章 48: Chapter 48: ...Two Spirits and a Traitor Walk Out
Ryouko felt her head spin as she tried to process the grinning Spirit's request. "You… want me to what?"
"AST. Disband. Break up. Dismantle. Make sense yet?" Kyo shrugged, a hint of exasperation already showing on his face.
"Wha… we can't do that! You Spirits are responsible for untold destruction all over the globe!" Ryouko grit her teeth in fury, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Just you handful of beings have been more deadly than the bloodiest war in human history!"
"Okay, well, to be fair, those numbers are heavily inflated by the First Spirit," Kyo responded blandly. How can he be so nonchalant about all those deaths?! "And her birth can be traced back to four specific humans, but- ah, whatever. You're not gonna believe that, are you?"
"You're damn right I won't," Ryouko growled. "I will proudly continue to fight against you, even if it kills me."
"Ha!" Kyo's mouth narrowed into a challenging grin, sending a shiver down Ryouko's spine. "Has anyone ever told you that telling a Spirit that you're dead-set on hunting them down isn't exactly good for your health?"
"...no, but I think I can see why," she acknowledged with a grimace. That was really stupid, Ryouko. Even just not replying would've been a better idea than that! You know he's faster than you, even with your CR-unit on. Now what, huh? Now you're just gonna die. She closed her eyes in silence, awaiting her fate. At least make it quick…
…
…
…
THUNK-
——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————
Kyo frowned as he gingerly examined Nia, who had just made the perplexing decision to slam her face onto the table. Still breathing, pulse is fine, no external wounds… I'm at least 80% sure she just fell asleep.
Shaking his head, he glanced over at Ryouko, who was tightly shutting her eyes and bowing down. "The fudge are you trying to do? Mimicking an ostrich?"
"Huh?" Her eyes shot open, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "Well, I-"
"Thought I was gonna get stabby on you?" Kyo finished sarcastically, jingling his necklace with [Naught] still attached, drawing a wary glance from Ryouko. "And what, give the AST even more reasons to bother me?"
"...hmph." She mumbled something under her breath while shooting him a vicious look. "Then what do you plan to do?"
Kyo tilted his head to the side and rubbed his chin. Damn good question. Assuming that trying to argue for the humanity of the Spirits isn't gonna get through to you… "Let me ask you this: what exactly are the Spirits to you?"
"?" Ryouko raised an eyebrow, confusion apparent on her face.
"This isn't a trick question, by the way," Kyo added. "Honestly and bluntly, tell me what Spirits are to you."
"...Spirits are disastrous life forms that mimic the appearance of humanity," Ryouko began cautiously, watching Kyo for signs of displeasure. "Like a natural disaster, they invariably cause massive destruction when they appear, and thus present a terrible threat to humanity."
"Wow, that sounds straight out of a textbook," Kyo laughed dryly. "I'd give you a B- for that."
"Tch," Ryouko spat. "What's your aim in asking these useless questions?"
"I'm making one final effort," Kyo responded simply with a small shrug. Like a natural disaster, huh. What an interesting way to put it…
Ryouko frowned, glaring into his eyes. "An effort for what? Convincing me to abolish the AST?"
"Exactly," he affirmed. "Now be quiet for a moment, please."
The room faded into relative silence as Kyo continued to think and Ryouko continued to watch vigilantly. After a while, he looked up to meet her eyes. "Alright, first, I need you to understand how useless you currently are."
Ryouko's eyes narrowed. "I'm already aware that you can kill me at any time-"
"No, not just you." Kyo shook his head. "The entire existence of the AST is superfluous. Here, I'll use your own words to explain it. You just said that the Spirits are akin to natural disasters, right? Why exactly do you think throwing violence at this type of 'natural disaster' is any different from shooting at a tsunami or earthquake?"
Ryouko looked taken aback. "Isn't that obvious? Spirits can be killed-"
"Have you managed to kill a single Spirit yet?" Kyo interrupted. "Excluding the one who keeps popping back, no matter how many times you seem to kill her?"
"...tch." She looked away, clicking her tongue with a bitter expression.
"That's what I thought." Kyo brought his hands together and rested his chin on them. "On the contrary, you and your team are the ones who suffer the damage. You're doing nothing but banging your own head against a tree and hoping it falls."
"...shut up," she muttered angrily, looking down at her feet. "It's your kind that invades our world; we're only doing our best to keep the citizens safe."
"Again, it's 'your kind' that created Spirits to begin with," Kyo laughed mockingly. "Anyways, aside from a certain kid that you tried to set on fire, attacking Spirits does nothing but provoke retaliation. And besides, none of us are invaders."
Ryouko shot up and slammed her fists on the table, sending all the tableware to jump up in the air and causing Nia to stir slightly before returning to her slumber. "Then how do you explain the spacequakes? The thirty years worth of worrying that our homeland would suddenly explode and kill everything we love?!"
"Uh…" Kyo gave her a sideways glance. "Since this is going into territory that you haven't experienced yourself, would you even believe me if I told you?"
"...I'll consider it," she grunted, easing herself back into her seat.
"Good enough, I guess." Kyo rubbed his eyelids. "Basically, it's a giant involuntary sneeze that happens whenever a Spirit appears. There's no malice behind it, and it can even be avoided sometimes."
"...a giant sneeze," Ryouko repeated, a barely repressed anger in her voice. "You're telling me that millions have died because you can't help but sneeze every time you appear?!"
"Again, that number is mainly the handiwork of just one Spirit, but yeah. Pretty much." Kyo leaned back in his seat, silently gauging Ryouko's expression. Yikes, she looks like she's ready to strangle someone. It's probably better that she doesn't know that Spirits can also consciously create spacequakes. "Let me guess, you don't believe it."
"...does that even make a difference?" Ryouko finally scoffed. "If you're right, it only means that your kind has to die even more."
"Seriously?" Kyo sighed. "Did you not pay attention when I pointed out that you've failed in every attempt to kill a Spirit? Plus, I just said that Spirits can avoid creating spacequakes."
"...please elaborate." She grit her teeth and gestured for him to continue.
Hey, that's progress. Kyo smiled sardonically. "As far as I know, there are two ways for a Spirit to avoid creating spacequakes. One is to simply remain in this world indefinitely. The second is for the Spirit to actively wish to return to this world, which, by the way, you lot really aren't helping with."
Ryouko kept silent, though the look in her eyes clearly conveyed her skepticism. Well, these conditions do sound completely ridiculous and arbitrary. I don't think I would've believed it myself if I were her-
BAM- BAM-
Both of them immediately turned their heads towards the door of their room "Er… dear customers?" A hesitant voice called out. "Your main dishes are here."
"Thank you," Kyo replied mechanically, throwing Ryouko a glance as he hastily propped Nia up off the table.
The waiter quickly entered the room, carrying two steaming plates of dried mackerel and fried curry udon. After setting them down on the table, he turned to address Ryouko. "Oh, and if you could possibly keep the noise down…" He trailed off awkwardly.
"Sure," Ryouko nodded with a bit of chagrin. "My apologies."
"Oh, no no. It's quite alright. I'll take my leave now. Please enjoy." The waiter bowed and left.
"...ahem," Kyo coughed. That went well. "That aside… have you heard of Ratatoskr?"
"Uh… I've only heard rumors," Ryouko said unsurely as she scratched her head. Neither of them paid any heed to the food on the table. "Some sort of pacifist anti-Spirit organization?"
"Close enough," Kyo muttered, nibbling on another skewer. "Basically, they romance Spirits into having their powers sealed, thus confining them on Earth and preventing more damage."
"...what?" Ryouko groaned, leaning backward and staring at the ceiling. "I genuinely can't tell if you're messing with me or if you're just crazy."
Kyo laughed dryly. "Then I'm sure you'll be thrilled to hear that I want you to leave Spirit appearances to Ratatoskr to deal with from now on."
"...I see." Ryouko shook her head. "You're genuinely insane."
"But what if I'm not?" Kyo leaned across the table, pointing an empty cup at her. "The AST is a failure of an organization. The best you can do is stall a Spirit before they disappear, and all that does is increase the likelihood of them returning with a vengeance. I'm offering you a perfect solution: join the organization that's already locked away three Spirits' ability to cause damage, and reduce the AST's Spirit-related casualties to zero."
Ryouko turned away, throwing Kyo a side-eye. "That does sound perfect. Too perfect, actually. If your 'Ratatoskr' organization is so successful, then how are you flying around bisecting our gear in seconds flat?"
"Me? Oh, I'm not sealed. As far as my relationship with Ratatoskr…" Kyo hummed thoughtfully, filling his cup with tea. "Personal trainer? Volunteer? Something like that."
"..." Ryouko put a hand to her forehead. "So the organization that seals Spirits away employs unsealed Spirits?"
"'Employs' is still too strong of a word," Kyo disagreed with a shake of his head. "Try… 'grudgingly acknowledges as an ally when convenient.'"
"Then why are you even the one talking to me right now?" Ryouko questioned. "If you're not even a part of Ratatoskr, why are you the one shilling for them?"
"Uh…" Kyo frowned, tilting his head to either side in contemplation. "Let's put it this way: if a gun is pointed at an acquaintance, would you try to save them?"
"I…" Ryouko hesitated. "So you've already made contact with all the other Spirits, then?"
"Eh… sure," Kyo coughed. It's not like I can say "Oh, actually, I watched the anime so I know that they're all just mildly traumatized humans being used as pawns in the First Spirit's plan to revive her dead lover," so good enough. Speaking of the First Spirit, I should really find some time to explain why killing all her reincarnated lover's new love interests is a stupid idea…
"-you."
Kyo blinked. "Sorry, what?"
"...I said, I still can't trust you," Ryouko refused with a halting tone, shaking her head lightly. "Not until I've verified everything you've told me. Once I've done that, I might be able to help facilitate negotiations."
"...ugh. You know, that's a fair answer." Kyo relaxed into his seat, leaning back while cushioning his head with his arms. "If I were you, I would've thought the same thing."
Ryouko sighed with relief. "Then, you-"
"But I refuse!"
"...what?" Ryouko blinked. "You literally just said-"
"Yeah, but honestly, that sounds like a huge bother." Kyo closed his eyes and sighed. "How are you supposed to verify what I said? How long would negotiations take afterwards? And what'll happen in the meantime, when more Spirits appear?"
"There are procedures that must be followed!" Ryouko insisted, crossing her arms. "Spirits are officially designated as 'Disaster Lifeforms!' Honestly, even telling the higher-ups about our meeting today could jeopardize my position as Captain-"
"All I'm hearing is that we ought to threaten them until they agree," Kyo shot back. "If I know anything about politicians, it's that they won't move until their chair is already smoking."
"I- you- ugh!" Ryouko groaned, running a hand through her hair. "You…"
"-don't even have an argument for that?" Kyo finished with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Look, I'm not spending more time on this than I need to. If you're so desperate for verification, I'll show you to Ratatoskr myself. If the higher-ups are in the way, there are many ways to 'convince' them. But that all depends on whether you are even willing to try, Captain."
"But-" Ryouko sputtered, her face filled with conflict.
"But what?" Kyo interrupted. "I'd like to remind you that, while I'm attempting to recruit you now, I can just as easily simply decimate the AST so thoroughly that the higher-ups simply give up on recreating it." Sparks of violet lightning began to fly from his eyes as he moved his face closer to hers. "I tire of this discussion, Captain. Make. Your. Decision."
Ryouko stared intensely into his eyes, opening her mouth every so often only to close it once again. After almost two minutes of deliberating, she sighed heavily and gently pushed an empty cup towards Kyo. "Pour me a glass of whiskey, would you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "And your choice?"
"...you know, I tend to get a lot more talkative when I drink," Ryouko suddenly admitted. "It would be a terrible shame if I ended up agreeing to a deal with a state-designated enemy while drunk."
"...I think you'd make a great bar buddy for Nia," Kyo sighed but began pouring her a drink anyway. "Cheers, then, to our tentative alliance."
"Tch. Cheers."
クリエイターの想い 
Falling_Mountains
Falling_Mountains This damn chapter went through seven different drafts before completion. Seven! Over 8000+ words written in total, only for 6000 to be wasted! Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhh-
Anyway, if you believe you've found an error or typo, please comment and I'll do my best to remedy it. Thanks for reading!
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