“Takamasa has turned against us. Probably for good.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Midori slapped him with all her might.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was not the first time Kaname had seen her cry. Once again, he had failed to stop her tears.
Luckily, the service station staff all pretended not to see anything. This was a famous breakup spot for young couples, after all, so they were probably used to it. As soon as that nuisance in the passenger seat left to buy a few snacks, you drove off, leaving them stranded. While the staff’s professional consideration was unwarranted this time, Kaname probably felt a lot more awkward than any of those entitled drivers.
But he had already decided to drop his cool-guy act.
Midori clung to him, her desperate tears streaming down his chest. Kaname doubted even she could understand the inarticulate words she was screaming.
But she must have known that Kaname Suou never took up his gun and killed someone for nothing. Once he made the decision to take someone out, he was ruthless, but there was always a reason why. To him, helping people was not about bragging rights or asking for anything in return. He lived by certain rules, though he was often so reticent, it was difficult to discern precisely what they were.
Have I really…?
And who had engraved those rules on Kaname’s heart? Why, none other than Criminal AO, Takamasa Hekireki. He had protected Kaname’s sister, and Kaname wanted nothing more than to return the favor.
Have I really done enough? he thought. Have I really done enough to make up for her tears?
Kaname had made up his mind, but he wasn’t without a heart. Still, no matter what he felt, after countless trials and difficulties, this was the conclusion he’d reached.
…Midori must be mature enough to realize that.
As she sobbed and sniffled, Kaname simply stood by, waiting. Then at last, her face buried in his chest, she spoke in a groan.
“Did my brother…?”
She was shaking, afraid, and her voice was weak—she was probably hoping against hope that Kaname would deny it.
“Did big bro do something so bad, you have to shoot him?”
He could have said anything. He could’ve told her Takamasa was a great man, someone he would always look up to—someone she should be proud to call her big brother. He could have told her anything.
But he didn’t. He replied through gritted teeth.
“…Yeah. He did.”
“…!”
“He’s fighting against the AI to free humanity from their oppression and take back his own life. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but…that’s not all. He’s killing Dealers just so he can find the Zodiac Children. That’s not what helping people is all about. I’m not just talking about bad guys like those slumlords from the Red Territory. These are students trying to pay back their loans, small business owners trying to earn a living—there are all kinds of Dealers. He doesn’t think it matters, so long as he wins in the end. But that’s not how my hero taught me to act.”
He had to say this. All of it. Even if his best friend’s sister would hate him for it. If he didn’t, Kaname’s reason for shooting Takamasa would disappear into a mist of vague platitudes. For him to wage war, the reason had to be front and center in his mind.
“Takamasa is probably seeking the complete destruction of Money (Game) Master and the downfall of AI society. I want to stop him, even if that makes him my enemy.”
“Who are you hoping to protect by doing that?”
“Not the world, that’s for sure. Not humanity, either. I want to protect Tselika, you, my sister…and Takamasa.”
“…”
Takamasa had been alive in the real world this whole time, but he’d never tried to contact Midori or the rest of his family. He had always believed that helping people wasn’t about bragging rights. If he still believed that, maybe it was the reason he was fighting alone even now, despite the mounting sacrifices.
In order to bring him to the conversation table, Kaname would have to take him down first.
“I need to shoot him. It’s the only way to save him. For that, I can break my own rules. I can betray the man who saved me, despite what I owe him.”
Kaname felt a squeeze as Midori’s small fingers tightened around his shirt. She sobbed awhile longer without saying anything.
Then, at last, she spoke.
“…In that case, I’ll help.”
“Midori.”
“You believe you’re doing the right thing, don’t you?”
She looked up into his eyes. Her face was streaked with tears, but her voice was clear.
“I don’t think my brother is that strong. There are sides of him I know that you don’t. And if he has any hesitation at all, if there’s any part of him that wants to stop…then I don’t think he should be throwing away people’s lives and futures. That’s why…I’m siding with his doubt. If you can’t make him stop, then maybe I can. It’s just like you said—this is the only way to save him. I won’t back down from that.”
“You’ll regret it, you know.”
“Yes. But so will you.” Midori smiled. “So let’s share our knowledge. The part of my brother I know and the part you know. Together, we can see the whole picture. We’re the only ones who can.”