Giovanni stared at Ren, then at the offered pack of cigarettes.
He realized the stiff posture belonged to a teenager, but in evolving Rich City, youthful delinquency masquerading as maturity was common. He was too exhausted to care.
Giovanni took one, and Ren took one for himself.
"A frustrated promoter. An agency that hasn't materialized yet. Am I right?" Ren positioned himself beside Giovanni, seemingly ready to receive his outpouring of grievances.
Giovanni, under pressure, nodded. So he's Sid and Ciel's friend, he thought. He immediately lit his cigarette. Smoke billowed around his face.
Ren then held up his unlit cigarette, gripping it stiffly between the fingers of his left hand. "Can I borrow your light?"
Giovanni instinctively moved closer and brought his lighter's flame to the tip of Ren's cigarette. For a split second, Ren's cold face was illuminated by the small light of Giovanni's flame. This sudden physical interaction caught Giovanni slightly off guard; he didn't notice Ren's rigid movements, and Ren successfully assessed his vulnerability level.
Giovanni began to speak, driven by relief and the need to vent.
"Damn it. You see that?" Giovanni pointed to a billboard displaying an ad. "CLOVER is a great idea on paper. The government promised capital and support, but the higher-ups only gave us crazy deadlines without solid means. I need a face, potential, and that girl, Ciel, has everything."
Ren tapped the cigarette between his fingers to drop the ash, but did not inhale. "Who promised this government capital and support?"
Giovanni leaned his head against the brick wall. "Who else? Prime Minister Daniel, of course. I hear his own son, Zero, will manage CLOVER when he graduates. This is his personal project to build a new image for Rich City. Damn it."
The information hit Ren like a cold electric shock. This was a detail not yet officially published by the government. It was also a confirmation of Daniel's words at The Survival Bar regarding Zero.
Ren had to make good use of this free informant. "When is the deadline?"
"One month from now. Then CLOVER will enforce a year-long quarantine. The idols will debut a month after CLOVER is officially inaugurated." Giovanni inhaled his cigarette again, thick smoke curling around him.
Isn't this 'too much information' for a stranger? Ren thought. However, he considered it an advantage for outlining his future movements. It meant CLOVER would be inaugurated next year.
One year. Enough time for my preparation.
There were still many remnants of the Marble Kingdom that needed to be cleanly eliminated. One fatal mistake could cause all his targets to flee, which would be a problem for Ren.
Ren dropped the cigarette he hadn't smoked at all, then crushed it out with his foot. "I think your efforts will soon bear fruit."
Giovanni looked at the cigarette Ren had stomped out, then at his own. "Wait. You don't smoke?"
Ren only turned toward the shadows and smiled faintly, disappearing as quickly as he arrived. "I look forward to the debut of your chosen idol."
Giovanni stood alone under the flickering streetlamp, feeling a chill down his spine. He stared at the spot where the shadows had swallowed Ren. Somehow, it felt like a high school kid just interrogated me, Giovanni thought, confused.
He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, but the strange thought didn't leave: The boy gave no name, yet had successfully obtained Zero's timeline and secrets that he hadn't even realized he had given away for free.
Ren processed the tactical blueprint he had acquired from Giovanni. The upcoming one-year CLOVER quarantine timeline gave him a clear window. Ren knew that before Zero officially became a corporate threat next year, he had to complete his preparation first.
Ren had to move quickly, searching for the living factions beneath the Marble Kingdom's feet, and utilizing the list of the Loyal Faction that Daniel had given him as a bonus for his chess victory.
Three days passed, and there was no sign of the police around the cafe. Sid and Ciel had passed the anonymity test, a silent confirmation for Ren that the debt of obligation he bore was based on genuine trust, not futile risk.
Ren gave them a substantial amount of Marble Credit to cover their living expenses for several months, as a down payment on his debt, then left Sid and Ciel's cafe. He vanished into the shadows of Rich City, continuing his pursuit.
Arena District Perimeter, First Week of May, 2323
As if woven by fate, Ren's words to Giovanni became reality.
That morning, just before noon, exactly one day before the insane deadline haunting Giovanni, he found his golden target.
Giovanni, dressed too neatly for his chaotic state of mind, walked past the perimeter of the Arena District. His steps stopped in front of a modern cafe dominated by glass and steel, a stark contrast to the worn brick of the Merge District.
Behind the glass, he saw a 'potential visual' sitting at a small table with a friend. A strikingly conspicuous visual, even amidst the Arena District's crowd—elegant pink hair, sharp facial contours, with eyes that radiated a hidden ambition.
Giovanni immediately entered, taking a deep breath to calm his time-pressed heart rate. He headed straight for their table.
"Excuse me for interrupting, Miss," Giovanni greeted, trying to sound professional. The target with the pink hair looked calm, while the other girl with black hair immediately eyed Giovanni warily.
Giovanni quickly pulled out a business card and a barcode linked to a digital form. His face showed a mixture of exhaustion and desperation.
"My name is Giovanni. I'm a promoter for CLOVER. I don't have much time, so I'll be direct," Giovanni said quickly. "Your visual potential is truly extraordinary, Miss. CLOVER is a new idol agency fully supported by the city government, and I guarantee you possess the aura Rich City needs for this major project. My deadline is tomorrow. We need you." Giovanni sounded resigned, as if his success depended on the girl's response.
"Wait, Rena. You don't even know him! What in the world is a government idol agency?" Nadia, the black-haired girl, tried to pull her friend's arm.
Rena ignored Nadia. In a flash, the form appeared on her phone screen after scanning the barcode. Her slender fingers touched the screen and calmly observed the digital form. Nadia beside her looked panicked, trying to signal rejection with her eyes.
Her gaze was now fixed on the CLOVER logo—four elegantly carved leaves. She listened attentively to Giovanni's explanation, from the contract benefits, the quarantine schedule, to the debut projection. After Giovanni finished, silence hung in the air.
This is the leverage I've been waiting for.
Rena knew that an idol agency directly funded and supported by Prime Minister Daniel held more than just a stage. It was a doorway. A powerful access point, political backing, and a crack in Rich City's bureaucratic system that couldn't be obtained any other way.
To find her mother's killer—one of the Marble Kingdom's most protected mysteries—Rena had to be inside the elite circle, not on the periphery. Although the Royal side announced her mother's death as a victim of terrorism, the forensic doctor who examined the body did not say so.
Rena had to become untouchable. She was determined to be the Number One Idol in Rich City, using the stage lights as a cover for the darkness of her ambition.
Rena locked her phone screen, then raised her head and looked at Giovanni, not with doubt, but with cold resolve.
"I'll take it," Rena replied, brief and direct.
Nadia gasped, nearly dropping her glass. "What? Rena? Are you kidding?!"
It took Giovanni two full seconds to process the answer. His expression of despair slowly turned to shock, followed by immense relief.
Suddenly, Giovanni remembered the strange young man who vanished like smoke in the Merge District last month with his cold sentence: "I look forward to the debut of your chosen idol."
Impossible, Giovanni thought, his heart pounding. He didn't know who that boy was, but Rena's perfectly timed appearance—just as he had predicted—felt like a gift sent by strange fate. It was a cold gratitude, paid for by a profound unease. He succeeded, but he owed someone he hoped never to meet again.
"I'll fill it out now. When will I get confirmation?" Rena asked.
"G-great. No, I mean. Thank you, Miss! The soonest will be the day after tomorrow. Successful candidates will be contacted via email, please ensure your notifications are on."
Giovanni, finally recovered from his shock, hastily ensured the form was completely filled out, leaving nothing missed. Nadia could only watch wide-eyed, failing to understand why Rena chose this absurd and risky path.
"Excuse me, Miss Rena, it seems you missed filling in the mother's name column here. Could you please state your mother's name?" Giovanni showed his tablet screen, which had received a copy of Rena's digital form.
"Ah! You're right. My mother's name is Riko." Rena smiled sweetly, a name she would carry until the end of her life. A name she terribly missed.
Thus, Rena's form was fully filled and submitted without any hitches.
As Giovanni had said, two days later, Rena received a confirmation email. I succeeded, she thought after reading the email. Her heart was racing. Her purpose for joining was not for enjoyment.
Killer… With this, I will surely find you.
The interview day arrived. Rena reached the CLOVER building an hour before the scheduled time. In the waiting room, she saw several other girls who looked nervous. Rena herself appeared calm on the outside, but her heart was anything but.
After waiting for about two hours, it was Rena's turn to be called. She stepped into the interview room with resolve in her heart. In any case, she had to win this interview.
Rena sat in the unfamiliar ergonomic chair, letting her back remain straight against the tension. She was in the CLOVER interview room: a sterile glass box on the second floor of a building still under construction. There were no decorations, just a gleaming white table and three people on the opposite side.
In the center sat a young man who looked calm, yet possessed an aura of power that was much more mature and rigid. The nameplate on his desk read: Zero.
The young man had perfectly styled ash-blond hair and wore a business suit so precise it looked like a uniform. On both sides sat two calm, middle-aged directors, acting as silent supervisors. Zero looked at Rena, not with visual admiration, but with the indifference of a manager assessing an asset.
"Welcome, Miss Rena," Zero greeted, his voice flat and professional. "We have reviewed your digital form. Your visual is indeed extraordinary. So let's skip the talent pleasantries."
Zero placed a tablet on the table, leaning back. "I am Zero. I will be managing CLOVER when I graduate. My question is simple. Why idol? Someone with your level of intelligence and visual command could choose a much more stable path. Why choose a one-year quarantine and public risk as the path to the top?"
Rena held back a smile, realizing that Zero was the type of person only interested in efficiency and results.
"An idol is an illusion of control, Mr. Zero," Rena answered, her voice calm, almost a whisper. She showed none of the enthusiasm usually demanded of aspiring idols. "Idols are faces trusted by the public. They are a political brand built and supported by the city government. I am not interested in the stage itself, but in the platform it provides."
One of the directors on Zero's left noted something on his tablet. Zero himself only tilted his head slightly.
"You sound like you're applying for a CEO position, not a girl group member," Zero countered, his tone cold and analytical.
"I know what I'm doing. In the new Rich City, true influence isn't behind closed doors, but in front of cameras broadcast to millions," Rena said, her gaze cold and sharp. "To achieve my goals, I need to be untouchable. I need to be the Number One Idol, and CLOVER, with the full support of Rich City management, is the only shortcut to that kind of visibility."
Zero raised a hand, stopping one of the directors who was about to interrupt. "We require absolute commitment during the one-year quarantine. No contact with the outside world, no personal life, just intense training," Zero challenged, his tone turning menacing. "We will shape you from start to finish, following the blueprint we provide. What makes you think you can endure, Miss Rena? Isn't that too high a price for 'visibility'?"
Rena took a slow breath, reminding herself of the lie she lived in the past, a time when her mother, Riko, had to become a victim of terrorism on the night of the Marble Kingdom's destruction. She was used to sacrifice.
"The price offered is nothing compared to what I have already sacrificed, Mr. Zero," Rena countered, her voice full of resolve. "I will not view this quarantine as a sacrifice, but as a transaction. I give my time and potential, and in return, CLOVER gives me the platform needed to find the answers most protected by this city."
Zero nodded slowly, his expression unchanged, but his gaze was now fully fixed on Rena.
"Interesting. At CLOVER, we don't need sentimental stars; we need assets who understand the mechanisms of market and power," Zero said, his voice concluding. "We will use you as the embodiment of Rich City's new image. And we know exactly how to control our image."
After the sentence ended, the three figures across from Rena whispered briefly to each other. Rena was slightly nervous, preparing to accept any outcome.
Zero did not offer a handshake. He simply said: "We will contact you the day after tomorrow via email. You may go."
"I understand. I look forward to the confirmation," Rena replied plainly, standing up from the chair. She turned and stepped out, leaving Zero and the two calm directors behind.
Zero, the future executive, said nothing until the door closed. He then touched the tablet on his desk, bringing up Rena's digital profile, and stared at it for a long time. His eyes scanned the profile and stopped at one name that was not unfamiliar to Zero.
Riko, your daughter is truly a perfect product, Zero thought.