Ever since the Saki incident, Daigo had noticed Shinjo watching him with an expression that made his skin crawl. The looks contained jealousy, envy, and something else—a knowing smugness that suggested his teammate was sitting on explosive information.
The constant scrutiny finally became unbearable.
"Shinjo," Daigo said during a quiet moment in the command center, "you've been staring at me strangely for days now. What's wrong with me recently? Why do I feel like you're looking at me weird?"
"Nothing at all," Shinjo replied with that insufferable smirk, shaking his head with deliberate ambiguity.
The response sent alarm bells ringing through Daigo's mind. He quickly moved away from Shinjo, wondering with genuine concern if his teammate's recent breakup had somehow affected his mental state. Better to maintain safe distance until he figured out what was happening.
After Daigo fled the command room, Horii crept up to Shinjo like a predator scenting gossip.
"Hey, Shinjo," he whispered conspiratorially, "what's wrong with you recently? Are you going crazy after your girlfriend dumped you?"
"Go away, you're the crazy one," Shinjo replied without heat, though his expression suggested he was enjoying the attention.
Horii recognized the setup immediately. "What's going on between you and Daigo?"
"Do you want to know?" Shinjo asked, raising his eyebrows with theatrical mystery.
As soon as Shinjo adopted that particular posture, Horii knew exactly what was coming—negotiation time.
"What do you want?" he sighed with resignation.
"I heard you managed to get two tickets to Chris Maya's meet-and-greet event..." Shinjo began with practiced casualness.
Horii's expression immediately shifted to defensive alarm. He hadn't expected this particular attack on his most prized possessions.
"Don't worry, I'm not greedy," Shinjo said, patting Horii's shoulder with false magnanimity. "I only want one."
"Why do you want tickets to Maya's meet-and-greet? You've never shown interest in pop stars," Horii pointed out suspiciously. He clearly remembered Shinjo's dismissive attitude toward celebrity culture.
"It's all because of Mayumi," Shinjo explained with visible distress. "I promised her I'd buy a ticket for Maya's fan meeting, but who knew the tickets would sell out the moment they went on sale."
The truth was embarrassing—he'd assumed others shared his indifference to pop idols and had overslept on the crucial morning. By the time he woke up, every ticket was gone.
If Mayumi discovered his failure, he'd be dead.
"No wonder. You must have slept in again," Horii said, seeing through his teammate instantly.
"You don't have a girlfriend anyway, so there's no point in buying two tickets. How about giving me one?" Shinjo pressed his advantage.
"Who said I don't have a girlfriend?" Horii's voice rose with wounded pride, attracting curious glances from across the command room.
"Sorry, sorry," he immediately apologized for the outburst.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Shinjo asked directly.
"Well... just because I don't have one now doesn't mean I won't have one in the future," Horii replied with defensive hesitancy. He'd been planning to use Maya's meeting to ask out a female acquaintance he'd been developing feelings for—maybe something would work out.
"That's settled then. You don't have a girlfriend, so what's the harm in sharing?" Shinjo continued his sales pitch. "Besides, I have top-secret information about Daigo. Don't you want to know?"
The bait dangled irresistibly before Horii's curious nature.
"This top-secret information is really explosive," Shinjo continued, sensing weakness. "Don't you want to know why Daigo disappeared for so long that night?"
Horii felt his resolve crumbling. Gossip was human instinct, difficult to overcome even when expensive concert tickets were at stake.
"Forget it," he said finally, pulling one precious ticket from his wallet. "There are plenty of opportunities to date. This is the only chance to hear Daigo's secret. Let's go for it!"
"That's the spirit," Shinjo said, accepting the ticket with obvious satisfaction. Now he could face Mayumi without shame.
"If the secret you tell me doesn't satisfy me, I'm taking the ticket back!" Horii threatened with fierce determination.
"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Shinjo replied confidently, pulling out his phone and navigating to his photo gallery. After scrolling through several images, he found his prize and handed the device to Horii.
"What? Daigo has a girlfriend!" Horii's exclamation echoed across the command room.
The photo showed Daigo kissing Camearra's cheek under romantic streetlight illumination—a moment Shinjo had captured with surprising artistic skill.
"Keep your voice down!" Shinjo quickly reminded him, but it was too late.
The remaining command room occupants—Yazumi, Rena, and Vice-Captain Kojiro—had already surrounded them like sharks drawn to blood.
Camearra's timing had been particularly coincidental in terms of the ongoing dynamic between Daigo and Rena. Though they maintained a close relationship, it remained balanced on the edge of ambiguity. If one of them suddenly acquired a romantic partner, it wouldn't be entirely surprising.
Perhaps in this world, Daigo and Rena were never destined to be together.
"Daigo has a girlfriend? Do you have photos? Let me see them!" Rena took the initiative, snatching the phone from Shinjo's hands before he could object.
"My phone!" he protested weakly.
"Your phone," Rena replied with a glare that brooked no argument.
"Look all you want," Shinjo could only bow his head in defeat.
Rena scrolled through the gallery, discovering that the first several photos were actually Shinjo's selfies.
"Shinjo, you're so narcissistic!" several people expressed their collective disdain.
Then she reached the photograph of Daigo kissing Camearra's face under the streetlight.
"Wow, so romantic! If there was a little snow, wouldn't it be just like an idol drama plot?" she exclaimed with obvious appreciation.
Shinjo had indeed captured something beautiful—the lighting, composition, and genuine emotion had combined to create an accidentally artistic image.
"Is there a front view? I want to see Daigo's girlfriend's face!" Horii demanded anxiously.
"Let me check," Rena continued swiping through the phone. After two or three more images, she found the photo of Camearra's face that Shinjo had taken when Daigo walked her to her apartment building.
Enlarging the image revealed Camearra's stunning features in full detail. After adapting to human society, she no longer carried the bitter resentment of her past. Integration into the modern world had transformed her appearance—she looked not only beautiful but radiantly alive with an almost regal presence.
"Daigo's girlfriend is so pretty. This guy is incredibly lucky," Horii said with obvious envy.
"Don't be jealous, Horii," Kojiro patted his shoulder consolingly. "This demonstrates Daigo's capabilities. If you find a beautiful girlfriend, you won't have to be envious."
"I..." Horii wanted to protest that he would find a girlfriend soon, but having already given away his Maya concert ticket, his romantic plans would need postponing.
While everyone focused on Camearra's appearance, no one noticed Yazumi taking several steps backward.
"Daigo is actually dating an alien. No wonder he was willing to break regulations to ask for my help!" he thought with dawning understanding.
Camearra's identity had been fabricated with Yazumi's assistance. The moment her photograph appeared, he recognized her immediately. Now he finally understood why Daigo had taken such risks to help her create a false identity.
"Speaking of which," Kojiro observed, "Daigo looks quite honest, but he secretly acquired a girlfriend and even snuck out to see her during missions. This deserves punishment."
Of course, Kojiro was joking. Within TPC, especially the Defense Team, most members remained single due to their demanding work. Director Seppedar showed genuine concern for these young people's romantic lives, occasionally organizing social gatherings to help solve their personal problems.
Using mission time for girlfriend visits certainly warranted punishment, but only a verbal warning advising Daigo not to ignore communications when seeing his girlfriend.