Chapter 129: Jun Hiya: You’d Better Have a Good Reason!

On this Earth, the Light of the Sky could still be used to create transport curtains, though Qiao Zhe had to perceive the destination coordinates himself. As the curtain vanished from the command room, the figures of the two men disappeared along with it.

"Where did they go?" Nagi Saijo asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked toward Mitsuhiko Kira. Previously, every mission had been planned by him. Perhaps because he was now free from his "cage," the long-suppressed emotions had been released, and without the need to worry about being held accountable by the TLT, Kira's personality had undergone a subtle shift.

"I don't even know the future of the Earth, so how would I know that?" He retorted, his hands continuing to fiddle with the data transmission console. It was clear he intended to turn this space into a replica of his former secret command room, filled with data displays. Kira felt that after coming here, his only job should be to report on the appearance of Space Beasts. Surely Jojo wouldn't expect him to go to the front lines, would he?

The philosophical retort left Nagi stunned. What did those two questions have to do with each other?

Elsewhere, by a bench along a riverside road, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Inagi from the Cool Dragon Team stood, dressed in a business suit with a gentle and shy demeanor. She was a space-time equivalent; though they looked like twins, their personalities were polar opposites. Inagi was the type who would dare to call Tsutsumi incompetent to his face in the TV broadcast. This was Megumi Sakuda, a reporter for the Toto Daily News, seemingly working in the editorial department. She was a senior colleague of Jun Hagiya and, having taken a liking to him, often looked after him.

At this moment, Hagiya was still just a reporter, not yet wearing his signature black leather jacket. He wore a grey-white coat, looking remarkably healthy, and was sharing his plans with Sakuda.

"You want to go to the battlefield to take photos?" Sakuda looked at Hagiya, and seeing the sincerity in his expression, she sighed with a smile. "It seems you’ve already made up your mind." Turning her gaze to the river, she rested her hands on the railing. "Hagiya-kun, you are always like this. It feels like you are always choosing jobs that force you into desperate situations." The smile vanished from her face as she spoke, her tone becoming heavy with concern.

Megumi Sakuda was thirty-two, and the black suit gave her a mature air; women at this stage of life were naturally nurturing. Hagiya didn't know how to respond, so he bowed slightly. "Thank you for your care." This senior colleague cared for him deeply, but Hagiya had been feeling lately that something was missing from this world. He could vaguely sense that it was a truth, but what truth could it be? He felt that on the battlefield, he might find the answer.

As he turned to leave, Sakuda called out to him, "Hagiya-kun, can you promise me? You must come back alive!" Hagiya did not answer; that was a promise he could not guarantee. On a battlefield, a single bullet could end it all.

"Jun Hagiya, there is no need for you to go to the battlefield." A strange voice sounded, and a curtain of light appeared before him, causing Hagiya to recoil two steps, his eyes fixed on the sudden manifestation.

"Hagiya-kun! Look out!" Sakuda cried out instinctively. Reacting quickly, Hagiya grabbed her wrist and bolted. "Run!"

Stepping out from the transport curtain, Qiao Zhe watched Hagiya flee and merely raised an eyebrow. Seeing them run off, Mitsurugi asked, "Are we not going to chase them?"

"No hurry, let him run for a bit," Qiao Zhe replied, watching Hagiya’s frantic escape. It felt just right. If Hagiya didn't run, would he really be Hagiya? Nexus might be gone, but he, Jojo, was still here.

Hagiya ran for his life, pulling Sakuda along and checking behind him periodically. He had only caught a glimpse of a man in a white trench coat and another in a tactical uniform. His intuition as a Dunamis told him these two were dangerous. He had always trusted this instinct, even if he didn't understand the reason.

"Hagiya-kun, what was that?" Sakuda gasped for breath as they ducked into an alleyway. Hagiya pulled out his phone and used the reflection on the screen to peek around the corner. A corner of a white coat appeared on the screen, approaching them at a leisurely pace. Hagiya's pupils contracted. "How is that possible?!" He had checked the area before entering; there should have been no one there.

"Hagiya-kun?" Sakuda whispered, full of worry.

"They're coming!" Hagiya whispered back, looking toward the other end of the alley, his heart sinking. In his haste to hide, he hadn't noticed it was a dead end. With no time left, he pulled Sakuda to the wall. "Senior, you go up first!" He crossed his hands to offer a boost.

"What about you, Hagiya-kun?" Sakuda asked anxiously. "Why don't you go first? I can't pull you up."

"I can climb it myself," Hagiya urged, "Hurry, there's no time!" Trusting in Hagiya's physical fitness, Sakuda stepped onto his hands.

Just then, Qiao Zhe appeared at the alley entrance. Seeing them huddled together, he mentally communicated to Mitsurugi: 'Fire a shot, scare them a little.' Mitsurugi looked at Qiao Zhe in confusion, but since Jojo was his superior, he complied, drawing his Di-Eater pistol.

"Neither of you, move!" A gunshot rang out, and a laser bolt struck the ground right at Hagiya’s feet. Neither Hagiya nor Sakuda dared to move. Sakuda, never having experienced such a scene, instinctively covered Hagiya’s head with her hands. Hagiya felt his nose bump into something and struggled for air; noticing the situation, he turned to glare at Mitsurugi. The sudden movement caused Sakuda to feel a strange sensation, but this was no time to dwell on such things.

"We must be patient with new recruits," Qiao Zhe said, pushing Mitsurugi's arm down and looking at Hagiya with a friendly smile. "Don't mind him, that's just how Mitsurugi is."

Mitsurugi: "?" Wasn't it you who told me to fire?