Editing Apocalypse Witch:Volume3 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 10===

“Sigh, so he rejected me, did he?”

President Omotesandou Kyouka smiled sadly in the control tower.

Was it Amaashi Marika who had identified that smile as the one she used when trying to get something from someone?

(This is for the best. Karuta-kun has a hotblooded streak that can get out of hand, so I can control everything better and get better results when he’s out there doing his thing than when we’re licking each other’s wounds as fellow villains.)

“Assuming I don’t die of loneliness first,” complained the President.

But how much of this had been an intentional attack? It almost felt like the Threat had gone after Second Grimnoah in order to tear apart the students of the first and second ship, if not tear apart the Four Living Gods as well.

Were they really that intelligent?

And even if they were, how had they gathered that much information on Grimnoah’s situation? Had they gotten it from Second Grimnoah’s computers and documents? Or…

While she was gloomily resting her upper body down on a control tower console and losing herself in thought (to distract herself with her work), the redheaded buns Secretary poked her head into the room.

“President Omotesandou.”

“What is it?”

Kyouka straightened up and immediately put on a perfect smile, so the Secretary would not have noticed anything was amiss.

“I hate to interrupt you now, but you have a visitor from outside. I could kick them out since they don’t have an appointment. Shall I?”

The redheaded buns girl suggested they kick this person out before even mentioning who it was, but Kyouka could make a pretty good guess. She could only think of one option for a visitor right now.

“''What country are they from''?”

“''She claims to be a representative of the coalition force, but she is actually a special envoy from the Indian military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. She herself is from their navy.''”

(I was right. The human grownups have arrived.)

No official announcement had been made concerning Amaashi Marika’s disappearance, but 24-hour surveillance of the students leaving and arriving would be enough to have a general idea of who had and had not returned to the floating general airport. One of the world’s strongest had left and not returned, so word of the oddity would travel quickly.

Now was not the time to be worrying about what happened with Karuta.

The President silently refocused her mind.

She could be the villain here. She would fulfill her role as the President who protected everyone from Grimnoah.

(I kind of hate that I really can refocus my mind so easily. If only I was only fooling myself about that.)

“I’m curious. Let her through.”

“Understood.”

The person the redheaded buns girl eventually showed in was a young woman with glasses. She had brown skin, long silver hair, and a look equal parts intelligent and attractive. If not for the white military uniform with a tight skirt, she would have been turning heads as she walked down the street.

She knew her looks were a weapon and she had intentionally honed them.

She was accustomed to having her appearance praised. She fully understood how every little movement of her fingers would make those around her feel and she made full use of that. The ring glittering on her left hand’s ring finger was probably a calculated act. But not to show off that she was married and thus should not be invited out to drink past 8 at night. Quite the opposite. The guilty feelings that ring would instill in people had been worked into her calculations.

Sensing a villain much like herself, Kyouka grinned and got the conversation started.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“We already met at a party in New Delhi two years ago. You were still only a freshman in the first ship, but I recall the lack of freshmen-like naivete you displayed.”

Kyouka cleared her throat to distract from that initial misstep.

This woman was clearly the type to point out and correct people’s mistakes, not to kindly let them slide. She seemed to assume that she held the superior position and the other person would adapt to her way of doing things.

The brown woman smiled thinly in front of the girl with the title of world’s strongest.

“I am Letnahe Kurent. It is a pleasure to meet you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

(''Um.'')

The President smoothly continued with the conversation.

Her “initial misstep” had of course been a boring little bluff on her part. She generally never forgot someone she had glimpsed even once. But she had also heard the name Letnahe from a different source.

That conversation played out in the back of her mind now.

She remembered what Natlena Blast, sister of the former strongest, had said at the end of the Crystal Beach incident.

(''The person who came to me after I, um, learned that my sister had died was…'')

“I hope we can get to know each other a little better than last time.”

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| Forward to [[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
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