““Who cares? Does it really matter?””
✦ ✦ ✦
Kaname had a hell of a time getting out of there.
His well-planned assault had landed him in what was essentially a giant bear trap designed to buy Takamasa time. Now Kaname was surrounded on all sides by PMC soldiers, with no way out except to fight his way through.
At times like this, it was nice to have Cindy on his side. She had been able to take the half-destroyed container carrying #flash.err and hook it up to a semitruck. Using its massive weight, she took the PMCs head-on, smashing through their barricades and opening a path for Kaname and Midori, while also protecting the coupe and bike from gunfire.
From there, they traveled inland, stopping to regroup in the parking lot of a combination motel and restaurant on the outskirts of town.
Tselika: Looks like we managed to lose them.
Midori: But it cost us a lot of time…
Cindy: If you’d only let me use #flash.err, we could have shaken them off much faster.
Kaname: No. We couldn’t risk it short-circuiting. We need the Legacies intact to expose the glitches in Money (Game) Master. We shouldn’t try to fire it until we confirm it hasn’t been damaged.
The group left their cars and reconvened face-to-face. They’d initiated their attack when the rain began around sunset, and now it was totally dark out. How much had Takamasa managed to accomplish in that time? Before Kaname could put a stop to him once and for all, he needed to catch up. Even now, Takamasa was reaching for the giant breaker switch that would turn off Money (Game) Master and the Magistelli forever.
The one good thing to come of that wasted time was Meiki, who was now back on her feet. In under an hour, her Down status had cleared, and it was as if she’d never been shot in the head with a magnum pistol.
“We’ll split up into two groups,” said Kaname. “One group will go into hiding with #flash.err and make sure it’s working correctly. We need the Legacies to enact our plan. We can’t let it be stolen or destroyed.”
“In that case, Kaname, might I suggest myself and Tselika for that task?” said Cindy. “After all, we are both quite proficient at fiddling with machines.”
“Hey, then what will My Lord be doing?!” protested Tselika, her forked tail poking up into the air.
Kaname, however, had already thought of the rest.
“Takamasa is after the auctioneer, Pavilion,” he explained. “We don’t yet know what her power is as the Maiden’s Survival, but at the very least, Takamasa must believe she’s of use. If we want to settle things with him, now’s our only chance. We’ll head to Pavilion’s next location at once and intercept him.”
“…Are you sure you are capable of that?” asked Tselika.
“I am.”
“My Lord, if I may. We Magistelli can suppress our own feelings for the sake of survival, but you humans cannot. I’m going to be frank: You were relieved to find out that Takamasa didn’t die in that crash, weren’t you?”
“You’re wrong,” replied Kaname immediately. But not in answer to her question. “When Takamasa Fell, and my sister became so traumatized she left the game… Who was it who got so pissed she turned against the Mind? That wasn’t for the sake of your survival, was it? I don’t believe you, Tselika. I don’t care what you say; if you came face-to-face with Takamasa today, you’re the one who wouldn’t be able to shoot him.”
“…”
Tselika bit her lip in silence as Kaname gently placed his hand on her delicate shoulder. Their eyes met.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“My Lord…”
“It’s too hard for you, Tselika. For Midori, and for Cindy, too. I’ll do it. This all happened because I was too weak to protect my sister back then. Now Takamasa’s gone off the rails because he didn’t have us. That’s why I have to put a stop to it. I have to bring him back. It’s my duty.”
Kaname took out some paper bills from his pocket and stuffed them in Tselika’s hands, before sending her and Cindy into the restaurant to pick up enough burgers and fried chicken for everybody.
In truth, Kaname just didn’t want to make anyone else fight.
After watching the two Magistelli leave, Midori whispered:
“…You were relieved, weren’t you?”
“Of course I was.”
Right or wrong. Allies or enemies. These were not the things that triggered an emotional response. Not in humans, and not in Tselika, either. The Magistelli weren’t so different; they could sigh in relief just the same as anyone else, and that was precisely why Kaname could never understand his old friend. How could he choose to wipe her out along with the rest, just because she was supposed to be the enemy? Kaname had to stop him, before it was too late.
He had to get things back to the way they were before, when they were all friends, laughing together.