The Black Suit's words sounded so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh.
With a mocking tone, I replied, "Since when did Kivotos have such a tradition?"
To be honest, after hearing Arona joke about it once, I'd half-seriously looked it up out of curiosity. As expected, nothing of the sort existed.
The Black Suit tilted his head. "What tradition? Ah, I think I understand. Heh, Takanashi Hoshino or rather, Horus... is merely an exception among students.
"Takanashi Hoshino's weapon is the Eye of Horus, the symbol of Horus's royal authority. For a monarch who rules over kingship, there is only one person with whom they willingly share their highest power.
"Their beloved."
I could only understand fragments of what he was saying.
But I knew one thing for sure, none of it mattered.
"Enough idle talk, don't you think?"
"You're right. Then let's return to the main topic. To begin with, I must make one thing clear that we have no intention of opposing you. In fact, we wish to cooperate.
"We believe that for our plans, you pose the greatest potential obstacle. A small school like Abydos is nothing to be concerned about.
"But you, Sensei, are not to be underestimated. We would prefer to avoid conflict with you."
His tone was sincere, yet I frowned deeply.
"Cooperate? You?" I stared straight into the eyes of the mysterious being before me.
And in that moment, I understood one truth.
The Black Suit was not from Kaiser Corporation.
"Ah, right," he continued lightly. "I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? We, like you, come from beyond Kivotos... but from a different domain.
"We have borrowed a name that suits us for now, 'Gematria.' You may refer to us as that.
"As for me, you can continue calling me 'the Black Suit.' I've grown rather fond of it.
"We are observers, seekers, researchers.
"You could say that, like you, we are beings beyond comprehension."
With that, the Black Suit once again extended his gloved hand toward me.
"Allow me to ask... would you consider cooperating with us, Gematria?"
Cooperation.
An amusing proposition.
I looked down at his outstretched, gloved hand and began to smile.
I grasped it firmly, meeting his "eyes" with steady sincerity.
"Why not? Let's begin our partnership right now, starting with you returning Hoshino to me. How about that?"
But the Black Suit shook his head, regret in his voice.
"...It seems you still lack the intent for this. To reject an offer that could grant truth and mystery alike... What exactly are you pursuing in Kivotos?"
Truth? Mystery?
I couldn't care less about such things. All I sought was to live peacefully, in quiet happiness.
But that was not something I needed to tell him.
Casually, I replied, "What I love, that is what I pursue."
"...Sensei, do you believe your current actions are justified? What right do you have to demand that we return Takanashi Hoshino to you? She no longer belongs to Abydos. Have you not confirmed her letter of resignation?"
"Letter of resignation? What letter?" I narrowed my eyes and smiled faintly. "You mean that useless piece of paper without my signature? The one that carries no validity whatsoever?"
The Black Suit fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"I see. So since you are her Sensei, a student's withdrawal requires your approval. I understand... yes, yes. The relationship between academy, student, and teacher... how troublesome these concepts can be."
And I understood as well. Even the Black Suit was bound by certain rules.
Compared to the chaotic good of some students, I preferred this kind of orderly evil. At least order could be leveraged, and rules could be used to restrain their malice.
Perhaps limited cooperation with Gematria wasn't impossible. So long as they did not lay a hand on my students.
"Sensei," the Black Suit proposed, "would you consider letting go of Abydos? If you abandon Hoshino, I could protect the school for you."
I smiled warmly. "No need to trouble yourself. Abydos is already under my protection."
"I see... after all, you have already inherited the Eye of Horus." His tone turned sharp, dangerous. "So you intend to stand against us no matter what? Without power, how do you plan to fight?"
An ominous, cold pressure surged from him like a rising tide, bearing down on me.
It was the pressure of one who possessed power upon one who did not.
Instinctively, I activated the Lion's Dignity, trying to resist, but it had no effect at all.
Because suddenly, the Black Suit retracted his aura and stood up abruptly, his voice filled with disbelief.
"This... What is this? Why... Why would someone who should be an ordinary human possess..."
He stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something. I could feel his gaze fixate on my chest.
Or rather, on the credit card resting there.
"...May I take a look?"
His voice trembled with reverence, eagerness, even submission.
I was wary, but seeing no intent of force from him, I hesitated briefly before nodding and showing him the card from a distance.
"This... this is... no, this isn't how it should look... Why? Why?
"Whose work is this? The convergence of possibilities with imposed limitations... traces of alchemy... the Decagrammaton?
"No... something higher...! As above, so below... this is the Great Threefold... no... beyond even that... could it be..."
The Black Suit grew increasingly agitated, trembling as he spoke, until at last he lifted his head with a gasp.
"You... you've already achieved such a great feat?
"No wonder... no wonder you show such disdain for the truths and mysteries we seek... no...
"You are the true Gematria!"
I had no idea what he was talking about. Still, seeing that the card had seemingly intimidated him, I kept my mouth shut to avoid giving myself away. I could only guess that perhaps before I lost my memory, I'd been some extraordinary figure.
...If that's the case, what a pitiful fall from grace.
Well, I'd just take it as a compliment for now.
Outwardly calm, I gave him a slow, knowing nod.
The Black Suit spoke again, his tone cautious yet reverent. "Sensei, may I ask you one question?"
I said nothing, simply watching him in silence, an implicit yes.
If his question was easy to answer, I'd respond vaguely. If not, I'd simply scold him for overstepping.
Seeing my silence, he hesitated, but curiosity as a seeker won over his fear.
"To you... what do students mean?"
That was an easy one.
I silently exhaled and answered flatly, "All students of Kivotos are merely the steps that help me climb to higher places. Nothing more."
"I see... steps to ascend... a higher place..." The Black Suit seemed to ponder deeply, then nodded in satisfaction. "I understand now. Sensei, meeting you today has been the greatest fortune since my arrival in Kivotos. I believe I now grasp the essence.
"Hoshino is in the central laboratory of the PMC base in the Abydos Desert.
"The 'Mimetic' experiment aimed to observe the hidden side of mysteries, terror. We wanted to see if that could be applied to living students."
"Yes, Hoshino was the test subject."
"If she failed, we intended to replace her with the Wolf God, Anubis... but it seems that won't be necessary anymore.
"Sensei, would you allow Gematria to continue observing your actions in the future?"
I didn't answer his question.
Instead, I stood, extended my hand, and shook his again.
"Thank you for the information. I hope we can work together someday."
"Of course! Of course! If we could receive your guidance, Gematria would consider it the highest honor! May your next operation go smoothly!"
After exchanging overly enthusiastic farewells, I returned to Schale.
By the time I arrived, it was already evening. The girls gathered in the lounge quickly surrounded me, asking questions, worried and curious.
Though tired, I thanked them kindly and told them that I had found Hoshino's location.
"The Abydos Desert, at the PMC base. Tomorrow morning, I'll contact our allies and launch a surprise attack. Judging by today's results, our forces should be more than enough."
I smiled. "So, everyone, get some rest tonight. We'll need all our strength for tomorrow's operation."
After receiving their cheerful affirmations, I went downstairs to buy a boxed meal from the convenience store. I'd wanted to chat with the cute clerk, Sora, maybe tease her a little but sadly, she seemed quite wary of me.
All thanks to idiots like Aru and Kirino ruining my reputation.
I grumbled inwardly, promising myself that one day, I'd do something truly scandalous to make the rumors worth it.
After finishing my meal and taking a bath, I was just about to lie down for a nap when I heard a knock at the door.
To my surprise, it was Haruka.
She held something in both hands, offering it to me nervously. "Th-this, Sensei... I... um..."
I took it from her and glanced down—it was the illustrated guide to marine life I had once given to Hoshino.
"Done reading and returning it, huh? I'll take it back then. Go get some rest."
But Haruka lingered at the doorway, hesitant, as if she had more to say.
At my gentle prompting, she gathered her courage. "The last page... please, take a look."
I did as she asked and my eyes froze on the spot.
"...Did you write this?"
"N-no... it was already there..."
I fell silent, staring at the warped, distorted handwriting that seemed to carry the pain and confusion of its writer.
"I don't deserve happiness."