Note: This chapter begins a long epilogue arc for this book.
One day, Deya decided to meet with Kurisu. After Deya learned of her brother's death and started drinking, her friend had tried everything to pull her out of it.
But when she realized all her attempts were fruitless, they had a major falling out. Today, Deya decided to arrange a meeting, as her mission was complete, and she wanted to try to apologize.
They met in a small, cozy café. When the girls sat down, Deya began:
"First of all, I need to apologize. When we came back here several years ago, I didn't know what I would do after we met. We quickly grew close, and I really want to tell you everything, but I can only do that if you accept this."
With that, Deya took out pills from her bag.
"I won't lie to you, this is poison. It's harmless; all you need to do is take the antidote once every six months. What I want to tell you could ruin the lives of not only me but also people who are very dear to me. If you don't take this, you'll still remain my friend, but I think over time we'll drift apart."
Thoughtfully twirling the pill in her hands, Kurisu realized that all she had left was the job she'd gotten thanks to the girl who was several years younger than her and had saved her life.
For the past few years, she had lived only for her work, and despite their falling out, she worried about her friend. That's why she decided to take the pills.
As soon as she did, Kurisu noticed Deya was clearly relieved, and after taking a deep breath, she spoke:
"I'm very glad I can be open with you. As you know, when we returned, we learned that my brother and his family were dead. But the truth is, my brother survived that night. Doctors call it a miracle; some say the gods love him very much. My brother always says they hate him, and after what happened, I'm inclined to agree. But when we returned, I didn't know this; back then, I was on the verge of breaking. But Yuno — my brother's adopted daughter, despite her age, was the one who replaced my mother — she is now in charge of all my brother's projects, assigned me a task. She was sure that someone from my brother's inner circle was behind the attack on our house and tasked me with investigating."
"But from what I was able to find out, a well-armed group attacked your family's house. Who could have had such resources?" Kurisu interjected when Deya paused to catch her breath.
"My brother is the founder of the Crimson Devils. Shortly before the attack on our house, they had dug up a sea of compromising material on representatives of the elite from various countries. There was also compromising material on the father of my brother's best friend. My task was to find out if they were involved."
"As I understand it, they were behind it. But from what you've told me, your brother is quite the paranoid. I'm sure his house had plenty of security. How did anyone manage to pull off an attack on the home of the leader of the most dangerous assassins' group?" asked Kurisu, still processing her surprise.
"The Devils have a founding council. It consists of the first generation. They always knew the organization would eventually fall and did everything possible to make it last as long as possible. But no one expected traitors to appear in their ranks so quickly."
Deya's voice held a mixture of anger and hatred, and even though Kurisu knew it wasn't directed at her, the girl flinched. Noticing she had frightened her friend, Deya struggled to compose herself and said:
"Sorry."
Taking her friend's hand, Kurisu squeezed it gently and said:
"Don't worry, it's okay. But from what I know about the Devils, their ranks mostly consist of those who have suffered from violence or their relatives. I watch every episode of 'Voice of Truth,' and I can say for sure that the people who came to their interviews were very grateful to the Devils. Who could have started a rebellion, and why?"
"The rebellion was led by Jesse, one of the children Yuno once cared for. He fell in love with her, but Yuno herself only saw my brother. He made a deal with my brother's friend Tyler that after the attack, she would be given to him. Those who followed him wanted a lavish lifestyle and wanted to blackmail the political elite for big money. These events led to all Devils and their family members now taking these pills. While Yuno took over managing the Devils and all the family assets, she tasked me with finding out who was behind the attack. First, I checked Frank and Jill, then Tyler and Cassie."
"Now I understand that your breakdown was just a farce, but I have to admit, you played it very convincingly. Even I believed it."
"Sorry, I couldn't tell you. Even among those who went through hell themselves, there were traitors."
"I understand everything. But you said your brother survived that fire, yet to the world he's still dead. How is he doing, and what does he plan to do?"
"Not long ago, I thought he had died in that fire myself, but he was in a coma for several years. Yuno didn't tell me because she didn't want to give false hope. Recently, he had surgery; now he's learning to walk on prosthetics. As for what he plans to do, I don't know yet."
"That's not surprising. After all the trials that have fallen on your brother's shoulders, the fact that he's still alive is a miracle. I don't think I could survive the death of my children."
As Kurisu spoke these words, her voice held admiration, respect, and sympathy.
Noticing this, Deya joked:
"I can see you're interested in my brother. If there's an opportunity in the future, I'll try to introduce you."
"I truly respect him, as do all my colleagues. He's one of the few who even funds research that's unlikely to bring in big money. I really love physics, but the contribution he makes to medicine, in my opinion, is far more important."
"As soon as there's an opportunity, I'll introduce you."