Fate/Infinity Shuffle
Chapter 271 – Redeal:
"I refuse!"
"Mizuki, stop being stubborn and accept it already!"
"No, I refuse! I 100% refuse!"
A collective sigh. The Team had reunited in Hakuno's home, as Jinako and him had called them in for an important matter. However… they didn't expect for things to turn out this way.
"Mizuki, you quite literally saved the world, I think getting the EX Rank is the least I can offer."
"No! That isn't fair!" Mizuki seemed quite adamant.
"Look, if it's because of your Team, we can offer all of them the Ranking, I don't see a problem with that."
"But I do!" Mizuki sounded rather anxious. "It wouldn't be fair!"
Jinako had to intervene. "How?!"
"B-Because!" Mizuki's face turned bright red. She looked away, making a rather funny face while scratching her cheek. "It simply wouldn't be fair. Akane, Kuroko and all the others made an effort too, and they climbed up the Ranks fair and square. We… We've only beaten one A Rank Team."
"Mizuki, this is a literal ticket to fame!" Lizzie pointed out.
"Leader, I get you and all, but I do think you deserve it."
"Look, I understand that, but you really don't need to prove yourself." Hakuno crossed his arms and sighed. "…Would you…"
"Hm?"
"Would you accept a match against an EX Rank Team then?"
"Eh?"
"If you win, you and your Team become EX Rankers. I think that's a 'fair' reward, right?"
Mizuki was slightly taken aback. But then smiled like a little kid. "Yes! That would be perfect."
"We need to fight more?!" Sayuri held her hand. "I've had enough for one lifetime… Or at least a month."
"Well…" Lizzie thought for a second. People could see the gears turning. "If I'm gonna become famous, it needs to be with a bang!"
"I guess it's settled then." Hakuno chuckled. "I'll contact the Fuyuki Warriors. As a perk, I'll let you have all of your Team-members participate."
"Umm, excuse me." Karen walked over to Jinako. "Where is that woman?"
"Oh, Kiara? We…" A somewhat sombre face came over hers. "We had someone take care of that."
The yellow eyes slowly opened up once her consciousness finally came back.
"Finally. It's been over 24 hours." An unfamiliar voice.
She wanted to move but couldn't. Kiara looked down and found herself in a straightjacket, strapped into a platform to make her stand upright.
Multiple questions came over her, but the first to come out was "Where am I?"
"I'm not allowed to disclose our location."
She looked around. The room wasn't all that different from an asylum. Difference being that the front wall was completely see through. The office on the other side of the glass was empty except for the solitary man sitting on a chair.
"Where's Angra Mainyu?"
"I'm not entirely sure what that even means."
An eyebrow twitched in anger. "Who are you?"
"My name is Twice H. Pieceman. Admin of the Game. But most importantly, from now on, I'll be your jailer."
Kiara's face showed little besides her usual, devilish smirk, but beneath it were many rambling emotions. Many of which related to confusion. Was this just a weird dream?
"What can you tell me?"
"I suppose basic information won't hurt." Twice adjusted his glasses. "You've been defeated. You were knocked unconscious as a result of it. I'm not entirely sure why or how, but that doesn't matter. All of your devotees, if they can even call themselves that, are unaware of this. In fact, nobody else is. Besides myself, only the Rankers and a few more people who helped me set this room up. Even then, no one who has helped set up this room has seen you. We are not law enforcers, and of course, the Cards must continue a secret. The most logical thing to do is to imprison you on our own right."
The smirk grew. An opening. "Oh? Do you believe you have the right to keep a human being imprisoned? Won't that weight in your soul?"
"Taking into account you planned to destroy the world, not particularly."
"But of course, people will notice I'm gone. The police will search for me. Since you can't reveal the existence of the Cards, that would make this a crime. "
Twice's eyes showed a hint of cockiness. "…Have you ever played Poker?"
"Poker? No, why?"
"Poker is quite the amazing game. You can be dealt terrible Cards every round, and still win. Because as much as the cards in your hand are important, what makes plays is your psychological approach to everything. You'd make a great Poker player. You've got the basics down. The problem is, I can call your bluff rather easily." Twice moved over to the desk's drawer and drew a couple papers from inside it. "How certain of your victory were you? When you set the plan in motion, that is."
"To think an insect would stop me was absurd."
"It shows." He revealed the thin folder. "You know about computers, don't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"One helpful girl gave us the location of your… well, base of operations. It wasn't too big, so our search was fast. Maybe a bit too fast." He opened the folder. "We couldn't find anything. Birth certificate, identification, driver's license, hospital records, photos, anything. Calling that thing a wallet was almost laughable. I don't know how you got money to live, and honestly, I don't really care. Then, the background check. He showed the contents. It was a nearly blank page, with the words 'Search Results for "Sessyoin Kiara" ….. 0' printed on it. "You don't exist. As far as society is concerned, the person known as Sessyoin Kiara is just someone that never existed. You don't even seem to have any family members."
"…"
"There's no policeman that will search for you. Because the missing person doesn't even exist. I suppose this is what happens when you bet too high too early."
"…I had visitors."
"Hm?"
"My church." The woman began to giggle. "Do you think my followers where the only ones I helped? People have come to my church for prayer and salvation. They will notice my absence."
"…" Twice looked surprised at first. And it suddenly turned into a loud laughter. "Oh, I sure hope you are this funny during our time together."
Kiara's eyebrow twitched again. "Excuse me?"
"I have never seen someone so good at manipulation also not understand how humans work one bit." He placed the folder aside and raised a simple hanging sign.
'Apologies, I have moved. Salvation be with you! – Kiara'
Indignation surfaced. "I-I would never write such a thing!"
"It doesn't matter. If you're gone, you're gone. People can't pursue what has gone away in such a simple explanation. The simpler it is, the more convincing it will look. One is already hanging on the front door to your place."
For once, Kiara showed anger and frustration. "…Where are my Cards?"
"I don't know."
"Do not lie to me."
"I'm being honest here. They're not in my possession, and who took them didn't tell me what they were going to do with them. See, the more fragmented the information is, the harder it is to have all of it."
Kiara's arms only stayed in place because of the jacket. Nothing was working. But perhaps…
"Oh, before you have any funny idea, I've been told about your methods. Needless to say, if you think they'd give a lascivious person like you a guard that succumbs to sexual desires, you're probably thinking that you're the only intelligent person alive."
"Everybody has a libido within them."
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm married to my work." He pointed out before sitting back down and opening his laptop. "I'm a programmer. And I'm quite a fast typer. I've got the time and patience."
"You can't keep me in here forever."
"Do you play chess?"
"I will escape this one day."
"Do you play chess?"
"And I'll offer my beloved Angra Mainyu a destroyed world!"
"Sessyoin Kiara!" Twice raised his voice. "Will you answer me already: do you play chess?! Yes or no?"
"…" Kiara let out a sigh. Perhaps defeat was inevitable. "…Yes."
"Perfect. I suppose we'll be entertained for a while."
"Seriously, this weighs a ton!"
"Stop complaining. Think of it as a consequence for your actions during the kidnapping incident."
"But it wasn't my fault." Tetsu complained, carrying a heavy safe of metal, a brick of cement, and a metal chain.
"You brought the Golden Archer Cards to the Rankers. Which in turn triggered those events. Therefore, you are at fault. Cause and effect." Akemi pointed out, carrying some objects herself in a bag. The two approached the edge of cliff many metres above the ocean.
"How come the Rankers didn't do this with the Golden Archer Cards?"
"They already explained that while dangerous, they are a Card that can solve nearly any problem. It's a matter of finding someone suitable at this point."
"You think there is?"
"I don't know. And we won't know without experimentation." Akemi pointed out. She drew the Alter Ego and Avenger Cards. "To think not a scratch was done on them."
"So much for damaging them." Tetsu pointed out, finally able to put the objects in his hands down.
Akemi pulled out the case that was once used to contain the Golden Archer Cards, opened it, and stored Kiara's two Cards within it. She shut it and waved her finger over one side of it, away from Tetsu's eyes. Half the code was done. She handed it to her partner, who did the other half of the code. The sound of the lock was heard, loud and clear.
The case was put inside a small safe, keyboard based. Just a random assort of numbers was typed to set it, even Akemi had her eyes shut in the process. Then, it was placed inside the bigger safe that Tetsu had carried. Combination and key based. He selected numbers randomly and locked the safe with the use of the key. As Tetsu tied the safe with the metal chain, and the chain to the brick, Akemi Installed and snapped the key in half. Once the knots were done, the detective took the brick and the ex-thief the safe.
"One, two…"
"Three!"
The two hurled the safe and brick to the ocean below.
The sound of crashing waves subdued the splashing noise.
Tetsu let out another sigh. "You know all those safes mean nothing to someone with a Card, right? The only piece of protection is that case."
"To keep it away from the hands of Players isn't the point. It's to keep it away from humans. The case is a last resort."
"Hmmm. I see." Tetsu placed his hands behind his head. "Well, we have a train to catch. Shall we?"
"Yes." Akemi drew her pipe and started the set up to smoke it.
"I find it funny I'm somehow the healthier out of the two of us."
"Let me relieve my stress however I wish."
Once the Conquerors of Deva left, Hakuno's household received a different set of visitors. Tohsaka Rin, Matou Sakura, and, most surprisingly…
"Shinji?" Hakuno was legitimately surprised.
"Yo." The teenager raised a hand in greeting. "I was asked to come as well."
"By whom?"
"I-It was me…" Sakura informed, as the trio walked in.
Jinako asked if anyone wanted a drink, but they all refused. Hakuno assured Mary was deep asleep, so whatever they had to say, they could with little worry.
However, that was hard to do…
Hakuno crossed his arms. "So, if I get this straight… Something very horrible happened to Sakura, due to Kiara manipulating Shinji with her ability, and then manipulated Sakura even further, driving her up against the wall. And you vow for them despite all this secrecy."
"Yes." Rin nodded. "I know we're being vague, but this matter is too serious to just walk around and speak about it."
"I-I'm not asking you or anyone to forgive me for helping Kiara, but…" Sakura felt a nervousness rising, even stronger than what she was feeling before. "I… I don't want anyone to have the wrong idea either…"
"…" Hakuno glanced over at Shinji. The boy seemed incredibly uncomfortable, and on top of that, had the face of someone that felt truly guilty as well. "I'm guessing neither of you want to disclose details."
"Look, Hakuno, I know I've been a real bastard. To say I was just playing an act is wrong, but…" Shinji's hand gripped his trousers. "I don't think my sister should be to blame for this."
A look of true surprise came over Hakuno. This was probably the first time he had ever seen Shinji in such a state.
"Just tell everyone my sister was being controlled!" Shinji lowered his head. "You can make up that sort of lie, right?! You and that Ruler were also being controlled, what's so hard about saying the same happened to her?!"
"W-Well…" Hakuno thought for a moment. "It's true that the knowledge about a traitor being among the EX Rankers was only known by the Rulers and those three teams… But this feels…"
"Here!" Sakura handed over her Rider Card to the Ranker.
"W-What?"
"I'll resign from being a Player! I'll never touch a Card again! Just…"
Rin worriedly looked over to her sister. "Sakura, you don't need to give up your Card."
"But…" The younger girl tried her best not to cry. "I don't think I should have a Card to begin with… Not anymore…"
Hakuno looked over to Jinako. It was clear that whatever was happening was genuine. And to say they knew Kiara was the one behind this was more than obvious. And saying no responsibility should fall on Sakura didn't feel right either.
"Let's make a bet then." Hakuno's suggestion, the way it was phrased, made everybody question what he meant. "I'll say you were controlled or manipulated just like Joana and I. You've already helped us in giving us information about Kiara. Might not be enough, but for now, you seem to be going through a lot. So here's my bet: you'll participate in one more battle. If the crowd cheers for you, you can keep your Card and status as a Player. Free of charge, you don't need to worry about this anymore besides the personal issues. If not though, well, it will be your last match."
Sakura absorbed all of the information. And while she felt it was an offer too good to even be suggested to her, a part of her couldn't be more thankful.
"Understood. I'll… I'll do my best for my last match!"
"Your possible last match." Rin corrected, chuckling. "And with that said, you sound as if you already have a match for us to begin with."
Hakuno and Jinako smirked. "Of course we do."
I smell obvious set up!
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