I kill the Hologram feed, letting the eerie blue glow dissolve into the void, and let my battered body free-fall onto the fox-shaped beanbag chair. My bones feel like they are organizing a union strike.

  Ever since I received that terrifying, blood-scented message the other day, my usually motor-mouth has been zipped shut. Hesitation has crept into every decision like a computer virus silently eating away at my operating system.

  My subordinates in the Diplomatic Relation Team are not made of wood or stone, obviously. They exchange glances and whisper whenever they see their team leader, who usually never shuts up about offering prices and gourmet food, sitting there dazed with his tail drooping on the floor, looking pensive as if pondering the meaning of existence. Luckily, the label "Urgent Task from Director Ariel" serves as the perfect shield. They just assume I am being worked to the bone by the boss, so they know better than to disturb me and quietly get on with their work.

  I let out a breath and smooth down the tuft of white fur on my forehead, trying to shoo away the dark clouds in my head to focus on the immediate issues.

  The upcoming plan is truly a double-edged sword. Organizing a large-scale event on Takama-ga-hara's territory requires notification and coordination with them. That means the mole will definitely get wind of the intel.

  Sister Alethea's cold voice echoes in my skull. "Ogawa having his soul obliterated proves the enemy is panicking. He is afraid everything is slipping out of his grasp. When a beast is cornered, it bares its fangs."

  All or nothing.

  I open my GodChat contacts, finger scrolling past a list of prestigious names before stopping at a nickname I set over a hundred years ago and forgot to change.

  [Bald Crow]

  If he knew I still had him saved under that name, he would probably fly over to the Empyrean Expanse and peck my skull open.

  ItsukiK: "Hey, can I ask for a favor?"

  The other side shows "Typing..." almost immediately. Seems this Tengu is also free, or maybe he was watching his phone waiting for my text.

  Bald Crow: "What kind of trouble do you want to cause now? Wasn't the video incident enough?"

  The familiar hostile tone. Good. At least his attitude remains consistent.

  ItsukiK: "Yeah, I know you're still upset about what happened back then. Sorry."

  I pause for a moment, swallowing dryly.

  ItsukiK: "It's just... there are some things I can't really talk about right now."

  Bald Crow: "So you mean I'm not smart enough to understand your lofty 'situation'? Hmph, truly an arrogant fox. After all these years, still that condescending attitude."

  ItsukiK: "It's not like that. I will tell you. I promise. But only after this blows over. Then you can curse me out or beat me up all you want."

  ItsukiK: "But for now... can you help me with this?"

  I take a deep breath and attach a classified file: [Project: Dream Diaries (Detailed Draft)].

  This is a high-level internal document of Department 1031. This action violates at least a few dozen Conglomerate regulations, but the current situation leaves me no other choice. I don't trust Takama-ga-hara's security system, and I certainly don't trust the official communication channels currently controlled by the mole.

  ItsukiK: "I don't trust the system over there. There are rats. So this is the classified file on the upcoming event The Jade Palace Conglomerate plans to organize. Full mission details, personnel deployment, and security checkpoints."

  ItsukiK: "For the sake of the friendship we once had... please keep this absolutely secret. Do not upload it to the general system. Keep it to yourself."

  Just as I hit send, before I can even tuck my tail in, a large black shadow looms over my desk. Zhen Shan walks by, holding a cup of thick divine coffee, the kind that makes your heart beat twice as fast just by smelling it.

  "You sent the 'edited' plan via Solak to Takama-ga-hara, right?" He asks, tone casual as if discussing the weather.

  "Of course," I smirk, claws tapping rhythmically on the table. "Like I would send the original, piping hot goods over there for the mole to read for free?"

  I lean back and exhale. "Now I just hope that 'Bald Crow' doesn't screw things up."

  Zhen Shan stops and turns to look at me. The Tiger God's mouth, usually turned down in a serious scowl, suddenly quirks up into a mocking smile.

  "You seem to trust your 'ex' quite a bit, don't you?"

  Fur all over my body stands on end like I just touched a live wire.

  "Hey!" I bristle, pointing straight at his face. "Please don't use such creepy words! 'Ex' my ass! Besides..."

  I squint. "That crow uses the exact same tone every time he mentions you."

  The smile on Zhen Shan's lips vanishes faster than a light bulb during a power outage. His face hardens, veins popping on his temple, and I swear I hear his knuckles cracking. He looks ready to tear that Tengu apart if he dared to show his face here.

  But then, just as quickly as it appeared, the anger disappears. Zhen Shan exhales, returning to his usual pensive, unpredictable demeanor. He checks his watch, then drops a sentence that makes me think I misheard.

  "Up for a few drinks today?"

  I freeze for three seconds. My wagging fox tail stiffens in mid-air. Usually, I am the one dragging and begging this workaholic to go out, and nine times out of ten he refuses with the excuse that he still has reports to read. Did the sun rise in the West today? Or did he bang his head on the tempered glass door walking in?

  "You..." I squint suspiciously, taking a cautious step back. "Are you really Zhen Shan from the Security Team? Or an undercover agent sent by Gakai?"

  Zhen Shan doesn't bother explaining, just shrugs and walks away. "So, are you coming or not? I was planning to cover the whole bill, but seems you aren't in the mood. Such a pity, I heard the Myriad District just imported a batch of thousand-year-aged wine..."

  The keyword "cover the whole bill" instantly flips a switch inside me.

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  "Wait wait! I'm coming, I'm coming!" I jump up, hurriedly grabbing my coat and scampering after that large back like a puppy. "If Boss is paying, I would drink even poison! Wait for me!"

  After running a few steps, I suddenly realize something feels missing today.

  "Hold on," I look around. "Where is Sister Alethea? Not inviting her?"

  Zhen Shan's steps falter for a beat. He turns his head, eyes flashing with a hint of fear.

  "Umm..." He avoids my gaze. "Just ignore her. Today... we are going solo."

  I look at him, then can't help but chuckle.

  It is not hard to understand Zhen Shan's dilemma. Sister Alethea is usually elegant and brilliantly intelligent, but touch alcohol and she transforms into a monster.

  The first time the group went drinking, Zhen Shan, carrying the pride of a mighty Tiger God, foolishly challenged her tolerance. The result? After three hours, Alethea was still sitting calmly reapplying her lipstick, while Zhen Shan had completely collapsed, nothing more than a giant tiger snoring under the table. It left me, a tiny fox, to use all my strength to drag that thousand-pound body home.

  Since then, an unwritten rule was established in Team 7, which is that for food and fun you call her, but mention alcohol and you absolutely "forget" to invite the Big Sister.

  We are strolling down the busy street of the Myriad District when the sky above suddenly throws a tantrum. Dark clouds roll in, and then a torrential downpour unleashes.

  "This bizarre system," I grumble, hurriedly erecting a transparent energy shield around myself to protect my freshly groomed white fur. "Do they really have to simulate human weather with 100% accuracy like this? Rain and wind just dirty shoes and wet fur, what is the point?"

  The gods in the Weather Management Department always ramble about "needing a romantic atmosphere" or "rain helps purify the soul." The consequence is that occasionally the sky in the Nexus acts up like this. And the rain here isn't normal H2O; it is a form of liquid spirit matter, sticky and incredibly annoying when it touches you.

  Finally, we duck into a cozy-looking seafood izakaya tucked away in a small stone-paved alley. Inside, it smells of the sea and grilled spices, the sizzling sounds pleasantly drowning out the pattering rain outside.

  As soon as I sit down, a strange sense of déjà vu washes over me. This ebony table, that paper lantern... they look familiar.

  Zhen Shan flips through the thick menu, voice deep. "What to drink? Nectar? The premium 500-year-aged kind."

  I shudder, a feeling of nausea rising in my throat as if I just swallowed a live slug.

  "Forget it," I wave my hands frantically, fox ears drooping. "I drank way too much of that sugar water back in the day. It is sickeningly sweet."

  Zhen Shan raises an eyebrow, amber eyes flashing with curiosity. "Did Takama-ga-hara prefer this type back then? I thought you guys only drank Sake?"

  "Not really," I reply, avoiding his gaze. "It is just... I had the fortune of drinking it a bit too much back then."

  "Sake it is then," Zhen Shan closes the menu, also letting out a sigh of relief. "To be honest, I am not fond of Nectar either. Director Ariel forced me to drink a ton at the end-of-quarter party, and it still gives me the creeps thinking about it."

  "He should go find Sister Alethea and try to drown her in booze instead," I smack my lips in exasperation. "Why drag two weak, defenseless disciples along as cannon fodder?"

  "Get alcohol involved and no one dares to touch her," Zhen Shan replies.

  Mid-conversation, the octopus-shaped robot waiter slides over, placing steaming plates of food on the table. Besides the familiar grilled squid or giant river prawns, the centerpiece of today's meal is a plate of... strange creatures.

  It looks like a giant centipede but with spikes bristling on its back, moving on slender legs.

  "Spicy Salt-Grilled Hallucigenia," the robot waiter introduces in a monotonous voice.

  I laugh, poking the monster lying still on the plate with my chopsticks. "Ah, the creature that always moves forward. What kind of weird biology does this thing have? Can't turn its head or walk backward? Just keeps ramming forward forever?"

  "Not really," Zhen Shan pours sake into a cup, explaining. "It is just a joke. I think it is associated with some human literary work."

  I curiously open GodPedia to look it up. Indeed, a tragic story of blood and tears, but somehow the human fanbase makes endless dark jokes about this worm.

  "Whatever, let's try it," I pick up a piece and put it in my mouth. Crispy, rich. "Not bad. But today is mainly for drinking, eating is just a side quest."

  Soon, the first bottle of Sake hits the bottom. Then the second is ordered.

  I sit with my chin on my hand looking out the window, where the rain still pours, blurring the neon lights of the Myriad District. My head starts to feel light, a warmth spreading from my stomach to my brain, blurring the usual defensive boundaries.

  This scene... this feeling...

  "Ah!" I laugh, clapping my hands once. "So that's it."

  "What is it?" Zhen Shan, sipping his wine, looks up at me.

  "I remember," I point a wobbly finger at the table surface. "Back then, I hosted Director Ariel right at this izakaya, sitting somewhere near this spot too."

  "Huh?" Zhen Shan's tiger eyes widen. "You two knew each other before you transferred here? Why haven't I heard about this?"

  "I never told you, so how could you hear," I giggle, refilling my cup. "Back then Ariel represented The Jade Palace Conglomerate, and I was the negotiation representative for Takama-ga-hara. Just that instead of signing the contract in a dry meeting room, I invited the old man out to an izakaya for easier talk. Always works."

  I pause, swirling the cup in my hand, eyes growing distant.

  "Except... instead of convincing him to sign a partnership contract for my old company's project, he flipped me. I quit my job and parachuted over here. Truly can't understand what goes on inside that old lion's head."

  Zhen Shan downs a gulp of Sake, the intoxication seemingly starting to seep into the stern Tiger God. His voice wavers slightly, mixed with fake regret. "Pity. If you had succeeded that day, I would be a bit richer now. I wouldn't have to waste money feeding a certain freeloader."

  I almost choke on my drink, but natural reflex still makes my neck fur ruffle. "Brotherly love all this time and you say such hurtful things, Boss! I don't cost you that much!"

  I know he is just joking. Zhen Shan is generous by nature. But then, the cheerful atmosphere suddenly sags. The smile on my lips distorts.

  "It is just..." I whisper, "he came at exactly the right time."

  "Right time?"

  "I don't really know," I shake my head, feeling my vision sway. "I wanted to quit so badly back then, exhausted in both body and spirit. But I was afraid... afraid no one would hire me. Ariel gave me the only possible escape route."

  Zhen Shan puts his cup down, looking genuinely surprised. "Huh? I thought someone talented and sharp like you would jump ship immediately if you were bored at the old company? Plenty of places would roll out the red carpet for you?"

  "He wouldn't let me jump."

  My voice chokes up. "If I quit on my own back then, he would ensure I never passed an interview anywhere else in the Nexus. He had me by the throat."

  "What..." Zhen Shan clenches his fist, claws scratching the wooden table. "Is there really someone that despicable? Who was it? Don't tell me... was it Inari?"

  That name hits me like a bucket of ice water.

  "No! Not Inari!" I shout, voice urgent, breath ragged. My smoky purple eyes blur, as if covered by a mist. "Don't misunderstand Inari... He was very good to me..."

  In my drunkenness, my rational barriers collapse completely. Memories buried for centuries suddenly flood out like a broken dam.

  Zhen Shan's image before me begins to blur, distorting. Replacing it is the silhouette of a god with hair as golden as Mediterranean sunlight, a face handsome to perfection. He wears half-moon spectacles, sitting on a high chair, scrutinizing every line of my report.

  My breathing becomes heavy, chest tightening painfully.

  If you want your mistakes overlooked... you have to be obedient. I had no other choice... but to attend those parties.

  Subordinates mess up, and I am the one who has to stand there and take it...

  That thought snaps me awake, realizing the alcohol has made my mouth run a bit too far. I almost spilled everything.

  I clear my throat, trying to adjust my voice to sound as normal as possible.

  "Ahem... just old stories, just a shitty boss. Today we are drinking to relieve stress, bringing that up ruins the fun."

  However, Zhen Shan's keen eyes seem to see further than that, piercing through the outer shell I have painstakingly built.

  "If there is something stressful, venting a bit is fine," Zhen Shan says.

  "I will tell you some other time, we are having fun today, telling it would kill the mood," I reply, not knowing when "some other time" will be.

  Zhen Shan doesn't question further; he taps on the Hologram menu, starting to order more dishes. "Out of snacks, let me order a few more plates, okay? More Hallucigenia?"