Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

The White House, inside an administrative building that looked a bit old, was brightly lit.

As civil servants, at this early hour, they should have been off duty, but there were always some emergencies that made them break their usual work schedules.

Right now, the situation unfolding in Japan across the ocean forced these people to work overtime.

Yet, not a single person in the room showed any sign of displeasure.

On the contrary, their faces were all lit up with excitement.

The current Secretary of State, at the age of sixty-one, sat at his desk full of fighting spirit, much like a young man.

He was waiting for a phone call.

A call that could potentially change the future of humanity.

He believed that he was not the only one staying up tonight.

Many important figures, from high-ranking officials to tycoons, were awaiting a call. They were more eager than a young girl in the throes of first love awaiting a call from her beloved.

No one could resist the temptation of immortality.

The technology discovered for immortality might not yet be capable of achieving it. Even if it could only rejuvenate a person by five or ten years, it was worth their considerable investment.

Only those who were older understood that youth was the world's most precious resource.

The Secretary of State's fingers tapped lightly on the desk. The instant the phone rang, his hand, even quicker than that of a young person, grabbed the phone immediately, connecting and saying, "It's me. What's the situation?"

"The task force has emerged from the prison. They've brought back very shocking news: beyond the jelly-like, translucent membrane lies a vast world!"

"A world."

The Secretary of State's brows furrowed slightly. Discovering a world's resources was certainly good, but he was currently more concerned about something else.

"Does it have anything to do with Dio?"

"No, this incident is unrelated to Dio. It's simply that the barrier between the two worlds has weakened. The power of the monsters from the Netherworld affected this place, causing Black Hive Prison and that world to overlap. This led to the current situation."

The Secretary of State understood terms like 'Netherworld,' 'monsters,' and 'barrier.' However, when strung together, they made his head ache, and he was completely unclear on their specific meaning.

John, on the other end of the line, carefully relayed the task force's experiences in that world, based on Jack's report, omitting no detail. This included their discovery of prisoners' corpses, their encounter with Griffith, learning the truth of that world, their communication with Gus, and finally being sent back by the Princess.

More than these details, the Secretary of State was concerned about the lifespan and powers of Angel Envoys.

Dio and Griffith had already lived for thousands of years.

He took a deep breath, his withered body burning with intense flames.

A thousand years might not meet the standard of eternal life, but for mortals, that was already eternity.

A mortal living past one hundred years was already considered to have lived a very long life; every additional year was a gain.

The fact that Angel Envoys remained young and powerful for millennia meant their lifespans were far from over.

The Secretary of State's face showed excitement, but then he sank into thought.

The Wings of Light had appeared in the world. The establishment of a nation there was similar to legends from their own world, where the Messiah, the Savior, would establish a kingdom on earth.

Sinners who followed His steps would have their sins forgiven.

However, before the establishment of that nation, seven years of catastrophe were inevitable.

Is there any connection between the Wings of Light and the Messiah? Does the god of the Milante Ancient Scripture exist? Or is Dio correct in believing this god is non-existent? Paradise...

These thoughts turned in the Secretary of State's mind as he spoke with a calm expression, "You have done well. We will allocate a budget of one billion US dollars to facilitate your actions. The next time such a situation occurs, deploy the Marine Corps immediately. Their mission will be to capture monsters, collect local biological samples, and, if possible, bring back books."

The Secretary of State paused, then said, "We want to establish a cooperative relationship with Apostle Griffith. Select people fluent in Danish to go in."

"The thing is... the monsters are quite difficult to kill."

"All fear stems from insufficient firepower. Their equipment is too weak. It's time to show the people of the Different World the strongest military force of this world."

The Secretary of State replied indifferently. In his view, as long as firearms were effective against the monsters, then deploying more advanced weaponry would undoubtedly subdue them.

He had also recently perused some so-called fantasy books.

Much of the magic described within was already achievable with current technology.

This wasn't limited to city-destroying nuclear bombs. For instance, their technology could replicate 'silent killing' magic with colorless, odorless poison gas. Victims wouldn't even realize anything was wrong with their bodies before succumbing.

They also possessed biological weapons, like bacteria, too small to be seen by the naked eye.

If today's military technology were placed in the Middle Ages, it would definitely be considered unimaginable magic by the people of that time.

"I look forward to your news, and so does the president. Don't let us down."

"Rest assured, we will not fail your expectations or those of the President!"

John's tone was full of respect.

He knew very well that to advance his career, he needed recognition from his superiors.

Completing this mission could be his chance to oust the current Director of the CIA Headquarter and take the position himself.

The thought of such power filled John with vigor. After hanging up, he immediately shared the good news with Jack.

How should one billion US dollars be spent?

That was a matter for discussion.

「 」

Aozawa returned to school.

He pondered the duration of the Will-o'-the-wisp Hypnotic World.

The lapse of the Will-o'-the-wisp wasn't deliberate on his part. Rather, after he transferred the task force members, the Will-o'-the-wisp seemed unable to sustain itself.

This could have been because it reached its duration limit. Or possibly because there was no one inside. The prisoners had already been massacred by the Lion Bull Monster, coupled with the departure of Morimoto Chiyoda and others. Without an audience, did the Will-o'-the-wisp lose its anchor point? Or was it because he had frequently refreshed the map, constantly using Hypnosis on the Different Space to alter the scenery, thereby shortening the Will-o'-the-wisp's duration?

To verify these things, he would need to wait until nightfall.

The Will-o'-the-wisp had a cooldown.

After one use, it couldn't be immediately reactivated. He returned to school to avoid being late for his afternoon classes and also to test the Will-o'-the-wisp again.

Based on his timing tests, the cooldown time for the Will-o'-the-wisp was about two minutes.

The familiar topographical map appeared in his mind, but Aozawa didn't rush to use it.

Choosing a location now might inadvertently draw Morimoto Chiyoda in. This time, he wanted to test its duration and wouldn't deactivate it until he had a conclusion.

It wasn't suitable for Morimoto Chiyoda to enter.

He decided to wait until Chitose finished work to choose a place and conduct such a test.

He wanted to see if the Will-o'-the-wisp could be maintained longer with an audience present.

Aozawa stopped spinning his pen and deactivated the Will-o'-the-wisp Ability. The circular topographical map vanished.

He gazed out the window at the courtyard. A row of osmanthus trees obscured much of the view, allowing only glimpses of the lawn and some paths.

Aozawa spotted a familiar figure on one of the paths and guessed it was almost time for class.

The fans in the classroom whirred, offering the students a slight breeze.

Heavy footsteps THUDDED rapidly closer. Hojo Tetsuji rushed over, slammed about a dozen sheets of paper on Aozawa's desk, and whispered, "Aozawa, these are my manga drafts. Take a look for me."

Aozawa picked up the drafts he had drawn, his face showing surprise. "Seeing how excited you are, it must have worked out pretty well."

"More than just pretty good? Little Sayuri is completely smitten with my manga! The next step is to gradually depict our love story in the manga. As Little Sayuri reads the manga, she'll definitely feel the intensity of my love!"

Hojo Tetsuji's face radiated excitement, as if he could go on for days and nights without rest.

Aozawa rubbed his temples. "I don't want to burst your bubble, but relying solely on the manga for your romantic approach clearly isn't going to cut it. Manga is just fiction. You need to make some real moves."

Hojo Tetsuji blinked, pulled over a chair, sat down properly, and asked, "What do you think I should do then?"

"Since you're already drawing manga, why not join the Manga Club?" Aozawa offered his suggestion.

An image suddenly popped into Hojo Tetsuji's mind.

It was twilight. The setting sun cast its light on the Manga Club's windowsill. Yoshikawa Sayuri sat there, watching him draw at his desk with tender eyes, then handed him a cup of coffee.

"Keep it up, Tetsuji!"

"AH!!"

Hojo Tetsuji roared. His ferocious shout instantly silenced the classroom.

In the eyes of others, Hojo Tetsuji was a beast on the verge of going berserk.

"Hey, Hojo, don't suddenly make a racket in class!" Furusawa Kyoichiro yelled out.

It was only at times like this that the girls in class felt a slight fondness for him.

"You're being annoying." Hojo Tetsuji retorted. Ignoring the four-eyed boy, he sat back down and asked excitedly, "Aozawa, how do I join the Manga Club?"

Aozawa stroked his chin. "Just get Maggie to introduce you. She's in the Manga Club."

"That's easy for you to say, but it's hard for a guy to blend into that atmosphere, right? The Manga Club is all girls. Hey, why don't *you* join the Manga Club?"

"The Guzheng Club doesn't have any boys either."

"It's different with Shouko there."

Hojo Tetsuji replied, then had a sudden realization. "Right! We could just get Shouko to join the Manga Club!"

"No need for that much trouble." Aozawa shook his head. "You just need to join the Manga Club."

Hojo Tetsuji's brow furrowed slightly. He wasn't afraid of Nomura or Phoenix Academy. However, the thought of being in the same room as Yoshikawa Sayuri—just imagining it made his heart pound.

"Is it too soon?"

"Are you scared?" Aozawa knew just how to bolster his friend's courage.

Hojo Tetsuji pushed up his glasses with one hand, his expression serious. "Aozawa, don't underestimate me. As a man, how could I possibly back down? When Maggie comes in, I'll declare my resolution to join the Manga Club to her!"

"Go for it!"

Aozawa smiled faintly. It's strange, helping a good friend with his love life feels even more satisfying than pursuing one myself.

He glanced at the front door of the classroom. "Maggie's here."