“Anything else to say about this disaster?”

At a round table with several people seated, one of them asked in a dark voice, visibly furious. Another person at the table moved hurriedly and touched a screen on the table before—as holographic screens appeared around them—explaining, visibly nervous.

“I-it wasn't a total loss; we managed to obtain previously unknown intelligence.”

“That Kai Saito and his women turned out to be orders of magnitude stronger than your estimates is something that's already been made quite clear.”

At that moment, a sarcastic female voice echoed through the place. The man who had spoken before—a middle-aged man with thick glasses—clenched his teeth hard before replying in a restrained voice, as if he was about to spit blood from rage.

“We believe we've discovered the secret behind the strength of Kai Saito and his close associates.”

“That pill?”

The first to speak asked with a curious yet authoritative tone while looking at a holographic screen where Kai could be seen eating a pill before bursting with power. The man with thick glasses nodded seriously and explained as the holographic screens rearranged themselves in the air to display videos and photos supporting his words.

“That and other things as well. During the attack, we managed to capture images of Kai Saito and Yawara Chatora ingesting strange pills before bursting with power, and for now we're working under the assumption that the others consumed them as well. But besides that, we also managed to capture something that caught our attention powerfully…”

The man with glasses made a small pause to bring forward and enlarge a specific holographic screen before explaining seriously.

“At the moment the 'Leashs' managed to immobilize Kai Saito and the panther, something strange happened. Strange daggers appeared in the panther's mouth and Kai Saito's hand, and they instantly regained their mobility.”

As he spoke, the man manipulated a holographic screen to zoom in and slow down a video, focusing on a subtle and almost imperceptible glow that appeared on a subtle bracelet on Kai's wrist. On a split screen, the man showed how a similar glow appeared on one of the sharp teeth of the enormous blue-eyed panther.

Seeing that everyone at the table was now looking at the images, full of interest, the man smiled with three parts relief and one part pride and then showed in slow motion how the glow transformed into beautiful black daggers. At that moment, another person who had remained silent raised their head to look at different screens and commented in a serious tone that failed to hide an infinite greed.

“A 'supernatural' means of defense…”

“Exactly.” The man with glasses nodded and, visibly more confident, explained seriously.

“The source of Kai Saito's swords has always been that blue-eyed panther, and from what we saw, we've come to the conclusion that the panther's fur creates 'normal' swords and its teeth create 'special' swords. For now we're working under the hypothesis that the immunity of Kai Saito and his associates to clairvoyance, manipulation, and similar means is due to one or more swords created from the panther's teeth.”

“So Kai Saito created accessories to hold a fragment of the panther's teeth for his protection and that of the others? Could that sudden ability to release lightning have to do with the panther? It can do the same…” Another person asked, clenching a fist tightly. The man with thick glasses nodded seriously and explained.

“That's what we believe. Although for now we lack conclusive evidence, the Pussycats have shown absurd growth in their strength. Moreover, although it's not common for them to display it, they have the ability to conjure an almost exact replica of the panther, but with their respective hair and eye colors, which is hard to believe is a coincidence. Not to mention that more copies of the panther were spotted at the Saito mansion, but with the hair color of the women present, people who also displayed overwhelming strength.”

“The pill Yawara Chatora is seen eating is only white…?” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Another person at the table asked after swallowing subtly while watching Chatora discreetly put something in his mouth that could barely be identified as a white pill, but it couldn't be seen clearly. The man with thick glasses shook his head and explained.

“We can't confirm it. Yawara Chatora was clearly trying to keep it secret, but the pill Kai Saito consumed was white and black.”

“The white part is from the white cat and gives super strength, and the black part gave him the ability to shoot lightning…?”

Another person who hadn't said a word murmured while tapping his fingers on the table, visibly anxious. The man with thick glasses, now visibly relaxed and confident, shook his head again and spoke.

“We couldn't say for sure, but it's a good hypothesis.”

“It's too convenient.”

At that instant, the man who appeared to be the leader commented in a heavy and reflective voice, looking with eagle-sharp eyes at Kai on the screens. The man's words were like a bucket of cold water for everyone present, especially for the man with thick glasses, who stood up straight and asked a bit nervously.

“I-is it possible it's a smokescreen?”

“I don't know, but it seems too convenient to me… Did you already ask 'Lacuna'?” The man asked with a hand on his chin. The man with thick glasses nodded hastily and replied.

“Yes, he said he doesn't detect falsity in the images.”

“So the sword and the glow are real, but we have no way of knowing if they're connected…” The man murmured reflectively, to which the man with thick glasses nodded in silence, and then, after a few seconds, asked cautiously.

“… Should we focus on something else…?”

“No.” The leader replied in a sharp tone, then commented as he looked at the cats in the images.

“Animals with quirks are extremely rare, and for Kai Saito to have two cats with similar and such extremely powerful and 'flexible' abilities cannot be a coincidence. It's highly likely that Kai Saito or some still-unknown associate or sponsor of his found a relatively intact spatial pocket, which gave them the technology to manufacture something like that.”

The leader paused briefly to take in the look of realization on the others' faces, then spoke firmly.

“Investigate those cats closely, and if possible, try to capture them—they hide plenty of secrets. Also, there may be more behind 'Saito' and All Might's participation in the raid on the spider island. Try to find out how All Might learned about the island; it's possible that Kai Saito and his associates had been there long enough to produce those 'cats' and that things got out of hand, forcing them to seek out All Might.”

“““Understood!”””

The group replied in unison, to which the man nodded before standing up and adding in a cold tone.

“I'll make some calls to find you support in Japan, so I expect results.”

Like disciplined soldiers, exuding solemnity and sharpness, all those present silently struck their chests. But at that moment, noticing the indecisive expression of the man with thick glasses, the leader asked seriously.

“What?”

“W-would it be possible for us to get a report from 'Strobe'. She fought directly against Kai Saito and would be of great help…” The man with thick glasses asked, somewhat uncomfortable and nervous. The leader turned and walked with a firm step while replying in a cold tone.

“I'll take care of that.”

…

…

…

--Monday, August 10, 2172 (-14 hour time difference)

[Master, I've detected some strange movements on the internet. It seems a couple of quite capable groups are digging for information about Salem and Tama.]

In a quiet hotel in the small colonial town, Kai suddenly received a message from his trusted assistant, which made him stop his hands on his phone's keyboard. But soon, a playful smile formed on Kai's face, and he sent a mental message to the beautiful fairy on his shoulder in [In] state.

[Hehe, we got them.]

[In the end you were right, master; no one can resist power.] Sage replied with a playful smile laden with pride and condescension. Kai soon ordered with a sadistic and malicious smile.

[Initiate the measures we prepared and stay alert. If it really is the guys from 'Vault' who took the bait, we have to weave the net very well. Their methods for detecting hoaxes and decoys are top-notch, and we need to make sure that none of those bastards can escape alive.]

[I'll personally take care of this, master.] Sage replied with a similar smile on her beautiful face as her wings glowed in different colors and her dress darkened for mere instants before returning to normal.

“Did something happen, darling…?”

Feeling that the soft and rhythmic sound of Kai's fingers clashing against the phone—which was almost her lullaby—had stopped, Nemuri couldn't help but open her eyes and ask as she looked at Kai. Kai took Nemuri's cheek and initiated a kiss at the same time that he left his phone on a nightstand.

Soon, Kai squeezed one of Nemuri's huge bare breasts, which caused her to let out a moan of pleasure. This seemed to shake Shino out of her drowsiness, and she, upon seeing her beloved's passion, quickly embraced him from behind and whispered in his ear.

“Did something good happen~?”

“Yes, I have two girlfriends who are way too sexy, and I can't hold back.” Kai pulled away from Nemuri and commented in a lustful voice before pulling Shino into his embrace, which caused the short-haired beauty to let out a delighted giggle.

…

…

…

A few hours later, when the sun had already risen, Kai walked into an elegant restaurant holding hands with Shino and Nemuri, who had radiant smiles on their faces and slightly damp hair. Soon, the three arrived at a buffet and began selecting fruit and strange foods for 'breakfast,' but in the middle of this, Nemuri and Shino couldn't help but laugh in secret as they analyzed the looks around them.

Like bright stars, since they arrived, they drew the attention of all the people around them. But curiously, after the initial surprise, the people began to divide into three groups. The first was the most obvious—those who looked at them with reproach or contempt—but curiously, those were the minority.

What reigned was curiosity and indifference in equal parts, in addition, of course, to the sour envy of many men. But beyond that, Nemuri and Shino could notice that a good portion of the women present, mostly tourists, were looking their Kai up and down with desire written on their faces, something that made them smile playfully.

…

Upon finishing choosing their food, the trio walked to an empty table, where they calmly sat down to try to grab an apple. But at that moment, Nemuri and Shino, with huge smiles on their faces, sat on Kai's lap. Nemuri soon grabbed a plate that contained a strange yellow mass wrapped in large green leaves and commented with a smile.

“Look honey, this is so strange; why don't you try it?”

“Am I your guinea pig now?”

Kai raised an eyebrow and asked, somewhat amused as he embraced Nemuri's waist. Ignoring the looks around them, Nemuri laughed like a little girl and quickly brought a spoonful of the strange yellow mass to Kai's mouth while speaking cheerfully.

“Just try a little bit; I'm sure it's delicious.”

“…It's a curious flavor, but not bad.”

After biting into the mass, Kai commented casually, at which point Shino commented with an equally cheerful and somewhat childish humor as she brought to Kai's mouth a spoonful of what appeared to be scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions.

“Now it's my turn! Look at this Omurice—it looks all weird. Try it, love.”

“It's pretty good; I'll ask for the recipe to eat it at home…” Kai commented, pleasantly surprised after trying the strange 'Omurice,' which led Shino to try it, full of curiosity.

…

In the midst of the playful breakfast tasting on Kai's lap, time went by until finally all the food was finished. After getting up from his chair, Kai stretched lazily while commenting calmly.

“Well then, let's go to the archaeological park.”

“Go on ahead, darling—I have to go to the bathroom.” At that moment, Shino commented with a smile. Nemuri looked at Shino and commented with a similar smile.

“I'll go with you.”

“Then I'll wait for you at the exit.”

Kai commented and went ahead to the exit with a relaxed attitude, but internally he focused his observation haki on two people in the hotel with a strength comparable to Todoroki's—perhaps even slightly stronger. These two people had been focused on them since they entered the café and seemed to be analyzing them.

Meanwhile, Shino and Nemuri headed to the bathroom with light, almost skipping steps, feeling like they were in heaven. After a few moments, Nemuri began arranging her now-dry hair, then applied a bit of blush, at which point a beautiful woman stopped beside her and asked with a business smile in perfect English.

“Hello, do you speak English?”

“Yes, do you need something?”

Nemuri asked back, also in English, with a calm voice. The woman's smile widened slightly at the response, and she soon pulled a card from her purse while speaking with a perfect business smile.

“I hadn't seen you around before, so I imagine you must have come with that blue-eyed hunk. Anyway, if you have free time and want to earn some good extra money, call me. Foreigners here pay very well, especially for women with 'goods' like yours who speak English. Just avoid taking jobs on your own around here; we're quite jealous about territory.”

***

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