Chapter: 85. Identity as a Band Idol
Although Nagi-in had just joined the “Joint Team,” her destination this time was not the team’s permanent headquarters.
Instead, it was——Tokyo, Japan, the headquarters of Tetsu Ring SEMA.
To investigate the previous “Blood Moon Incident,” the Joint Team had set up a temporary operations room in Tokyo, which was exactly where Nagi-in was heading.
Accompanying her was Misa, who had been defeated by Nagi-in just a few days earlier during the “real combat assessment.”
Although Misa’s body had already recovered, her wounded pride clearly remained unhealed.
As an ace-level, even “X-level” esper, being defeated by a newcomer was a deep humiliation for her.
So much so that throughout the entire journey, Misa looked at Nagi-in with icy coldness, clearly still brooding over the outcome of that simulated battle.
The atmosphere between the two was undoubtedly far from “harmonious.”
However, from the arrangement by Hoshikuzu Academy, such a combination was not without reason.
As a newly promoted ace, this was Nagi-in’s first mission as an active combat member, and she was understandably accompanied by a senior familiar with her fighting style and possessing high-level combat capabilities and adaptability, to provide support and coordination at critical moments.
From this perspective, it was a reasonable choice for Misa to accompany her.
On the surface, Nagi-in’s identity was that of the “assistant” for this mission, while Misa was the leading ace esper.
But in reality, their roles were almost entirely reversed.
The true core of the mission—without a doubt—was Nagi-in.
Misa’s presence felt more like that of a bodyguard responsible for handling unexpected situations.
This aligned perfectly with the academy’s consistent low-profile approach—hiding the “trump card” behind the curtain.
In the situation where two aces were active, having the newcomer take on the role of “support” was even more reasonable and less likely to attract attention.
At this moment, the two were aboard a private jet provided by Hoshikuzu Academy, heading to Tokyo.
The cabin was spacious and quiet, with light beige woolen carpet and gray-white leather seats. This was Nagi-in’s first time on such a high-class private plane, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable.
After all, when she was still the “Element Dominator,” the planes that transported her were all about “efficiency,” practically tearing the seats apart to install engines as tactical machines.
The cabin even equipped with an independent audio system, mini projector, and soundproof reading booths, was almost more comfortable than some high-end operation command rooms.
Although the two initially exchanged polite greetings, once the plane took off and the white clouds outside rolled by, only silence remained in the cabin.
Perhaps due to the vivid memory of using the “information disparity” tactic against Misa during the combat assessment, where she had decisively defeated her, Nagi-in felt a lingering guilt and did not dare to meet Misa’s gaze.
She had originally tried to feign nonchalance and find a topic for small talk, but every time she tentatively glanced over, she would find Misa glaring at her with a look that seemed to say, “If looks could kill.”
Thus, Nagi-in immediately lowered her head, directing all her attention to the tablet terminal at her side.
…Of course, that was only “on the surface.”
Due to the overly tense atmosphere, Nagi-in found it hard to concentrate and couldn’t help but daydream.
However, thanks to her access to information far exceeding the level of this report, even a quick skim allowed her to roughly understand the “Joint Team’s” thought process.
Although the report only covered the initial investigation content, the core part of the mission awaited her entry into the temporary operations room, Nagi-in had already generally determined the direction they intended to take from the existing content.
Before this mission, Hikari privately assigned her two objectives:
First, to approach the “Black Flame King”—Tsukimi Kanade, gain his trust, and act as Hikari’s “eyes” planted by his side to monitor his every move.
The second task was much more challenging.
She had to secretly deal with the ace-level esper involved in the “Blood Moon Incident”—the “Iron Knight”—without raising suspicion.
She had to make sure he “disappeared” completely before the Joint Team found out the truth.
Although Hikari didn’t tell Nagi-in the rationale behind this.
She could somewhat guess that this ace-level esper evidently had a significant connection with the β system.
Hikari likely wanted to eliminate any potential exposure related to the β system.
Just as Nagi-in was pondering this mission, the private jet smoothly traversed the clouds, revealing the slowly unfolding outline of Tokyo below.
The massive urban edge was outlined by the bay, with the runways of Haneda Airport extending like metal tracks under the evening light, and the airport tower’s lights flickered in the distance.
Soon after, the plane gently landed on Haneda Airport’s exclusive VIP parking apron.
The slight vibration of the tires against the ground reminded Nagi-in—she had returned to Japan once again.
Due to the classified nature of the Joint Team’s operation, no esper had been arranged to greet them at the airport, and no one from Tetsu Ring SEMA or the three major academies was present.
Nagi-in and Misa needed to find alternative means to reach the temporary command center in Tokyo’s city center.
It was now late spring, and while summer was still some time away, the temperature in Tokyo had already soared close to thirty degrees.
Fortunately, Nagi-in had prepared in advance; she wore a simple white sleeveless shirt and fitted black skirt, an outfit designed by Shiraishi that maximized both style and practicality.
The form-fitting design accentuated Nagi-in’s curvy silhouette, and with her lightweight Hermes-like high heels, her appearance was flawless.
However, perhaps because she was too impeccable.
When she appeared in the bustling airport hall, her naturally pure and dreamlike beauty, combined with her stunning figure, caused numerous travelers to stop and stare—in less than a minute, someone pulled out their phone and whispered in surprise, “Which country’s actress is that?”
“Maybe she’s a member of some idol group?”
“She looks so much like it; that kind of aura… definitely from the entertainment circle.”
…
Standing next to her, Misa wore a sharp black suit jacket with a dark green top and tailored pants. Her ponytail and stern expression rather highlighted her sense of composure and sharpness under the lights.
Thus, a crowd quickly began to gather around the two.
Some attempted to approach for autographs, while others directly turned on their phone flashes to take photos.
Nagi-in felt almost suffocated by the crowd.
Perhaps having not experienced being at the center of attention for so long, she felt somewhat at a loss, managing only a stiff smile on her face.
Just as she was about to activate her “Starlight State,” Misa acted first, decisively “rescuing” Nagi-in from the throng, expertly gripping her wrist and pulling her unapologetically into the VIP corridor, which was only open to a select few.
The heavy metal door slowly closed upon sensing their presence, blocking out the noisy footsteps and flashlights from outside.
“Couldn’t we have taken this way earlier…”
Finally distancing themselves from the crowd, Nagi-in slowed her pace and quietly complained, slightly out of breath.
She lowered her head, her bangs sticking to her forehead with sweat, her breathing a bit rushed, and traces of shock still lingered in her eyes from the chaotic scene earlier.
“Ha… Did you not even bother to read the mission brief thoroughly?”
Misa stopped and turned her head, glaring at her without reservation.
“The mission clearly states that you need to disguise yourself as the popular band idol and model from Hawaii, coming to Tokyo for a collaboration shoot.”
“B-band idol? Model?”
Nagi-in blinked her beautiful big eyes in astonishment, her tone clearly betraying her anxiety and hesitation.
She seemed completely unaware that her mission involved an “artist identity” setup.
Misa sighed, pulling out a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and handing them to Nagi-in. “Sigh, it seems you really didn’t read the mission brief well, did you?”
“Then, th-then why were we just out in the crowd…?” Nagi-in asked somewhat sheepishly as she took the sunglasses.
“To avoid leaving any traces.”
Misa put on her own sunglasses and calmly added, “Those people conveniently captured the moment of you ‘the idol arriving in Tokyo.’ When the news goes out, your identity will stand firm.”
“I’m your manager, and your entrance just now fits the aura of an ‘overseas red star,’ along with your character setup as the ‘innocent and pure band idol’ for this mission.”
“O-oh, I see…” Nagi-in responded softly, quickly putting on the sunglasses.
The slightly oversized black sunglasses almost covered half of her face, adding an air of mystery to her expression.
However, she soon realized a problem.
“….Speaking of which, I feel like… even if I hide my face, it won’t really help.”
Nagi-in lowered her head to check her outfit again, then glanced at her curvy figure; her cheeks tinged with a slight blush, her voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
“After all… it seems like the most eye-catching part isn’t my face…”
After hearing this, Misa paused her steps.
After a second of silence, she lightly coughed, not looking back, but with a surprisingly softer tone.
“…But it’s a little unexpected.”
“Eh?”
“Seeing you flustered like that earlier, it felt like you weren’t quite used to being the center of attention… Clearly, with that face… no, never mind, I won’t say anything.”
After saying this, she turned slightly stiffly and continued walking down the corridor.
Whether it was just her impression or not, Nagi-in felt that the tone of Misa’s words had softened a little.
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of Haneda Airport.
A private jet belonging to the Tenjou-in Group slowly descended.
The cabin door opened, and several bodyguards dressed in black suits swiftly disembarked, neatly lining up on both sides of the stairs.
Following them was a girl with long silver-white hair cascading down to her waist, who gracefully stepped out of the cabin surrounded by the crowd.
