Tobera Azuma—one of the pioneers behind the founding of the MDF—was also a direct disciple of Yamazaki Kudo back when he was still active in service.
Before the MDF was officially established, the force was known as the Special Force Multidimension Defend (SFMD). This unit was formed by the old government as a response to the threat of invasion from beings of another dimension.
At that time, the majority of SFMD members were men. The world was still cautious about the existence of Mato and everything within it. The social system had not yet changed as it has now—before the emergence of the peach that shook the structure of society.
Tobera herself was initially stationed on the rear lines, serving as a medic, safeguarding her comrades from the brutal battlefield.
"Welcome, darling~"
Her voice was light, full of a teasing tone, yet its effect on Yamazaki was like being doused with ice water.
"Can you stop calling me darling? I don't recall ever marrying you," Yamazaki replied, his voice firm but masking his surprise.
"Fufufufu~ that's because you always avoided me. Now, what about this time?"
Without warning, Tobera pulled out a marriage registration form, complete with a pen neatly placed beside it. Her movement was calm, natural, as if carrying such a thing was part of her daily routine.
Yamazaki immediately tensed, alert.
"Wait… there's something I need to talk about. This is important!"
"What could be more important than filling this out, hmm?"
Tobera's tone suddenly shifted. Still soft, but with an underlying pressure that made the surrounding air feel tense. Her appearance resembled that of a middle school girl—small frame and innocent features—yet in reality she was far older. Her Ability preserved her youthful form, creating a strange contrast between her appearance and the aura of her power.
Fubuki, standing nearby, watched the scene with a faint smile, as if enjoying every moment. Her calm expression suggested this was nothing unusual to her.
On the other hand, Kazuma could only remain silent, his eyes fixed on the scene. For the first time, he witnessed another side of the person he had always known as his master—Yamazaki Kudo was genuinely overwhelmed.
The tension, mixed with surprise and confusion, lingered on the old man's face. For Kazuma, the moment served as a clear reminder—that even someone who seemed invincible could falter, depending on what—or who—they faced.
"Tch, still avoiding me," Tobera muttered, her tone clearly dissatisfied. The marriage form remained in her hand, proof that she had waited a long time, patiently holding back, and was now beginning to lose that patience.
"Haaah… I'm already old. It would feel strange for me to marry," Yamazaki replied hoarsely, as if suppressing both amusement and irritation.
"But I can make you like me too!" Tobera looked at him with conviction, as if that ability could change everything.
"That's different. I'm not interested in a long life. And don't forget—I'm still this fit thanks to your ability as well. Thank you, but once was enough," Yamazaki answered, his firm tone still carrying authority, though it softened slightly in response to her persistence.
"Tch… so, what does my darling want to talk about?" Tobera asked again in a playful tone, clearly still demanding attention.
"Urgh…" Yamazaki let out a long breath. The nickname still bothered him, but for now he didn't fully reject it.
"The world is full of surprises… truly, I don't know what will happen tomorrow, or even right now…" Yamazaki looked around, his gaze briefly landing on Kazuma, as if there was something he wanted to reveal but was still weighing.
"Yes?" Tobera leaned forward slightly, curiosity evident on her face.
"That…" Yamazaki paused, measuring the reaction that might follow, before continuing. His gaze now fully fixed on Kazuma, filled with meaning.
"This boy turned out to be an Ability user."
"...What?"
Tobera and Fubuki both fell silent. Their expressions froze in confusion, as if a large question mark had appeared above their heads.
The reaction was natural.
It was common knowledge—that the peach only granted power to women.
And yet—
Kazuma stood before them.
Without much explanation, he rolled up his sleeve. The movement was simple, but enough to draw their full attention.
Slowly, he channeled heat into his arm.
His skin began to change color—glowing with a faint orange hue, like embers suppressed beneath the surface. The heat was compressed, controlled, yet clearly held unusual energy.
Then—
He released it.
WUSSH!
A burst of energy shot into the sky. The wave of heat created pressure that swept across the ground, rippling the surface of the pond and shaking the surrounding leaves.
The sky seemed to split.
The clouds above were pierced, parted by a straight path of energy released by Kazuma.
Silence.
Tobera and Fubuki were stunned. Their eyes moved from the sky back to Kazuma, as if trying to confirm that what they had just witnessed was real.
Meanwhile, Yamazaki simply stood calmly—a faint smile on his face.
Pride.
In contrast, Kazuma looked slightly awkward.
He scratched his cheek, uncomfortable with the silence that followed his demonstration.
...
The conversation then moved to the living room inside the residence. The atmosphere became calmer, but a subtle tension remained, as if what had just happened in the courtyard had not fully faded.
"That's astonishing, truly. Did you accidentally eat a peach during the Mato incident?"
Tobera asked with curiosity, followed by a sharp gaze from Fubuki who also demanded an answer. After that demonstration, Kazuma practically had no room left to avoid the topic—especially in a country with the highest number of Ability users and a social system that was highly discriminatory toward men.
Kazuma glanced at Yamazaki.
Their eyes met.
The old man let out a quiet breath—a sign that he understood his student's situation.
"It's fine. You don't need to worry about what happens next. In fact, at times like this, you need allies… so you don't end up caught between two sides."
"My darling… what do you mean?" Tobera asked, her brow slightly raised.
"Just listen to what the boy has to say… haah."
Kazuma nodded slightly. He assessed the two of them—Tobera and Fubuki seemed trustworthy. Thinking back, the only ones who knew his secret so far were Yamazaki, Tenka, and the Eden organization.
His life was becoming increasingly complicated—like the plot of a shounen manga that never slowed down.
He took a short breath.
"Yeah… it started about half a year ago."
Kazuma began to explain everything in detail. From how he obtained his Ability, Omar Bradley's explanation about the organization behind it, the reason Mato Essence was created, to the existence of the Eden organization and the figure known as Eve.
The room fell silent.
"That's hard to believe… even after living this long, I never knew something like that," Tobera murmured, her tone mixed with disbelief and astonishment.
"Of course you wouldn't know. You were only active in Japan. Even I—despite having been an international mercenary in my youth—am only hearing about them for the first time. No… perhaps I had some suspicions."
All eyes turned to Yamazaki as he sank into thought, trying to piece together the fragments of information he had just heard.
"They could be the global elite from a previous era. Considering… not everyone accepted Japan becoming a superpower simply because we monopolized the Mato dimension."
"Hmm… that's possible…" Tobera clicked her tongue softly, her expression turning slightly irritated. "Tch, this conversation is bringing back old memories."
"Yeah. If I remember correctly, at the beginning of the new government, chaos broke out everywhere. Back then, men in Japan held massive demonstrations, demanding the government not pass new laws that favored women," Yamazaki continued in a flat tone, as if reciting history he would rather forget.
"But it was necessary to attract talent. We lacked manpower, and too many people were dying at that time," Tobera replied, asserting her perspective.
"That's what I disagreed with. It was as if they were saying we were useless… and that became the reason I had to retire."
Yamazaki's words landed heavily in the room.
For Tobera, they felt like a bolt of lightning.
In the past—that man had also opposed the massive changes taking place. But at the time, Tobera chose silence. Too many lives had been lost just to deal with a single normal Shuuki. The situation forced them to quickly form a special unit composed of superpowered individuals. From that necessity, the MDF was born.
Silence lingered for a moment.
"So, what do you plan to do next, Satou-san?"
Fubuki, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. She leaned slightly toward Kazuma, her tone gentle but attentive.
"Of course… I can't keep running forever." Kazuma answered without hesitation. "That's why I've been building my strength. Under master's guidance, I was able to fight back against them yesterday."
"Yesterday?"
Fubuki's tone shifted subtly, showing interest.
Kazuma continued, recounting what had just happened—the sudden attack, the intense battle, and the enemy's retreat.
As soon as he finished—
"Damn it… how dare they cause chaos in my country!"
Tobera exploded instantly. Her anger was real, completely unrestrained.
It was understandable.
As someone who once stood on the front lines, she had fought to protect her homeland. Hearing that foreign forces had boldly stepped into this land and caused destruction—this was not just a threat, but an insult.
The aura around her changed—sharper, heavier.
Meanwhile, Kazuma could only observe, realizing that Tobera's emotions were not ordinary anger, but something born from a past filled with bloodshed and loss.
"That's an incredible achievement, Satou-san! Are you interested in working with the MDF?"
"Hoo... what do you think about that?"
Fubuki wasted no time. Her tone remained soft, but her intent was clear—she was trying to recruit Kazuma. His talent was far too great to ignore. Defeating a group of Ability users was no trivial feat. Even Tobera seemed intrigued.
"No… I'm not interested."
The answer came without hesitation.
"May I know why?"
"It would only make things more troublesome later."
Kazuma replied calmly, but firmly.
He understood his position very well. A man with an Ability—just that fact alone was enough to shake the world. If he joined the MDF, it would place him directly in the spotlight, opening the path to much larger conflicts.
"That's true… both of you."
Yamazaki spoke up, supporting Kazuma's decision while steering the conversation.
"And the reason we came here is to ask for help."
"Help?"
Fubuki and Tobera looked at him at the same time.
"Yes. I need to assess this boy's abilities so I can determine the kind of training that suits him. For that… I need access to your training grounds."
Tobera fell silent.
She didn't answer immediately. The request sounded simple on the surface, but its implications were not small. This wasn't just about borrowing a place—she was also interested in seeing it herself, and a simple demonstration wouldn't be enough.
Her eyes shifted to Fubuki.
In an instant, it was as if they shared an unspoken understanding.
And in Tobera's mind—
An idea began to form.
A faint, slightly cunning smile appeared on her face.
"Well then, boy…"
Her gaze now fixed on Kazuma.
"Do you need a training partner?"