"You really are a special modified human..."

"I don't see myself as particularly special."

"The mechanical arms that extend from your back, can each one move independently?"

"Of course."

"And each one has the dexterity and precision of both your hands?"

"Of course."

"You seem quite proud of it."

Upon hearing this, the girl flashed a proud smile at the young man before her.

"Of course."

An eye-catching customer was standing in front of the coffee shop by the seaside, drawing attention from passersby. It wasn't because she was strange or beautiful, but rather because she looked like a junior high school student trying to pass herself off as an adult. Despite her young appearance and body shape, the girl wore a short blazer that was typically favored by women in their twenties, along with a white lace blouse. She wore thin leggings and a narrow skirt on her long-looking legs, paired with simple high-heeled shoes. Her face had a light, professional makeup, which, together with her youthful appearance, was quite eye-catching. If it weren't for her physique and appearance looking like an inexperienced junior high school student, her dress almost made her appear as a newly-hired OL. For the girl, this was the place where her enemies lived - a veritable enemy stronghold. She, who had been a researcher and developer, shouldn't have come to this front-line location but the situation was too exceptional and she had to take the initiative to attack. "What are you doing outside?" A woman wearing an apron over her skirt and blouse poked her head out of the shop. She was someone the girl had met a few times before and was now the only one left by the man's side. "I was going to go in." The girl glanced at her, then lifted her head and stared at the sign again. "But the longer I stay outside, the more hesitant I feel." "What are you worried about?" A female server named Chiyoi pushed the door open from inside and took the girl's hand. "The shopkeeper won't attack you, will he?" She spoke while guiding the girl in. "That's true... but this time I did something really wrong to him..." Although she complained, the girl followed Chiyoi into the shop. "Sit over here for now, I'll come back and ask what you want to eat." Chiyoi habitually sat her at a bar stool and placed her hands on her shoulders. Although it wasn't very comfortable, the girl folded her legs and assumed the sexy sitting posture that she imagined mature women take, letting her feet dangle. Despite trying to put on this mature posture, the girl was still very uneasy in her heart. This time, the situation was similar to when that man lost his temper the last time, what if she couldn't be forgiven this time? To calm her nerves, the girl looked around the shop. It seemed that she came at a special time, or maybe the shop wasn't very popular because it was empty when she arrived. Meow~ A fluffy ball of fur bumped into her raised calf, then began rubbing against it. "Ah!" Startled at first, she soon realized that it was the shop's mascot cat Lisa. "Lisa?" The girl greeted the cat that was rubbing against her leg. As expected, another meow came from under the high stool, and a furry ball jumped onto her thigh and curled up. This little guy was always so friendly towards her... The girl stroked the cat, which had snuggled up into a ball on her thigh, thinking about how Chiyoi had sternly warned her when she came for the first time and how she had run into the Orca who was also there when she came for the second time. The third time was right after the incident… "I thought there would be no one here at this hour-" A voice came from the kitchen, and the girl looked over to see Yuzuru, who had lifted the curtain and was looking at her. "Hey, long time no see." She pretended to be calm and greeted the owner of the coffee shop. "Yeah, long time no see." The other side also responded with a gentle smile."Is it the same as usual this time?"

"Yep, it's the same."

Seeing his smile, the girl let out a sigh of relief and nodded firmly in response to You Zilu's question.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The cafe manager nodded and went back to the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

After waiting for a while, he came out holding his favorite pastry.

"Enjoy."

He put it in front of the girl and went back to the counter to clean up.

"I'm starting!"

Without thinking too much, the girl picked up the spoon and enjoyed the dessert in front of her.

She didn't particularly like sweets, but she thought that women of her age should like them.

Nevertheless, she found the bitter chocolate used in this pastry especially appealing, perhaps because she preferred mature flavors.

For her, nothing was more attractive than the food that only adults liked, even though she herself looked immature.

"You're still the same."

Wiping a glass with his hand, the young cafe manager smiled as he watched her eat.

"No, I've grown taller recently!"

The girl eagerly refuted him, and the young manager tilted his head at the response.

"By one millimeter?" he teased.

"That's just a measurement error!"

"So you haven't grown taller then?"

The young manager turned back to continue cleaning up the other glasses. After all, it wasn't a topic that could be discussed at length.

He thought to himself and let out a silent sigh.

Genetically engineered humans could grow, not in terms of mental or artistic growth but in terms of physical growth.

Although from a human perspective, implanted individuals did not have a natural part of growth, the core could accurately predict their future based on their behavior and genes.

Initially, the young manager thought this was an unnecessary function. But he later realized that it was intended to help the engineered humans blend into society.

Although the girl in front of him was also an engineered human, her body had not grown in the past five years. Despite her strong mature appearance, the girl was the same age as him.

This meant that no matter how her genes and behavior were analyzed, she would still look the same five years later. This was an especially cruel fate for a young girl who wanted to be sexy and mature.

"Are you not angry about what happened this time?"

The girl, who had finished the whole pastry without realizing it, nervously put her legs down and put her hands on her knees.

"Weren't you angry the last time?"

She lifted her head slightly to look at the young manager, hoping to read his thoughts.

"The last time... you voluntarily approached them and made them into engineered humans."

The young manager did not turn around but answered the girl.

A few months before this incident, his five former apprentices came to him and abducted Konomi, demanding a showdown. They all became engineered humans like him and ultimately died by his hand.

"I'm not really angry with you. For you, turning them into engineered humans is part of your job."

The girl was responsible for turning them into engineered humans and was part of the opposing organization, the Student Council, responsible for engineering and weapon development.

"I think I only came to you because they're all dead and I have no one else to vent my anger on."

The girl still remembered being scolded and thrown out by the man after that incident.

"Because they all--"

They all voluntarily became engineered humans...

The young manager remembered it clearly now. They became monsters, engineered individuals, not for any lofty goal or personal desire. The reason was much simpler: to "surpass their predecessors." It was a direct and vulgar objective.

That was why he had to face them head-on, and that was why he couldn't go easy on them.Joining alone is not enough to surpass oneself completely, those fools wouldn't think they have truly surpassed themselves.

"This time, before you even knew he existed, he was already dead."

The young store manager remembered the face of the junior who had come to attack him earlier.

"Or rather, if no one had told you, you probably would never have noticed that this person existed, right?"

"Yes— "

"Lia told you, right?"

He interrupted the girl's words and was the first to mention the name of the person who had informed the organization about the existence of "that junior".

A girl who was once very close to him, but was also the first girl to betray him.

The name of the person who gave him a second death.

"Yes."

Although she hesitated for a moment, the girl eventually admitted to it.

She suddenly lifted the head she had previously lowered.

"But that's not all I came to tell you today!"

"Hmm?"

"This person is different from the others. The others had your model information injected into their cores, so they could get close to you after transforming. But he was very similar to you from the beginning. His initial appearance was exactly the same as when I first met you."

"Then I can only give it my all."

The young store manager listened to her words, but didn't show any hesitation. Perhaps because he had known that if that junior became a modified person, he would have a similar appearance to him.

"But..."

"He is a warrior I personally trained. I must respond with all my strength—"

Saying this, the young man showed a smile that was very familiar, a smile that had made him believe in him a long time ago, full of pain and seeming unreal.