“Oh, I want to ask her if she’d like to come with me to register on the hero network at the Association.”
Standing up, Clara brushed the dust off her skirt.
“You’re coming too?!”
Nangong Xiwang suddenly raised her voice, which confused Clara.
“Huh? I, I’m coming too… to do what?”
Nangong Xiwang could only squint slightly and force an awkward smile.
“No, actually there have been others who tried to persuade Kamui to register on the hero network, but she turned them all down one by one, so I overreacted a bit… Come on, let’s go upstairs and rest.”
‘Others? Probably promoters from the Association, right?’ Clara thought.
‘The Association was indeed sparing no effort in promoting the hero network, but the cooperation from heroes and hero companies was still low.’
Nangong Xiwang placed her hand on Clara’s shoulder from behind and pushed her into the elevator. The big dried squid she carried had to be held sideways to fit through…
“Miss Nangong, are you going to your part-time job later?” Clara asked.
“Yeah, I’ll have to leave soon, but I’ll call Kamui to see if she has time to come back and see you. If she’s free, you can wait at my place for a while.”
“Me, alone?”
“Hmm, you won’t sneak a peek at my stuff, right?”
“Of course not!”
Clara always acted so well-behaved that Nangong Xiwang couldn’t help but want to reach out and touch her cheek.
Looking at the giant squid dry behind her, but as soon as Nangong Xiwang reached out, Clara stepped back and protectively guarded her “giant squid dry” in fear.
Clara’s reaction reminded Nangong Xiwang of something she had heard from Blue Cavalier before…
‘It was said that Clara was a natural Mutant, carrying the squid factor inside her, because her father was a Squid Mutant… At least that was the backstory she gave herself.’
‘Thinking back, if Clara wasn’t the Mutant “Squill” they encountered in the sewer back then, could she possibly be that Mutant’s… daughter?’
Shocked by her own speculation.
‘At that thought, Nangong Xiwang suddenly had an epiphany.’
‘Although it was hard to tell a Mutant’s age from their appearance, Clara’s father—Lucia’s older brother—seemed to already be an uncle, right?’
‘It would be perfectly normal for such an uncle to have a teenage daughter.’
‘It felt like everything made sense now.’
‘Even natural Mutants faced social discrimination. Clara’s life before this probably hadn’t gone well. Perhaps that was why she and her father were dirt poor and renting a cheap rental apartment?’
‘The father, a Squid Mutant, obtained a Drive Unit while on a mission. Instead of handing it over to the Organization, he chose to give it to his daughter, hoping she could become a hero and change the tragic fate of being a Mutant…’
‘To that end, he didn’t even hesitate to betray his own Organization.’
‘To avoid affecting his daughter’s future, he even chose to distance himself from her, unable to acknowledge their father-daughter relationship in front of others…’
‘Oh, this reasoning is just too perfect!’
‘Maybe I’d make a good detective?’
Nangong Xiwang was amazed at her own imagination, but she still lacked enough evidence to support her speculation. It only provided a direction for future investigations.
‘Clara… is she the daughter of a Mutant?’
The diagonally moving elevator arrived at the apartment floor, and the doors slowly opened. Nangong Xiwang stepped into the apartment, carrying her beloved big dried squid over her shoulder.
“I’m home… I’ll go upstairs to make a call first. There’s juice in the fridge for mixing cocktails; you can drink it straight if you want.”
After taking off her shoes and entering, Nangong Xiwang immediately went upstairs to call “Kamui.”
Although she said “call,” she actually went to prepare the clothes to change into as Kamui, pack them into her satchel, and then leave under the pretext of going to her part-time job.
Nangong Xiwang occasionally acted in her Kamui guise, using it for entrapment while enjoying a youthful perspective, catching a few criminals to earn some pocket money.
So, she also had clothes and shoes in Kamui’s size ready.
***
Trusting Nangong Xiwang completely, Clara sat in the living room without any suspicion.
Only two days had passed since her last big cleaning, but the room already showed signs of mess: empty beer bottles by the sofa, and a bag of puffed snacks left open on the table that had gone soft.
This sight made Clara frown slightly, like a parent seeing their daughter’s pigsty.
Her gaze avoided the giant squid dry leaning against the wall and landed on a photo frame behind the sofa.
It wasn’t there last time she came.
Miss Nangong had framed the painting Clara gave her and placed it in a prominent spot behind the sofa.
That painting of Miss Nangong in a swimsuit.
[Looks like she really likes your gift.] Nyx said.
“Hehe, I’ll draw her another one next time~”
The discovery that her gift was appreciated made Clara happy too.
“Clara, did you have dinner before coming?”
Just then, Nangong Xiwang came downstairs and asked.
“Uh, not yet.” Clara shook her head.
“That’s perfect. I ordered two takeout pizzas; they’ll come through the freight pipeline. But I have to leave for my part-time job now. You can eat here slowly. Kamui will be back a bit later…”
There was a dedicated pipeline at the apartment entrance for receiving packages and deliveries.
These two pizzas were originally meant to be dinner with some wine, but Clara’s arrival changed her plans… She would have to come back after transforming into Kamui to eat them.
Clara thought for a moment, then asked hesitantly:
“Miss Nangong, where do you do your part-time job? Can I come and see?”
Not expecting her to ask that, Nangong Xiwang hesitated for a moment.
“Actually, I work part-time at a bar. Kids your age can’t go inside.”
Saying she worked at a bar was just to find an establishment age-restricted for Clara, thereby discouraging her from wanting to visit.
At the same time, her knowledge of alcohol happened to come in handy.
Little did she know that this explanation perfectly matched Clara’s earlier speculation.
‘As expected, Miss Nangong Xiwang is working as a bar hostess or a drink companion, right…’
“Is it a legitimate part-time job?” Clara asked softly.
Nangong Xiwang froze, blinked, as if understanding Clara’s implication.
Then recalling her own misunderstanding about Clara engaging in “compensated dating,” she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
She reached out and pinched Clara’s marshmallow-like cheek, scolding her:
“Hey! Of course it’s legitimate! What’s going on in that little head of yours?”
“Mm, I’m sorry…”
“Poor kids may mature early, but don’t get too precocious about this kind of thing! Alright, I’m off to work! If Kamui doesn’t come back, just close the door on your way out.”
Clara nodded, and only then did Nangong Xiwang let go of her cheek.
Then she put on her shoes, slung her satchel over her shoulder, and walked out the door in front of Clara.
But instead of getting into the elevator, Nangong Xiwang turned and walked into the usually unused safety staircase…
“Kamui, transform!”
She whispered softly.
Red and gold transformation effects exploded in the staircase serving as a safety passage. The corporate slave who had just gotten off work turned into a petite loli in a dress, with the same build as Clara.
Then, this black-haired loli began to undress, taking off the dress that served as her battle outfit, exposing her skin and muscle lines without a care, preparing to change into the casual clothes she had secretly brought out.
This part was well-prepared, but Kamui still couldn’t figure out…
‘Why had Clara invited her to register on the hero network?’
‘Had she been persuaded by someone from the Association with benefits?’