Kugutsu was in her office, reading reports from her agents.
The work was boring, as well as exhausting.
But she had to maintain appearances and pretend to be efficient. Unlike some of her colleagues, the woman could balance duty and pleasure.
"(Why does this feel so familiar to me?)"
The [mage] had strange thoughts since this morning. Her plans were proceeding well, despite Fumio's abnormal resilience; now she had leverage to make him give in.
She could be patient; reaching her position didn't happen without waiting for the right moment.
But that wasn't her main obsession, no, it was one of her younger prisoners.
"(He's not registered in the experiment archives as the bastard son of that woman, or the little girl... and he's not a famous orphan like the [esper], yet I know I know him... who are you, little one?)"
Her computer, belonging to the 40-year-old woman, showed the cell where Hajime was held. Unlike his master, he hadn't been heavily tortured—at least not yet.
"(He handles a katana well... maybe he's connected to Shogun... it's possible, or perhaps...)"
Kugutsu's musings were interrupted by a call from someone she also had to respect—or at least pretend to.
"Goto-sama, what can I do for you?"
"Don't waste time and tell me what happened last night." (Goto)
"Yes, sir."
A cover story had already been fed to the media. False reports had been archived in the [Black Corps] databases.
But the truth still hadn't reached Hajime's stepfather.
His concerns for Mary, the [Black Ghost] who had subtly blackmailed him into using his biological daughter to impersonate the vice admiral's daughter, plus his search for those responsible for Yuki Mikan's death, had completely distracted him from what was happening in other districts.
It was a mistake.
Without his full control, Hikari and Mitsuru had gone beyond their limits in just a few weeks, creating more damage than necessary while pursuing their "hobbies."
But it wasn't the sun-obsessed or the masochist that worried Hajime's stepfather.
No, East and West were easy to control, as those who commanded them. North and South? Not so much.
Shogun and Kugutsu were the only two individuals Goto truly worried about.
The first hated the island system and everything associated with it, with every fiber of his being; consequently, he was also the supreme leader of the [Black Corps], which encouraged all this evil.
Despite that, the powerful [esper] had such a strong moral code that it chained him, preventing him from risking plunging the island into chaos just to overthrow Goto.
The samurai preferred to maintain peace and tranquility in his district, protecting his inhabitants from human trafficking, experiments, torture, and all the horrible things happening in [Fumetsu], at the cost of leaving most of his home in the hands of assassins, psychopaths, religious extremists, and power-hungry men.
Of course, Goto's growing paranoia prevented him from understanding that Shogun wouldn't move against him after all these years.
But the greatest threat was Kugutsu.
The serial killer had a sharp mind and knew how to use it.
She was a double-dealer, clever, deceptive, psychotic, who killed her victims and turned them into dolls.
She remained under Hajime's stepfather's power only for one reason: convenience.
As long as she followed the [mage]'s orders and didn't reveal her true nature, the serial killer could enjoy a nearly peaceful life, far from the authorities hunting her across half of Asia.
But what if the ship started to sink?
"Here's what happened, Goto-sama."
For obvious reasons, she lied to her superior, telling a story about rebels who had escaped from some laboratories in the district, gathering to cause damage after no one listened to their stories.
Kugutsu had known about the [New Dawn] for years; she had discovered them by chance while searching for her next victim to turn into a doll.
At first, she wanted to report to Goto, but not before she investigated.
When she uncovered the dense web that had spread over all these years across the island and even reached Japan's coasts, she decided to wait.
Why play only one side of a war when she could do both? In any case, having an exit route!
"Have they been eliminated?" (Goto)
"Yes, Goto-sama, but not before revealing the location of their friends, affiliates, collaborators, and so on. They will all be eliminated by tonight, my lord." (Kugutsu)
"Hmmm, keep me informed." (Goto)
"Of course." (Kugutsu)
The communication ended, and the [mage] finally allowed herself to smile, which she had been restraining.
"Things are really going badly, aren't they, Goto-sama? With Yuki Mikan dead, now you have to deal with the subterfuge of a [Black Ghost]. And your paranoia... who knows how many of your loyal followers you've already killed, just to find spies and traitors? You're so distracted that you're even ignoring your beloved daughter—" (kugutsu)
A light bulb flicked on above her head.
Mokuro Kaori was the only person Goto cared about more than his own power.
She was his only weakness.
And for this reason, she was well protected.
No one could kidnap her, or even try to get close, without being torn to pieces by his guards.
Their house was an impregnable fortress.
Even Kugutsu had pity for anyone foolish enough to try to harm that girl.
Goto could be as violent as a berserk mage, at the mere thought of losing his daughter, his only love.
That was one of the reasons he had beaten his stepson bloody.
"AHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! GOTO-SAMA, YOU HAVE A SNAKE IN YOUR NEST, AND YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE IT?! YOU'RE LOSING GROUND!" (kugutsu)
Her amusement caused her to lose her usual calm and cold, psychopathic demeanor.
Her mind was already spinning plans upon plans to exploit this new information.
"(Who should I start with? Better leave Takeda Fumio boiling in his broth a little longer... maybe the [esper]? What interesting powers that girl has completely natural, not lab-created... if I could turn her into my doll, how useful would that be... or should I torch little Hajime-chan a bit... yes, it will be a busy day.)" (kugutsu)
In good and bad, none of the prisoners of the woman would remain the same after her "conversation" with her.
**********
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, Yukihime and her faithful friend Izumi had completed their task.
New agreements and plans had been approved with high officials and future politicians of Japan and other Asian nations.
"It's time to go home, Yukihime-sama."
"Yes, you're right, we've been unreachable for too long."
The two women still didn't know what awaited them upon returning to [Fumetsu].
Only late in the evening did they reach a safe location to communicate.
"We are here. Things took longer than expected. Give me an update." (Yukihime)
"I hope you didn't encounter problems while we were gone." (Izumi)
Jun was reporting everything that had happened to the last two [New Dawn], who were in shock upon hearing the news.
"Let's go, Izumi! That serial killer won't destroy our work!" (Yukihime)
*************
In the end, Kugutsu decided to start with Kohaku.
That same evening, the [mage] was brought into half of her cell, receiving a warm welcome from the [esper].
Kohaku tried to throw a punch at the woman as soon as the door of her prison opened, without even checking who had entered.
It was a desperate act that would have led nowhere in any case. She had no serums for physical enhancement in her blood, nor any special powers beyond those of manipulating technology.
And even if she was in shape, her punch wasn't even a threat to a [Black Corps].
"Oh, you're a fighting girl... I have to say I didn't expect that." (Kugutsu)
Therefore, it was no surprise when her blind strike was blocked by the palm of the doll accompanying Kugutsu.
The girl groaned in pain, holding her fingers due to the impact: it was like hitting a concrete wall for her.
"It must hurt. How do you think you can type on a keyboard if your fingers are—" (Kugutsu)
"Shut up! I won't tell you anything, I won't cooperate, so you might as well kill me now!" (Kohaku)
"Oh? Maybe being here has made you too nervous? What do you say we change places to talk?" (Kugutsu)
Kohaku's teammate was about to spit in the face of the [Black Corps], but her companion grabbed her jaw with one hand before holding her wrists with the other.
"For someone so natural, your abilities are remarkably rare. Maybe you're the only [esper] in all of Asia to be so capable... I certainly can't underestimate you, don't you agree?" (Kugutsu)
Kugutsu placed special handcuffs on Kohaku to block her powers, even outside the cell where she was confined. The cuffs interfered with the Esper's abilities—unlike the Glephnir, which constantly absorbed mana and bypassed physical defenses, causing a severe headache to the young girl, preventing her from using her Hacker powers.
"Let's go talk now." (Kugutsu)
The doll that had defeated Fumio didn't have to struggle much to drag the teenager, who was squirming uselessly.
Eventually, the three reached Kugutsu's office, several floors above the prison.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." (Kugutsu)
Kohaku was forcibly seated in front of the desk. Not for a second did Kohaku show any sign of surrender before Kugutsu; the [Black Corps] almost respected her for this.
"(She doesn't even seem to show a hint of fear... not bad, not bad at all. These [New Dawn] know how to train their kids, or maybe it's just her natural disposition?)" (Kugutsu)
Silence persisted in the office for another couple of minutes before the older woman decided to break it.
"Really, you don't want to talk with me?" (Kugutsu)
"........" (Kohaku)
"Fine, I'll speak in your place: you're the leader of the group, right? You're good, very good at your job. Your small cell, despite being young and few in number, caused quite a commotion in just one night. Even my boss found out about the chaos you caused." (Kugutsu)
"........" (Kohaku)
"Still, you made mistakes, the first among them being underestimating me. But I can't blame you; deception is my forte, not even Goto-sama can beat me. It's not your fault you were caught—by your superiors, who sent you here on this difficult, dangerous mission, and—" (Kugutsu)
"Is this the part where you try to make me believe you're on my side? That the [New Dawn] see me as a pawn and that you want 'irrelevant' information about them?" (Kohaku)
Irritated by her blatant manipulation, Kohaku finally decided to answer back, hiding her disdain.
"Yes, that's the part. I knew you'd understand." (Kugutsu)
"It won't work; you might as well start torturing me!" (Kohaku)
"Oh, really? Even if I say things just to manipulate you, my intentions won't make them any less true." (Kugutsu)
"Bullshit! Everything you say is nonsense, made-up to distort the truth, to make you heroes!" (Kohaku)
"Please, don't compare me to Goto-sama: no matter how capable he is, his colossal ego is too fragile. 'Every threat must be neutralized,' he always thinks... He was loved too little as a child, and now he has to compensate, painting himself as a superhero. And don't get me started on his paranoia... nor has he killed too many to count... in fact, five."
The [esper] looked at her enemy in bewilderment, her expression slightly stunned as if everything was going according to plan.
"Five?" (Kohaku)
"Your victims, Kohaku-chan."
The woman turned her computer screen, showing Kohaku images from last night.
The girl felt her blood run cold when she saw the incidents caused by her actions.
"Four men, two dead on the spot, and the other two in hospital, and the last was a woman... leaving behind two small children and a husband, you've ruined their lives, girl." (Kugutsu)
Kugutsu's voice sounded like a deadly sweet poison to Kohaku's teammate.
The images of those lifeless bodies made her turn pale, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"You know, I knew your parents. Two brilliant individuals, with a strong moral code and a sense of duty even greater. They stumbled upon the truth about our secret laboratories by chance... Goto-sama tried everything to bribe them: money, power, position, even offered them a new team of colleagues with top gear and unlimited funds, but it was all useless, they were determined to expose everything." (Kugutsu)
Kohaku was so shocked she didn't even respond to Kugutsu's words.
"So, my dear boss resorted to intimidation, threats, but they knew that an sudden death would expose the island, illuminate Goto's shadows, so the bluff didn't work." (Kugutsu)
"How do you know—" (Kohaku)
"Therefore, I was tasked with destroying their reputation... your parents were truly good people. I found nothing on them, so I had to invent some stories." (Kugutsu)
These words snapped the 17-year-old out of her paralyzing stupor. With renewed rage and hatred, she looked into the eyes of the 40-year-old woman.
"Was it you!? You—" (Kohaku)
"Yes, and I would do it again. You see, if I failed, Goto-sama would have torn me apart. My life for theirs. It was an easy choice, just like what you did last night..." (Kugutsu)
"It wasn't the same!" (Kohaku)
"Yes, it was, only you don't want to admit that you're a cold-blooded murderer. I wonder how proud your parents, Aomori Kohaku... or perhaps I should use your real last name, 'Nara'—would be?" (Kugutsu)
The last part struck her best friend Cloe's friend deep down; she flinched as if the damage was real.
"I'm not—" (Kohaku)
"It was heroes, but their only daughter is more like us than like them. Look at yourself, girl. You've evaluated innocent lives, and decided risking them for your goals was worth it. You're no different from Goto." (Kugutsu)
The 17-year-old tried to stand up, but the doll behind her forced her to sit back down and look ahead.
"...I-i..." (Kohaku)
"Nothing. You're the same as him, and all of us, little one. And do you know why? Simple, because you're a weapon, one of many created by [New Dawn] to destroy us... Tsk, using children as soldiers, not even Goto stooped that low."
Unable to reply, Kohaku couldn't say anything as Kugutsu looked at her with a certain look of pity.
Warm tears began to fall from her eyes as she thought about the words spoken by the [Black Corps].
"(N-no, she's manipulating me... I-I can't let her do that... I... I can't...)"
Despite trying to rationalize the speech, Kohaku couldn't find a way to respond.
Kugutsu had already entered her mind, sending her into crisis.
"Really, you don't want to betray your group? I understand. Your loyalty belongs to them, after they saved you, right? Maybe it was them who helped your parents, staged your death... too bad they didn't try to protect them, or perhaps having an angry teenager with such rare power on their side was worth more than two human lives." (Kugutsu?)
"SHUT UP! YUKIHIME-SAMA IS NOT LIKE THAT!" (Kohaku)
"You seem angry and upset... we'll continue tomorrow. Take her back to her cell." (Kugutsu)
"LEAVE ME! I'LL REMOVE THAT SMILE FROM YOUR FACE! DAMNED CRAZY WOMAN! I HEARD YOU! DON'T YOU DARE MENTION MY PARENTS AGAIN! I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT! NOT AFTER KILLING THEM!" (Kohaku)