MCLE | Chapter 9

Hexion’s words made James Brown shut his mouth. It was as if Hexion had just outright said, Did you think you were the only one who saw our files?

James Brown’s face hardened to the point where it seemed like it couldn’t stiffen any further. The only one smiling here was Hexion.

“A director and a colonel, huh. They must have set things up like this on purpose. Guess headquarters isn’t too pleased with how you’re handling things.”

At Hexion’s sarcastic remark, James Brown’s mouth twisted. He had hit the nail on the head. Ever since James Brown had been appointed as director, the rampage rate of espers in the Central Living Bureau had increased, while the rate of handling aberrations had decreased. The differences were only 5% and 8%, respectively, but they weren’t numbers that could just be ignored.

“I hope this isn’t your way of picking a fight with me, Director Brown.”

No one dared to refute his words.

At Hexion’s remark, the director’s office was swallowed by silence. Director Brown gritted his teeth, seemingly unable to suppress his temper, while Elijah was the only one visibly uncomfortable. Zero Nine simply sat still beside him like a quiet animal. Neither Zero Nine nor Hexion showed any sign of discomfort. Looking at them like this, they really did seem like a perfectly matched pair. Elijah cursed internally.

“…I didn’t expect you to be this rude, Hexion Theobald.”

“Why don’t we start by fixing that awful way of speaking? Do you even know me?”

Hexion replied with a leisurely smirk. His legs crossed, fingers interlocked and resting on his knee—his posture made it clear he had no intention of treating the other as his superior. Well, technically, Brown wasn’t actually his superior either. Director Brown’s lips curled in frustration, his teeth showing in a snarl. Zero Nine, seeing that expression, felt a sudden wave of unease. His smile deepened just a little, but no one noticed.

“Director Elijah.”

Brown called out to Elijah. Elijah, who clearly had no intention of getting involved, looked straight at Hexion. What? He’s the one calling, why are you looking at me? Hexion’s smirk widened in amusement at the obvious plea in Elijah’s expression. Elijah, in return, shot him a glare and responded smoothly.

“…Yes, Director Brown.”

“Even if his rank is colonel, I am the director here.”

Hexion countered immediately.

“The awakened individuals residing in the Living Bureau are all below commissioned officer rank. The only reason you have authority over them is because they are beneath you in rank.”

“But I am the one in charge here. Isn’t it standard procedure for people to follow my orders within the Living Bureau?”

“Hah. Orders, you say? I don’t have a habit of taking orders from anyone.”

Hexion let out a laugh as if Brown had just said something genuinely amusing. Elijah was getting paler by the second. Hexion leaned his body against the chair’s backrest before casually resting his head against Zero Nine’s shoulder. Then, he absentmindedly picked at his nails as he lazily responded.

“There should have been an official directive sent to Director Elijah regarding that.”

“Is that true?”

“…I was planning to explain it soon, regardless.”

Elijah sat up straight, wearing an expression that screamed he wanted to bite his own tongue. Hexion watched him with amusement in his eyes, clearly enjoying the moment. Elijah, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to gouge those eyes out. Don’t look at me. After scraping, digging, and flipping my insides upside down, now you’re making me say this out loud?

“…Hexion Theobald holds the rank of a special officer as a manager of special awakened individuals. In other words, he is of colonel rank, equal in hierarchy to the director. Hexion Theobald and Special Esper Zero Nine are to be protected within the Living Bureau, but they remain independent—”

Bang!

Director Brown slammed his hand down on the table, cutting Elijah off. What Elijah was essentially saying was that Brown had the obligation to protect them but no authority to order them around. And so, as if trying to soothe the enraged director, Elijah quickly continued.

“However, Zero Nine and Hexion must actively participate in the extermination of aberrations upon request from the Living Bureau. Unlike regular awakened teams that move in groups, these two operate as a pair.”

“…Ha!”

In the end, Brown shot up from his seat and strode toward the large window. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring outside as if trying to cool his temper. Watching that, Hexion let out a quiet scoff and lazily rubbed his head against Zero Nine’s shoulder.

“Now that everything’s settled, shall we get going?”

Elijah sent him another round of silent curses with his eyes. You have the nerve to say that after stirring everything up like this? No—actually, maybe it was better to leave now. If they stayed any longer, Hexion was bound to push Brown into an even bigger meltdown. Elijah quickly stood up and pulled an official directive from his bag, placing it on the table.

“Here, review the documents for the details. We’ll be taking our leave.”

Hexion got up leisurely, while Zero Nine hesitated for a moment, lost in thought before following him. Usually, he didn’t care when people shouted or raged in front of him—whether they ignored him or lashed out, it was all the same. But this time… for some reason, it didn’t sit right with him. Zero Nine placed a hand on his upper abdomen. There was a strange, unsettled feeling bubbling up.

“What?”

Hexion, who had been waiting for him, turned around and asked.

Zero Nine shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“Yeah?”

Hexion locked eyes with him for a moment before casually slowing his pace. Zero Nine naturally adjusted his steps to match. Meanwhile, Elijah strode ahead and got into the elevator first, pressing the close button before Hexion had even stepped inside.

Thunk.

Before the doors could fully shut, Zero Nine’s hand caught them. With a soft whir, the doors slid open again.

“That’s dangerous,” Zero Nine said with a smile—firm, but unwavering.

Elijah, who had never seen Zero Nine speak in that tone before, blinked in surprise. Then, looking at Hexion, he sighed as if about to lose his mind.

“I just didn’t want to see his face for a second.”

“We won’t have any reason to see each other again once this is over, anyway.”

Zero Nine and Hexion stood on either side of Elijah, leaving him sandwiched between them. Elijah scowled, making it clear he hated being stuck between these two. The three of them stepped off the elevator onto the third floor—the floor where the Living Bureau’s registration office was located. Without wasting any time, Elijah placed their paperwork on the counter and spoke.

“All the necessary documents are ready. You just need to complete the registration. I’ll be off, then.”

Without even saying goodbye, he practically bolted away. Hexion and Zero Nine silently watched his retreating figure. Hexion smirked to himself. I should find a way to make us meet again. He had always been a little bit of a troublemaker by nature.

The registration clerk, holding their files, tapped away at the keyboard a few times. Since everything had already been prepared, the process didn’t take long.

“Registration is complete. Also, here.”

The clerk briefly stood up and approached a white structure about waist-high. Placing his thumb against it, the structure slowly slid open from both sides, revealing something inside. It was a black wristwatch with a rectangular screen. The clerk took out two of them and handed them over.

“Please put them on your wrists and sync them together.”

Without a word, both of them strapped the watches onto their wrists. The clerk continued with the explanation.

“Press and hold the left button to power it on. Be mindful not to let the battery run out. Once the screen turns on, a message will prompt you to sync the devices. Exchange the code numbers engraved on the sides of your watches and enter them.”

Hexion and Zero Nine read the numbers on each other’s watches and entered them accordingly. A loading screen appeared, followed a few seconds later by a graph. On Hexion’s watch, the default display showed stress levels and heart rate.

“For guides, the watch displays the esper’s stress index and heart rate. If either of those exceeds a certain threshold, the screen will change to indicate the rampage stage. On the other hand, if the numbers drop below a certain level, a warning will appear.”

Hexion checked Zero Nine’s current stats on the screen—

Stress Index: 51%
Heart Rate: 102 bpm.

Nothing too alarming, though his stress level seemed a bit high. Typically, a stable Esper’s stress index hovered around 30%.

“And for espers, the watch displays the guide’s heart rate and matching rate. The matching rate may fluctuate depending on various factors, such as emotional state, mood, or physical contact.”

Hearing this, Zero Nine glanced down at his watch.

Heart Rate: 98 bpm
Matching Rate: 82%

He lightly scratched at the screen with his fingertip.

“I’ll show you to your room now. Please follow me.”

With that, they were led to the 62nd floor. The clerk explained as they walked.

“Starting from the 60th floor and above, entry is restricted to those with specific watches. Since your watches have been registered, you’re free to come and go as you please.”