At an excavation site in the Abydos Desert.
Inside a building erected there, two adults sat across from each other at a single table.
One was a man from outside Kivotos. The other, a man who had been perfected in the worst possible way.
---
I deliver her message.
The deadline is imminent; do not forget the terms of the deal.
Furthermore, do not dare to treat it as if it never happened.
Our Towed Artillery Platoon is prepared to conduct an outdoor class at any time.
We hope that your company is ready to fulfill the agreement and that you will make a wise choice.
---
"Kukuk. A truly difficult situation, is it not? While none of us have achieved our goals, the hand of the one who could be called the most dangerous person in Kivotos is now tightening around our necks."
At the words of the man in the black suit, the man who once stood at the top of a tower built by machines... the man who had founded the kingdom named Kaiser but was now left with only a small domain, the Kaiser President, lifted his bowed head.
"The sandstorm has been hindering the excavation work as it is. And is that not also the case for your plans?"
"I will not deny it. The plan to pressure Abydos with that endless sandstorm has been temporarily halted. My easily manipulated pawns are all holed up in their little hovels, waiting for the storm that will not subside to fall silent."
Yet, contrary to this situation that was not proceeding as intended, both adults were wrapped in an air of leisure.
"Do you have a suitable solution? With a single gesture from her, your little kingdom will be swept up in that storm and vanish without a trace."
"Hmph. You, on the other hand, seem quite relaxed. Have you no more need for that girl, Takanashi Hoshino?"
"Oh, that is not exactly the case. Let us just say that a new partner with whom to strike a deal has appeared."
"...Saint Nephthys. A company that was originally scheduled for a hostile takeover by us has been transformed into a monster that could devour us at any moment, all by a single person. I never thought I would experience the saying 'one cannot know what lies an inch ahead' in this way."
*Clink. Clink, clink.*
The President, lightly tapping the steel table with his fingers, declared in a low voice.
"Yes, it would be best to fulfill the deal with her."
"Oh? I believe the price of the deal you two made was 'a way to solve the desertification of Abydos.' Surely you could not have succeeded in finding such a method in such a short time?"
"The method certainly exists. Why do you think Saint Nephthys has once again plunged into this desert?"
"Indeed, as a native Abydos corporation, Saint Nephthys might be closest to the solution to this crisis. However... they are also the ones who pulled the trigger on the desertification. In a manner of speaking, they have started to defuse the bomb only after setting its timer... This, I must say, is a most interesting situation."
The man in the black suit, a grotesque smile on his face, clasped his hands together. He then looked at the President and posed the crucial question.
"But there is no guarantee that Saint Nephthys is acting on certainty, and there is even less reason for them to provide you with that information. President, what are you scheming?"
"...All the answers lie in Abydos."
"Oh? Are you saying that that small, now-ruined academy holds the answer?"
"I find it in poor taste to speak nonsense when you have already guessed. The remnants holed up in the last remaining annex could not possibly hold such important information."
Letting out a low laugh, the President spoke of two coordinates.
"The place where everything in Abydos began. And the place they stayed just before moving to their final resting place. In these two locations, we will find the answer... or at the very least, a clue. And that alone will be enough to avoid the woman's wrath until the day the treasure is found."
"...Kukuk. Is that so? But the deadline was, I believe, a mere two weeks from now."
"Khahahaha...! It seems you do not know everything after all."
Watching the President burst into laughter, the man in the black suit unclasped his hands and slightly loosened his tie. Thinking it was no easy task to play along when he already knew everything, he pressed the President for an answer.
"The excavation has been underway for some time now. If we can just figure out what Saint Nephthys is after, we stand to gain quite a lot."
"...In the end, all you need is to buy time from her, is it not?"
"I will not deny that. Well, even for confidence that seems to pierce the heavens, winter is bound to come in the end, is it not?"
The Kaiser President, reigning over his small domain, was painting a picture of a distant future.
A future so brilliant that all of Kivotos lay at his feet.
***
To be honest, I had thought it would take quite some time for SCHALE to become fully active even after Sensei arrived. After all, my intervention had significantly changed the situation in Abydos.
I had considered that with more leeway, Hoshino might not necessarily request Sensei's help, but that was something that could change depending on the choice the man in the black suit made, so I couldn't be certain.
Anyway, to get back to why I brought this up...
"Nobody's here."
There wasn't.
Not in SCHALE's living quarters, not in the administrative wing, not in the place called a clubroom but read as Sensei's paperwork prison.
Ah, excluding the SCHALE basement. I didn't go in there, out of respect for Sensei's privacy.
Anyway, not a single shadow could be found in the SCHALE building.
I'm sure I remember pulling strings to have the rabbits assigned directly under Sensei, so the fact that none of them are at SCHALE means...
It must be fieldwork. Is there somewhere for them to go?
I thought about asking Yukino, but then I figured that since Sensei is now SRT's direct superior, there would be no reason for the RABBIT Platoon to report their activities to the FOX Platoon, a separate unit, so I gave up on that idea.
Then what could it be? First, I don't think it's the Game Development Department. Considering the time remaining until the 'Millennium Prize,' a competition where they vie based on their achievements, it's too early.
The Abydos Foreclosure Task Force? Hard to be sure. The sandstorm is so bad right now that even when I wanted to visit, Hoshino vehemently stopped me, so would she really have called Sensei over?
Still, just in case, I sent Hoshino a Momotalk.
[Hoshino-chan, do you have a sec?]
[Uhe~? What's up]
[This old man is out of battery right now]
[Just tapping the keyboard is draining my energy...]
[Um, I was just wondering if the Sensei from SCHALE might be in Abydos, so I thought I'd check!]
[SCHALE's Sensei? Hmm, I dunno]
[First I'm hearing of it]
[Besides, my fingers kinda hurt]
[Ah, okay! Sorry. Should we talk on the phone then?]
[Oh, if you put it that way, this old man's conscience might hurt a little...?]
[I'm lying down in a perfect spot for a nap right now]
[...I see. So to you, Hoshino-chan, I was a less-than-deep-sleep, just-a-passing-Mika kind of existence.]
[Uhe?! I have no idea what you're talking about]
[Later, I'll definitely call you later!]
[It's fine. Hoshino-chan is the type to easily erase someone like me from her memory after a nap anyway. Yep, you don't have to strain yourself promising to call later, okay?]
[...]
[(An emoticon of a whale prostrating itself in apology)]
[I'll really, really call you, I promise!! Just trust me this one time, Mika-chan]
[Mika has been deceived again...]
[Uhe~ I'll really call this time.]
...Wait a minute.
Lately, haven't my Momotalk conversations gotten a little unusual? They were pretty intense before, but I don't think they were like this.
Is this the change that happens after spending ten months in a high school girl's body and speaking like one...
Not that I'm particularly attached to my masculinity anymore.
To be honest, I feel like that part became irrelevant the moment I completely handed over the initiative to Nagisa.
Anyway. According to Hoshino, it seems I can cross off the Foreclosure Task Force.
The Eden Treaty... the final signing ceremony is scheduled after the ETO's trial period ends, and besides, if anyone were to call Sensei for that, it would be me, so that's obviously not it.
The rabbits are fine since I basically nipped their problems in the bud before anything could happen.
Hmm... an event story? Don't tell me it's an Affinity Story?
Or maybe, it's just some trivial fieldwork and I'm reading too much into it.
Taking advantage of the empty room, I slip into the chair Sensei uses when he works.
What's this, it's... comfortable. A comfort that makes me wonder if it's okay to be this comfortable.
With this level of comfort, if only I had Secretary Hanako by my side, I feel like I could demolish any amount of paperwork in record time.
I rest my elbows on the desk for a moment and cup my chin. Maybe because the chair is adjusted for Sensei, my feet dangle in the air, and I find myself swinging them back and forth.
...I don't know. Why am I, of all people, pondering this so seriously, as if there's anyone else like Sensei?
He's probably doing just fine on his own.
***