Chapter 100

Iris’ Past (8)
A few days had passed since they had moved to Japan. Carls quickly found a job and became affiliated with a research institute established through a joint venture between Japan and the United States.

This was due to his long-standing cooperation with the defense industry, which made it impossible for him to join a purely Japanese company.

The U.S. considered Carls' technology as their own, while Japan was wary of the potential damage if he turned out to be a spy. Thus, he ended up working at a research institute conducting joint research.

For now, the U.S. seemed unwilling to interfere further, as they knew angering Carls more would be a mistake.

"Hey, Iris. I've brought a wonderful present for you today."

"Mm."

Work was going smoothly. Carls could come home by 8 PM every day, and since he had distanced himself from academic conferences, there was no need to work on holidays. Shizuka had decided to become a full-time housewife, so Iris now spent much more time with her family. Back in America, they had hardly spent any time together.

When Carls returned with the present, he found Iris on the living room sofa, playing with a laptop.

The laptop was used to remotely operate a computer in the basement—a system Iris had set up to avoid the cold basement.

Iris glanced at Carls for a brief moment before giving a noncommittal response, which was an extremely rare reaction from her. Carls, thinking it was finally her rebellious phase, clung to Iris with tears in his eyes.

"Please don't hate me, my daughter!"

"I'm just a little busy. Here."

Iris turned the laptop screen toward Carls, and he frowned. It was clear to anyone looking at it that there had been numerous unauthorized access attempts.

"Well, I expected this, but they haven’t breached your security."

"Yeah. In fact, they've fallen into a trap, and all the data from their computers has been automatically posted on 2chan. It’s turned into a festival there."

"Yeah, that's overdoing it. But that's not the point. Here’s your present!"

Iris glanced at the pile of wrapped boxes near the sofa. They were untouched because she was waiting for a glass display case from an online shopping site to arrive, so the contents wouldn't get damaged.

"Look, I know you don’t use anything I give you anymore, though I appreciate how carefully you preserve them… So, today, I brought you a dog!"

"We're having hot pot tonight?"

"It's not an ingredient!!”

Iris had little interest in dogs. She was more inclined toward small animals. While dogs also tended to be drawn to her, she had never touched one due to the possibility of being bitten.

Moreover, Iris lacked a particular love for nature or animals. In her mind, unknown animals could be as good as meat.

"Well~ a friend of mine asked if we could take care of a dog. It was part of a research project to enhance the intelligence of military and rescue dogs, but this one was left behind."

It wasn’t something you’d usually tell a child, but the dog was a product of genetic modification intended to improve communication. The research was abandoned due to high costs and limited lifespan, but Carls’ friend had saved this dog from being euthanized.

"It's a bundle of classified information. Normally, it would be put down."

"These days, animals are more important than humans."

With a casual wave of his hand, Carls sighed. Iris, somewhat indifferent, accepted the crate containing the dog.

"Woof."

"Lie down."

What emerged from the crate was an old male Border Collie. But the moment he met Iris, who was much smaller, he recognized her as the master. Without hesitation, the old dog obeyed her command to lie down, establishing their master-servant relationship instantly.

Yes, he was intelligent enough to understand that defiance would not be tolerated.

Iris also had no use for a pet that wouldn’t obey her. While she might treat wild animals normally, absolute obedience was required if they were to be her pets. There would be no mercy for a disobedient pet.

Iris’s stomach growled, but she decided to name the dog.

"Your name will be… Momo… Momoniku (thigh meat)."

Anyone could see that her choice was influenced by her hunger. But the intelligent dog understood—defiance could lead to being eaten. Iris's eyes were those of a predator.

"No, no, wait!! He isn't food, okay?”

"It's fine. I won’t eat him as long as he doesn’t disobey."

Although her statement implied she would eat him if he did disobey, Carls chose to stop thinking about it, trusting that Shizuka would intervene if necessary. Since coming to Japan, he had seen many sides of Iris that he had not known before.

For example, he had thought she was a quiet child, but she was surprisingly capable in sports. Though lacking in stamina, her reflexes and agility were excellent. Her eyesight was also incredibly sharp at 20/1. This was likely why Iris loved to observe. Even from a distance, she would carefully watch her surroundings, and her sharp eyesight was simply an adaptation to this environment.

"Alright, Momoniku, follow me. We’re heading to the kitchen to get some food."

"Woof."

"A smart dog lives long. A useless one becomes stew. Remember that."

"… Woof."

With the master-servant relationship established, Iris headed to the kitchen in search of food.

Carls thought it resembled a military march, but shortly after, Iris returned with tears in her eyes.

"They said dogs aren’t allowed in the kitchen."

"Of course not."

A week passed since Momoniku arrived. By now, the dog, having completed Iris-style training, was practically an extension of her will. He was even capable of climbing bookshelves to retrieve specific books and bring them to Iris.

"Good boy."

"Woof."

"Your walk will be in the afternoon."

"You've gotten lazy. Go get the book yourself."

Across the table from Iris sat a man with brown hair.

His name was Tredd Starr. He looked like a thug in glasses, but he was a renowned international lawyer known for his willingness to do whatever it took to win a case.

He was an acquaintance of Carls—or rather, one of the ten or so boys and girls who had grown up with Carls, all of whom had gone on to successful careers. For example, one was a young politician advocating the eradication of poverty, another was a promising entrepreneur expected to become a major player in the future, and yet another was a famous investor.

Tredd was using his vacation time to serve as Iris's tutor.

“I’m just giving Momoniku a job. If I do it myself, I won’t have the chance to give him a reward.”

“Ordinary dogs don’t fetch books from the shelf, and your naming sense is terrible.”

Although he snorted in amusement, he seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere. All of Carls’ old friends, including Tredd, adored Iris. This was partly because although they had all become wealthy through promotions and the like, but unlike Carls, none of them had managed to have a successful marriage.

Tredd had also been married once, but his work-first mentality had caused his marriage to fall apart. Now that his work had stabilized, he had no desire to remarry, so he only came by to visit Iris. His home was a mess with court documents scattered everywhere, a sign of his chaotic lifestyle.

“The law is your ally if you understand it. Anyone who rises to the top knows the law well. It’s good to know.”

“Are you trying to turn me into a mafia boss?”

“That would be a problem. It’d be tough for the police to gather evidence to arrest you. Didn’t you hack into a military satellite the other day? Better stop before you get caught.”

“If people didn’t secretly film my house, it wouldn’t have crashed into the Pacific. Besides, the satellite fall was just an ‘accident.’ There’s no evidence of hacking, and it was caused by a malfunction, not remote control.”

As they talked, the door to the room suddenly opened. Tredd immediately shielded Iris and pulled out a gun-shaped stun gun.

“Iris!”

“?”

“A friend.”

“Has the custom of knocking disappeared in Japan?”

Takuto, who had a gun-like object pointed at him, faltered for a moment. However, when Iris peeked out from behind Tredd, he looked relieved. But a few seconds later, his face turned into a frown.

His childhood friend was alone in a room with another man. Moreover, Tredd was a ruggedly handsome man, with a well-toned body.

“Ahaha, you’re still a guy after all.”

“Wha—!”

Takuto was surprised by Tredd’s sudden laughter, but Tredd, who was in a profession that dealt with people’s sensitivities, quickly understood Takuto’s thoughts. Meanwhile, Iris didn’t understand why she was being laughed at and looked puzzled.

Iris’s expression seemed to ask, “Did something break?”—which actually dealt a blow to Tredd.

“Well, it’s not my place to say anything, but I see now. No wonder Carls gets upset. Anyway, we’re in the middle of a lesson, so could you come back later, boy?”

“Uh, well… but…”

“I think we should hear him out first.”

“It’s unusual for you to care about someone else.”

“Well, Kazuhito did well on his test at school, but he’s being accused of cheating. He said he studied with Iris, but no one believes him.”

“Well, it’s not surprising they wouldn’t think he knows someone as famous as her. When a mafia boss on trial once bragged to me, ‘I know the president,’ I ignored him. Turned out it was true.

So, what does this have to do with Iris?”

“… I thought maybe if she came with me, it would prove it…”

Tredd looked at Iris and thought for a moment. Her studies were going well—better than expected, since she learned quickly when taught.

“I’ll go with him.”

“Are you sure?”

Tredd was surprised that Iris agreed. The lessons were close to private tutoring and mainly served as a way to pass the time. A minimal understanding of the law was enough.

However, knowing Iris’s past, Tredd didn’t expect her to take action. Iris was usually quite cold in these matters and had never moved for anyone outside her family. The fact that she was willing to act on her own surprised him.

“They said on TV that a friend of a friend is also a friend.”

“……”

“Kazuhito is my student. I should protest any unfair treatment.”

“Fair enough. I’ll drive you there. I know the place.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s the school that refused your transfer.”

When they moved to Japan, Carls and the others had planned to enroll Iris in an elementary school, but the nearby schools refused. While compulsory education would have allowed her to enroll in the past, the rules had changed, and now it required consultation with the school for those with graduation qualifications.

The schools saw accepting Iris, who had considerable influence, as a risk. If bullying occurred, there was no telling where complaints might come from. A nearby university had offered to take her, but Carls and the others wanted her to be with children of her own age, so that idea was dropped. Iris also had no interest in university.

“I’ve already graduated from school. There’s no reason to go. It’s a waste of money.”

“Totally agree. I don’t have fond memories either.”

“You have issues with your looks.”

“You’ve got a sharp tongue.”

Takuto sat in the back seat, while Iris sat in the front passenger seat, and the two continued chatting as Tredd drove.

Iris rarely talked about her time in America, so all of it was new to Takuto.

After a brief conversation, they arrived at the elementary school, just 15 minutes from Iris’s house. Tredd headed to the reception. Carls was at work, and Shizuka was at the supermarket with Lim, so Tredd was acting as Iris’s guardian with their permission.

“I told you I didn’t cheat!!”

Walking down the hallway with their IDs hanging from their necks were Tredd, Iris, and Takuto. Although a staff member was present, they shrank under Tredd’s intense gaze. Though Tredd had revealed his profession, he was still treated with a degree of suspicion.

They could hear Kazuhito’s angry voice from down the hallway.

“Annoying.”

Without knocking, Iris opened the classroom door. Inside were just Kazuhito and a middle-aged man in a tank top.

“Who are you? How dare you—”

“I came because I was called. I’m the one who taught him.”

Iris puffed out her chest with pride.

“She’s got more guts than I thought,” Tredd thought, impressed.

“And who are you?”

“I’m Iris Field, the former scholar you wanted. I taught him on Takuto’s request, so there’s no cheating involved. If you think there was, have him take another test alone. This treatment is unfair.”

“There’s no way he could get these scores in just a week!!”

The teacher continued to argue. A glance at the test showed an average score of about 80. Considering that Kazuhito’s usual average was in the single digits, it was an impressive result. Iris had crammed all the subjects into Kazuhito’s head in about a week, not holding back despite the short time. If he hadn’t scored this high, it would have been all for nothing.

Iris glanced at Takuto, who whispered that the man was the homeroom teacher. If this teacher had struggled with Kazuhito’s poor memory until now, he must have felt like his competence was being questioned.

“Kazuhito’s poor grades were due to his home environment. He was always starving, which impaired his thinking. Without that, he could easily score 35. All it took was efficiently cramming information into his brain, and elementary-level studies are no problem. Of course, high school or university material would be another story.”

“……”

The teacher reluctantly agreed to let Kazuhito take another test… and the results were about the same as before.

“See? I told you I didn’t cheat.”

“I’m sorry… I went too far… Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

The teacher, slightly dazed, apologized to Kazuhito.

Iris briefly wondered why they hadn’t just given him a retest if they were suspicious from the start, but she quickly lost interest.

As the day drew to a close, they decided to head home. After dropping off Takuto and Kazuhito, Tredd asked Iris a question as they drove back to the mansion.

“Are you happy now?”

“Yes. Dad and Mom are always home, and Takuto teaches me so many new things.”

“I’m glad to hear that…”