Lillie's bag seemed to emit a faint sound. Although the noise was extremely quiet, the surroundings weren't loud either, so Rina heard it clearly.
"Eh?"
Rina cast a puzzled look. Lillie hastily clutched the strap of her bag, awkwardly flashing an embarrassed smile.
"Ahem, it's nothing—I just…my stomach growled a little."
"..."
Honestly, with this acting skill... you'd have been more convincing saying you'd accidentally let out a fart. But considering Lillie was so desperate she'd use something as shameful for a girl as a rumbling stomach as an excuse, clearly she didn't want anyone probing deeper into this.
Rina herself wasn't inclined to pry into secrets her friend wished to keep. Besides, she was hiding Zero and Hajime-chan herself. In that sense, they were about even.
But in that instant, Zero and Hajime both sensed something unexpected from within the bag.
You've gotta be kidding… Could that bag actually contain—?
Although Zero desperately wanted to confirm it immediately, the sensation vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a fleeting moment that made him uncertain.
Under these circumstances, he obviously couldn't openly discuss it with Rina or Hajime. After all, he himself was an absolute "anomaly" in the real world.
If Digimon were merely unknown creatures, that would've been one thing—but clearly, Digimon possessed intelligence, society, and even a civilization of their own!
If an unknown civilization's existence were exposed, it would inevitably trigger widespread panic. Zero understood very clearly that he must conceal his existence as much as possible in this world.
Unless they reached the stage where Myotismon openly invaded, with Digimon openly running around, exposing himself prematurely would most likely lead to being captured for research. Even Rina probably couldn't protect him then.
Though realistically capturing him wouldn't be that simple, it was still best to avoid unnecessary trouble…
He was extremely curious about what was inside Lillie's bag. And likewise, Lillie seemed very curious about him and Hajime, but neither side dared to speak first.
If they guessed correctly, everything would be fine—but if not, they'd be actively exposing themselves.
All they could do was wait and see if there was a chance to probe further to confirm their guesses.
Meanwhile, the party was ready to begin. Rina and Lillie were undoubtedly the little princesses at the heart of the event.
Though, realistically, Rina calling herself a princess was already a stretch—those two other girls present were hardly inferior in status or influence to actual royalty.
The staff responsible for setting up the gathering had prepared everything perfectly. After all, tonight was hosted at the Shinomiya residence, welcoming representatives from the Kandai Group, as well as the Chairwoman and little princess of the Aether Foundation.
If even the slightest mistake occurred, their careers could practically end right here…
By the time Rina and Lillie arrived, almost everyone else had already gathered. Zero immediately noticed Yuuko, beautifully dressed in a formal gown.
She'd changed out of her earlier casual attire into an elegant evening dress. Truly, a pretty face could do anything. Whatever she wore brought out her natural grace, transforming the aloof ice queen into a refined young lady, confidently conversing with the evening's hosts—a pair of spirited-looking middle-aged couple.
Without a doubt, they were Rina's parents—the current heads of the Shinomiya household.
Standing next to Yuuko was a skinny, frail-looking man. Even though he wore formal attire, his vibe felt entirely out of place with the scene.
The man's complexion was unnaturally pale, his sunken eyes underscored by deep, dark circles. One glance was enough to tell you he was the sort who might ascend to heaven at any moment from overwork.
Despite his frail, gloomy appearance with deep dark circles under his eyes, this man seemed to be an important figure from Kandai's side.
"Suedou Akemi…" Knowing Zero's curiosity, Rina quietly provided an explanation.
"…That's the head of Kandai Group's IT department, one of the primary designers behind the EDEN system."
Zero immediately felt deep respect. So, he's a top-tier programmer—no wonder he's got such an ethereal aura. Probably worked himself half to death with overtime.
The Kandai Group indeed had a strong technical team and recruited talent from various places…
"According to Yuuko, recently Kandai also invited a genius young programmer to work on parts of the EDEN system. I recall his name was…"
Since it had been somewhat famous news back then, after a brief moment, Rina easily recalled his name.
"…Oh, right, his full name was Koushiro Izumi~"
"..."
Hearing that familiar name, Zero almost burst into tears. Finally, a familiar name!
He'd never imagined that Izumi-san would actually be such a high-level tech wizard. But on second thought, in the movie Our War Game, though Izumi himself didn't explicitly showcase extraordinary hacking skills, his friend casually hacked into the Pentagon's systems to acquire nuclear missile launch data hijacked by Diaboromon.
Given he had friends at such god-tier levels, Izumi-san himself certainly wouldn't be weak either. Otherwise, how could he possibly associate with hackers of that caliber?
On Kandai's side, the main figures were thus Yuuko and Suedou, plus the Kandai President, who would join via remote communication. Zero's attention now shifted toward another prominent individual present.
Over there stood an elegantly dressed, tall, blonde beauty.
Her facial features bore a striking 70% resemblance to Lillie's. Her identity naturally went without saying:
Lillie's mother, the Chairwoman of the Aether Foundation—Lusamine.
Now that all the main participants had gathered, Lillie and Rina prepared to step forward.
Clearly, the others had been waiting for the two little princesses as well. Yuuko turned around, nodding at them with an easygoing, polite smile. Even though it was the same person, compared to their casual afternoon meeting, Yuuko now gave off a much more distant, untouchable feeling.
No wonder Rina said the afternoon meeting was preferable. After all, back then, Yuuko was just her friend. But now, she was Kandai's heiress…
Meanwhile, the blonde beauty greeted them with a radiant, almost motherly smile.
"Rina-chan, it's been so long~!"
Without hesitation, she warmly embraced Rina, clearly a very open-hearted lady.
Lillie couldn't help but smile wryly, softly interjecting, "Mother, do you still remember the last time you hugged me like that?"
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry~"
Lusamine laughed and released Rina, turning instead to warmly hug Lillie, gently stroking her head.
"We'll have many things to discuss tonight. After this gathering ends, tomorrow, let's spend some quality time together~"
Lillie obediently nodded. "Mm, it's a promise!"
Rina's parents also approached with friendly smiles. The spirited-looking couple, as hosts, naturally needed to say a few words now that everyone had gathered. Even though it was technically a private gathering, certain formalities couldn't be skipped.
Just as the atmosphere was warming up and the gathering officially commenced, a crisp sound echoed throughout the hall—instantly silencing everyone.
Following the source of the noise, they saw a shattered champagne glass on the floor, beside it a pale-faced maid who'd fallen to the ground.
At a time like this, making a mistake of that magnitude was already disastrous.
Zero immediately noticed that although the Shinomiya couple maintained their smiles, their eyelids clearly twitched.
Nearby, the head servant's face darkened immediately, stepping forward quickly to reprimand her quietly.
"Hurry and clean this up. What are you standing there for?"
But before he could finish speaking, the maid suddenly lowered her head, clutching it with both hands and groaning in pain.
"Uuugh…!"
"What's the matter?"
Just as the head servant leaned closer to inquire, his vision suddenly blackened. A split second later, his entire body flew backward as if he'd been struck by a car.
Meanwhile, the maid clutching her head arched upward, releasing an agonized scream. From her body, countless rays of dark, flame-like light erupted violently…
Seeing this scene, Rina couldn't help but gasp in shock—
"…DigiSoul?!"
---
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