The gorgeous room has two men in it.
One is a human merchant so rotund, he looks like a frog. The other is a blind therianthrope.
"One of the Clovers was killed? Is that what you're telling me?" the therianthrope growls. His jet-black fur is sleek, and his wolfman features are rough and masculine. Each of his eyelids closes over his empty sockets and bears a deep sword wound.
"The man we lost was the newest Clover, the therianthrope who'd caught your attention, Mr. Gettan. His camp was raided while he was preparing to masquerade as a bandit and attack Mitsugoshi's carriages."
The rotund merchant keeps a close eye on Gettan's expression as he relays the news.
The Clovers are the four most capable members of the Garter Corporation's personal army. They're all handpicked by Gettan himself.
"And now he's dead... Whose work was this, Garter?"
"It's unclear. The corpse was decapitated with a single blow to the head. It certainly wasn't the work of an amateur. Given our current situation, we suspect Mitsugoshi has hired some dark knights..."
The frog-like man is Garter, president of the Garter Corporation.
Although Garter is the president and Gettan is one of his employees, you'd never guess it from the way they interact with each other.
"Those Mitsugoshi bastards... They're tough, I'll give them that."
Gettan's murmur is low, like a wolf snarling.
Their public efforts to crush Mitsugoshi should have been going well.
Thanks to the work their private army's been doing while disguised as bandits, all the traveling salesmen have stopped carrying Mitsugoshi goods and using their bills.
Instead, they've all switched over to MCA merchandise and currency.
Furthermore, the MCA's paper money is becoming popular, right on schedule.
Yet for whatever reason, Mitsugoshi isn't flinching.
The Garter Corporation hasn't been attacking only traveling salesmen, but Mitsugoshi cargo carriages, too. However, the competitor must have some formidable guards on their payroll.
Not a single member of Garter's attack force has come back alive.
In other words, Mitsugoshi's urban trade has been completely unaffected. The only ones who've been suffering are the traveling salesmen who used to carry their goods to the commoners out in the countryside.
However, rural commerce doesn't even begin to compare with its urban counterpart when it comes to scale.
After all, cities are where the rich and powerful gather. And those are the kinds of people who can not only afford luxury goods but buy them by the cartload.
Most rural families, on the other hand, are just simple farmers.
Farmers tend to be self-sufficient when it comes to food. Whenever they find themselves in need of something, they prefer to make it on their own, not spending money unless it's absolutely necessary. Many of them are in the habit of buying things only when the traveling salesmen make their monthly rounds.
Mitsugoshi's been trying to change that habit by selling high-quality goods at bargain prices out in the countryside, but that's still a work in progress.
Even though their rural sales are currently stagnating, it isn't so much as making a dent in their bottom line.
That just goes to show how strong a foundation they've built with their urban stores.
"Tch..." Gettan clicks his tongue, feigning irritation.
The merchants of the MCA had looked down on Mitsugoshi. They'd thought that crushing them would be a breeze.
At this rate, though, Mitsugoshi might not go down at all.
The more time goes on, the more resources the MCA is burning.
Gettan controls the Garter Corporation, so he needs to at least pretend to be flustered.
"Gather the rest of the Clovers and conduct a raid on Mitsugoshi's headquarters."
"As you wish."
"Make sure you get all their money and manufacturing details. Failure will not be tolerated."
Garter bows silently, then practically flees the room in his hurry to leave.
The way Gettan turns his head to follow him, it's almost as though his shut eyes can really see.
"Excellent..."
Now alone, Gettan bares his fangs in a toothy smile.
His job is to destroy Mitsugoshi. That's why he's taken over the Garter Corporation.
However, unlike the MCA merchants, he knows they won't go down without a fight.
That's why the Cult has decided they need to be eliminated.
Word came down from the Cult's top brass: Mitsugoshi is growing faster than they'd predicted, and if they keep expanding at this rate, there's a chance they'll end up posing a problem.
The Cult already has their hands full just dealing with Shadow Garden. If they let a new hindrance rise up now, it could prove an impediment to their future plans.
"Heh-heh-heh..."
Mitsugoshi is powerful enough, even the Cult regards them as a threat.
There was no way the MCA companies were going to be able to deal with them, even after they all joined forces.
As far as Gettan is concerned, the MCA is nothing more than a sacrificial pawn. And because he's willing to abandon the MCA to do it, crushing Mitsugoshi will be a cinch.
The only reason he volunteered for this job was because he had the utmost confidence in his ability to pull it off.
"I've already made it this far..."
He's at the point where getting a seat on the Rounds isn't a pipe dream.
Just a little more...
"…"
The wounds over his eyes ache.
He presses down on them with one hand and grimaces.
He received them many moons ago, but even though they've long since healed, they still remind him of his past failures.
"...!"
He murmurs something under his breath.
A memory of his life's first black stain.
He grinds his fangs.
<<•>>
Rain cascades over the night. As the moon hides behind the clouds, the sound of droplets hitting the ground echoes in from outside.
Two elves sit on a couch on Mitsugoshi's first floor.
"Alpha, the bodyguards have been able to completely repel the MCA's attacks on our carriages. In fact, because we've successfully killed all the assassins they sent, we're gradually whittling down their combat assets."
The indigo-haired elf with deep blue eyes-Gamma-looks over some documents as she speaks.
"Sounds like there aren't any problems on that front," Alpha replies. The light from the fireplace makes her platinum blond hair glow.
"We have the superior market share, too. All we need to do is keep counterattacking and the MCA will gradually fall."
"Thank goodness for that. We don't want the connection between Mitsugoshi and Shadow Garden to become public, so we need to avoid making any overt moves..."
Then there's a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Forgive the intrusion."
Their guest is Nu, a woman with dark brown hair.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you in the middle of your conversation, but we have intruders on the premises."
"...It would seem they're looking to pick a fight."
Gamma stands up from the couch, her face radiating confidence. "I'll handle it."
"I, um, I suppose that's fine, but...are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I'll go show them what we're made of. Nu, follow me."
"Roger that."
The two of them bow, then leave. Alpha uneasily watches them go.
"Well, Nu's with her, so she should be okay...," the elf says with a nod, trying to convince herself that it's true.
<<•>>
As the man clad in black dashes through the dark corridor, the sound of rain drowns out his already-quiet footsteps.
The nimble man's identity is Leaf One, a powerful dark knight and the leader of the Clovers.
He, along with Leaf Two and Leaf Three, are in the middle of conducting a raid on Mitsugoshi's headquarters. His job is to break off from the group and gather up confidential documents solo. Meanwhile, Leaf Two and his men will be engaging in sabotage, while Leaf Three will be pillaging as well as kidnapping important personnel.
As Leaf One heads deeper into the company's bowels, he notices a figure walking his way. He stops in his tracks.
He recognizes that indigo-haired elf walking through the dark hallway. It's Mitsugoshi's president.
Leaf Three is supposed to be the one in charge of kidnapping, but...eh, whatever. Leaf One decides to prioritize knocking the woman out and capturing her.
He moves swiftly.
After silently coming up behind the target, he levels a knife-hand strike at her neck.
"Ow!" she yelps.
"Huh?"
She whirls around, eyes wide.
Leaf One hurriedly puts some distance between them. He definitely caught her by surprise, so why isn't she knocked out?
"That hurts! But catching me by surprise... Impressive."
She rubs her neck and flashes a fearless smile. Although she's complaining about the pain, she doesn't seem to have suffered any meaningful damage.
"I see you went to great lengths to get here, so I would be remiss not to offer you a welcome befitting your efforts. My name is Gamma. And I'll be the one to end your life!!"
With that declaration, Gamma draws her ebony blade.
Then she reinforces her body and closes the distance between them in a flash.
She's fast!!
Crazy, stupid fast.
However, that brief instant is all Leaf One needs to get a read on her.
This woman is fast — but she's a complete amateur!!
Her movements are sloppy, and her form is all over the place.
"Fwoosh!!" she cries as she swings her sword.
She puts way too much strength into it, and she has wasted movements all over the place.
Even so, the swing is like lightning — and what's with that insane amount of magic?!
It doesn't matter how fast it is, any attack with such exaggerated and predictable movements can be easily countered.
However, Gamma's sword has enough magic packed into it to blow away dozens of dark knights with ease.
One touch of that thing would be lethal.
Leaf One makes sure to give the oncoming assault a gigantic berth.
"That was some fine work, dodging my attack," she commends. "Given those elegant movements of yours, I take it you're a practitioner of the Western Liechtenroi style of fencing?"
"Wha—?!"
She can tell?!
Being able to identify someone's fighting style in just a glance requires incredible powers of observation. Clearly, this woman is no amateur.
Either that, or she just got lucky. Leaf One isn't sure.
"Now that I know your style, countering it is easy. Here I come."
"—!" Leaf One puts up his guard.
"Fwoosh!!" shouts Gamma as she charges at him.
Just as before, she's insanely fast, but because of how clumsy her footwork is, it's surprisingly easy to track her.
She releases another powerful strike.
"Wha—?!"
There's only one way to describe the attack —it's the exact same as the last one?!
She said she figured out his style, but her attack didn't change a bit!!
Leaf One's reflexes take over. He slices at Gamma's neck.
But...
"Ow!"
"Huh?"
She doesn't suffer so much as a scratch.
He hit her neck; he's sure of it. So why? What the hell is going on with this woman's body?!
Leaf One's voice shakes. "Who in the blazes..."
"For you to have landed an attack on me, you must truly be a master. Very well. Then I shall bring my full strength to bear against you."
Gamma packs even more magic into her sword.
"Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!"
...She swings it repeatedly.
It's fast, but the attacks are so obvious!!
Leaf One falls back and dodges the blows.
"Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!!"
Gamma continues to pursue him with her unreasonable speed.
"Wh-what's with that insane amount of magic?! And what's with that absurd shout?!"
"It's a trick my magnificent master taught me!! He told me to infuse my sword with a bunch of magic, then slash! He also told me that if I shouted 'fwoosh' while I'm attacking, it'll look more powerful!! Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!!"
"D-dammit!!"
Overwhelmed by the pressure from Gamma's attacks, Leaf One stumbles.
A fatal opening.
"Gotcha!"
She got him!
Their thoughts align.
However, reality doesn't.
"Plergh?!" Gamma yelps as she trips and falls over nothing. Unable to kill her momentum, she does a corkscrew spin right through the wall.
Crash!!
The tremendous bang echoes throughout the corridor.
"Oww... Not bad."
When Leaf One sees Gamma emerge from the wall unscathed and brush the rubble off her shoulders, he shudders.
Wh-what is this woman made of?!
"So you saw me take a big swing, then took advantage of that brief opening to sweep my legs out from under me and used aikido to against me to throw me into the wall. Am I right?"
"N-no? You kinda just tripped on your own..."
"Please. Your cheap lies won't work on me."
This is useless. There's no point trying to reason with this woman.
Wait a minute, this insane chick is Mitsugoshi's president?!
It's okay, though. Leaf Two and Leaf Three will finish up their tasks soon. Even this madwoman will be powerless before a numbers advantage. As the thought crosses Leaf One's mind, he hears footsteps behind him.
They're here!
"You got here right on time, Leaf Two, Leaf Three... Wha—?!"
The person standing there is neither Leaf Two nor Leaf Three.
It's a woman with a faint smile dancing at her lips. Her dark brown hair bobs as she walks. In her hands, she's holding two lumps...
"When you say Leaf Two and Leaf Three, do you mean — these?"
The woman tosses the two lumps to the ground
They roll toward Leaf One and come to a stop by his feet. It's a pair of freshly severed heads. And they're still warm.
"Wha... Leaf Two, Leaf Three…?"
Without a doubt, they're the heads of his fellow Clovers.
When he glances at the woman who killed them, she doesn't look like anything more than a simple Mitsugoshi employee.
Leaf One begins sensing there's more to Mitsugoshi than meets the eye.
"Oh my, Nu, you got done rather quickly."
"D-did I...?"
"But watch out. That man is undoubtably one of the world's greatest masters..."
"Wait…really?"
The woman named Nu looks at Leaf One.
Ninety percent of what fills her gaze is doubt.
It's like her eyes are shouting, So what? You think you're strong or something? at him.
That inscrutable brown-haired woman scares Leaf One. Realizing immediately that she's out of his league, he shakes his head.
"…The man himself is denying it," Nu observes.
"Don't let him fool you. He's a master of the Western Liechtenroi style and an expert in aikido, to boot."
"Really. Well now, that's something I have to see..." Nu draws her sword.
O-oh no!
Leaf One instinctively charges at Gamma. Given a choice between the enigma guarding the exit in front of him and the dragon guarding his rear, he'll choose the one in front any day.
"All right, let's settle this! Fwoosh!!" Gamma swings her sword.
However, Leaf One can read her like a book. He stops right outside her attack range, then gets ready to launch a counterattack.
The plan was perfect.
"Plergh?!"
If only she hadn't tripped.
"Huh?"
Unfortunately for him, Gamma stumbling causes her to lose her grip on her sword. It goes spinning toward him at full speed, then slices him clean in two.
As the sword continues whizzing through the air, Leaf One's body crumples to the ground.
"Oh no... Now l've done it."
Gamma then looks up and surveys the situation. A complicated expression spreads across her face as she locks eyes with Nu.
"Uh...Hidden Technique: 'Desperation Discus'...!!"
It's the only way she can think of to save face.
"G-good going there, Gamma!!"
Luckily for her, she's blessed with an understanding subordinate.
Dry clapping fills the air as the last of Leaf One's consciousness fades away.
<<•>>
"The Clovers haven't come back? Is that what you're telling me?"
Upon hearing the news, Gettan crosses his arms and thinks.
The Clovers they'd sent to attack Mitsugoshi never returned. In other words, their raid was a failure.
Leaf One, Leaf Two, and Leaf Three were all formidable dark knights.
They wouldn't have been good enough to make it into the Cult's upper echelons, but anyone else would easily consider them masters.
Yet they didn't come back.
In fact, according to Garter, none of the members of their private army who went along with the Clovers came back, either.
Not a single one.
The group had a rear guard whose job was to report back in case the mission failed, too. But even the rear guard was MIA.
"The Clovers failed... Just how strong are these Mitsugoshi guards?"
"Also, Mr. Gettan, um... There are some members of the MCA who've expressed concern over the lack of results."
"Make them eat their words."
"Y-yes, sir..."
Gettan's sightless gaze tracks Garter as the latter bows and leaves.
"So Mitsugoshi is powerful enough to defeat the Clovers... Perhaps that's why the Cult sees them as so dangerous...?"
He presses down on the scars over his eyelids.
"No matter, though. Everything is going according to plan. They've already fallen into our trap," he mutters, almost as though he's trying to convince himself that it's true.
<<•>>
Fall has ended, and winter has begun.
I dutifully play out my role at school as a background character as I wait for the counterfeits to be finished.
Everyone else is just going about their boring lives, utterly oblivious of the fact that I'm secretly working to bring down the MCA.
If everything goes well, we'll be able to cash out the counterfeits and make mad bank.
Man, the thought makes even these boring days of mine feel brilliant and wonderful.
Po, Skel, and I are basically the school's Three Stooges. Nobody has any idea of the true influence I wield.
Occasionally, as I'm enjoying my school life, I say something deep and profound to give them a hint.
"Troubled winds are blowing... Change is on the horizon…"
Nobody pays my words a second thought.
But that's the way I want it. This way, when the truth finally comes to light, a small handful of them will remember it.
They'll think back-and remember what I said.
"Come here."
"Ow — "
As I switch into foreshadowing mode, a woman with platinum blond hair and red eyes grabs me by the scruff of my neck. Alexia.
"Did you want something? I'm busy, you know."
Fighting back seems like a hassle, so I let her drag me away.
"Your schedule looks wide open to me. I need you to come watch something."
"What?"
"My sword."
Eventually, we reach an empty dojo. It's a small room on the edge of campus designed for individuals to practice on their own. I sit down on the floor and watch Alexia draw her wooden sword.
This is fine, I'll just sort of half pay attention. I take a look at her swings.
Suddenly, I notice something.
Wait... Has she always been this strong?
Now that I think about it, it's been a long while since the last time I watched her fight. I'm pretty fond of her swordplay. Nothing else about her, mind you. Now, though, it feels like she's had some sort of mental shift, or like she's finally figured something out.
It makes sense. Those tend to be the kinds of things that spur on rapid growth.
"You're looking good there," I remark as I watch her swing.
"Hmm." Her blade halts.
"And you'll probably keep improving, too. That's just my opinion as an amateur, though."
"I see. Well, thank you."
"No problem."
Alexia looks away from me and mops up her sweat. "You told me once you liked my swordplay, didn't you?"
"Did I?"
"You did. And that's why I wanted to show you this."
"Fair enough."
"But it still isn't enough yet. I need to become stronger."
"Okay."
"You're supposed to ask why." Alexia glares at me. "The thing is, I wasn't able to protect Rose. The Oriana Kingdom is in shambles, and l'm sure that wherever she is, she's suffering, too. That's why I need power..."
That reminds me — did Rose manage to escape successfully? I hope she's doing okay.
"In the shadows of our peaceful lives, the world is ever changing. If we stand still, we're sure to be left behind."
True, that. And I'm the one pushing the change.
"I don't want to just be a bystander anymore. It's funny, though... Ever since I began acting on my own, it seems like the days just fly by."
"That's just how it goes, I guess."
"I'm happy you're able to act so carefree about it. Well, thank you for today. I hope that you never have to change those carefree ways of yours."
She sighs, and I take my leave.
Outside, the sun's already set.
Now that it's winter, it's starting to get pretty nippy at night. I walk briskly back to the dorm, change into my John Smith outfit, and make for an abandoned lot.
There, I find a therianthrope with brown cat ears.
It's Natsu, one of Yukime's attendants.
I erase my presence, sneak up close, and -
"State your business."
— I pop out right behind her.
With a start, she hurriedly turns around and looks at me with her feline eyes.
"M-Mr. Smith, please don't scare me like that."
"That wasn't my intention..."
A good shadowbroker always acts nonchalant about stuff like this.
"Now, your business?"
When she hears my question, Natsu's smile broadens. This is what she's been waiting for.
Natsu and Kana are Yukime's aides. They're apparently sisters, but they don't look particularly similar.
Natsu has brown cat ears and a mature, womanly air about her, whereas Kana is more childish, and her cat ears are black.
Her brown cat ears twitch as she answers my question. "The goods are complete."
"I see..."
Hell yeah, they're finally here!
<<•>>
The factory where the counterfeits are being made is an underground facility between the capital and the Lawless City.
I'm actually the one who recommended this place to Yukime. Long ago, a group of bandits kidnapped my sister and held her here, and the others and I all hunted them down together. It's the very image of an ideal secret base.
After the counterfeits get made here, our strategy is to ship them to the Lawless City and then circulate them through the capital from there. That way, it'll be harder for the MCA to figure out where they're coming from.
When I step inside, I find that the interior of the bandit hideout I raided with Alpha and the others when we were all kids has been completely transformed into Yukime's counterfeiting factory.
I cast a glance at her hardworking employees, then follow Natsu deeper inside.
When I open a beautifully remodeled door, l'm greeted by a large office.
"So you've come, Mr. John..."
I take a seat across from Yukime on the room's sofa set.
"I hear they're complete."
"See for yourself." Yukime flashes me a seductive smile, then opens the package on the table.
Inside are two rolls of bills.
Both are composed of ten thousand-zeni notes, and each stack looks about a hundred bills tall.
"Pray tell. Can you figure out which ones are real?"
Given Yukime's tone, she's pretty darn confident.
I pick up the rolls and compare them.
Shit. I don't have a clue.
However, this is a situation where a Super Elite Agent should be able to pick up on even the tiniest of discrepancies.
By enhancing my vision to crazy levels, I finally catch them. The quality of the paper, the consistency of the ink, and the printing are all ever so slightly different.
But there's still a problem... I don't remember what the originals are supposed to be like.
It's okay, though.
At times like this, it's important to be confident in your ability to bullshit your way through.
I flip through the bills for no reason, smiling suggestively and nodding like I know what I'm doing.
"Do I even need to say?"
"What do you possibly mean?" Yukime looks puzzled.
"When you compare the two, this one's paper is coarser."
I hold up the rougher stack.
"There's a difference in the ink, too. This one has more bleed."
Her eyes go wide.
"Finally, the printing is ever so slightly off-center. See, here."
Yukime finally takes the rolls and compares them.
"Y-you're right, it is. I was certain we checked that..."
"Is there really any need for me to say which one is fake?" I exude pressure from my body as I ask the question.
"No... It goes without saying that the one with more inaccuracies is the real one."
If there are two choices, just avoid the question.
"It would appear you tried too hard to make them look real."
"...We will begin remaking them at once."
"That won't be necessary. I doubt anyone but me would have spotted the discrepancies."
"I am still no match for you, it would seem, Mr. John. We will begin distributing them tomorrow without delay, then."
"Good."
"As we release more counterfeits, they will launch an investigation. I trust you can handle putting an end to it. However..."
Yukime's sentence trails off, as though she's having trouble getting the words out.
"…What is it?"
"I have just one request."
"Oh?"
"If you happen to cross paths with a man named Gettan... Might I ask you to let him escape with his life?"
"...And why should I do that?"
Yukime looks down as she mulls over what to say. Then, taking great care with her words, she answers me.
"Back when I was a wee girl, when I only had one tail, I lived together with my mother. Our village was small, we Spirit Foxes."
As she hangs her head, her voice takes on a nostalgic tone.
"We lived in peace, unscathed by the wars of the world. My mother had three tails, and with her power, she made a living hunting. Then I would help clean and prepare the game she brought back. It was a simple life but a happy one. But those days would not last forever. One day, when she went out hunting, my village..."
She cuts herself off and looks up.
"Mayhap that is enough for today. I shall save the rest for once our bond is a touch deeper." She smiles mischievously.
"You aren't going to tell me-?"
"Shall we deepen our bond now?" She chuckles. "I joke, I joke. That man stole everything from me. Now, it is my turn to take everything from him. Only then shall he die, and only by my hand…"
Yukime's mischievous smile is still plastered across her face, and her voice is the same as always.
"Revenge, then? Very well."
"Gettan is a blind wolf with scars fastening his eyes shut."
"Got it."
I stand and turn away from her.
"You'll have your revenge. But take care, or it'll consume you and lead you astray from your path...," I murmur as I leave.