The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume3 Chapter3

Status: Incomplete

3/10 parts completed

   

Stage 03: The Rabbit Guide and the Liar Cat

“Cheshire Cat.”

“Shut up, you damn rabbit. I’m in a good mood right now.”

(Stage 03 Open 05/23 16:00)

The Rabbit Guide and the Liar Cat

Part 1

“Nn…”

Lu Niang Lan, the modified China dress beauty, breathed a sultry sigh from her scarlet lips.

She quickly realized she had been tossed onto the wooden floor with her arms and legs bound behind her.

“Huh? I’m all wet and see-through.”

She looked down at her chest which was swelling out even more than usual due to the arched back of her pose. The fabric was unpleasantly clinging to her skin somewhat and she could not more her arms or legs.

“I’m tied up!?”

Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, she looked around.

“Wait a second… I was in C Block’s Hai Hong Caiguan, so why am I in a Government apartment now?”

The floor was wet.

However, the government dog named Aika as well as Shiroyama Kyousuke, Isabelle, and even the white liger were looking down at her with exasperated looks.

“K-Kyousuke-chan? Can you explain what’s going on? You haven’t broken our unspoken understanding by selling me off to Government, have you!?”

Still confused, Lu Niang Lan suggested the worst possibility she could think of.

But when Kyousuke and Aika exchanged a glance, their expressions were even graver than that.

“Onii-chan, what should we do about this?”

“When you’re released from Girl’s Backdoor, you apparently lose your memories of being controlled, so I’m not sure there’s anything we can do.”

“Ehh!? You mean she gets off scot-free!? I refuse to accept that! This old hag gave us a whole lot of trouble!!”

“My chest still hurts. Somewhere between medium-sized and large-sized. Throb throb(deadpan).”

“C’mon. She didn’t actually do anything wrong here, so let’s leave it at this.”

“???”

Lu Niang Lan was clearly baffled by their exchange, but they ignored her.

They had something else to focus on.

The tablet produced the sound of an incoming video chat call.

Aika sat on the wet floor and tried to use the white liger as a sofa like usual, but the beast slipped out from under her. The five meter pet rejected Aika and the girl flipped over on the floor. The white liger may not have wanted to lie on the wet floor, but she also seemed to be having trouble relaxing after the Perfect Dragon’s rampage. Animals were fiercest when they were afraid, not when they had the advantage.

“Ahh! Onii-chan, go grab that baby bottle. I’ll win this stubborn liger over with a stomach full of milk!!”

“Don’t. Give her anymore and you’ll make her sick.”

“But that spoiled liger almost always goes right to sleep if you give her some warm milk. That old hag’s sacks of fat must have really scared her…”

“I don’t blame her. Zuuun(deadpan). I think I’ll be having some medium-sized nightmares…”

“Aika. You were controlled too, so don’t forget that attacking her is the same as attacking yourself.”

Aika pouted her lips and grabbed the tablet from the glass table while still lying on the floor.

She answered the call and a woman in a military uniform filled the screen. However, hers was much more subdued than Isabelle’s. It had a dark blue base, she wore pants instead of a tight skirt, and she lacked the black belts that acted as restraints. Instead, she had plenty of decorative medals.

She was a Government coordinator.

Or perhaps she could be called a planner or a troubleshooter.

Regardless, she was sent in to build a new plan when something failed inside their organization. She would also make alternate suggestions to minimize the damage. Overall, she was a bureaucratic specialist.

“We have finished regulating the data and updating our plans,” she said. “Might I get back on topic?”

“Yes.”

“Currently, we have two primary problems. First, all information related to the Anthills has been passed to the enemy summoner. Second, that apartment where Government, Illegal, and Freedom meet was abused to pull it off. …Unfortunately, most of the higher ups are viewing the second problem as the more serious one. Although if they feel they can calmly think about punishment now, I have to wonder if they believe no bullet could reach their heads even on the front line.”

“Just to be clear, that Illegal old hag was being controlled by Girl’s Backdoor, so she had no control over her actions.”

“That is not all that relevant.” The coordinator gave a light sigh. “The problem is that the information would not have been leaked if you not been on such good terms with an Illegal assassin and if that contact point did not exist. I cannot cover for you here. If you have a complaint, bring it to the higher ups.”

“…”

“And while it was Lu Niang Lan who went on a rampage, it was you who leaked the classified information with your mobile phone, Aika. Thanks to that, two additional Anthills have been attacked. The valuable research data and precious lives there have been lost. Do not think this does not apply to you. You played a primary role.”

She made it sound like Girl’s Backdoor did not exist and Lu Niang Lan and Aika had simply conspired to leak the classified information.

Isabelle spoke to Kyousuke as she listened in.

“Nuuun(deadpan). This is small-sized irritating.”

“Oh, what a coincidence. It’s pissing me off a fair bit too.”

“You are part of this too, Alice (with) Rabbit.” The coordinator winked and tapped her temple with her index finger. “With the suspicion on Aika and Lu Niang Lan, they are a step away from disaster. If you wish to remove them from the list of possible executions, you must take on a share of their debt even if there is no suspicion on you directly. This is especially important to silence the higher ups who have never liked that apartment where all three major powers gather.”

“Oh? That’s quite the compromise. Could you not get at me without asking first?”

“This isn’t much different. Freedom Award 903, we will receive your help free of charge. We will send you to our fiercest battlefield at the moment. Refuse and we will add those two to the official list of wanted criminals. The world will bear its fangs against them and they will essentially be sent to the gallows.”

“Get to the specifics.”

“The data Aika leaked could not have been worse. It included the locations of the Anthills, the personnel, the funding routes, the equipment procurement routes, the defense forces, and the emergency evacuation routes. Two bases have already been destroyed using that data. We do not intend to lose any more of the research equipment, personnel, and research results that the higher ups paid large sums of money for. …Simply put, we are evacuating.”

When he heard that word, Kyousuke brought a hand to his forehead and looked up at the ceiling.

Isabelle tilted her head next to him.

“Mh? I’m not even small-sized sure why that’s so bad.”

“It’s really bad. By the way, how many Anthills are still functioning?”

“34.”

“And how many people are inside?”

“Assume there are around one hundred in each.”

“You want to evacuate all of them from Toy Dream 35 at once? Using every route available, be it land, air, or sea? How are you going to protect them all? Liar Cat can use all of the information they got using Aika. If they have all your evacuation routes, they can attack you whenever and wherever they want.”

An amateur might think they could quickly create a new route, but that would not work. If it was that easy, they would not bother to create routes in advance. They needed packages, bodyguards, knowledge of possible attack points, a secondary route in case they were attacked, a tertiary route, an idea of where they could find safety, and a second and third shelter in case the first was compromised. Working it all out on paper took a week and not even a month was enough to confirm that it was indeed a valid route. And instead of getting a VIP or two out, this was sending around three thousand personnel in every direction.

And just because they could not do it did not mean they could sit around thinking about it. Even if they tried to barricade themselves where they were, Liar Cat was above Freedom Award 900, so that summoner would mercilessly crush the Anthill Project along with those bases.

Simply put, they were cornered.

“The higher ups have a plan.” The coordinator began grinding her index finger against her temple. “They will prepare a great number of transport groups, including decoys and then have them all simultaneously evacuate Toy Dream 35 in every direction. Even if our enemy has 900 level skill, they are only a single pair. A few of the transport groups might get hit, but Liar Cat will not reach the real one. …What do you think of that?”

“But that was part of the information they have now, wasn’t it? We aren’t choosing the target; Liar Cat is. It’s all over if they snack on a few of them and then get to the real one before the limit arrives,” said Kyousuke. “Not to mention that Liar Cat will almost certainly maintain their Material’s cost as much as possible by continuing the fight with Chains. If they can build up through the Regulation-class and Divine-class to reach the Unexplored-class, they’ll charge into the enemy forces at their most powerful. …But I doubt they can always reach the next target in the 90 seconds given. What do you think they’ll do then? We’re talking about Liar Cat who gave out Girl’s Backdoors for civilians to use as nothing more than a disturbance tactic.”

“Nuuun(deadpan). So if their Chain isn’t going to last, they’ll attack normal people to keep their super-sized Chain going?”

Kyousuke nodded at Red Hat Isabelle’s question.

“And they’ll be cutting back and forth across the city to pursue the transportation groups scattering in every direction. Toy Dream 35 won’t just be filled with pools of blood; the entire city will collapse.”

“But I doubt the higher ups will change their minds so easily. Or rather, it is hard to stop a giant cannonball once it has started to roll. If you wish to reduce the damage done, your only option is defeating the summoner pair as soon as possible.”

“But if Liar Cat’s possible targets are scattered everywhere, we can’t exactly lie in wait.”

“Meaning?”

“If we narrow down their targets to just one place, we know exactly where Liar Cat will show up. What are the most important personnel and resources among the Anthills? If you keep everything else as-is but try to evacuate them ahead of time, Liar Cat will definitely take the bait. We can beat them down there.”

“Even if they know it is a trap?”

“That type can’t resist the taste of revenge.”

The coordinator sighed.

A slight shadow or waver seemed to enter her previous stiffness.

“But the higher ups will never accept it. They truly believe that they are protecting themselves by refusing to admit to their own mistakes. If they know that such a risky method was suggested by an outsider, I seriously doubt they will change their evacuation plan.”

“You sound troubled.”

Kyousuke smiled thinly.

Their plan had already failed and 3000 lives depended on its success. Despite her overbearing behavior, this woman could not have enjoyed having this forced onto her.

“Do you have a suggestion?”

“It sounds like Government’s higher ups don’t understand the danger they’re in. They must truly believe that they can settle this by shoving responsibility onto someone else, that the problem only exists on paper, and that no physical flames are going to rain down on them. So how about I remind them? I’m willing to play the thankless job of the bitter medicine.”

“Very well.”

It was now the coordinator’s turn to look up toward heaven.

She had apparently heard the legends of Alice (with) Rabbit, but her pride may have prevented her from actually speaking the words.

But she shook free of that and verbally raised the white flag.

“I would appreciate it if you would help us. I mean it.”

Part 2

Apartments came in many different shapes and sizes, but this one was a one-room apartment for university students. The front door led directly into the room and the newspaper slot carelessly installed in the door would allow anyone to peep on the room if they wanted. That made changing clothes a daily challenge, but it was still an attractive residence for its relatively affordable price in the amusement park city of Toy Dream 35. Despite the poor customer service, there were no vacancies in May, which was past the season for beginning a new life.

Steam rose from the kettle.

Beyondetta, the demon in a pink waitress uniform, hummed to herself as she prepared some tea. She removed her white lace glove to manipulate the tools with her slender fingers.

“Ma’am.”

“Hm?”

Murasame Kuina, her client and vessel, blankly replied while sitting on the pastel colored bed with her knees in her arms.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about tea,” said the girl. “I’ve only ever had it from a bottle. So don’t bother talking on and on about it.”

“Not to worry. This is a blend.”

“Hm?”

“The Summoning Ceremony battles are mentally exhausting, so I have combined a few different types of tea leaves to provide a calming effect. As long as you know how to make it, standard store-bought teas are good enough. Yes, just like a clever usage of cold medicine and allergy medicine can create a sleazy drug that will put an innocent young girl fast asleep.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a woman who takes antibiotics by the handful… And isn’t caffeine a stimulant?”

“There are a number of ways to use it. Most summoners either have a special supplier or mix their own Incense Grenades, so we tend to be quite skilled at this sort of work.”

A student apartment did not come equipped with the kind of tea set used for the British royal family, but Beyondetta used tools likely bought at a 100 yen shop for makeshift replacements. And she had done more than memorize the manual. She had broken it down and built it back up to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

Midriff Girl Kuina fidgeted on the bed.

“Did I ask you to do this? I thought our contract only said you would help me get revenge for Sayuri.”

“And I will provide everything necessary for you to truly enjoy your revenge. It would all be for naught if you were too sleep deprived to savor the taste of revenge when the time came. If you like, I could climb in bed with you to sing a lullaby, I could join you in the bath, or I could try my hand at providing a massage.”

“No, thanks.”

Kuina got down from the bed and sat at the glass table in the center of the small room.

She sipped at the tea poured into a plastic mug, but…

“I really can’t tell any difference.”

“I appreciate the honesty more than pretending you know what you are talking about, ma’am.”

“But I have no intention of taking a nap. I’m too on edge to fall asleep. The core of my body is telling me I have to hurry up and get out there…hurry up and kill.”

“I would expect nothing less from my client. And that is why I prepared this as a type of inflight refueling.”

Murasame Kuina had trouble judging what the smiling demon was truly after.

Normally thinking, helping a stranger with their revenge came with enormous risk. Not only was there direct combat, but it meant making an enemy of everyone around the target and, if they could not earn their partner’s trust, it was possible they could be stabbed in the back. Plus, revenge tended to end in failure after being outnumbered and the enemy would not forgive them if they said “never mind” at that point.

Nevertheless, Beyondetta chose to take part.

She gained nothing from it. She had no enemy in common with her client. This revenge only had any meaning for Murasame Kuina. Even if it succeeded, Beyondetta would not gain anything at all from the violence.

It was almost like a reckless surfer heading to the beach on a stormy night despite the danger.

She was losing herself in the act itself. It was the madness of someone taking a hobby much too far.

“Beyondetta.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know your situation. I don’t care if you’re secretly benefiting from this, if someone else hired you to do this, or if you’re acting as a double spy and all my information is fed right back to Government.”

She narrowed her eyes and shook around the contents of the mug a little.

“All that matters is that it helps me with my revenge in the end. I’m even fine with dying after the fact. So let’s go over the basics again, Beyondetta. Help me with my revenge. It doesn’t matter if you’re my enemy or my ally.”

“Yes. I am delighted to hear that, ma’am.”

The pink waitress demon gave a smile that was far too rotten to call charming.

“I do not often meet someone who expresses that with her actions and not just her words, but you seem to be different. I am relieved.”

“Hmph.”

Murasame Kuina must have had trouble with hot drinks because she only took small sips at the mug.

Once it was empty, she set it on the table and stood up.

“What’s our next move, Beyondetta?”

“Well, how about we go for something that is half for peace of mind and half pure harassment? They’ve probably noticed us by now. And they will know about these clothes.”

As she spoke, Beyondetta pinched the sides of her waitress skirt and waved it around.

“I brought in an entire container’s worth as part of the costume event, so I was thinking we could spread some money around to hire hundreds of people to walk around dressed like this.”

“How can you hire people when summoners and vessels vanish from people’s minds?”

“We can use an intermediary by way of your Girl’s Backdoor.”

“I can only control three people. Is this really worth using up that stock?”

“If we no longer need it, we can remove them from our control. And Government is sure to think that the decoys might be manipulated by Girl’s Backdoor and thus could make indiscriminate terrorist attacks. As the world police, they cannot ignore that and will have to waste some of their personnel on them. Meanwhile, we can take advantage of our freedom.”

“So when you get down to it, you don’t know how effective it will be?”

“As I said, it’s half for peace of mind and half pure harassment, ma’am. Anyone with any sense will catch on immediately, but it will still allow us to rest easy. The trick to enjoying revenge is to add some fun into the efficiency☆”

“Hmph,” snorted Murasame Kuina.

She nodded to give her approval and then spoke.

“Then are you ready to go?”

“Yes, ma’am. I am ready to go anywhere you want.”

Despite the care she took in preparing the tea, she apparently had no intention of cleaning it up.

There was a simple reason for that.

As soon as the two of them stood up, something shook in a corner of the room. The figure lying on the wooden flooring had two arms, two legs, and long black hair that spread out like seaweed to hide the face.

It was the owner of the room.

The college girl had been controlled by Girl’s Backdoor and given a flowchart with only one instruction: curl up in the corner.

Part 3

Miyama Gouta was a man in his prime who would turn fifty this year.

He was a soldier who had never once set foot on the battlefield and yet the chest of his deep blue military uniform glittered with a great quantity of medals. He stood inside one of Government’s Anthills.

A number of conditions were necessary to construct an Anthill, but the most important was a facility that functioned as a miniature model of society. It could be any number of things: a school, a hospital, a prison, a military base, a casino, a theatre, a hotel, a prep school, etc. Any relatively closed facility that managed a group under a single system could be remade into an Anthill.

That meant Miyama was inside one such facility.

It was A Block’s international airport.

“What? Are you still falling behind on preparing for the evacuation operation? We’re pressed for time, so finish as scheduled no matter what it takes! I don’t care about trivial safety management! We need to focus on ensuring the core of the Anthill escapes!! Use your head, you fool!! They may be bloodthirsty murderers, but their skill is at Freedom’s 900 level. Do I really have to tell you that losing our valuable research results in an indiscriminate attack is simply unacceptable!?”

There was not the slightest doubt on his face as he shouted angrily into a cellphone. He truly believed that the scales of good or evil were entirely dependent on whether or not whatever it was would allow the entire project – including himself – to escape safely.

“Listen. Do not delay this evacuation operation even by a single second. I don’t care if it’s a hangnail or a mouth ulcer; even the slightest loss or damage is your responsibility. If you get that, then get those hands working! Yes, your hands! We don’t need you your mouth or your brain!!”

The airport’s floorplan looked quite open, but it was cleverly designed so a full two-thirds of its space was off limits. Miyama Gouta swaggered past the strict defenses, ignored the guards who made sure to salute, and knocked on a waiting room door.

His expression made a complete about-face.

The middle-aged military officer put on an almost creepily bright smile and spoke sweetly to the young woman lounging on the sofa.

He spoke to the researcher who was a central member of the Anthill.

“I am so very sorry, Miss Heartocean. Our schedule has been delayed due to inclement weather. Once the conditions clear up, we can take off immediately.”

“Anything’s fine with me as long as you let me continue my research.”

Maria Heartocean did not bother looking in the soldier’s direction and stared at the back of her hand and her fingernails instead.

Miyama’s right temple twitched disconcertingly, but he managed to respond with a smile.

“Is there anything else you lack?”

“Everything.”

Maria said that with no hint of sarcasm. She made it sound like that was simply the truth.

She seemed to be displaying the colors of Government, the world police.

“I’d especially like for you to do something about the internet connection. I mean, nothing but Wi-Fi and only two antennae? Is that supposed to be a joke? Humans have a limited lifespan, so wasting time like this could lead to missing a major discovery. And can you take responsibility if that happens? How?”

“I will arrange for it right away. I was given strict orders to give you the best hospitality possible, Miss Heartocean.”

“Also, does this violate the safety standards?”

Maria pointed straight ahead.

This was the strictly guarded off-limits zone of an international airport.

This was an important Government base.

This was the core of an Anthill.

Nevertheless, a large knife was stabbed vertically into the cushion of the two-person leather sofa across from Maria Heartocean.

“A boy wandered in here earlier and did that, but I’m not too familiar with the local slang. Do you think it’s some kind of message?”

“Impossible…”

Miyama froze up for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Someone had carried a blade into the same room as their top priority personnel. And no one had noticed. It was just as unreasonable as finding unidentified fingerprints all over the inside of a nuclear weapons vault.

“Impossible!? Who!? How!?”

His extensive knowledge of the usual security setup robbed this feat of all reality.

He was utterly confused and turned toward the door to call for his men.

That was when Miyama Gouta saw it.

“Hi. Would you have preferred a box of chocolates?”

Alice (with) Rabbit spoke calmly with his arms folded and his back resting against the door.

“…!?”

The military officer was shocked speechless and Maria gave a casual wave.

“Yahoo. Now that I think about it, you’re still borrowing Isabelle, aren’t you? How’s she doing? Are you using her well?”

“At the very least, I’m treating her with more humanity than any of you did. I’m not entirely sure I should give her back.”

“Ah ha ha. Yeah, I guess you would figure that out. That isn’t good…”

After that quick exchange, Kyousuke turned back toward Miyama Gouta.

“Just as a warning, we didn’t use an Incense Grenade to get in. We simply used the fact that people forget all about summoners and vessels as soon as they look away. Do you get what that means?”

“Heh hehn(deadpan). I already super-sized get it.”

“That’s great, Isabelle, but I don’t think he understands just how serious the situation is yet. …And even if there’s a big event in the city, it’s probably not a good idea to have the airport workers wear costumes too. Their uniforms act as something like an ID.”

“Wha-…wha-…?”

Miyama seemed to finally remember how to breathe.

He saw Maria lightly waving at Kyousuke and realized they had gone over his head. The dirty reality of authority and hierarchy dragged his mind back to the colorful world.

He had been humiliated here.

To anyone with bureaucratic power, that felt more damaging than being stabbed with an actual knife.

“What are those lowly hired hands doiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!?”

“It might be unofficial, but you’re the man in charge here and yet you fell for it more than anyone.”

Kyousuke did not bat an eye as the man stepped closer.

They glared at each other from only a few centimeters apart.

“Listen. If I can do this, then someone else can too. Just to be clear, expert assassins are a lot better at this sort of job than expert bodyguards. …Liar Cat will go even further. Once you understand that, rethink everything you’re doing here. They’re Freedom Award 920. That’s higher than 903.”

“Don’t you talk down to me! Do you have any do who I am!?”

“Good question. Who were you again?” Kyousuke continued leaning against the door. “Were you the optimist who honestly believes bullets will magically avoid him? Or maybe you were the narrow-minded fool who has lost sight of the approaching threat because he’s so busy figuring out how to corner Aika since he hates her so much? No, maybe you were the coward who was willing to abandon all 3000 of his men just to get the last seat on the ark. …People’s reputations are just like summoner names; they’re chosen by the people around them. So what does that make you?”

“You…!! You dare criticize me while ignoring your own failure!?”

“We were after Girl’s Backdoor in the first place. Without Aika and Lu-san’s help, the initial diversion plan would have caused much more damage. Plus, the targets would all have been innocent civilian girls. And let’s not forget that we didn’t keep what we learned to ourselves. We sent Government detailed reports including sample Girl’s Backdoors. Although the only people who did anything useful with that information were Aika and Academia here. You didn’t put together any kind of plan, you ignored the threat to civilians, and then when your precious world police were attacked, you shove all the blame onto us? Didn’t I tell you that people don’t get to choose their own reputation? That’s up to the people around them.”

Kyousuke pointed to the other side of the room with his chin.

The military officer hesitantly turned around in time to hear a relaxed comment from Maria Heartocean who was looking at her fingernails on the sofa.

“To be honest, I don’t really care either way.”

“M-Miss Heartocean…?”

“But Alice (with) Rabbit did a pretty good job of proving that I’m just waiting around to be killed under the current system. I’m not sure I like the sound of that. I can’t stop wondering why I should even listen to you when I can tell you’re going to fail.”

His career was dead in the water.

That simple fact burned through the last thread of rationality in the military officer’s head.

“I-I’ll kill you. I’ll beat you to death, you damn brat!!”

“Yes, yes. Thanks for playing.”

As the military officer tried to grab him, Kyousuke slammed the man’s face against the door, knocking him out in a single blow. Then he spoke indifferently.

“Now you won’t have to lose your life in your reckless evacuation operation, so I hope you’re at least a little thankful.”

“Nuuun(deadpan). I don’t think there’s even a small-sized chance of that.”

Kyousuke showed no respect for the organization or the slightest courtesy while intruding on someone else’s territory. It was true Aika and Lu Niang Lan had made a mistake, but he was essentially forcing Government to overlook it by threatening them. From beginning to end, he selfishly prioritized his own feelings, so he could never function properly in an organization.

But.

That was exactly why Shiroyama Kyousuke belonged to Freedom rather than Government or Illegal.

Those who praised freedom above all else and hated any kind of restrictions would meet some level of resistance from society. But some of those people would force through it with their own strength and those were the people who had naturally gathered together and built a loose framework around themselves.

In that way, he was the same as Liar Cat.

If he was to take advantage of those traits, he had to understand them.

“So.” Maria looked away from her fingernails and asked a question. “What should I do now?”

“If you want a 100% chance of death, feel free to continue with Government’s plan. If you would prefer something risky but with a chance of survival, then help us.”

Kyousuke explained the counter-proposal they had come up with. It would minimize the damage and ensure they could predict and intercept Liar Cat’s attack. There was only one enemy pair, so even if it was risky, there was nothing to fear once that pair was defeated. To do that, they had to drag the most important piece of the Anthill Project – Maria – to the front line as bait. All other personnel and equipment would remain on standby. There would be no diversions or body doubles. By bringing the biggest target out in just the one place, Liar Car would definitely take the bait, knowing full it was a trap. And when they knew the attack was coming, it would be easy to fight back.

In a way, the plan would show its effects much more quickly. But it was also like throwing the president out onto the battlefield alone to draw out the guerillas or terrorists. The king in shogi had nothing on the underside because it was assumed the king itself would not move out to the enemy side of the board to be promoted. It was a plan that the Government world police could never agree to.

But…

“That’s fine.”

It barely sounded like Maria Heartocean had even thought about her answer.

In fact, she so casually threw out Government’s standard assumptions that Kyousuke was a little worried that she had not even considered the fact that this was her life they were talking about.

“I never really cared who was handling the evacuation operation’s security or how they were doing it. As long as a product works, who cares who made it? As long as you have no reason to worry about its quality, that is.”

She was implying that the military officer collapsed on the floor had been inadequate.

Isabelle tilted her head.

“I’m medium-sized worried whether everyone will accept this.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Government is all about the vertical divides, so they have to obey no matter how selfish the people above them get.”

Maria laughed.

“And I bet no one really wanted to be the sacrifice to let some VIPs escape safely. They’ll probably breathe a sigh of relief when they hear that farce has been called off. Especially when the replacement plan lets them get back at Liar Cat.”

She waved her hand.

“Also, Aika-chan’s pretty popular around here. From what I’ve heard, she really looks after people in her middleman job, so she never leaves a summoner stuck in the middle of the battlefield and she acts as a buffer with Illegal and Freedom which helps them avoid needless killing. There must have been a lot of people with a hidden dislike of how all the blame was being shoved onto her. If we give a small push in the right direction, things will change a lot easier than you think.”

“Then let’s do that. I’d appreciate it if you contacted us once those adjustments are complete.”

“Oh? You’re going to look after me to the end?”

“No matter how it happened, I do feel responsible for the leaked information ‘in my own way’.”

“Are you sure it isn’t about Liar Cat?”

“…”

Shiroyama Kyousuke briefly fell silent at her smooth reply.

There was no real sarcasm or irony in Maria Heartocean’s voice. She was simply stating the facts with a boldness unique to Government.

“Freedom Award 920, Liar Cat. An unusual summoner who binds a contract with her client and thoroughly supports their revenge. For that reason, her vessel changes every time and can be seen as identical to her client. …Don’t forget that we are Government. We’re going to do our research on the enemy trying to take a bite out of us.”

And Maria continued.

“That means the summoner is in charge. Or rather, her beliefs and specs form Liar Cat’s identity. Which leads me to a very, very, verrrry interesting fact about this summoner named Beyondetta.”

She laughed.

“Apparently, her full name is Beyondetta Shiroyama. Interesting, no?”

Facts

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