บท 510: The Culprit
As soon as Kaguya returned to the ground, she saw Origami, Tohka, and Yoshino rushing over from the distance, heading her way.
"You guys…"
Before Kaguya could say anything, Tohka leapt into her arms. Thankfully, Kaguya was prepared for it, or she'd have been knocked to the ground by the girl's sudden tackle.
"You—you're alright, right?" Tohka asked anxiously, scanning Kaguya up and down as if searching for any hidden injuries.
"I'm fine. How could anything happen to me?" Kaguya patted her head gently, smiling as she spoke.
"That's a relief," Tohka sighed, visibly relaxing as she broke into a bright smile.
Watching Tohka and Kaguya in an embrace, Origami's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. She stepped forward and said, "It's time for you to let go."
"Why should I?" Tohka retorted with a huff, turning her head away.
"Kaguya was only saying she was unhurt to keep you from worrying. Even if she was injured, she wouldn't let it show," Origami replied calmly. "Clinging to her like that—you might touch a wound and make it worse."
"Ah!" Tohka gasped and quickly released Kaguya, looking guilty. "I—I didn't mean to."
But before she could say much more, Origami stepped up beside Kaguya, stretched out her fair arms, and threw herself into Kaguya's embrace.
Tohka was stunned. "What are you doing? Didn't you just say Kaguya might be injured?"
"Idiot," Origami replied blankly, showing no expression. "Only a fool would believe something like that. Typical of a brainless, big-breasts person like you."
"Ugh, you're so sneaky!" Tohka finally realized she'd been played, anger coloring her voice. "How can you do that!"
Just as Tohka fumed and was about to argue, she froze, stunned by what happened next.
Origami, wrapped around Kaguya, suddenly stood on her tiptoes and, without warning, kissed Kaguya right on the lips.
Kaguya was equally taken aback by Origami's sudden move, quickly pushing her away. A little passion was one thing, but she wasn't expecting such impulsiveness. Seeing Tohka's face growing darker by the second, she quickly cleared her throat and said, "Tohka, don't get the wrong idea. It's not what you think."
"Oh?" Tohka murmured, feeling a pang of heartache as she bit her lip. "Then what is it?"
"It's not like it's something only couples do," Kaguya said, moving closer and grasping her shoulders earnestly.
"Then what is it?" Tohka demanded, frustrated. "Don't take me for a fool—I know what it means. I see it all the time on TV; couples always do that!"
Kaguya broke into a sweat. When had she become so perceptive?
Clearing her throat again, Kaguya said, "It's true that couples kiss, but that doesn't mean only couples do it. For instance, in France, it's customary for good friends to greet each other with a kiss. So, there's really no need to overthink it."
"Really?" Tohka asked, half-convinced.
"Of course," Kaguya replied confidently.
Origami opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say anything, a hand reached around from behind her, grabbing her hip and giving it a squeeze. The unexpected touch sent a jolt through Origami, her cheeks instantly flushing pink.
"I'm sorry," Tohka murmured, scratching her head, looking embarrassed. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."
Kaguya breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was still as gullible as before.
Just then, Kaguya remembered something and asked, "So where were you guys just now?"
"Right after you left, a unit from DEM Corp. attacked us, similar to the division we encountered earlier," Origami said calmly. "But just as we were about to engage them, the Fraxinus, Kotori Itsuka's aerial warship, arrived and drove them off. We've been on board the Fraxinus until just now."
"Kotori?" Kaguya asked, surprised. "Why would she help you?"
Due to shifts in the timeline, Kotori's stance toward the Spirits wasn't as friendly as in the original story. In fact, she advocated for stricter measures against them—restrain, suppress, or even eliminate them if necessary. She'd even clashed with Kaguya over this previously.
Yet, for some reason, Kotori's attitude toward the Spirits—or rather, toward Kaguya—had taken a complete 180. She'd even made a ridiculous request to go on a date with her. Kaguya wasn't entirely sure what her motivations were, but it definitely wasn't as simple as it seemed.
And now, with her coming to help, Kaguya felt even more puzzled. What was she really after?
Regardless, Kotori had saved them this time. Without her intervention, it would've been difficult for the injured Origami and the others to fend off the Beast Division alone.
Kaguya's mouth twitched. It dawned on her that Kurumi had tricked her. It wasn't her who had saved them, nor was it even remotely her doing—yet she had the nerve to claim credit and even demand conditions for it. Next time she ran into that girl, Kaguya swore she'd teach her a lesson.
"Oh, right," Tohka suddenly recalled something. "Kotori said she knows the thing you're most interested in right now. She said that if you want to know, you should go find her."
Hearing Tohka's cryptic words, Kaguya's eyes narrowed. This sounded like the main act was about to begin.
Kaguya knew Kotori had an ulterior motive for helping Origami and the others, and it seemed her suspicions were correct. Kotori clearly had a scheme in mind, which was why she extended a hand to them.
But then again, there wasn't much reason to worry. With her strength, even if Kotori, that eccentric second-in-command, and the entire Fraxinus crew joined forces, they wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Still, what exactly was Kotori planning?
In a dark room, an unsettling silence pervaded. The surroundings were pitch black, save for the faint lights emanating from the numerous electronic monitors scattered around. Yet, rather than brightening the room, these screens seemed to deepen the eerie atmosphere within.
"Aizenk is dead." A young man with white hair frowned, his face darkening as he spoke. This was none other than Wescott, a director of DEM Corp.
"Indeed," murmured a beautiful woman with long silver hair, her expression unreadable. She was Ellen, who had previously clashed with Kaguya multiple times.
"I knew that fool was worthless," Wescott sneered coldly, his expression dripping with disdain.
"He acted on his own, ignoring orders, and took a substantial number of our resources," Ellen added quietly. "His actions led to significant losses for DEM Corp. The board is already furious, saying that unless we start producing results, they'll cut back on funding for equipment."
"They're a bunch of short-sighted idiots whose opinions mean nothing. This loss is irrelevant; these were merely experimental tools. I don't care that that idiot Aizenk used them." Wescott's eyes sharpened. "What concerns me is another matter."
"Another matter?" Ellen asked, surprised.
"Indeed." A sinister smile spread across Wescott's face. "Despite his interference with my plans, he may have actually accelerated another experiment of mine. We might have a breakthrough soon."
"Do you mean…" Ellen began, surprise evident in her voice.
"That project, yes." Wescott's grin widened. "Once I get my hands on it, those who've wronged me will face consequences. I'll settle every score for the humiliation I've endured."
Wescott, who prided himself on his intelligence, had never before suffered such a severe setback—even thirty years prior, he'd never been forced to bear such a loss. All because of Kaguya. Her mere presence had upended his plans and dealt a serious blow to his resources. In his eyes, Kaguya had become a thorn in his side. But for now, until his plan reached fruition, he lacked the power to eliminate these Spirits entirely.
What fascinated Wescott most was the power Kaguya wielded. DEM Corp.'s researchers had conducted countless studies, yet they couldn't make sense of Kaguya's energy, nor even analyze its composition. It was unlike any Spirit power they'd studied before. But one thing was clear: her energy was overwhelmingly strong, far exceeding that of any other Spirit.
Once he could defeat Kaguya and capture her, her power would be his to command, and from there…
"Boom!"
A deafening roar suddenly echoed throughout the room, and the ground shook violently, as if hit by an earthquake. Equipment rattled; Wescott, who hadn't been afforded any special modifications, was thrown off balance. Grabbing onto the armrest, he narrowly avoided further embarrassment.
Ellen, on the other hand, had activated her display device at the first tremor, keeping her balance. She could have helped Wescott but hesitated, ultimately deciding not to assist him.
"What the hell is going on?" A disheveled Wescott scrambled to his feet, slamming his fist down on the table in anger.
"Director!" A DEM Corp. employee rushed in, panic etched across his face as he stammered, "It's bad! Outside the base—" The man's face was stricken with terror, as if he had seen something unspeakably horrific. His voice quivered, his words tumbling out in fragments.
"Idiot!" Wescott, fuming, kicked the man hard in the stomach, sending him sprawling back until his head struck a corner of the table, knocking him unconscious.
A sudden sense of foreboding gripped Wescott. He hurried over to the control panel, fingers flying over the keyboard. The screens lit up in response, displaying scenes from DEM Corp.'s surveillance.
As he absorbed the footage on-screen, Wescott's expression contorted in rage. "What the hell…?" he snarled, slamming his fist down and shattering one of the monitors.
The image on the screen showed DEM Corp.'s main headquarters in utter ruin, with flames roaring, thick smoke billowing, and explosions still sporadically echoing. Shockwaves blasted out, sending debris flying, and the entire base looked as if it had been ravaged by a brutal assault.
At the heart of the destruction lay a colossal crater, vast enough to cover dozens of football fields, as if left by a meteor impact. In the center of this massive pit sat a charred, burning behemoth, spewing thick smoke into the air.
Wescott recognized the object immediately—it was Aizenk's aerial warship.
Kaguya had initially planned to destroy the ship entirely, deeming it too blood-soaked and grim for use. But a thought had crossed her mind: rather than simply destroying it, why not let it serve a higher purpose?
Her idea was simple—crash the warship right onto DEM Corp. to spite them.
The ship, laden with powerful energy systems, munitions, and a nuclear power source, detonated on impact with catastrophic force, reducing much of the DEM Corp. base to rubble.
"Damn it!" Wescott's face twisted in fury, his rage boiling over. This base was the result of years of painstaking work. Moreover—
Wait…
Wescott abruptly realized something. In a frenzy, he resumed typing rapidly on the keyboard. A fresh set of images flickered onto the screen, and as he stared at the footage, Wescott's pupils shrank in horror.
Meanwhile, the mastermind of this chaos, Kaguya, was peacefully engaging in… certain preferred activities with a beautiful woman.
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