Beatrice.
Maestro.
Golconda and Decalcomania.
And the Nameless One.
Those were the five—no, four names. Each one was difficult to consider a human name. They were probably pseudonyms. But as long as there was a name to call them, that didn't matter. The black bastard didn't reveal his pseudonym for some reason, but Kenji had no great interest in his name anyway. Kenji stared at the four people with cold, sunken eyes.
"A pleasure to meet you."
A voice came from the picture Decalcomania was holding. It was a low voice, like a man's, so solemn it evoked the image of a polite gentleman.
"You who are loved by fear."
Kenji's head turned toward Golconda. Following that movement, Decalcomania also turned slightly.
"It is an honor to meet you like this."
"...Is the picture talking right now?"
"Indeed. Is there a problem with that?"
Kenji let out a hollow laugh as if it was absurd. But he soon hardened his expression back into coolness. This was a place where common sense from Earth didn't apply, and it would be the same for those from outside Kivotos. Imposing common sense on such beings was as stupid as telling a cat to bark. He pondered what to say for a moment, then moved his lips.
"'Golconda,' was it. And that headless bastard is 'Decalcomania'."
"Yes, that's correct. Could you perhaps tell us your name as well? Ah, it's fine if you decline. I have no intention of forcing you."
Was that statement true, or was he calmly telling a lie?
There was no way to know. Since checking the face of the man turned away was impossible, not even his expression could be read. He was a bizarre being. They say people feel unease when they see something they cannot understand. Kenji now understood the meaning of that saying better than anyone.
So, should I be afraid?
'No.'
Kenji reminded himself of his current situation. A walking time bomb that could go off at any moment, causing unknown, massive damage. Yet, a gift box that yields invaluable data if dismantled. In Trinity, Kenji was the former, but not now. The current 'Gematria' sees him as the latter.
So he could be confident. If they had proper judgment, they wouldn't forcibly tear apart the goose that lays golden eggs. And even if they did tear him apart, it didn't matter. Whether left alone like this, or having his heart crushed by them for being insolent, death was the same either way. Crawl on the ground and obey to be spared? Unfortunately, Kenji didn't want to survive by acting that servilely. It was his inherent nature.
"I have no name to give."
Kenji spat out with an expressionless face. Golconda let out a sigh as if regretting it, then slightly tipped the bowler hat on his head. He nodded.
"I understand. But if you also have no name... it seems your designation would overlap with that person over there."
Decalcomania pointed his cane in his right hand toward the dark-skinned man. The man chuckled and adjusted the position of his disheveled tie.
"Let's keep it simple. Hmm... How about 'Nameless'? Can we call you that?"
"...Do as you please."
"Good."
With the man's final words, Kenji turned his head. His gaze collided in mid-air with Maestro's, who had been sending him blatant looks from the start. -Creak. With the sound of creaking joints, Maestro's neck turned. Though he had no mouth, a voice came from the head where a mouth was drawn.
"I heard you reacted with a mimesis of fear."
"...So?"
"I find myself personally interested."
Maestro said that and placed the hat he was holding on the round table.
"It's awkward for me to say this myself, but my current mimesis is not perfect. It's nearly perfect, but it still needs further refinement. Yet, you reacted intensely with such an unstable mimesis."
As his words grew longer, Kenji's gaze narrowed sharply. But Maestro continued speaking, paying no mind.
"Mystery and fear are the duality of the sublime. In this world, mystery is the only form the sublime shows, but it's not impossible to deliberately twist and manifest it through mimesis. However, a mimesis manifested in such a way is inevitably of inferior quality compared to the fear inherent in the original sublime. As someone who supports simulationism, it's hard to admit, but it's a truth I must acknowledge. Because my current self is lacking."
"..."
"Thus, questions inevitably arose. Why did my mimesis react with you? Does being loved by fear enable interaction with all fears? Or has my mimesis drawn closer to the sublime?"
"..."
"I beseech you to provide an answer."
With those words, Maestro closed his mouth. However, the creaking, grating sound like a wooden puppet moving still reached Kenji's ears, irritating his nerves. It was annoying, but instead of answering, he glared at Maestro with his obsidian-like eyes. The emotion contained in that gaze was so primal that Maestro could only click his tongue.
"Is it that you don't want to answer, or that you can't? Whatever it is, it doesn't matter much. We'll find out through experimentation anyway."
Maestro fell silent like that. He had realized there was no point in further conversation. For Kenji, that was welcome. Since entering this room, his attention had been focused solely on one particular grotesque being.
Kenji turned his head toward Beatrice. Then he twisted the corner of his mouth.
"Nice to meet you, bitch."
"...What did you say?"
For a moment, Beatrice doubted her ears. But no matter how many times she replayed it, the words she just heard were truly simple and also rude. The moment she realized it, her dozens of pupils simultaneously widened, and the hand holding the fan trembled violently. It was a tremor of anger.
"Bitch? Are you talking to me right now?"
Her voice came out mixed with an undeniable fury. But Kenji wasn't intimidated. Instead, he smirked and tilted his head slightly.
"Then who would I be talking to? Is your head just for decoration? Ah, it does seem like decoration. Looking like that, I doubt you're capable of something like thought."
"...How dare a mere insignificant existence speak to me like that!"
-Jjeojeoreok.
The mouth hidden behind her fan opened. A red line, whether teeth or something else, connected between her two lips. The cold, communal atmosphere changed abruptly as if a fire had ignited. The fan gripped in Beatrice's hand crumbled, and murderous intent surged in her blood-red eyes. However, Kenji's expression had also sunk into a coolness not inferior to hers.
He recalled the words he heard from the dark-skinned man. Ultimately, isn't the reason I'm here all that woman's fault? Spreading rumors in Gehenna was her, using Maestro's mimesis to plant fear was also her. He didn't know why she pulled such dogshit stunts, but he didn't need to know anyway. Whatever the reason, it's a fact that she harmed 'me'.
Blaming others blindly is foolish. However, when the other's fault is clear, taking all the blame upon oneself isn't foolish—it's idiotic. Kenji wasn't an idiot, and that's why he wanted to tear Beatrice apart and kill her right now. He wanted to gouge out all those numerous eyeballs.
'Can I do it?'
Kenji thought while being conscious of the small folding knife in his pocket. As a modern person, he naturally felt revulsion toward murder, but fortunately, he felt no such revulsion toward Beatrice. Was it because 'that' wasn't human, or because he was swallowed by rage, making rational thought impossible? He didn't know, but right now, that ignorance was welcome. Kenji put his hand in his pocket and slowly drew the blade.
But he never got to swing that knife. Because Decalcomania slammed his cane on the floor with a *thud*. As everyone's gaze turned toward him, Golconda spoke in his place.
"Now, now, let's stop. I would prefer if no disputes arose here."
"Indeed!"
A booming voice flowed from Decalcomania.
...Could that bastard talk too? Kenji felt his momentum deflate and let out a deep sigh. Beatrice also suppressed her rage and put the broken fan into her bosom. But her eyes were still burning coldly. Under that gaze, Kenji sneered and moved his lips.
What are you looking at, you biiitch.
That was the meaning carried by the shape of his mouth. Beatrice's fist trembled, but instead of expressing her anger, she stood up and walked toward the exit. She had realized staying here would only make her angrier. The other Gematria members didn't bother to stop her.
"The next time we meet."
Just before opening the exit, Beatrice turned only her head slightly and stared at Kenji as she spoke.
"I hope you show me proper manners. Otherwise, you will regret it."
Instead of answering, Kenji smiled savagely and raised his middle finger. At that vulgar gesture, Beatrice's face crumpled violently. She clenched her bright red fist, her pupils trembling, and left the room without looking back.
-Kwaang!
The exit closed with a massive noise. Simultaneously, the dark-skinned man chuckled.
"Let's conclude the introductions here. Maestro, are the preparations complete?"
"Yes."
Maestro nodded his creaking neck. Before Kenji could ask 'what preparations,' the man looked back at him.
"There's no need to delay any further."
"..."
"Then let us begin the experiment."
The man's pale white eyes blazed fiercely.
They were the eyes of a seeker.
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