~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
At the same time, inside a hotel suite in Itogami Island's city center, the bathroom door stood open, humid mist drifting outward.
The freshly bathed Six Blade with straight black hair sat beside a table near the window.
She held a wine glass in one hand and her phone to her ear in the other. Before her, beyond the one-way glass overlooking the entire nighttime cityscape of Itogami Island, the floor-to-ceiling window reflected her long, crossed legs. A loose white bathrobe wrapped around her curvaceous torso, outlining perfect curves.
"Yes, I've already conducted negotiations. The other party does not agree to our activities."
Having just reported the results of her evening negotiations with Bokue's side to the Bureau of Astrology, Kisaki Kiriha delivered her final summary to the person on the other end of the line.
"I see."
The voice on the other end fell silent briefly before speaking again.
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts, Kisaki Sixth Blade. I'll submit the negotiation results to Kusuki. For your part, please rest well tonight."
"Understood."
After that final statement, the straight-haired girl calmly ended the call.
Despite reporting the failure of her assignment, Kisaki showed no signs of panic whatsoever.
This had been within their expectations from the start. Honestly, they'd never counted on Bokue agreeing to the Bureau of Astrology's activities on Itogami Island in the first place.
Ultimately, this entire performance—beyond demonstrating goodwill—had primarily served to shift responsibility elsewhere.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have so readily disclosed Kusuki Happiness Enterprises' complete objectives during that evening meeting at the old schoolhouse.
At the end of the day, whether they could fulfill Kusuki Happiness Enterprises' commission was secondary. The most important thing was absolutely avoiding antagonizing Bokue Keikain.
After all, the former was merely a Bureau of Astrology business partner, while the latter was someone who'd seized an entire region from the Japanese government through sheer individual martial force.
In other words, at most, Kusuki Happiness Enterprises could leverage their sponsorship funding to request some private commissions from the Bureau of Astrology. But Bokue represented someone whose individual strength could threaten an entire nation.
Given such a chasm-like difference, anyone would know which side to choose.
Buzz buzz—
Just as Kisaki was thinking this and preparing to set down her phone and lift her wine glass for a sip to enjoy this rare business trip perk, the phone that had only just disconnected suddenly rang again.
Hmm?
The straight-haired girl turned her beautiful crimson eyes to glance at it.
However, what appeared on the screen wasn't the familiar notation from the Bureau of Astrology's mission coordination she remembered, but rather an unknown number.
"...Hmm?"
This was a bit strange.
As one of the Bureau of Astrology's Six Blades, Kisaki knew full well that her work number was virtually impossible for unrelated parties to obtain. Even carpet-bombing spam calls and advertising wouldn't reach her phone.
Unless...
After a second of brief consideration, Kisaki picked up her phone and answered again, bringing it to her ear without speaking first.
"Hehe, no need to be so cautious. This is Miss Kisaki, correct?"
The voice that responded was a relatively gentle middle-aged male voice, immediately identifying her.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Kusuki Kazuomi—the person in charge of Kusuki-Elysée (Kusuki Happiness Enterprises), your Bureau of Astrology partner."
"Kusuki..."
Kisaki raised an eyebrow slightly.
Actually, the moment she'd received this call, she'd already had her suspicions. After all, judging by the number alone, it appeared to be a private line. Anyone who could obtain her work number through private channels would basically need direct connections to the Bureau of Astrology.
"Well, what a coincidence. I'm currently handling a commission related to your Kusuki Happiness Enterprises..."
"Exactly—it's about this matter."
The middle-aged man on the other end chuckled.
"Just moments ago, Miss Kisaki, your superior reported your negotiation results from today to me. It seems things didn't go particularly smoothly."
"That's correct. Is your company planning to offer any guidance regarding my work?"
Kisaki wasn't indulging him at all, directly adopting a formulaic, perfunctory tone.
"While I'm personally quite willing to accept others' guidance, this is my work phone. Casually sharing work numbers with outsiders violates the Bureau of Astrology regulations. Furthermore, if your company has any suggestions or opinions regarding our Six Blades' work methods, you should submit them through the Bureau of Astrology's suggestion box or contact my superior directly. So with that said..."
"Ahem, no need to hang up so hastily."
Hearing the girl on the phone preparing to disconnect, Kusuki Kazuomi coughed lightly and sped up his speech to stop her.
"I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, Miss Kisaki. I understand the Bureau of Astrology has its own complications. It's just that I'm someone who values efficiency. Rather than layers of relay, I prefer having things go directly from my end in one step. Besides, meanings can easily change during multiple retellings, resulting in miscommunication."
Phew~
Hearing the other party lay things out that clearly, Kisaki could only sigh lightly and let him finish speaking.
"...So what exactly do you want to say, President Kusuki?"
"My meaning is quite simple."
Kusuki Kazuomi's voice remained gentle.
"I understand the Bureau of Astrology's difficulties and recognize your reluctance to antagonize this island's current owner. So I now have only one request—I don't need you to engage in direct conflict with him, nor do I need you to capture Eguchi Yume right under his nose."
"I only want Miss Kisaki to deliver a message to Eguchi Yume."
"Tell her verbatim: her power originates from Lilith, the Witch of the Night—the world's first and strongest nightmare. This is why her parents, classmates, teacher, and others remain comatose to this day... And the solution is quite simple. We've already deployed bait in designated waters near Itogami Island to lure Leviathan. She needs only to board the submarine LYL we've prepared for her and enter Leviathan. Leviathan's body will completely sever her connection to the outside world, and the residual power she's left in the outside world will automatically dissipate."
"This is the only way to save everyone."
Having said this much, the middle-aged man on the other end chuckled again.
"That's right—no one gets hurt, no one offends anyone. Just relay those words. Very simple, right?"
"Yes... very simple."
Kisaki pressed her lips together.
"Understood. Since President Kusuki requests this, I'll naturally comply. I'll continue staying on Itogami Island for the time being. Once I locate Eguchi Yume, I'll relay these words to her."
"Mm, thank you, Miss Kisaki."
Kusuki Kazuomi smiled faintly.
"Well then, that's—"
BOOM!!!
Before he could finish, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted both through the phone and in reality. The call cut off abruptly.
Kisaki whipped her head around to look. Outside her window, in the direction of Itogami Island's industrial district, the area now blazed bright as day. Apocalyptic white light surged skyward, purging everything within range.
And directly above where that white light originated, high in the night sky, a young man's coat tails fluttered in the wind. His hand still held the posture of someone who'd just flicked a projectile.
Bokue Keikain checked the location on his phone against the area below—now precisely transformed into a sea of flames where Kusuki Happiness Enterprises had stood—and clicked his tongue lightly.
"Too bad Asagi absolutely insisted on putting away her computer before letting me touch her. Well, might as well use this time to make a trip over here. No point dragging things out until tomorrow anyway."
<><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)