Editing The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume3 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

C Block was a cheap Chinatown much like a movie set. But that may have been unavoidable since it had been built as an attraction or theme park based on Western ideas of China rather than appearing naturally like a normal Chinatown.

To match the color of the block, most of the costumes were based on Chinese entertainment. There was even a shirtless kung fu man and a Jiangshi girl who had gone all out and painted all of her skin blue. Shiroyama Kyousuke and Isabelle had arrived at a ''caiguan'' – that is, a Chinese restaurant – run by Illegal, one of the three major powers. However it was a relatively cheap restaurant and it was more like a set meal shop. The restaurant had just dealt with the lunch rush and was now bringing in tourists looking for a dessert of sesame balls or almond jelly.

But it turned out someone was there ahead of them.

A boy of about ten must have stopped by on the way back from school because he still wore his school backpack as he pouted his lips next to the modified China dress beauty named Lu Niang Lan.

According to him…

“It makes me angry when you talk with other guys.”

“Oh, my.”

“But that’s a bad feeling, so this can’t be a good thing! So I’m trying to cool my head!!”

“Oh, my, my.”
The small boy finished eating a mango pudding snack as he spoke with Lu Niang Lan and he left the restaurant after checking the time on his cellphone.

The Illegal tool dealer waved goodbye with a smile and then called over a nearby employee.

“Wang-san, could I ask you a favor? It’s urgent.”

“I’d really rather you didn’t, Miss Lu.”

“His emotional points have crossed a certain line, so dress up as a thug and scare him for me. I don’t want him ever wandering around stores connected to Illegal ever again. And of course make sure you don’t hurt him.”

“No fair, Miss Lu. You always shove the dirty work onto me!”

The large muscular man complained, but he still scratched his head with one hand and walked to the back of the restaurant. He was probably on his way to “dress up”.

Kyousuke and Isabelle walked in to take the boy’s place and Kyousuke spoke up with some exasperation in his voice.

“I don’t see why you have to go that far. Normal people forget we even exist as soon as they take their eyes off of us.”

“But the routine of visiting this ''caiguan'' remains. And in certain circumstances, this place could be the site of a shootout or a terrorist bombing. Or he might get abducted as a bargaining chip. That’s the kind of work we do. I don’t like talking about responsibility after the fact ''as if I suddenly remembered it exists''.”

She sighed and glanced toward the door the boy had left through.

As if to switch over her train of thought, she looked back to the table and gestured with her slender hand for Kyousuke and Isabelle to sit.

“Welcome to the Hai Hong Caiguan. Is this the vessel you were talking about, Kyousuke-chan?”

“Yes. My name is Isabelle, so you can call me Isabelle.”

“Umm? Well, whatever. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s super-sized nice to meet you.”

The modified China dress beauty crossed her legs after sitting at the table that was not particularly red and did not spin.

“So did you visit this Illegal base because you wanted information on the person disseminating the mysterious gimmick known as Girl’s Backdoor?” She sounded a little exasperated. “You’re always walking a dangerous road, aren’t you?”

“Well, it’s just that I can’t read the culprit’s algorithm, but that’s because I don’t have enough data to derive that algorithm. So I was thinking that Aika’s…that is, Government’s information sources alone weren’t enough. In that case, I might be able to see their algorithm if I can go at this from a different angle and get some new data.”

[[Image:BloodSign_v03_133.jpg|thumb]]

The world of the Summoning Ceremony came down to a standoff between Government and Illegal.

And Freedom was only an unrestricted neighbor that mediated the issues between them.

It was just that each member of Freedom was such a powerful warrior that they ended up acting like a third major power.

“Hmm. So is that glove on your left hand the rumored Girl’s Backdoor? This is my first time seeing one in person.”

“Yeah. I can’t believe someone was handing these things out.”

“Oh, my, my. Speak of the devil. My body is moving all on its own… What could be happening?”

“Why is that making you lean up against me!? And I think you’re a little old to call a ‘girl’.”

“Did you say something? I’ll just have to drown it out with a young woman’s charm!”

Lu Niang Lan sat sideways on his lap and wrapped her arm around his shoulder while jokingly rubbing her voluptuous body against him. It was no longer an issue of which specific parts of her body were rubbing against which specific parts of his body. Her seductive assault threatened to drag his soul away if he did not focus his mind.

“And if you defeated the enemy and got a sample Girl’s Backdoor, why not use it for some sexy fun!? Or are you not satisfied unless you win her over with your own power? Oh, that just makes you an even greater catch, Kyousuke-chan!!”

“Umm, can we move on with the discussion?”

“Well, keeping it around but not actually using it ''is'' exactly what I would expect from you. You’ll do whatever it takes to win, but you set up these boundaries in the weirdest places.”

“What are you talking about? I’ll use any weapon available to me. I just haven’t been blessed with an opportunity yet.”

“Can I throw that right back at you? ''What are you talking about, Kyousuke-chan?''”

“Get back on topic.”

“You say that, but…”

Lu Niang Lan moved away from him, placed her index finger on her chin, and looked up at the ceiling.

Military Uniform Girl Isabelle stared curiously at the almond jelly the waiter placed in front of her, but for some reason, she did not eat any. She may have been able to restrain herself from her personal preferences if it was not part of her “contract and reward” system.

Kyousuke had no choice but to sigh and make a request.

“Sorry, Isabelle, but…”

“…”

“Can you hand me the soy sauce?”

“A-ahem(deadpan). But if I’m going to do any work, I need to be given a super-sized reward first.”

“Yes, yes. Would this almond jelly be suffic-…”

The small bottle of soy sauce approached him with deadly force.

He accepted it in shock and Isabelle breathed from her small nose and boldly stabbed a spoon into the almond jelly. If he had swiped it from her now, he had a feeling she would murder him not with a knife or fork, but with the spoon.

“Delish(deadpan).”

At least she seemed happy. No other response came to mind.

“To be honest, Illegal is lacking in information on Girl’s Backdoor. And to be blunt, we only really noticed it when you contacted me, Kyousuke-chan.”

“Does that mean Illegal played no part in the production and use of Girl’s Backdoor?”

“I’d guess this is either Government or Freedom. …Or maybe the former hiring the latter for a job☆” Lu Niang Lan sounded cheerful. “Illegal is a little more focused on another issue. In the Pacific, we were supposed to steal a Government leader and the results of their research, but some summoner challenged us to a midair battle and even destroyed our mobile air squadron which included a disguised aircraft carrier. It apparently caused significant damage, but oddly enough there were precisely zero deaths.”

“Cough, cough.”

Kyousuke began coughing to avoid the issue.

Then the waiter silently approached Lu Niang Lan’s side.

He whispered something into her ear and she indifferently revealed the information.

“Kyousuke-chan, it seems things are on the move with Government.”

“?”

“A Government base in D Block was attacked and destroyed. And I doubt it’s just a coincidence given the timing. And I also doubt anyone would use a Government summoner to attack Government and this has nothing to do with Illegal.”

“So our enemy here is Freedom…”

“Right, right. Now, I’m sure you’ll be contacting the wild beast girl soon. Since I’m in a bit of a bullying mood, can you ask her something for me?”

“You don’t want me to ask Aika her weight or her measurements, do you? I’d rather not have a five meter white liger tear me to pieces in your place, Lu-san.”

“If you asked her that, she’d answer without batting an eye. And that would be boring. That’s why I’ll give you something much more difficult to answer.” She laughed. “Ask her about the Anthills.”

“The Anthills?”

“Oh, don’t look to me for answers. Not even Illegal has the whole picture of that term.”

“So it’s some kind of classified information that Government is desperate to keep hidden?”

“And we had suspected that the live music club that was attacked in D Block was one of those Anthills. Someone disseminated those flashy Girl’s Backdoors as a largescale disturbance tactic and then made a pinpoint attack on an important Government base. I can almost see them holding their heads in their hands.”