Chapter 290 - The Priest Speaks
(１)
"Toya-kun, breakfast!"
Airi was even more energetic than usual.
After everything that happened. Is she forcing herself to be cheerful?
"Come on~ We need to get your daily routine done!"
"Ah, yeah. You're right."
After I finished my preparations and daily routine, while I was taking a shower, Airi made breakfast and woke up Father.
I don't know how she woke him, but I heard Father's yell.
Today, the three of us had a meal.
Mother wasn't there.
To compensate, Airi livened up the place.
She was forcing her energy up.
I couldn't not respond to that Airi.
I also raised my energy to match Airi.
Father seemed to notice that, and he matched it too.
"How was your birthday?"
Father asked.
"Toya-kun was incredibly kind. It was like a dream."
She probably said that genuinely.
"I know there's Tosaka-san's wishes too, but this old man is starting to want grandchildren."
Wait, we're still students.
"W-well, we're not even married yet. And I'm still half-baked!"
"That's not true! Even without Mother, you handle the housework perfectly."
Even without Mother...
That was probably an unnecessary remark.
The atmosphere sank.
"I'll settle things by the end of today, Father."
I said that.
"Did you find out where Mother is?"
Father asked.
He was a fool through and through. The moment they used Mother's smartphone as a means of communication, their location was truly pinpointed.
The place was one of their many party venues.
One of the warehouses at the local port.
Today, everyone was going to gather and execute a rescue operation.
I told Father, "I'll disband Unity. Give me time."
He was a fool through and through. He seemed to believe that.
"Show us proof by tomorrow."
That was their answer.
Airi started cleaning the whole house, beginning with the morning tidying.
I felt a bit reluctant, so at least I cleaned my own room.
Then I got a message from Watanabe-kun.
"Gather whoever can assemble now. Tonight's strategy meeting."
When I told Airi about it, she hurried to prepare.
"Ojisan, I'm sorry about lunch and dinner..."
Airi said, looking genuinely apologetic.
"It's fine. I'll just order delivery. With Mother gone, maybe I'll get some sushi."
Easy for him to say when his own wife was kidnapped. But sushi sounds nice...
(A light tap on the head)
"Well, we're off."
And so we left.
When we got to the family restaurant, everyone was already there.
Since it was Sunday, it was crowded.
Makoto said that was more convenient.
"There are a lot of young students here, so quite a few people are using laptops."
I looked around.
Indeed, many students were doing assignments.
"We've identified the location. We've also pinpointed the Emperor's position. But there's something that bothers me."
Makoto said. Something bothers him?
"Makoto-kun, what is it?"
"There are two beings called the Pope. Not just the Pope, but also two Emperors."
When Makoto said that, Kosei and I laughed.
"Well, that makes sense. So, which one is the main culprit this time?"
"The leader is the Emperor. The main culprit this time is the Pope."
"Is the Pope directly in command?"
"Yeah, they're on site... And it seems there is a shadow leader. The code name is 'Dragon'."
That was surprising.
"But you found out a lot in a short time."
"Auntie's life is at stake, after all. Makoto-kun put in his all. He said no need to hold back."
"So, what's the plan?"
Watanabe-kun said.
I grinned.
First, some preparations.
I took out my smartphone and called Mother's phone.
I put it on speaker.
"Hello..."
A cold female voice answered.
"Do you know who this is if I say Toya?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I'm asking about disbanding. How should I prove it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just deleting the site doesn't prove disbandment, right?"
"There should be one more condition in the deal."
"Handing over Kosei and Naru?"
"That's right."
"We'll specify the date and time. 21:00 tonight. You can choose the location."
"...Come to the warehouse at the local port. Come with three people."
"Three isn't enough, right? I'm not the leader of Unity."
"Then come with four."
"Got it. Then tonight at 21:00..."
"You're more agreeable than I expected? When your own flesh and blood's life is at stake, is that how it is?"
The woman laughed.
"Well, she is my birth mother."
"This should be an interesting negotiation. See you tonight."
The call ended there.
"Amateurs. For being high-ranking, they're way too amateur."
"The Emperor probably picked them at random."
Or maybe it was the being called Dragon.
"The opponent is probably the High Priestess."
"Probably."
"Wait wait, you two, what are you nodding about?"
Watanabe-kun asked.
"Yeah! Tell us what you and Kosei figured out!"
Ai-san said.
"I got it. There are two Priests, two Popes, and two Emperors."
Airi had noticed, huh?
"What do you mean, Airi-chan?"
Emi-san asked Airi.
"Makoto-kun said it too, right? There are two Emperors and two Popes. I think there's one male and one female each."
"How can you tell it's male and female?"
"Because of 'High Priestess' and 'Pope'."
"...Ah!"
Emi-san and Akira-san seemed to realize.
"So that means the Hermit is behind it again."
Emi-san said, apparently understanding.
"Something like that? I don't know about the Dragon."
Probably this guy is the final boss?
Then his identity naturally comes into view.
"So, what's the plan for tonight?"
Watanabe-kun asked.
"For the negotiation, I'll go with Watanabe-kun, Kosei, and Naru."
"That's dangerous!"
Emi-san said.
"So I'd like to borrow Emi-san's troops."
"What do you mean?"
"Sneak into the warehouse before the time. Can you do it?"
"Don't underestimate our troops. There are many SOCOM veterans."
"I'll lend my troops too. There are SAT veterans as well."
With those two, they could probably destroy Japan...
"Akira-san, I want you to seal the entrance at the right moment."
"Got it, an easy job."
"Everyone else, stand by at home..."
"Don't tell us to wait, okay? We're going to the scene too!"
Ai-san said.
"You have soldiers, right? I absolutely don't want to just be watching!"
Even Airi.
"...Makoto and Kanna, you two stand by at home."
"Why!?"
"I want you to send instructions to everyone. We'll wear hidden headsets."
"I see, like central command?"
"Yeah. There's also another operation I want to run simultaneously."
"Operation?"
I took out a manila envelope.
"Is this the material you traded with Dad?"
When Airi said that, I nodded.
"Here, it has all the locations of their soldiers. We'll attack one of them."
"Does that mean we're going to raid them!?"
When Haruto said that, I nodded.
"Of course, led by Akira-san and Emi-san's troops."
"I'll join that! It feels like starting a counterattack, seems fun."
"It seems better for me and Emi to split up. More efficient."
"Then Akira, you participate in the raid."
"Got it. Emi, rescue operation. Akira, let's both go all out?"
I feel like they've already been going all out enough.
After discussion, the rescue operation would involve me, the Watanabes, the Ishiharas, Airi, Hiyama-kun, Sakura-san, the Nishimatsus, Kosei, Naru.
The raid would include Haruto, Shiratori-san, the Sakaies.
Everyone else was asked to handle communications and such. No need for everyone to face danger.
"So, what kind of negotiation do you expect?"
"Even if they're executives, they're low-level. We'll extract as much info as possible."
I said it would probably be easier than dealing with the Egoists.
"Sorry for dragging you and Kosei into this..."
"Urbanity is the ghost of the Egoists. We're not unrelated either. That night, I swore with Naru—we won't run..."
Kosei said. Their resolve seemed firm.
Huh? That night?
"Did something happen between you two?"
(A light tap on the head)
"Toya-kun, just eat your hamburger steak, okay♪"
"Huh? No, aren't you curious?"
"Just eat it, okay♪"
If Airi says I can eat, I'll eat. Ah, while I'm at it.
"Excuse me, I'd like to add a chicken steak."
"Katagiri-kun, you're sharp but dull. We're also in middle school, you know? If you share a room, there are things you do."
"You idiot Kosei! You don't need to say unnecessary things!"
Ah, that kind of thing.
(２)
Night, 21:00.
At a certain warehouse at the local port.
The location of the warehouse had been figured out.
Infiltrating beforehand was easy.
I sneaked in with Emi's unit and aligned the sights.
After that, just waiting for Emi's instructions.
"It's me. Give me the situation."
"All green, standby OK."
In my field of vision were Katagiri-kun and Watanabe-kun, as well as Kosei and Naru. On the other side were several soldiers pointing guns at Katagiri-kun's mother, and two Popes.
As Katagiri-kun said, they were one male and one female.
"Nice to meet you, Katagiri Toya-kun."
The man started speaking.
The negotiation begins.
"Let's skip the roundabout greetings. I want to finish this deal quickly."
"...First, hand over the Pope and the Warlock."
"Hand over my mother first."
"Then simultaneously. It's wise not to try anything funny. Your surroundings are surrounded by soldiers."
By the way, the support units had already been mostly subdued.
"Kosei, Naru."
When Katagiri-kun said that, Kosei and Naru stepped forward in front of the Popes.
When the Pope gave the order, Katagiri-kun's mother was released.
"Toya!!"
Katagiri-kun's mother hugged him.
"Mother, I'm fine. Father is waiting outside."
Katagiri-kun instructed his mother to go outside.
"Change in situation. Changing target."
"Control here. Target change acknowledged."
We aligned our sights on the two who had captured Kosei and Naru.
By the way, the reason we could hear Katagiri-kun's voice clearly was because he was wearing a bone conduction microphone we had picked up.
"Now, about the other deal..."
Katagiri-kun started speaking.
"Disbanding us—what's the purpose?"
"You guys are obstacles to us. It's natural to want to disband you, right?"
"Why are you so fixated on Kosei and Naru?"
"You don't need to know."
"This isn't getting anywhere."
Did Katagiri-kun initiate?
I put my finger on the trigger.
"Anyway, there's no way this deal would work. Do you really think we'd just say 'we'll disband' and you'd believe it?"
"I'm not that stupid. You know it, right? That there are always watchers around you."
"Even dragging innocent people into it, huh?"
Watanabe-kun said.
"The one who started it is at fault. Am I wrong?"
"We haven't indiscriminately attacked anyone!"
"Whoever started the war is at fault. After that, you're free to counterattack however you want. If you're hit, hit back. Make them realize it's not worth starting. That becomes deterrence."
"I don't recall starting a war."
"But you showed intent to oppose us."
"Indeed, you are right."
Katagiri-kun said.
"Indeed, if you strike, you'll get hurt. That can be deterrence sometimes. But it also breeds further tragedy. That repetition is war."
"You seem to understand."
"Toya, are you going to accept their argument?"
"So, if we don't act, will your demands be satisfied?"
"Yeah, we won't touch you."
"But that's not guaranteed, is it? You yourself said you're watching everyone. Are you saying we should trust you?"
"Just don't interfere with our activities and enjoy a comfortable campus life. That's what I'm saying."
"And what are you plotting by sealing us off like that?"
"We don't need to tell you that."
"You don't need to? Really?"
Katagiri-kun applied pressure.
"What do you mean?"
"You act as the Emperor tells you. Am I wrong?"
The Pope said nothing.
"Well, fine. I'll accept your deal. But there's a condition."
"A condition?"
The Pope's expression hardened.
"Let's level the playing field between you and us. You only have one card to play, but we have to use two cards. That's unfair."
"You want us to show the other card?"
The High Priestess said.
"You understand too. I want you to show the other card."
"And that is?"
"Return Kosei and Naru."
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
The Pope shouted.
Katagiri-kun was unfazed.
Did he never intend to negotiate from the start?
Once his mother was back, was the negotiation over?
"Stand by."
An order came in. I put force into the finger on the trigger.
"Don't you think there's no need to negotiate if we break our promise?"
The High Priestess remained cold.
"So, is it a breakdown in negotiations?"
Katagiri-kun said.
The people surrounding Katagiri-kun all pointed their guns at him at once.
"Have you forgotten? This is Japan, you know? If you brandish such dangerous things..."
"Police! Nobody move!!"
The police entered the warehouse.
Just as planned.
The enemy soldiers panicked.
"You bastard! You tipped off the police?"
"If you're going to watch, you have to do it properly, you know? Attacks can come from unexpected places."
Despite having guns pointed at him, Toya-kun's expression was calm.
"Impressive skill. But that's not something to be praised. Your situation hasn't changed."
The High Priestess said.
"You said you're safe because this is Japan. But there's no guarantee that Japan is peaceful. As you can see, you have many guns pointed at you."
"Can you shoot? Me, unarmed?"
"...Do it."
The High Priestess coldly gave the order.
That was the signal.
We began sniping all at once.
Quiet firing sounds echoed in the warehouse.
All the men grabbed their hands and dropped their guns.
"Charge!"
When Tosaka-san's father gave the order, the police charged in all at once.
The Pope and High Priestess were subdued.
As planned, we waited for the police to withdraw and then hid ourselves.
"Kosei! Naru!"
Emi's father rushed in.
"Uncle!"
"I was worried! Glad you're safe!"
Emi's father embraced them.
"...Don't make your parents worry too much."
Tosaka-san's father said.
"Sorry."
They apologized.
"It's okay. Let's go home for today."
"No, there's still something left to do. Right, Katagiri-kun?"
"Yeah, that's right. There's still something left to do. But it can wait for another day. No need to rush."
Saying that, Katagiri-kun smiled.
We confirmed the police had withdrawn and began our own withdrawal.
(３)
I saw an unbelievable sight.
An armored vehicle was smashing through the gate of a certain facility in Ozai, advancing.
After that, our cars entered.
"What the hell!? You bastards?" thugs from inside the building came out.
All wearing sunglasses, or despite the cold, half-naked with chest wraps and tattoos, they kept coming.
"I'll stay in the car since it's dangerous for Haruna!"
"Don't joke around."
"We have time until the police come. Everyone, go wild to your heart's content!"
Akira-chan gave an irresponsible order.
Standing around like that makes you an easy target.
The soldiers from the armored vehicle disembarked one after another. Soldiers from vans also got out.
Still, we were outnumbered.
But the soldiers mowed down the enemies who came at them with wooden swords and real Japanese swords one after another.
Haruto and Shiratori-san were the same.
The wooden swords and Japanese swords weren't just for show—they actually slashed.
Dodging those, they beat and kicked, unilaterally inflicting violence.
It seemed our side was more accustomed to fighting.
Some people even brought out handguns.
Shiratori-san dodged them with sidesteps, closed the distance, snatched the gun, and crushed the opponent's jaw with her knee.
With such a composed expression, what a frightening girl.
Haruto was similar.
While hiding behind the armored vehicle, he closed the distance while the opponent was reloading, punched them, took the weapon, and fired without mercy.
Our attacks escalated.
A phrase I never thought I'd hear in real life reached my ears.
"RPG!!"
Just to be clear, that's not an abbreviation for role-playing game.
It means the portable anti-tank grenade launcher.
It flew straight into the building and exploded.
The building caught fire, and the enemies panicked.
Investigative Division 4 was probably busy dealing with Katagiri-kun's case and hadn't come here yet.
We went wild to our hearts' content. Then we withdrew.
When I tried to withdraw, I guess my training kicked in.
I felt killing intent and pushed Akira-chan away.
A bullet hit the spot where Akira-chan had been standing.
"Stay down, Akira-chan!"
I charged at the shooter.
Using feints to keep the opponent from locking on.
Even if they shoot wildly, a Tokarev has limited ammo.
Taking advantage of the moment they ran out of ammo and tried to change magazines, I grabbed their wrist and twisted it.
I used to be a goalkeeper, after all. I'm confident in my reach.
I dodged the man's punch, grabbed his arm, and threw him down.
He was thrown onto the hard asphalt without being able to break his fall, and he groaned.
It's a goalkeeper's habit. I was wearing gloves.
I pointed the gun I'd taken at the man's forehead and pulled the trigger.
He foamed at the mouth and passed out.
He must have been really flustered.
He even forgot he'd run out of ammo.
"Zen-kun, hurry up and withdraw! If the scene gets caught, even we can't hide it!"
It's amazing they think they can hide it after all this.
By the way, it was framed as a conflict between yakuza groups, and a gas cylinder caught fire and exploded during that.
Is that okay, local police?
We've finally been designated as a violent organization... We were just a small circle.
I feel like I've been dragged into an outrageous world.
(４)
In the visiting room, Airi and I met with the High Priestess.
For one reason only.
We wanted all the information she knew about the Emperor's identity.
But the High Priestess was tight-lipped.
The reason soon became clear.
How did I know?
I could tell just by looking at her face.
"Your lover is caught up in something terrible. You know you're just being used, right?"
At that one word, she was greatly shaken.
"I'm not his girlfriend! He has another one!"
See, hit the mark.
"That girlfriend is the 'Empress'?"
"How do you know that?"
"...Let me change the question. Who is the Hermit?"
"...I've never even met him."
"What does 'World' mean?"
"...It means the local area itself."
"A rather small world."
"Everything starts from the foundation... isn't that right?"
"Indeed... And the one trying to devour that world is the Dragon?"
"...That's right."
I see. I mostly learned what I wanted to know. The rest, Makoto and Airi's dad will look into.
"You have the right to remain silent, and you'll be released soon, and then disposed of by Death. Right?"
"...That's right."
"I want to protect you."
"!? ...Why?"
Airi was also surprised.
"For our own reasons. I'll use you to lure out Death. Pulling them out one by one like a chain, and the destination is the 'Tower'."
"What exactly are you people?"
"Just college students. Just a group that gets together and plays around."
"So even with us, it's just play?"
"It's not a planned activity, though."
"I see."
"One more thing, if I may?"
(A light tap on the head)
"After games and manga, now it's dramas? I told you that's no good, right?"
It's a line I rarely get to say, so I wanted to try it.
"Do you know why you're so fixated on the Pope and Warlock?"
"...I don't know. I just moved as the Emperor and Empress told me."
"Thank you. Well then, see you."
"Hey!"
The High Priestess called out.
"What's wrong?"
"Please help those two! If they're just being used...!"
"I'll do my best."
Saying that, I left the visiting room.
"Hey? Toya-kun?"
"What is it?"
"Did you grasp everything from just that?"
"Makoto and Emi-san will fill in the missing parts."
"I see~"
When we got home, we had an emotional reunion with Mother.
"Toya, sorry for worrying you."
"It's ultimately my fault, so it's fine."
"Maya, it was the right decision to trust your own child, right?"
Father said.
Airi probably thought she'd be intruding on the emotional reunion, so she immediately went back to her room.
After the emotional reunion, it was time to cheer up my lovely wife.
When I went back to the room, I saw Airi playing FPS earnestly.
"Ugh... this is hard."
"Let me see."
"Eh?"
I took the controller from Airi's hand and operated it calmly.
"You're playing on Veteran again... You need to start with something easier and get used to it..."
"But~ From now on, I might need it, right? I have to practice."
It seems Airi is learning combat methods from games.
Well, since she learned self-defense from reading books, this is probably easy for her.
That being said, wait.
I showed Airi the book I got from Makoto.
Airi's face turned red.
"Toya-kun, did you finally get in the mood?"
Airi said happily.
"No, if you can learn just by reading a book, then the things written here..."
(A light tap on the head)
"You want your wife to do such embarrassing things!?"
"No, I just thought about it. Just imagining it is enough..."
(Multiple light taps)
"Toya-kun, you pervert!! You were imagining that!?"
Airi's mood is like autumn skies...
I just said it casually, though.
"So, what kind did you have in mind?"
"Huh?"
"It's rare for Toya-kun to want something like that, so I'll grant your wish~ You were so kind to me the day before yesterday~"
The Pope was conquered.
Next is the Emperor.