Chapter 324: Maintaining Relations With Serys Is The Most Important Thing

Paradise Pavilion, Tenshukaku VIP room.

The air here was still thick—that unique texture of top-grade incense sticks mixed with power and money.

Toudou Daigo wore a dark gray suit.

Even though his bulging muscles, impossible to hide, made the seams of the suit look ready to burst.

But at least in name, he was now the president of Kyokuto Construction, a wealthy man, so he couldn’t be too crude.

Across from him sat a man who appeared ordinary, even overly neat.

The man was about fifty, wearing a pair of exquisite gold-rimmed glasses, with his hair combed meticulously—an Overseer type.

He was a senior secretary from the Liberal Democratic Party’s Hatoyama Faction, and the faction’s feeler into the underworld—Ueda Shigeru.

Gluttony still wore that slightly oversized gray hoodie, the hood covering most of her face, like she had social anxiety.

“So, this is the Miss Gluttony that President Daigo strongly recommends?”

Secretary Ueda pushed up his glasses, his gaze lingering for a moment on Gluttony’s expressionless right eye, then he revealed a professional, gentle smile.

“Truly a masterpiece of the new era.”

Gluttony ignored the condescending compliment, casually grabbed a delicate Japanese confection from the table, shoved it under her mask, and started chewing noisily.

“Where’s the stuff?”

Ueda Shigeru didn’t get angry at her rudeness.

He took out an exquisite black lacquer box from his briefcase and placed it in the middle of the table.

“This is the new identity you wanted.”

Ueda Shigeru opened the lid, revealing a dark gold IC chip card and a thick stack of paper documents.

“Sugawara Akari, twenty-four years old, outstanding graduate of Keio University’s Economics Department. Her grandfather was a well-known parliamentarian in Akita Prefecture. The war years ago took all her immediate family, which also made her determined to devote herself to New Japan’s infrastructure and environmental protection careers.”

Ueda Shigeru pointed to the photo on the documents—a woman who was seventy percent similar to Sato Ai but with a sharper temperament.

“From this moment on, this identity card is real and valid in all of Japan’s databases. Whether it’s household registration checks or border control biometric identification, you are a descendant of a famous family and a young entrepreneur keyly supported by our Hatoyama Faction.”

‘Through Gluttony’s perspective, Jiang Jian Yue examined this perfect file.’

‘She had to admit, compared to Xiaoquan Junjie’s disguise full of holes, this identity backed by the state machinery was a total downgrade in comparison.’

‘But there was nothing to compare—they were issuing official credentials, so of course it was a downgrade.’

“And this.”

Ueda Shigeru took out a silver device the size of a Bluetooth earpiece from a hidden compartment in the lacquer box.

“This is the 2.0 version of the Shielding Device, an upgrade specifically developed against Yuki Asahi’s ability. It has basically eliminated all crashes caused by device malfunctions.”

A hint of pride flashed in Secretary Ueda’s eyes.

“As long as you wear it, you won’t exist in that Executioner’s perception.”

‘How ironic.’

‘Yuki Asahi had always kept a low profile, but over the years, the incidents he handled—even if not every one pulled Japan back from the cliff—were still meritorious, worthy of being called a hero.’

‘And they actually developed this thing. It seems Yuki Asahi keeps those people more awake at night than uncontrolled espers.’

Gluttony reached out and took the miniature device, playing with it between her fingers.

“So… what’s the price?”

“Price? We’re allies, Miss Gluttony.”

“Allies? You mean the Liberal Democratic Party?” Gluttony’s question carried a meaning.

Ueda Shigeru shook his head.

“I come on behalf of the Hatoyama Faction. Miss Gluttony’s ally is naturally the Hatoyama Faction.”

“However, there is indeed a troublesome matter. If Miss Gluttony is willing, you could help us push it forward.”

Gluttony nodded, signaling him to continue.

“Currently, within the Liberal Democratic Party, the radicals of the Takami Faction are frantically pushing the Ladder Project.”

“They’ve gotten too close to People’s Coalition Party President Yamanoi Yayoi—so close it makes us uncomfortable.”

Secretary Ueda’s eyes turned cold. “All of Gaojian Zongyilang’s propaganda and actions show that he is a nationalist superpower supremacist. This ideology is very dangerous.”

Toudou Daigo also nodded along.

Jiang Jian Yue didn’t know much about New Japan; she didn’t know the disaster the Light Extinguishers had brought back then.

“Even Serys, who advocates technocracy, has classified this ideology as extremism. But Serys treats Japan as an institutional testing ground and hasn’t bothered with these people. If you ask me, the People’s Coalition Party shouldn’t exist.”

“Our Hatoyama Faction prefers to return to peaceful trade and diplomacy. Maintaining relations with Serys is the most important thing.”

“When necessary, the Ladder Project must never succeed. Japan cannot experience another defeat, or it will be doomed forever.”

……

Meanwhile, Adachi Ward, Fortune Village.

Jiang Jian Yue’s main body was lying on the slightly damp tatami.

She was browsing Shinsei Channel, the successor to Japan’s largest anonymous forum—2ch.

[Sticky Post: The Ladder Project—Gospel or Trap? Has Gaojian Zongyilang Secretly Joined the People’s Coalition Party?]

[Anonymous 1]: Did you guys watch Ringo-chan’s vlog today? That construction site cafeteria’s food is worse than prison, but the Takami Faction parliamentarians at the temporary guesthouse next door are drinking wine worth ten thousand yen a bottle!

‘Jiang Jian Yue commented: The video didn’t look that bad! Are we watching the same video?’

[Anonymous 2]: Normal. I have insider info: the Ladder Project was originally designed to harvest espers. I heard the top of the tower is equipped with a power amplifier. From now on, when we awaken, we’ll have to pay energy tax to Tokyo, and if we don’t, they’ll drain us dry.

[Anonymous 3]: Stop with the conspiracy theories, will you?

[Hot Reply]: Gaojian might as well marry into the People’s Coalition Party. Since he’s already working as an assistant to President Imai in the LDP, he might as well change his name to “Imai Soichiro” WWWW.

Jiang Jian Yue’s finger paused on the screen, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

‘The online opinion was pretty intense.’

The Hatoyama Faction might lag behind the Takami Faction in actual execution, but they were clearly more experienced at controlling social media to steer the narrative.

Through their guidance, the Takami Faction was being labeled as “New Light-Extinguishers,” even affecting the People’s Coalition Party, which had been staying conveniently invisible from the public eye.

But reality hadn’t been affected yet—at least the Ladder Project construction site was still operating normally.

Jiang Jian Yue tossed aside her phone and stared at the water stains on the ceiling.

‘Fight on. The messier, the better.’

But she wasn’t in a hurry to head to Afghanistan. There was still business to handle in Japan.

……

Arakawa Ward, Fukuzawa Cleaning Company.

Gluttony was about to return to her loyal golden throne—her boss chair.

Kazuki Hanatsubame was meticulously organizing client files at the front desk, even though the current “clients” were only a few real estate agents who wanted to clean up haunted houses.

She had changed into a neat little suit and cut her hair into a sharp short style.

Although her eyes were still a bit timid, they no longer had that crazy, on-the-verge-of-collapse look.

‘So labor really does turn ghosts into people—provided the exploitation isn’t too severe.’

“Good work,” Gluttony said, breaking her silence as she passed the front desk.

“B-Boss, take care!” Kazuki Hanatsubame bowed nervously.

Gluttony nodded and was about to continue toward the office.

But from the corner of her eye, she noticed Kazuki Hanatsubame quickly shove something into a drawer, a hint of panic in her movement.

She didn’t pay it much attention and headed straight into the dim hallway to the inner rooms.

Kazuki Hanatsubame watched Gluttony disappear around the corner, let out a sigh of relief, then carefully opened the drawer.

Inside wasn’t any confidential document—just an old photo with slightly worn edges.

The photo showed several youthful girls in gorgeous stage costumes, smiling brightly, clustered around a central figure shining like the sun.

Back then, Kazuki Hanatsubame’s eyes sparkled, her smile was pure, as if the whole world was in her hands.

She gently brushed her fingertip over her own radiant smile in the photo, and instantly her eyes dimmed.

A thin layer of tears blurred her vision.

Those applause, lights, teammates’ laughter… all like a fading nightmare.

Her throat tightened. She quickly sniffed and was about to hide the photo again.

Just then, a folder was gently placed on the counter in front of her.

“This is… uh, accounts? Or equipment wear list? Beats me. Fukuza asked me to hand it to the boss.”

“Oh… Mr. Hei Chuan!”

Kazuki Hanatsubame quickly stood up, fumbling to shove the photo into the bottom of the drawer.

“J-Just leave it here! I’ll take it to the boss in a moment!”

Hei Chuan’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

He had seen that kind of look too many times—in host clubs.

Though most often it was the lecherous eyes of old men with unusual tastes.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and changed the subject in a natural tone. “The new uniform fits you well.”

“This place… well, the boss might seem tough and has weird rules, but at least it’s more stable than the outside. Take your time, you’ll get used to it.”

Kazuki Hanatsubame hadn’t expected Hei Chuan to comfort her. She paused, then felt a strange warmth in her chest.

She clenched her fists on her knees and whispered, “Thank you, Mr. Hei Chuan. I… I’ll try to adapt. The boss… she’s actually a good person.”

She tried to force a smile, but the corners of her mouth only twitched stiffly.

She stood there, watching Hei Chuan disappear down the hall, then looked down at the crack in the drawer.

This time, looking at her own bright smile in the photo, tears still welled in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a genuine arc.

“Thank goodness…”

Gluttony had no idea that office romance was budding at the front desk.

She walked into the dim inner corridor.

Just as she was about to step into the office, she stopped.

“Is it a common habit where you’re from to enter someone’s room without knocking?”

The shadow crawled from the corner, gradually congealing into that boy with heavy dark circles under his eyes.

Liu Ming leaned against the doorframe, playing with a withered rose petal between his fingers, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Forgive my impertinence, Miss Gluttony.”

Liu Ming straightened up. His face looked even paler than usual under the corridor’s dim yellow light.

“It seems the Mutual Aid Society’s help is no longer needed for that Kyokuto Construction matter, right?”

“The Liberal Democratic Party… hah, I didn’t expect you could get in touch with them. But I suggest you stay away from those politicians.”

“Get to the point.” Gluttony pushed open the office door. “You didn’t come here just to say that.”

“Of course.”

Liu Ming followed her into the room and casually closed the door, his tone becoming unusually serious.

“That Overseer is very satisfied with your performance in Arakawa Ward.”

‘Overseer? Flamehead Captain?’

“The Assembly of the Great Sins is about to convene.”

Liu Ming pulled a dark red invitation from his chest pocket. The seal was a twisted hexagram wax stamp.

“The other three Great Sins will also attend.”

Gluttony took the invitation, wiped its surface, and found it was printed on very cheap paper, and the image watermark from the design website wasn’t even Photoshopped out.

“…” Gluttony tossed the invitation onto the desk with obvious disgust.

Liu Ming coughed dryly in embarrassment. “Saving costs, you know.”

“By the way, who are the Great Sins?”

“Sorry, I can’t say for now. But if you go, you’ll see them in person.”