The next afternoon, Zi Yang was doing some paperwork in his office. Because the party would be happening later, he had to finish a day's worth of work before he could go and attend the event at the ballroom, as well as catch Jeff and the robber lookalikes. Kanan stood outside the room and knocked on the door. He told her to come in.
"Have you prepared for the party yet?" She asked, walking in.
"Yup. I'll go home later to change. What about you? Are you done with your work?"
"If I hadn't finished it, I wouldn't be here talking to you." She stared at the sky through the window, "There's one thing I still don't get though. Ma'am is really fixated on the trio and Jeff for some reason. However, they are the ones who stopped the robberies from happening, took down the robbers, and even led us to the Kurosawa sisters so that we could arrest them. Shouldn't we have a word with Ma'am and tell her about this?"
"Would she even give a shit?" He retorted, "All she wants is things to go her way, and she's making use of her high position power to command us. If we were to talk back, she would say we're rude and defying her. We have no choice but to follow her orders. I don't want to be called dense and useless again."
Kanan sighed. She knew that Zi Yang hated the superintendent to the core, calling her unorthodox and a witch. He cursed her time and time again and hoped she'd get fired from the force soon. However, he, like any other police officer, still had to obey her instructions as he was under her. She also thought the superintendent was very unreasonable, but there was probably nothing she could do about it. She finally knew how he had felt all this time, and she sympathized with him.
After Zi Yang had finished his work, he brought Kanan to his house so that the both of them could change into their formal clothes. Zi Yang put on a white buttoned shirt and a blazer before straightening his collar and sleeves. He sat down on the sofa in the living room and waited for Kanan while he scrolled through the news on his phone.
"H...how do I look, Zi Yang?" He heard Kanan ask, "I don't look weird, right?"
He looked up and was stunned by the sight of her. She wore a navy blue dress, hand gloves, and white platform stilettos. He stood up and stared at her with his eyes wide while she looked away shyly and smiled sheepishly.
"You look...gorgeous." He remarked, "Really beautiful. This dress really suits you."
"Oh, really?" Kanan blushed, "I thought it isn't really my style, but t...thank you."
"I've never seen you wear this pair of high heels before." He said, "They're pretty high. Are you sure you're not just gonna wear the short one you usually wear instead?
"It's an important event from what I've heard, so I have to doll myself up." She replied with a grin, "I only wear these once in a while because it makes me a bit uncomfortable and hard to walk in. Besides, these heels make me feel as tall as you."
"You need to try harder than that, Kanan." He teased her, "Anyways, we need to get going. It's almost time." She nodded her head and patted her dress lightly. The moment she started walking though, her legs started wobbling. She only managed to go three steps forward before she tripped and fell flat onto the floor on her face. Zi Yang chuckled softly and went to help her up.
In Jeff's basement, he brought three colored bags and dark stilettos into the room and placed them in front of Eli, Maki, and Umi. He explained that each of the bags contains clothes to wear as well as extra accessories given free-of-charge by the tailor to go with it. Eli took the yellow one, Maki took the red one, and Umi took the blue one. A few minutes later, all of them finished changing. Umi wore a black dress with a large-sized pink ribbon at her left waist, black gloves, and dark stockings. Maki donned a black split thigh dress. Eli put on a black cheongsam and white gloves. Jeff just sported on a white collared shirt and black jeans. Before they left for the ballroom, he gathered them to talk about the event later.
"Remember, girls." He gave a pep talk, "When we approach Regis later, we approach him carefully and cautiously. We don't know what he will be up to, so keep a lookout. Also, if any of you are outnumbered and you think you can't beat 'em all, bring them to the entrance, and I'll shoot their asses down. Teamwork makes the dream work. If this doesn't succeed, we'll think of other ways eventually. For now, let's bring this son of a bitch down." The women nodded their heads in agreement, and the four of them placed their right hands in the middle before raising them up and screaming out sounds of determination.
In the ballroom of the Princess Pegasus Tower, some DeGeneda employees were talking heartily to each other while eating and drinking while others were slow dancing. It was a party night for DeGeneda as the company had closed a very big and successful deal which was hard to come by. As a result, the board members booked the ballroom for a celebration, ordered a buffet along with drinks, and hired an orchestra to play some classical music. Regis took a bottle of red wine and brought it to a table where the bosses and CEO were sitting. He popped it open and poured it in their cups.
The ballroom had two floors. On the first floor, there was a bar counter, with some tables and chairs along with two widescreen televisions pasted onto the walls. At the end of the first floor was the staircase to the second floor.
On the second floor, there were three rooms. One right in front of the stairs, one to the left, and one to the right, which can be accessed by walking through a small hallway to get to it. Each of the rooms was the size of an office.
"Regis, you really are a lifesaver." One of the bosses told him, "You somehow managed to convince Murakami-san to not only invest in our company, but to buy thousands of suits for his workers too. I take my hat off to you. You have my admiration."
"I heard you were singing a lot of praises about him and his work too." Another added on, "When he heard that, he was so overjoyed and satisfied he forked out his money and gave it to us. You really are intelligent and smart like what the public had shaped you out to be."
"It's really nothing, guys." Regis said, "All we have to do is just be nice to them, commend them on what they're doing, and make them think that it is the right decision to believe in us. That way, we'll be able to have as many clients as we want."
"I got to ask you one question though." A third person questioned, "Your previous name was Sylvester. Why did you change it?"
"I have my reasons." Regis answered, "Nothing major though, so don't worry. Anyways, drink to your heart's content today! Party until you drop dead! Enjoy yourselves because you've worked hard for these past few months! I'll go and entertain the others." He then walked off from the table.
Zi Yang and Kanan arrived outside the ballroom. They walked arm-in-arm while Kanan tried her best not to stumble. After she had few near-falling-down experiences, the police inspectors managed to get seated at a table. They ordered mocktails and waited for their drinks to come. Regis caught sight of them and went to them.
"I wasn't expecting to see one of the police force's best inspectors here." He uttered, "I am surprised."
"Of course!" Zi Yang exclaimed, "You are quite the famous CEO of one of Japan's most well-known companies. I heard you were having a party here, so I have brought my partner here to attend it."
"Oh? I wasn't talking about you, mister." Regis retorted, "I don't even know who you are, I was talking about the one and only gorgeous Kanan Matsuura-san here. She had solved a lot of cases before and gained recognition for being one of the smartest in the industry. I look up to you, and I am honored to have you here today. By the way, you look stunning in that dress." Zi Yang stared at Regis in shock as she bowed down.
"Thank you for welcoming me and complimenting me, Regis-san." She smiled, "I'm not as pretty as you think. Congrats on the event today though. Let's have a toast after this, shall we?"
"It'd be my pleasure." Regis then called a waiter to bring him some red wine, while another waiter served Zi Yang and her their mocktails. Zi Yang muttered some curses under his breath. She could hear it, but she chose to ignore it. She and Regis clinked their glasses together before drinking.
"So, what brings you here today, Matsuura-san?" Regis asked, "Something fishy must have been going on, right?"
"You're right, Regis-san." She replied, "I'm here to find out something. It's confidential, so unfortunately I can't share it with you. Sorry, Regis-san."
"Oh, it's okay, Matsuura-san. I'm just curious, that's all. If it's private, then I shouldn't probe into it any further. I shall get going now. Enjoy your stay, and thank you two once again for attending the party." Zi Yang glared at him as he walked away from the table. As soon as he disappeared from their sight, Zi Yang turned to Kanan.
"That guy was so honey-tongued it disgusted me to the max." He complained, "It gave me goosebumps and made my hair stand. I just cannot stand that guy." Kanan just giggled at his words and patted his shoulder while she tried to cool him down.
Meanwhile, Eli, Maki, and Umi entered the ballroom. The three of them went their own separate ways, with Umi and Maki going up to the second floor while Eli decided to explore the place. Jeff was in his pickup truck, which was parked a few meters away from the entrance, reloading his rifle with bullets.
Eli darted her eyes around the hall to see if there were any signs of Regis while she was walking. With these many people in the hall, it proved to be a difficult task for her as they were constantly blocking her way, and she had to squeeze through them just to get to the other side of the room.
Even after all that hard work, he wasn't there either. Eli grumbled as she turned around and stared helplessly at the big crowd of humans. She usually wouldn't mind walking back and forth a lot, but the heels she was wearing were killing her legs. She sighed and decided to sit down on a chair to rest instead. She ordered a cup of orange juice.
As she was drinking it, she saw Regis at the bar counter talking to another man while drinking some wine. She rubbed her eyes and looked closely to make sure she had the right person. Once that was confirmed, she gulped her drink down and slowly stood up. She then went to him as the man he was talking to earlier left.
"May I have a refill of my red wine, please?" Regis asked the bartender.
"And also, can I have a mocktail?" Eli asked, loud enough for the CEO of DeGeneda to hear. He turned to his right and saw the blonde woman.
"Oh, it's you." Regis was astonished, "Looks like we meet again. I didn't think I'd see you here today, much less in such an elegant dress. Care for a drink together?"
Eli took the freshly-made mocktail that was served to her and raised her glass, "Sure." She then drank a portion of it before placing it on a coaster.
"So, what brings you here?" He questioned, "You know, I thought you'll be out there with your other two friends trying to stop crimes. I...Speaking of your two friends, where are they? They didn't accompany you here?"
"They are here." Eli replied, "They're just exploring this ballroom. They've never seen such a grand one before."
"Ahh, I see." Regis sipped his wine, "This ballroom isn't cheap in the slightest. However, with its exquisite flower-patterned carpet floor, glossy marble walls, and aesthetically pleasing ceiling, along with its chandeliers made by famous crystal glass experts, two wonderful floors, and two 230 inch LED screens to showcase our achievements and photos, there's a reason why this ballroom is one of the best in the world, and why I chose this as a place to celebrate the success of our company."
"I'm sure this costs an arm and a leg to you." Eli asked in a sarcastic tone, "It must've been a lot of money, ain't it?"
"Of course it does. Money doesn't fall from the sky." He replied, "Back to the topic, I've not seen you in a while, but apparently you didn't heed my advice at all. Yet again, you and your friends stopped another robbery by the crime syndicate."
He proceeded to place his red wine down on another coaster, "After all that I've said the other day about the crime syndicate and their boss, you still went against them. Aren't you scared that they will come after you? They'll hunt you down and kill you if they manage to find out who you girls are."
Eli glared at him, "I'm all about seeking justice for the innocents and their families, so are my friends, and we would like to bring this crime syndicate down. Also, you make it sound like they're an unstoppable force. It sounds like you're praising them a lot instead. Maybe you haven't shown your true colors yet, Regis Yazuka-san. Your reign as the oyabunends today."
He was immediately taken aback upon hearing that.