Tokyo Singularity (18) Brain Flower Applies for Cooperation...
"No need, I'll organize it myself from now on," Kamo replied casually.
As he passed the regretful sorcerer, he suddenly raised his eyes and whispered in the man's ear, "By the way, you're not qualified to use the person I found to claim credit."
The sorcerer, who was trying to take advantage of the situation, trembled with fear, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Those who have worked in the Director's Office for a long time know that Kamo is the most mysterious person there. He can have pleasant conversations with those big shots who are unapproachable to ordinary sorcerers. But his reputation is that he has a gentle nature.
That's why he dared to say a few words to Kamo. It's no exaggeration to say that when Kamo looked at him, he felt as if his parents, who were already in heaven, were waving to him.
This is terrifying! Who spread the rumor that this person is gentle? Thumbs down!
At the end of the path, Kamo led Fujimaru Ritsuka to an empty room. He told her to stay there quietly while he went back to his office.
The door slammed shut with a dull thud.
Fujimaru Ritsuka walked into the room, her gaze landing on the only place where she could sit down—
A simple single bed sits across from the doorway; the only other decorative element in the room is the window to its left, which lets in the setting sun.
"Ah, actually I don't recommend you sit on it."
A lazy voice suddenly rang out from the room that should have been empty except for Ritsuka, “But if you want to experience the unique local customs of imprisoning prisoners here, then never mind.”
Fujimaru Ritsuka paused, unfazed by the sound, and instead went around to the window. She hastily wiped the floor with her sleeve, then sat down, leaning back against the cold wooden wall, and teasingly asked the air in front of her:
"So, I'm locked up again?"
"Wow, what a calm tone."
The air rippled, and the flaxen-haired mini-prince appeared before her, riding Blanca. "You seem quite comfortable here, Master."
Oberon jumped off Blanca, reverting to his youthful form. "He didn't even put up a fight, and had his servants guard those two." He crossed his arms, no longer bothering to pretend, and sneered sarcastically.
"What a terrible sense of self-sacrifice."
Fujimaru Ritsuka was clearly used to his occasional prickly attitude and could sense that his intention was to care about her. So, she bluntly replied with practiced ease, "Isn't there you here?"
She rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head back, and gave Oberon a bright smile: "I believe you."
"...You really have a big heart to believe what a liar says."
Oberon's mysterious and clear blue eyes stared at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who showed no sign of tension. Even the most carefree person has their limits, right?
No one is like her, who was so easily brought over just because she saw him with the man with the stitches, and even looked like she was used to it!
As if knowing what Oberon was thinking, Fujimaru Ritsuka preemptively shut him up: "It's also because we can't drag our friends down with us."
She can leave, but the people here still have to live their lives. She's practically a regular at prison anyway, so one more time won't make a difference.
“Oberon,” Ritsuka paused deliberately, clasped her hands together, and looked at him with sincere eyes, “I’m entrusting my life to you?”
Oberon was dazed.
Oberon was horrified.
Oberon quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and Ritsuka!
"You, you, you... I'm not one of those Avengers, I don't fall for your act!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka silently stared at Oberon. He seemed to realize that his reaction was unusually exaggerated, took a deep breath, and put on a standard princely, bright smile. "Sorry, sorry, my overreaction was rude."
"Let's skip over what came before. Let's use this time to talk about the man with the stitches."
Although she knew Oberon was trying to change the subject, Fujimaru Ritsuka kindly let him off the hook. After all, she had recorded his performance and was waiting to watch it with Artoria when they got back.
“This gentleman has magical traces on him that don’t belong to the singularity,” Oberon explained. He had been following the clues he had found over the past few days and had located this sorcerer with magical traces.
He suspected this person was involved in the mastermind behind the incident and followed him for several days, discovering that the man had his eye on Fujimaru Ritsuka. He then instructed Shuten-dōji to keep watch over Ritsuka.
With a simple breath, Oberon said in a complicated tone, "I didn't expect that even after all this, you would still come knocking on my door. What a coincidence."
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "..."
"Uh, then I'll definitely be more careful next time?"
Before Oberon could even offer a sharp, sarcastic reply, there was a rhythmic knocking on the door.
Thump, thump, thump.
Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly became alert, stood up, and gathered her runes in her hands.
The wooden door latch made a dull grating sound.
Oberon, looking on with amusement, stood behind Ritsuka in his spirit form.
A man with stitches on his head pushed open the door and entered, maintaining a polite smile. He glanced at the perfectly smooth bed out of the corner of his eye, then looked with slight regret at the orange-haired girl standing alone by the window.
"I'm sorry, although it's a bit of a stretch to say this under the circumstances, I really don't want our conversation to take place here."
He stepped forward, standing in the center of the room, directly facing the overhead light. Seemingly adopting a humble posture, he uttered words of apology.
But Fujimaru Ritsuka was not deceived by appearances. Her long training allowed her to clearly perceive the arrogance and interest hidden in the eyes of the man with the stitches.
Moreover, even if a sincere person is forced to bring her here through kidnapping, they wouldn't do anything dishonest in the room.
"Let's skip the formalities. Although you brought me here in the name of the director's department, you probably have other plans, don't you?"
“Miss, you are perceptive. My surname is Kamo, and I am an ordinary sorcerer in the General Headquarters.” He bowed slightly, his lowered eyelids obscuring his eyes. “But this conversation is for my personal reasons; I wish to establish a cooperation with you.”
Fujimaru Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "An ordinary sorcerer who can threaten others?"
Kamo paused for a moment, then replied smoothly, "...To be honest, compared to big shots, I'm really nothing."
After the first brief exchange, the empty room suddenly became filled with an undercurrent of tension, like the calm and still sea surface before a change in the weather.
Fujimaru Ritsuka wasn't really good at testing people; she preferred to fight when necessary and trust others unconditionally, even at the cost of her life. However, thanks to a certain professor who called himself her father, she did learn a few basic skills.
First, interrupt Mr. Kamo's words of questioning, and then take the initiative to speak and control the pace of the conversation.
Ritsuka calmly said, "Let's take it as you said. But I don't think I'm worth you going to such lengths to discuss cooperation."
"No, how could that be?" Kamo chuckled briefly and took another step forward. "You have something like his too, right? It's called a Command Seal, something that can enslave others!"
...Command Spells?
Fujimaru Ritsuka was startled and restrained herself from looking at the back of her hand. The similar red mark pattern could indeed connect her to the Avengers. But the Command Seals were not something that could be known casually.
Moreover, the person in front of her clearly misunderstood the existence that Command Seals could command. She calmly judged that Kamo did not know about Command Seals through legitimate channels.
He bears magical marks, had unorthodox access to Command Seals, and is in a frantic rush to discuss a collaboration with her…
"You were bound because you knew this?" Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her eyes. "Or were you already entangled with them, and that's how you were fortunate enough to learn some things?"
Oberon raised the corners of his mouth, his approving gaze falling on Ritsuka. He glanced at Kamo out of the corner of his eye, who clapped his hands together lightly twice.
"Slap, slap."
Kamo smiled, a hint of surprise in his expression. "I'm even more excited about the collaboration we might have soon."
The man with the stitches on his head no longer hid anything and began to recount his experience. He had been on a mission for the General Manager's Department when he arrived at the location and encountered Xia You, the cult leader, and a strange man who were just coming out of a tent.
“When I see someone who looks the same as Mr. Natsuyu but is completely different inside, I naturally panic a little.” He seemed to shrink back slightly, as if feeling a pang of sympathy. Ritsuka, who was staring at him, keenly caught the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes.
"He gave himself away while hiding."
He didn't explain the specifics, only stating that he was unfortunately taken back to their stronghold, a place called the Panxing Cult, by that enthusiastic stranger. The cult leader, Xia You, seemed to have a deep loathing for humans, looking at him as if he were an enemy.
"You weren't familiar with Xia Youjie before?" Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly asked.
"Yes, I only met Mr. Xia You a few times in the past."
"I understand, please continue."
They didn't let him go after that. When he woke up again, the strange man told him that he had been branded with a special mark and had to work for those two as an undercover agent, or he would suffer a fate worse than death.
The name of the Command Seals was something I learned unintentionally when I was reporting to them.
"After what happened with the Zenin family, the child from that family told me about your characteristics, which is why I came to find you. You and Mr. Gojo thwarted that person's plan, putting you on the opposite side. I..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly interrupted, "So you want to cooperate with me to get your freedom back?"
"...Yes, I don't want to be an accomplice to evil anymore."
Grand, eloquent words came from the sorrowful-looking young man before her. Fujimaru Ritsuka, however, merely sighed, remarking that she didn't actually look like a fool.
How could Kamo so easily believe that his lies could fool her?
“Actually, you don’t need to be in such a hurry to imply that we’re in the same boat,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said.
The last rays of the setting sun, streaming through the cracks in the window, enveloped the girl's body, turning her orange hair a deep red, like the flames of judgment, impartial and just.
"There's no need to whitewash yourself as if you're completely innocent."
Kamo: "...What?"
His heart suddenly began to race. What had she discovered? Why had she said such a thing? No, no, she was just a minor girl with cheap kindness. He tried to calm himself, but a bead of cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his true thoughts.
“You really don’t know Xia Youjie well,” Fujimaru Ritsuka answered him seriously, in the form of a rhetorical question, “or rather, you really don’t intend to do anything shady to him?”
Kamo remained silent, his shock preventing him from focusing on this person he hadn't initially taken seriously.
How could that be?
Nobody will know...!
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