Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

Setagaya District, Phoenix Academy.

The birthday banquet was scheduled for six in the evening, and naturally, the guests were expected to arrive before then. Those of distinguished status would arrive a bit later. Executives of companies under the Phoenix Academy Group, if not abroad, had to arrive at Phoenix Academy early. They typically arrived an hour ahead, at five o'clock, and were received by the butlers. The waiting area was in the side hall.

There were many guests attending Madame Kochou's birthday banquet. According to their status and position, they were seated in different areas with varying levels of hospitality. Even with over a thousand guests in attendance, everything was orderly. As the future heir to the Group, Phoenix Academy Maggie's role was to entertain guests who were either elders of the Phoenix Academy family or important business partners. These individuals were entertained in the main hall.

It was still early, and not many foreign business partners had arrived yet. Only the elders of the Phoenix Academy family had arrived early with their juniors. Regardless of any internal conflicts, outwardly, everyone maintained a harmonious front, embodying the united spirit of the Phoenix Academy family.

"Maggie, you really are becoming more and more beautiful."

"Uncle, thank you for the compliment. Mio is very pretty as well."

Phoenix Academy Maggie's face showed a hint of a smile. She had her golden hair done up on the top of her head, wearing a hairband that resembled a crown, made of pure silver and studded with sparkling diamonds. Long tassels fell beside her temples, each strung with gems, and her ear clips were extravagant without being garish. Phoenix Academy Maggie wore a dress, one she and Nomura and Yoshikawa had carefully selected. The dress was pale purple, fell below her knees, and featured intricate, ancient Egyptian-style patterns on its surface, exuding an air of mysterious aristocracy. On her, it looked exceptionally noble.

"Haha, my Mio can't compare to you."

Hearing her uncle's sigh, Phoenix Academy Maggie glanced at him and, feeling a bit puzzled, asked, "Where is Uncle Three?"

"He, he's gone to Africa."

A brief pause seemed to suggest something, and Phoenix Academy Maggie noticed a strange expression on her uncle's face. Clearly, there were some things he couldn't say outright and could only express in this ambiguous tone. After all, that's how the world worked. If your schemes succeeded, you would naturally be sought after by many. If you failed, everyone would want to distance themselves from you at lightning speed, acting as if nothing had ever happened. As for whether Uncle Three was alive or dead in Africa, her Second Uncle wasn't sure—he could only say that if he were alive, it would be due to Madame Kochou's mercy. If not, then it could only be said that he deserved it. The power struggles within major families were just that cruel.

"I see."

Phoenix Academy Maggie's expression remained calm, and she didn't inquire further. It was impossible for Uncle Three to have gone to Africa willingly; it had to be a move initiated by her mother. Her mother hadn't told her the specific reasons, so she didn't need to delve into them. She trusted that her mother had her reasons.

Phoenix Academy Maggie approached the next guest, having attended to the members of the Phoenix Academy family. She also needed to make a brief appearance in the side hall where the executives of various companies were gathered, to display the bearing of the future heir. Though it was her mother's birthday banquet, she and the butlers were the ones bustling about outside, Phoenix Academy Maggie complained inwardly.

…

The outer hall was bustling with people, but these were not guests Madame Kochou needed to entertain personally. There were only a few who required her direct attention. She stayed in Phoenix Academy's meeting room, hosting the leaders from the six major financial groups. No outsiders were present; for the sake of confidentiality, not even servants to pour water were allowed. Usually, Madame Kochou served tea to those present, but now that was unnecessary.

The birthday itself held little celebratory meaning for them; it was merely an excuse to gather and discuss matters. The real impetus was the recent deaths of Sumitomo Taisei and Mitsui Takashi from the six major financial groups. Those who succeeded them were older than Madame Kochou, but according to the rules of the Silver Hexagram, status wasn't determined by age but by the order of joining. Madame Kochou had become a member of the Silver Hexagram before them, meaning her status was no longer the lowest.

Therefore, serving tea was naturally not her responsibility. Instead, Mitsui Arashi, who had recently replaced Mitsui Takashi, poured for everyone. He was well-versed in etiquette. He poured a cup for each person, placed the tea before them, and then took his own seat without speaking. In such a setting, it was naturally Iwasaki Yizo, the most senior member, who spoke first.

"The recent situation is quite grim. I believe you are all aware that KGB agents broke into Takashi's estate in England, killed everyone on site, and disguised it as a home invasion. The British police concluded the case with this narrative."

Iwasaki Yizo spoke, a lingering fear still in his heart. He, too, was in England. If the KGB hadn't chosen Mitsui, they might very well have chosen him. It was simply not as safe abroad; he didn't have the vast network of connections there that he had access to back home, which made his intelligence gathering feel particularly sluggish.

Of course, his home country wasn't a safe place either. The very reason he'd wanted to flee Japan in the first place was Dio's presence. With that individual around, any high-ranking official, or even major capitalists like themselves, could end up like fish on a chopping block, entirely at Dio's mercy.

"We can't continue to be passive like this. We must find a Superpower User who can contend with Dio as soon as possible."

"Last week's encounter in the Different World was a good opportunity. Emily from the special task force wasted it; she didn't understand how to recruit people from the Different World to deal with Dio."

"Griffith and Dio don't get along, but in the end, they are still Angel Envoys from the same world. It hasn't escalated to a hostile state, so it's difficult to get him to help."

"The attitude of the Different World is also worth considering. If the future Hawk of Light has designs on us, how should we defend ourselves? They have always contacted our world unilaterally; we have no way of actively entering the Different World."

Listening to them, Kochou picked up her tea, took a slow sip to moisten her throat, and said, "Discussing those things now won't yield any solutions. The key is to find Tritium, who killed the second son of the Beirende Group, and the Superpower User suspected of having beast-transformation abilities. If Dio recruits them, we'll be in trouble."

"The problem is, we can't find a single clue. Are Superpower Users all that good at hiding?" Mitsui Arashi couldn't help but interject. He had only learned that Dio was a Superpower User after taking over his father's position. His worldview had been shattered, but he quickly understood why his father had relentlessly pursued Dio. Mitsui Arashi had also continued to use the Mitsui family's network to search for clues, but to no avail. The only known fact was that Hayakawa Sachiko was not Tritium. That high school girl had fallen in love with a male escort online and was currently working in a brothel, selling herself to support him.

"The Beirende Group's recent actions are rather intriguing. It seems they're in contact with the Takizawa Group."

"It's not 'seems'; they're already discussing cooperation. We've wasted too much time and money on Superpower Users. We can't continue to allow the Takizawa Group to expand," Kochou stated, clearly concerned. She wasn't as old as Iwasaki and the others; she had plenty of time and energy. Compared to Superpower Users, from whom returns weren't quickly forthcoming, she was more inclined to crush the Takizawa Group and seize their businesses.

"If that's the case, let's focus on the Takizawa Group first. The Beirende Group is being a bit too greedy," Iwasaki Yizo said. Now, more than ever, he yearned for capital. Only substantial funds could support their various experiments. He would absolutely not allow a powerful group to rise within Japan that could compete with the six major financial groups or the Phoenix Academy family. Resources were limited; the establishment of such a group would mean a slice of their rightful cake being taken away.

Sumitomo Yoshizaki spoke slowly, "The funds for the experiments need to be replenished. The three billion Yen invested last time has been completely used up."

"Has there been any progress?" Iwasaki Yizo was indifferent to the money spent; he only wanted to see results.

"Failure. From mental to physical aspects, the researchers tried various methods, but all failed. Test subjects ranged from East Asians to Westerners; even people from Africa were tried. The X-serum they developed can, in some ways, stimulate human potential. However, those who underwent this process often died quickly, their organs failing."

"So, it's just injecting a high concentration of stimulants," Iwasaki Yizo said, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. "Have you been properly supervising those labs? We want results, not a bunch of charlatans trying to defraud us of funds!"

"I've diligently supervised every process, ensuring no opportunity for them to misappropriate funds. All expenses are clearly accounted for: sources, electricity, chemicals, including the individuals purchased from the Momokawa Team. Suffice it to say, the daily experimental expenses were considerable."

"Alright, stop complaining. We'll transfer the money to you later. Each family will contribute another one billion Yen. If that's not enough, we'll discuss it further."

Research and development of superpowers were destined to be a continuous, costly endeavor. They knew that significant results were unlikely in the short term, yet they couldn't stop investing. It wasn't just them; the governments of the United States and Japan were also pouring money into this same pursuit. Kochou actually didn't want to spend so much. However, everyone else was investing. If she abstained and they later achieved significant results, she, having not contributed, would be unable to share in them. For the potentially achievable dream of immortality, she too could only invest money like the others.

Next, they discussed the domestic situation and how to absorb the Takizawa Group. They also covered strategic cooperation between their overseas assets to deal with the current financial crisis. The "lost thirty years" might apply to the country and its people, but not to them. The conglomerates' overseas industries were thriving.

After they had settled all matters, a butler knocked on the door and announced, "Madame Kochou, CIA Director John is here."