Chapter 11: The Organization Makes Its Move
In a dimly lit room, there was a single round table. Thirteen chairs were arranged around it. However, fewer than half were occupied, with only four people seated. Only the places of these four were illuminated, as if by spotlights.
“So, I heard you failed?”
“Yes. The operation was a failure.”
A man wearing the mask of Ibinom, resting his cheek on his hand at the round table and looking thoroughly bored, questioned Amrutat. Amrutat, answering the question, maintained a calm demeanor. Perhaps displeased by this attitude, the man who had asked the question showed his irritation.
“Hey, hey, what’s with that attitude! You failed the mission and you don’t even have a word of apology!”
“Oh, my apologies. I am truly sorry.”
“There’s no sincerity in it! In what you just said!”
The irritated man was so angry he looked as if he might pounce on Amrutat at any moment. Seeing this, another one of them admonished the angry man.
“That’s enough. This isn’t the time for infighting.”
“But still! Because of this guy, future operations might be hindered, you know? And yet, to think there’s no punishment at all!”
“Certainly, what you say is correct. However, Amrutat’s failure this time was due to an irregularity.”
“Huh? Isn’t that just because of his insufficient investigation!”
“No, that’s not it. The Gifts of the Gifted individuals inside the store did not match the information we had obtained beforehand. Therefore, Amrutat is not at fault.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“According to information from our mole within the police, there wasn’t a single individual with two Gifts among the Gifted inside the store. In other words, a third party, unknown even to us, was present at that location.”
“No way…! So, does that mean we have to be wary of them from now on!?”
“That’s right. Frankly, they could be more troublesome than the National Defense Force, private corporations, or the police. According to Amrutat’s information, this person seems to possess two Gifts, Body Enhancement and a defensive wall or barrier, and isn’t affiliated with the police, the National Defense Force, or any private corporation. We are currently rushing to identify them, but… we probably can’t expect much.”
“You can’t be serious…! Someone like that was still in the country?”
“Yes. That’s why we, the executives, have decided to deal with this mysterious Gifted.”
“Hmm. What a pain…”
The last of the four, who had been silent until now, muttered. Hearing this, Amrutat spoke up.
“Well, it is troublesome. I engaged him as well, and he seemed accustomed to fighting. Just having Body Enhancement and a defensive wall is厄介 (troublesome) enough, but his combat skills also seemed high. If you ever have to fight him, I recommend being in perfect condition.”
“Ugh… this is getting even more troublesome.”
Hearing Amrutat’s words, the last person slumped onto the round table, turning their face to the side and muttering complaints.
“Now then, it’s as you’ve heard from Amrutat. The opponent can be seen as quite skilled. Currently, there are five confirmed individuals with two Gifts in the country. Of those, one is in prison, two are in the National Defense Force, one is in a private corporation. And the last one is at the First Esper Academy.”
Here, he paused, looked around at the other three, and then resumed speaking.
“However, if you include us, the Ivera Church, there are eight dual-Gifted individuals. A ninth has now appeared, but since they interfered with us, they are an enemy. Therefore, they are designated for purging. Are there any objections?”
He looked around to see if anyone would raise an objection, but there was no one. Thus, Kazuma’s elimination was decided. With this, Kazuma would be pursued by both the National Defense Force and the Ivera Church. Fortunately, no one yet knew Kazuma’s true identity. However, if it were ever discovered, Kazuma’s peaceful life would be no more.
“Then, dismissed. I will speak to the remaining members. Let us meet again.”
With those words, the one who had been leading the meeting vanished. Only three remained: the one who had shown anger towards Amrutat, the one grumbling with their head on the table, and Amrutat himself. The first to speak was the one who had been angry with Amrutat.
“Well then, I’m heading off too. Amrutat, don’t screw up next time. Hahahahaha!”
Laughing, another person vanished. And the one who had remained, grumbling, had also disappeared before anyone noticed. The only one left was Amrutat.
“Hmph… Hahahahahaha! Even if you didn’t tell me, I’ll kill him the next time I see him…”
Standing up and laughing, Amrutat disappeared into the darkness. Then, the lights that had been illuminating the now-empty round table went out, plunging the room into complete darkness.
Now, while the executives of the Ivera Church were holding their meeting, another meeting concerning Kazuma was taking place elsewhere. This was the headquarters of the National Defense Force. The meeting was about the recent terrorist act committed by the Ivera Church, but the main topic was different. It was about Kazuma.
That said, the subject on the agenda this time was the mysterious spy who had falsely reported infiltrating the Ivera Church. Of course, his true identity was Kazuma, but neither the National Defense Force nor even the Ivera Church was aware of it.
“Now, regarding the recent terrorist act by the Ivera Church, there are reports of a spy claiming to be from the National Defense Force at the scene. Are there any questions about this?”
“Yes.”
“Please ask your question.”
“What is the source of this information?”
“Two individuals present at the scene: Seventh Esper Academy, Combat Course, second year, Himuro Yukihime, and similarly second year, Akeno Karin.”
“Thank you for your answer.”
When the questioner sat down, another person asked a question. In this way, questions and answers were repeated for about ten minutes.
“Hmm… A mysterious spy claiming to be from the National Defense Force, huh?”
“It seems the voice was male. Even with a mask, he apparently seemed young…”
“Given that he avoided a surprise attack, is it presumed to be a Body Enhancement-type Gift?”
After the Q&A session ended, various speculations flew around the conference room. However, due to the extreme lack of information, they could only narrow down the target to a young male Gifted with a Body Enhancement-type Gift. This search range was far too broad, and it was also questionable whether he was a Gifted registered with the country.
Gifted individuals basically register their Gift at a government office or similar, so they can be identified. The police and the National Defense Force are permitted to view this personal information. Of course, if they misuse it, whether police or National Defense Force, they will be charged with a crime. Therefore, its handling is extremely strict.
“Checking them one by one will take too much time. Besides, it’s doubtful if he’s even registered with the country.”
“That’s true. If they’re from outside the country, registration isn’t required. If he’s a foreigner, the procedures are a bit troublesome.”
“If he were an illegal immigrant, it’d be simpler. Our laws can be applied to criminals, making it possible to expose their Gift.”
“But how do we find him? The man in question is a Gifted with Body Enhancement, and he was wearing a mask of the Ivera Church, so there’s little information.”
“That’s the problem. All the security cameras inside the store were reportedly destroyed. Eyewitness testimony is our only lead, but…”
“Just another troublesome matter, huh…”
“Well, from what I’ve heard, it seems certain that he’s an enemy of the Ivera Church.”
Since the two girls had thoroughly reported that Kazuma had wiped out the Ivera Church members, the National Defense Force judged that Kazuma was not an ally, but also not an enemy. Therefore, it seemed they would focus on countermeasures against the Ivera Church for now, and put the matter of Kazuma on hold, but surprisingly, it was decided to search for him as well.
“Let’s arrange for those who are available.”
And so, unbeknownst to Kazuma, the situation continued to escalate.