"A deal?"
Aleister stared calmly at Yuuya from inside his tube.
"Proposing a deal before establishing your standing is irrational. Why should I negotiate with a foreign variable?"
"Hmm..." Yuuya stroked his chin. "You want me to state my position?"
Aleister didn't speak. He just watched, his inverted gaze piercing through the glass.
"I understand," Yuuya smiled. "In any negotiation, clarity is key."
"My stance is on Academy City's side. But please don't misunderstand... that doesn't necessarily mean I am on your side."
"Standing with the City is functionally the same as standing with me," Aleister's mechanical voice replied smoothly. "Elaborate."
"Academy City is the place where I was reincarnated. It's where I've lived for seventeen years. You can think of it as... protecting my home."
Yuuya spoke calmly. He wasn't lying. He had nowhere else to go in this universe. He wanted to save the girls he liked and keep his home intact.
"A clear, if sentimental, stance," Aleister noted. A faint ripple moved through the red liquid. "Now. Tell me about your deal."
Yuuya stepped closer to the tube. His expression turned serious.
"I know your plans, Chairman. And I know your true purpose."
He lowered his voice, dropping the bomb.
"Your daughter, Lilith, was destined to die because of the collisions between the Phases created by the Magic Gods. The 'sparks' of their power caused her death."
"So, you built Academy City to destroy the Magic Gods. To strip away the Phases and return the world to a state of pure physics where she could have lived."
Aleister's expression remained unchanged. He didn't blink. But the pressure in the room spiked instantly. The AIM fields screamed.
"I can help you," Yuuya said, standing his ground against the crushing pressure.
"I'm sure the entity behind you—Aiwass—knows exactly what I am. He knows that the power I possess originates from outside this world. A power that rivals the Magic Gods."
Shimmer.
As soon as he finished speaking, the air distorted behind the tube. A hazy, golden-white figure manifested, hovering like a ghost made of static and light.
"Heh."
A voice that bypassed the ears and vibrated directly in the brain echoed through the room.
"You arrive from Outside the Phases... yet you cling to human sentiment. Interesting."
Aiwass. The Holy Guardian Angel. The Secret Chief.
"Your power signature does indeed rival a Magic God. Your appearance has piqued my interest, 'Alien'."
Yuuya looked at the shimmering entity.
"It's an honor to interest you, Holy Angel of the Pure World."
Aiwass was a being who viewed humans as ants. He only helped Aleister because he found Aleister's desperate, impossible struggle amusing. Like a human watching an ant try to solve a calculus equation.
For Aiwass to take an interest in Yuuya meant Yuuya was no longer an ant. He was a player.
"Is this your bargaining chip?" Aleister asked, ignoring the Angel. "You offer power, but you present a risk. Knowledge of Lilith is... dangerous."
"You're afraid I'll ruin your plan?" Yuuya shrugged. "If I wanted to ruin it, I wouldn't be here. I would be destroying your infrastructure right now. Facing you directly is proof of my sincerity."
Aleister was silent for a moment. He calculated the probabilities.
"State your terms."
"First," Yuuya raised a finger. "Terminate the Level 6 Shift Project."
"I know the Misaka Network is essential to your plan, but you don't need to kill 20,000 clones to establish it. You just need them alive and spread out."
"Find a reasonable excuse to stop the slaughter."
Yuuya grinned.
"For example... with the sudden appearance of the Eighth Level 5 (me), the Tree Diagram could 'recalculate' the simulation. It could conclude that I am a more suitable candidate, or that Accelerator's growth has plateaued. As for the remaining Sisters? Keep them alive. You still get your AIM field."
"It seems you really do know everything," Aleister's voice carried a hint of amusement. "I can agree to this. The Shift itself was merely a cover for the Sisters' creation. If the cover story changes, the result remains acceptable."
"But tell me... is this just out of pity for a clone?"
"It may seem unbelievable to you," Yuuya laughed. "But to me, it's perfectly reasonable."
"I never imagined that someone with the essence of a Magic God... was still so human at heart."
Aleister paused.
"I agree to the condition. However, I will only provide the administrative support. You must handle the execution and the politics yourself."
"Understood." Yuuya nodded.
"My second condition," Yuuya continued. "I want authority. I want the power to purge the 'Darkness' of this city that annoys me. I want a seat on the Board of Directors."
Most of the city's tragedy came from greedy researchers and corrupt Board members. If Yuuya wanted to fix it, he needed legal power.
"I cannot make you a Board Member immediately. The politics are too delicate," Aleister rejected smoothly.
"However... I can give you the right to build your own 'Dark Side' Organization."
"A Dark Side unit?" Yuuya narrowed his eyes. "That works. But I won't take orders from the Board."
Currently, most Dark Side groups (SCHOOL, ITEM, BLOCK) reported to Board Members. Only a select few (like the Hounds) reported to Aleister.
"Your unit will report directly to me," Aleister confirmed. "You will have autonomy to purge 'elements detrimental to the Plan.' Is that sufficient?"
"That's all for now."
Yuuya smiled. He had what he wanted. He had stopped the experiments (officially) and gained a license to kill the bad guys.
"I hope our collaboration will be pleasant, Chairman."
"I hope so too, Takahashi."
Zip.
Yuuya activated Move Point. He vanished from the room instantly.
Silence returned to the Windowless Building.
The red liquid bubbled.
"Heh. Aleister..."
Aiwass's vibration returned.
"I didn't expect you to make a deal with an Alien. Are you sincere?"
"I cannot fully understand human emotions... but this Takahashi Yuuya is fascinating. Biologically, he is an ordinary human. But his 'existence'..."
"His scale vaguely surpasses that of a Magic God. Do you know what that means?"
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