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Kiri La Kill - Chapter 19
🕑 Added 2023-10-04 16:51:31 +0000 UTCAnd we are back! This is just a little warm-up to get myself back on the mood for the new stuff to come… Sorry if it is a lower quality than usual, I will endeavor to get back on regular form as soon as possible.
For now, let’s see how fast I can get this to you all.
Of course, Kiri had not left his demands so incomprehensibly vague.
The hours following their exchange together had been spent hashing out the details of their new arrangement. Despite having been imprisoned deep in the bowels of enemy territory, with his captors seemingly in possession of all of the cards… Kiri had proved himself to be a rather demanding negotiator.
What he wanted was rather simple. For Honnouji Academy to stop being so selective with its distribution of wealth to the inhabitants of Honno City. He wanted the slums to be cleared and for their inhabitants to be moved into the apartments on the higher levels and reintegrated back into becoming functional human beings.
As it stood, the Academy had more than enough wealth to provide for the people, whether its source be the exorbitant tuition fees, ‘grants’, and a significant ‘leeway fund’ that was provided by REVOCS that more than made up for all of the vital expenses on their own… the extra money used by Kiryuin Satsuki to ensure that those people she allowed to rise through the ranks enjoyed the highest of luxury.
Such funds could easily be redirected into ensuring that the neglected people of the slums could be rehabilitated. Curing illnesses, desperately needed rehabilitation, classes for those that lacked an education and so on and so forth.
As for the people who’d gotten used to all of the unimaginable luxury that those excess funds provided for them? Sucked to be them, Kiri supposed… They could do without their waterfalls of caviar, Kiri simply wanted that haunting image of people being forced to sell themselves for a loaf of bread to disappear from his mind.
In return, he would defend Honnouji Academy with all of his power.
“Now who’s being vague?” Kiri threw Satsuki’s own words (spoken right before he’d began explaining what he wanted in return for her) back at her, prompting a raised brow from the pompous girl.
“There is nothing vague about what I said.” She said with a raised brow. “The only thing lacking here would be your own comprehension.” The not-so-veiled insult flew right over Kiri’s head of course, as he once again looked down on the paper set between them, and read it again.
“You don’t want to add any other stipulations?” He promptly asked again, making Satsuki release exhale. “Because this really does leave a lot of stuff open to interpretation.” Were he the type to look for silver linings in a contract, he was sure he would have no problem dodging this one, even with his lack of experience.
Satsuki did not seem concerned. “The zeal you need to defend my school will not be enforced through words on a paper.” She declared with full confidence, as was often the case with her. “The only thing I need to trust in this case, is that you will see that it is worth protecting. And that is no work at all on my part.”
Kiri frowned for a moment, but could not deny what she said… But there was something that did not escape his notice.
“You don’t seem to think highly of that.”
“You’re naive.” She said. “In a way that can’t be explained by your lack of memories… For all of your strength and resolve, it is obvious that you have no ideals to defend.” The way she said it made Kiri blink and tilt his head.
“How would you know that, when even I don’t?” He asked, incredulous.
“I saw in the way your resolve faltered when we battled.” She said. “So many things have engraved themselves into you as instinct, yet no ideals to speak of.” Her eyes rose up to stare directly into his own. “Either they were weak, or they didn’t exist… but I can draw some conclusions based on what made you wreak havoc on my Academy.”
“It seems to me that you derive your strength from the affection of people.” She concluded. “And that is something I cannot abide.”
Ah.
The flash of pink, and other sensations made their returns so suddenly… and those words resonated with you in an instant. It was strange, standing across from someone that knew you better than you knew yourself… Kiri could not attest to that wholeheartedly.
“When their fickle love disappears, or you discover that you didn’t have it like you thought, you will fall again.” Satsuki said. “And that moment will be our doom.”
…
“Take a good look at yourself, Kirishima Eijiro.” She told him, as she turned around and began to walk off… the ink of her signature gleaming on the paper that had separated them. “If you still wish to return to the person you were, I will have to remedy my plans accordingly.” She turned a corner and disappeared, leaving a disoriented Kiri behind.
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Kiri barely had time to recover from those haunting words as he was escorted to the place that would become his lodgings… a quaint looking suburban house that had been seemingly built overnight, in a cul-de-sac with only five other buildings.
All of the amenities and the groceries had already been provided, leaving Kiri with an altogether cozy place that he would have enjoyed living in, had his mind not been so busy with the words that had been told to him.
And of course, the current conversation was not helping matters.
“As it stands, you do not exist.” The bespectacled boy before him began, sitting across Kiri in his new living room as he typed away on his laptop.
Even distracted, Kiri had managed to blink down at the boy. “...Is that an exaggeration?”
“Not in the slightest.” Inumuta Hoka said, pushing up his glasses as he regarded the boy who’d nearly destroyed the Academy that he studied at. “The moment we recovered your name and basic appearance, I spent a majority of my time researching you in order to come up with strategies and countermeasures.”
Wait- “Is that how she managed to slice me?”
“No.” Inumuta said, for once, his neutral tone had shifted to one of admiration. “I found no weaknesses.” He shook his head. “Regardless, the genetic material we acquired after Lady Kiryuin dispatched you was the final nail in the coffin… you simply do not exist.”
The repetition did not help calm Kiri down in the slightest.
The next thing made it practically impossible.
“In fact, with your powers… I would hesitate to call you human.” Inumuta said, rising to his feet right as Kiri sat down from the force of the verbal punch delivered to him. “I apologize to be the bearer of bad news, no doubt you have a lot of information to digest, we’ll discuss more of this tomorrow.” Kiri barely paid attention to what was next said, he barely even registered him leave.
Left alone in his home, Kiri could not help but feel lost. More lost than he had been back when all of this had started. For all that he had managed to make progress, all that it had accomplished was leave him with more answers.
And now, he was even doubting the man he had been.
Just… What am I?
