Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

"Mmm." Sonoko Suzuki expressed her understanding; she hadn't had much of a drink but was already thinking about going.

Shiho Miyano remained seated, watching him leave.

......

When Toru Tono returned, he found Misaki Ichijo sitting in his previous seat, chatting with Sonoko Suzuki and Shiho Miyano.

He leaned closer and heard nothing but high-end cosmetics and such. He prided himself on having some knowledge of them, but he couldn't understand a word of it.

Is this all women talk about when they get together?

I glanced at Sonoko Suzuki; she didn't seem to be wearing any makeup... yet she could talk about it with great enthusiasm for quite some time.

Unbelievable.

"Oh, Tohru-san, you're back." Sonoko Suzuki was facing the hall, so she was the first to see Tohru Tono walking back with his hands in his pockets.

"Hmm." He nodded and casually chose a seat near Shiho Miyano.

Shiho Miyano subtly moved in the opposite direction.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. We were just talking about your invention,” Misaki Ichijo said with a smile.

Weren't we talking about cosmetics?

"Speaking of which, is there still no plan to mass-produce that 'robot vacuum cleaner' from last time?"

"That's not available yet... It occasionally has bugs, so it can't be put into use immediately."

Is there some kind of problem?

"It's mainly a problem with the operating system. I guess I'm still not very good at AI."

"Artificial intelligence? That is indeed an unknown field, so it's perfectly normal to have some questions."

Misaki Ichijo nodded in agreement.

"Aren't there any other inventions?"

Her words meant something.

“You know I’ve been working alone before… Even though I recently hired an assistant, it’s still just the two of us. Where would we get so many invention ideas?” Toru Tohno gave a wry smile.

"Miss Haibara seems very capable."

Tohru Tono glanced at Shiho Miyano, her lake-blue eyes reflecting the golden chandelier in the distance, but she wasn't really looking at him.

"Haha...that's true." He gave an awkward laugh.

"By the way, do you know an inventor named 'Starlight'?"

"'Starlight'?" Toru Tohno repeated the name, which sounded like a code name, looking completely bewildered. "Is it from Europe?"

"They look like Japanese."

"I don't recall any invention patents like Kikunae Ikeda's."

Kikunae Ikeda – the man who invented the production process for MSG.

“Of course not.” Misaki Ichijo laughed at his words. “However, she has invented many groundbreaking products, and many insiders say she is a rising star in the world of invention.”

"Really? Then I definitely want to meet you."

"I heard someone talking about me?" The sudden interruption startled the people present.

A clear female voice rang in my ears, and a girl in a JK uniform gracefully sat down on an empty seat.

She still had her hair tied in a high ponytail and wore the Teitan High School uniform, with a frivolous smile on her pretty face.

Misaki Ichijo turned around abruptly and saw her, her pupils contracting.

“'Starlight'?!” she said in a very strange, indescribable voice.

Chapter 93 The Ichijo Family Party (Part 2)

"You know me?" The girl stared at Misaki Ichijo with a smile, her tone casual, showing no regard for the company president.

"No..." Misaki Ichijo was surprised, and for a moment her expression turned cold as she pondered. She quickly came back to her senses and smiled. "I've heard so much about you. I am Misaki Ichijo, the current president of the Ichijo Group."

She stood up politely and extended her hand.

"Starlight" glanced at her, chuckled softly, and ignored her.

"Your Yitiao Group actually has information about me. That seems quite unusual."

The girl sat in the chair like a real high school girl, looking at the food on the table. There was no blurring around her body, which was almost a "starlight" mark in Gin's eyes.

Misaki's hand froze on the spot, a flash of anger crossing her eyes, but she simply sat down nonchalantly without making a sound.

"I've heard so much about you." Misaki Ichijo smiled and emphasized again.

"Starlight" did not respond.

"Excuse me, who is this?" Sonoko, who had been confused and somewhat clueless, finally seized the opportunity to speak, her puzzled expression genuine.

"Miss Suzuki, right? I'm your classmate."

"Classmate?" Sonoko Suzuki carefully looked this strange classmate up and down for a long time. Apart from the familiar Teitan High School uniform, there was nothing about him that looked familiar.

Someone as beautiful as her, it's impossible for Sonoko Suzuki, the perpetual motion machine of love, not to have an impression of her.

"Are you a senior in high school?"

Sonoko Suzuki proposed the only possibility.

Only a senior high school student who, due to the pressure of college entrance exams, stayed in her own classroom and hardly participated in club activities could possibly have no impression of her.

"No, that's not it." The girl smiled mischievously. "Actually, I didn't attend Teitan High School, but I am indeed a high school student."

The pronunciation of the three characters “high school student” is very heavy.

Suzuki Sonoko was speechless.

So what kind of classmate are they?

Without saying that, she lowered her head and took another bite of strawberry cake.

"Are you an inventor too?" Suzuki Sonoko was speechless, but Toru Tono next to her asked, somewhat like switching tanks to challenge a boss in a dungeon.

"That's it."

“Me too.” Tohno Toru smiled gently, not looking down on her just because she looked like a high school girl. “I’m still new to this field. Shall we exchange contact information? We can also discuss research questions.”

"No way." The girl gave a wicked smile. "I'm not used to exchanging tips with newbies."

"..." Tohru Tono also gave up and casually picked up a very good-looking osmanthus cake to eat.

Shiho Miyano glanced at him.

A silence fell over the next few moments, as everyone seemed to be pondering how to communicate with this silent "starlight".

Misaki's gaze lingered on Tohru Tono and "Starlight," her beautiful brows furrowing slightly.

"Would it be convenient for us to talk in private?" she suddenly asked the girl.

"Is there anything we can't say directly here?"

Misaki Ichijo didn't answer, she just looked at her.

"Okay, okay, big business owners are a hassle."

"Starlight" sighed helplessly and got up from her seat.

"I'm sorry." Misaki Ichijo apologized to the people present, then disappeared around a corner with the girl in front of her.

"This is so inexplicable." Sonoko was a little angry; she hadn't understood what was going on at all.

Tohru Tohru nodded in agreement, then continued cutting the osmanthus cake on her plate as if it were nothing.

......

"Speak, what is it you want by calling me here?"

In a corner of the lobby, "Starlight" leaned against the gleaming tile wall, his legs crossed, displaying none of the demeanor of a so-called inventor.

"It's just about seeking cooperation."

Misaki followed, standing very ladylike beside her, creating a stark contrast.

"Cooperation?" The girl scoffed. "Since you were able to find my contact information, you couldn't possibly not know that I've already left the underground market, could you?"

“I’ve heard about this,” Misaki Ichijo said without changing her expression. “But I don’t believe you would leave the world of invention because of this—have you found a new employer with whom you can have a long-term, stable partnership?”

The girl remained noncommittal, uttering a short syllable: "Hmm?"

"...You can consider cooperating with our Yitiao Group. No matter what your current treatment is, we will offer you better terms."

As soon as Misaki Ichijo finished speaking, she heard the girl opposite her let out a mocking laugh.

"tell me the story?"

She looked at Misaki Ichijo with great interest.

Misaki Ichijo suppressed her anger and talked about the treatment of the top inventors in her company.

Everything seemed secure, and the annual salary was more than a small fortune in yen... but it held no appeal for "Starlight".

"Is this how you treat a beggar?" the girl commented.

“…You can name your terms.” Misaki Ichijo took a deep breath and said in as calm a tone as possible.

"I think I'll pass. I might consider it if you offered me the chairman's position directly." The girl waved her hand listlessly, seemingly having completely lost interest. "I was grateful to be invited to the party for the first time—but it was still so boring. Don't bother me with things like this again."

She suddenly pushed off with her shoulders, using the recoil from the wall to straighten herself, and then walked toward the back door.

Misaki Ichijo watched her retreating figure, the feigned anger in her eyes suddenly extinguished, and a smile curled at the corners of her lips.

"Take action," she commanded, pointing to the phone that was now clutched in her hand.

......

As Toru Tono stepped out of the warm banquet hall, he felt only a cool breeze.

“One, two…four.” After counting the heat source signals lurking outside the door, Tohru Tohru turned his neck, making a crisp “crackling” sound.

"At least ten people should come, right? It'll sound better if we call it ten; it won't be a disgrace to us transmigrators."