Chapter 169: Fifina

Combat Command Center.

“Congratulations, little Yukina. Starting today, you’re a member of the Agents too!”

“Ngh… thank you…”

Yukina blinked, appearing a little reserved in the face of Masaki Hinaki’s and Yonomori Nami’s congratulations.

After all, the people before her were Naoko’s friends.

One was an experienced combat operator and a member of the special combat team, and the other was the commander of the Order Organization.

Strictly speaking, Yukina’s current rank and seniority were far from comparable to theirs.

Yukina’s current Agent codename was “Fifina,” registered as Ephnel’s direct junior and subordinate.

She was also a new member of the secret, independent department “Group Three.”

This matter was not widely publicized.

Because Yukina’s situation was rather special, Masaki Hinaki did not deliberately announce and publicize Yukina’s identity.

She just had Yonomori Nami draft a “New Agent” notice and post it with minimal fanfare on the official account, which didn’t attract much attention.

Or rather, even if someone did notice, they wouldn’t discuss such a thing too much.

For most people, who “Fifina” was or whether the person had changed was not within their scope of concern.

This was for the best, as far as Ephnel was concerned.

She didn’t want the news of Yukina becoming an Agent as an “Absolute Accommodator” to attract too much attention, so the fewer people who cared about “Fifina’s” situation, the better.

“I’ll be in your care from now on, seniors…”

Yukina kept her head down, her eyes slightly raised.

She shifted her gaze and met Ephnel’s gentle eyes.

“Naoko… I’m an Agent…”

Yukina spoke softly, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curving into a beautiful arc.

Although she was reserved and careful, anyone who saw her could feel the joyful mood she was in at this moment.

“Congratulations, Yukina.”

Ephnel reached out and stroked Yukina’s head.

Yukina gazed into Ephnel’s left eye, her clear pupils shining with a faint light.

Ephnel seemed to be smiling, yet also seemed to be apologizing.

Her expression was hard for Yukina to decipher.

But Ephnel still curved the corners of her eyes and gently pulled Yukina into an embrace.

“Starting today, you will live and fight with a new identity… The road ahead may be difficult, but no matter what, I will be by your side…”

“Mhm…”

Yukina buried her face in Ephnel’s shoulder, inhaling Ephnel’s pleasant scent, and nodded softly.

“I will definitely work hard to keep up with Naoko’s pace…”

“Are we invisible?”

Masaki Hinaki stood to the side, a look of helplessness on her face.

Yonomori Nami, on the other hand, was genuinely happy, a smile spreading across her face.

“They have such a good relationship… I’m so envious…”

“Yeah.”

Masaki Hinaki lowered her eyelashes and agreed.

“So envious.”

“Well then… let’s confirm the equipment.”

After completing all of Yukina’s identity registration, Masaki Hinaki gestured to Yonomori Nami.

“The things are here.”

Yonomori Nami brought over a metal case from the side.

The case didn’t look heavy.

From the outside, it looked very similar to the spare case Yukina had seen in Ephnel’s car.

The surface was very smooth, with only the layered lines of brushed metal.

There were no other patterns or labels, making it look like just an ordinary briefcase.

Yonomori Nami placed the case on the table, opened it, and took out a mobile phone, solemnly handing it to Yukina.

“Little Yukina, this is your dedicated mobile phone as an Agent, or rather, an ‘Agent Terminal’.”

Yonomori Nami explained to Yukina.

“Your identification documents, electronic certificate, and other related credentials are all in here. In addition, dedicated communication lines and Erosion alerts will be notified through the terminal. Please be sure to keep it safe.”

“Mhm… I’ll take good care of it!”

Yukina took the phone from Yonomori Nami’s hands with both of her own.

It had the appearance of a mobile phone, but it was actually a dedicated terminal for Agents, one of their very important personal pieces of equipment.

Yukina had seen such equipment before—Naoko had a phone with a similar appearance.

Being able to use the same style of equipment as Naoko filled Yukina with an inexplicable joy.

Yonomori Nami paused, then took out a gray-faced card from the case and handed it to Yukina.

“This is your dedicated credit card for subsidy funds, little Yukina. The card account has been linked to your Agent-specific ID card. This month’s subsidy funds and reserve funds have been deposited into it. It also has a certain overdraft limit. A sum of money like this will be deposited into your account every month from now on. Please feel free to use it.”

“Ngh…”

Yukina held the phone tightly in her hand and took the card from Yonomori Nami.

A strange feeling stirred in her heart.

She hadn’t even finalized the part-time job yet.

But before that, she had already received her first income as an Agent.

Did this mean that the things she wanted to do with Naoko could be accomplished right away?

The income of an Agent was very substantial.

Yukina had long since learned this because of Ephnel.

This income was undoubtedly a huge sum for Yukina, a huge sum that would still have a surplus even after completing all the things she wanted to do.

Yukina clutched the card tightly, pursed her lips, and already had some ideas in mind.

“Mhm… in addition, there’s other equipment here.”

Yonomori Nami pushed the case over to face Yukina.

“Let me explain—commonly used equipment includes the Agent’s combat communication headset, a dedicated handgun and ammunition, a special combat uniform and matching gear, and so on. Document-related items include an ID card, a firearm permit, a special access pass, an electronic key, etc… This is all equipment to facilitate your combat missions, little Yukina. Please confirm them and keep them safe. If any are accidentally lost during a mission, you must report it in a timely manner and have them replaced.”

“Ngh… o-okay…”

There was too much equipment to take in at once.

Yukina was already a bit nervous, and her thoughts were a jumble.

Ephnel stood to the side, watching Yukina’s nervous and curious expression, like a little hamster that had discovered a ball of yarn.

She smiled, looked at Yonomori Nami, and asked, “By the way, are there any free training rooms right now?”

“There are.”

Yonomori raised her gaze and pursed her lips.

“Actually… because of recent events, the training rooms haven’t been used by anyone for a long time…”

“In that case, I’d like to borrow one.”

Under the table, Ephnel gently hooked Yukina’s finger.

Noticing this, Yukina raised her eyes and met Ephnel’s.

Ephnel said softly, “New equipment, you can’t get used to it without using it with your own hands… Yukina, the path of an Agent is a long, endless road accompanied by danger and hardship. So I won’t be lenient with you. I will sharpen you, I will train you. Are you ready?”

Yukina pressed her lips together, looked at Ephnel’s gentle gaze, and nodded firmly.

“Mhm! I’ll work hard! For Naoko, I’ll definitely do my best!”