Phoenix Academy Maggie always believed that humility could make a person more erudite. The wheat stalk that bows down is often the one that is the fullest. Only those who are frivolous would think themselves omnipotent.

As a young lady of high standing, she had mastered negotiation skills. She knew how to tug and pull with opponents at the negotiation table, but these skills did not necessarily apply to shopping. Especially when she had sworn to pick out clothes for Aozawa and Hojo Tetsuji, it would be embarrassing if she performed like an amateur on the spot.

She asked Nomura True Wave and Yoshikawa Sayuri for advice. As a result, she had a whole bunch of strategies for buying clothes memorized. She had all these details clearly in mind: which floor of the Silver Department Store had quality clothing stores, which ones were a rip-off, or which were simply not cost-effective.

After school, she led Aozawa and Hojo Tetsuji into the mall. The blast of cold air that greeted them completely swept away the heat from the streets outside, like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. It made their chests feel exceptionally cool, and the hidden sweat seemed to be all blown dry.

Phoenix Academy Maggie glanced over the ground floor of the mall and declared with her head held high, "We’re heading straight to the third floor."

"Miss, you look very confident." Hojo Tetsuji was surprised, as he thought Phoenix Academy Maggie had never shopped in this kind of mall before. It seemed she frequented malls quite a bit.

Phoenix Academy Maggie lifted her hair with one hand and said with a smile, "I’m not like you guys. Of course, I did my homework before coming here."

Aozawa smiled and said, "Maggie, I want to thank you for being so serious about buying just one piece of clothing for me."

"Eh?!" Phoenix Academy Maggie suddenly clenched her fists, at a loss for how to respond to his words.

Hojo Tetsuji, surprised, said from the side, "Miss, aren’t you picking out clothes for my date with Little Sayuri? Aozawa, you’re just along for the ride, right?"

"Haha." Phoenix Academy Maggie quickly gathered her scattered thoughts, laughed, and raised her hand to tap Aozawa’s shoulder. "Yeah, don’t flatter yourself."

It must be said, her facial expression management is excellent.

Aozawa rubbed his shoulder. He wasn’t usually a big fan of the tsundere archetype, but he really liked tsunderes whose ’dere’ (affectionate side) clearly outweighed their ’tsun’ (initially harsh side). In fact, tsunderes like that will never go out of style.

"Why are you taking it so seriously? I’m just too lazy to use an extra word to describe it."

"I’m not serious at all," Phoenix Academy Maggie muttered, feeling a strange stimulation in her heart. She knew he was aware of her intentions, yet she still pretended not to care, trying hard to cover it up. It was like knowing that going out commando in tight pants wasn’t much different from wearing no pants at all, yet still deceiving myself that I *was* wearing tight pants.

THUMP, THUMP, her heart was beating strongly. Yet her expression remained composed as she led the way to the escalator.

Upon reaching the third floor, Phoenix Academy Maggie found the store recommended by True Wave and Little Sayuri.

"The quality of the clothes here is good, and the prices are fair. Plus, they occasionally have discount promotions."

"As long as it’s fair. I haven’t received my manuscript fees yet." Hojo Tetsuji pulled out his thin wallet and opened it, revealing his dire financial situation. "I can’t afford clothes over 30,000 yen."

Aozawa patted his shoulder and said, "Don’t forget that when it’s time for your weekend date, you’ll have expenses too."

"That’s right! Then my budget can only be reduced to 10,000 yen! Damn it, why am I so poor?" The usually calculation-averse Hojo Tetsuji was forced to start counting the money in his wallet.

"Alright, I’ll pay."

"Oh! Such grandeur! As expected of you, Miss!"

"Let’s go in." Phoenix Academy Maggie patted the backs of the two.

The shop assistant approached them with a smile. "Welcome! What sort of clothing are the three of you looking to buy?"

"You can go about your business. I’ll help them look." Phoenix Academy Maggie waved her hand. She didn’t intend to listen to the sales pitch, as she could tell the quality of the fabric with just a touch.

"Yes." The shop assistant nodded, their expression exceedingly respectful. Internally, however, they were quite surprised. What’s the relationship between these three? Judging by their appearances, they’re clearly not family. The assistant’s thoughts immediately went astray.

Phoenix Academy Maggie scanned through the clothes. What should I buy for Aozawa? This isn’t something to take lightly. I have to outdo Morimoto Chiyoda and choose the clothes best suited for him.

Aozawa and Hojo Tetsuji followed half a step behind, acting as mannequins.

「Meanwhile.」

「Shinjuku, Central Building.」

Jack rose respectfully to pour a cup of refreshing coffee for John, who was sitting on the sofa. He didn’t take out the cherished liquor from his desk, fearing it would reveal his hidden stash at work and damage his image of diligent service.

"Director, may I know what instructions you have for me, considering you’ve taken the time out of your busy schedule?" His attitude was humble, and his wording was the most cautious he had ever been.

I’m well aware that at this critical time for the competition for the Director of CIA position, John’s sudden visit is definitely not a trivial matter. It could very well be related to my future prospects.

In the past, I found it nonsensical and even mocked them in my mind more than once when my superiors were nervous about inspections. Now I’m experiencing it myself. Only now do I understand the thoughts of leadership, and I’ve become the leader I once mocked. If I want to advance further, I have to display a respectful attitude toward my superiors, as if serving my own parents.

John lifted his coffee cup and said slowly, "Chief Keith’s disappearance is a sad event, but we can’t dwell on sadness. Someone must take charge of the CIA’s work. I just received a message from The White House. The President has asked me to leave Japan and take over as Director."

Jack’s breathing quickened. He suppressed the ecstatic joy in his heart and smiled. "I’m not surprised by this result at all. In terms of ability and personality, there is no one else in the CIA more suited for that position than you."

John smiled. Jack’s intelligence had greatly aided his attainment of the Director of CIA position. On the report, the Flame Giant was suspected to be an Angel Envoy that Dio hated. In his report to the higher-ups, he confirmed without a doubt that the Flame Giant was an Angel Envoy opposed to Dio. The sixth condition to ascend to Paradise was also crystal clear: an invasion of the current world by monsters from a Different World. John knew precisely what kind of intelligence would satisfy those above him.

"After I leave, the new successor must know how to keep secrets and withstand the pressure from agencies like the KGB and MI6."

"This... this goes without saying. Dio’s matters must be kept secret. No one should know."

"It’s about *all* matters," John emphasized.

Jack hastily corrected himself, "Right, all matters are top secret, and nobody should have access. I think your successor should possess this awareness."

Gulp. He swallowed nervously, his gaze swept over John, then quickly shifted away. What should I say? Am I the right choice? He was too eager to know.

John did not immediately announce his decision. He spoke earnestly, "In our line of work, stability and reliability are crucial. The CIA is different from the government, where new presidents can overturn various policies at will. Such things are absolutely not allowed in the intelligence sector."

"Of course!" Jack nodded vigorously.

John was pleased with his attitude. He said with a smile, "Didn’t you suggest earlier that Morimoto Chiyoda should be recalled to Tokyo? I think it’s a good idea. Let her return to Tokyo immediately."

Jack was momentarily stunned. Why has the topic suddenly jumped to Morimoto Chiyoda? Yet he still nodded. "Okay, I’ll call right now."

With that, Jack dialed Morimoto Chiyoda’s phone number. Even though it’s the early hours of the morning in New York, I can’t afford to care. I must display absolute obedience in front of John to become that reliable successor.

The dial tone started, and to Jack’s surprise, the call connected. It should have taken a while to ring, or she might have even rejected it. That wouldn’t be out of character for Morimoto Chiyoda at all.

"Hello, Jack, what do you need?" Loud wind noise almost drowned out the sultry voice.

Jack was surprised but didn’t ask what she was doing. Instead, he said, "Morimoto, I’ve already processed the paperwork for your return to Tokyo. You can come back immediately."

"Is that so? That’s great!"

TAP TAP. Amidst the sound of the wind, there seemed to be gunfire. This made Jack blurt out, "Aren’t you in the safe house provided by the FBI?"

"The best defense is offense!" Morimoto Chiyoda responded loudly.

No matter how much she verbally expressed her desire to return to Tokyo and longed for a laid-back life, the thrill-seeking blood in her bones was still enamored with the freedom of the United States. It made her want to shout at those enemies: All of you, die!

Morimoto Chiyoda suddenly turned a corner and darted into a dim alleyway. She didn’t hang up the call. Pulling a grenade from her pocket, she used her teeth to remove the pin, timed it right, and threw it behind her.

A car screeched to a halt at the mouth of the alley. The gunmen, upon seeing the incoming grenade, panicked so much their dark faces almost turned white. They screamed, "Move!"

BOOM!

The grenade exploded fiercely. The steel balls inside scattered rapidly, piercing human flesh as easily as a pencil through paper. This quickly rendered them incapable of action, but not dead. Modern grenades are not about killing, but about inflicting injury.

Jack was astonished and asked, "Where are the FBI agents?"

"They’re currently raiding the CIA section chief who hired the Bloody Axe to harm me," she responded.

Morimoto Chiyoda was no brute. She took some time to understand the full situation and then decided to join forces with her original contact to strike back at the scoundrels trying to harm her.

John, sitting on the sofa, couldn’t maintain his composure and shouted, "Stop right now! It’s all over!"

His rapid rise to Director of CIA was partly due to intelligence, but a larger reason was that one of his two powerful competitors had suddenly given up and begun to support him vigorously. The condition was for Morimoto Chiyoda to stop investigating her attackers. That competitor had thought he had found his enemy’s weakness, only to realize it was the toughest bone to chew. He was forced to withdraw from the race, hopelessly trying to leverage benefits to protect himself.

John held leverage over this competitor and still wanted to rely on him to consolidate his power as Director. Is he about to fall from grace? If I become Director without fulfilling our original agreement, my power will be greatly diminished!

"Sorry, it’s too late." Morimoto Chiyoda eased the brakes. My dagger is already plunged into his heart. Pulling it out and apologizing now won’t save his life.