Wings of Remorse
"Team Leader?"
Even though I called out to her, she kept unbuttoning her shirt one button at a time, pulling the garment all the way back to bare her shoulders and the black lingerie beneath. It was a rather bold choice in black. My standards for what counted as impressive had risen quite a bit lately, but even by average measures her figure had plenty of volume. I offered the polite, brief appreciation expected in the moment before quickly averting my eyes, half pleased and half flustered.
"If you promised to show me something, turning your gaze away will only make things more awkward for me, won't it?"
"No, but still..."
"I didn't mean for you to stare at my chest in particular."
I flinched. A stunning beauty stood right in front of me with her shirt half off, exposing her underwear, bare shoulders, and sharply defined collarbones. It would have been stranger if my eyes hadn't drifted toward the valley between her breasts. I still didn't understand why she had taken the shirt off in the first place. Ah, maybe...
"..."
"You're not answering like you usually do. Is it because of my appearance? A pretty face really is convenient in all sorts of ways."
"...So what exactly were you planning to show me?"
She gave a small laugh at my attempt to dodge the awkward question with one of my own. Crossing her arms over her chest, she closed her eyes.
Flutter!
In that instant, a pair of wings unfurled from behind her shoulders. They were so white they seemed to brighten the entire room. Extending from her back, there was no mistaking them for anything but an angel's wings. Then she opened her eyes again. A thin ring of light had appeared inside her deep blue irises like a tattoo, and a glowing halo now hovered just above her head, radiating bright light.
"What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?"
"Ah..."
I nodded quietly. Anyone else in my place would have reacted the same way. Whether it was the right answer or not, I followed my honest feeling. She began gently stroking one of her wings with her hand.
"It is beautiful, of course. These wings exist to carry out Mother's will across every corner of the earth without ever touching the ground, and to fly ever higher so we might draw closer to where Mother resides."
But the smile on her face vanished in an instant, turning cold as she clenched her wing tightly in her fist. The neatly arranged feathers crumpled in her grip, as though she were deliberately ruining a beautiful work of art.
"But I didn't do that. I followed Gabriel's will instead of Mother's, and because of it I took countless lives."
"..."
She let out a bitter laugh, released her wing, and turned her gaze back to me. That piercing look made me unconsciously shrink back.
"But... that wasn't really what you wanted, Team Leader..."
"No. It was exactly what I wanted. I believed it was right. It's only now that my thoughts have changed."
"...Why are you saying all this? You could at least try to defend yourself a little."
"Hmm. Hearing that from you of all people is a little funny."
Her face didn't look amused in the slightest.
"Then let me ask you this. How many of those delicate little harpies—the same species as the cute girl you love so much—do you think I've killed?"
"Why would you ask something like that..."
"When I grabbed their slender necks and snapped them, those pretty voices stopped screaming soon enough."
"Team Leader...!"
Her tone was completely self-abandoning. Her eyes looked as though she no longer cared about anything. Yet somehow I understood why she was doing this—why she was deliberately provoking me with words she didn't have to say. She wanted me to hate her. It probably wouldn't have mattered who hated her, as long as someone did. Receiving looks of disgust would actually make her feel better. She knew what she had done was wrong, but with no one around to blame her, the guilt inside her had only grown heavier. Still, she would soon realize she was using me to ease that guilt and start hating herself all over again.
"If insulting you would lighten your guilt even a little, I'd help. But I don't think it would, so I'll stop."
"..."
She blinked a few times in silence, then let out a short, hollow laugh that carried no energy at all.
"This is... Don't tell me you've been studying counseling or psychology on the side."
When she looked at me again, her expression had clearly softened compared to before.
"...I've done a little reading, but I only noticed because you were being so obvious about it, Team Leader."
"I see. I slipped up. It's not like I wanted to fight with you either."
"...I'm glad to hear that."
For some reason the halo above her head flickered weakly. When I glanced at it, she made a gesture as if flicking the ring with her finger and began explaining in her usual gentle tone.
"This halo above my head grants angels immunity to mental abilities while also functioning somewhat like an emotional organ."
"An emotional organ..."
"As for the block you've probably been wondering about since earlier, it's an authority I received when I took Michael's name. It lets me nullify every ability within my range of perception. After that, I can copy the physical abilities of anyone I designate as an enemy. That's the full extent of my power."
"That means..."
Immunity to mental abilities, the ability to block every power within her perception range, and the capacity to steal and replicate an opponent's physical abilities. It finally made sense why she always carried a pistol, and why she'd once used the Field Team Leader's physical abilities to spin a roulette wheel during that company dinner. With superior combat technique and weaponry, she could stand against any ability user. She was the ultimate hunter.
"With this tremendous power, I branded countless people as heretics and took their lives as I pleased. I don't expect to be forgiven, but I still don't understand why my halo hasn't shattered and my wings haven't turned black."
"..."
"That's why I must stop Gabriel before it's too late. To do that, I joined hands with Miss Elise Canine, who dreams of harmony and exchange between non-human beings and the human world."
Elise Canine was the President's name. Now I understood why the woman who had supposedly betrayed the Vatican was working under the President—the very opposite side. The President had readily accepted her former enemy, and her goal of bringing the facility into the light... I wondered if it was even possible, yet I couldn't deny how much effort she had poured into it until now.
"Miss Elise has placed her hopes in you as the key. I agree with that assessment, and I also believe you'll become a great help when it comes to facing Gabriel."
Wait a second.
"It's embarrassing to say this myself, but I don't think I'd be much help in a fight..."
She slowly shook her head. Her swaying blue hair nearly drew my gaze away, but I managed to keep it on her eyes.
"You've already shown your potential once. Do you remember? When you used your ability to make Miho send me flying."
To protect Nero, that surge of emotion... I clearly remembered sharing my hatred for the Team Leader and causing that incident. The Field Team Leader had been swayed by my emotions and punched her straight into a wall, buying us time until the President arrived. But why would that matter now?
"The reason I couldn't dodge that attack wasn't because my reaction was slow. It was because, just like Miho, my emotions were seized by your ability. Even though I could feel killing intent right behind my head, for that single moment the thought that I mustn't dodge it completely took over my mind."
"But you said you were..."
She had claimed that ring of light blocked all mental abilities. Ah.
"Your ability seems to be a special case that directly influences emotions. It was the first time I'd ever felt something so unpleasant."
"..."
"But that also means the ability will definitely work on other angels, including Gabriel. That's why I can't afford to lose you. I don't want to leave any threat—even the slightest possibility—by your side. This is my honest feeling, and the reason behind it."
After hearing everything about the Stigma and all these new details, I still felt dazed and overwhelmed. Yet the Team Leader's words—that she would go to any lengths to protect me because I had value—didn't sound like a lie. If she had claimed she was only worried because I was her subordinate with no other reason, I probably wouldn't have believed her so easily.
"Nero... would never put me in danger."
"Of course I think the same. That cat is quite fragile to begin with."
Now that she mentioned it, she had said something similar before. It wasn't Nero who was dangerous, but her former owner who could give her orders. Back then, had I heard the name...?
"Would you like to meet her after all?"
"...?"
When I didn't answer right away, unable to immediately grasp who she meant, the Team Leader folded her wings, closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them again as the halo faded. With her eyes returned to their normal blue, she stared at the table, pulled her shirt and jacket back into place, and finished the now-cold coffee. Finally, she picked up the clown mask she had left on the table and spoke.
"I'm talking about the Alchemist—Nero's former owner."