Koike Takuma walked closer, step by step, until he stood before the Celestial Wolf Demon General.
“Your murderous intent is too strong. Killing Inoue will only bring trouble, no benefit,” the Celestial Wolf Demon General replied.
“Is that so? To me, it seems you don’t truly want to kill her, deep down. A spy within the Kiryoki group, who doesn’t want to kill a member of said group… isn’t that strange?” Koike Takuma sneered.
“Koike, I already said, killing her brings no benefit. She has already joined Kiryoki. The moment she dies, Kiryoki will know,” the Celestial Wolf Demon General answered.
“Hm? Kiryoki just recruited a member yesterday, and they’ve already signed the team contract today?” Koike Takuma said, disbelief in his voice. “A normal reincarnator team would investigate a new member’s identity first, wouldn’t they?”
“Does Kiryoki seem like a normal reincarnator team to you?” the Celestial Wolf Demon General countered.
Koike Takuma fell silent.
Indeed, Kiryoki could not be called normal. Yet, to be honest, he still didn’t fully trust the person before him. After all, this individual wasn’t from their Star Group; they simply shared a goal and were cooperating temporarily.
“Where is Kiryoki?” Koike Takuma asked.
“After dispatching us, Kiryoki took the remaining members into a Reincarnation World to undertake a mission,” the Celestial Wolf Demon General replied.
When a reincarnator team entered a Reincarnation World for a mission, they usually went together. However, each team mission had an exemption option; some points could be spent to excuse specific members from participating in that particular mission.
The Celestial Wolf Demon General explained that this time, Kiryoki had granted her and Inoue Keiko an exemption, tasking them with investigating the murder of the former Kiryoki member.
‘Kiryoki probably never imagined that I could be a spy.’
The thought flashed through the Celestial Wolf Demon General’s mind.
In the story she had told Inoue Keiko earlier, the reincarnator who died trying to stop Kiryoki was actually a friend she once had. Because of this, the Celestial Wolf Demon General had harbored a grudge against Kiryoki, waiting for a chance at revenge.
When Kiryoki posted a recruitment notice on the Reincarnator Forum, the Celestial Wolf Demon General noticed it and keenly felt it was an opportunity. Thus, she infiltrated Kiryoki as a spy, contacted the Star Group—who had always had bad relations with Kiryoki—and planned to set a trap, aiming to completely eliminate Kiryoki.
Thinking of this, the Celestial Wolf Demon General asked Koike Takuma, “Are the preparations at the abandoned factory ready?”
Koike Takuma nodded. “Ready. The Commander and the others are all waiting there. Now, once Kiryoki returns from the Reincarnation World, you just need to contact her. Say you found the killer of the original Kiryoki members, and lure her to the abandoned factory.”
“No problem. You should return to the abandoned factory and prepare as well,” the Celestial Wolf Demon General said calmly.
Koike Takuma didn’t say anything further. He turned and left the area.
Hidden in the shadows, Tsukiyomi Ruri and Leona watched everything unfold.
Discovering that Inoue Keiko had actually joined Kiryoki left Tsukiyomi Ruri utterly speechless. How could someone join a reincarnator team so rashly, without even understanding the situation first? Aren’t they afraid something might go wrong?
Of course, there were other things worth noting.
‘Earlier, that person named Koike Takuma called the so-called Celestial Wolf Demon General “Mizuhashi”… Could it be?’
A suspicion arose in Tsukiyomi Ruri’s heart.
Seeing the Celestial Wolf Demon General leaving, Tsukiyomi Ruri whispered, “Leona, go follow this Celestial Wolf Demon General. Of course, if the tracking route gets blocked by sunlight and you can’t continue, don’t force it.”
Leona made a pained face. “This Celestial Wolf Demon General looks super tough at first glance. I’m so scared.”
“Don’t be afraid. If you run into trouble, just phase through walls and run. They wouldn’t dare expose themselves inside the school, since the existence of reincarnators can’t be known by ordinary people,” Tsukiyomi Ruri said quietly.
“Well, alright. I’ll go track her. But why aren’t you coming along?” Leona agreed, though she was slightly curious.
“Because I need to follow the other one. No more talk, we’ll lose them if we wait any longer.” Tsukiyomi Ruri immediately left her hiding spot.
“Let’s meet later in the hallway outside the music classroom,” Leona called out to Tsukiyomi Ruri’s retreating back.
On a street outside the school,
Koike Takuma held his smartphone to his ear, talking with someone.
“Yes, that’s right. Mizuhashi is no longer trustworthy. We’ll have to find a way to deal with her later,” Koike Takuma said into the phone.
At whatever the person on the other end said, Koike Takuma laughed.
“Kiryoki might be twisted, and maybe she does sign team contracts without investigating people. But Kiryoki is also quite self-centered; she wouldn’t casually spend Reincarnation Points to exempt people from missions. And two at once, no less. So I’m certain Mizuhashi lied.”
“If Mizuhashi used her own Reincarnation Points to pay, there would be no reason not to mention it. But she claimed Kiryoki paid, and that’s the issue. I suspect neither she nor Inoue Keiko have actually signed a team contract with Kiryoki. They were probably just sent as temporary personnel to investigate the death of the former Kiryoki members.”
“The death of that original member seems connected to a student at Aragaki Girls’ High School. Since both Mizuhashi and Inoue are students there, it’s normal for Kiryoki not to trust them fully.”
Koike Takuma paused, listening to the voice on the other end of the line.
Then, he smiled. “Right, luring Kiryoki to our trapped location doesn’t necessarily require Mizuhashi to help with the contact. Her contact method is just her smartphone. We can simply eliminate Mizuhashi and use her phone to message Kiryoki. If Kiryoki wants to make a call, we have members with Voice Disguise Ability Cards who can impersonate her voice.”
As he spoke, Koike Takuma approached a vending machine, inserted a coin to buy a drink, and continued listening to the other party.
“Hm? You want me to go back and finish off that Inoue? Fine. Who knows if she has some connection to Mizuhashi, but it’s likely. Getting rid of her is probably for the best. I’ll head back. Mm-hmm, then that’s settled.” Koike Takuma hung up his smartphone.
After hanging up, Koike Takuma gulped down his drink.
“Finished talking?” At that moment, a soft, pleasant-sounding voice came from behind him.
Hearing this voice, Koike Takuma instantly sprayed the drink from his mouth. He whipped around sharply.
He had definitely checked before; there had been no one nearby. That’s why he had spoken freely on the phone. How could someone address him from such a close distance?
