Why am I suddenly acting like a menace? Aren't I taking it too far? Is it really necessary to shoot her palms? Good questions. So, in order, let me answer them.
1). I was furious, and a bit too much at that.
2). Yes.
3). No.
Why would I use such a brutal interrogation method when I could have her tell me exactly what I wanted using the contract? I did something similar before.
I've already stated how I feel about holding that much authority over another person. This won't be a very convincing claim to make, but look at it this way. Even at gunpoint, I can't force her to do anything. She can resist to the end. Using the contract, I could make her do anything and she wouldn't be able to disobey.
The disgust I have for the contract was enough to keep me from using it again, but it wasn't a reliable way to get the truth in the first place. Thinking back to the first time I used the contract made me realize something. If I was correct that Vestiarina wasn't truthful about who she is, that would mean orders under the contract aren't absolute. It wouldn't surprise me if there was a way for her to resist orders, or she rigged the contract since she initiated it and forced me into it. Regardless of my demeanor, at no point did I stop being suspicious of Vestiarina. Everything she said and did were massive red flags and made no sense. Kidnapping me, whether herself or through other means, was where I should have drawn the line. I didn't want to lose my cool right away so I went about it rather calmly, but preparing to defend myself and questioning Vestiarina from the get-go would have been an appropriate reaction.
Binding me into a contract with her while I was asleep is the second biggest red flag. I don't care if she wanted it because I didn't. Besides, that didn't make any sense. Even if she claimed otherwise, she wouldn't put herself in a position to be at my beck and call unless there was something to be gained from it. The most insincere thing about it was that her "Eternal wish is to be by my side forever". Since she came this far with whatever her plan was, I expected that Vestiarina could come up with a better excuse for forming the contract than that. Proclamations of love aren't suddenly made just like that.
Well, that's not true. But I can sense when someone's feelings are genuine. Vestiarina's feelings weren't, and claiming that they were would be disrespectful to Ms. Kamiya, Ms. Kano, and the remaining which had yet to come. It would probably be disrespectful to Atsuko and Manami as well, but I was unsure how they truly felt. As for Amakusa... it's complicated.
I knew from the beginning that there was a reason for the contract she was hiding from me. It was just that her confirmation of my suspicions gave me the motivation to find out why a little faster than originally planned to.
It also turned out that my method of doing so became more violent than intended. Looking back on it, I absolutely feel bad about it. That guilt is a feeling that still makes me uncomfortable with myself from time to time. Character trait switching aside, I think it's right that I feel bad for what I did. I do still think, however, that I was justified in my intent to get the truth from her, by force if needed. The method is what I have guilt about.
"Figured me out already, did you?" Vestiarina asked with a smug attitude. She spoke clearly as if she instantly recovered from the pain she received. "You skipped through the operation straight to the big reveal at the end. That's not as fun. I am impressed, though."
I happened to be in the right mindset to match her arrogance. "You make it sound like it was difficult."
"Oh? Would you mind telling me how you pieced it together so fast?"
"Yeah, I do mind."
"Huh?"
"It's a tired routine. I see right through you. You ask me how I figured you out, and I walk you through how I put the puzzle pieces together step-by-step. That's how it always goes, right? It's so ridiculous. Why would I ever tell you how I saw through you? I'd be putting myself at a disadvantage. I'm not going to tell you how I did it, because you could find a potential weakness within that, or change your behavior so my method doesn't work anymore. People only give themselves away like that in games and movies and stuff because it's a convenient plot device for explaining things to the audience. Only a fool would actually do that."
I wasn't going to tell her, and she wouldn't be able to fully comprehend the process. It's not like she expected me to be able to see the memory she corrupted.
I suppose I should explain how I did it, just for the record. Before I left Focus, I searched for a memory of a possibility. The one I found was of a younger me, taking a life and vowing to never kill again because of it. I utilized the layers Akua told me about and put the memory of that possibly on the foremost layer of Focus. When she tried to use that possibly against me by saying that she knew I didn't want to take another life, she revealed herself as the magician who was manipulating my memories. Basically, I set up bait and she took it.
I didn't tell her any of that though.
Vestiarina smirked. "I knew it. You truly are the wonderfully fascinating kid I thought you were. You're captivating."
"Hey, now. You already tried the romantic approach. Don't you try to pretend to have feelings for me again. It's not nice to play with a guy's heart. I despise that."
"I wouldn't have said I wanted to be by your side forever if I didn't mean that."
"I've been getting that a lot lately." I said, now almost in her face.
"Urgh!"
"That's the third time I've shot you. I bet it hurts. No, I know it does. I know how it feels. If you can still say you want to be by my side forever after I've done everything I can to make you hate me, I'll believe you."
Vestiarina grabbed my face and merged our lips. I could feel the transfer of an overwhelming amount of energy from her body to mine. A sensation of bliss overcame me because it was so sudden. When it was over, blood surged out of her body from every limb, like springs erupting from the skin. She repeated herself as her voice grew fainter. "I want to be by your side forever."
I yelled. "What did you do?"
"I gave you my life."
I didn't know what to think or feel, but I desired to act on my conviction.
「I'm sorry, Ms. Kamiya, the only woman I'll ever truly love. This is another betrayal I'll never be able to atone for. I don't like it myself... In fact, I hate what I've become. Before, only you really mattered, and that's true now. But I'm changing. Most would say it's good, but I have absolutely no idea how I feel right now. I don't know how I should feel. I hate it. I do... But, even so, forgive me. I don't want to lose her. Not over this.」
"Take it back."
I pressed my lips deep into hers in return. I'm not proud of the duration or intensity, but I wasn't trying to be gentle. I was hurriedly trying to return all the life force she gave me back to her. I felt the same overwhelming energy I had just received flow back out of my body. I felt an identical bliss, but it was as if I experienced it in reverse. About fourteen seconds later, the feeling became much more overpowering. While desperately trying to keep Vestiarina alive, I went overboard and gave her way more life force than she lost. The thing that mattered, though, was that she opened her eyes.
"Vestiari-"
She put her finger over my lips and smiled. "Just 'Vestia'."
She looked different.
She was taller and looked older, by quite a few years. Her shoulder-length pitch-black hair now fell just below her waist, and the color changed to an alluring mint green. Her black armor had vanished. An elegant, lavish, silvery-white nightdress had replaced it. Her ring that appeared to be made from silver was now composed of gold and diamond.
I looked down at my hand. My silver ring was now jade, and a crystal dragon laid wrapped around the ring. "It looks like we really are stuck with each other, witch. Would you please tell me everything?"
"Could we move to the bed first? The back of this wall is pretty uncomfortable."