CHAPTER 477: CHAPTER 475: A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE A CAREER_1

Lenna, tall with flowing blonde curls, stood before the office desk. Her blue eyes flickered with surprise at Director Morimoto Chiyoda’s question.

She had no connection to the Phoenix Academy. The reason was her rank wasn’t high enough. There were 566 assistant-level intelligence officers like her. Even as wealthy as the Phoenix Academy was, it wasn’t possible to bring all positions in the Intelligence Department under its influence. The main focus was on maintaining good relations with senior assistants, so no real benefits filtered down to junior assistants like her. She was very clear about Charles’s relationship with the Phoenix Academy. From colleagues’ chatter, she knew Charles’s ties were far stronger than what ordinary senior assistants had.

"Director Morimoto, you’re new to the Intelligence Department, so you might not be aware. The senior assistants have always maintained good relations with the Phoenix Academy, and Assistant Charles was especially close to them."

Lenna spoke up, not to defend the Phoenix Academy, but to fulfill her duty as an assistant, hoping to prevent Director Morimoto Chiyoda from making an incorrect judgment due to a lack of information. Even the cleverest people in high positions rely on reports from subordinates to make judgments on any given matter. Lenna was a diligent assistant; she would pass on all known information to Director Morimoto Chiyoda, leaving the judgments to her.

Director Morimoto Chiyoda leaned back and chuckled softly. "Nothing is absolute in this world. Inform the other senior assistants about Charles’s demise. Warn them that from now on, they must strictly follow the rules and regulations. They should never think of endangering themselves for petty gains."

"Yes."

An imperceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Lenna’s eyes. She bowed and turned to leave the office.

Director Morimoto Chiyoda drawled, "Wait."

Her mellifluous voice made Lenna’s heart skip a beat. A glimmer of anticipation rekindled as she turned. "Director Morimoto, is there something else?"

"Lenna, from now on, you are no longer an assistant but a senior assistant. You will take over all of Charles’s responsibilities."

Lenna took a deep breath and nodded. "Director Morimoto, rest assured, I will not disappoint your expectations."

"Of course. Reading people is your strong suit. You should know what kind of subordinate I want and how they should work." Director Morimoto propped her chin on her hand, her eyes seeming to pierce through to Lenna’s innermost thoughts.

"Nothing escapes your notice, Director." Lenna responded respectfully, unable to hide a thrill of excitement. While others were still observing from the sidelines, she had already seized the initiative and pledged her loyalty to Director Morimoto Chiyoda.

She understood that if she wanted to climb the ranks, she couldn’t be too concerned about saving face. The number of senior assistant positions was fixed; without a vacancy, there was no chance for promotion. If she missed this opportunity, who knew how long she would have to wait. That was why she had deliberately mentioned the relationship between the senior assistants and the Phoenix Academy, hoping to gain Director Morimoto Chiyoda’s trust.

"You may go and get to work." Director Morimoto waved her hand. Lenna bowed and exited the office.

With a push of her foot, Director Morimoto Chiyoda swiveled her chair toward the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky over the Port District was a clear blue, the scenery beautiful. Everything exuded an aura of affluence, a beauty befitting the wealthy.

She fell into deep thought, believing this matter was inextricably linked to Kochou. Using the Shinobu Introduction Office to make a move? she wondered. Director Morimoto Chiyoda considered it and realized it was indeed a possibility. The CIA was already aware of the Shinobu Introduction Office’s move against Phoenix Academy Maggie. Thus, it followed logically that the owner of the Shinobu Introduction Office would bring Takeya Takizawa’s body to meet Kochou.

If Director Morimoto Chiyoda hadn’t been aware of the secret plotting between Charles and Kochou, she wouldn’t have realized that Kochou might have seized that opportunity to assign a task to the owner of the Shinobu Introduction Office. Investigating this won’t be easy. Since Kochou dared to act, she surely has a contingency plan. The higher-ups were unlikely to repeat the Mitsui Family incident over the death of a mere Charles. He wasn’t important enough.

After a moment of contemplation, Director Morimoto Chiyoda picked up the desk phone. She dialed a senior assistant’s number, preparing to closely monitor the Shinobu Introduction Office and see if any clues could be found.

「Shibuya 109 Department Store, seventh floor.」

In a bustling café with an English name, customers were plentiful. The window seats offered a prime vantage point, overlooking the bustling crowds on the street below. It was mostly young people; men and women in all sorts of fashionable attire strolled along the Shibuya Streets. Girls with skin even darker than Ayatsuki Ayaka’s wheat-toned complexion, or Hot Girls with bleached hair, were a dime a dozen here. Even among these Hot Girls, Ayatsuki Ayaka was the ’hottest’ of them all.

At this moment, Ayatsuki Ayaka, sitting by the window, sighed, "Ah, I wonder if Aozawa is back from the training camp yet?" With a silver teaspoon in her right hand, she casually stirred away the intricate latte art the café staffer had meticulously crafted. If the staffer who made it saw this, they would undoubtedly feel a murderous urge.

Ayatsuki Ayaka didn’t care. She just stirred her drink absently, her gaze drifting out the window, as if trying to see all the way to Asakusa Pier.

Takahashi Saeko sat there, speaking languidly, "Who’s stopping you from being proactive? If you’re that scared of being lonely, then go ask Aozawa out every day."

"Saeko, Aozawa has his own things to do, and I have my streamer work. We can’t just meet up every day." Ayatsuki Ayaka shook her head. As a fashion blogger, her videos had gained a surge of followers during summer break; she’d already surpassed the three-thousand follower mark. She was only a little over nine hundred and ninety thousand followers short of her dream of becoming a million-follower blogger.

The income was modest, but during her vtuber livestreams on fashion tips, the encouraging bullet comments and messages from netizens saying they’d benefited greatly—calling her ’Hot Girl Teacher’ and the like—filled Ayatsuki Ayaka with immense satisfaction. Helping others while earning money... being a blogger is such a great profession! she thought. She had already decided: she would become a million-follower blogger! Not only could she support herself and Aozawa, but she could also offer good advice to people who struggled with fashion. So, during the summer vacation, the question she pondered most wasn’t how to arrange outings with Aozawa, but how to shoot innovative short videos.

You have to keep up with the times; simple outfit showcases are too boring now. I need to film some segments outdoors too, let viewers see how passersby react, she mused. The steadily increasing subscribers and comments proved her efforts weren’t in vain.

"But you ask me out every day."

"Maru is on the hunt for a new boyfriend, Kaoru got called back to her family’s farm in Hokkaido to help out, so you’re the only one free. Besides, discussing these kinds of things with Aozawa... I find it so embarrassing."

"I don’t get what you’re shy about. Aozawa knows you’re a fashion blogger. He might even be getting off to your short videos every day."

"Saeko, don’t say such things!" Ayaka’s face turned red. She quickly picked up her coffee and took a sip to cool her cheeks.

Takahashi Saeko was about to continue when DING! Her phone chimed. She picked it up; it was a transaction notification from a Swiss bank.

"Saeko, did someone message you?"

"I got paid for my part-time job."

"Huh? You actually have a part-time job? How much did they pay?" Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes widened with curiosity as she stared at Takahashi Saeko.

Takahashi Saeko exited the message and calmly said, "Not much. Just eighty million Yen."

"What?!" Ayatsuki Ayaka raised her voice, instantly drawing the attention of nearby customers. She quickly hunched her shoulders and lowered her voice, "Eighty million Yen?! You’re not involved in some kind of illegal business, are you?"

"Haha, I was just kidding! You actually believed me?" Takahashi Saeko smiled, using the joke to gloss over the truth.

The previous day, she had accepted a job from Kamei: to snipe a foreigner and someone from Kyoto using a designated firearm. The eighty-million-Yen fee for the job was enough for Takahashi Saeko to take some risks. After all, in the Street Cleaner business, claiming there’s zero risk is clearly impossible, she thought. Takahashi Saeko only avoided tasks that seemed impossible from the outset. For instance, tasks like investigating Dio or matters concerning the Different World—she always approached these with reluctance, unwilling to get deeply involved.

Those things are major affairs, closely watched by the higher-ups, like a giant vortex. People from intelligence agencies and financial conglomerates of various countries get sucked in. I don’t want to be drawn into that kind of massive whirlpool, Takahashi Saeko thought.

"I see." Ayatsuki Ayaka breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest. "You scared me! I thought you might be doing something bad, Saeko."

Takahashi Saeko asked with a smile, "What bad thing did you think I was doing?"

"You know, like in the movies, secretly selling that ’flour.’ They say it’s an incredibly profitable business, but that kind of thing is just too evil." Ayatsuki Ayaka pouted. She rarely disliked anyone, but she certainly had no fondness for bad guys.

Hearing her words, Takahashi Saeko’s face broke into a smile. "Then I must be careful not to be disliked by Ayaka."

"Saeko, how could I possibly dislike you? We’re friends forever!"

"You always manage to say such cheesy things without batting an eyelid. ’We’re friends forever~’"

Ayatsuki Ayaka didn’t think her words were cheesy at all. But after Takahashi Saeko’s mocking repetition, she felt embarrassed and swung a small fist forward. "Ugh, Saeko, stop it! Don’t say that anymore!"

"Haha, alright, I’ll stop." Takahashi Saeko laughed, then noticed another notification on her phone and opened it.

A handsome, blonde man stood before the second floor of the Hundred Herb Bookstore. It was Number Nine, the one who had robbed two gold shops and a bank the previous day. Due to the unique nature of a Street Cleaner’s work, Takahashi Saeko was always keen on connecting with capable individuals who lacked connections. Introducing such people to others and collecting a commission was another source of income for Street Cleaners. Seeing Number Nine standing at the entrance, Takahashi Saeko largely guessed he wanted her to help fence his stolen goods.

Another chance to earn a bit, she thought. The police’s stance doesn’t concern me, Takahashi Saeko mused. I only collect an intermediary fee; I don’t get involved in the actual fencing of goods.

"Ayaka, I have something to do. Let’s call it a day."

"Eh, okay then." Ayatsuki Ayaka looked quite disappointed and was about to leave as well.

PING. A soft chime. She saw it was a message from Aozawa and sat back down. The message read: "Ayaka, I’m back!"

Seeing this, Ayatsuki Ayaka’s face brightened, and she quickly replied.

Takahashi Saeko felt a sarcastic comment rising. Hey, I haven’t even left yet! Oh well, she thought, dismissing it. She flicked Ayatsuki Ayaka’s forehead and got a sheepish giggle in response.

She headed for the door.