Sumitomo Taisei was awakened from his deep sleep by the phone, a flicker of irritation stirring within him.

As people age, their energy wanes in all respects.

In the past, even if a call came through in the dead of night, he could quickly adjust, ready to face the challenge of any news.

Now, he only felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, spreading from his heart to his limbs.

Sumitomo Taisei didn't even want to reach for the phone. He lay there quietly, waiting for reason to overcome his reluctance before he said, "Yoshiko, hand me the phone."

His voice was light; it didn't need to be loud.

A person's vocal volume wasn't judged by how loudly they shouted, but by their status.

His status was enough to make those around him prick up their ears and listen intently to his every word.

The beautiful woman quickly got up and handed him the phone ringing on the bedside table. "Dear, do you need me to step out?"

"Mm," Sumitomo Taisei nodded.

He was very satisfied with this woman; in every respect, she perfectly met his requirements: intelligent and confident, young, with a good figure and attractive looks.

Most importantly, she knew her place and didn't cling to him like some other young women.

Of course, he also had those very clingy young wives.

However, when he slept, he would never allow that kind of young wife to stay the night with him.

Watching Yoshiko leave the bedroom, Sumitomo Taisei answered the phone. "What happened?"

"Boss, there's been an accident at Kamo River. Sugimoto and his team of four, who were apprehending a homeless man, are dead."

"Is this something that warrants waking me?" Sumitomo Taisei's tone was clearly displeased.

He wasn't even aware that his Group employed anyone named Sugimoto.

As for the incident being exposed, that was simple to handle. With the Sumitomo Group's influence, it could easily be swept under the rug.

"Their cause of death is very strange. According to the preliminary forensic autopsy, there were no external signs of injury; the attack seems to have originated from within."

Hearing this, Sumitomo Taisei's expression turned solemn. He asked, "Is it Dio?"

"It's hard to say, but this case is very similar to the Okubo nursing home incident; in both, the injuries originated internally."

Sumitomo Taisei's face grew more serious.

Anything involving Dio was now of the utmost importance.

Internal injuries with no external damage seemed to further confirm that Dio possessed superpowers.

This realization excited Sumitomo Taisei. He said gravely, "Transport their bodies to Tokyo immediately. Have Mayers examine them."

"Alright, I'll arrange for the transport of the bodies right away."

After hanging up, Sumitomo Taisei thought for a moment, then sent a message in the Silver Hexagram Branch's chat group.

"Meeting tomorrow. We need to discuss new intelligence regarding Dio."

After sending the message, he called out, "Come in."

Yoshiko pushed the door open, her expression gentle as she asked, "Is everything resolved? You look quite pleased."

"Of course. I am exceptionally excited right now."

Sumitomo Taisei smiled, the drowsiness gone from his eyes, replaced by a burning intensity.

Immortality has always been the desire of the wealthy.

How could he not be thrilled to glimpse the threshold of eternal life within his own lifetime?

Even his old bones felt filled with a fighting spirit.

He wanted to live another five hundred years!

「...」

「9:20 p.m.」

Warm lighting illuminated the Morimoto family living room; no one was there.

In the bathroom, Morimoto Chiyoda rose from the bathtub and stepped out. Droplets of water on her skin seemed to release a sweet, tempting scent.

She dried every droplet on her body with a towel, then looked at her figure in the full-length mirror.

Morimoto Chiyoda smiled, picked up a bottle of body lotion, and began to apply it all over, moisturizing her skin.

Time is a ruthless butcher's knife; she had to diligently maintain her figure, or she might unknowingly gain weight.

She definitely didn't want to wait until she'd already gotten chubby to realize it.

After applying the lotion, Morimoto Chiyoda slipped into a light summer nightgown and put on a facial mask.

Humming a tune, she stepped out of the bathroom and lay on the sofa, her phone playing a short video by a 'Hot Girl' vlogger.

She'd been watching this vlogger for days, and the person always used a dog-face filter to hide their actual face.

"Hey~ Today, I want to recommend summer outfits to everyone. If you like what you see, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. And if there are any donations, that's even better~"

Listening to the energetic voice, Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at the comment section; the view counts were still disappointingly low.

The videos were well-made and the voice was pleasant, but this vlogger just wasn't gaining traction.

Morimoto Chiyoda couldn't figure out why. Could it be because of the dog-face filter?

Yet, plenty of faceless vloggers became massively popular.

One could only say this vlogger was unlucky; their subscriber count had barely surpassed one hundred.

Despite the low views, the vlogger updated very frequently, posting new content almost daily.

Perhaps only youthful passion could drive someone to do something so unrewarding.

This person must truly love making short videos.

Morimoto Chiyoda mused, rubbing her temples as she began to relax.

「...」

「9:28 p.m., just two minutes shy of curfew.」

The sound of a doorknob turning could be heard.

"Chitose, I'm back."

"Right on time. You've learned to come back just at the right moment."

Morimoto Chiyoda's sultry voice held no hint of reprimand.

But Aozawa knew she was a little dissatisfied, so he said with a broad smile, "Alright, alright, I brought you a delicious milk tea."

"Milk tea this late at night? Are you trying to make me fatter?"

"Relax, it's milk tea. All that nutrition will go straight to your chest, I'm sure," Aozawa chuckled, placing the milk tea on the table. He noticed she was again watching one of Ayatsuki Ayaka's short videos.

Her style is Gothic today, huh, he thought.

"Heh, men," Morimoto Chiyoda snorted, noticing Aozawa's gaze.

"I'm going to take a bath," Aozawa said, looking away. He grabbed some clothes from the bedroom and dashed into the bathroom.

Just as Morimoto Chiyoda finished watching the hot girl's short video, a message popped up.

She sat up and opened the message from the chat group.

It was from Emily: "I just heard, at 8:10 p.m., a man suspected to be Dio killed four people who were kidnapping a homeless person at Kamo River Park in Kyoto. The bodies have already been transported back to Tokyo by the Sumitomo Group. Who's willing to go to Kyoto to investigate this?"

This question made Morimoto Chiyoda pause her finger, which had been about to tap 'send'. Instead, she deleted her typed message character by character, pretending she hadn't seen Emily's query.

Someone promptly replied: "I'll go."

"Kitanotake, with your IQ, what could you possibly find out?"

Such sharp words naturally weren't from Emily but from Ito Otome. "The person responsible should step up, not lurk in the shadows, staring at the screen and pretending they didn't see the message."

Morimoto Chiyoda re-edited her message: "You're right. Then you should go to Kyoto tomorrow."

"Hehe, I need to stay here and dissect bodies. No time to go."

"Will the Sumitomo Group even let you dissect the bodies?"

"We'll send someone to intercept the bodies," Okayama Buji explained.

They hadn't gotten this information from the Sumitomo Group, but from the Kyoto Police Station. The Sumitomo Group had taken the bodies.

With the task force's current authority, they could easily intercept the Sumitomo Group's vehicle and seize the four bodies to conduct their own autopsy first.

Although previous autopsies hadn't yielded any information about Dio, they still had to perform one.

If they found anything, it would be a bonus.

Morimoto Chiyoda typed: "Alright, I'll go tomorrow then. What specifically do I need to investigate once I'm there?"

"There's an unfound witness. Help find them locally, confirm if it was Dio, and you'll get the weekend off when you return," Emily replied.

Emily clearly knew how to motivate Morimoto Chiyoda. If she wanted this seasoned agent to go on a business trip and work diligently, the promise of time off was the key.

Sending people like Okayama Buji or Ito Otome to Kyoto wasn't ideal.

Obedient and capable people like them were best kept nearby, ready for orders.

For a veteran like Morimoto Chiyoda, Emily's approach was to assign her to future business trips and then grant her leave to rest.

"Leave it to me," Morimoto Chiyoda replied.

「...」

「Shortly after, Aozawa emerged from his bath to find Morimoto Chiyoda sitting on the sofa, drinking the milk tea.」

"Is it good?"

"It's okay," Morimoto Chiyoda responded. After a moment of thought, she said, "I received a message about something urgent I need to handle. I'm going to Kyoto on a business trip tomorrow and might be away for a few days. I'll leave you some money; buy whatever you want to eat."

"Oh," Aozawa replied, silently apologizing in his heart.

He hadn't expected that what he'd done in Kyoto would require Chitose to make a special trip to handle it.

Don't they have police in Kyoto?

What a bunch of slackers.

Morimoto Chiyoda misinterpreted Aozawa's distraction, thinking he was reluctant to see her go.

Come to think of it, just at dinner, I said my work was stable and I'd spend more time with Aozawa, and now I'm already going back on my word for a business trip.

Even though this trip is unavoidable, it might be a bit hard for Aozawa to accept.

Morimoto Chiyoda got up, a fragrant breeze wafting around her as she approached Aozawa. She raised her hand to stroke his head and said, "Alright now, don't look so glum. After this business trip, I'll take two days off. I'll have Emily schedule it for the weekend so we can go out together."

"Great! It's been a while since we went shopping together," Aozawa quickly nodded.

Then he realized something was amiss. If it's this weekend, it absolutely *has* to be *this* weekend.

It definitely can't be next weekend.

Next weekend, I've already promised to treat Shouko to dinner. I can't possibly have Shouko and Chitose eat together, can I?

Aozawa realized he was truly having to become a master of time management.

He mulled it over and decided: if Chitose still hadn't gotten the information she needed from Kyoto by noon on Friday, he would reveal himself. That way, she could return to Tokyo and complete her assignment.

That would guarantee their date this weekend.

Aozawa, his plan formed, smiled. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Mm-hm," Morimoto Chiyoda smiled back.