My watch suddenly vibrated.
I looked down.
NEW MISSION
A vast number of people have gone missing.
I looked at Marie and Tobisa.
"So..."
Tobisa scratched his head.
"Where to?"
Another message appeared.
Japanese District.
"Not bad," Marie said. "I suppose."
Then another notification appeared.
P.S. The three of you have been upgraded to Low Wing 5.
Marie stared at her watch.
"What?!"
"But we just killed one demon!"
I laughed.
"Maybe they're finally noticing us."
The watch replied.
Everyone knows what you did during the Final Selection.
I blinked.
"Oh..."
Tobisa grinned.
"Looks like we're getting famous."
"Don't get too excited," Marie said.
"We're still Low Wings."
The Japanese District looked surprisingly normal.
It didn't look much different from Yokohama.
Or Osaka.
Maybe even Tokyo.
There were crowded streets, tall buildings, shops, trains, and people everywhere.
But we weren't there as Wings.
We were undercover.
Our disguises made us look like train design engineers.
We had fake identification cards, uniforms, and everything.
As we entered the main building, a man walked toward us.
"Ah! Koraywa must be Tom Fogo."
I nodded.
"Ah, yes."
"Welcome!"
He shook my hand.
"And welcome to you too, Mr. Tobisa."
"Thank you."
Marie was hiding nearby.
She was supposed to remain out of sight until we found the demon.
We had received reports that the demon was a Fake Ranker.
Which meant this wasn't going to be an easy mission.
As I shook the man's hand, I felt a sudden burning sensation.
I looked at my palm.
It was slightly red.
"Hmm..."
I pulled my hand away.
"Probably nothing."
We had bigger things to worry about.
The sun was already going down.
And the demon was somewhere nearby.
We entered a large lecture hall.
Apparently, we were attending a presentation about the newest train technology.
Hypershoot Train Model 2.2.
I sat down and tried to look interested.
A man stood at the front.
"So, this train was first modeled by Zen over at C1, and..."
He continued.
And continued.
And continued.
It felt like it was never going to end.
I tried not to fall asleep.
Then—
I saw them.
Six yellow eyes.
For just a fraction of a second.
My eyes widened.
The demon is here.
And not just somewhere in the building.
It was very close.
I quietly touched my watch.
"Marie."
Her voice came through.
"Yeah?"
"Stay ready."
"Tobisa, stay with her."
"I don't think the demon is very far away."
"Okay, boss," Tobisa replied.
I frowned.
"Bro, I'm not a boss."
"I know."
Then his signal disappeared.
He was gone.
I looked around the room.
Everyone seemed normal.
Then...
I saw the six yellow eyes again.
I immediately messaged them.
"I think I know what the Blood Demon Art might be related to."
Marie replied.
"What?"
"Heat."
I looked at my palm.
"The demon's hands are burning."
"Okay."
"What?" Marie asked through the watch.
"We need to find the person whose hands are red."
A few seconds passed.
"I found a few," Tobisa said.
"What?!"
"Oh..."
"Sorry."
"They're wearing gloves."
I sighed.
"Keep looking."
Ten minutes passed.
Then my watch vibrated.
Tobisa: Not found.
A second message followed.
Can you remove the gloves of the people at C6 and B3? We have suspicions.
I looked at the two areas.
"Okay."
I needed a reason to move around without looking suspicious.
I raised my hand.
"Yes, Mr. Tom?"
I stood up.
"So..."
I walked toward the front.
"You said this train could reach speeds of five thousand miles per hour."
The presenter nodded.
"That's correct."
I continued walking casually.
"So, with the super-magnetic brake..."
I pointed toward the train model.
"Do you think the train could still have accidents at that speed?"
"Ah!"
The presenter smiled.
"That's an excellent question."
While everyone was focused on the discussion...
I quietly took the gloves from the suspicious people.
Nobody noticed.
I returned to my seat and placed them beside me.
The presenter continued explaining.
"Now, as I was saying..."
My watch vibrated.
It was Marie.
Tom.
I looked down.
There's a problem.
I typed back.
"What?"
The reply came almost instantly.
The demon.
Another message appeared.
It's right in front of you.
I froze.
I slowly looked up.
Six yellow eyes flashed straight into mine.
I stopped breathing.
My heart dropped.
"Wait..."
I looked at my watch.
"You mean..."
Tobisa replied.
Yes.
I stared at the gloves beside me.
"Oh..."
I swallowed.
"...shit."
He wasn't who I thought.