Mutagen

Day 318 - 3:14 PM - Toyosu Wholesale Market, Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo

Mark was suddenly asked such a request out of the blue.

The old man in front of Mark was, without a doubt, an expert. In one glance, he had a hunch. And just by feeling the person's hands, the old man knew that Mark could be either a blacksmith or a crafter.

Knowing that he encountered an expert, Mark actually had the urge to take out the weapons he made.

Mark never had any professional training in creating things. All he had in hand were self-taught knowledge developed by watching tutorials on the internet. In order to make his creations with his own hands, there were no tutorials to follow. He had to be innovative in things, far from perfecting any technique.

That was why Mark had no intention of branding himself as an expert. If Mark was to answer what level he was, he was still an amateur.

As a self-taught amateur, Mark wanted his creations to be evaluated by an expert. This was a good opportunity. However, it also meant that he had to reveal one of his cards prematurely in front of many people.

While thinking, Mark decided to answer the old man's question first. It was whether he was a blacksmith or a crafter.

But before Mark could utter a sound, someone's voice overlapped the movement of his lips. It stopped Mark from talking as everyone's attention was taken by the owner of the voice.

"Hey! The heroic flowers are here!" The owner of the voice said in a brat-like manner. "What are you doing here? Buying equipment?"

Mark turned to the owner of the voice, who appeared to be a young man in his late teens with red-colored spiky hair. He had two pairs of ring-shaped earrings and another on the right side of his lips while wearing a leader jacket adorned with metallic trinkets.

At a single glance, this young man was clearly a delinquent.

"Wha..." The delinquent noticed Mei. "What a beaut!"

However, it was unlike during the encounter with the leader of the Blood Lion Troupe. Mei did not shiver due to the delinquent's stare, although it did not stop her from hiding behind Mark. The young man might be a delinquent, but he appreciated Mei's beauty without even a tiny shred of indecency.

And it was not the delinquent who was the problem.

"Ishii, stop being disrespectful."

It was the people together with the delinquent.

The delinquent seemed to be called Ishii. The person who reprimanded him was standing behind him together with a couple more people.

Looking at the group, Mark thought it was weird.

The delinquent on the front was followed by a group of men in suits. The man that reprimanded the delinquent stood at the center, clearly indicating that he was the boss of the group.

Long stern face, rectangle glasses, an expensive suit and tie, and even brushed-up hair, the boss of the other group was clearly a representation of a company executive, if not the CEO.

Mark immediately had a hunch as he saw the group. It was a gang led by a rich man walking with his security guards. Of course, minus the delinquent, who looked out of place.

No, there was another odd one out. A man wearing a work jumpsuit stood just a step behind the boss.

Still, for this group of people to stop by, there was something going on. The delinquent was clueless, but the boss clearly approached for a reason.

And that reason? While it was clear that one of the reasons was Mark's group, apparently, there was another.

"What is your business here, Keiji-onii-sama?"

Ren asked with a glare as she stepped in front of Mark's group. The members of Black Lotus stood closely behind their leader in the same fashion as the suited guards of the other group.

That was right. The rich stern-looking man leading the opposite group was Mitsui Ren's older brother.

The two were siblings, but the contrast between them was like the opposite poles of the magnet. One was a free soul that escaped her chains, while the other was someone who chose to be bound by it.

"I believe you do not have the qualification to ask me that question, but I'll let it pass today," Ren's brother, Keiji, stared down at his sister. "Apparently, you are involved in some noise in the bureau this morning. They said you picked up some unusual strays. Is that them?"

Keiji looked through the members of the Black Lotus and stared at Mark's group. It was clear that he was sizing them up.

"Why don't you gift them to the family? The elders might forgive you and let you return."

"The same as always, Keiji-onii-sama. Wake up and stop dreaming," Ren snarled. "Who would want to return to a family of assholes? Does none of you still understand that I'm never going back? As if I'll let myself be a tool to those geezers under a bullsh*t pretense. All of it is for the sake of the family? What a joke."

"Miss, calm down a bit," Tadashi whispered to Ren. "Do not get too riled up."

Ren's hate for her family was clear in her words. Thankfully, her trusted people were beside her to either support her or hold her back.

Keiji silently stared at her younger sister without showing any expression, though that stare felt more offensive to Ren than anything.

"Say what you will," Keiji fixed his glasses. "But you will never be able to deny your roots. Sooner or later, you will be back."

Ren was really infuriated by the words of her older brother. However, before she could say anything, Keiji already began to ignore her.

"You are Mark-san, right?" Keiji called Mark. "My apologies. I have to use your first name on the first meeting since your surname is hard on our tongue."

The members of the Black Lotus still stood in front of Mark's group. Yet, Keiji spoke as if there was no one standing between him and Mark.

"May I have the chance to talk privately?"

Keiji spoke as if Mark would have no choice but to agree. He exuded a professional attitude and aura which would make most common people feel coerced.

However, Keiji's coercion had no effect on his current target. It was clear because...

"Not interested."

Mark said as he turned back to the old man, who stood at the side watching the scene play before him.

"I-is that so?"

Keiji's composure was broken for a second. However, he had other cards to play.

"It seems that you wanted equipment for your group. If you accept my invitation, we can have you get discounts on expensive goods." Keiji then introduced the jumpsuit-wearing man beside him. "This man is Yoshihara Kamui. One of the best blacksmiths here."

"Expensive, huh..."

Mark murmured as he glanced at the old man, who was currently hiding a sneer. He then turned to the so-called one of the best blacksmiths, who was looking smug after being introduced by Keiji.

"That's right!" Kamui said with his gruff voice. "My creations are expensive, but many clients buy them because of their high quality."

Keiji, on the other hand, was hiding a smile. He thought that he was beginning to hook the man called Mark. People would not be able to resist the word expensive, after all.

"Mark-san..."

Ren was about to stop Mark, but he noticed that his actions were different from what she was thinking.

And here, Mark suddenly asked.

"One of the best-san. What do you think of me?"

It was such a weird question. It was definitely not a question you would ask someone you had just met.

"What are you talking about?"

Kamui asked back with a frown.

And there, all interest left Mark's eyes as he turned to Keiji.

"Yep, not interested."

And from there, Mark paid no attention to the other group and began talking with the old man. There was no excuse, no sorry, or even a goodbye. He just stopped any interaction to the point that everyone paying attention felt the hot stinging slap on Keiji's face.

Keiji's eyebrows were twitching. It was already amazing that he managed to keep his poker face.

"Give this to him," Keiji handed a card to his guard to give to Mark. "We're leaving."

The delinquent followed his boss. It was the same for the guards, except for the one that took the card. They were all silent, knowing their boss was furious inside.

And the guard approached Mark.

"Hey, take this."

The guard was bulky and tall. He was actually a head taller than Mark.

But Mark was not fazed as he looked at the guard, took the card, and put the card inside the guard's breast pocket.

"Not interested."

Mark repeated his words.

The guard was annoyed, but he had already finished his task. Mark took the card from his hand, and it did not matter what Mark did with it. They were already humiliated enough, and the guard did not want to stay any longer.

Everyone around, along with the members of the Black Lotus, watched Keiji's entourage walk away in humiliation.

Ren's anger was washed away as she turned to Mark with a lighter heart.

Mark was already conversing with the old man. In the first place, they were in the middle of the conversation when the delinquent butted in.

"That's a nice one, kid. Those pricks needed to face a setback every now and then to know their place," The old man said with a hearty laugh, tapping strongly on Mark's shoulder. "So, you're a crafter?"

"Yeah, I am," Mark replied as he raised his palms. "Are the hands of blacksmiths and crafters similar?"

"In the past, it would be easier to differentiate since the hands of blacksmiths were more exposed to fire and heat," The old man explained. "As modern technology became more and more involved in blacksmithing, the hands of the new generation crafters and blacksmiths became more and more similar."

"Before anything else, I'm Mori Yasuo," The old man introduced himself. "You can call me gramps if you want."

"Wait!" Ren interjected. "You let him call you gramps, but I can't?!"

"You can't, you troublesome brat."

Yasuo glared at Ren.

"Why?!"

Ren felt devastated.

The hostile atmosphere due to the sudden appearance of Ren's older brother was gone. It might be the effect of two people who could blatantly ignore things, but the atmosphere was back to normal. It was as if the encounter just now never happened.

While Mark, Ren, and Yasuo had their own conversation, Mako sneaked beside Emika.

"Are you girls feeling okay? Are you not scared?"

Mako asked the green-haired girl. She was not overreacting or anything. After all, Ren's older brother had a strange aura that would make less courageous people feel weak.

"We are okay," Emika smiled. "Ren-san's brother feels scary, but he's not as scary as the monsters we saw before."

"Is that so?" Mako sighed in relief. "It's good that you girls had a brave mentality. And me? I can't even look at the miss' brother straight in the eye."

Mako then turned serious.

"Just in case, be careful, alright? The miss' brother got humiliated this time. Who knows what he would do."

Emika turned to Mako.

"Don't worry about us. Ren-san's brother won't be able to do anything to us."

Mako and the rest of Black Lotus felt weirded by Emika's words. They could not understand where her confidence was coming from. Maybe, because she was still young?

On the other hand, Mark finally decided on the old man's request to show his creation. However, instead of showing his complicated weapon masterpieces, he took out a rather simple one.

Unlike most of Mark's weapons which were made with [Blood Metal], what he took out was made by his own hands and equipment inside his workshop.

And when Mark handed it to Yasuo, the old man looked at it with enthusiasm.