Amazingly, on the way to their destination—Harumi Pier Park—not a single person recognized Inari or Hikaru.
Whether it was because they looked too different from usual and were mistaken for fans wearing accessories, or because Inari’s casual outfit simply made people not associate her with Kogami Inari, Hikaru figured it was probably both.
This sort of thing had actually happened before: a wildly famous Awakener who wore a distinct helmet and armor—serving also as a corporate mascot—once walked around in plain clothes and wasn’t recognized by anyone.
Why? The answer was simple: people had come to identify him by the armor and helmet. Once those were gone, so was the association.
It wasn’t even a rare occurrence. People often fail to recognize someone they know when they change their hairstyle—that’s just human nature.
And the public’s image of Kogami Inari was that of the “fox shrine maiden,” defined by her fox ears, tail, and miko outfit. That impression was so powerful that simply changing the outfit helped weaken the association. Add a pair of sunglasses to hide the eyes, and unless someone stared long and hard, they wouldn’t connect the dots.
And so, the two of them arrived at New Tokyo Port.
Once a vast and fully functional port facility, Tokyo Port had been forced to transform drastically due to the monster disaster and the subsequent changes in sea conditions.
New Tokyo Port had since undergone fortress-level enhancements, complete with Awakener standby facilities for defense against aquatic monsters. However, the Harumi Pier, responsible for seafood handling, had for various reasons remained largely untouched by such fortification. Yet no major problems had arisen—until now. That’s why all involved parties were in a scramble, and the Fishing Federation had moved the fastest of them all.
"Well, in the end, it’s all about new power grabs. Man, look at all the clans gathered here."
"Hmmm. They all look much the same to me."
"Heh."
At Harumi Pier Park, it wasn’t just Hikaru and Inari who had come to gawk at the gathering Awakeners—there were a number of other onlookers as well, including multiple TV crews and reporters.
Hearing Inari’s honest impression, Hikaru couldn’t help but laugh. And honestly, she was right.
While Hikaru had mentioned “power grabs,” this wasn’t exactly a glamorous gig. Merman thrived in aquatic environments, and the risk of ambush was high. Whether the reward the Fishing Federation was offering was worth it would depend entirely on the Awakener’s skill. Given the nature of the recruitment, anyone deemed useless would likely be let go immediately.
Naturally, major clans weren’t going to touch something so uncertain. Most of the ones gathered here belonged to small or mid-sized clans. And it was rare to find some hidden super-elite among them who could turn the tide solo. That’s about the level of the Awakeners gathered here today.
"Yeah, makes sense. Not a single decent guy out here. But with enough numbers, they’ll manage."
Not that Hikaru’s focus was even on them to begin with.
"Oh, here they come."
The truly high-ranking Awakeners, treated as top-level personnel in various organizations, arrived walking alongside executives from the Fishing Federation. The presence of these well-known Awakeners stirred the crowd gathered in the park.
There was clearly some resentment over the disparity in treatment, but even the reporters and onlookers murmured in admiration upon seeing just how famous some of the new arrivals were.
"Who are they?"
"You really don’t pay attention to this stuff, huh. Let’s see…"
Kobayashi Seiichi of Clan Seiryu, a physical dealer known as “Dragon Blade.”
Nakano Rei of Clan Yggdrasil, a magic dealer and master of lightning magic, nicknamed “Thunder Tree.”
Misono Takuma of Clan Iron Arm, a tank known as “Strong Arm.”
While none of their clans were among the top 10, they were still highly regarded. In particular, Kobayashi had reportedly received multiple offers from the big-name clans.
"Hooh, thou knowest much."
"Well yeah, if you’re in this business, you gotta keep your radar up."
"Keep my… radar…?"
"Figure of speech."
"Mm, aye, I ken that."
"Do you really, though…?"
As Inari and Hikaru exchanged banter, one of the Federation executives began a speech. The gist of it was a long-winded “Thank you for gathering, we look forward to working with you,” but once the formal greetings were over, Kobayashi was handed the mic and stepped forward.
“Hello everyone. I’m Kobayashi Seiichi of Clan Seiryu. I’ll be serving as field commander for this emergency operation. Though still young, I’ll do everything I can to live up to your expectations…”
And so began another long speech. Inari, thoroughly bored, turned her gaze toward the sea visible just beyond the park. It sparkled beautifully in the sunlight. Though ocean swimming was now considered a dangerous pastime, the sea remained just as mesmerizing to look at as ever.
But then, in the glimmering water, Inari spotted something strange.
A dorsal fin? No… that was—
"Hihihihihihi!"
“M-Merman!”
“It’s a Merman attack!”
As the Awakeners panicked and began drawing their weapons, Nakano calmly raised her staff.
“Thunder Rain.”
Lightning fired from her staff into the sky, scattering before striking down. Every Merman that had surfaced—or was about to—was instantly fried to a crisp. One, seemingly their leader, managed to survive just long enough to try something, but Kobayashi dashed forward with lightning speed and, with a single stroke of his blue dragon blade, beheaded the creature.
“So long as we’re here, we won’t allow a single monster to land at this port…”
The perfect heroic line. Cheers and applause broke out among the crowd of onlookers and journalists.
“Whoa! He took out that terrifying monster in one hit! Amazing!”
“He’s sooo cool!!”
Well, that was probably the expected response from civilians. Even some of the flustered Awakeners had joined in the applause. No one was going to object to having such a strong leader on their side. Cheers filled the park, with many murmuring that the crisis was already as good as resolved.
"Well, looks like they’ll manage."
"Let us hope so, indeed."
The next morning, newspapers and TV news were flooded with stories about Kobayashi and his team. After the terrifying initial reports, a follow-up filled with hope was exactly what the public had been waiting for.