Chapter 130: That sort of thing is a no-no, absolutely not!

Feeling as though he had been set up, Mizorogi cast a suspicious glance at Qiao Zhe.

*Wait, you’re throwing me under the bus like this?*

Mizorogi suddenly felt that his future life might be taking a turn for the worse. Ignoring the look directed at him, Qiao Zhe feigned ignorance and turned to Himeya Jun. "Don't worry, we don't actually mean you any harm."

"But, given your current state, are you planning to keep hugging like that?"

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, activated the camera, and snapped a photo.

*Come to think of it, this woman looks just like Inagi from the Cool-Dragon Team. I should show this to her later.*

Qiao Zhe found himself wishing he had a dedicated camera to record the dark history of others.

Sakuta Megumi blushed instantly, hastily releasing her grip on Himeya’s head and stepping back.

"Gomenasai, Himeya-kun."

Though she was the one who had been taking advantage of the moment, her apology was soft and hesitant. Himeya Jun did not fully trust Qiao Zhe.

"Who are you people!"

He pulled Sakuta Megumi behind him, his face still etched with vigilance.

Qiao Zhe didn't seem to mind; he ignored the question and instead said with pointed intent, "The truth of this world is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

"But are you sure you want Sakuta Megumi to know? That would be a very troublesome matter."

Upon hearing this, Himeya Jun’s gaze sharpened, a jolt of alarm running through him.

Mizorogi holstered his weapon at this moment and offered a warning to Himeya: "Newbie, you’ve got a good look in your eyes, but ordinary people are different from us. Some secrets are not meant for them."

He had already sensed, however vaguely, that this man possessed the same talent as he did.

Himeya fell into silence, his eyes darting between Qiao Zhe and Mizorogi, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The way these two spoke, it sounded like they belonged to some secret organization, and this world truly did harbor hidden truths!

He had been sought out because he possessed something special.

Recalling the light barrier from earlier, and the way the two men had appeared out of thin air...

With these thoughts, Himeya looked at Sakuta Megumi. "Megumi-senpai, I want to go and see what this is about."

If he didn't uncover the truth behind all of this, he felt he would never be able to sleep again.

"Himeya-kun." Sakuta Megumi’s eyes were filled with concern for him.

Himeya then turned to Qiao Zhe: "You’re here for me, right? Then let her go."

After a moment’s thought, he made his decision. Even if they refused, Himeya felt that he couldn't possibly escape with Sakuta Megumi in this situation. This way, even if he faced danger, at least she would be safe.

"So you see, you two misunderstood from the very beginning." Qiao Zhe stepped aside to clear the path. Mizorogi, having no intention of stopping them, followed suit.

At Himeya's silent gesture, Sakuta Megumi walked with him to the edge of the alley. This time, Himeya didn't try to use the opportunity to flee with her; he stayed behind.

"Megumi-senpai, you should go now!" Himeya urged.

Seeing the way Sakuta Megumi looked at Himeya, filled with worry, Qiao Zhe chimed in with a reminder: "Oh, and by the way, Ms. Sakuta, you must keep today’s events a secret. You cannot mention them to anyone."

Sakuta Megumi was clever enough not to ask why. "I understand." Catching a glimpse of the tactical gear Mizorogi was wearing, she agreed. "I will keep it a secret, but... could you please let me stay in contact with Himeya-kun? Please!"

"You don't need to worry about that." Qiao Zhe didn't care about such things; he found the way she reacted amusing, as if they were about to do something terrible to Himeya. "As long as it doesn't involve team secrets, you can date him or get a hotel room for all I care."

The bluntness of the statement left Sakuta Megumi stunned. When it finally registered, her face turned bright red. "That—that sort of thing, how could you..."

She realized then that Himeya probably wasn't in any immediate danger, and she snuck a glance at him. Denying it or not denying it were both equally embarrassing. The main issue was that she had feelings for him, and she feared that denying it would make him overthink things.

"Megumi-senpai, go quickly!" Himeya felt things were spiraling in a strange direction. He didn't know how to explain it to her, either. Without knowing the truth, his heart could never find peace, and he had never had the luxury of considering matters of the heart.

Sakuta Megumi looked at Himeya one last time, then walked away, turning back every few steps.

Once she was gone, Qiao Zhe placed a hand on Himeya’s shoulder. "Now, it’s time to find the next person."

He beckoned to Mizorogi, who stepped over instinctively. Just as Himeya was wondering what was happening, a light portal unfolded.

Qiao Zhe vanished, taking the two men with him.

***

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

A male inspector with a face identical to Shinjo was hurrying after a female officer. "Shiori, don't you think you've misunderstood?"

Takagi—another trans-dimensional counterpart. Or rather, there were many counterparts of Shinjo out there. The king of bit-parts appeared too often.

"Misunderstood?" Shiori Hiraki stopped in her tracks at his words and turned around, pouting. "What misunderstanding?"

Before joining the Night Raiders, Shiori was still a police officer, and her relationship with Takagi was ambiguous.

Takagi stepped in front of her. "I wanted to talk to you last night, but you brought her along."

Last night, Takagi had asked Shiori out, intending to clarify the ambiguous feelings between them. He hadn't expected her to bring her best friend along, and in his frustration, he had accidentally had a bit too much to drink. In his dazed state, he had spent the evening chatting with the friend, completely ignoring Shiori's feelings.

"What was I supposed to do?" Shiori didn't seem quite as angry now, explaining, "Akiko called me in tears, saying she’d had her heart broken again."

Takagi pulled at his hair, pacing back and forth in front of her. "There’s something I’ve been hesitating about for a long time." He looked at her. "I was going to ask you last night."

"Ask me? Ask me what?" Shiori was still confused.

Takagi looked at her, his expression sheepish. "Well, you see, I..."

"Takagi-san! This is terrible!" A middle-aged woman came running over, grabbing Takagi’s arm. "It’s a disaster, Takagi-san!"

"Auntie, wait a second." Takagi stopped the woman’s frantic shouting, trying to calm her. "Alright, alright, don't make a scene. I’m in the middle of a very important conversation."

The woman, wearing a headscarf, paused and nodded in agreement.

But the moment Takagi turned away, she grabbed Shiori instead. "Hiraki-san, come with me! Something has really happened this time!"

As she spoke, she dragged Shiori away toward the exit of the police station.

Takagi was left standing there, stunned. "So... I still didn't get to say it."

Watching the two figures grow smaller in the distance, Takagi hurried after them.