Chapter 158: Negotiation and Conclusion

Awashima’s expression grew increasingly solemn with every word Munakata spoke.

It wasn't until Munakata finally finished speaking, raised his eyes, and gazed at her with a calm and steady look that the capable woman gave a grave assent. She then quickly took her leave, turning and hurrying out of the room.

Watching the office door slowly close behind her, Munakata remained seated, resting his chin on his hands in quiet contemplation for a moment before the corners of his lips curved upward into a light smile.

"Suoh, although I haven't the slightest idea what you are really plotting, but..."

The self-soothing murmur, destined to receive no reply, abruptly dissolved at the edge of his smiling lips. Ever since he received the news that Totsuka Tatara had been shot and that the Red King had vanished immediately upon hearing the report, the blue-haired King of Blue, whose heart had been harboring a vague sense of foreboding, suddenly felt an inexplicable wave of relief and reassurance at this very moment.

It was as if some heavy burden that had long rested on his shoulders had suddenly grown much lighter. The King of Blue let out a long breath.

"Has some unexpected development occurred behind the scenes—something that has yet to be tracked down?"

Following the motion of lowering his arms, his slender fingers tapped rhythmically twice against the tabletop. Munakata absentmindedly picked up a puzzle piece and, with almost no effort of thought, slotted it into its correct position.

"I hope Lieutenant Awashima will bring me some more interesting intelligence this time."

***

Just as Munakata Reisi, the King of Blue ruling from the headquarters of SCEPTER 4, was feeling puzzled and deep in thought over the unconventional actions of the Red King and his clansmen, the very Red King on his mind—Suoh Mikoto—was already seated opposite Kurama, Hades, and the others. Invited by Kurama, Suoh had brought along three members of HOMRA: Kusanagi Izumo, Yata Misaki, and Kushina Anna, together with Totsuka Tatara, who had just recovered from his grave illness. They were now engaged in a concrete conversation and discussion regarding the previously mentioned "cooperation."

Of course, before that could happen, certain introductory explanations regarding why the upcoming cooperation was necessary were absolutely unavoidable.

However, this time, with the presence of Tatara—a local individual who had already heard and accepted a portion of the truth—explaining and clarifying theories like the parallel worlds, the projection of conscious reality, and the trajectories of fate to the remaining members of HOMRA became relatively much easier.

At the very least, aside from Yata, whose brain was spinning in circles because his processing capacity was far too tragic even though he understood parts of it, Suoh, Izumo, and Anna all expressed varying degrees of understanding and acceptance.

Based on this, regarding the trajectory of fate projected into Kurama’s world—the "plot" in which Tatara is killed, the bonds of HOMRA are shattered, the Red King goes berserk with the Weismann deviation reaching its limit, and, before the Sword of Damocles can fall, he willingly perishes at the hands of the Blue King Munakata Reisi—except for Suoh, whose expression only flickered with a few ripples of emotion upon hearing that Tatara would indeed have died in the original timeline, the reactions of Izumo, Anna, and Yata were all intensely fierce and repulsive.

"Mikoto will die?"

Kushina Anna, the little gothic-dressed girl who had scarcely spoken since entering the room, was the first to reach out and grab Suoh’s hand. Her adorably expressionless face was now painted with distinct worry and sorrow.

Seeing this, the red-haired man reached out and patted the top of her head.

"It hasn't happened yet, has it?"

He consoled her with absolute composure.

The little girl lifted her head and stared at him expressionlessly.

"...... liar."

She understood him far better than Suoh realized.

Therefore, she knew with absolute clarity that if Totsuka really had died by the Colorless King's gun that night, then even at the cost of his own life, the man with the most gorgeous red hair before her would not hesitate for a single second!

He would simply lie low like a beast fixated on its prey, methodically laying his plans, waiting calmly and patiently until the final moment arrived, and then...

When the time was ripe, he would strike all at once with a fatal blow, willing to tear the enemy apart beneath his claws even if it meant perishing together!

Because the target had stolen one of the few people he cared about most in this world.

Anna lowered her gaze in silence.

The King of Red sighed helplessly as he looked at her silent figure.

He had never been particularly skilled at comforting children. Even though Anna had always relied on him to a certain degree, this child possessed a frighteningly mature and precocious mind due to past traumas. Usually, as long as she stayed by his side, she remained quiet and well-behaved, rarely requiring him to coax or comfort her. Consequently, despite her constant presence at his side, the Red King's skill level in soothing children remained stubbornly at zero.

Suoh silently glanced at the flaxen-haired young man sitting beside him.

Tatara gave him a helpless, there-is-nothing-I-can-do look.

The mere thought that if he hadn't been luckily saved this time, that was indeed the most likely course of action the other man would have chosen—and the ultimate outcome it would have brought about—prevented Tatara from remaining calm any longer.

Although Suoh's reaction was the truest manifestation of just how deeply he cared, nevertheless...

Tatara would rather not have this kind of care if it meant his King would perish because of it.

Turning his head away, he pretended not to notice the bewildered and helpless (?) gaze the other man cast at him a second time after his silent rejection.

Izumo, sitting on the other side and sensing that the atmosphere was growing somewhat awkward, took the initiative to step in and smooth things over.

"Alright, Anna, don't be sad. Aren't Mikoto and Tatara both right here, safe and sound?"

He softened his tone, speaking gently as he lightly stroked the little girl's shoulder.

"Besides..."

Shifting his gaze toward Kurama, Izumo's eyes, hidden behind his tinted glasses, carried an edge that almost made one momentarily mistake him for possessing an intensely sharp aura.

"Since Kurama-san has saved Tatara and expressed his willingness to cooperate with us, I assume he has already made preparations to ensure that Mikoto will not repeat the original tragic fate and perish at the hands of the Blue King, right?"

The blonde, handsome man spoke in a mild tone, a faint smile even lingering at the corners of his mouth.

However, his gaze had long since betrayed his true attitude. The demon fox raised an eyebrow slightly, opening both palms in a gesture meant to show sincerity.

"Kusanagi-san is quite right. Since our goal is to subvert the trajectory of fate, naturally... we will not allow the Red King to tread the same disastrous path again."

"However, while the plan is in place, the cooperation between you, HOMRA, and the Red King himself is the most crucial part, isn't it?"

As he spoke, Kurama likewise curved the corners of his lips, revealing a mild, pure, and innocent-looking smile that carried an even deeper intent than Izumo's.

"This is our sincerity in seeking cooperation. Even without your prompting, I would have listed it as one of the prerequisites."

"......"

Izumo's temples throbbed repeatedly.

He felt as though he was gradually losing control of the conversation. Up to this point, other than sharing a goal that seemingly converged with theirs in altering the fate trajectory and revealing their status as visitors from another world, the other party had not disclosed any other valuable information.

Wasn't this just tricking him?!

Izumo massaged his aching temples with a headache.

"Since that's the case, I'll be direct then."

Seeing that no matter how he guided the conversation, the other party refused to take the bait, the Red Clan's strategist let out a silent sigh and decided to lay everything out on the table.

He raised his eyes and looked straight into Kurama's gaze, his eyes shining with a calmness and sharpness that no longer held a shred of concealment.

"If we are talking about subverting the trajectory of fate, then... actually, saving Tatara and altering Mikoto's originally doomed end isn't the only choice available, is it?"

"From the perspective of the degree of subversion, the option of helping the Colorless King completely devour the Red King, the Blue King, and the Silver King seems... to fit the criteria even better, doesn't it?"

"So, this raises a question."

Izumo pressed his lips into a thin line, the smile that had long hung on his face now completely vanished.

He stared fixedly at Kurama, as if hoping to drag an absolute, truthful answer out of those eyes.

"Why didn't you, Kurama-san, choose to help the Colorless King completely swallow up the other three Kings? Instead, you chose a path that is far more troublesome, requiring all sorts of plans and coordination to support it—a path where the failure of a single link could lead to total collapse, and where the uncertainty is so overwhelmingly massive?"

"This... really defies logic."

As his voice fell, the entire living room descended into absolute silence.

Kurama remained seated with a smile, allowing the two HOMRA members—including Izumo and Yata—to face him with an extremely defensive posture the very moment Izumo's final question left his lips. Not even a trace of a shift appeared between Kurama's brows.

"Although Kusanagi-san's argument is certainly not wrong!"

After maintaining a silent "standoff" with the two opposite him for a moment, Kurama suddenly relaxed his posture, growing even more mild and harmless, resembling a truly ordinary (?) seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth.

"However... who told that Colorless King to be so thoroughly unlikable?"

Spreading his hands in a shrug amidst the disbelieving stares of Izumo and Yata, and the silently agreeing gaze of Tatara, Kurama gave a slight shrug.

"By comparison, I simply happen to like your Tatara and the Red King much more."

"So... choosing the object of our assistance based on personal preference, what's wrong with that?"

The demon fox said this with a smiling expression, turning his head as if no one else was present to exchange a tacit, knowing glance with his black-haired lover.

Wasn't he simply choosing who to interact with, befriend, or—upon receiving instructions from the God of Dimensions—help alter the fate trajectory of in every world he visited, purely based on his own preferences?

Aside from Kurama's own desires, there were no other standards at play here.

Otherwise, how could someone like Hades—a standard original-work cannon fodder boss—end up sitting beside the demon fox as a companion and lover on this magical journey?

Blinking with a smile, Kurama turned his gaze back to the blonde, handsome young man whose mind seemed to have temporarily stalled in response to his answer.

"Well then? Is Kusanagi-san satisfied with this answer?"

"......"

The response he received was a helpless, resentful, and utterly depressed expression on Izumo's face.

Looking at that expression—one that usually only appeared on the young man's face in the presence of the Blue Clan's Lieutenant's dark culinary creations—Kurama smiled once more with immense gratification.

"Deal?"

He raised an eyebrow.

Izumo's eyelids twitched as if he were struggling with immense internal conflict.

Yet ultimately, under Tatara's stifled amusement, he extended a hand toward Kurama with the resignation of someone heading to their own execution...

"Deal!"

A rare, grinding edge of exasperation laced the normally soft and elegant Kyoto accent. At this moment, Izumo had no way of knowing just how much pain—and secret pleasure—this decision would bring him in the days to come.