Chapter 23: The Pink Spy, Deploy!

"Huh? A spy?" Aine's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an apple.

Ever since Angers mentioned the special perks earlier, she had suspected this wouldn't be an easy task, but the word "spy" still caught her off guard. The very title brought to mind famous figures like 007, the Men in Black, or "Twilight." If she added a qualifier to make it "female spy," her imagination wandered toward scenarios involving basement interrogations that one might see in late-night, low-budget movies. Come to think of it, the focus of that genre didn't seem to be about spying anymore... She remembered passing through Ikebukuro and often seeing shops that stayed shuttered in broad daylight, their billboards plastered with images of girls in tactical uniforms.

"Is this the kind of spy I’m thinking of?" Aine forced herself to stay calm.

"Reality is always a bit different from the movies," Angers said, looking relaxed. "The tropes in films are mostly fiction. Real espionage is far more mundane than you’d imagine. There are no bombs blowing up skyscrapers, no world-ending plots, and certainly no one holding a gun to your head at every turn."

"Then why does the school teach us those things?" Aine stared into Angers' eyes. "It’s not like we think they’re actually useful, right?"

"Because these skills ensure your safety."

"Doesn't the meaning behind the word 'safety' just boil down to, 'You might die without these skills?' Principal, you have that look on your face like you’d slam a gun on the table if I dared to refuse!"

Completely disregarding the fact that the man before her was the Principal of Cassell College, Aine could no longer maintain any respect; she was starting to lose it. She felt as if she were sitting on a rocket disguised as a chair, with a countdown running in Angers' hands. Once the time was up, she would be launched to Tokyo as his spy.

"I did say I wouldn't ask you to slay dragons, but the things I need you to do are, of course, related to the Dragon Clan. Mastering these skills won't hurt you," Angers continued with his elegant, polite smile. "At least what we’re doing is exciting, isn't it?"

"In your country, are 'exciting' and 'risking your life' pronounced the same way?"

"You’re unwilling? People with dragon blood should naturally enjoy adventure." Angers seemed genuinely surprised. In his eyes, perhaps the entire branch was expected to be a group of wild, dragon-blooded youths—brave, passionate, and combative.

"I said I don't want to do anything that would make my parents sad. I’m their only daughter, I love them, and they love me." Aine stood up, slamming her hands on the table, her expression grave.

She knew it was rude, but she didn't want to gamble with her life. What did the end of the world have to do with her? Saving the world was a job for Superman, but she was just a regular person—a regular person with dragon blood, surrounded by people in this school who were all better than her.

"Then, what if I told you that besides the benefits I promised, this task might actually allow you to save your parents with your own hands?" Angers said slowly.

Aine, who had already taken a step to leave, froze. She turned around, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I didn't choose you on a whim. In any endeavor, someone with a clear goal will always outperform someone forced into the task. The 'salarymen' on the streets of Tokyo always look miserable, but you students, even after a tiring day of part-time work, can still greet others with a smile. It’s a simple truth: for the sake of pocket money, nothing is happier than the moment the paycheck hits your hand."

"I don't have that kind of experience..." Aine muttered, sitting back down. She looked displeased, pointedly resting her chin on her hand to avoid meeting his gaze.

She felt the Principal was far too cunning. Beneath his elegant exterior as an educator, he could effortlessly strike at her weaknesses, making her feel as though she were being manipulated, unable to escape his grasp.

"It doesn't matter; you will soon enough." Angers pushed the cup of black tea toward her. "Drink it while it’s hot; it’s no good cold. Let’s return to the topic of the future. Though I call it spying, in reality, I just need you to help me gather some intelligence in Japan."

"Can't you do such a simple thing yourself? I recall Cassell has a branch in Japan." Aine took small sips of the tea, frowning at its cloying sweetness.

"It does, but every year their reports claim everything is fine. You’ve studied at the branch for long enough to know that the Dragon Clan’s presence is worldwide. Even on a tiny Pacific island like Nauru, where the only thing the seabirds do is defecate, you can find traces of the Dragon Clan. It’s impossible for Japan to have nothing."

"You mean... they’re hiding it on purpose?" Aine understood. She was a bright girl; she had been the student council president in middle school. Such a position required more than just charisma—her grades had to be top-tier, and her mind was sharp.

"Necessarily so." Angers nodded. "Over the years, I’ve sent several people under the guise of internships, but without exception, they were either kept under such tight surveillance that they couldn't access anything, or they were driven to the brink of insanity. The people at the Japan Branch don't treat them like humans at all."

"So, as a Japanese native, I’m the most suitable candidate because I grew up there. They won't do anything to me, and they won't suspect I’m digging into their secrets."

Aine immediately grasped his intent, but she still wanted to wriggle out of it. "But Principal, the Japan Branch is controlled by the Yakuza..."

That was precisely why her father had sent her to the British branch for preparatory school. The whole world knew the Yakuza were legalized in Japan, but within the country, they were still a source of terror for ordinary citizens. The Chihaya family were law-abiding people who ran legitimate businesses; they wanted nothing to do with the underworld.

She remembered when her father’s company had a business rivalry with a firm backed by the Yakuza. In the spirit of "simple and friendly" business competition, the rivals had brought over twenty men to smash up their office building. Although the situation was resolved when her father single-handedly took them all down—and no one had dared to cause trouble since—her father had repeatedly warned Aine never to get involved with the Yakuza.

And now, the Principal was doing his best to convince her to return and deal with them.

"To be precise, it is the 'Nihon no Segi-hachi-ke'—the Eight Families, controlled by people of mixed blood," Angers explained. "The gangsters you imagine, with tattoos on their arms, heavy gold chains, and baseball bats, are just the bottom rung of the Japanese underworld. They can't even reach the threshold of the Eight Families. The real Eight Families are actually quite polite; they are as cold and poised as aristocrats, and they prefer to negotiate at a table."

"But they’re still gangsters, aren't they? Gangsters who use Spirit-based combat, and who will shoot you in the foot if they’re unhappy." Aine glared at him. "If we provoke them, we won't even be able to open our front door. I’ve heard they fill locks with glue and break in at night."

"I only need you to act as my eyes and ears. If there is anything related to the Dragon Clan in Japan, just compile a report and send it to me. Of course, it would be even better if you could figure out what they’ve been hiding all these years." Angers took a sip of tea. "This won't provoke them, will it? However, you cannot use email. You must write by hand. The supercomputers at the Japan Branch monitor all emails sent to Cassell, but they have no way to check handwritten documents."

"That does sound simple enough..." Aine mused. "Then, what does this have to do with my parents?"

"Because I suspect the Japan Branch is intentionally concealing something massive—something so large that it might be the resurrection of an Ancient Dragon, or perhaps something even more terrifying."

Angers opened his laptop, and an audio file began to play.

The sound of sea winds swept through the Principal's office. If she closed her eyes, she would have mistaken the room for a small boat in the middle of the ocean. Aine closed her eyes; without sight, her hearing became sharper. But this sounded just like a recording of ordinary sea winds.

"Listen more carefully. This is audio recorded by the college’s *Moniah* in Japanese waters. It’s not just sea wind."

Aine’s eyes snapped open. Indeed, if she concentrated for a moment, a deep, heavy noise was separated from the wind: *Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump...*

The rhythm was powerful and distinct. Once she realized it was there, she was completely drawn in, as if ancient Mayans were beating war drums on a prehistoric battlefield.

"That is a heartbeat. The heartbeat of a dragon," Angers whispered.

"A dragon in the Japanese seabed? But that’s the Japan Trench, the deepest place in the ocean!" Aine was shocked.

"That is the Dragon Clan. Never try to look at them through the lens of common sense."

Angers closed the audio file. His face was as sharp as iron, like a samurai about to head into battle. "We scanned the seabed with sonar and accidentally recorded this heartbeat. Think about it: if a heartbeat can penetrate eight kilometers of seawater, how massive must that creature be?"

"It has to be a dragon," Aine said with conviction. Half a year of study had taught her to accept this reality.

"Exactly. The resurrection of an Ancient Dragon will inevitably pull it toward the nearest human population. It will be an unprecedented catastrophe. Accompanying elemental turbulence will lead to tsunamis, earthquakes, and torrential rains beyond anything in recorded human history. Together, these could paralyze any city on Earth and claim countless lives."

"The nearest major city to the Japan Trench..." Aine's face turned pale, and she couldn't stop trembling. The horrific consequences played out in her mind: blood, ruins, screams, and wails as an ancient dragon flew between the crumbling remains of skyscrapers.

Ever since she encountered the world of the Dragon Clan, she had assumed the true ancient dragons were far away. As Angers said, most hybrids were busy being elites in the human world, enjoying life with the advantages of their bloodline; only a few were willing to hunt dragons.

But disaster had arrived so suddenly. Her parents didn't know, and their family assets and wealth were all in Tokyo. If the ancient dragon successfully hatched and made landfall, even if her family survived the catastrophe, the Chihaya family would be completely bankrupt and left destitute.

A large, firm hand pressed on her shoulder. Aine looked up and saw the tenderness in Angers' eyes.

"It’s bad news, but it’s also good news. At least we know in advance, rather than being caught off guard after it wakes up," Angers said. "It’s like a doctor telling you that you have cancer, but it’s still in the early stages and only requires a surgery."

It wasn't the time for jokes, but seeing Angers’ calm, composed demeanor—as if everything were within his control—her anxiety slowly subsided. Aine pulled at the corners of her mouth and couldn't help but smile.

"Does the Japan Branch know about this?" she asked.

"I’m not sure." Angers shook his head. "That is the reason I need you to go. The Japanese waters are the Japan Branch’s area of responsibility. Routine checks are necessary. If the college headquarters can know this, it’s impossible they don't. Yet, for years, the reports they’ve submitted have continued to claim that all is well."

"What can I do?"

"Just as I said: monitor. Secretly learn what you can while ensuring your own safety, and then convey everything happening within Japan to me. Everyone has something they can do. Since you don't like slaying dragons, there's no need for you to participate in the most dangerous tasks. Your contributions will be a tremendous help to us," Angers said.

"Should I go back and tell my parents to leave Tokyo as quickly as possible?" Being a child, she felt nervous and indecisive about such a major matter.

"No need. The gestation period of the Dragon Clan is far longer than that of humans." Angers said softly, signaling for Aine to be at ease. "This heartbeat comes from an ancient dragon embryo. According to our calculations, it will be safe for at least four years. Relocating a family is not easy, and once one person starts doing it, the news will spread. I’m only telling you because of trust and necessity."

Aine nodded. She could imagine the consequences; if anyone learned of an impending apocalypse, they wouldn't just escape themselves—they would want to bring their family and friends, which would easily trigger a panic.

As a girl who grew up in Japan, she felt a sense of distrust toward her country for the first time—or, more specifically, toward those people in the Japan Branch. It was like a black hole; no one knew what was inside, but if you leaned in close enough, you could smell the stench of blood in the raging winds surging from within.

"So now, are you in the mood to put some effort into your studies?" Angers held up her transcript and waved it. "I once had high expectations for you, and I even told the branch principal that you would surely be a bright talent."

"Yes, Sir! I promise I won't let you down!" Chihaya Aine giggled, gave a sloppy, non-standard military salute, took her transcript, and turned to leave.

Unlike the heavy, stomach-churning anxiety she felt when she arrived, she had never felt such a light step since coming to the British branch. She walked like a happy little deer.