The operation to crack open the can was started with results beyond expectations.
“It’s as terrible as I thought.”
“Sorry, Mika. I really can’t…”
“No, please. You don’t have to tell me.”
I wanted to give it a name similar to the ones RABBIT Squad usually uses, but if I had known I’d just hear those kinds of comments, I should have just called the operation “Can Opening.”
Still, I owe a drink to our student council president who graciously allowed me to monitor the situation alongside Veritas… I’ll definitely treat her later.
Anyway, once the dam broke, the operation proceeded smoothly, quite literally.
The current Defense Office Head was under investigation by the Valkyrie Police Academy for bribery charges, and in the meantime, we successfully recovered the cruise missiles abandoned in Factory 2, which had virtually become a free-for-all by linking the Defense Office with the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau.
Honestly, I don’t really know much about ramjets or scramjets.
For me, ‘ramjet = fast, scramjet = fast enough to make you go “Whoa——”’ is about the extent of my knowledge.
Well… anyway, I heard it was a violation of the student council’s regulations, so when I realized Kaiser was trying to move it elsewhere, I immediately activated the Public Security Bureau through the Defense Office.
In doing so, I also poked at the bribery allegations against the Defense Head, who was presumably trying to cover this up. Even if he claimed it was all unfounded, there were records left in the network that Himari had secured, leaving him no escape route whatsoever.
Why on earth would someone grab a rotten rope and ruin their bright career? I completely couldn’t understand it.
So far, I could think, “Ah, just another day of Kaiser being Kaiser,” and move on. But then, for some reason, they found traces of biological weapons research at the Factory 1 research lab.
As undeniable evidence rose to the surface, even the Student Council President reacted with, “Ah, I could overlook a lot, but this is just too much.” At this point, the lifespan of Kaiser Industry was practically over.
One out for the warhead of last year’s pressure bomb. Two out for attempting to develop cruise missiles with scramjet engines.
And finally, achieving a full three outs by trying to research toxic gases threatening not only white phosphorous bombs but even the students protected by Shinpi.
Kaiser Industry hurriedly tried to erase any traces of these illegal experiments, but since we had already gathered all necessary materials, there was no reason to care about what those cans were doing.
The operation didn’t stop there; it continued on to other affiliates.
Construction. Security. Biotech. Energy. Heavy Industry.
As expected, there wasn’t a single place that didn’t have dirt on it. Without the cooperation of Veritas, we would never have been able to dig up such information, and as a result, we brought Kaiser Group’s future into a grim state, burying it deep into oblivion.
Thus, the can opening… or should I call it the Kaiser Destruction Project? Anyway, about 39 hours after the operation began, a message came through the Student Council.
The sender was the Kaiser President.
*
Kaiser seemed to sense the gravity of the situation, realizing the group’s very existence hung in the balance, and the representative, the President, was trying to open a negotiation table directly.
The decision of the Kaiser President to save a company teetering on the brink of destruction. There was no need to respect it…
But missing the opportunity to gauge someone I was warned was no small fry, especially at a time when the situation was absolutely to my advantage, seemed nothing short of foolish.
Now that I accepted the deal with the Black Suit, I couldn’t cut off Kaiser completely. It’s one thing if they self-destruct, but I shouldn’t lead that charge.
With the entire foundation of the group crumbling, it was hard to say how long PMC and Kaiser Ron could hold on, but as long as I couldn’t capture the President, it seemed wise to assume they’d survive for a while.
In other words, it was a chance to gather info on a villain that would surely rise again like a weeble at some point.
“I’ll skip the meaningless pleasantries, T-party host.”
“Heueng… Right, President. We don’t have time to waste on ice breaking. But isn’t your head held a bit high for someone requesting negotiations from a disadvantaged position?”
“I have no recollection of requesting negotiations. I simply felt the need to have a discussion with you.”
“Oh? Well, if you say so, I can’t argue with that. Anyway, it’s not me who’s in a hurry, right?”
I leisurely took a sip of my tea. While I couldn’t match Nagisa’s composure, as long as I didn’t panic, my demeanor would exude relaxation, so just by being there, the President likely felt the pressure.
…Or so I hoped.
“T-party host, you’re still young and inexperienced. Don’t you realize that discussing negotiations amounts to admitting you’re behind this matter? That’s hardly something a leader of an academy should say.”
“Aha, that’s amusing. Are you trying to teach me? Yep, I’m the mastermind behind this. The one who planned, executed, and succeeded in stripping Kaiser Corporation from head to toe is this very young student right in front of you! But knowing this, what can you do? Just sitting there doesn’t seem to give you many options, does it?”
“You’re a naive student. You need to learn that what you see isn’t all that exists.”
“Aha! How disappointing. I didn’t expect that just from a few words exchanged it would become clear that the Student Council President wasn’t someone to be wary of. No matter how great a mouse you are, when cornered, what can you do but squeak?”
“The world looks different to adults and to students. There are methods and strategies that only adults can employ.”
Surely, he wasn’t suggesting that only adults could have attempted the recent attack on the Nereus?
The thought that they might target someone close to me, like Trinity, made my skin crawl. That’s not an adult’s strategy; it’s a killer’s.
Setting aside if the President even had the capability to do so right now, thinking about it was simply unpleasant.
“Enough of the bravado, President. The information I hold is numbers and degrees beyond what you expect. Oh, by the way, want to know what happened to the last adult who went against me?”
Sitting at this negotiation table felt a bit pointless; the President, just like Beatrice, was nothing special.
And when dealing with such weak adults, establishing the upper hand is crucial. I held back during Beatrice’s arc due to the danger of color but since the President didn’t have that kind of caveat, I had no need to hold back.
“That adult is currently in a situation not found anywhere in Kivotos. So, President, put away those futile words and get to the point. Before my patience runs out, come on.”
Of course, it wasn’t like I personally sent Beatrice to her fate. But what’s the harm in a little swagger like this?
“…I acknowledge, then. Our current situation could be likened to a checkmate. Admitting that you’re behind this matter doesn’t change anything. So… I’ll propose a deal.”
“I refuse☆”
“What?”
The reason I even came to this place was to evaluate the President with my own eyes. Negotiation? There’s no need to negotiate with a target I can wipe out from an overwhelmingly advantageous position.
“Are you going to try to bribe me like the former Defense Head did? Too bad, I’m not materially greedy.”
“…Just wait. Surely, you’d be willing to at least hear the proposal?”
“I might hear it, but why should I?”
“…”
The biggest difference between the President evaluated by the Student Council and the President in front of me is that the former had a weapon, a company, still intact, while what the latter had was a company that could collapse at any moment.
Eventually, it was clear that the President, whom the Student Council President had so heavily warned against, was just another ordinary person when cornered.
“Three.”
“Hmm?”
“Kaiser Ron. PMC. And Construction. Just let those three survive.”
“Really now, it’s somewhat troublesome to be pressed so insistently for a deal when I’m not in the mood for one… So, are you saying you want to protect these three as a stepping stone for a comeback?”
“…That’s correct.”
Wanting to keep those three while throwing away all the dozens of other affiliates would usually surprise me a bit, but with Kaiser Industry’s existence in such a precarious state, I was left with no clue about what to make of it.
But what would it mean for me to give Kaiser a breathing space by accepting this deal?
If I were to abruptly shout “Out!” it would serve to eliminate any doubts regarding the President. I have to have a reason to agree, after all.
“Let’s take Construction off the table, President. Then I might consider the deal.”
“That—”
“Well, if you have an affiliate you can save on your own, good luck with that. But the key is that I have no intention of sparing any of them.”
The fact is, I must spare Kaiser Ron and PMC no matter what. And the President is unaware of this.
Then, while I utilize this fact, making a small deal seems nothing short of windfall.
The catch here is that the price I take cannot be material. I can’t just ask for land in the Abydos Autonomous District.
Thus, what remains is only information… but what information could Kaiser possibly provide me?
…Ah, something comes to mind.
“A solution to the desertification in the Abydos Autonomous District.”
“What?”
“If you provide that information, I’ll allow Kaiser Ron and PMC to survive. Yep, I’ll leave them untouched.”
If the inherent issue of desertification in Abydos isn’t resolved, there’s fundamentally no future for them. I don’t expect Kaiser to come up with a perfect solution, but it doesn’t hurt to toss it out there with the mindset of “Can’t lose what you don’t have.” After all, I have nothing else to gain anyway.
Then again, I wonder if there will ever be an occasion in my life that allows me to flaunt my insolence this much.
For now, I think not.
“I can’t offer information that doesn’t exist in the database as payment for a deal. And why are you so interested in that information?”
“Aha! Why ask when you already know? You knew I’d been personally supporting the Abydos area, which is why you commissioned that retaliatory terror. If the information doesn’t exist, it’s only natural that I would investigate and find it… I owe no duty to tell you the reason why.”
“I’ve never heard of the Abydos situation. And how am I supposed to find a solution that wasn’t found even during the peak days of Abydos?”
“That’s none of my concern. Ah, but I can’t just wait indefinitely… so shall I set a deadline? If you can’t bring me the information before March of next year, then I’ll wipe Kaiser Ron and PMC clean off the board☆”
“…I can’t believe the audacity of these robbers!”
“President, you have no other choices left, do you? Except for a single one: to say yes. You understand that this is me extending a measure of mercy to you, right?”
“…”
The President’s answer was, in the end, predetermined.
But, could they really bring a solution to the desertification issue after all?
