Glitch Street (2)
The ancient scripture speaks of original sin.
Original Sin, or to put it another way, the Original's negligence. A primordial sin born from the beginning.
Original Sin is the stain on humanity that swallowed the fruit of good and evil after being deceived by the serpent. It cannot be washed away. It is a sin inherited regardless of my will.
As the clone of Hanuma Makoto, I... If I have an original sin, then so be it. It must be that Makoto had long been in collusion with the Arius branch school that hates Trinity.
The Eden Treaty is nothing more than a matter that Makoto need not concern himself with. Its purpose is to ally with Arius and eliminate all obstacles. To erase Trinity from Kivotos and, incidentally, to take care of Hina as well.
'...So, I must be an undeniable villain.' I let out a bitter smile. No matter how much of a Makoto, my thought process is wicked.
As a mere replica like me, I cannot eliminate the Original's original sin. It's impossible. It happened before I even existed in Kivotos—a distant event from a bygone era.
'But I harbor neither regret nor resentment.' It's not too late. There is still ample opportunity to rewrite the story. I will simply continue to strive and strive for the things I can do.
The rendezvous with Arius is no different. On the outskirts of the Trinity district. I wait for my contact at the designated coordinates.
In a dark alley where even moonlight barely penetrates. Soon, the sound of footsteps stomping on the ground's puddles reaches my ears. It's a presence. Someone is approaching me.
"Remember your death."
A password for identity verification flies from the opponent.
"All is vanity and emptiness."
I answered the pre-agreed sentence to the opponent. Thus, our identities are confirmed.
Then, the leader of the Arius Squad, Joumae Saori, reveals herself.
"The plan has encountered a snag."
Saori delivers the main point to me without preamble.
"What? Are you planning to tell me that Misono Mika's coup failed? If so, it's belated alarmism. I won't hesitate to advise you personally."
I read Saori's intentions.
The villainess of the Tea Party, Misono Mika, failed to seize real power from Trinity. The coup ended in failure. In the end, Mika was stopped by the supplementary class. There was a teacher in the supplementary class.
'...So you already knew. How unexpected.' Saori seems amazed, as if seeing an unexpected side of me.
At the base of this amazement is the assumption that the opponent is a foolish Makoto. The tone implies surprise at the cleverness from a foolish person, looking down on Makoto.
"What nonsense. What do you think of the Pandemonium Society's intelligence-gathering ability? I knew that much long ago."
I snap at Saori, glaring sharply.
"Don't underestimate Gehenna."
I give Saori a clear warning. As the president of the Pandemonium Society, I don't want to lose the battle of wits.
"It seems the atmosphere has changed from before, Hanuma Makoto."
Even if Saori feels a sense of unease, she won't harm me. Makoto still has value to use. Until I betray Makoto, I'll maintain the relationship.
"What does that have to do with anything? Is there a problem?"
I press Saori aggressively.
Personally, I have a slight grudge against Saori. Saori is a scoundrel who dared to shoot at Hina. Extremely bad.
'...No, there's no problem.' Saori dismisses my provocation nonchalantly.
"According to the plan, the signing ceremony of the Eden Treaty will turn into a burning sea. Misono Mika, that foolish woman, will only bring about her own destruction, so there's no major issue with the plan."
After firing a cruise missile at the Ancient Cathedral of Communion, assassinate the major figures of Trinity. And the plan for Trinity, which has lost its leadership, to be judged by Arius. To achieve this, Arius is allying with Gehenna, securing a collaborator. Gehenna also hates Trinity to the core. It's a covert operation by the two groups to bring down the public enemy, Trinity.
'But this plan has a fatal flaw.' Arius hates Gehenna more than Trinity. After all, Gehenna is also a target of Arius, not just Trinity. In other words, the cooperation between Gehenna and Arius cannot be established. Makoto, who overlooked this fact, is being played by Arius. Tricked as a chess piece to be sacrificed in the planned betrayal. That is Makoto's role given in the Eden Treaty.
'But since I am acting as Makoto's proxy, Arius's schemes won't work on me.' I intend to feign agreement with the plan and strike at Saori's blind spot. Therefore, this relationship is nothing but a fake alliance where both plan to betray each other.
"On the day of the signing, Arius will provide you with a plane. Board it."
It's not a simple plane. It's a hell of a burning vessel loaded with flammable materials. The moment Saori presses the detonator, the plane will explode and crash.
Treating the target like the Tea Party host in one basket. Indeed, Trinity's way of thinking is straightforward.
"A plane? What's the scheme?"
"As I said, the ground will become a burning sea. I mentioned it for the sake of easy identification."
Do they want to compare the plane to Noah's Ark? Even though it's not a spaceship.
"Yeah, what a pleasant gift. It truly appeals to me."
I feign delight at Saori's false courtesy. I know the schemes lurking behind, but I hide my true feelings. It's not time to target Saori yet. The Problem Solver 68 agency must remain hidden.
"This is the compensation Gehenna has provided for our cooperation. I'm glad you're pleased."
Saori falls for my act. There's no doubt. Makoto has been friendly to Arius until now.
'In fact, it's only that Makoto, not me, fell into Arius's trap.' If it weren't for Makoto, Arius couldn't have chosen the Ancient Cathedral of Communion as the signing site. Arius will also have to repay in kind.
"And there's more to do as a return gift."
Saori continues.
"Destroy Sorasaki Hina's halo as you wish."
To bring up the topic of murder.
"......!"
The moment I hear those words, my rationality is lost in an instant. I glare with wide eyes, aiming the gun barrel at Saori. Holding back the trigger was the greatest patience.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Saori asks me with a puzzled voice. A killing intent flows from her eyes as she stares at me. She intends to retaliate if I make a foolish move.
"If you even touch a single strand of Hina's hair, I won't let you off."
Even if the words are out of place for Makoto's foundation, I can't back down.
"You didn't hate Sorasaki Hina?"
"Hina is mine! I have no intention of yielding to anyone-!!!"
That's why I shout at Saori. Perhaps it might look like a traitor who wanted to protect only his childhood friend's life from Arius, but it doesn't matter. I stepped onto the stage of the Eden Treaty for Hina's sake.
"So does that mean you're going to handle Hina yourself?"
"...That's what I said."
"I see. So you want to personally stamp the final seal. If you wish, I'll do as you desire."
Saori removes a trace of doubt from my words.
I also withdraw the gun barrel from Saori. Thus, the situation reaches a stalemate.
'Hah... I got too excited without realizing it.' It's a poor attitude. The opponent is Joumae Saori. Even if I face off against Arius's top-tier expert, I would lose for sure. It was nothing but reckless bravado. She's not a foe I can defeat in a fair fight. I must scheme like a Makoto.
"I will meet with you again just before the signing. I'll let you know the place to hand over the plane."
Soon, Saori demands conditions for the deal.
"On the day of the signing, I want Hina's movement route. If possible, a route suitable for our conditions."
"...Fine. I won't cooperate with Arius."
Yeah, I'll pretend to cooperate. For now, at least. That's what I thought.