To become a Kanbu officer is to fully devote oneself to the Sumeragi group and its tenets.
One not only needs a long history of distinguished service, but also a proof of one's abilities and even the sworn statement of one's actions from comrades and superiors alike.
Being a Kanbu officer is the highest attainable position in the hierarchy of the Sumeragi syndicate…
"Department Chief Ayato Naoi, I presume?"
"…The one and only. I'm surprised that you found this coffee shop quickly."
"I used to be a regular here. It does bring back some fond memories."
And yet, there is still one more place that one can aim for but never come to ever acquire in their entire lifetime.
"I believe you already know why I am here… Department Chief Ayato Naoi."
"I indeed do, Kanbu Furuta… Your last phone call sure told me enough about the rationale of this sudden meeting."
"…I see."
"You're here to negotiate to acquire information that only I hold and not even Yuri and that dullard Hinata knows about… I must say, this is very sly of you to ask."
"I can say the same to you."
"Hehe… be careful with your words and tone, Kanbu-dono… I'm sure that you're aware who is in-control in this place and our talks."
For Furuta Renjiro who is secretly running out of time in this earth, getting to that place and having a direct audience with their organization's leader is his greatest chance of knowing a way to extend his life… and to do that…
"Kirin-san and Kai said that William was already half-dead when he escaped from their battle with the help of Aokigahara Yoshino… a few months have already passed, but I'm sure that with the extent of his injuries and the extremely steep physical requirements that he needs to fully recover, there is no way that he's already out on the streets and fighting again."
"Well, I can tell you that you're right with that…"
"R-Really?! Then-"
"However…"
"…"
"I wish to first hear what you're ready to give up for this kind of information."
Ayato Naoi, as cunning and manipulative as he has always been, baited the vulnerable Renjiro into giving his terms first before giving up the information that he has.
"…I've heard from Mana that you've been trying to pry open the enigma that is the true past of Ephraim."
"From Agent Fujikawa?"
"Yeah… she said that ever since you found out about him joining the S.S.S, you've been trying to get as much information regarding his past as you can… even going as far as violating international laws regarding personal privacy."
"Haah… that chatty little brat. I should be careful around her starting from now on."
"One thing that you may not know is that in this regard, Director Nakamura and Vice-Director Hideki is already leaps and bounds ahead of you."
"H-huh? Pardon?"
"I heard it from Ephraim himself… he's given up official documents about himself to Nakamura-san and she shared it with Hideki-san for the sake of protocol and safekeeping. I deduce that the two never told you about it in case you try to pull off something far too shady for even your position in the S.S.S to ever justify it."
"Tch… even those two. I really reap what I sow when it comes to them. Anyways, how can I be sure that what you're about to say is actually real?"
"I have a page of his personal documents with me right now. It was the only one that I got to memorize and write down exactly as how I remember it, but it's packed to the brim with sensitive data about Rai that it's enough to satiate your desire… I don't even have to ask… I know already that this would suffice."
Hearing Renjiro's confident statement, Naoi let out a rare, genuine amused snicker and stretched out his hand to take the folder that has the document, gesturing to him that he accepts the offer.
"Even if it isn't a photocopy, data is data…"
"Won't you open it?"
"No. Not yet. I'm the kind of guy who eats a strawberry cake and leaves the strawberry for the last."
"I see…"
After Naoi placed the folder on the table, he proceeded to talk about what he knows about the enemy Gardener's whereabouts.
"Well then, since you've given information that satisfies my parameters, here's what you want."
"…"
"Exact coordinates and even the floor plan of the bunker where William Tetian is believed to be recovering from his injuries. It may not be so accurate, but there's also information about the number of normal Miyazono armed personnel and Psychic teams on the site."
"How about proximity to populated areas?"
"Very dense… It's in Akatsuki district of New Tokyo after all. No matter what you do, there will be bloodshed on the streets. This is one of their strongest Gardeners after all… they can't risk having him killed while he's vulnerable."
"If that's the only problem that I have nothing to worry about."
"…Kanbu Officer Furuta Renjiro."
"…"
Taking the papers with him, Renjiro stood up and was about to leave the office room when Naoi called him, and he stopped by the doorway.
"This exchange between us… and the fact that both of us plotted this against our respective group's interests…"
"…I'm aware. Why do you think the Sumeragi group is in the yakuza business after all?"
"I see… I am glad to be in business with you, Furuta-san."
As the door closed behind him, Renjiro was unaware that the ever-conniving Ayato has a wide grin on his face as if he just got exactly what he wanted.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Haah… This snake really is a handful."
From the surveillance and security center of the Shibuya bunker, Hinata and Yusa found out about the secret meeting between Naoi and Renjiro through a hacked surveillance camera of the coffee shop that they were in.
"Should we report this to Yurippe?"
"…No. I'll handle it. The way things are going now, Yuri needs to focus on how to protect everyone from the current ministerial cabinet members… If she hears about this, she might just lose it."
"Are you sure? Hiding this from her might be worse than telling her straight away."
"Don't worry about that, Yusa. I've known Yuri longer than you do. I've got her temperance and tics down to a T."
"Still, I'll fill in the paperwork about this just in case we need it later."
"Sure thing. I'll leave that one to you."
As Hinata left the room and boarded the trolley cab to head to the Main Administrative station, their last meeting with their government higher-ups replayed on his mind.
"Protecting both Mana and Rai are taking a toll on her… Yuri's a tough woman with a resolute spirit, but she's still a human being."
He touched his chest that was hit by Yuri last time and remembered how much Yuri is teetering between a mental breakdown and straight-up insanity and depression.
"I wonder… If I made the right choice after all."
"The right choice about what?"
"H-Huh?"
All of a sudden, Hinata's musings was cut short after he snapped from his trance and realized that there was someone behind him on the trolley cab.
"You've been mumbling so much in there that you didn't notice that I rode the trolley too?"
"Oh. It's just you, Chaa."
Thankfully, it was no other than his close friend and fellow S.S.S senior officer, Chaa. With his clothes, Hinata realized that he was heading home after a long day of restocking their armory.
"Don't handwave me out of the focus. Speak already while it's only the two of us here… Something's up with Naoi again that would be too much for Yuri to handle, isn't it?"
"…Yeah. He's on his own world again. Just like old times, he's scheming about all kinds of things and moves."
"Lemme guess… it's not that he's betraying us, isn't it?"
"Yep. Chances are high that he's trying to destabilize our enemies without incurring losses for us by manipulating the Sumeragi syndicate."
"Aren't they our allies? Why is he doing something reckless like this?"
"Come on, Chaa. I know that even you aren't as dull to not know the reason for this. It's clear as day that Naoi is doing this because even Yuri, who was the main proponent and supporter of our alliance with the Sumeragi group, is beginning to accept that the pact wouldn't last long anymore."
"Heh… it's not everyday that you get to notice things like that, Hinata-kun. You sure have grown."
It wasn't only the sudden and remarkably antagonistic change of government officials that caused a great deal of stress to Yuri. There is also the fact that Ephraim has exposed to her his true identity back in his country.
But what would nearly push her to the edge was the news from their four newly inducted Agents that received Psychic training back in Kabuki-cho estate about a "shake-up" in the ranks of the Sumeragi mafia group.
"I don't know much about how the Psychic Services department does their stuff, but from the meetings that I got to attend and the bits of news that I get from talking with Rai-kun and Goro-kun whenever they swing by in the Armory, it's pretty clear that the Sumeragi group is now as useful as a gunpowder-and-ball musket in a battlefield where everyone is carrying high-caliber automatic assault rifles."
"Right… with the lower-ranking Kanbu officers of both the Onkenha and Sakoku factions vying to take the position of the departed Amano Hogosha guardian Naganohara Teruhiko, there is a very high possibility that the group itself would be divided soon and a civil war starts in there that would soon get bloody, I believe that is what the Miyazonos are thinking."
Simply put, the Sumeragi group's internal factional politics has gone over the point of loud meetings and bitter rivalries. Now, they're on the verge of pulling out their weapons and going on a full-on war… the only thing keeping all of it in bay is that no one is taking the first action.
"Who could've guessed that in exchange for getting to arrest and hold one of their three leaders, they'd pour massive amounts of manpower and resources to almost decapitate our control down in Okinawa…"
"It's inevitable… it's not just their anger about losing one of their leaders, there's also a strategic purpose in it."
"Hmm? What do you mean about a strategic purpose in it, Hinata?"
After hearing that Chaa is clueless about it, Hinata leaned back on his chair and narrated what it was.
"It's fairly new and even Yusa is yet to fully analyze it with her Operators, but we've received news from Formosa Island that their government is finalizing a cease-and-desist order against Miyazono corporation."
"W-W-What-!?!?!?"
"Surprising, isn't it? A country that became the beating heart of the Asia-Pacific after the Third World War and year by year since then, has become slightly dependent on the Miyazono group in order to become the dominant trading hub of the east is now not just loosening their leashes, but instead, is fully cutting their ties with the corporation."
Formosa Island is a nation that no one in this side of the world wouldn't know about… and because of that, the shock of Chaa wasn't something that surprised Hinata.
"I suspect that the Miyazonos attacked in Okinawa and tried to destabilize it in order to gain leverage against Formosa. With Formosa's main trade being its advantageous position between the eastern, south-eastern and southern Asia, having itself cut-off from the factories of Japan is sure to be a huge problem for the other nations who depend on them for shipping."
"So, they are trying to take over and reform Okinawa's islands to act as a new shipping hub in the Pacific-side of Asia… that would pressure Formosa's government and soon, the other nations and their companies would abandon Formosa… what a long-term but effective move."
"Indeed, but it will all backfire on the Miyazonos eventually. They were wrong in their predictions."
"How so?"
"Because instead of ridding themselves of enemies in Okinawa, what they did was just to incite a shake-up and culling in the Sumeragi group that would be a larger problem for them later on."
"I am… not sure if I can follow."
"Alright, let me put it plainly for you. Right now, the Sumeragi syndicate is full of Kanbu officers in the lower and middle strata that are vying to get to a higher position and possibly, even win over the position left by the old Amano Hogosha guardian, a position that is equivalent to a Department Chief in the S.S.S."
"I get that now. What about the other things?"
"Well, as far as we know, there are squabbles and some exchanges of fists in the upper levels of the organization especially between the important clans that have a long history in the group, but they are all aware that escalating it any further would do nothing but invite the ire of the Imamura clan… and all of them know that Clan Leader Imamura Kirin is now an untouchable individual after her Re-Awakening back in the Battle of Old Tokyo Academy."
"Ah. That woman who is Rai-kun's Psychic teacher. I've seen her file with us too. She's ridiculously powerful."
"Exactly… and she alone is the reason why none in the upper ranks wants to make a bigger deal in this ruckus. However, those on the lower ranks doesn't know about this and are now collecting influence and waving around their power. There are even rumors that some less-disciplined ones have begun to ambush each other on empty streets without even putting up Mental Subspaces while others who at least has some tact, are issuing official duels and places Mental Subspaces to protect their places of battle."
"That sounds like a problem… if this will soon balloon out of control, why aren't we doing anything about it?"
"Because I may not support it, but what Naoi is doing might just be the best ticket for the S.S.S going forward. I hate his guts and the fact that he's doing all of this without telling us, but if he's successful, the Sumeragi group would be rid of its incapable members… and what would be left are the ones who can truly stay by our side once the right time comes."
At that moment, Chaa finally understood what it was that he's missing. Just when he connected the dots, the trolley cart stopped by the station that he feared Hinata is going to if what he is thinking is right.
"Now that I remember… when we first met, you said that your daughter looked a lot like Yuri. She tried to hide her embarrassment by acting like she was really flattered by it and her ego was inflated, but she was actually a bit hurt after hearing that since she learned that she would eventually have to bring a family man like you to a dangerous kind of work."
"W-Wait, Hinata! You can't possibly be-"
"I've made up my mind, Chaa… I'll just apologize to you guys later. For now, even if I hate it to the point that I want to throw up from just the thought of it, the fact remains that Naoi's plans would eventually lead us to a victory."
"But still! That is nothing but cruelty! No one deserves to have their life thrown to the fire like that!"
"Yeah… but it's better if we, who will toss as little as possible, does it rather than the enemy who would do it fully without remorse."
"Vice-Director Hideki… Vice-Chief Chronia will be meeting you at the clinic."
"-!"
Chaa's greatest fear was nothing but confirmed. Hinata would really be doing that.
"A bit of advice for you, Chaa… If you have any sympathy for Yuri, don't even try to tell her about this."
"Hinata… you-!"
"She's both our dear friend… but right now, we have different ways of easing the weight on her shoulders. Do your part and I will do mine."
As the trolley car moved forward according to its automatic piloting program, Chaa's dread about the near future grew more and more as Hinata's words repeated in his mind like a harrowing echo.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"The fact that you have finally visited… must mean that Chief Ayato was successful in baiting Furuta-sensei with the info that I indirectly sent to the archives."
"Right. I've had Takamatsu handle the work for it to not be traced back to the Psychic services department. If he learns where it came from, he'd probably think that you're feeding him bad intel to see if he's still after learning more about your past once someone does go to the place mentioned in the file."
Hinata-san and I have plotted all of this and thought that it would take a long time for it to bear fruit, but the fact that he has asked to meet me this soon meant that our target has taken the bait sooner than expected.
"Exactly. Chief Ayato is a sharp man and that's why he got his position in the S.S.S… but right now, we have him feeding straight from our hands without him even knowing."
"About the information that he received from Furuta-sensei…"
"Right, we saw what's on the paper and it's pretty inaccurate in the specifics. Your basic information is right, but it sure isn't even close to the real deal that you handed to me and Yuri."
"I see… I was quite afraid that once he gets that, he'd insist to Yurippe to either order me to spill out everything or have me held by his department as a potential hazard for the country."
"Well, there's nothing new about him in that way… He's a control freak. He hates everything that he can't control or at least influence enough to not be a hindrance to him. I get your fear about him driving you out or holding you captive when you wield that much power."
It's true that this was my main concern, but after settling that, I thought about the thing that I had to thank for not leaking my information to him.
"Furuta-sensei… his body and mind itself are deteriorating from Hyper-psychic Syndrome."
"Yeah… and the worst part of it is the fact that he doesn't even fully realize that it's happening already."
I heard about it from Kai the last time we bumped to each other out in the deserted parts of Old Tokyo. He said that Furuta-sensei has steadily become weaker and weaker and has been unable to do his job properly for a while. To him, it was just a sign that his overuse of his powers is now starting to take a toll on his body, but what Kai heard from Kaede-sensei confirmed that it didn't end with just that.
"Memory lapses during the worst pasts of his health hiccups causes him to not know how close he came to dying, nor did it feel real to him once he was told about or showed using a video recording about what happened to him."
"So, he basically has no memory of it happening?"
"Yeah. It's like being so drunk that all of the times you passed-out and vomited on your way home was never recorded in your memories."
"That's quite a horrible analogy, but that made the idea more understandable."
"In any case, all of this means that Furuta-sensei must be aiming for the Amano Hogosha seat as well and using that, he'd try to find a cure for his illness… although it's already been confirmed by Professor Imamura Akari that Hyper-psychic syndrome has no cure and never will."
"About that, why doesn't it have any cure?"
"Because for Psychics who have underwent their Awakenings, their brain is no longer just a neurological organ and a vessel of their consciousness, it has also become the core of their Psychic abilities… and to stop that illness is equivalent to basically removing one's brain."
"What?"
"I meant what I said... Professor Akari consulted me and her medical expert associates about this, and all of us independently came to the same conclusion that the only way to stop it is to basically kill the brain and the person who has it."
Hyper-psychic Syndrome is both the total opposite and the worst version of Auto-Aspir syndrome. If the latter is something that happens due to an imbalance in Astra energy or totally draining yourself while using Psychic power, the former is the total loss of control by the brain over its Astra energy-fixating mechanisms.
Psychics have near-perfect resistance against inactive Astra energy unlike normal humans who falls unconscious even from just a mild presence of it in their surroundings. Anything above an easily detectable density of it around normal people will cause a short Comatose state and a strong wave of it, just like the one that happened in Sunogahara-cho almost a year ago, can almost certainly kill them.
However, Psychics have "near-perfect resistance", not "total immunity". That is where Hyper-psychic syndrome comes… it basically makes the brain produce more Astra energy than it needs or can contain, and because of that, little by little, the affected Psychic's body and mind becomes affected until one day…
"Furuta-sensei might be cold and oftentimes, a pain in the ass… but he's still my teacher and comrade. I don't intend to just let him die."
"So, you'll arrange for things to lead to his victory?"
"Right… he thinks that he simply wants the position… but I know that he needs it. He desperately needs it if he wants to see how all of this ends. And besides the fact that he is my teacher and my ally, there is also something that I need him to confirm for me indirectly."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You see… I've been wondering who the mysterious person hiding behind the silk blinds really is."
"You mean Oyabun Sumeragi Nichirin?"
"Yeah. I asked Yurippe and she said that even she doesn't know who this person is and what they look like. I asked Kirin-sensei and even Sir Lucas, and both of them have nothing to say too. If two high-ranking officers, one of which is even a Hogosha guardian herself, doesn't even know what she looks like, I think it's worth discovering it for myself."
I hid the fact that there is another reason why I want to know who that person is… after all, there's no point in Hinata-san knowing what it is since it is something that no one else would believe or even just understand.
"Well, that is everything that we have so far. Let's talk using that method that you mentioned last time and see where things go from here. If I am right, Naoi will make his moves early while Kanbu Furuta would surely storm the place and claim Gardener Tetian's head for his own prestige."
"Got it. Let's do just that. Let's keep each other posted."
"Mm."
Hinata-san stood up and was about to leave the room when he turned around to say something uncharacteristic of him.
"Another thing, make sure that hyper-something-something syndrome that you just talked about wouldn't happen to you too with how much you've been pushing yourself. You have six subordinates and two trusty Psychic friends who are ready to work with you. Don't do everything by yourself and make them feel bad later when you get into a bad situation."
"…I understand."
He closed the door behind him, and silence returned to the clinic's wardroom.
"Take care of myself, huh? I doubt that would ever happen if things would really fall into this dire of a situation where even I could become helpless as well sooner than later."
I activated my Psychic form and switched over to using Law's Astra energy. I can feel that brutally violent side of mine trying to surface and wreak havoc, but I soon controlled it to the point that I never even felt it clawing back to show up again like it did before in my failed attempts.
"Hehe… I had to convince him to help out one last time. But with this, I'm sure things would be alright until the big day."
The Miyazonos are making their moves, the Sumeragi group are starting to weed out their uncontrollable and weaker members, the Mori cult has been inactive for a long time and the S.S.S is facing huge problems with the government higher-ups and our inability to effectively apprehend the Miyazono Psychics for what they are doing right now across the country.
"All of this will end soon… but this time, the future that I saw would surely no longer be the future that I saw back then."
Resolution filled Ephraim's face. He told himself again and again that he's ready for everything.
"I… will not sentence this world to that fate. Not because I hold it important, but because those that I love are in here."