Chapter 68: Thoughts

Throughout the entire meeting, Mei spoke most of the time. There were times Sakura and Mobius raised some questions, but the rest remained as listeners.

A plan was created in the end.

Kevin, Elysia, and Sakura will be prioritized on the MANTIS surgery. The rest who would follow are still up for deliberation.

Things would remain like this. After luring Mei's enemies from the dark, only then would the Soldier Project be revealed. Though there are concerns when it comes to it, such as the potential loss of lives during the fight against honkai, Mei created a timetable.

Three months.

That was how long they would delay things. It was still "quite" calm in the Fire MOTH. Aside from the occasional small-scale honkai eruptions, there weren't any events related to emperor-class honkai beasts.

If one shows up during those three months, however, it'll be up to them to bear the burden.

Several hours had passed since then. The three new arrivals had to stay inside the fifth institute for several days, hence they were given rooms of their own.

Late at midnight, Aleph asked Sakura to meet up in front of her dorm room.

"Do you have anything to say?"

"No, but I have something to give to you."

He passed on a tablet. He then proceeded to explain:

"These should be helpful. It has some videos of my training. There are also some additional things inside."

"...It's this."

During their occasional bouts, Sakura felt that Aleph was practicing some form of martial arts. It had numerous overlaps on her discipline in swordsmanship.

What she didn't expect was for him to compile his knowledge just like this.

"Don't feel burdened. I also knew someone who practiced swordsmanship back then. Some of the contents inside came from him."

"Is this alright?"

"Yeah. He told me to pass them as I wish."

Aleph wasn't technically lying. Sasaki Koujiro, whom he met five days ago, told him to pass them on to Sakura. The moment he knew about his "swordsman" acquaintance, he became quite enthusiastic to pass them on. It also helped that he came from the "self-taught school", which made it completely up to him to pass his own style.

"That's it. Goodnight."

"Wait."

"Hm?"

Aleph turned around just as he was about to leave.

"You chose me for this. Why is it so?"

"Ah, it's that."

Over the past few months, he came to know about Sakura's true nature. As professional as she may be, that side of hers crumbles down when facing her sister. That was the main reason why she was being held "hostage" by the councilors.

"Objectively speaking, this is an extension of what we agreed on. You can take your sister away from their hands. We'll guarantee her safety. You also came from that organization. I'm sure you noticed why Mei used the same name for that special forces."

Currently, the unaffiliated organization where Sakura works is responsible for doing MOTH's dirty work. It was created to deal and hide some things that are unacceptable to anyone with normal ethics. Mei wanted to create the same organization, but more of covert operatives instead.

For once, they are officially part of MOTH. It was completely opposed to the one the councilors operated. Moreover, they will be assigned tasks related to humans—that is, internal conflicts and people responsible for stirring chaos during the honkai eruptions.

The only difference between the two was that one was held tightly by the councilors while the other was willing to help everyone who fought against the honkai.

At the very least, Mei wanted to create a special force that prevents any kind of assassination and abduction on people who wanted to fight the honkai. It was completely different from the councilors who wanted to prioritize their well-being and interests.

"That's it. We want you to focus on the honkai instead of people aiming at your back. You have the potential to do it."

No further words were said, but the implications are already there. They trust her enough to choose her to be among the firsts.

"I will live up to it."

Once again, Aleph saw the sheathed sharpness within Sakura.

*****

"Tsk, tsk. You're becoming a playboy. I'll tell this to Mei."

"Please. We're just talking about normal stuff…"

Aleph looked at Kevin who was munching on some chips. He didn't expect to come across Kevin who should've already been sleeping inside his room.

Seeing Aleph's incredulous look, he explained:

"My sleep schedule was messed up a while ago. It's also normal for us to pull off several all-nighters in the field."

"Everyone here is lacking sleep, yet there are some bastards who are laying on the comfort of their beds. This comparison is truly cruel."

Naturally, Kevin wanted to spread this technology to his fellow soldiers. Unlike the higher-up's mind games, they are the ones who are exposed to danger. Nevertheless, he understood Mei's plans which have prospects in the long-term. He was the one who asked for it to have a shorter 'deadline', which was set to be three months later.

"Everyone's doing their work. We're just leaving all the thinking part to you."

"...You've really grown up. Where's Kevin who dumped all of his love letters in my foot locker?"

"I figured it would cause you to react or something but you didn't. You were that cold back then."

'Back then, I…'

Thinking of the one girl who listened to his concerns at his lowest period, he subconsciously looked at the hidden mark on his left hand.

However, it soon turned into a mixed feeling.

'The more I interact with them, the more it turns into…'

In his previous life, monogamy was the norm. Though, it wasn't unusual to see influential men having several women by their side. It was his own decision that made him a bachelor at that time.

In this world, it became complicated. Aleph already had a certain liking for certain characters back then. Though he knew best not to project them here, it was still affecting his decision-making skills. That became even more evident as more time passed.

In short, he might really turn Kevin's joking words into the truth.

Kevin saw this period of silence and asked in a shocked tone:

"...Don't tell me you have someone you like?"

"...No. Not now."

"Look who's lying. I guess I have to tell Mei to step up her game."

'She already did!' Aleph retorted inwardly. 'Ugh, that's why I threw these matters at the back of my mind…'

Throughout their entire conversation, Aleph was the one at the defensive.