"I wouldn't dare! This is indeed a Board of Directors' contract. As for Director Samuel, don't worry—he's currently out of Academy City, so no need to fear!"
The woman on the screen wore a fake smile, her tone tinged with mockery.
"Hmph, who's scared? But he's a Board member—a special one at that. Everyone knows we serve the Board…"
"Getting cold feet? If you're scared, I can find someone else."
"No… you misunderstand." Mugino Shizuri leaned closer to the screen, her grin practically a work of art. "I'm saying… add more money!"
"…How much?"
"Another ten million! USD!"
"Impossible. Five million, tops! USD!"
"…Fine, we'll take it. Reluctantly."
The moment Mugino agreed, the screen went black.
Samuel's status as a Board member didn't faze her. On the contrary, his title as the top-ranked Level 5, "Eternal Variable," made her eager to test him.
Even if he were in Academy City, she'd take the job without hesitation.
But that was beside the point. As a dark side leader, she worked for the pay—every cent counted, no matter how much she didn't need it.
"Woo-hoo! So much cash! You're the best, Mugino!"
The petite, exuberant Frenda Seivelun, ITEM's blonde member, beamed with greed.
"That's super a lot! But this job feels super troublesome. We won't face retaliation, right? That Samuel guy's got super influence."
Samuel was the flashiest Board member—top Level 5, Judgment Chief, and cloaked in countless titles, which unnerved Kinuhata.
"No worries! He's not even here. And with Mugino around, what's there to fear? Right, Takitsubo?"
Takitsubo Rikou, ITEM's Level 4 Ability Tracker, responded listlessly, "Mmm…"
"Mmm… yeah, with Mugino here, it's probably fine. As for retaliation, I'm super not scared!"
And so, they piled into their vehicle.
As a dark side group, ITEM had dedicated transport, with the Board handling "logistics"—cleaning up bodies and covering tracks.
But the four girls hadn't yet grasped the danger of this mission.
The woman issuing the contract smirked sarcastically after cutting the feed.
"Of course! If you succeed, the fifteen million is yours. It's not our money anyway. But… you probably won't live to claim it."
This wasn't a simple Board power struggle—it was a trap, pure and simple.
Level 5s were valuable, but they were just rooks, knights, or bishops on the chessboard—not kings or players.
Chairman of the Board of Directors Aleister Crowley knew of Samuel's maneuvers but let them slide. Samuel's value far outweighed ITEM's, and Aleister was certain Samuel wouldn't kill them.
With the Chairman's tacit approval, no other Board member dared challenge Samuel.
No need. He was just a Level 5.
Level 5s were powerful, but to the Academy City that created them, they were insignificant. The city could crush them a hundred ways over.
They were merely public deterrents, like nuclear warheads—terrifying to outsiders but easily dismantled by their makers.
Night traffic was smooth, and Mugino's team soon reached the Ninth Research Institute's gates.
"Make it quick!"
Green orbs of light materialized around Mugino. Atoms were rapidly drawn in, and the orbs shot toward the institute's gate.
Boom!
Unstable atomic structures collapsed the moment they left Mugino's control. The forcibly condensed atoms scattered as electrons, triggering an explosion.
The blast obliterated Samuel's alloy gate, and the shockwave surged through the breach.
Air pressure whipped Mugino's hair as she stepped gracefully over the threshold into the institute.
Frenda and Kinuhata followed, scanning their surroundings warily.
"Takitsubo! What's the situation?"
"Strange… no AIM Diffusion Fields detected."
"Guess he really is out!"
Frenda's fair face lit up with a smile, her small, white canines adding a touch of charm.
"Something's wrong… hold on!"
Takitsubo suddenly shouted, her voice frail, her body swaying as if she might collapse.
"No AIM Diffusion Fields! Not a trace!"
Takitsubo's expression twisted with unease as she repeated herself.
"Huh? Takitsubo, are you exhausted or something? No AIM fields means the top dog's not here—good news, right?"
"No… I mean zero AIM fields! That's not right. AIM Diffusion Fields are involuntary emissions from espers—the stronger the esper, the stronger the field. If he's here, I'd sense it clearly, but even if he's not, I should pick up something. That's how I track. But here… not just the top-ranked, even Mugino's field dissipates instantly, so thin I can't sense it."
"So… the AIM fields here are being suppressed, meaning you can't tell if the top dog's here or not!"
***
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