"Ifrit, wake up."
"...S–Silence?"
"The Rhodes Island staff brought you back. Honestly, even if you're tired from playing, at least come back before you fall asleep. If you keep losing all sense of moderation like this, I'm going to have to stick to you the entire time."
"Sorry, Silence. I made you worry. But guess who I ran into today?"
"...Saria?"
"Uh… no."
"Good. Then who was it?"
"I met Mobius."
"!"
"She's still terrifying."
"Did Mobius do anything to you?"
"Calm down, calm down, Silence. It's embarrassing to admit, but I think she scared me so badly I passed out."
"Ifrit, your tolerance isn't that low. Mobius must have done something to you. Come on, I'm calling Dr. Kal'tsit. We're running a full examination again."
"Fine, fine, I'll cooperate… but Silence, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Can a girl marry another girl?"
"...Why are you suddenly asking something like that?"
"Uh… it's the big guy inside me who told me to ask!"
"…Ifrit, lying is wrong."
"Okay, okay… actually, today, I saw, um…"
"Saw what?"
"…Beautiful Auntie Mobius?"
"?"
Silence looked at the "rambling" Ifrit with growing concern.
Did something really go wrong with this child's head?
Inside Ifrit's consciousness, the Black Snake Diablo stomped the ground in irritation.
A ripple surged through her inner world.
"Ah— it hurts! It really hurts!"
Ifrit grabbed her head, her skin temperature rising sharply.
Silence immediately slapped the alarm button beside her.
Damn it, is the Diablo inside her losing control?
The Black Snake Diablo watched lazily as the sweep team rushed out of the shadows and pinned down Ifrit, who actually still had her full awareness.
Using me as an excuse again? I might as well make your excuse look a little more convincing.
Honestly, which idiot taught you kids to dump the blame on me so casually…
Me?
…Then forget it.
And so, with a bruised face and battered pride, Ifrit was taken for a full professional examination by the Rhodes Island medical department.
———
The same dim room.
Despite how sealed and enclosed it felt, it was fully furnished: sofa, bed, television, table, chairs. Everything was arranged neatly and in order.
Cronin lay on the bed, glaring resentfully at Cape sitting in the chair.
Cape set down the empty plate, crossed one leg over the other, and looked at Hermann, who stood beside Cronin.
Herman gazed at the freshly operated, weakened Cronin with a stern expression. In his eyes, there was a faint hint of disappointment.
Cronin failed to notice it. He stared in panic at this man who should not be here, then shouted angrily at Cape.
"Damn it… Cape, have you really betrayed me?"
Cape raised a brow, amused.
"Cronin, what kind of question is that? Business is business. Mr. Herman offered a much higher bid, so naturally he's the more suitable partner for Cape Group."
Cronin's veins bulged, but feeling the device in his arms, he forced himself to restrain his rage.
Yet in his blood-loss haze, his mind not fully clear, he didn't notice what was wrong.
If he had just undergone surgery, why was the device still with him?
"All those years dealing in Obsidian… at the very least, we were partners for so long."
Cronin growled under his breath.
He thought that after so many years of Obsidian trade, Cape would have some loyalty to him.
Cape, however, did not think so.
Since their relationship began for profit, breaking ties for profit was only natural.
Not to mention that Cronin had even ruined one of Cape's important matters.
As the owner of Cape Group, his communicator was extremely advanced and essential.
It could never be turned off.
Market competition relied heavily on information speed. Even though Cape Group had strict and efficient systems limiting how much information required the direct attention of the owner, anything that reached him was always a major issue.
Time was money.
Cronin indeed had the qualifications to be one of the select few who could call the owner directly.
Both Siesta's tourism and the private Obsidian trade had brought considerable revenue to Cape Group.
Originally, Cape Group intended to remain neutral. Herman's offer was certainly tempting, but Cape knew exactly what plan he was hiding.
He simply wanted to use the volcanic eruption to force Siesta into becoming a mobile city.
No matter who won between them, Cape Group could continue earning quietly.
But unfortunately…
Cronin made a phone call that greatly displeased the owner.
"Cronin, the fact that you called to side with me was appreciated."
"But the timing of your call was not."
Cape chuckled.
"Cronin, don't talk to me about feelings. Talking money hurts feelings, and talking feelings hurts money."
He reached out and patted Cronin's recently operated leg.
Then, as if he had predicted it in advance, he dodged Cronin's sudden attack with his still-healthy right hand.
This body Cape inhabited had excellent dexterity and flexibility, though its physical strength was lacking.
Even so, with his subjective foresight and the Black Snake's refined combat skill, it was more than enough to handle most trouble.
"You think this is over? I still have a trump card…"
Seeing his attack fail, Cronin hurriedly lifted the device in his arms.
"Let me tell you the truth. This device can trigger Siesta's volcano. If I've already lost, then none of you are getting out alive!"
Blinded by rage, Cronin failed to notice the strange look Herman gave him.
Cape, on the other hand, put on a serious expression.
He rushed toward Cronin in an attempt to snatch the device, even though he had already seen the "future" where he failed.
Cronin had already activated it.
"Hahaha!"
Cronin laughed madly.
And under Herman's complicated gaze, Cape turned on the television.
A green silhouette appeared on the screen.
———
The evening before.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho… Saria, you sure buried this deep. Quite well hidden."
"If I weren't the one buried here in the first-person perspective, it really would've been hard to find."
"Tch… it's already starting to smell a little."
"Honestly, I went out of my way to buy women's products for this body, and they never even got used."
"If it weren't for retrieving those glasses, I wouldn't have bothered coming."
"Feed it to 'Pompeii'?"
"…Forget it. The thought is a little unsettling."
"…"
"It looks pretty good though. Should fit the general public's taste, right?"