Chapter 21

While Sunny stood there, looking at the spot where Kiyotaka had been, he couldn't help but feel deeply confused.

'Kiyotaka... what was that...'

Sunny was far from stupid and knew that Kiyotaka wouldn't just come by to say hi. There had to be a deeper meaning behind his words.

So he tailed him using his shadow. Not that it would be effective, as Kiyotaka seemed to have some mind-blowing detection skill that defied logic. How could someone notice a gaze from a non-material shadow?

As he tailed him, Kiyotaka never showed that he noticed. He let Sunny follow him all the way to the castle. Sunny was about to call it a day and turn around, feeling like he was overthinking things, when he saw Kiyotaka gazing at Nephis... and the particular blind girl behind her for a moment. After that, the gates of the castle closed, and he lost sight of Kiyotaka.

Returning to his abode in the ruined city, Sunny couldn't help but feel a slight fear. Today's events were too strange to dismiss. The way Kiyotaka tried to show him something... he didn't even know if Kiyotaka tried to do it.

Some part of him wanted to believe that Kiyotaka really just wanted to say hi, but he knew that was foolish. Throughout their journey, Sunny learned the least about Kiyotaka out of all the people in the Cohort. But one thing he clearly knew was that Kiyotaka was a smart individual.

'Let's calm down and think... Kiyotaka showed up, said hi, and then left. Assuming he was trying to convey something to me, I "tailed" him. He didn't show any signs of noticing me, which means he let me. He wanted me to continue tailing him. But all I saw was his walk to the castle... No, there was something... his brief gaze over Nephis and Cassie... but how is that supposed to give me any information?'

As Sunny contemplated things, suddenly two dots connected in his mind. The fact that Kiyotaka didn't convey a message directly with his mouth, as if assuming someone would be listening... and the fact that he looked at Cassie.

Cassie had an interesting ability that made it possible for her to see the future or past in her dreams. Did Kiyotaka think that Cassie might "overhear" their conversation? If so, why hide it? Cassie was Sunny's first friend, someone he trusted. Was he telling him to be careful of Cassie?

Sighing to himself, Sunny stretched his arms a bit and then returned to hunting some unlucky Nightmare Creatures to distract his mind. But one thing was true... there was a little worm of doubt now in his mind.

---

Ideas are something that shape the world. For Kiyotaka, his father's idea of creating a perfect human was literally a little world. Ideas were also something that were the hardest things to get rid of. They spread through a mind like a plague before they start ruling over you.

The idea of friendship in Kiyotaka's mind also took root when he and the Cohort finally made it to the castle. Yet, unlike others, Kiyotaka didn't let it cloud his logical reasoning. It didn't stop him from making plans related to his friends in the back of his mind. It didn't stop him from directly manipulating them. There was a clear reason in his mind about it.

'Most of the wars are won even before the battle starts... and I will win no matter what.'