"Have you given it enough thought, Archangel Mikael?".
"Wa-oh.".
"Hmm…? That reaction suggests you are not pleased to see me.".
What is this?. I'm sure Hina had said "you too" after I wished her sweet dreams..
And as I was falling asleep, I was wondering what kind of dream could possibly be better than this situation..
Ta-da! Unfortunately, your sweet dream has been replaced with a meeting with Black Suit.. Damn it..
Sigh, well. I was wondering when you'd show up.. I'm sure you have things you want to say to me.".
"Hmm. That is true.. However, that matter is neither urgent nor important, so let us postpone it.. For now, is there not a topic that we have both long awaited, patiently waiting to be placed upon the table?".
At Black Suit's words, I couldn't help but agree.. I hadn't felt the need to discuss the Kaiser matter with him..
From the start, I was planning on dismantling Kaiser's influence as much as possible, regardless of what he had to say..
Kaiser's core companies—Kaiser Loan, Construction, Industries, and PMC—were already slated to be my primary targets..
The problem, however, was the possibility that Black Suit might give Kaiser a subtle warning..
The thought that I might have to talk to him for that reason alone gave me a headache..
"So, is your previous offer still valid?.. It would be a problem if the terms have changed in the last few days.".
"Of course, the terms of the contract remain unchanged.. Gematria will provide you with information regarding the recent abnormality and changes to your body, and you will permit Gematria to conduct research in the catacombs beneath the Grand Cathedral.. Well?. Have you made your decision?".
"...Yeah.. I accept the deal.".
"Kukuk. Excellent.. With this, the contract is formed.. Allow me to begin by sharing the information we have gathered.".
I swallowed hard.. I hadn't forgotten that Mika had told me not to trust Gematria..
But, practically speaking, Gematria was my only route to obtaining information about Mika..
And since Mika herself wasn't being entirely cooperative, I had no choice but to borrow their hand..
"First, let us borrow Golconde's explanation.. This is how he described your current state.".
'An anomaly has occurred in the assimilation process of a mismatched symbol and text..
If your previous state could be interpreted as a single symbol and a text in the process of becoming one… then your current state can be seen as one symbol in which two texts coexist..
One could also see it as a form where one text has become the host, and the other has become a parasite.'.
It took me a moment to parse Golconde's words, which Black Suit had quoted.. And their meaning was not positive..
"That means the relationship between the two texts has changed.. And that it can change again in the future…".
"That is one interpretation, but I will not deny the possibility.. Golconde also believed you would reach such a conclusion without much difficulty.".
"So… that's not all Golconde had to say, is it?.. Mmm, no matter how I think about it, there has to be more.".
"…Kukuk.. There is not.".
…This feels like a really bad deal for me.. Is that seriously it?.
"…is what I would say, though I am not uninterested in seeing your reaction.".
Right, I knew it.. There was no way the ever-talkative Golconde would just throw out a few lines and be done with it..
"For whatever reason, now that they have been separated once, they will not become one again.. In other words, your soul and the soul of the original girl… will continue to coexist from now on.. If we had been able to observe the moment of separation, we could have learned more, but unfortunately, we only became aware of this change recently.. It is a shame.".
So, Mika's soul was originally in the process of assimilating with my soul.. But for some reason, this process was cut short, and as a result, my body now contains my soul as the host, and Mika's soul as a parasite..
That's how I should interpret it, right?.
Thinking back on what Mika herself had said, it certainly had a profound meaning..
'There's still a long, long time until we can meet,' was it?.
When that time comes, no one knows how the relationship between me and Mika will change..
Will I suddenly develop a split personality, or will our current relationship be reversed, with Mika becoming the host and me the parasite?.
It was a question to which, quite literally, no one could be certain of the answer..
"Then what about the possibility of separating the two souls completely and placing one into a new body…?".
"I cannot give you a definitive answer.. There are few research topics in this world as abstruse as the soul.. However, I can assure you of one thing: it would be a most fascinating study.".
"To call something this important to me a 'fascinating study' feels a bit off, but… before we discuss that, is that all the information you have?".
"For now, you may consider it so.. However, I can assure you that given the extremely weak influence of the girl's soul, the things you are worried about will not come to pass in the near future.".
"...Hmm.".
This still feels insufficient, doesn't it?.. No matter how I look at it, the deal doesn't seem to be in my favor..
"I'd like you to inform me of any noticeable changes in the future.. Would that be too much to ask?".
"…According to the terms of the contract—".
"Black Suit, let's cut to the chase, shall we?.. Neither of us is so careless as to be unaware of the loopholes in our recent agreement.. How about we amend it?.. I will not interfere with Gematria's research in any way, and you will provide me with any new information you acquire in the future.. Technically, this is a matter that requires more detailed discussion… but, yes. Wouldn't it be cleaner to meet halfway and end it here?".
"Hmm. Leaving loopholes in a contract is a classic method, and thus easy to spot, but for you to be so direct is somewhat unexpected.. We have no reason to refuse the proposal itself, so of course, we accept.".
"Ahaha, good.. Then let's return to our previous topic.".
No matter how you slice it, this body is not mine.. If there is a way to return this body to Mika, then I have no choice but to take it.. That was my conclusion..
This is the right choice.. There could be no choice more right than this..
"Black Suit, the research to separate my soul from this body and move it to a new one… is it possible?".
"…That will not be an easy study for us, either.. For now, we can attempt it, but I can only say that the probability of success is difficult to guarantee.".
"Failure is not an option.. It must succeed, no matter what.".
"Of course, with your very soul on the line, we cannot assume failure… but we must first determine if the original soul can take back control of the body without issue, we must ensure your soul is not damaged during the separation process, and in addition to creating a vessel to receive you, we must be certain that the vessel can accept your soul without problems…. A few months will not be enough.. We may need to consider a timeframe of years.".
However long it takes, as long as it succeeds, that's all that matters.. As I conveyed my intention, Black Suit let out a thoughtful "hmm.".
He seemed to have some reservations, and just as I was about to press him, he spoke..
"Archangel Mikael.. What do you believe you can offer us for this endeavor?".
"..."
Black Suit's question cut to the heart of the matter, and I realized I had forgotten the most important part. .
There is no such thing as a free lunch.. That is a truly immutable law..
"You could not have been expecting us to conduct a study that will take half a year at the very least, free of charge, and you must have something to offer as payment, which is why you brought this up, is it not?.. I know without you saying it that you are prepared to give up a great deal to make this happen.. However, the important question is just how much you are prepared to give up.".
"…May I ask what you want in return?".
"Kukuk, let's see.. An opportunity to study your Mystics more thoroughly?.. A complete cessation of attacks against my collaborators?.. Or perhaps, your induction into Gematria?.. None of them are quite satisfactory.. The scales do not balance, should I say.. In the first place, is there any need for you to sacrifice so much for that girl?.. In my view, the value of an existence like you, an outsider, is incomparably vast.".
My thoughts spiraled..
What could I offer?.. What was my limit?.. And even if I offered sufficient payment, what would happen to my relationships afterward?.
Is it truly a rational decision to accept a situation where I only lose, without gaining anything, just for the sake of my 'favorite character'—..
No, I shouldn't be discussing rationality and personal gain.. I'm not so childish as to turn my back on what must be done..
"…Even if this wasn't something I wanted, I have a responsibility to set things right.. So, name your conditions.. Mmm, if they are conditions I can bear, I will do my best to accept them.".
"Hoh, so you have made your resolve.. Excellent, then I shall have no reservations either.. First, I ask that you cease your attacks on my collaborators related to my personal research.. Of course, I am not asking you to stop meddling with the other branches, so you may rest assured.. As long as it is not Kaiser Loan and Kaiser PMC, it matters not to me.".
"…If I inflict irreparable damage on the Kaiser Corporation as a whole, they might just collapse on their own, even if I don't touch those two.".
"But you have no intention of inflicting such irreparable damage, do you?.. Therefore, this condition is sufficient.".
After Black Suit spoke, I waited for him to present his additional conditions..
But for some reason, Black Suit just stared at me, tapping his fingers on the round table..
"…Is there more?.. That can't be all, can it?".
"Archangel Mikael, I am a man who is precise when it comes to deals.. That is to say, I am also sensitive to debts.. And is there not one unsettled debt between us?".
"Wait.. We had something like that?".
"A debt exists that is more than sufficient to cover your request, but it seems you have erased it from your memory.. I am speaking of the matter of Madame Beatrice, Archangel Mikael.".
"…Ah.".
Right, that did happen… but I thought that matter was concluded when I left Beatrice's disposal to Gematria..
Apparently, that was not the case from Gematria's perspective..
"With the opportunity to conduct such an interesting study, as well as to repay that debt, there is no need to demand anything more than the condition I have just presented.. With this, the debt is settled.".
The moment I heard Black Suit's confirmation, I felt the strength drain from my body.. It was a strangely physical sensation for a dream..
'Don't trust Gematria.'.
'Remember. You may doubt the choices you make for yourself, but you need not doubt the choices you make for us.'
…Was joining hands with Black Suit the right choice?.
It was a question I could not confidently answer until the very end..
But for the sake of the girl named Misono Mika, it had to be the right choice..