Chapter 177: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (5)

Yuzuki tried to force himself free from the chair, but it was useless.

The bindings wrapped tightly around his wrists no matter how hard he pulled. His legs were restrained just as firmly, leaving him completely unable to move.

Seated across from him on the luxurious sofa were two very beautiful women.

One of them was someone he had already met earlier that day at the Awakener Assessment Center, while the other was... no stranger to him either.

The second woman had striking gray hair, though she did not look old at all — if anything, she was around the same age as the woman seated beside her.

’Haa... this is why I dislike beautiful women. Especially awakeners, they always do what they want!’

He sighed.

"Alright, let me see if I’ve got this straight."

Yuzuki leaned back against the chair despite the restraints binding him. His eyes narrowed coldly at the two women before him.

"You’re both from the Awakener Oversight Division, you broke into my house because I walked out of your little evaluation, and now you’re here to ’convince’ me to cooperate."

A faint scoff escaped him.

"If that’s the case, then let me save you some time."

He lifted his head and glared at them like a cornered puppy straining against its leash.

"I’m not enrolling in any awakener academy. Never."

Hearing Yuzuki bark out his refusal before she even had the chance to speak, Asuka let out a long sigh and rubbed her forehead with one hand.

"Alright, Katelyn," she said tiredly. "He’s your problem now."

The woman beside her smiled in amusement before casually snapping her fingers.

A moment later, the ropes binding Yuzuki suddenly snapped apart.

"Huh, so the cute little boy I used to know really did grow up into someone who hates awakeners." Katelyn said calmly, her brown eyes fixed directly on Yuzuki’s.

Yuzuki returned her gaze with the same cold stare, his expression guarded. He clearly disliked the way they had forced themselves into his personal life.

"Yeah, I hate all of them," he said flatly. "And you’re not going to change my mind. I don’t care how much talent I have or how much ’potential’ you people think I possess."

His voice hardened. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I’ll... never become an awakener."

"I’d rather kill myself than become one—"

"Then don’t become one," Katelyn cut him off sharply.

"..."

Yuzuki fell silent mid-sentence, his brows furrowing slightly as he stared at her in confusion.

’Huh?’

"Listen, boy, I’m aware of why you despise awakeners so much, why you refuse to walk the same path as your parent. And honestly... I have no right to dictate your choices or invalidate the feelings behind them."

Her gaze remained steady on him.

"But kid... are you really going to let an A-Rank Potential like yours rot away for nothing?"

Hearing that, Yuzuki’s expression darkened into a deep frown.

"I never wanted to be an awakener," he spat bitterly. "And I sure as hell never asked for this damn A-Rank potential."

"And neither did your parents, kid."

Yuzuki’s eyes trembled at those words.

"Looks like I’m going to give you some pep talks, since it seems like nobody has ever given you one before. Firstly, kid, do you truly believe your parents chose that life because they enjoyed abandoning their only son and throwing themselves into danger."

Her eyes remained fixed on him.

"People like them do not stake their lives on the line because they desire suffering. They do it because they carry responsibilities they cannot simply turn away from."

She paused briefly before asking quietly, "Or is that really how little you think of your parents?"

Yuzuki stared at the floor with a tense expression, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles around it twitched faintly.

"Secondly and more importantly... you’re lying to yourself, kid."

Yuzuki slowly lifted his head to look at her again.

Katelyn met his gaze without hesitation.

"You hate awakeners because you believe they stole your parents away from you, don’t you?" she said quietly. "Because they never had enough time to stay by your side."

Her voice softened slightly.

"But... are you truly certain your parents never once tried to be there for you? Not even a single time?"

Yuzuki let out a scoff and tilted his head slightly.

"What now?" he said mockingly. "You think I’m just making all of this up?"

Katelyn looked directly into his blue eyes, seeing her own reflection staring back at her. "You know, kid..." she murmured softly.

"You’re a pretty good liar, maybe a good actor, as well."

’...’

Katelyn let out a faint sigh, her expression softening slightly.

"And I have to admit... I’m a little disappointed too," she said quietly. "After all this talking, you still haven’t recognized who I am?"

Yuzuki narrowed his eyes on her, carefully studying her face as if trying to dig through an old memory.

"...No," he answered bluntly. "I... don’t."

"Haa... alright. Suit yourself," Katelyn replied calmly.

"But I’ll still tell you this."

Her gaze drifted slightly, as though recalling old memories.

"Back then, whenever your parents asked me to stay with you while they were assigned to dungeon gate standby operations... they always talked about you."

She looked back at him.

"They always asked about you — how’s Yuzuki doing in school? Did he eat properly today? Is he sleeping enough? Has he been taking care of himself?"

"Every single time..."

Yuzuki clicked his tongue harshly and looked below.

"You don’t have to tell me that," he muttered, biting down hard on his lip.

Katelyn inhaled slowly.

"Yuzuki... I don’t know whether your mother ever told you this herself, but it was something she once taught me when I was still under her apprenticeship."

Katelyn’s voice grew quieter, carrying a strange warmth to it.

"She used to say that an awakener must possess a strong sense of responsibility. So one day, I asked her... ’How?’"

Katelyn paused briefly before continuing.

"And your mother told me this — every time she went out to do her job, she tried to believe she was helping create a safer world for the next generation."

Her eyes softened.

"She knew she was only a B-Rank healer. Not some powerful awakener. Not some great hero capable of changing the world alone. But she still chose to help people anyway."

Katelyn looked directly at Yuzuki.

"Because she hoped that even if the kindness she gave to others was never returned to her... someday, somehow, that kindness would find its way back to her child instead."

"Maybe you still don’t understand the responsibility that comes with being an awakener..." Katelyn said quietly. "But your parents were people worthy of admiration. People countless others respected and looked up to."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Myself included."

She slowly leaned back against the sofa.

"And if, after all this, you still choose to hate awakeners until the very end... then so be it. You’re free to decide what you want to believe, Yuzuki. No one can make that choice for you. And no one has the right to force it onto you either."

Then her eyes sharpened slightly.

"But if you truly wish to understand the burden your parents carried every single day..."

Katelyn extended her hand toward him.

"Then come with me. You don’t need to enroll in some awakener academy. You don’t even need to call yourself an awakener either."

A small smile formed on her lips.

"Because coming with me means you’re going to join my agency instead. There... we don’t deal with dungeon gates or monsters."

Her tone turned colder.

"We deal with the kind of awakeners who abuse the power they were given. Murderers. Fanatics. Psychopaths that drunk on their own strength."

She held his gaze firmly.

"Ah, yes... they are the exact opposite of the kind of people your parents fought so hard to become."

Yuzuki looked into her bright eyes, uncertainty flickering across his face.

Yet beneath that hesitation, there was also a trace of curiosity. Maybe even a rebellious urge buried deep inside him.

Because truthfully, part of him wanted to understand it too.

That so-called responsibility every awakener kept talking about.

"So, what do you say, boy?"

Katelyn smirked faintly.

"It’s not exactly a job about saving lives every single day."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward.

"Most of the time, it’s just beating the hell out of the truly heinous bastards who misuse their power. It’s pretty fun."

Then her smile widened just a little.

"And more importantly..."

She pointed at him lazily.

"I think a job like this would suit someone like you perfectly."

Then she extended her hand towards him.

Yuzuki knew what she was talking about.

The Enforcer.

Unlike Hunters, who entered dungeon gates for fame, resources, or public recognition, Enforcers operated almost entirely in the shadows.

An independent agency filled with awakeners licensed to hunt down other awakeners.

Or to be exact... awakened criminals.

Yuzuki stared at her face for a moment before lowering his gaze to the hand she had extended toward him.

Then, completely ignoring her hand, he let out a long sigh.

"Haa... this is exactly why I hated you as a caretaker back then," he muttered. "You’ve always been such a pushy woman."

Yuzuki clicked his tongue before leaning back against the chair and crossing his legs.

"I’m not agreeing to anything yet," he said cautiously. "Not until you answer a few of my questions first."

Katelyn merely smirked at his response as she slowly withdrew the hand she had been offering him all this time.

"So..."

He said reluctantly.

"What exactly do I need to do to become an Enforcer?"

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[Chapter 177: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (5)]