Who Was Really the Prey?

Shigure Ryoko watched the live tracking feed from the satellite, curiosity stirring within her.

This guy hadn't left home in days. Why had he suddenly come out now? Had something urgent happened?

She watched the black sedan pass through two small residential neighborhoods before finally stopping in Strien District.

According to the satellite coordinates, the car had stopped at the Strien Grand Hotel.

-A hotel?

Shigure Ryoko frowned.

Was he going there to meet a business partner?

A moment later, the satellite's live footage came through.

The black sedan's door slowly opened, and Jonas stepped out.

Then a young woman got out of the car as well.

The two walked one after the other into the hotel owned by the Wetting Conglomerate.

Shigure Ryoko's expression instantly turned odd.

So he'd come out to get a room with a woman?!

Inside the elevator at the Strien Grand Hotel.

The young woman stood behind the man, studying her current outfit in the reflection of the elevator doors.

"Mr. Jonas, are you sure Miss Shigure Ryoko is watching us?"

Eiffel sounded a little awkward, as though she wasn't quite used to this outfit.

Miss Eiffel's current look was very different from her usual style. Her tight, figure-hugging skirt showed off every curve, while the black stockings beneath it accentuated the perfect shape of her legs.

Standing beside Eiffel, Jonas said softly:

"If nothing unexpected has happened, she's already hacked into the surveillance system."

-Ding.

The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing the Presidential Suite, which had already been prepared for them.

A bathtub for two, panoramic windows, and... an enormous bed big enough for four or five people.

"What do we do next, Mr. Jonas?"

A hint of nervousness crept into Eiffel's voice.

"Make the act convincing." Jonas's tone remained unchanged.

"Huh?"

While Miss Eiffel was still bewildered, Jonas scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed.

Her head landed on a soft pillow. When Eiffel opened her eyes, she found her own reflection filling Jonas's gaze.

Feeling a tingling sensation in her calf, Eiffel struggled for a moment. Then she felt Jonas grip her lower leg.

"Don't move."

At the sound of Jonas's voice, she stopped struggling.

Eiffel felt his palm travel from her calf toward her knee. Her face flushed slightly, and she gritted her teeth before protesting:

"Mr. Jonas, is it really necessary to go this far?"

"Shigure Ryoko is very cautious. If we don't put some effort into the act, she might see through it."

Jonas's voice was as calm as ever, which helped Eiffel settle down as well.

Taking a deep breath, Eiffel was just about to speak when he continued with a question:

"What brand of stockings did you buy, Miss Eiffel?"

At his words, a blush rose to Eiffel's cheeks, and she replied irritably:

"I don't know."

Jonas offered a sincere compliment. "They're good quality."

Eiffel looked at the man before her, wishing she could pry his head open to see what on earth he was thinking.

Was this really the time to talk about that?

"All right, that should do it."

Just as Miss Eiffel's thoughts began running wild, Jonas suddenly spoke.

"Get ready to reel her in."

At his words, Eiffel tensed and took a deep breath, pushing all those distracting thoughts aside.

Just as Jonas had predicted, Shiyu Ryoko had already hacked into the Strien Grand Hotel's surveillance system.

Watching the pair's intimate gestures in the Presidential Suite through the hotel's cameras, Shiyu Ryoko clicked her tongue.

-Lust really could get a man killed.

No matter how cautious he was, he'd still fallen because of a woman in the end.

Despite her inward musings, Miss Shiyu had no intention of letting this rare opportunity slip away. Without hesitation, she switched all the Strien Grand Hotel's surveillance feeds.

The camera feeds flickered for an instant, then returned to normal.

She changed into a Combat Uniform that served as a disguise and headed toward the hotel.

She encountered no obstacles along the way. After hacking into the hotel's security system, Shiyu Ryoko opened the emergency access door and hurried up the stairs.

Upon reaching the Presidential Suite where her target was staying, Shiyu Ryoko took a deep breath and pressed her finger against the room's fingerprint lock.

-Scanning authorization. Scan approved.

The door clicked, then opened.

But in the next instant, Shiyu Ryoko instinctively sensed something was wrong and jerked backward.

A rush of air swept toward her, and Shiyu Ryoko barely dodged the blow.

Before Shiyu Ryoko stood the young woman, her eyes utterly devoid of emotion.

Her opponent gave her no chance to escape, sweeping another whipping kick toward her.

Shiyu Ryoko couldn't dodge in time. Fortunately, the kick wasn't very powerful, so she managed to keep her balance.

She had only just breathed an inward sigh of relief when a nozzle appeared in front of her.

An unknown gas blasted into her nostrils, and her head instantly grew heavy and foggy.

A sense of dread rose within her, and she tried to hold her breath. But she had already inhaled too much of the knockout gas for that to help.

Shiyu Ryoko felt her strength draining away. She looked up at the person before her-it was none other than the young woman she had just seen getting intimate with Jonas on the surveillance feed.

-I'd been lured into a trap.

Shiyu Mako gritted her teeth and tried to launch one desperate attack, but her opponent dodged it easily.

A heavy blow struck her knee, forcing her to kneel.

Then the young woman delivered a swift, precise kick to her temple, completely robbing her of the ability to resist.

She collapsed limply onto the floor. The last sound she heard before losing consciousness was a man's soft chuckle.

"The fish took the bait."