Chapter 60 The Overly Familiar Fellow

"Miss Shakuya, I heard the Director gave you a whole week to rest and recuperate. How are you feeling now?"

Agent K asked with a welcoming smile upon catching sight of Shakuya.

"Don't worry, old K. That last collapse made me realize how many shortcomings I still have, so I'm going to work even harder in my upcoming training."

Seeing that Shakuya had fully regained her high spirits, and with both K and J needing to attend to arriving guests, they bid her farewell.

"Alright, you two go ahead. See you later."

Shakuya waved at the departing figures of K and J, sending them off with a bright smile.

Reflecting on it now, she felt rather embarrassed for failing to reply to their messages checking in on her throughout the past week.

However, she truly had been in no condition back then, hovering in a half-lifeless state.

"Miss Shakuya, are those your friends? They look extremely reliable!"

"Yes, they are special agents of the Schwarg Bureau, responsible for handling all kinds of field situations."

Before Shakuya could answer, Shion chimed in first.

It seemed this Dr. Clark was genuinely fond of cozying up to Shakuya, and Shion felt she really needed to keep a close eye on this fellow.

As the head of the expert group, Dr. Clark should rightfully have been escorted personally by the Director and the head of Schwarg's Technical Department, but the doctor had adamantly insisted that Shakuya join them for lunch.

"I don't really mind, though..."

Shakuya blinked, showing understanding for Dr. Clark's warm enthusiasm.

Besides, it was only natural to feel a secret thrill when someone went out of their way to express such deep admiration for her.

Shakuya had originally planned to have lunch with Shion, since neither of them were formal agents nor assigned to greeting duties—they were only supposed to accompany the guests during the afternoon tour phase.

That being the case, the Director, Shion, Dr. Clark, and Shakuya decided to dine together first, and head straight to the technical department for the tour immediately afterward.

The Schwarg cafeteria was located on the first floor of the command building. To accommodate staff members from all over the world, it served both major Eastern and Western cuisines and remained open around the clock.

Naturally, the menus varied across different time slots.

Today, specifically tailored to accommodate the visiting guests and leaders, a grand banquet-style spread had been prepared.

"How is it? To your liking, I hope?"

At the dining table, after finishing the formal diplomatic protocol with the leaders, the Director returned to his seat and asked Dr. Clark.

"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"

It appeared Dr. Clark was not a particularly picky man; he sampled every single dish on offer without missing a thing.

Everyone sat around a large round table, adopting the traditional communal dining style of the country where Schwarg was headquartered, rather than individual portions.

Shakuya rarely dined at Schwarg's cafeteria, occasionally eating there after training before heading home. Her usual dinners, however, consisted of vegetable salads, fish, and some bread—a strictly curated health diet designed to reinforce the results of her rigorous training.

Today, Shakuya truly had her eyes opened to just how impressive Schwarg's cafeteria really was.

Yet, even with food this exceptional, in such an important setting, she had to exercise restraint and eat slowly to maintain her composure and elegance.

"Since the Doctor enjoys it, we can rest easy. After all, you are the guest of honor today, sir."

Shakuya raised her glass to Dr. Clark in a toast.

"Here's to our cooperation!" The Director followed suit, raising his glass as well.

"Cheers!"

Shion echoed them closely.

This time, however, Shion did not pour any alcohol into Shakuya's glass, adhering to Shakuya's preference to avoid drinking.

Similarly, Dr. Clark had explicitly stated he would not be drinking either, as he was the type of person who got intoxicated from the merest drop of alcohol.

"Yo! Shakuya-chan, are you abstaining from alcohol just to keep me company?"

When Clark saw that Shakuya's raised glass was filled with nothing more than cola, his face lit up with radiant joy.

"Uh... Is, is that so...?"

For some reason, although Dr. Clark possessed an excessively familiar and chummy demeanor, Shakuya didn't find it annoying at all.

Perhaps it was because she had never interacted with anyone of a similar personality before.

Watching the doctor and Shakuya chat away nonstop, Shion quietly took a sip of her beer.

"How deeply suspicious..."

Shion thought to herself.

With lunch concluded, the visiting guests entered the tour phase.

Visitors of different statuses followed distinct tour routes. For instance, government representatives began their tour of the command center building, personally led by Director Qin.

Meanwhile, the United Nations expert group, spearheaded by Dr. Clark, was led by the head of Schwarg's Technical Department alongside Shion, and would later rendezvous with the Director's group when touring other sectors.

Naturally, this itinerary included the hangar housing the Traum, with Shakuya designated by name by Dr. Clark as his personal escort.

The expert group was small yet elite, consisting of one expert dispatched by each of the five permanent UN Security Council members, accompanied by their respective personal assistants, bringing the total party to fewer than ten people.

This small delegation of fewer than ten experts would spend the coming month in deep exchanges with Schwarg, taking away a comprehensive analysis report on the Traum to help establish modern humanity's own mobile tactical forces.

The other dignitaries and representatives, on the other hand, would return home by the third day.

After a brief rest following lunch, Shion and Shakuya led the members of the expert group onto the shuttle subway bound for the sector housing the technical department.

The internal sectors of Schwarg were situated quite a distance apart from one another, and this underground city was connected by both roadways and a subway system.

Though the subway train consisted of a single carriage, it easily accommodated around a dozen people without issue.

"Shakuya..."

Shion called out softly inside the carriage, giving Shakuya a subtle, discreet wave.

"?"

Unusually free from Dr. Clark's chatter at that moment, Shakuya took a step forward and moved close to Shion.

"What is it?"

Seeing Shion act so secretive, Shakuya realized she must have something important to discuss.

Taking advantage of the rumbling noise of the moving shuttle train, Shion leaned in close to Shakuya's ear.

"Shakuya, be careful around that Dr. Clark..."

Shakuya gave a gentle nod.

"I know... I'm just playing along with him for now..."

Shakuya replied, leaning close to Shion's ear as well.

Seeing how Shakuya's conversational volume had shot up the moment Dr. Clark started showering her with flattery, Shion couldn't help but worry.

Besides, who wouldn't be secretly pleased to encounter a devoted fan?

From his outward appearance and behavior alone, Dr. Clark truly didn't betray any ulterior motives.

In fact, this sort of clumsy frankness and instant familiarity made it hard to imagine him as someone harboring deep, calculating schemes.

The childlike smile that bloomed across his face upon meeting his idol, Shakuya, felt entirely genuine—impossible to fake.

Both Shion and the Director had noted this; his joy was undeniably heartfelt.

"As long as you're aware. Don't forget what we discussed in the vehicle earlier."

Shion felt it wise to offer one more reminder.

Although Shakuya currently lacked her memories and possessed no extraordinary superhuman abilities at the moment, Shion had witnessed firsthand her keen sharpness and intuition.

If that fellow Clark harbored any malicious intent, Shakuya surely wouldn't have struck up a conversation with him so naturally.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry; even if Clark himself proved harmless, one still needed to keep a watchful eye on his companions and superiors.

"Mm... But my intuition tells me that the doctor really is just a pure-hearted person..."

Shakuya's intuition had always been remarkably accurate.

"Actually... I don't dislike talking with him at all."

With that, Shakuya glanced back toward Dr. Clark, who was currently engaged in conversation with the other experts.

When discussing matters with the other experts, his attitude shifted instantly to one of utmost seriousness and gravity.

They were likely still discussing which aspects of the Traum they would inspect first.

At least for the moment, his gaze was not wandering toward Shion and Shakuya's direction.

"Sigh... Shakuya... this is already the first step toward falling into his trap..."

Shion shook her head in helpless resignation.