“Theresa, slacking off in front of a child.
That’s not good.
Really.”
At lunchtime, in the principal’s office, Himeko spoke earnestly to Theresa, whose expression was stiff and eyes shifty.
“I…
I told you, I saw she was almost done reading, so I was just looking for the next volume for her.
I wasn’t reading it myself!”
“Oh?
Really?”
“Of course!
When have I ever lied to you?”
“Heh.
I don’t believe you.”
Himeko fed a bite of food into Angel’s obediently open mouth while teasing Theresa with a knowing look.
Theresa’s face flushed red with anger, but she couldn’t argue back.
After a moment, she stormed out of the office, fleeing the awkwardness of being caught red-handed.
“Hahaha!”
Himeko laughed heartily, shaking with amusement.
Theresa had mastered the art of shredding manga at lightning speed, so it had been a long time since Himeko had solid evidence of her slacking off.
Everyone knew it happened, but without concrete proof, Theresa could shamelessly pretend otherwise.
This time, though, thanks to Theresa’s unfamiliarity with Angel and her underestimation of the child, they had captured the slacking-off scene on video.
And with Angel, a junior, right there, even Theresa’s shamelessness couldn’t save her from being caught in a lie.
“Sigh.
Finally managed to curb the rampant slacking-off culture.
I don’t know how much efficiency this will improve, but…
you did great, little Angel!”
Himeko smiled as she wiped Angel’s mouth, giving her little cheek a pleased pinch.
Angel scratched her head with her left hand and gave a shy smile, then looked up at the red-haired beauty with sparkling eyes.
“Himeko, reward!”
“Oh, that…
I’m still preparing it.
Can I give it to you later?”
“Okay.”
Angel blinked, understanding Himeko’s busy schedule as St.
Freya’s second-in-command, and nodded obediently.
Himeko guiltily cleared away the dishes.
The reward had been something she’d said offhandedly and forgotten the moment she walked out the door.
She couldn’t bring herself to admit that to an expectant Angel.
…
The St.
Freya Angel was temporarily out of commission.
Without using the authority of Dominance to heal herself, her arm would take one to two months to recover.
During that time, aside from theory classes, she couldn’t provide much of value.
On the other hand, the heiress Angel’s work was going exceptionally smoothly.
“A research vessel from the South Seas will dock at the port for three days, then head straight for the Arctic research station.
It’s easy to stow away on a ship this big.
Whether as a crew member or cargo, getting on board to set up a save point in the Arctic shouldn’t be difficult.”
“I’ve already confirmed the schedules for the next two international flights to North America and Europe.
The other two clones should be able to sneak on easily with some improvisation and set up save points in the Western Hemisphere.”
“The ones heading to Shenzhou and Siberia are progressing smoothly.
Both are perfectly hidden on their flights and should land tonight.
Then they’ll find remote locations away from society, dig in, and hibernate.”
“Ah.
After all this effort, the perfect survival plan is finally moving forward again.
It’s been tough.”
Angel sat on the sunlit terrace, drinking premium black tea, and let out a tired but relieved sigh.
So far, aside from the heiress Angel, five clones had been released from the theater.
They were traveling to various parts of the world using methods completely unrelated to the heiress.
The heiress herself only provided necessary intelligence, all of which was general information readily available to anyone at her status level.
No targeted information-gathering whatsoever.
The caution was extreme.
The Angels’ plan was to release a total of ten clones.
Five of them would head to the Arctic, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and other regions to hibernate in remote wilderness.
It was a shame to lose five thinking threads, but in the long run, these five stationary, hibernating individuals would be crucial insurance for turning the tables in future crises.
As long as they remained buried underground, Angel could never truly die.
So it was a necessary sacrifice.
The other five would find opportunities to integrate into society.
They needed to have a certain level of social standing and influence to serve as sources of intelligence, resources, and logistical support for the Angels.
However, they didn’t have specific targets yet, so this part was on hold for now.
The heiress Angel was one of these five.
In any case, Angel’s survival index was growing at a visible rate, which was reassuring.
The heiress Angel leaned back in her chair, watching the sunset, and squinted contentedly.
Then she stood, went inside, changed into an elegant, well-fitted dark blue gown, and stepped out to board the luxurious car that had been waiting for her.
Tonight, the old man would introduce her to his so-called “backer.” It was thanks to his good relationship with this important figure that he had been able to acquire an advanced Titan robot as his personal bodyguard.
But the old man was infuriatingly secretive and refused to reveal the backer’s name in advance.
If they hadn’t already gotten entangled with Anti-Entropy, and if caution wasn’t absolutely necessary, Angel would have already hypnotized this cold-blooded old man and extracted every last piece of information.
“Executor Cocolia, this is my daughter.
She will be the next head of the Tachibana family.”
“Good evening, honored Executor.”
Angel curtsied gracefully with a well-practiced smile.
Damn!
I knew it.
Only the radical faction would associate with a shady capitalist like this and provide Titans to ordinary people!
I didn’t expect Cocolia to show up in person.
Though I suppose it makes sense.
Damn!
Angel straightened up after her curtsy, her smile becoming even more perfect and elegant.
On the massive screen in the underground meeting room was a woman with long, boot-clad crossed legs and arms folded beneath her full chest, exuding a seductive charm like a golden fox.
Who else could it be but Cocolia herself?
On the screen, Cocolia looked down as if sizing up Angel.
After a moment, she let out a dismissive, light laugh and said:
“So, the business will be taken over by her from now on?”
“Exactly so, Executor Cocolia.
However, since my daughter is only just beginning to take charge, I ask for your understanding if there are any oversights.”
“Don’t worry.
I’ve been very satisfied with our cooperation so far.
I trust the head of the Tachibana family’s judgment.
I’m sure our future cooperation will be just as pleasant.
Next time I’m in the Far East, we should sit down and have a proper chat.
A beauty as poetic as your daughter is sure to brighten anyone’s day just by meeting her, don’t you think?
Haha!”
“Executor Cocolia flatters us.
I can rest easy now.
Hahaha!”
The two chatted familiarly for a while, with Angel smiling and chiming in with an occasional sweet laugh.
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
But Cocolia clearly didn’t have much time to waste on a minor supplier.
After briefly acknowledging Angel as the successor, the call ended quickly.
Angel then accompanied the old man on a walk, following behind his wheelchair as he reminisced and boasted about his various schemes for building his fortune.
Dark dealings, drugs, gambling, and human organ trafficking.
He seemed to have dabbled in almost everything.
It wasn’t until the information age arrived that he had used his accumulated capital to jump on the tech bandwagon and then caught the Anti-Entropy express train, soaring all the way to having his company listed in the Fortune Global 500.
Angel found it boring to listen to.
She had no intention of becoming a capitalist.
Instead, she thought that since she now knew who the old man’s backer was, perhaps it was time to send him off to reunite with his proud heirs.
Angel stared thoughtfully at the old man’s thinning hair.
In the end, she decided to hold back and not stir up trouble.
As the old saying went: stay low-key.
Staying low-key is victory.
The old man had only one to two months left to live, and the St.
Freya Angel would take about the same time to recover.
It all lined up.
It seemed the Angels would have to quietly lie low for this period.