The chaotic night passed, and with the rising of the sun, the boy finally accepted reality. Independent of the truth, there was only one way society would see his actions.
“…I just abducted a middle school girl, didn’t I?”
“What’s with the long face? You can’t say you didn’t know what you were doing.”
Midori was lying on the bed, dressed in brightly colored sleepwear. The pajamas weren’t Valencia’s—even now she wore only a long button-down shirt and nothing else—but because of all the times the boy had looked after his sister when she was sick, it was definitely no big deal for him to go downstairs to one of the boutiques and buy Midori some fresh underwear and pajamas.
Valencia sighed and went up to a coffee machine, considerably fancier than the ones available at convenience stores, and poured herself an espresso. It was clear from her face that she hadn’t slept a wink all night. The boy had bought himself some disposable contacts when he went to get clothes for Midori, but he’d apparently picked a terrible time to put them in. He grimaced as a blindingly white pair of thighs came into focus.
Valencia noticed the boy’s gaze and finished sipping her coffee.
“What’s wrong? Feeling bothered? I must say, you’re awfully susceptible, considering you just picked up a girl off the streets and ran away with her.”
The boy could only imagine how Midori’s parents were feeling around this time, and his own mother and father must have noticed his absence as well. Sooner or later, the authorities would start piecing things together, and once they realized the disappearances were related, he could expect the alert level to be raised.
Money couldn’t do everything. There were limits. And the boy wouldn’t be able to smooth this one over, no matter how much he spent. Every possible future ended in him being caught.
The fuse had been lit. The question now was could he finish things before the bomb went off?
Helping people was not about showing off. It was about doing the right thing despite what everyone else thought.
“How’s the network backdoor looking?”
“All green. Apparently, Money (Game) Master will be going back online at noon. When are we logging in?”
“Eight thirty-eight PM.”
Valencia seemed puzzled by the boy’s oddly specific reply. He took a deep breath and explained:
“…Takamasa made himself Fall yesterday. It takes twenty-four hours for the log-in block to go away. If anything’s going to go down in Money (Game) Master, it’ll be after he comes back.”
One of a few things could happen, depending on whether the Mind knew about the angel or not. But for the time being, it was probably best to assume most of the action would be on the “Takamasa versus the Mind” front. After all, the Mind couldn’t afford to let up now. Once Takamasa got his hands on a Zodiac Child, it was checkmate.
And the boy also needed something from Takamasa. Because…
“We don’t know what kind of danger Midori’s in yet. Perhaps Takamasa can save her by preventing the angels and demons from coming to blows, but if he shuts down Money (Game) Master, she could very well be stuck like that forever. Maybe her mind is trapped within the game, or something like that.”
“Hmm? You don’t think he’ll go after the angel that hurt his sister?”
“No. He’s after certainty. Trust me, I know what he’s like.”
He didn’t have proof, but the boy knew better than anyone else how his old friend thought.
He lacked the courage to go after the enemy on his own, but to protect his companions, he would dive in front of a bullet. When pushed to the brink, Takamasa was better than anyone else at identifying the optimal move and putting it into motion. Kaname, a top-class Dealer, couldn’t even compare.
“In the end, my best idea is still collecting all the Legacies and using their glitches to expose the game’s program code. In order to install Tselika as the queen of the Magistelli, I need Takamasa, or more precisely, his Legacies. All of them.”
The archangel Uriel.
He may be a divine being, but so long as he existed in Money (Game) Master, he had to play by the game’s rules. That meant he had to be a program, just like the demons were.
Things had gotten complicated, but that didn’t change what needed to be done. Once Tselika ruled over the game, she could force Uriel out of the girl’s body. They had to keep Takamasa from destroying the game world until then.
Takamasa was clearly aware of the angel possessing Midori, but did he know about the state she was in now? If the whole system went down, there was no telling what effect that might have on her mind.
Which meant…
“…Our top priority is stopping Criminal AO. The angels and demons can come after.”
“How ironic. Both of you are fighting to save Midori, and yet…”
Good and evil could be reconciled, if they had it out and one side admitted their faults. But two competing goods must clash.