Inside the basilica reception room. Beatrice stared at Kenji sitting across from her with a look of disbelief. Kenji took a sip of the coffee Beatrice herself brought and then violently contorted his face.
"What is this. Did you just scoop up sewer water?"
"...It's coffee made with Saori from Joma."
"No wonder. It's delicious."
Kenji smiled contentedly and sipped the coffee. A soft laugh escaped Beatrice's lips, but Kenji pretended not to hear it. Instead, he looked at Saori standing dazedly in the corner of the room and gave a faint smile.
"You brew it well. You could open a cafe later."
"U, uh... Yes. Thank you."
"Hey, speak casually. Casually. Why the sudden formal speech?"
'Why the sudden formal speech?' Saori didn't quite understand the current situation. Rushing over with her squad due to a sudden callout, the intruder turned out to be the man who helped her a year ago, and that person had ties with 'Madam'? In a situation more novel-like than any ordinary novel, Saori rolled her eyes and moved her lips silently. But before she could speak, Beatrice was faster. Staring at Saori with dozens of eyes, she set down the coffee cup she held.
"Saori. Step outside for a moment."
"Understood, Madam."
It was an immediate reply. Since it was something one must not do—defying Madam's order, harboring doubts, or even asking back—Saori immediately erased any stray thoughts from her mind and left the reception room. Kenji stared blankly at her retreating back with an expressionless face, then *thud*, set down his coffee cup.
"So."
Beatrice opened her mouth. Kenji turned his head toward her. Eyes like obsidian and ruby collided in mid-air. Whichever, both were colors too murky to be called gemstones.
"What is the reason for your visit? No, more than that, how did you get in here?"
"Well, I'm not really sure either."
Kenji spat that out with a wry smile.
Meaning he has no intention of telling. Beatrice clicked her tongue and crossed her legs. Her red skin peeked briefly between the pure white dress.
"Then would you please leave? Not interfering with each other, isn't that one of Gematria's principles? What you're doing now goes against that principle."
"Why is that? I 'coincidentally' set foot here, and 'coincidentally' you were here. And, I haven't obstructed or interfered with anything of yours."
It was sophistry. A fact Kenji knew, and a fact Beatrice knew very well too. But Kenji didn't blink an eye. With a face of iron, he held an attractive smile and took another sip of coffee. Beatrice's hidden hand under the table clenched into a fist.
"...Do you think you can get away with doing this?"
Beatrice spoke, struggling to hide her voice trembling with anger.
"This is my territory. If I give the order, everyone stationed here will go berserk trying to kill you, didn't you think of that?"
"You."
Kenji answered with a faint smile. It was a smile that would make most women' hearts flutter, but Beatrice felt a different emotion.
Fear.
Her body trembled slightly.
"Didn't you think that I would kill all those bastards and then kill you too?"
"..."
"You wouldn't know. Where I've been and what I've done for 3 years, no, 3 months."
Kenji set down the coffee cup. Just that action. Merely moving his arm, yet a murderous intent so intense filled the reception room. Beatrice's face twisted very, very slightly. A contortion from terror.
"Killed, and killed again, and kept killing while dying. I've crushed heads whole before, and conversely, been crushed too. Do you know the pain of having your organs torn apart one by one? The sensation of cerebrospinal fluid flowing from a hole in your head? Have you ever physically felt the fact that you can maintain consciousness for a few seconds even after your head is cut off?"
"..."
"Haven't even felt such things, yet you'll kill me? Using someone else's hand at that?"
After speaking that far, Kenji let out a long breath and leaned back against the chair. Then the murderous intent that had filled the reception room vanished as if it were a lie. Beatrice's stiffened body relaxed. Letting out a sigh of relief unnoticed, she glared at Kenji. At that gaze, Kenji snorted a laugh and crossed his legs.
"Cringy. Let's stop this talk here. You'd prefer that too, right?"
"...If you wish it so. Then let's talk about something else."
"I was about to do that anyway."
Kenji rolled only his eyes to stare at Beatrice and continued.
"That, Saori from earlier? Her and the unit she's part of. Can I take them with me?"
"What did you say?"
Beatrice's eyes widened. She reacted emotionally for once, slamming the table *bang*.
"No. Those children are subordinate to me, they will be loyal to me foreverㅡ"
"No? Really?"
Kenji twisted the corner of his mouth upward. Black ink seethed in his grasp.
"Shouldn't that be impossible?"
"..."
"Right?"
Beatrice couldn't say anything.
*
Since the girl named Saori seemed more important to Beatrice than he thought, compromise was inevitable. Taking them away was impossible, but living with them at the Arius Branch School as an executive and instructor was permitted. Even an idiot whose head doesn't work could tell that proposal was aimed at surveillance.
But from Kenji's perspective, there was no reason to grit his teeth and refuse that offer either. Just as Beatrice wanted to keep him close and watch him, he could conversely watch her too. The saying 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer' didn't come about for nothing. Kenji walked toward the derelict building where the squad stayed, thinking.
'Still don't know why she tried to kidnap me using Gehenna's hand.'
At this point, it didn't matter anyway. Because ultimately, regardless of the cause, the result headed for the worst. Hearing the reason wouldn't make him forgive her or let her live.
When the chance comes.
'I'll kill her.'
No change in plan. Kenji rolled a bead-shaped fear between his fingers and hardened his gaze lethally. The existing squad executive assigned as surveillance and guide watched Kenji's expression. Her neck, which he had hit earlier, still throbbed...
'Why did Madam give me this role...'
The moment she thought that, they arrived at the squad's residence. Forcing a smile, she slightly stepped aside for Kenji.
"Here it is. You can go inside. I didn't give them advance notice, but they'll probably make room for you somehow, so you don't need to worry."
"Yeah."
Kenji gave a casual reply and trudged into the derelict building. With that, the executive's role ended. She stared blankly at Kenji's retreating back, then quickly walked toward the basilica. Kenji noticed this too but didn't stop her. Because he had no particular interest in her.
Conversely, he had personal interest in the squad, the unit including Saori. What on earth kind of group are they, to have come all the way up to Trinity just to find food to escape this place? Moreover, Saori's appearance in the reception room wasn't normal. Band-aids on her face, and bruises and bandages all over her slightly exposed legs—it was absolutely not a state fitting for a girl her age.
'Does Beatrice abuse her?'
Nonsense. Given that bitch's personality, she wouldn't abuse someone. She'd probably treat her with indifference instead. Seeing her try to keep Saori by any means, it didn't seem like she had no interest in her, but was that truly the right kind of interest? He couldn't be sure.
While pondering, he reached the entrance of the derelict building. Kenji steadied his breath once, then opened the creaking door and went inside.
"...?"
A guest was inside. A girl with mint-colored hair and eyes close to ash-gray. Like Saori, her face was also familiar. Kenji chuckled and waved at her, who was blinking her eyes.
"Hi. Long time no see."
"...U, uuh..."
Tsuchinaga Hiyori. She looked up at Kenji dazedly, then suddenly jumped up from her seat. Then, hurriedly ran up to the second floor of the building.
"Bweeeeee! A strange, a strange man has come to the house! Princess! Run away quickly!"
"Intruder?"
A pale face peeked out from the second-floor staircase. A girl with an impressive pure white bob cut reaching her shoulders. After confirming Hiyori crying 'Bweeeeee' and running over, she turned her head toward the intruder. But unlike Hiyori, she wasn't flustered. Instead, she opened her eyes wide and stared at Kenji.
"You are..."
"Long time no see."
Kenji greeted with a bitter smile. Shirasu Azusa. She almost instinctively returned the greeting toward Kenji, then startled, jumped over the staircase railing, and landed in front of Kenji. Then she looked up at Kenji with a panicked face.
"Y, you can't be here. I don't know how you got in, but you have to leave quickly!"
"Why."
"Saori will come soon. Then, then you'll be taken to Madam or killed. Before that, hurry!"
"Thanks for the warning, but I think it's already too late."
Kenji chuckled and pointed behind him. Saori with a dark expression was opening the building door and coming inside. Azusa's body flinched, but then resolutely hardened her face and stepped forward as if to protect Kenji.
For her, it was an unusual event. But letting someone who once received a favor be driven out like this shouldn't happen. Azusa released the safety on her assault rifle and guarded against Saori. But Saori looked inside the building and took no action. She just blinked her eyes as if wondering what this situation was.
Toward her, Kenji spoke with a laugh.
"See you again?"
"...Why are you here...?"
"I have something to discuss about that. Could you gather the others?"
At Kenji's request, Saori seemed to ponder briefly but soon nodded. It was a request from a benefactor and someone who could converse equally with Madam. The latter's influence was stronger, but whatever the case, there was no reason to refuse. Saori immediately told Azusa to stay here, then went upstairs to bring the remaining squad members.
All were familiar faces. A girl with a strange mask and lavender hair, a girl with black bob cut and an indifferent expression, the girl who cried and ran away earlier, and the girl with white hair. And Saori included.
Their overall build had grown larger compared to a year ago, but their limbs were still skinny. Perhaps because they couldn't wash, dust clung to their clothes and faces. Well, where would they have the leisure to wash and do laundry in this damn place? All he saw while walking were derelict buildings and ruins. And non-working lights, water fountains, stagnant water with bugs floating—so one could roughly guess how harshly they had been living.
'Beatrice, that bitch, doesn't she manage them at all?'
Anyway, a displeasing bitch. Kenji clicked his tongue once, then plopped down on a suitably empty chair. Perhaps because Saori gave them a heads-up, none of the five acted hostile. Thanks to that, the conversation would likely go smoother.
"Have you been well until now?"
Kenji asked with a smile. Saori answered.
"Thanks to you, we've been well."
"Yeah? That's fortunate." QnVhM0pZejVubTdBNk8yK0ZvQkc2VFc3MjAxZ0FTbEpNV1VtMm5xblMxK1hJcEd1WXlMVjZuNFE5WTlMcEVIUQ
With those words, silence flowed. Kenji frowned slightly as if choosing his words, and Saori's nervousness was evident. In the end, Kenji was the one who opened his mouth first.
"...Anyway, this formal conversation is uncomfortable for both of us. I'll just get straight to the point. Is that still okay?"
"It's okay."
"Then I'll say it directly. From now on, I'll be in charge of you all. Beatrice said to think of me as an executive, or rather an instructor."
This time too, silence flowed. But this silence broke faster than before.
"Huh?"
"Hweh?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
"..."
*Whoosh- whoosh-*
The reactions were truly dramatic. Kenji chuckled and spat out.
"Let's sleep for now. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow. It's late anyway."
"But."
"Hey now, instructor's order. Let's sleep and talk tomorrow. I'm tired too, so I should probably sleep now."
Kenji said that and got up from the chair.
...Thinking about it, if we're going to talk tomorrow, was there really a need to gather them? He felt sorry for waking them up for no reason. They probably all woke up from that mint-haired girl's crying anyway, but maybe not. With a bitter smile, Kenji gently stroked Azusa's head who stood right in front of him. Her hair was full of dust, but he didn't mind.
Doing this reminded him of Seia. She really loved having her head stroked too, wonder if there's anyone to stroke it for her these days. Since she disliked other people's touch besides mine, probably not.
Looking down at Azusa with an expression full of longing and regret, Kenji smiled bitterly and lowered his hand.
"I'll come again in the morning. See you then."
With those words, Kenji left the building. There was no hand to stop him. It didn't matter anyway.
He exited the building and looked up at the sky for a moment. The sky full of clouds covered even the usual constellations and moon. But Kenji stared blankly at that gloomy sky, contrasting with Trinity's beautiful night sky, for a long time.
For some reason, he missed those girls especially today.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 123
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T