's orders were.
"I hate them. All they do is give orders," Reika muttered.
"I've made some plans for him and Shizuka. Can you both come here tomorrow morning?" Reika asked Kaine and Shizuka.
"What's going on?"
"Just come. I'll explain it then."
***
The Next Morning.
Eiji woke up with an uneasy feeling as his personal system chimed.
He grabbed his phone and checked the screen.
Shocking! The caller wasn't Himeko or their commander—it was Yomiya Reika.
Without hesitation, he answered. He was speaking directly with the head of NOX Japan.
In short, Reika had called Eiji and Himeko to NOX HQ this morning. She would be waiting there.
"What's going on? Is this about last night?" Eiji asked.
His apartment door opened—Himeko entered, already dressed in her black suit and white shirt.
She turned to look at Eiji carefully.
"Are you really going to wear that to meet her?" she asked, arms crossed.
"She called you too?"
"Yes. Ms. Yomiya called while I was having breakfast."
"I have no idea what this is about. But we shouldn't keep her waiting."
"Wait! I still need to get ready."
Thirty minutes later, Himeko and Eiji left their apartment building and drove toward NOX HQ. It would take about 20 minutes to get there.
As he drove, Eiji kept wondering what Reika wanted to talk about.
He wasn't in a single-digit team, and his accomplishments weren't anything to boast about.
So what was really happening?
When they arrived, Eiji and Himeko went straight up the elevator to the top floor.
They stopped in front of Reika's office. Eiji took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Excuse us."
Reika's voice invited them in.
They entered and found her sitting behind her desk, staring directly at them.
"Fujiwara Eiji and Kirishima Himeko from Team 17 reporting," Eiji said, bowing his head.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Fujiwara, Ms. Kirishima."
Eiji glanced sideways—and was shocked to see Kaine sitting comfortably on the sofa.
He wasn't alone—next to him sat the cold-faced girl from last night.
"My condolences for the loss of your teammate," Reika said.
"But there's another reason I've called you here."
Her gaze turned sharper—intimidating. She asserted her dominance over Eiji and Himeko.
Then, she turned to Kaine and Shizuka before looking back at Eiji.
"Kaine and Shizuka will be joining your team."
"Kaine? Shizuka?" Eiji asked, turning to look.
The boy was the dango kid from last night.
The girl was the same one who'd come to fetch him.
Eiji squinted and asked Reika:
"Are they new recruits?"
"No. They joined five years ago."
"I was going to put them in a single-digit team, but that wouldn't help them grow."
"I want them to live like normal people."
"I thought... only your team would suit them."
"My team?"
"Yes."
"Will you accept them?" Reika asked, eyes locked on his.
"Yes, Ms. Yomiya."
"Great."
Reika turned to Kaine, calling his name. He immediately looked back at her.
"Mr. Eiji is my friend. You must trust and obey him, Kaine."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
Reika smiled.
She knew Kaine and Shizuka weren't used to Eiji and Himeko yet—but they'd learn, over time.
One way to do that was by placing them in the same team.
"Eiji," Reika said.
"Can you take Kaine and Shizuka downstairs to pick up their weapons?"
"To use those swords, they'll need—"
"That won't be necessary," Reika cut in.
"They'll be able to use them just fine."