Hollow

[09:00 O'clock. 21st November, 2109.]

The next morning, Lucifer — also known as Sato — opened the company's doors once more.

The first thing he saw as he entered the room was the counter, where three of the company's receptionists greeted the mercenaries with smiles on their faces. There were people in full exoskeleton armour, nimble fellows in body suit's and bearing guns, people in tactical suits and adorned with all manner weapons, as well as robed mercenaries with sniper's.

On the left was a large door, and on the right was a notice board. There were several pieces of holographic notices upon it which he had not seen yesterday. Several mercenaries were chatting in front of it. Annoyed by that sight and the many sticking-out pieces of holographic paper, Lucifer moved forward to the counter.

The eyes of everyone present focused on the black star on Lucifer's armour, and he could feel those eyes sizing him up from head to toe. It was just like yesterday at the hotel.

Lucifer was surveying the mercs in turn. They had gold and silver stars on their necks, with no black star's. Feeling vaguely out of place, Lucifer advanced to the counter.

Behind the large counter was a female receptionist with a star pin on her, and next to her was a rather stern looking security guard who didn't look friendly at all. When Lucifer approached the counter, the female receptionist greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning to you as well. Pardon me, but I'm looking for work."

"Then, please select a piece of paper from over there and bring it here."

Lucifer nodded in silence, feeling as though his non-existent sweat glands were

Now recovering some of their function. He arrived before the notice boards,

Looked across all of them, and then nodded.

"Yup, I can't read anything at all."

He said to himself internally.

The holographic text written on the papers were all in Japanese, and to Lucifer, who had learned how to read Japanese characters in his childhood, should have been able to read it extremely well but it may as well be a piece of unintelligible gibberish.

This was some sort of new japanese.

There were so so many words he hadn't had a clue of what they meant.

This was like going back to elementary school where he didn't know anything except how to read and write some characters.

He felt like a kid again, standing in the middle of a jungle with his language skills being absolutely useless to him.

There were still some words he could understand, though. Words like: combat, target, reward and the obvious number written on each piece of paper.

The receptionists walked him through everything the last time he came to the mercenary company, so he had assumed they would do the same this time too.

How naive.

He wanted to scream "Ahhhh," and roll around on the ground.

Lucifer frantically racked his brains.

There was a translation item that Lucifer possessed but he couldn't just take it out here since in front of everyone. During hollow he had ignored spells of that sort and had not learned them. After all, he had scrolls, which could substitute for learning those spells.

He cursed himself for a fool, for coming out without making preparations.

"Never again."

Still, there was no point crying over spilt milk. Regret would not help him here.

Oxy, who was behind him could not read the words either, so was of no use.

He could only hope that some of the words were still the same as Japanese from his time, but judging from the words he saw, the chance seemed slim.

A few of the surrounding mercenaries were looking at him with strange faces.

They were probably thinking, "What the hell is a newbie like you doing here?"

"Damn it." Lucifer cursed under his breath.

Gathering his resolve, he ripped a piece of holographic paper which was actually just a small chip displaying the hologram and brought it to the counter.

"We'll take this job."

"Err..about that...."

"We will take this job."

He said again.

"That's...a company resignation form."

Lucifer froze, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water over his head.

He looked closer at the contents displayed on the paper, confirming that it was actually a resignation form. A look of astonishment appeared on Lucifer's face. He looked like a fish as he open and closed his mouth a few times, speechless.

"What...what on earth are you doing with resignation forms on a notice board?!"

Finally, he found his voice, shouting albeit very quietly and pointing at the notice board.

"Someone probably put it there as a joke.. we're sorry.."

The receptionist said.

That's right, it must be a joke.

This is a Mercenary company, not an office firm. Why would there be a need for a resignation form here?

This must be a prank of someone who didn't like the place. He looked at oxy behind him and asked him to rip another chip from the broad, he did and then gave it to Lucifer who proceed to put it on the table.

"I meant this one!"

"Sheep farming in a bio-dome?"

Lucifer was speechless, that wasn't a job! A sheep farmer wasn't a mercenary.

The person that submitted this job request obviously thought that the mercenary company was some sort of prank company.

Even a child knew that sheep farming wasn't something you hired Mercenaries for.

"Who...who the heck even requested this?!"

"The notice board is public, anyone can request help."

"Fine whatever."

He asked oxy to pass him another one with his finger's and slammed that one on the counter again.

"Dry cleaning?"

Lucifer repeated it again.

"Ohhh~ wine tasting."

Lucifer wanted to laugh. Seriously? Wine tasting? Even an old man of 80 years knew that wine tasting wasn't a job for a mercenary!

"Someone please tell me there's an actual job on this board and all these are just pranks."

He said under his breath. It felt like a cruel joke to Lucifer who was desperately looking for work.

"what kind of a push-over company are you running?!"

He said in a annoyed heavy tone.

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"Excuse me! Sir, we are the most elite mercenary company in this country."

"Then what about 'wine tasting'?"

Lucifer asked.

"Elite wine tasting."

Lucifer wanted to bash his head onto the desk.

Elite wine tasting? Who came up with all these 'elite' jobs? Who in their right mind would hire a mercenary for elite wine tasting?

This had turned into a joke. Lucifer could barely stop the vein on his forehead from throbbing.

"Enough with the jokes, for god's sake just give me a quest where I can fight."

After gathering his resolve again, Lucifer ripped off a chip, and strode back to the counter.

"I'd like to take this job."

Confusion came over the counter girl's face as she looked at the hologram before her eyes. Then, she smiled bitterly and replied:

"I'm very sorry, but this job is only for gold star mercenaries…"

"I know. That's why I took it."

The calm, unwavering tone in Lucifer's voice evoked doubt in the counter girl's eyes.

"About that…"

"I would like to take this job."

"Eh? Ah, but, even if you ask, according to the rules…"

"They're worthless rules. I'm fed up with having to keep proving myself with easy, pathetic jobs like this before my rank-up examinations."

"If you fail the job, many people will lose their lives."

The receptionist's firm voice seemed to encompass the silent opinions of the countless people who had worked hard to qualify themselves by the company's rankings.

"Hmph."

Lucifer snort drew hostility from the counter girl and the surrounding mercs. Lucifer felt that their attitude was only to be expected. After all, he was a clueless newcomer who was sneering at the rules by which they abided.

As an higher demon, Lucifer felt nothing, but the remnants of Hayate sato human sensibilities made Lucifer want to apologize to everyone around him.

Hayate sato hated those people who rejected other's opinions without offering solutions of their own, and crappy people who knew nothing.

Right now, Lucifer was part of the latter group, and he wanted to give himself a good punch.

However, Lucifer could not back down easily. He wanted to, but he could still feel with a situation of this level. Therefore, Lucifer pulled out his trump card.

"The person behind me is my companion, ox. He is a human who's entire body is filled with atleast twenty cybernetic implants.

The air shuddered with a collective gasp, and everyone looked at ox in surprise. In this world, most people could at max get 7-8 implants before their body ran out of juice.

Is he for real? The eyes of the surrounding people shifted to Lucifer stylish full body armour, dubious of his claim. Mercs wore equipment which matched their abilities. The stronger they were, the better the gear they outfitted themselves with. Lucifer armour was very eye-catching and he travelled with a man like ox, both of which were very persuasive.

Noticing the changes around him, Lucifer cheered inside his heart, and decided to strike while the iron was hot:

"I, personally, am a warrior of comparable strength to ox. I am very sure

That a job like that would be a trivial task for me."

Lucifer's words caused a big commotion. The mercenaries were murmuring to each other as their gazes shifted back and forth from him and ox, all the

While the receptionist's face was turning a little pale. It appeared to Lucifer that his trump card was effective, but he had yet to reach his goal.

"We did not become mercenaries to do gigs for a few hundred yens. I wish

To take on a higher-ranked gig. If you wish to see our strength, I will be more

Than glad to show it to you. Therefore, can we take this job?"

The hostility towards them was fading rapidly, and there were whispers of, "Indeed, that's right," and "No wonder." After all, the rough men called mercenaries valued strength, and they understood what Lucifer was trying to say.

However, the counter girl was a different matter.

"…I am very sorry, but we cannot let you take this job due to the rules."

The receptionist lowered her head in apology, and Lucifer took a victory pose in his heart.

"Then it can't be helped… it seems I've put you in a difficult position," Lucifer

Replied as he nodded in apology.

"Then, help me pick the most challenging black star job, then. There should be others besides the ones on the noticeboard, right?"

"Ah, there are, I know."

The receptionist stood up, and just as Lucifer was about to cry tears of joy at his absolute victory, a man's voice reached his ears.

"How about helping us with our work, then?"

"What?"

He had reflexively responded in a low, threatening tone. Lucifer looked over, but all saw was a four-man and two girl mercenary team, their silver star's glittering on their necks.

Lucifer' grumbled internally — After all the effort to misdirect them — and turned to face those people.

"The job in question… it's a worthwhile assignment… right?"

"Mm — well, I feel it's worthwhile."

The person who responded was a man who looked like the team's leader. He wore some sort of red body suit with — strips of metal woven together with metal threads over a leather or chain backing — and carried himself like a warrior from ages past.

Should he join this man's team and work with them? Of course, he could decide after hearing them out, but then there was no telling if the receptionist girl would help them pick a job after he spoke with them. However, if he took their job, there would be a chance to build relations with them and obtain useful information.

Several seconds passed.

Lucifer slowly nodded:

"Worthwhile jobs are exactly what I seek. Then, let us work together. However, I would like to ask what sort of job it is."

The team leader raised his visor and exposed his face, revealing a youthful, but handsome face which seemed a little too young for this world. His tone was light and his expression, a lazy smile that did not fit his imposing image.

"Why don't we go somewhere private? The company has multiple discussion rooms."

Lucifer nodded once again. The man's age, appearance, and speech made him slightly wary of him, but he decided, for now, to follow him. The others in the team did not seem hostile, though they were staring at both him and ox.

The team leader stood to the side and gestured to a corridor: "Right this way." in a few seconds, they were there.

It looked like a meeting room, with a metal table lined with chairs in the middle. The men streamed in and sat down.

"Please have a seat."

Lucifer did as he was told, and oxy silently took a place beside him.

The men were all quite young, probably under twenty, but there was no childishness in them and they possessed a maturity which did not match their ages but the women duo looked a bit older. Although they seemed to have seated themselves randomly around the table, judging by their distance, they could draw their weapons at any time.

This unconscious display must have been a habit born from countless close encounters with death.

"Before we begin discussing the job, let us introduce ourselves."

The speaker was the man who looked like a warrior.

He had the typical black hair and black eyes of a Japanese, and while there were no other distinguishing features on him, he looked quite handsome.

"I'm the leader of this mercenary group. We are called "the Blood Wolves." Saul. Saul griffin. That fellow over there is the eyes and ears of our team, the sniper taguchi satoshi."

A exoskeleton-wearing man with dyed blonde hair nodded in acknowledgment, and his brown eyes seemed to have a spark of delight in them. He was slender and long-limbed, kind of like a spider, but his lean torso was wiry and muscular.

"Next is our hacker and the brains of our group, Lana seki."

"hello..."

The girl was probably the oldest person in the group, with white hair and blue eyes. Though she was an adult, the smile on her face looked too youthful. Unlike the tanned skin of the group's other members, her skin was pale, and her face was the prettiest of the group's.

However, the smile on her face was like a mask, though it was not entirely fake. While the others all wore armour, she was wearing a leather robe. However, Lucifer could see that beneath the table she had various strange items in her belt, including oddly shaped gadgets and peculiar objects and so on.

Saul spoke again:

"Next is the melee-specialist of our team, Aoi."

A man whose body was covered in scars and marks from many fights stood up. There was a certain calmness and stability to him, and when Aoi smiled, his eyes were gentle.

He was the tallest in the group, and, looking at his frame, it was no doubt possible that he was stronger than even kazu.

"The support of our group is Nomi. Her main job is to use her abilities to protect us, and she's very talented; we would be in great trouble if she wasn't here."

The girl who had been introduced as Nomi, was very young. She seemed to be 19 years old at most. Her expression was a little nervous but betraying her expression, her body was the opposite.

A tank.

That was the word best fit to describe her. She was extremely bulky and massive, with a height of around 5'11ft and weighing at most 100 kilograms. She had a somewhat childish face, and her red lips were pouting right now. She wore a tank top and shorts which revealed her firm and huge arms and strong calves. No equipment or even jewellery could be seen on her.

Just a simple necklace of some sort and some guns.

"And lastly, an intelligence specialist. His job is to support us from the back."

The man the leader pointed to was not as young as the others, with deep wrinkles on his face. It looked like he had seen many things. The man had a calm gaze, but there was a hint of danger in his eyes. He was the kind of person that would remain calm and collected even in the face of death. He had a somewhat handsome face, one which women would like.

Lucifer did not know who this man was.

The man smiled slightly.

"My name is Hirata..."

"He's a very special member, we were able to get our hands on him through good luck; it's hard to find people of his caliber."

Saul said, and his tone was filled with respect, perhaps a bit of awe.

"He's the student of a Neo-Tokyo legend — the leader of the black death."

"…And what sort of expertise does that person have?"

A look of surprise came over all six of them. It would seem this was common

Knowledge. Lucifer had asked that question because he was curious and wanted to acquire an ability which could strengthen him. Therefore, in response to the regret he felt over his carelessness, he told himself that there had to be some way to recover from a mistake like this.

However, before Lucifer could explain, the other side came to a conclusion of their own:

"I see, the reason why we don't know you at all despite that stylish suit and your beautiful companion is because you're not from around here, am I right?"

Lucifer nodded at this heaven-sent mercy of a question.

"Indeed, that is correct. The truth is, we only arrived here yesterday."

"Oh, so you wouldn't know, then? He's a famous person in this city, but he's probably not that famous that distant cities would know about him, huh?"

"Yes, I've never heard of him before. If you don't mind, could you tell me about him?"

"His name is Kajiwara hideaki, the grandson of a famous ceo. He's very special, he can use almost any cyberware. Not only can he use cyberware of a different Neuro system from himself, he can even use cyberware made for any uses. Even items restricted to those of a specific blood shouldn't be a problem either."

"…Oh."

Lucifer tried his best not to let them hear the awe in his voice.

How much could his abilities do? Could he use the Staff which he had — Lucifer's strongest weapon which only he could use — as well as mythical Class Items? Or did it have limits?

Or was it that his ability was only limited to cyberware and he couldn't use any item from Hollow?

Oxy seemed to feel the same way. He brought his mouth close to where Lucifer ears would be under the helmet and whispered:

"I think that person is dangerous."

"…I know. Coming to this city was the right decision."

"Sato-san , is something the matter?"

"Oh, no, it's fine, don't worry."

"Then, it's time for us to introduce ourselves. He is ox, I am Sato. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Wonderful, I hope we'll get along. Then, Sato-san, just address me by my first name. Right, while it feels a little wrong to get to business so abruptly, we should probably start discussing the gig. As for that, the truth is what we're asking you for doesn't really qualify as work."

"That means…"