Lungmen, a part of Yan, is the largest independent city-state in all of Terra. It stands as a global metropolis for finance, education, and medicine. The Lungmen Dollar it issues is even one of the main currencies circulating between major nations, a testament to its exceptional status.
Columbia is quite a distance from Lungmen.
Even by plane, the journey took a full four hours.
Because all the necessary documents had been arranged in advance, the private jet entered Lungmen's urban area without any obstruction.
"Greetings. We are the elite operator squad led by Franka from Blacksteel Worldwide, here to carry out the commission."
The client who came to meet them as they disembarked was a rather mature-looking middle-aged woman, appearing to be in her early forties. Her thick black hair was tied up in a bun, giving her a very capable look. One could tell just from her appearance that she was a formidable career woman.
According to her introduction, her surname was Zhang, and she was the chief agent for MSR Company, as well as the one who initiated this commission.
This agent explained the situation with great seriousness, as if facing a major threat, but the two veteran mercenaries, Franka and Liskarm, had already guessed what this was all about and didn't take it too seriously.
"Excuse me, Ms. Zhang, has Miss Sora received threatening letters like this in the past?"
Franka asked casually as they walked.
"Many times. However, this time is completely different from before. The previous ones were just disgusting acts by some perverted male fans, but this time, I feel I'm in real danger!"
Franka exchanged a knowing glance with Liskarm beside her.
Just as they thought. It was most likely the work of a sasaeng fan again.
Lungmen's upper district was thoroughly modernized, with skyscrapers standing shoulder to shoulder, an endless stream of vehicles and people. Its prosperity was in no way inferior to the tier-one megacities Lucas Reeve had known in his past life.
As one of the largest talent agencies in Lungmen, MSR Company's offices were naturally located in the most bustling central area of the upper district, occupying a full ten floors of a skyscraper that was dozens of stories high.
"Miss Sora is currently in the practice room, rehearsing for tomorrow's concert. Please wait outside for a moment."
After saying this, the agent went to the practice room alone, presumably to speak with the young idol.
"Oof... I'm a little nervous...."
After the agent left, Jessica looked around nervously. Two entire floors were dedicated to Miss Sora's team, and the walls were naturally covered with candid photos from the young idol's various events.
Lucas Reeve observed through Jessica's eyes.
This little idol was indeed very cute.
A cute, moe-style idol with blonde hair.
Idols with this kind of image are practically a guaranteed critical hit against otaku, making it easy for them to become popular. Compared to hot and sexy girl groups, otaku generally prefer the moe type.
"Don't be nervous, Jessica. It's just a small mission~"
Franka patted Jessica on the head.
"That's not it, Senior Franka. Actually... Actually...."
Jessica was a bit too embarrassed to continue.
"I'm actually a fan of Sora-chan's too. I just pretended not to know her on the plane, but... now that I'm finally about to meet her in person, I... oof~ I can hardly breathe!!"
Jessica's face was flushed red, her hands cupping her cheeks in a state of bliss, her voice growing quieter and quieter, while Franka just looked bewildered.
"Huh?"
As a 'young person' who had never chased after a celebrity, she really couldn't understand it.
Just as Franka was about to say something, the door to the practice room opened.
A blonde-haired girl, who was countless times cuter in person than in the photos on the wall, followed demurely behind the agent. Since it wasn't a performance, she wasn't wearing much makeup and was dressed in simple, casual home clothes. Compared to the glamour in the photos, she seemed much more approachable now.
An idol, through and through.
She seemed to 'sparkle' just by walking out.
"Oof~"
"A living, breathing Sora-chan!!"
Jessica grabbed Franka's sleeve, her excitement palpable.
"Hi~! My name is Sora. I've already heard about the situation from Ms. Zhang. Thank you for your hard work for the next three days~"
She was truly an idol.
Her greeting alone perfectly showcased what it meant to be open and friendly. With a simple sentence, her affability was maxed out. Is this the innate charisma of an idol? Although the three in front of her were by no means inferior in terms of looks, the moment she spoke, this young idol easily made a good impression.
"It's just a job, not hard work at all. For the next three days, we will be guarding you around the clock to ensure that no accidents occur."
Franka gave a professional, official-sounding reply.
After some simple pleasantries, Sora's attention was completely focused on the cute, petite girl hiding behind Franka, looking incredibly nervous.
She found it a bit strange.
This girl looked about her own age, and with such a timid demeanor, she could be a mercenary?
At first, Sora had been worried that her protectors would be a few brawny men, but she never expected two very pretty young women and a shy little girl her own age.
However, an idol is an idol, and their social skills could be described as terrifying.
"Hello there, my name is Sora. What's your name? You look to be about my age."
Jessica was so nervous that Sora-chan was actually talking to her that she couldn't get a word out.
"Um... um... um... I'm... Jessica..."
Seeing Jessica's nervous state, Franka broke out in a cold sweat for her and quickly answered on her behalf.
"This is a newcomer who just passed her probation. She's following us to learn. Also, she's a fan of yours, Miss Sora. As soon as she heard we were protecting you, she became too nervous to speak."
Upon hearing she was a fan, Sora gave a polite smile.
The first rule of being an idol... the fans are your lifeblood. No matter how much you might want to complain internally, you must always maintain a friendly distance when face-to-face.
"Really? I'm so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for your support, sweetie!"
Jessica was a bit shorter than Sora, so Sora naturally acted like an older sister, patting Jessica on the head. It was mainly because Jessica was just too cute, and paired with that timid demeanor, she was natural idol material! With an image like that, she could instantly capture countless big brother and big sister fans!!
The agent's eyes gleamed with envy.
She had been utterly shocked at first.
Is the mercenary business this competitive now?
Mercenaries this beautiful and cute could be packaged and debuted as idols. Maybe after the mission, she should ask... package her with a 'mercenary big sister' persona... Oho~~ She might even be able to rival that famous martial arts movie star!!
"Are you in the fan group, Jessica, sweetie?"
"I can have my agent add you to the core fan group."
This was a perk Sora was offering Jessica. After all, ordinary people couldn't get into the official core fan group. Only the absolute biggest financial supporters could get in, and there were even opportunities for face-to-face interactions with Sora inside.
An idol's life, after all, revolves around the big sponsors, so they are given small privileges that ordinary fans don't get.
"Um... I'm already in it..."
Jessica said timidly.
"Hmm?"
Sora and the agent froze at the same time.
The core fan group only had about a hundred people, and many of them knew each other.
"Who are you?"
The agent immediately became more polite.
"Um... my ID is 'Miss-Wannabe-Mercenary'...."
The two of them froze again.
*Hiss...*
The agent sucked in a sharp breath!
"Miss Jessica... could you be the one who bought 5,000 support tickets during the last event? The patron?"
Jessica answered shyly in a small voice.
"I spent some... pocket money... I wanted to help Sora-chan get on the charts... I really like Sora-chan's songs, and her personality, she's so lively..."
Franka was a little confused and asked Liskarm beside her.
"How much is five thousand tickets?"
"Uh... about 500,000 LMD."
"????"
"What a rich girl."
This was a preference Lucas Reeve was aware of; Jessica had mentioned it to him before.
She herself was timid and easily embarrassed, so she greatly admired outgoing and confident girls. Sora, being a peer of the same age who stood boldly on stage enjoying everyone's attention, was exactly the kind of person Jessica yearned to become.