"So we still know nothing? The only information we have came from a Dragon King?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"Exactly." Caesar nodded. "When the Academy sent us, they only mentioned the 'God's Burial Ground' in passing. On the surface, our task is to inspect the Japan Branch. That 'warning' was the real priority. But those dragons have vanished. Surveillance found nothing. Satellites found nothing."
"Logically, either Norma or the Branch's super-AI, Kaguya, should have detected them. This situation is absurd."
"Could they be using some method to avoid satellite detection?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"Norma proposed two possibilities," Chu Zihang said. "First, they never entered human society. Second, they used some method to deceive satellites, cameras, and even people."
He paused.
"That would require hacking capabilities beyond the world's best, plus high-level mental control. Fast-acting. High-intensity."
"Such a being shouldn't exist. And if it did, it certainly wouldn't be human."
Morin, sitting off to the side, thought calmly: Careful with the personal attacks.
"It's more likely a specific dragon," Chu Zihang added.
Morin nodded slightly. That was more acceptable. And accurate.
"Could it be... the King of Oceans and Water?" Lu Mingfei ventured. "I've always felt he was shady. And I still can't believe he's using the Boss's face!"
"Given that he said he picked a 'handsome' disguise, I'm not that upset," Morin waved it off.
At that moment, all of their phones vibrated.
They exchanged looks and checked their screens.
An email from the Japan Branch.
It opened with an overly long apology for the late hour and the urgency of the situation. Attached was a video.
The footage showed a high-end laboratory. A beautiful female researcher in a white coat was operating a piece of equipment that looked outrageously expensive.
Everything seemed normal.
Then droplets of water appeared in the air.
They gathered.
Formed a man.
A familiar man, wearing a crooked smile.
There was no sound.
The researcher collapsed silently.
Precision instruments began floating into the air. If the email hadn't come from the Branch-and if the "water-man" hadn't looked so familiar-they might have thought it was a sci-fi movie effect.
The water spread, engulfing the machines.
When it receded, the equipment was gone.
The water was still crystal clear.
It gathered again, re-forming into the man. He smiled at the camera, then lost cohesion and splashed onto the floor like an ordinary puddle.
"This is too much." Morin stood up from the sofa.
"Exactly! Too much!" Lu Mingfei echoed. "He actually dared to steal your face for this!"
Chu Zihang and Caesar exchanged a glance.
They had never seen Morin this angry.
In their experience, he was always the calmest person present.
"No," Morin said, grinding his teeth. "Stealing my face isn't the problem. Everyone has the right to pursue beauty. Even a Dragon King."
He pointed at the screen.
"I'm angry because in that situation, he only stole the equipment and just left that beautiful researcher lying there!"
The room fell dead silent.
"What?" Morin looked around irritably. "Don't you agree?"
"Japan. A lab. High-tech equipment. A gorgeous researcher-wearing black stockings. He knocks her out silently and only takes the machines?"
"He missed a perfect opportunity. It's infuriating!"
Lu Mingfei, Chu Zihang, and Caesar were stunned.
"...Is there something wrong with that combination?" Caesar asked Chu Zihang quietly. "Or are you saying he should've helped her to a bed?"
"I don't know," Chu Zihang said honestly. "But I feel like whatever Morin means... it isn't good."
"Boss, you're in the wrong genre," Lu Mingfei sighed, rubbing his forehead. "This really isn't what we should be focusing on."
"What happens to the Branch is their business," Morin shrugged. "What does it have to do with me? Aren't we just a tour group?"
"Morin is right," Caesar said suddenly. "We are a tour group. Tomorrow, I'll rent a private van."
"What?" Lu Mingfei stared. He turned to Chu Zihang.
"Yes," Chu Zihang nodded. "I plan to see the cherry blossoms tomorrow. You should come too."
"What the hell?" Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded.
Even this senior was saying it.
Was he dreaming?
Had they all been hit by some Spirit called Vacation Time?
Only a Dragon King-level Spirit could affect them like this.
"You still have a lot to learn," Morin said, pulling Lu Mingfei aside. "What do you think the Branch thought we were when we arrived?"
"...High-ranking officials?" Lu Mingfei guessed.
"Close," Morin nodded. "We're auditors here to review decades of bad debt. In their eyes, the best outcome is us acting like mascots and touring Tokyo."
"They probably think the Dragon King excuse is just that-an excuse-since we can't prove one is actually in Japan."
"So we really are going to act like tourists?" Lu Mingfei frowned. "Doesn't that give them exactly what they want?"
"That was before," Morin smiled. "Now the situation has changed."
"Forget what the Dragon King stole. The fact that he appeared means the Branch is panicking."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent that desperate email asking for an explanation."
"I get it," Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up.
"The Dragon King's appearance proves we were right," Morin continued. "Now the servants are more anxious than the emperor. We don't need to do anything."
"We go sightseeing. The Branch burns with anxiety. Eventually, they'll beg us to step in."
"For now, we ignore them."
"The local temperament is simple-you give them face, they push further. We suppress them until they crawl."
"...Boss," Lu Mingfei whispered, "is there some national sentiment mixed into that?"
"Don't you have any?" Morin glanced at him coldly.
"I do!" Lu Mingfei straightened up. "They've annoyed me for a long time. As a successor of the Motherland, I won't take this lying down!"
"Good ideological awareness," Morin nodded approvingly.
"But what if they use that video to blame us?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"Who's backing us?" Morin laughed. "Cassell Academy. The Secret Party. The Principal."
"That old rogue would applaud us."
...
"The specialists haven't responded," Genji said quietly.
"They responded," Masamune Tachibana replied. "Their response was just useless."
"You're right, Father," Genji said, clenching his fists.
That explanation echoed in his mind:
'Fake video. Special effects? Inspection can wait. Tonight we're renting a host club. Mr. Minamoto, feel free to bring friends.'
What kind of answer was that?
Every time he thought about it, anger surged.
"I told you," Masamune said calmly. "The people Angré sent may look unreliable, but they won't make mistakes."
"Angré is a madman. The people he approves will become madmen when needed."
He flipped through photos on the table.
Caesar in sunglasses, driving a convertible.
Lu Mingfei posing with cosplayers and anime figures.
Chu Zihang sitting beneath falling cherry blossoms.
Morin wandering with a professional camera.
A perfect luxury tour group.
"They know we're anxious," Masamune said. "So they don't need to be."
"We are the ones pressed for time."
"Unless we go to them and reveal everything we know, they won't give us a word."
"They dare do this?" Genji asked. "Isn't this dereliction of duty?"
"Have you ever seen an adult side with a disobedient subordinate over their own child?" Masamune chuckled softly.
"If we called Angré, he'd say, 'How could they do such a thing? Young people are reckless. I'll scold them when they return.'"
"'But they're in the field now, and even I can't command them. Besides, I'm vacationing on an Italian beach.'"
"Then he'd hang up."
"...That's just being a rogue," Genji muttered.
"The truly powerful don't care about face," Masamune said quietly. "Face is an illusion. Benefits are real."
"And we're on the defensive."
"For public safety alone, we need information. Knowing nothing about a revived Dragon King is unacceptable."
"So... we compromise?" Genji asked.
"We have no choice." Masamune sighed. "That lab contained research that could improve Erii's treatment."
"Her episodes are becoming more frequent."
"What?" Genji's voice tightened. "Erii is-"
"She's stable for now," Masamune said. "But the medication's effectiveness is declining. Resistance is inevitable."
"Without new drugs, she'll be confined indefinitely."
Genji clenched his fists.
"I'll recover it," he said firmly.
"Go," Masamune nodded. "I'll follow."
"It's time to meet these 'elites' from the Academy."
"Anyone who can seize an opportunity and force our hand this quickly is no fool."
Genji left.
Alone, Masamune's expression darkened instantly.
The kind old man vanished.
In his place stood something far colder.
"Damn it... so close," he muttered.
"But now..."
"I must prepare."
"Even if it's imperfect."
Low, ghostly murmurs echoed through the room.