Volume One: Undercurrents in the Lineage
Ever since last night, the night Vulpisfoglia completed the assassination, Wolseini had actually become lively.
Yet neither Vulpisfoglia nor Su Rui, the source of all this chaos, had noticed.
Even on the following morning, after the Venice Family received news that the mission had succeeded—perhaps too successfully—and saw the news in the papers, Vulpisfoglia and Su Rui remained unaffected.
The driver stood smiling outside Vulpisfoglia's office, politely turning away the various "important figures" from the Lineage who wanted to visit Vulpisfoglia.
"I'm sorry, everyone. Miss Vulpisfoglia is quite busy at the moment. There are still some loose ends to deal with regarding the task assigned by the family head, and Miss Vulpisfoglia, who worked through the night, needs to rest as well. Please return for now."
"I see. Vulpisfoglia has made such a great contribution, so she truly ought to rest properly. How about we prepare a celebration banquet later?"
"Good idea. This is a major matter, after all. Thanks to Miss Vulpisfoglia, the Venice Family's reputation will surely become even more renowned!"
After being turned away by the driver, the Lineage's "important figures" exchanged flattering remarks and left together.
The driver discreetly glanced at Little Venice, who was watching from a distance. She maintained her smile. Since the other party hadn't come over to greet her, there was no need for her to make things awkward.
After all, Little Venice was Miss Vulpisfoglia's apparent rival. Both of them were strong contenders for the position of family head.
Little Venice's hostility toward Miss Vulpisfoglia was obvious... but Miss Vulpisfoglia herself didn't seem to care much about it.
Especially when... the driver thought of the situation inside the office, she couldn't help wanting to sigh.
After Miss Vulpisfoglia returned and had a good night's sleep, she got up early this morning. The driver had originally assumed her boss would work diligently, demonstrate her worth, and gain even more power.
Instead, after Miss Vulpisfoglia printed out her report and had another assistant deliver it to Mr. Venice, she had stayed curled up inside her office.
What was she doing in there? Playing games, of course.
Honestly, the driver didn't understand why Miss Vulpisfoglia was still in the mood to play games at a time like this. Still, she firmly followed Miss Vulpisfoglia's instructions and refused every request for a meeting.
Vulpisfoglia and Su Rui were currently playing a game in the office. They hadn't finished the previous game because time had been tight. After discussing it and haggling back and forth, Vulpisfoglia and Su Rui agreed that once they cleared this game, they would play another one.
But Su Rui couldn't go too far, either. He could no longer freely order Vulpisfoglia around in this game. He had to help Vulpisfoglia reach the ending as quickly as possible so they could move on to the next game.
"I just saw all those people gathered outside leave. The driver did a pretty good job."
After Vulpisfoglia eliminated the enemies before her, Su Rui took advantage of the break while she resupplied and recovered to tell her about what had happened outside.
"That's normal. They think I'll become the next head of the Venice Family, so naturally they want to see me and build a closer relationship."
Vulpisfoglia spoke casually, picked up the coffee the driver had poured for her before leaving, and drank it in one gulp. Then she resumed playing.
"Are you really not planning to inherit the position of family head? I think it's actually quite a good position. There are plenty of benefits..."
"Alright, Su Rui. I've already made my decision on this matter. Just help me out when the time comes, okay?"
Vulpisfoglia directly cut Su Rui off, continued operating the game, and asked, "Which way should I go next?"
"Forward. There's a hidden wall around the corner ahead. Roll through it, then keep following the path. Watch out for the ambush overhead."
Su Rui glanced at the walkthrough he had found and gave Vulpisfoglia some hints.
While Su Rui and Vulpisfoglia were interacting, the driver, who had refused every visitor and noticed that Little Venice had also left, switched shifts with the assistant who had returned from delivering the documents. She entered the office and locked the door behind her again.
After all, playing games wasn't necessarily bad, but it did seem somewhat improper within the Lineage. She needed to help Miss Vulpisfoglia keep it secret.
"Driver? Pour me another drink. Not coffee—make it something hot."
Vulpisfoglia merely raised her eyes to glance at the driver and casually made the request before continuing to play.
Why are you calling me that? You used to call me by my name.
Though she complained inwardly, the driver still answered with a smile, "Of course, Miss Vulpisfoglia."
Then she washed a teacup and placed a freshly brewed cup of hot tea beside Vulpisfoglia's hand.
To be honest, the driver felt that Miss Vulpisfoglia's condition was worsening.
It was as if someone had gradually led her astray. Miss Vulpisfoglia used to be polite and proper, meticulous and serious in her work, and she would kindly call the driver by name.
Although Miss Vulpisfoglia still accomplished many major things and made countless contributions, she now used that kind of title in place of names. She even sat around playing games so casually that she couldn't be bothered to spare the driver a glance.
Still, what could she do? Miss Vulpisfoglia was her boss.
And besides, the driver truly couldn't think of anyone capable of influencing Miss Vulpisfoglia.
After all, Miss Vulpisfoglia acted alone most of the time. Even when she worked with others, it was usually with the driver and the other assistants.
It couldn't possibly have been them who led Miss Vulpisfoglia astray, could it? They absolutely weren't taking the blame for that.
While the driver stood beside Vulpisfoglia, passing the time by watching the game on the computer and waiting for Vulpisfoglia's instructions, Vulpisfoglia suddenly spoke.
"After I beat this boss, that should be the ending, right?"
Huh? Was she talking to me? But I've never played this game. What do I do?
The driver stared at the screen in slight panic, then answered uncertainly, "Probably?"
But Vulpisfoglia only turned to look at her, unexpectedly nodded, then nodded again as though she had heard someone else speak. "Got it. We'll switch to the next game after beating it."
Miss Vulpisfoglia definitely has some kind of mental illness. Should I suggest that she see a doctor?
The driver struggled inwardly. She looked as though she wanted to say something to Vulpisfoglia, but had no idea how to begin.
Meanwhile, Su Rui was also somewhat puzzled inside Vulpisfoglia's mind.
"Come to think of it, you're not even avoiding people when you talk to me now?"
"There's no need. No one will casually question me."
Miss Vulpisfoglia was talking to herself again. The driver was now completely certain of her judgment.
Volume One: Strike Hard
Vulpisfoglia was focused on playing and hadn't noticed, but Su Rui was a multithreaded simulation system. Of course he noticed the way the driver looked at Vulpisfoglia.
"When you're like this, the driver looks at you like you're mentally ill~"
"It's fine. I'm not mentally ill, right?"
As she said that, Vulpisfoglia turned to glance at the driver, startling her into a jolt. She hurriedly nodded.
"R-Right, right! How could Miss Vulpisfoglia possibly be mentally ill?"
"See? You're someone with an imaginary friend too, so you understand me."
No, I just know that casually telling people about this kind of thing will get you treated like a mental patient.
Moreover, the driver was sure that Miss Vulpisfoglia had recently stopped hiding the fact that she had an imaginary friend in front of anyone.
Did the pressure from carrying out missions become too much and cause her to hallucinate?
But after Vulpisfoglia had looked at her just now, the driver no longer had the courage to suggest that she see a doctor.
Judging by this, if she really dared say it, Miss Vulpisfoglia would probably give her a harsh lesson.
Forget it. I'll just treat it as my boss liking to talk to herself.
Having silently accepted reality, the driver continued watching Vulpisfoglia play.
Still, after Vulpisfoglia finally spent a great deal of effort and more than a dozen attempts to defeat the game's final boss and complete the ending, both she and Su Rui felt somewhat exhausted.
"Don't start another game. How about we go out for a walk? I'm starting to feel bored."
"Me too. Let's go outside and take a look." Vulpisfoglia nodded, shut down the computer, pushed back her chair, and stood up.
The driver immediately perked up and looked toward Vulpisfoglia.
"Where would you like to go? I'll make the arrangements right away."
"No need." Vulpisfoglia glanced at the driver and considered for a moment.
"Su Rui, do you have any thoughts?"
Is she talking to her imaginary friend? Miss Vulpisfoglia's inner world is getting more and more vivid.
The driver barely maintained her smile. Even Su Rui found this somewhat awkward.
Still, Su Rui answered Vulpisfoglia's question.
"My suggestion is to bring an umbrella and go for a walk. Don't think about a destination. Just look at Wolseini's scenery and the people passing by."
"Good idea."
Vulpisfoglia nodded, picked up an umbrella, and instructed the driver beside her.
"Don't arrange anything for me. I'm going out for a while. If anything comes up, contact me directly by phone."
"Understood, Miss Vulpisfoglia. Have fun."
The driver actually had more she wanted to say. For instance, those important figures in the Lineage would definitely have arranged spies. If Miss Vulpisfoglia went out directly, she would inevitably run into them and be stopped on the road by people trying to curry favor with her.
Just as the driver agonized over whether to remind Vulpisfoglia, she turned around and discovered that her boss had already vanished.
Su Rui reminded Vulpisfoglia of this.
"You'd better not speak out loud right now. Quite a few people are watching for you to leave so they can find you. I've marked everyone monitoring you. Remember to avoid them."
"Got it."
Vulpisfoglia nodded, still choosing to communicate with Su Rui aloud.
"...You seem to prefer talking to me directly lately. Aren't you worried about keeping things hidden?"
Su Rui's question made Vulpisfoglia think. She looked at the system's physical manifestation progress in the corner, already at fifty-two percent, and the corners of her lips rose involuntarily.
Looking at the increasingly lifelike young nine-tailed fox in the image, Vulpisfoglia suppressed the urge to tell Su Rui.
"It's nothing. I just want to communicate with you like this. Always talking inside my head feels a little strange."
This is also for communicating with you after you gain a physical form.
Vulpisfoglia smiled, opened her umbrella, and strolled through the misty drizzle of Syracuse.
In reality, however, Vulpisfoglia was still inside the Venice Family's courtyard. To get past the maze-like garden and the surveillance around the gates, she still had to put in some effort.
"Is there any way to make this easier?"
"I've activated camouflage. At your current walking speed and in this weather, those people won't notice you."
Though it wasn't perfect camouflage, it was more than enough for Vulpisfoglia while she moved slowly like this.
Holding her umbrella, she easily walked past the spies still guarding the Venice Family. But when she reached the main gate, Vulpisfoglia ran into a problem.
To leave through the gate, she had to open it, but doing so would expose her. If she climbed over the wall instead, her clothes would get wet.
After playing games for so long, Vulpisfoglia was tired both physically and mentally. She didn't want to do anything troublesome.
Fortunately, Su Rui noticed what she was thinking. "Wait. I'll have the gate guards open it."
As soon as Su Rui finished speaking, the guards' phones rang. After seemingly receiving some sort of notification, they opened the gate.
Vulpisfoglia took the opportunity to leave the Venice Family. After putting some distance between herself and the estate, she asked, "What did you tell those guards just now?"
"I used your tone of voice to tell them to open the gate. Then after you came out—just now—I had them close it again."
"I see."
The guards might have found "Vulpisfoglia's" request somewhat baffling, but who could refuse Miss Vulpisfoglia, whose influence within the Venice Family was now at its peak?
Even Little Venice no longer dared put on airs before Vulpisfoglia. When they had met earlier, Little Venice had only given her a resentful look before slinking away.
"Daring to defy me, someone qualified to become family head—this isn't ordinary rebellion! We must strike hard! Vulpisfoglia, you can't hesitate any longer!"
"Alright, you're saying strange things again. But according to your idea, what should I say?"
Vulpisfoglia smiled helplessly. She didn't take Su Rui's little joke seriously and instead asked him for more details.
Vulpisfoglia had already deactivated her camouflage. Although Wolseini was shrouded in mist and a light rain was falling, there were still some pedestrians around.
Vulpisfoglia's talking to herself drew a few people's attention, but she didn't care.
"You should dispatch your elite forces and teach that Little Venice a harsh lesson."
"That's strange. It doesn't feel funny at all."
Vulpisfoglia was somewhat confused by what was supposed to be funny about it, but as Su Rui answered, she noticed the people around her whom he had marked.
"Texas? And Lappland?"
Before you continue