The Name of the Super-Elite Agent Is...

Autumn was drawing to a close, and the night air had taken on a distinct chill.

I listened to the chorus of insects while I changed into a suit in my room at the Dormitory. Suits didn’t exist in this world originally, but thanks to the Mitsugoshi Company’s aggressive marketing, they’d become all the rage among the nobility lately.

However, the suit I was currently pulling on wasn’t a Mitsugoshi original. It was a knockoff produced by the Snow Fox Company—or rather, an "homage" suit—gifted to me by Yukime.

I paired the black suit with a crisp white shirt and a slim black tie. For footwear, I went with black straight-tip oxfords. I slicked my hair back into a sharp all-back style, and for the finishing touch, I donned a white mask that concealed the upper half of my face.

I totally feel like an FBI Agent.

The slime bodysuit was admittedly more comfortable and vastly superior in terms of sheer functionality, but I couldn't risk the girls catching on to me just yet.

After all, I am a super-elite agent operating in the secret depths of the world.

While I was busy getting into character, the time for my meeting with Yukime arrived. I extinguished the lamp in my room, leaped out the window, and sprinted through the darkness.

I suppressed my Ki and erased my presence completely. No one was following me.

After running through the woods beyond the academy grounds for about twenty minutes, the roar of a waterfall reached my ears and the landscape opened up. There, nestled right against a mountain stream, stood a grand villa. It was a magnificent structure built in perfect harmony with the surrounding forest and the rushing water. They called it the Falling Water House.

Apparently designed by a world-famous architect, this place served as Yukime’s hideout.

Keeping my presence masked, I slipped silently through a window where a warm glow was leaking out into the night. Yukime was sitting on a sofa in front of the fireplace, her Silver Hair shimmering in the dancing flames.

I let my shoes click rhythmically against the floor as I approached. Yukime turned around and offered me a smile.

"You're as impossible to sense as ever, Shadow-han."

"…I have cast aside that name," I replied quietly.

I took a seat on the sofa directly across from her and crossed my legs with purposeful cool.

"That’s right. You’re John Smith-han now, aren't you?"

"Yeah. That is my name."

I have been reborn as the super-elite agent, John Smith. I even switched my first-person pronoun to 'ore' to sound more like a fearless, gritty agent.

"It’s truly heartening to have you as an ally, John-han. Would you care for a drink?"

"I’ll take one."

Yukime poured wine into a glass, making sure to emphasize her deep cleavage as she leaned forward.

Mm-hmm. Now this is the life. She’s exactly like the sexy partner in a criminal syndicate.

I made a show of enjoying the bouquet before taking a sip. For the record, I couldn't actually tell the difference in aroma or taste, but it’s the vibe that counts.

"I saw a profit in this for myself. That is all."

"My, don't you think a relationship built solely on profit is a bit lonely?"

"The feeling is mutual, I assume."

"Now, I wonder… shall we put that to the test?" Yukime licked her plump lips and gave me a sultry smile.

"A waste of time."

"That is a shame. Perhaps another time, then…" Yukime adjusted her kimono slightly and brought the glass to her lips, leaving a vivid red lipstick mark on the rim.

"The Great Commerce Alliance held a meeting the other day. It was mostly just introductions and policy confirmations—the concrete details come later—but they’re already applying some nasty pressure. The Mitsugoshi Company might collapse even sooner than expected."

"There is no need to worry about that. Mitsugoshi will hold their ground a while longer."

Yukime tilted her head curiously. "Oh? So your prediction differs from mine? Well, I’d actually prefer it if Mitsugoshi held out, so I’ll put my faith in your intuition, John-han. Our plan remains unchanged. We’ll let the Mitsugoshi Company and the Great Commerce Alliance tear each other apart. In the meantime, we’ll make our preparations, and when the moment is right—"

"—We take everything. Is that not the plan?"

Ultimately, the girls at Mitsugoshi just went too far. There’s no way a group of girls who only started a business a few years ago can win a war against a bunch of battle-hardened major guilds. Relying on my 'cheat' knowledge can only take them so far; they’ve hit their limit.

And that’s where I come in.

Sure, I’m being left out of the loop by the Mitsugoshi Company right now, but they’re still my friends and they’ve helped me out plenty. I mean, all their success came from my knowledge anyway. So, me seizing everything is actually the only way to save them. Eventually, they’ll just have to come under the umbrella of our new J&Y Company.

Heh heh heh. See? This isn't a betrayal at all. I’m definitely not doing this just because I want to be the 'Shadow Boss who controls the world’s economy.' Nope. I’m doing this as a friend. For their sake.

"I’ll be expecting you to pull your weight as well, John-han. However… do be careful."

"Be careful of what?"

Yukime stood up, her expression suddenly clouded with an inner darkness. She turned her back to me and began to untie her kimono sash.

The fabric slid down and hit the floor with a soft thud. I expected her stunning naked form to be illuminated by the firelight… but instead, I saw a back covered in hideous, festering scars.

"Within the Great Commerce Alliance is the man who did this to me. The 'Sword Devil' Gettan..."

Yukime looked back at me over her shoulder, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated resentment.

"I will be the one to kill Gettan. I will take his life, no matter what…"

Her dark voice echoed through the room, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire. Then, she suddenly broke into a laugh.

"Fufu. Well, for those reasons, shall we continue our work in the shadows? I'm counting on you, John-han."

As Yukime pulled her kimono back up, her aides Natsu and Kana appeared from the shadows to help her tie the sash. I finished my wine and silently stood up to leave.