Inescapable Fate EP.14

 

"Hmm... the inside is pretty much the same..."

 

 

 

I had been at the Black Market for hours and went deeper in to see if there was anything more, but there wasn't much.

 

 

 

"Some strange shop? They were selling dolls, though."

 

 

 

I think they said it was a limited edition, but since I couldn't kill myself with it, I didn't need it. It wasn't my style anyway.

 

 

 

"Haah... So it was a wasted trip after all..."

 

 

 

If I had known, I would have gone to Millennium instead. There would have been tons of high-quality, powerful weapons there.

 

 

 

"Let's just go back."

 

 

 

If I didn't head back soon, the others might notice.

 

 

 

"So now... huh? What's this?"

 

 

 

Just as I was about to return to Abydos, I saw a strange little envelope lying on the ground.

 

 

 

"Did someone drop this...? Huh?"

 

 

 

I picked it up, wondering if someone had dropped it.

 

 

 

"This is my name...?"

 

 

 

For some reason, the envelope had my name, Takanashi Sora, written on it.

 

 

 

"...You are invited. Takanashi Sora...?"

 

 

 

Inside the envelope was a letter with an invitation message and a business card with an address.

 

 

 

And the most important person who invited me was...

 

 

"Since everyone is here, let's begin."

 

 

 

The day after the raid on the Problem Solver 68, Ayane shared the issues she had discovered.

 

 

 

One was that the attackers from yesterday were a club called Problem Solver 68, along with information about its members.

 

 

 

The other was the mastermind behind the Helmet Gang that attacked Serika before.

 

 

 

"After analyzing the fragments of the strategic weapon collected from the last battle... It was a model that's no longer in circulation."

 

 

 

"It's discontinued?"

 

 

 

"Then how did they get it?"

 

 

 

"The only way to obtain a discontinued strategic weapon now is... through the Black Market within Kivotos."

 

 

 

'...The Black Market, huh.'

 

 

 

It's been a while since I've heard that name. I used to go there all the time in the past, so it brings back memories.

 

 

"The Black Market... isn't that a really dangerous place?"

 

 

 

"Yes, it is. Dropouts, students on leave, expelled students... all sorts of students who have left school form groups there, and I've heard there are tons of unauthorized clubs that haven't received permission from the General Student Council."

 

 

 

"Like Problem Solver 68?"

 

 

 

"Yes, I heard Problem Solver 68 has caused several incidents in the Black Market too."

 

 

 

"Then, that's a key point!"

 

 

 

"Yes. It might be a good idea to look for connections between the two incidents."

 

 

 

"Alright, it's decided then. Let's go to the Black Market and take a look. We might find an unexpected clue."

 

 

 

So Abydos headed to the Black Market to find clues, but...

 

 

 

"Ah, then I'll stay and guard the school."

 

 

 

I decided to sit this one out.

 

 

 

I would love to go with them, but...

 

 

 

'I'm a bit famous, you see...'

 

 

 

I caused some trouble in the Black Market once, so I became somewhat well-known there.

 

 

 

'So much so that they'd come to arrest me as soon as I walked in...'

 

 

 

Because of that, my presence would only hinder them, and it was obvious that they would find out I secretly went to the Black Market. So no matter what, I had to sit this one out.

 

 

 

"If the school gets attacked while we're gone, it'll be dangerous."

 

 

 

So, under the pretext of guarding the school, I argued that I should stay and watch the house, but...

 

 

 

"""""...."""""

 

 

 

"Wh-why are you all looking at me like that...?"

 

 

 

As expected, everyone except Serika gave me suspicious looks.

 

 

 

"...Well, I thought Sora wouldn't miss an opportunity like this."

 

 

 

"""Yeah, yeah."""

 

 

 

"....."

 

 

 

...Well, of course, if I had never been to the Black Market before, I wouldn't have missed the opportunity like Sensei said...

 

 

 

"I know how to separate business and personal matters..."

 

 

 

Even if that were the case, I would have just gone to get a feel of the place.

 

 

 

"A-anyway, that's how it is. I'll stay here."

 

 

 

"...Sora-chan, you're not planning on doing anything weird by yourself, are you?"

 

 

 

"I'm not, I'm not. I have handcuffs anyway, so there's nothing I can do."

 

 

 

If Hoshino had taken off the handcuffs yesterday, I would have self-harmed three times over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We'll be back then, Sora-chan."

 

 

 

"Okay. Take care."

 

 

 

Despite the suspicious looks, Hoshino judged that it would be better for me to guard the house than go to the Black Market, so I was able to safely see everyone off to the Black Market.

 

 

 

"...Phew, that was close."

 

 

 

If I had forced myself to go to the Black Market, I couldn't imagine what Hoshino would have done to me.

 

 

 

"Anyway, it's already the Black Market storyline..."

 

 

 

Are there so many incidents happening lately? Time flies so fast. It's the Black Market storyline already.

 

 

 

"...Then the remaining stories are..."

 

 

 

Gehenna's invasion, meeting the Kaiser PMC director, and...

 

 

 

"Hoshino's resignation..."

 

 

 

In the original story, Hoshino was forced to submit her resignation in exchange for halving the debt.

 

 

 

And the one who proposed such a condition was none other than...

 

 

 

"...Black Suit."

 

 

 

Black Suit, a member of Gematria, a group that values the research of mysteries, fear, and sublimity.

 

 

 

I remember they forced Hoshino to submit her resignation in exchange for halving the debt in order to use her as a test subject.

 

 

 

Fortunately, Sensei's actions prevented Hoshino's resignation and she was rescued safely, but...

 

 

 

"...What should I do?"

 

 

 

Personally, I want to stop this storyline, just like with Serika.

 

 

 

It feels like I'm guilty if I know the future but do nothing... especially since I know Hoshino will get hurt in this incident.

 

 

 

The problem is...

 

 

 

"...Is it okay to stop it?"

 

 

 

It's the same as with Serika. If it's just about stopping Hoshino from resigning, then I can do it.

 

 

 

If it's just me, it might be impossible, but if everyone in Abydos joins forces, we might be able to stop Hoshino from going to Black Suit.

 

 

 

However, if that happens, it will completely deviate from the original storyline, and in the worst case, the butterfly effect could cause enormous damage.

 

 

 

I don't know if it will affect Abydos or Sensei, though.

 

 

 

"Damn it, if they were going to reincarnate me, they should have at least given me some special ability. Then I wouldn't have to worry about this."

 

 

 

For example, if I had the Adult Card, I could easily stop it with the power of the omnipotent card even if the original story changed.

 

 

 

Plus, I could have died easily.

 

 

 

"...So, in the end, you only get rewarded after hardships and adversity."

 

 

 

It's a really crappy world. A world where a student has to be deceived and kidnapped by an adult for things to work out...

 

 

 

"...Wait a minute, one student...?"

 

 

 

Right, if one student absolutely has to be kidnapped, it doesn't have to be Hoshino, does it?

 

 

 

"For example, me."

 

 

 

Of course, there are several issues. I'm not the strongest mystery in Kivotos, and I'm not the head of the Foreclosure Task Force.

 

 

 

But...

 

 

 

*Rustle*

 

 

 

"Haha, I never thought the day would come when I'd take this out again."

 

 

 

-Gematria/Black Suit

 

 

 

Coincidentally, I was also someone with a mystery that would pique his interest.

 

 

 

"The problem is the head position..."

 

 

 

If it's just the head position, I can easily solve that.

 

 

 

"...Then, strike while the iron is hot. Shall we go?"

 

 

 

To see the face of that burning mastermind directly.