After a week of hospitalization, Kobayashi once again reached the day of his discharge.
Much like the previous time, his fractures had still not fully healed, and he would need to continue recuperating at home.
The place of recovery remained unchanged—his guardian Yomikawa Aiho's apartment.
After all, the hospital was a public space with a large footprint and constant foot traffic. In order to protect and monitor Kobayashi alone, the Security forces had been expending a tremendous amount of manpower and resources.
If this went on for too long, even an organization as well-funded as the Security forces would feel the strain.
Thus, discharging him early and sending him back to the Security forces' dedicated apartment complex, Family Side, would actually allow them to watch over and care for him more efficiently and at a lower cost.
Before discharge, the frog-faced doctor, Heaven Canceller, personally conducted another examination on Kobayashi.
"Don't forget what I told you—take good care of your body, boy," Heaven Canceller warned.
"If your arms or legs get fractured again, it'd honestly be better to just replace them with mechanical prosthetics!"
After half-threatening and half-admonishing him, Heaven Canceller finally signed the paperwork and left.
The nurse also packed up the medical equipment and followed him out, leaving only Kobayashi Nana and Tora-hachi Toumi behind in the hospital room.
"Anything else you need to pack?" Toumi asked, sitting on the neighboring bed and watching Kobayashi use his telekinesis to organize his belongings, clearly bored.
To be honest, she felt that her coming to "help" was completely pointless. With telekinesis, Kobayashi could easily handle everything himself.
"Thanks, that's about it," Kobayashi shrugged, then asked, "By the way, where's Yomikawa-sensei? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"
"She said something came up and she'd be a bit late."
Kobayashi clicked his tongue. "Then I guess we'll wait…"
Being discharged didn't mean freedom. Kobayashi was still under semi-detention and, in theory, wasn't allowed to move freely. Any outing required his guardian's accompaniment.
Even going "home" required Yomikawa Aiho to personally escort him.
"She's really late," Toumi complained. "Yomikawa-sensei's usually very punctual. What's going on today? Did she run into a huge traffic jam?"
"Who knows," Kobayashi replied calmly. "She is a Security officer. Emergency missions happen sometimes. Waiting a bit won't hurt."
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Before Kobayashi could respond, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Toumi glanced over and immediately raised a hand to the ribbon tied into her ponytail.
Standing in the doorway were three adult men in black suits and sunglasses—strangers.
"Sorry to intrude," the man in the middle said, his tone gentle and unhurried, a friendly smile on his face.
"Kobayashi, Toumi."
One didn't strike someone who greeted them with a smile. Even Toumi didn't immediately explode with hostility.
"Please," the man in the black suit said, gesturing to his two companions before stepping into the room himself.
"My apologies for the interruption, you two."
The other two men remained at the doorway like guards and did not follow him inside.
After casually closing the door, the man spoke again.
"Thank you for agreeing to hear me out, despite the sudden visit."
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Toumi stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Kobayashi.
"Time is limited, so I'll be direct," the man said plainly.
"Kobayashi, Toumi—I'm here to invite you to join a Dark Side organization."
After a brief pause, as if to be safe, he added,
"You do know what the 'Dark Side' is, right?"
"Of course," Toumi replied.
"One of the people who attacked Kobayashi last time was from a Dark Side group called 'Hunter.'"
"…That's a bit awkward," the man admitted, though his expression didn't change.
"Still, the Dark Side has many different types and styles. Generally speaking, it's quite free—unless a mission requires otherwise, the higher-ups don't impose too many restrictions."
He lightly explained that "Hunter" was an exceptional case that acted independently and didn't represent the Dark Side as a whole.
"So what you're saying," Kobayashi picked up the thread, "is that you want me to join the Dark Side?"
"You both," the man corrected gently.
"Even though the Security forces have sealed off information from the public, it isn't difficult for us to uncover the truth."
"To be honest," he continued before Toumi could get angry,
"Your reputation as the 'male and female twin fiends' is fairly well known in our circles."
"At the same time, I can access your case files," he went on.
"In fact, Kobayashi, your final judgment hasn't been decided yet."
Kobayashi asked calmly, "So my case is troublesome?"
"You should understand," the man replied,
"That the Security forces are extremely devoted to justice—sometimes rigidly so. They adhere strictly to procedures, laws, and regulations."
"That's not a bad thing for society as a whole," Kobayashi said.
"Which is precisely why your case has remained unresolved," the man replied smoothly.
Having recruited talents for the Dark Side for many years, he had seen all kinds of people. A precociously mature child like Kobayashi didn't strike him as unusual.
There was no need for deception. With this type of negotiation target, it was better to be direct.
"The Dark Side doesn't care whether you've killed before," the man said, glancing at the time.
"In fact, our missions require killing. If you join the Dark Side, all past matters are wiped clean. Even the Security forces can't refuse this arrangement."
Toumi frowned.
"So the Dark Side is an organization that can legally do illegal things?"
Sanctioned killing… Though Toumi never hesitated when she had to strike, she deeply disliked the concept.
After all, the greatest form of killing permitted by rules was war—the very nightmare she had only just escaped.
"To be precise," the man corrected,
"It's killing outside the rules. We aren't the enemy of order and law. On the contrary, the Dark Side supplements them."
"The Security forces probably wouldn't admit it," he continued,
"but in truth, we're allies on the same side—like two faces of the same coin. Interdependent. Neither can exist without the other."
To reinforce his point, he even took a coin out of his pocket and showed it to them.
"Kobayashi," he said reassuringly,
"Everything I do—and the very existence of the Dark Side—is, in the end, in accordance with the rules."
Before coming here to persuade them, the man in the black suit had already done his homework thoroughly.
(End of Chapter)
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