Chapter 34 — Susie & Solomon

◽2 Months & 5 Days Later◽(Monday, 18 July 2050)
Summer had arrived—and with it came the holidays…and the return of JJ and the rest of the alter egos once sealed away by Blanco.But the heat this time wasn’t just from the weather.No—something about this summer felt different.Hotter. Heavier.
◽At University◽
⟦…scientists around the world continue to battle the worsening effects of global warming. By 2085, sea levels could rise enough to erase entire coastlines…⟧
JJ glanced at the cafeteria TV, scoffing between bites of his lunch.「Yeah, sure. Global warming.」Riyuka shot him a glare. 「This is serious, JJ.」JJ waved his spoon lazily. 「No, Riyuka, it’s really not.」She crossed her arms. 「You don’t care about Japan, do you? Because this—」「Whoa, hold up,」 JJ interrupted, half-grinning. 「Who said I don’t like Japan? Wow people lying on my name? Anyway… trust me, it’s not that serious.」Riyuka sighed. 「Alright then, wise guy. How is it not serious?」JJ leaned back in his chair, spoon twirling between his fingers.「Ten years ago, when Militia’s economy exploded—so fast Dollars, Euros, and Pounds turned to paperweight—what did the media say? ‘Militia’s gonna destroy the world’s economy.’ Remember that?」Sakura perked up. 「Oh, right! They even called the Emperor a dictator on Hitler’s level.」JJ smirked. 「Exactly. And did that happen?」Riyuka frowned. 「…No.」「Right. Then the ‘New World Order’ announced a treaty with Militia. Called it a victory for humanity.」「And your point is?」JJ’s grin widened, sharp but calm. 「If they could lie to everyone about that, why wouldn’t they lie about everything else?」Sakura blinked. 「Wait—you were there, weren’t you?」JJ laughed under his breath. 「Yeah. They tried to buy us out, actually. Two reasons: one, Militia trades fairly, even with countries that hate us. Two, they wanted our tech—stuff that already existed on this planet, but was buried to keep a few families rich.」Riyuka’s eyes widened. 「What do you mean by that?」JJ shrugged, grinning. 「Oops. Said too much.」Sakura leaned forward. 「Hey—answer us, JJ!」Before Hana could step in, JJ just looked up from his plate.「Hana, tell your friends to breathe.」Hana smiled softly. 「Sakura, please—don’t talk to my boyfriend like that.」Sakura blinked. 「Oh—sorry. I just… wanted to know.」Hana nodded. 「I get it. But you can’t force answers out of him.」JJ gave her a thankful glance. 「Appreciate that. Anyway—if people want you to buy their ‘solution’,」 he pointed his spoon toward the TV, 「it’s more profitable to create the problem first.」Hana’s eyes widened. 「…That explains it. Mr. Allen’s weather project…」JJ chuckled. 「Yep. Biggest scam since the Enron scandal. But hey—」 he went back to eating, 「—not my circus.」Then Sai approached. 「S-Senpai, may I ask something?」JJ looked up. 「Go ahead.」「What do you… know?」JJ’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.「How much do you love your family?」
The whole table went quiet.
Sai froze—then quickly understood. 「Ah… I mean—I just want to learn how to make enough money so my mother can rest when I graduate.」JJ’s expression softened slightly—but his laugh came out cold. 「Now that is a damn good reason to make money.」
◽Later — Kaigen Toshi Trinity◽
Hana glanced at JJ as they walked the garden path home. 「So… about earlier.」JJ tilted his head. 「This about what I told Sai?」She nodded. 「Yeah. Why did you say it like that? It didn’t sound like you.」He chuckled. 「You ever been in a situation where you know everyone’s believing a lie, and you just want to tell them the truth?」Hana smiled softly. 「Yeah. I used to be one of those people believing the lies, remember?」JJ grinned. 「Can’t forget that.」「Just… don’t tell people things that could get them killed, okay? Even if your heart’s in the right place.」Hana said smiling softly.JJ crouched slightly and kissed her forehead. 「Promise.」Hana smiled, warmth flickering behind her eyes. 【He’s been through enough already. I won’t let him carry more guilt.】
Before either could say more—
「Mama! Papa! Hurry!」 Shizuko came running down the hall with Sora in tow.Sora nodded urgently. 「Yeah! It’s important!」Hana blinked. 「Okay, okay—let’s go.」
◽In Shizuko’s Classroom◽
JJ scanned the room, instantly recognizing the faces. Parents… and the entire Under-8 Girls Team lined up neatly.【Wait… hold up. Why are all the parents here?】Shizuko stepped up to the front, clearing her throat like a tiny professional. 「Everyone, thank you for coming. Now, as you all know—Trinity Under-8s have played only five matches since we started, when—」 she gave JJ a cold glance 「—Papa made me ask Great Grandma for a favor because he didn’t want to expand the team.」JJ gave a nervous chuckle. 「My bad.」
The parents laughed softly.
Shizuko nodded. 「You’re forgiven. Anyway! We’ve won all five matches. So, with everyone’s permission, we’d like to host our training camp at our home. Papa, is that alright?」JJ blinked. 「Hold up—」
His hair and pupils flickered royal blue.
Solomon emerged. 「Alright, daughter. Let’s hear your proposal.」Shizuko straightened. 【Okay, Shizu… time to go full business mode.】「Our home has eleven bedrooms, a field large enough to build another house, a pool, and several other amenities—」Solomon smirked. 「In business, buttering up an investor who already owns the company rarely works.」Shizuko smiled. Her confidence steadied—her eyes switched royal blue as Susie stepped forward.「Father, may I continue?」「Proceed, Ms. Samuels.」Susie clasped her hands behind her back. 「Of the eleven rooms, you and your partners occupy one. Ms. Haruka, Ms. Naomi, and Ms. Emiko occupy one each. That leaves six rooms available, excluding mine.」Solomon leaned forward. 「Go on.」「We have thirty-three players. If three share a queen-sized mattress, we can fit fifteen per room. That’s two rooms used, and supervision stays easy. We’d also need two TVs and routers for coordination and analysis.」Solomon hummed. 「I see… and what will you sacrifice for equal exchange?」Susie inhaled deeply. 「I’ll limit my Christmas budget to ¥3,000.」「Fair enough.」Hana blinked. 「Solomon—are you sure about that?」He chuckled. 「Before, she didn’t have a limit. Christmas and her birthday were her open-budget days.」Susie beamed. 「Yeah! Father bought me a car last year because I like dismantling them with him! We use it for practice.」Hana stared for a second… then smiled awkwardly. 「Oh. I see.」