This episode ended with the Changshi God essentially wetting himself in fear of this so-called “Pluto.”
The post-credits scene after the ED featured the robust woman with brownish-red hair seen in the OP.
She was flying just above the sea level, about to make landfall on the Japanese main island.
[Crossing the River on a Single Reed]
[Hands in her pockets, so edgy.]
[Is this that Pluto? She arrived that fast?] — In reality, she had not.
Based on the release timeline, the events after the ED actually took place during the period after Jiang Jian Yue had finished dealing with the Changshi God.
It was simply the editing that misled the audience.
Since the scenes involving the Changshi God before the ED were at night, and the scene after the ED was also at night, the audience assumed it was the same night.
‘This Pluto person…’
‘She can scare the Changshi God that much?’
‘She looks pretty average to me.’
Jiang Jian Yue checked the time.
It was already very late, but she could not help herself from looking up fan-made videos.
“Do You Love Emi or Sui?”
— Love~ me~, or… him~
“The Vixen — The Middle One” — A classic segment, making dumplings just for a splash of vinegar.
“Kaori Onishi Recognizing Reality” — Dun dun dun dun…
“Mizuki Kotaro Moe Edit” — Mizuki Hoshi is indeed quite cute… wait, bro?
“Sadistic Style — Queen Jiang Wants You to Kneel…”
Jiang Jian Yue watched the fan videos until late into the night.
Rubbing her eyes, she planned to take one last look at the LINE group before sleeping, only to find that they were actually still awake.
Kaori Onishi: “Waaah! I can’t sleep at all! I’m so nervous for tomorrow’s start!”
Makino Yuzuha: “Tomorrow is just the opening ceremony! The Team Free-for-All preliminary rounds are the day after tomorrow!”
Kaori Onishi: “Eh? Is that so… But Yuzuha, you actually had time to reply to us. How is the rehearsal going?”
Makino Yuzuha: “It’s okay, but… Miss Hanazuki Midoriu didn’t show up for the rehearsal. I’m a little worried…”
Makino Yuzuha did not yet know about Hanazuki Midoriu’s current situation.
Saori Saiyonji: “Instead of that, we should think about how to avoid getting knocked out in the first round.”
Kaori Onishi: “Eh… I didn’t expect you to care so much about this.”
Saori Saiyonji: “Of course I’m worried when the team is short a person!”
Saori Saiyonji was being sarcastic about Kaori Onishi’s lack of useful ability.
Kaori Onishi: (Angry bunny emoji) “What are you implying? Damn you!”
A slight smile curved the corners of Jiang Jian Yue’s mouth before a wave of deep exhaustion hit her.
‘I can’t stay up any longer. I have a lot to do tomorrow…’
***
Kaori Onishi lay buried in her soft bed, fiddling with her phone.
Having been mocked by her teammate, she was currently gritting her teeth in frustration.
“Dammit! That Saori, what is she acting so stuck-up for!”
Kaori Onishi kicked her blanket off violently, wriggling like a caterpillar on the wide, soft bed.
The light from the phone screen illuminated her puffed-up cheeks.
Though… although her own ability was indeed less lethal than others…
But!
“I’m working hard too, okay!”
Kaori Onishi bounced off the bed and scratched her freshly curled blonde twin-tails — which had now turned into a frizzy lion’s mane.
She could not sleep!
She could not sleep at all!
The anger from being underestimated and the nervousness about the upcoming tournament mixed together, keeping her adrenaline levels high.
“No, I’m going to train!”
Kaori Onishi clenched her fists and swung them twice at the air.
“I’ll show that sarcastic Saori that I, Kaori Onishi, am definitely not just a mascot who acts cute!”
She quickly changed into a pink-and-white tracksuit and pushed open the door, treading as quietly as a thief.
The living room was silent; everyone was already resting.
Kaori Onishi slipped out of the suite and walked down the late-night corridors of the Athletes’ Village.
Although the village was equipped with a top-tier 24-hour training center, there were too many eyes there.
Information about abilities was crucial, and no one wanted to expose theirs early — at least not before the preliminaries.
Therefore, everyone tacitly agreed to avoid the crowds.
Kaori Onishi’s goal was an old outdoor playground located in a corner of the Athletes’ Village.
Strictly speaking, this place was no longer within the village’s boundaries, but the fence was not fully closed.
Only a few dim emergency lights were on.
In such a dark place, there should not be anyone!
It was perfect for her to secretly practice her “Ultimate Move!”
With her plan set, Kaori Onishi walked light-footedly through the neatly trimmed bushes.
However, as she approached the playground, her steps suddenly stopped.
‘Is someone there?’
A strange heatwave permeated the air, but this heat did not bring a rise in temperature.
Instead, it brought a chill that seemed to pierce through the soul.
Kaori Onishi subconsciously held her breath and hid behind a landscape tree, peeking out with half her head.
A figure stood in the center of the dim field.
It was a young girl wearing a black, tight-fitting training suit.
Pale grey flames danced at the girl’s fingertips.
There was no sound at all, yet they seemed capable of devouring all the surrounding darkness.
‘So… so strong…’
Kaori Onishi watched in a daze.
The girl performed a roundhouse kick, and the arc of pale grey fire trailing from her toes drew a perfect full moon in the air.
Using that brief flash of light, Kaori Onishi finally saw the girl’s face.
Long, pale grey hair flew with her movements, and those blood-red pupils sparkled with a cold light in the darkness.
“Se… Senior Jiang?!”
She almost cried out in surprise and quickly covered her mouth.
‘Why is Senior Jiang here?’
‘Isn’t she the boss of DRG?’
‘Shouldn’t she be sitting in one of those boss chairs, stroking a cat on her lap, with background music playing “Dun dun dun… do you love me?”‘
And…
Kaori Onishi’s gaze subconsciously shifted downward, landing on the girl’s chest.
The tight training suit was stretched into a breathtaking curve — a “presence” that was impossible to ignore.
Kaori Onishi was stunned.
She blinked, then rubbed her eyes.
‘That’s not right…’
‘It’s rude to say it like this, but…’
‘Senior Jiang… is clearly the type with “bony beauty”!’
‘Meaning, she’s a flat board.’
‘This… this doesn’t match up at all!’
‘Did Senior Jiang secretly use some technology? Or is it… a second growth spurt?’
While Kaori Onishi’s thoughts were running wild, the girl in the center of the field suddenly stopped her movements.
“Who?”
A cold voice rang out, accompanied by a fireball of pale grey flame that smashed toward the bushes where Kaori Onishi was hiding.
“Wah! Don’t shoot! It’s me!”
Kaori Onishi was so scared she jumped out immediately, raising her hands over her head in a gesture of surrender.
The fireball vanished instantly about 10 centimeters from the tip of her nose, but the cold burning sensation still made her shudder.
Cuiyue withdrew her hand, frowning slightly as she looked at the blonde twin-tailed girl who had suddenly appeared.
“Who are you?”
She was a bit annoyed.
She had come out tonight to vent her frustrations, thinking that since it was so late, no one would be around, so she had not worn that stifling mask.
She had not expected to be caught.
“Tha—that… I’m Kaori Onishi from Tokiwagi High School…”
Kaori Onishi carefully lowered her hands, her eyes darting back and forth across Cuiyue’s face, filled with confusion and curiosity.
“Excuse me… are you Senior Jiang’s… older sister?”
Kaori Onishi asked tentatively, “You look so much alike… except for your figure… I mean, except for the different vibe.”
Cuiyue’s heart stirred slightly.
‘Tokiwagi High School?’
‘Isn’t that the school of Jiang Jian Yue and Yuki Asahi?’
‘It seems she’s an acquaintance of the Missy.’
“I am not her sister,” Cuiyue replied coldly, picking up a towel from the ground to wipe her sweat.
“I just have a common face that happens to look like hers.”
‘A common face?’
The corner of Kaori Onishi’s mouth twitched.
If a face that could ruin nations was considered “common,” how were other people supposed to live?
“But you really look like her! Even the hair and eye colors are the same!”
Kaori Onishi moved a few steps closer with an air of familiarity, her curiosity overcoming her earlier fear.
“Are you long-lost twins? Or a clone? Wow, it feels like a plot from a sci-fi movie!”
Cuiyue’s head began to ache from the girl’s chirping.
She was just about to turn and leave.
“The night is deep and the dew is heavy. Do you two still have the energy to chat here?”
A cold and elegant voice suddenly drifted from the shadows on the other side of the playground.
Both Cuiyue and Kaori Onishi were startled and turned to look.
A slender figure was slowly approaching.
It was a girl wearing a loose T-shirt.
Her silver-white hair looked like flowing mercury under the moonlight, swaying gently in the wind.
She had her hands behind her back and her footsteps were as light as a cat’s, making no sound at all.
Those pale gold eyes exuded a captivating sense of mystery in the night.
“It’s you?”
Kaori Onishi recognized her.
“You’re that… captain of the ART Team?”
When they had bumped into each other in the corridor earlier, this girl’s powerful aura had left a deep impression on her.
The silver-haired girl nodded slightly, a polite smile on her lips.
“I was just passing by. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Her gaze drifted casually past Kaori Onishi and landed on Cuiyue.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were scrutinizing something.
“However, this lady… does seem a bit familiar to me,” the silver-haired girl said softly in somewhat stiff Japanese.
“I am ‘Shadow Girl’ from the Toudai ART Team. Please treat me well.”
“Shadow Girl…”
Cuiyue’s eyes brightened strangely when she heard the words “Toudai.”
Even though she had traveled to this foreign land and changed bodies, the imprint on her soul could not be erased.
In this hostile world, meeting someone from “home” was always somewhat touching.
“Cuiyue.”
She announced her name in Chinese.
Her tone was still cold, but it was a bit gentler than when she had spoken to Kaori Onishi.
“Special Response HQ Unit 1.”
“Eh? Ehhh? Why did you start using a language I don’t understand?”
Kaori Onishi asked, her head spinning.
“So, you are an elite from the Special Response HQ.”
Shadow Girl was not surprised that Cuiyue suddenly spoke Chinese, and she responded in Chinese as well.
She nodded thoughtfully, her gaze still fixed on Cuiyue’s face.
“Miss Cuiyue… if I may be so bold, what is your relationship with that Miss Jiang from DRG?”
It was that question again.
Cuiyue sighed inwardly.
Indeed, with this face, she would be the center of attention wherever she went.
Not wearing a mask was her biggest mistake tonight.