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Akira adjusted his leather gloves, after the 'performance' he had to pull. He pulled the red kiseru pipe away from his lips, exhaling a thin stream of blue vapor that vanished into the high ceiling.
He turned to Mei, who was walking beside them.
"Was that really needed?" Akira asked. "The whole 'King of Darkness' routine? Acting like we own the sidewalk? It felt... theatrical."
Mei didn't even look at him.
"Yup," she said, popping the 'p'. "You have no idea how annoying they can be, Little Phoenix. If they see you are kind, if they see you are approachable, they will swarm you like piranhas smelling blood in the water."
"They will ask you the most absurd questions — 'Do you hate orphans?', 'Is your cat a secret weapon designed to destabilize the economy?', 'Why do you hate freedom?' — and then they will twist your words. If you stutter, you're weak. If you smile, you're arrogant. If you say nothing, you're hiding something. They will take a sneeze and turn it into a stupid news article."
She gestured back toward the doors with a thumb.
"They want a headline. If you don't give them a character, they will invent one for you. And trust me, the character they invent will be much worse than the 'Cool Yakuza Prince' you just pulled off. At least this way, you control the narrative. Fear is a better shield than silence."
Hearing this, Akira just stared.
"These people are the real villains," he muttered, shaking his head.
Mei Lin and Honoka laughed. It was a shared laughter of women who had dealt with PR departments and crisis management teams for too long.
"You can totally say that, honey," Honoka agreed, adjusting her diamond hairpins. "At least with normal villains, you knew where the punch was coming from. The press stabs you in the back while asking for a quote."
"He he," Nia giggled from Akira's shoulder, adjusting her pink bowtie with a paw. "Poor Daddy. Famous people problems. I just hiss at people I don't like."
"Yeah, yeah," Akira sighed, rolling his eyes. "Poor little me. Suffering from success. It's a hard life. I will go cry on my private beach."
They continued down the corridor. It was a long walk, designed intentionally to make guests feel small before they even reached the event. The hallway was dubbed the "Hall of Innovation."
The walls were lined with massive, floor-to-ceiling holographic displays showcasing Celestial Axis products.
Akira looked at the displays as they passed.
Display 1: The Aegis-V Riot Shield. A portable energy barrier generator used by riot police. Display 2: The Dragonfly Flight Pack. A sleek, winged jetpack for quirkless rescue workers. Display 3: The Titan Exoskeleton. A massive, hydraulic suit designed for heavy lifting in disaster zones.
"Impressive," Honoka muttered, analyzing the specs floating in the holograms. "Their kinetic dampeners are slightly more efficient than ours, but our battery life is thirty percent longer."
"They prioritize burst output," Mei explained, not slowing her pace. "You prioritize sustainability. Different philosophies. Jian likes big numbers. You like keeping people alive longer."
"Sustainable survival is better for the bottom line," Honoka countered. "Dead customers don't buy upgrades."
Finally, they reached the end of the hall. Before them stood a set of massive double doors, which were three times the height of a human, carved from dark wood.
Mei stopped. She touched her earpiece.
"Security Checkpoint Alpha clear," she murmured into the mic. "The Shuzenjis are here."
She lowered her hand and turned to them. A grin spread across her face.
"Time for your entry," she announced, smoothing her leather jacket. "Chin up, Honoka. Shoulders back, Akira. Look like you own the building, not like you're renting it. Intimidate them before you even speak."
"Epic entry, got it," Akira drawled, adopting a posture of supreme boredom.
***
The doors groaned. They swung open slowly, revealing the Grand Ballroom of the Celestial Tower.
The ceiling was a domed screen projecting a live, high-definition feed of the galaxy. Stars twinkled. Nebulas swirled around, casting a soft, purple and blue glow over the room.
The air smelled of champagne, expensive perfume, and money.
Hundreds of people were there. The elite of the elite. Men in tuxedos cut from silk, women in gowns that cost more than houses, heroes in formal versions of their costumes. Waiters moved through the crowd like ghosts, balancing trays made out of crystal.
As the doors opened, a hush fell over the room. The conversation died. The music faded into the background.
A spotlight hit them.
"INTRODUCING!" a disembodied voice boomed from the speakers. "FROM JAPAN! THE CEO OF SHUZENJI ENTERPRISES, THE EMBERHEART, HONOKA SHUZENJI! AND HER SON, AKIRA SHUZENJI!"
Honoka stepped forward. Her midnight dress caught the starlight from the ceiling, making her look like a piece of the galaxy had descended to earth. Her head was high.
Akira walked a step behind her, to her right. He held his pipe. He looked bored. He looked edgy, but in a rich way.
Nia, however, was having the time of her life. She stood up on Akira's shoulder, balancing perfectly.
"HI!" Nia meowed loudly, waving a paw at the crowd of billionaires, warlords, and dignitaries. "HELLO! I AM NIA! LOOK AT MY BOW-TIE! IT'S PINK!"
A ripple of whispers went through the crowd like a wave.
"Is that the cat?"
"It waved. Did you see it wave?"
"Is it a quirked animal? Or a support item?"
"They look terrifying. Look at the boy's eyes."
"That's the Shuzenji heir? He looks like he killed someone on the way here."
Akira leaned toward his mother, keeping his lips barely moving, ventriloquist style.
"Was all this really necessary?" he whispered. "The spotlight? The announcer? It feels like a wrestling match."
"It's not my party," Honoka whispered back, smiling radiantly at a Chinese diplomat who looked like he was about to faint from her beauty. "I don't make the rules. Smile, honey. You look like you're plotting a murder."
"I am," Akira muttered.
They reached the bottom of the grand staircase. The crowd parted, creating a path toward the center of the room.
Waiting for them was the host.
Jian stood in the center of a circle of admirers, holding a glass of wine. When he saw them, he broke the circle immediately, ignoring a CEO who was mid-sentence. He strode over, his white coat tails flapping behind him like a cape.
"Honoka!" he exclaimed. "My dear rival! Nice to see you here! You didn't run away! I half expected you to be on a flight back to Tokyo by now."
"And miss the free food?" Honoka smiled sweetly. "Never. Besides, someone has to keep you humble, Jian."
Mei walked past them, stepping up to her husband. She grabbed his tie and pulled him down for a quick, searing kiss that made several conservative investors look away.
"They're here," she said, releasing him and smoothing his lapel. "Be nice. Don't start a war before the appetizers."
"I am always nice!" Jian protested, straightening his tie. "I am the soul of hospitality!"
He turned back to the Shuzenjis, his eyes sparkling. "Now, I believe introductions are in order. You met Mei, my sword and shield. But the collection is incomplete. The family is not whole."
The crowd shifted. From the throngs of guests, two figures emerged.
They were identical.
Two young women, maybe in their twenties. They had striking, red hair — a shade lighter than Akira's — and piercing blue eyes that stood out against their pale skin.
Their dress was... unique.
It wasn't a ball gown. It wasn't a business suit.
They wore matching ensembles that blended traditional Chinese aesthetics with a loose, modernized anime interpretation. High-collared qipaos had been modified into flowing coats, open at the front to reveal tailored trousers and heavy combat boots.
Here is the image of Wei and Na. Na is the shy one,, and the one with the glasses. And just add glasses to one of them.(Comment)
"My Tech Leads," Jian announced proudly, gesturing to them. "The brains and the beauty."
He smiled at them. He kissed the cheek of the one on the left.
"Hi, Na," he whispered.
She grinned, grabbing his lapel and kissing him back hard on the mouth, fearless and bold. "Hey, cutey. The update is running stably."
He turned to the one on the right. He kissed her forehead gently.
"Hi, Wei."
She blushed, looking down at her boots, her hands fidgeting with her sleeves. "H-Hi..."
Jian turned back to the guests, gesturing to the twins with a flourish.
"People, meet my wives. Na and Wei."
Na — the bold one — stepped forward, hands on her hips. She looked Honoka up and down.
"What's up!" Na said, her voice bright. "So you're the ones who stole our market share in Tokyo? Nice to meet you! I dismantled one of your new med-bots last week. The servo-integration is slick. Did you use a polymer weave?"
Wei — the shy one — peeked out from behind her sister's shoulder. She pushed her glasses up her nose. "H-Hello... your... your algorithm for cellular regeneration... it's very efficient..."
Honoka bowed respectfully, her CEO mask firmly in place. "Nice to meet you. You both look really beautiful. I've read your papers on kinetic energy storage. Brilliant work. The compression ratio you achieved is theoretically impossible."
Na beamed. "Thanks! Your medical nanobots are pretty cool too, for bio-tech. A bit fleshy for my taste, but effective."
Li Wei nodded frantically. "T-Thank you. We... we admire your work too."
Honoka looked at Akira and nudged him with her elbow.
Akira sighed internally. He took the pipe out of his mouth, holding it by the bowl.
"Oh, yeah," he said, offering a small nod. "Nice to meet you. The name is Akira. This over here..."
He pointed to the black fluff on his shoulder with the stem of his pipe.
"...Is Nia. She is the brains of our operation."
Nia stood up on her hind legs, using Akira's ear for balance.
"Hello!!!" she chirped. "Your hair looks so good! It's like red noodles! Can I eat it?"
The twins froze.
"Wow," Na breathed, her eyes widening. She stepped closer, squinting at the cat. "A talking cat. That is tech, right? Is she a cyborg? Did you implant a vocal synthesizer in her larynx? Is it a quirked animal with a translation collar?"
Wei, however, had a different reaction.
Her hands flew to her face. Her blue eyes sparkled. The shyness evaporated under the heat of overwhelming cuteness. The scientist vanished; the cat-lover emerged.
"SHE IS SOOOOOO CUTE!" Wei yelled.
She lunged forward, trying to pet Nia.
But Na grabbed her by the back of her collar, holding her back.
"Control yourself, Wei," Na laughed awkwardly, pulling her sister away as Wei flailed. "Pardon us. She has a weakness for small, furry things. She has zero resistance to fluff."
"She talked!" Wei whispered loudly, staring at Nia as if she were a deity. "Did you hear her? She complimented our hair! She asked to eat it! I would let her! I would totally let her eat my hair!"
Watching them go, Jian laughed. "Well, Wei is a huge cat person. We have six cats at home. She will probably try to kidnap Nia before the night is over. I apologize in advance if you find her trying to smuggle the cat into her purse."
"She can try," Akira muttered, petting Nia. "Nia bites. And she judges."
"I do," Nia confirmed. "I am judging."
Jian clapped his hands together. "Anyway! The adults have boring things to discuss. Stocks. Borders. The price of tungsten. The inevitable collapse of the global economy."
He looked at Akira.
"Akira, why don't you go to the Heir's Lounge? It's the 'Kids Section', technically, but we stocked it well. The other corporate scions and hero students are there. You might make some friends."
Akira looked at the massive ballroom. He looked at the crowd of old people in suits, swirling wine, and talking about profit margins.
"I'd rather be with my Mom," Akira said flatly. "I'm her bodyguard. She gets into trouble when I'm not looking."
"He's clingy," Jian noted to Honoka.
"He's protective," Honoka corrected, though she looked pleased.
Jian leaned in, whispering to Akira. His voice dropped to a conspiratorial level.
"There are a lot of yet-to-be-released games in there," Jian murmured. "We have the prototype console for the next generation. And... we have an early build of Half-Life 3. Just saying."
Akira froze.
His eyes widened. The pipe nearly fell from his hand.
Half-Life 3? The forbidden game? The myth? The legend?
He looked at his mother. She was smiling, ready to engage in verbal combat with a rival CEO.
He looked at the direction Jian was pointing — a set of double doors guarded by men in black suits.
He looked back at his mother.
"You are on your own, Mother," Akira said instantly, stepping away. "Don't get lost. Don't sign anything without reading it. Don't start a war. Bye."
He turned and sprinted toward the side doors.
"BYE!" Nia yelled, waving a paw over Akira's shoulder. "WE ARE GOING TO PLAY GAMES! DON'T DIE!"
Honoka stood there, her mouth slightly open.
"This brat," she mumbled, a vein popping in her forehead.
Jian gestured towards the doors.
"Shall we?" he asked. "The sharks are waiting. And I believe we have a market to divide."
Honoka sighed, smoothing her dress.
"Yeah," she said. "Let's get this over with."
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The party starts!!! What do you think about the twins?
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