She could handle watching the hotel and notifying everyone as soon as she caught sight of Eugene. There didn’t appear to be anything else she could do, so she at least wanted to help out with this.
That was the rationale behind her offer, but Kiyoka resolutely shot it down with a shake of his head.
“Absolutely not.”
“B-but…!”
Miyo wanted to do something. It was frustrating she only made Kiyoka worry and was never useful. She hated the idea of being left behind to wait.
However, Kiyoka sent a calm but piercing stare at Miyo.
“Staying on lookout requires a surprising amount of stamina and concentration. It’s not something a civilian can do right off the bat. Besides, what would you do if a fight breaks out? First and foremost, you’re the one Eugene and Diana are after first, so from their point of view, you’d be falling right into their lap.”
Miyo couldn’t find any objection to Kiyoka’s argument.
In short, someone who hadn’t been trained for real combat would just be a hindrance. Faced with such clean and thorough reasoning, Miyo had to acquiesce. Her intention wasn’t to cause trouble for Kiyoka and the others.
“…Sorry for acting like a child.”
Watching Miyo grow so dejected, Kiyoka shook his head.
“No. You’ve already been more than enough help. Learning Eugene’s motives in your dream was a huge accomplishment, and you’re the only one who could make it happen… It’s my lack of composure that’s left you feeling so obligated. Sorry.”
“Kiyoka’s right, Miyo. If you were one of the unit members, why, this kind of work would normally be cause for praise! There’d be talk of promotion, definitely. I swear, as soon as something involves you, Miyo, the commander here immediately falls to pieces.”
Godou sent a teasing grin at Kiyoka, and Kiyoka glared back with eyes screaming at him to stay silent before he wordlessly elbowed his subordinate.
Around sundown, Kiyoka and Godou headed for the hotel where Eugene was staying.
Miyo was in the care of the Second Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit. With both Koumyouin and Kaoruko Jinnouchi protecting her, Kiyoka could focus on confronting Eugene without any anxiety about his wife’s safety, compared to the alternative of leaving her at the Miyakouji estate.
Godou and I have been taking turns watching the familiars, but there are no signs yet.
The familiars were placed around the window of Eugene’s room, directly outside it, and on the ceiling near the door. If Eugene went outside, they would be able to detect him immediately.
“Sheesh, this guy… He really came all this way just to cause me more trouble.”
In a rare moment, Godou mumbled his discontent beside Kiyoka.
While Godou said they weren’t friendly, the way he spoke made it seem like they had some sort of relationship. Assuming they were truly not friendly, then what sort of relationship was it?
I’m sure he won’t tell me even if I ask.
Kiyoka himself wasn’t very interested in finding out, either.
More than that, Kiyoka needed to ascertain how skilled Eugene actually was. From what Godou had told him, Eugene’s marks in school had been excellent in all subjects, and he had been known as an honors student.
However, when it came to his abilities in combat, the accuracy of the information they had to work with was somewhat lacking.
“Would you be able to beat Eugene Wood in a head-on battle?” Kiyoka had asked Godou earlier.
“Hmmm. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other, so I don’t know how strong he is now. If he’s just like he was back then and hasn’t closed the gap between us, I’m probably stronger. He’s definitely not as strong as you, that’s for sure.” Godou had then broken into a smile. “I was an honors student, too, you know.”
But like Godou had said, this was all just speculation based on the assumption the gap in skill between them had stayed the same. On top of that, Eugene might have prepared some sort of ace up his sleeve, knowing he was going up against a superior opponent, so they couldn’t afford to take him lightly.
The sun had completely sunk below the horizon.
Darkness covered the area in an instant. The light from the gas lamps lining the road and the light leaking out from the nearby buildings were the only illumination they had to rely on.
It was then that Eugene finally made his move.
“He’s left his room. Godou, get ready.”
“Roger.”
Sharing the familiar’s senses, Kiyoka immediately trailed Eugene. The man didn’t appear cautious of his surroundings whatsoever, simply exiting his room clad in a suit and entering the elevator to descend to the first-floor lobby.
Kiyoka signaled Godou after confirming Eugene was heading outside through the entryway.
“Go.”
It was dinnertime, but there were surprisingly few people around the hotel. This was a convenient set of circumstances for Kiyoka and Godou, since depending on how the evening played out, things might get dangerous.
“Eugene Wood.”
Kiyoka and Godou stepped out, blocking the path where Eugene was heading. Eugene wasn’t visibly surprised at all and gave an exaggerated bow.
“Why, good evening! ’Tis quite a marvelous coincidence for us to run into each other here. I do apologize for my untoward behavior toward your wife the other day.”
“You really think this is a coincidence?”
Kiyoka couldn’t stop himself from taking a stern and intense tone with Eugene. This man was, after all, the impetus behind the terrifying experience of his wife not waking up. Forgiveness would not come easy.
Nevertheless, Eugene didn’t flinch from this degree of intimidation.
“Oh, have you come to express your grievances regarding that matter…? If you truly insist, I will gladly offer my apologies again.”
“That’s not it. You’re coming with us to the military station, and you’re going to spill everything about what’s going on here.”
“…What am I being charged with?”
“You haven’t violated any specific laws. However, there is a chance you used your Gift inappropriately. We’ll take your name down, and you’ll be given a strict warning.”
Eugene nonchalantly shrugged.
“I’m afraid I haven’t the faintiest idea what you’re talking about.”
“Complain all you want; it won’t change a thing. If you refuse, we’ll be more than willing to take you by force!”
Godou took a step forward and spiritedly threatened Eugene.
Eugene had certainly noticed Godou’s presence from the start, yet he made of show of surprise, as if he had only just noticed the man.
“Godou! Is that you? My, it’s good to see you. How many years has it been?”
“Don’t stall for time. If your conscience is clear, then come with us and explain everything.”
“You make it sound so simple. I have my own business to attend to at the moment…”
Godou scoffed as Eugene cocked his head and gave him a theatrical look of concern.
“Business? Is any business more important than proving your innocence? All right, then. By force, it is.”
Godou grabbed the saber at his waist. Exasperated, Kiyoka stopped him, scolding his subordinate in a hushed tone.
“…You’re way too quick to resort to force. Itching to fight Eugene that badly?”
“That’s not really it, but… Seeing his face just ticked me off, so…”
“You idiot.”
Kiyoka rebuked Godou, then approached Eugene, getting about two paces away from the man before stopping.
Eugene didn’t make to run away. He simply stood in place, wearing a cheerful grin.
“Enough drivel. You’re going to pay for the harm you’ve caused my wife.”
“Personally, I never intended any harm to her at all,” Eugene murmured in reply.
They weren’t getting anywhere like this—arriving at this conclusion, Kiyoka attempted to capture Eugene. Right before he could put his hands on the man, however, a sweet fragrance assaulted his senses.
What is this smell…?
It wasn’t very strong, but he reflexively scowled from the scent as it hit his nostrils. Catching Kiyoka off guard, Eugene put space between himself and the pair with lithe footwork.