"If I remember correctly, it was around this time that we sent your team a new scout."
"Yes, that's true. If you can call a criminal a scout. He wasn't any use to the team; all he did was bark."
"That's a harsh way to talk about your teammates, Simon. Are you certain you had nothing to do with his death?"
"You said you wanted me to be more truthful. I'm just stating the facts. He was a Bedeviled, change to him as unnatural as a fish breathing oxygen."
Simon had become increasingly cunning since his last visit to this interrogation room. All guilt was removed from his heart, allowing him to answer more vividly.
Still, not a single word that left his lips was the full truth. No matter how the man behind the glass wanted to prove this, he couldn't. How could he prove anything Simon had done with no evidence?
"That's true, but wouldn't you say change is an obstacle for all of humanity?" The man said.
"...Wouldn't you say Bedeviled are below humanity?"
"From a certain perspective, Bedeviled are no different from Signator, we're just officially authorized — so wouldn't we be the same?"
"Compare and contrast all you want, it doesn't change the facts."
The man on the other side did not respond for a moment. It sounded like there was a slight scoff from his side.
(Seems like I'm getting under his skin.)
"Change. Change. Change. How about we stop using that word? We're all humans at our cores — humans don't—no... can't change." His tone remained the same, calm as a gentle spring.
After a few moments of silence, the sound of flipping papers could be heard. Simon sat patiently in his seat, staring up at the ceiling. Inside his core, he could see Saber fighting Simon's other self.
The two of them soared around the empty, midnight black sky on ravens. Only when the two passed each other did they clash arm and sword. Saber's expression was blank as always, but Simon's other self was exploding with joy.
In a way, Simon could understand, he must've been lonely after eleven years of nothing but white and black. He let the two continue their battle, even watching over them as he had nothing to do for now.
It didn't take long for the interrogation to continue, however. Simon told the two to stop for now, before looking at the papers that were brought into the room.
The man behind the glass still did not show his face; he had a guard bring it in. Simon noticed this, confused about why he was so reluctant to show himself.
(There are more pressing matters.)
He picked up the papers and began to read them. From his memories, these were most of the reports he had written and solved cases from his time in September.
Of course, among these reports was the repeat of Haruto's disappearance, which was later marked as a death. Simon then knew exactly why he was shown these.
"Legacy of Crest, do you deny any involvement in this man's death?"
"Yes. The reports are there for a reason."
"They are indeed, but it's clear that these reports were written by you from the writing style. Of course, not Evelyn's reports but everyone else's. You even said so yourself."
Simon paused for a second, thinking through his answer choices. Lying was not an option here; it was a matter of how he told the truth.
"I wrote the reports based on what I saw the other members experience. Even if my reports are forged to fit my story, how would Evelyn's reports match mine?"
The rest of the interrogation from this point onwards was rather smooth. Even if the man had a lie detection Signature, they wouldn't be able to see through Simon.
This is because everything he said was technically not a lie. Throughout their conversation, the main point of attraction was the request Evelyn had put in.
Apparently, after the death of Haruto, the bureau began to question her ethics. This confused Simon at the time, and now. If they had more surveillance than a D-grade Signator or healers, he would've been saved.
They had spent an entire month requesting, begging for Alina's team to join their expeditions. Only when October arrived did they finally get their request accepted.
During this time, Simon had focused on refining his core. With a month of non-stop refinement, he was able to reach Dissonantly Reformed.
But that was the past; right now, he was being interrogated. This didn't last long, as the topic of the day had been dealt with after a while. Simon, of course, was rather expectant of the questions.
He had a clue about who this mysterious figure behind the glass was, and it made him pinch the bridge of his nose. If it really were who he thought it was, he was known for his rather unorthodox methods.
Sooner or later, he would begin to go off whatever script the bureau had given him. From Simon's perspective, it couldn't be anyone else. The man was too delusional, enjoying the chase after what he thought to be prey.
Simon would also have to adapt whenever this problem presented itself. If not, he wouldn't live for much longer. He would be considered too dangerous to live if the fact that he held Saber got out.
As the interrogation concluded, Alina guided Simon out of the building. Just as last time, there remained a silence between them.
Simon refused to talk to her, and it seemed that she was annoyed at this. Still, she didn't dare to call him out. The only noise filling the car on the way back to the bureau-provided apartment was the soft clicks of Alina's turn signal.
Click. Click. Click.
It was irritating to Simon. If he could, he would burn the car down then and there. But that would only label him as an escapee.
"I won't be here tomorrow. Family matters."
"Okay."
Another pause was shared between the two.
"If you don't talk the day after the next..." She let the threat hang.
She shifted her gaze away from the road to Simon for but a moment before continuing to drive. Simon did the same, before looking out the window, avoiding her entirely.
Once he stepped into the apartment, he slammed the door shut. Only then did he swiftly lock it and sigh in relief. He felt Saber preparing to leave his core, but commanded her to stay put.
(No, something's wrong here.)
He couldn't see it, but he could smell it, feel it. He reached the AC, seeing that it had shifted from where he had placed it. Additionally, there was a faint, hidden smell of copper in the air.
Someone had tampered with the room. Simon went on with his day as if nothing had happened, lying in bed with Saber still in his core.
(Saber, we never encountered the second entity. What happened there anyway?)
(I suppose I do owe you an explanation after you told me about that night with Leo. Once our connection grows, you will be able to see all of my memories. Hopefully, we will not have to do this soon.)