BANG!
Katerina’s punch echoed like a firecracker in the Silent Factory. Blood spurted from Murai Rise’s burst eyeball and nose. The severe impact rushed to his brain so swiftly that he couldn’t even grunt before he died.
Katerina panted heavily. HUFF. HUFF. Even for soone like her, accustod to unleashing extre strength in a short ti, she felt exhausted. She took a deep breath of the factory air, which was slightly cool and dismal.
Katerina looked up; the warmth of the blood on her hands was fading.
She relished combat but not the sticky sensation of blood.
As a rcenary, Katerina was often accompanied by killing, yet she was fundantally a woman who valued cleanliness. She could tolerate filth, always cleaning herself whenever circumstances allowed.
"Katerina, have you taken care of the enemy?" Emily’s voice ca through the Bluetooth earpiece.
Katerina snapped back to reality and replied truthfully, "Yes, everyone here has been dealt with. Should we dispose of the flour?"
"Take it back and flush it down the drain. Next, we wait for Dio to show up. Who knows when he’ll appear again."
After speaking, Emily turned to leave the residential building’s rooftop.
Moonlight filtered through the thin clouds, casting light upon the rooftop. The invisible wind gathered like a vortex, picking up dust from the ground. It dispersed instantly, leaving a tall silhouette standing amidst the settling dust.
"Emily, well done."
She jumped and patted her chest. "Don’t startle out of nowhere like that."
"If you’ve done nothing wrong, you don’t fear a knock at your door. If I scared you, that only shows you don’t consider a trustworthy friend yet."
"Do you really think I’m the type to make friends easily?" Emily pouted. Even though she intended to get close to Dio, she couldn’t afford to appear too submissive. Regardless of strength, she had to interact with him on an equal footing, giving herself a chance to be seen as a person, not a disposable dog.
"I’m doing this only to repay your life-saving kindness, so don’t misunderstand. I have no interest in befriending you."
"Heh." Aozawa chuckled lightly. He thought she was playing tough, especially since just yesterday she and Morimoto Chiyoda had been in the won’s bathroom discussing how to infiltrate his circle. Of course, he wasn’t monitoring Emily all the ti. He had just noticed Morimoto Chiyoda’s and Katerina’s Defense Barriers draw near, separate, and then converge again in one place, which had piqued his curiosity. It was just that Emily’s complex maneuvers had inadvertently exposed her.
"You are to rent a basent as a bar in Shinjuku Kabukicho Ichi-cho."
"What does that an?" Emily wanted to understand the intention behind this instruction.
Aozawa’s form gradually dissipated as he said, "You’ll know when the ti cos."
Emily frowned deeply. She hated riddles but had no choice but to accept Dio’s mysterious style. In her mind, she could only link this bizarre request to a specific location tied to ascending to Paradise.
Renting a basent as a bar in Shinjuku Kabukicho Ichi-cho.
Why a basent? Emily tried to discern the intent. Normally, one would build above ground, but Dio emphasized a bar in the basent. This was clearly unusual, and there had to be a reason behind it.
Emily pondered Dio’s underlying motives, deciding to go back and check so information. Dio’s actions were bound to have deeper anings. Her inability to grasp them implied she hadn’t reached Dio’s level of understanding. She had to elevate herself to his perspective to comprehend the significance behind his every move, and then guess the sixth condition for ascending to Paradise.
「The next day, Wednesday.」
Inside the club building, Ayatsuki Ayaka hid around a corner. After observing the unrelated mbers of the Kendo club leave, she grasped her thermos, silently opened the door, and slipped inside.
She saw Aozawa practicing in the center of the room, sat down against the wall, and heaved a small sigh.
Ayatsuki Ayaka had pondered the situation repeatedly last night. Defeating Morimoto Chiyoda was going to be difficult. In front of Saeko and the others, Ayatsuki Ayaka had put on a defiant front, determined not to surrender or give up. But she was acutely aware of her inner thoughts. Her original idea had been to just give in if all else failed. After all, continuing like this wasn’t so bad.
The problem was, after watching that short video, she suddenly realized: if she gave in, could Morimoto Chiyoda really tolerate it? That woman was the youngest Police Director in history, with a limitless future. Ayatsuki Ayaka couldn’t believe that Morimoto Chiyoda would be as indifferent as she claid. If Morimoto Chiyoda did care, then even if Iroha surrendered, she might still stand no chance at all.
This troubled Iroha for a long ti. Unable to consult with Saeko and the others, she could only turn to her most enthusiastic fan, Early Sumr. Advised by that kind-hearted and intelligent older sister, she decided to tentatively probe Aozawa’s thoughts by truthfully voicing her inner worries, to see how Aozawa would react.
In her mind, she rehearsed what she would say next.
Ti ticked away.
When Aozawa took off his protective gear and walked out of the locker room, Ayatsuki Ayaka quickly stood up and ca forward. "Aozawa, today’s vegetable juice."
"Iroha, co here. I want to reward you." Aozawa took the vegetable juice. He wasn’t content with just a touch of her hand; he wanted to taste the flavor of her pink lipstick.
Ayatsuki Ayaka blocked his chest and chuckled. "Nope, you can’t be frisky in the club building."
After rebuffing his request, she asked, "Aozawa, yesterday I saw a short video about a once-in-a-millennium beauty, a Police Director also nad Morimoto Chiyoda. Is she related to the person you ntioned?"
"Yes, she’s the Morimoto Chiyoda I was talking about," Aozawa replied with a smile.
Ayatsuki Ayaka, having already braced herself for this fact, simply used the question to segue into her next. "Hey, since she’s the Police Director, would such an impressive person allow you to date two girls at once? If she doesn’t accept , then what will you do?"
The hallway was quiet. The girl’s voice was like a warm breeze drifting by his ear. Aozawa took a sip of his vegetable juice and smiled. "Iroha, don’t worry. Chitose is a very nice person. Once you get to know her, you’ll understand. By the way, why don’t I arrange for you two to et soti?"
He rembered that Chitose, using the online na Early Sumr, had enjoyed chatting with Iroha.
"Eh, no need for that!" Ayatsuki Ayaka hastily shook her head. She wasn’t ready to et the old witch just yet. That woman had subtly molded Aozawa into his current state, and even Saeko described her as a very malicious and troubleso woman. She feared that if she t Morimoto Chiyoda alone, she wouldn’t even be left with scraps.
Although she once fancied the idea of giving Morimoto Chiyoda a good punch, upon learning that the other party was the Police Director, she felt her combat strength of five was so asly that she’d probably be knocked down with just one hand. According to the short videos, Morimoto Chiyoda was the best in the tropolitan Police Departnt at both Sword Dao and Marksmanship. She wasn’t just a figurehead. She had been the strongest Police Inspector even before becoming Police Director. So questioned her background online, suspecting it was due to connections. But a little exaggeration didn’t change the fact that Morimoto Chiyoda could wipe the floor with her, a high school girl.
"Okay then." Aozawa didn’t insist on her eting Chitose and changed the subject, continuing their chat as they walked.
They talked all the way to the classroom before separating.
Aozawa headed to his seat.
Hojo Tetsuji, lying on his desk, radiated an extrely intense light from his forehead—even brighter than Katerina’s.
Does this guy really need a Defense Barrier? Aozawa thought to himself. Aside from myself, it feels like no one can beat Hojo Tetsuji.
Despite this thought, he still allocated his last remaining Defense Barrier spot to Hojo Tetsuji.
The glow from his forehead quickly dissipated, vanishing from head to toe.
"Uh," Hojo Tetsuji woke up, looking sowhat confused.
Aozawa asked, "What’s wrong?"
"No, how should I put it? I just have a strange feeling." Hojo Tetsuji scratched his head, unable to describe the sensation. After pondering, he decided to forget the complex issues. "Never mind. It’s probably because I drew too late last night. I’m going to sleep first. Take a look at my manga draft later, will you?"
Aozawa, of course, knew it was not an illusion. Hojo Tetsuji’s senses were among the sharpest of anyone Aozawa had ever t. Perhaps this was the formidable power he obtained in exchange for his intelligence.
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Phoenix Academy Maggie, from the seat in front, turned around with a beaming smile. "Good morning, Aozawa."
"Good morning, Maggie. You look happy. Anything good happening?"
"As for good news, there is indeed. The atmosphere in the country is going to change drastically. You might not notice it now, but over ti, you’ll see that Dio’s influence isn’t limited to just the upper echelons."
Phoenix Academy Maggie said a lot, yet never really got to the point.
Aozawa couldn’t help but retort, "Are you planning to enter politics in the future? When you talk like that, it reminds of the Pri Minister making a speech on TV. Skip the official tone and just tell what happened."
"Is that how you ask for sothing?" Phoenix Academy Maggie gave him a sideways glance, her chin raised slightly, putting on an ’I’m not pleased’ deanor.
Aozawa wasn’t actually very curious about the matter, but he understood that he should play along with the young lady’s performance. Whether it was a girlfriend or just a good friend eagerly wanting to show off sothing, even a small matter should be treated as important. This would guarantee they’d continue to share when sothing ca up next ti.
"Alright, My Lady. Please, tell , what exactly happened?"
Phoenix Academy Maggie scoffed at his words. "What do you an, ’My Lady’? Shaless." Her face showed no joy, as she suppressed her elation deep within her heart.
She deliberately coughed and said, "Since you’re so sincere, I’ll tell you what happened. Don’t be shocked when you hear it!"
"Alright, My Lady, please speak." Aozawa nodded, pricking up his ears in an attentive listening stance.
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