Forest. A very thick and vast forest is ahead of us, and it's the only place where we can get shelter.
Behind us is an angry hulk running towards us at speed inhumanly for size such as his.
"I've never seen a fat man doing acrobatics..." She said what?!
I turn around to see Yuto back-flipping fences and rolling on the ground to gain more speed.
"Hohhohohoho! Just who is this man?"
"He's Yuto Kageyama. The number 9 in the Kirisu family."
9?! Huh????!! I've been defeated by rank nine. Amazing! That means that there are many stronger humans to defeat!
Hahahaha! This can't get any better!
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wait for me! YUTO KAGEYAMA!" I shouted and laughed.
Laura is gazing at me with weird eyes again.
Mhehehehe... I love it. I love it. I love it.
We jolted through the woods at the fastest speed we could run.
Dodging many trees, I'm finally at a safer range from the fortress. Now, what I need is a shelter for both of us to take a rest.
And, of course, Laura is behind me, trying to catch up to me while gasping for air.
"W- wait, please! Just what are you?!" She said behind me.
"What I am isn't something you should concern yourself with right now. I sense a lot of breezes closing in."
"Oh. Finally. THANK GOD! I can't take any more running." She said while looking upwards.
I look up and see a helicopter descending slowly toward us. That's not the only weird thing. A woman with white hair and a gorgeous face is hanging on the door.
The helicopter landed beside us, which was vacant and clear of trees.
Hmm...? I feel something on my... head.
*CLICK*
White hair with blue stripes on its edge. Beautiful curvy body with a magnetic face. That's her... That's... her. I can't believe it.
The infamous manipulator. The woman with many faces. The programming master.
The one who goes by, The Queen of Queens. The lady and master of the Moriarty household herself, Lesley Moriarty.
Why would an individual such as her ever go to the enemy's territory with only one bodyguard? Furthermore, he's old and appears fragile.
I read many things about her. Her identity was mainly secretive. However, with all the changes coming in the 2011's epoch, her identity and popularity are widespread amongst many common folks.
She is the one who sits on the throne of all Europe and America. A precarious ruler.
She's rumored to be extra cautious with her steps, but this? This just goes beyond the boundary of what you can call 'cautious.'
As I walk up to her with a confident gaze laid upon her eyes that is at the same height as mine, she smiles.
The helicopter's engine is finally turned off when Mrs. Moriarty sits on the helicopter pouch.
"Seeing your gaze, it seems like you are well aware of my identity." She says while looking back at my eyes.
"Who wouldn't know such a figure?"
"You flatter me. Tell me, what if I told you that putting you here with Laura is planned ahead?" She said with a relaxed voice, almost as if a master was speaking towards their slave. And she's playing the Master. "Would you be mad?"
Would I be mad? If it's all planned ahead, then all the near-death experiences I dealt with inside the fortress are inevitable. No. That wasn't the case, wasn't it?
She was testing my skills. Laura is the witness.
If so, a question still remains.
Why would the Kirisu family abide by Moriarty's games? Or is it that Moriarty manipulated the Kirisu family to capture me? Were the four Rulers' beating also her plan? What was I doing in that room in the first place?
I was shot in the leg. I theorized that I was captured because Monster broke the Ruler's code. I was going to be punished... But... Is that all?
I feel like I'm missing something. Something crucial.
The tranquilizer. It was a strong one. Laura said that I would be awake-- rather, I'm supposed to be awake after a week. But that isn't the case. Laura then has to switch plans.
The hologram phones, the cyber attack, Laura's advanced suit. Those tiny things prove that the Moriarty family has a significant technological advantage over Kirisu's family-- heck! Over the entire world!
Now for the question. What was Kirisu's end goal if, per se, they hadn't abided by Moriarty's games and acted in their own accordance? What is their benefit in capturing me? And... Why am I being rescued by The Queen of Queens herself?
I couldn't grasp any proper conclusions in my head, and I was brimming with curiosity. So, I finally asked her, "What... are you doing here?" Which was way out of line with her previous question.
"What I'm doing here? Haha... Out of all questions." She lays her head on her fist, creating a more domineering atmosphere. "Fine then, I'll answer you, but before that, answer my question...
What is life to you, Kenma?"
What a profound question... This will be hard. What is life to me, huh?
I guess... Life would be "A functionality. Every life, organisms are bound by their fate which is decided the day they are born; How you age, Your looks, your significance to the world, your love life, and even... the way you die. Everyone has their own function and their own future predetermined from the time they first open their eyes..."
Those words... I never thought I had it in me.
"You rely on fate, huh? Interesting... Then, you're a fatalist... I've worked with many of them before. They're pretty fascinating creatures." She stood up and walked toward me. "Do you know why I asked you such a question?"
We soon stand face to face, not even 5 inches apart. I can feel her warm breath underneath mine,
"To understand me better?" I asked rather nervously. It's weird... I've always been confident with my skills but faced with her unwavering gaze, my very presence feels... threatened.
Something's off. Why am I even cooperating?
"That is one bit that's correct. But there's a slight flaw in your sentence. It's not to know you better, it's to understand you further." She suddenly hugs me as she whispers in my ear. "Do you understand the difference?"
What's going on? Wh- what's happening right now? I can't think straight. It felt cozy.
It's weird. It's weird! It's like my heart is being touched directly and was ordered to be silent.
Her words are like toxins. Slowly creeping up my heart and killing it slowly... but surely.
--
(AN: MC will have major character development. If you don't like the fact that MC isn't the one who rules, bear with me. Later in the future he will be the one who rules.)