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With Gojima on the steering wheel and Mizuki on the passenger seat, our car is headed to the Kisaragi family residence. There are things I need to do. I need to take responsibility for the trouble I caused this time. Akira and Kyousuke are now awake, but they’re still out of their groove.

“Old man, sorry for all the trouble.”
‘You understand the consequences of this, don’t you?’

He spoke in a serious tone filled with anger. As a member of a security firm, and as someone who knew me, I’m sure that he’s really worried. That being the case, I should answer him seriously. With my identity as a Kisaragi on the forefront.

“I did it knowing full well what would happen.”
‘Is it something important enough to risk your future for it?’
“At least for me, it is.”

I lost one future career path. I can no longer become the next Kisaragi family head. After all, I just ruined a whole company based on a personal whim. I know what kind of effect it’ll have.

“The trust in me is now destroyed. Which isn’t anything new.”

I’m aware that I worsened my recently improved reputation as Kotone. Something I previously avoided, and the consequences I even explained to Kirigamine. But in the end, I still did things that ruined my own reputation.

“I don’t have any intention of being the next head, so it’s all good.”
‘It’s not just that simple.’

I can’t imagine what kind of punishment Kotone’s father will enact on me. At worst, he could have me under confinement, but the relationships I’ve built with people up until now can block that. Kotori, in particular, might seriously try to break me out.

‘Are you planning on cutting ties with the Kisaragi family?’
“It’s probably impossible. Even if my father wants to disown me, the family wouldn’t allow it.”

I was just doing as I pleased, but for some reason, the family ended up liking me. I don’t know how the grandparents see me. Still, I want to believe that they’d find me better than the old Kotone.

“Currently, only Father is my enemy in the Kisaragi family. Family head he might be, he can’t just ignore the opinions of the family.”
‘So everything is going all according to your plan, huh.’

It’s nothing like that. What happened this time was completely unexpected to me, it was a complete coincidence. I do feel bad for taking advantage of the situation, but I’m ignoring my conscience. I don’t have the leeway to be choosy.

“The rift between me and my father is going to get even worse today, though.”
‘What are you planning to do next?’
“Just punching him with all I have.”
‘Right, that’s right. That’s just the kind of person you are.’

Even as it is now, the rift between Kotone and her father is large. And today, I plan to not widen the rift, but destroy our current relationship altogether. I wonder how the family will react. Will they fear me or will they pity Father. The family is already so twisted, I can’t make a good guess.

‘Kotone, I just want to confirm. What exactly is your objective this time?’
“To crush this security firm I despise.”
‘That’s not all, is it? You’re the type who’d either just put up with it or come up with a less destructive plan if it’s only about you. I don’t understand why you’d let things escalate that far.’

Hm, my objective, huh. I have a lot of reasons for what I’m doing, but there’s a single driving force.

“It’s a secret between the two of us.”

But I’m not going to say it. It’s not really some complex reason. My primary objective is just clear and simple.

‘Two, you mean there’s someone else involved?’
“That’s a secret too.”
‘Doing things for others may be a virtue, but this is taking it too far.’

Not at all. After all, the other one involved is Kotone. It shouldn’t be a surprise for us to have our own secrets. Secrets in a sense that I can’t talk about it to other people. Except for Kaori. And there’s a clear reason for this.

It’s because I’m certain that one of us, either me or Kotone, will disappear.

“For me, since it resulted in a lot of unforgettable memories, I’m very pleased.”

The happenings with the twelve family members, and the resolution of the kidnapping incident. Both of these are experiences the original Kotone would have never been able to go through. While some of it was a bit forced, I wonder if Kotone inside me enjoyed these memories. On the other hand, maybe she’s mad.

“With this, the existence of Kisaragi Kotone is engraved in the memories of various people.”
‘What are you talking about?’
“It’s not really anything deep.”

In the first place, Kisaragi Kotone’s existence is so twisted and far from ordinary. There’s multiple consciousness in her body. Not multiple personalities, but completely different people, so it won’t be surprising if something goes wrong eventually. How things still remain stable right now, I have no idea.

In short, it’s natural for one of us to disappear. Whether it’s through assimilation or just plain vanishing, I have no idea. But I’m sure of it. I don’t know if it’ll happen tomorrow or sometime further into the future. Still, I don’t feel any anxiety. And finally, the day that I met with Kotone was when I became certain that this’d happen.

‘Oi, are you really alright?’
“It’s nothing to be worried about.”

I can feel genuine concern from the old man’s voice. There are people who will end up grieving again if I disappear, but it can’t be helped. After all, I’m already dead. And yet, I was able to live a second life while my family is still alive. It’s a miracle that shouldn’t be.

That’s why this is necessary, making memories for the two of us. So that she’ll know that no matter what she gets dragged into, she’ll still enjoy herself. So she’ll know how important it is to live freely without being tied down by anyone.

“Now then, it’s time to talk business. Chief, can I ask you to do headhunting?”
‘From the said company?’
“Yes. With this affair, their reputation must be as low as it can be. The decline of their business is inevitable. Now, what do you think they’ll do first to cut costs?”
‘They’ll probably downsize. Still, what will be the merits for us?’
“From the visits to the twelve families, your company has learned the circumstances of several families. The other families will likely get in touch with you in the future.”

I’m sure about that. We visited four families: Shimotsuki, Minadzuki, Fumidzuki, and Hadzuki. My bodyguards only learned the inner workings of two, but it’s very likely that all these families will judge that there’s no need to be reserved with them. Taking that into account, they’re going to be busy from now on.

‘So increasing our people will be necessary, huh.’
“Rather than educating new hires from scratch, I believe it’ll be more advantageous to recruit people with prior training.”

New hires require long training to have them fully prepared. In that case, headhunting people who would be capable from the get go would shorten the preparation time. After all, they might receive new work in a short notice. There’s no predicting how the twelve families will move.

‘I guess I’ll try advising the upper management to consider this.’
“Please do so. Think of it as a small atonement from me for causing the whole mess.”

The security people I didn’t like are only the ones employed by the Kisaragi family. I don’t care about the others, but it does hurt my conscience knowing that they lost their future getting dragged into this. This is why I proposed this plan, and I’m glad the old man agreed to it.

‘Don’t do it in the first place, or so I’d like to say. But that won’t lead anywhere.’
“Instead of mulling over what’s already over, let’s think productively about the future.”
‘You don’t get to say that.’

Well, that’s true. My selfishness was the sole cause of this mess. Even the rogue den’s participation was partially set up by me. It’s because I was sure that if those fools joined the fray, things would get funnier and more chaotic. Still, the chances of them joining were pretty low.

‘You even mobilized the damn rogue den.’
“I simply consulted with Satoru. What happened afterwards is out of my control.”
‘You knew there was no way they’d miss an event like this.’

All I said to Satoru was that I’d shake off and run away from my bodyguards. As well as the date when it’d happen. It’s telling of how unhinged they are for coming with only that little information. Still, even if I disappear, I wonder if those guys will drag Kotone around and cause interesting happenings.

After all, somehow or another, those guys will probably like Kotone.

‘Kotone. Honestly, you really should be the next family head.’
“Why is that?”
‘In the end, this whole affair only resulted in benefits for you.’
“It made my reputation worse, though.”
‘If we exclude that, everyone was dancing on the palm of your hand. Everyone except for Hadzuki.’

That’s far from the truth. The rogue den taking action was basically a gamble, and you can barely describe this sloppy mess planned. I also lost a lot in this, since the twelve families constantly led me around by the nose. It’s just impossible.

“Speaking of Hadzuki, the Hadzuki family will also be joining the headhunt, so please keep in line with them.”
‘They’re going for it, too?’

Since Hadzuki also joined in, he must be thinking of his way of taking responsibility. They might also end up reevaluating their black suits after this affair. They won’t have any problem employing more people, they’ll probably just assign them specific duties.

“I’ll pray that everything goes well for you.”
‘Don’t overdo it, okay? Take care of yourself.’

Leaving the rest to Hadzuki is the most convenient choice, and it’s sure to leave you with benefits. However, it wouldn’t look good for the company. That’s where the old man and his team will have to pull their weight. And this is something I shouldn’t meddle with.

“Well then, old man. Thanks for everything.”

With that, I ended the call, and returned the borrowed smartphone to Mizuki. After all, I have no further use for it. Only a few minutes until we arrive home. I’ll tie the remaining loose end with my own two hands.