Beating her brilliant wings, the angel slowly approached Alice and me.
When she reached a point a few meters away, Alice raised a hand to signal her to stop. The angel obeyed, coming to a halt on the spot.
"First, answer me. What is your purpose for approaching Kaito-san?"
"Purpose, dialogue."
"So, your goal is strictly dialogue, and you have no intention of harming him? Is that it?"
"Affirmation. I. Purpose, dialogue. Therefore, violence, non-exercise."
Though her way of speaking was incredibly difficult to parse, the angel seemingly intended to say that her goal was a conversation with me and that she had no desire to cause me harm.
I could accept that, at least vaguely. If this angel truly meant to hurt me, she likely would have done so immediately after teleporting Alice away. Instead, she had waited.
I wondered if Alice had realized that as well, but the intensity I’d felt from her just moments ago was clearly different from her usual self. Through Sympathy Magic, I’d sensed a flash of raw passion. It was unimaginable for the Alice I knew, but perhaps the blood had truly rushed to her head.
Alice listened to the angel's words and nodded quietly, yet she kept her short sword leveled with practiced ease, her eyes fixed on the intruder.
"…Kaito-san, what do you want to do? Shall we comply? Or should I eliminate her?"
"Eliminate? Alice, wait… um, if it came down to that, could you even win?"
I couldn't truly comprehend the depths of the power held by the angel before me, but I knew enough to realize it was staggering. Before answering Alice’s question, I needed to know the stakes.
"…I can win. No, I will win. However, it would likely take a considerable amount of time."
"…"
"She is undoubtedly a highest-ranking God or something very close to it. Opponents of this caliber are essentially immortal. To defeat her, I would have to strip away her Authorities one by one and seal them. That’s why it would take so long."
"I see."
I didn't think Alice was lying about being able to win. However, the fact that a simple victory was impossible came through with painful clarity.
I fell silent for a moment, then looked at Alice as she held her blade ready.
"Then, Alice… this is an order."
"Yes! Whatever you command."
"If that angel shows any intent to attack… take me and run."
"Leave it to m—Eh? Run? N-Not defeat her?"
Hearing my words, Alice had started to nod vigorously, only to let out a confused, deflated squeak halfway through.
Yes, the choice I had made was to comply with the dialogue for now, but if things turned dangerous, we would flee.
"Yeah. We run. Alice, you said you could win, but that doesn't mean you'd come out of it unhurt, right?"
"W-Well, that is…"
"Then I don't want you to get hurt. We’ll run, and then we’ll ask Kuro or Shiro-san for help."
"…Mmm, it feels like the wrong choice for the mood, but it’s certainly the most reliable method. Kuro-san and the others have probably noticed this by now anyway, and if you call, they'll come. Understood."
It was a bit awkward to discuss our escape plan so openly in front of the target, but I could only suggest this because I trusted Alice’s strength. I believed that even against this angel, she could get us both away safely.
The fact that the angel didn't move an eyebrow while we discussed our contingency plan was likely proof that her words weren't a lie.
With that in mind, I turned back to her and spoke.
"…I don't know why you want to talk to me, but I’ll agree to it. However, I have one condition first."
"…?"
"Promise that you won't harm Alice, either. If you give your word on that, I’ll talk."
"K-Kaito-san!?"
"…"
I had to secure this promise, no matter what. I understood she wouldn't harm me, but given her earlier clash with Alice, I assumed Alice wasn't included in that protection. I had no idea what this angel was thinking. It might have been a hollow gesture, but I needed to hear her guarantee Alice’s safety.
"…Impertinence."
Suddenly, the atmosphere surrounding the angel shifted into a sharp, heavy pressure.
It was an intimidation that carried physical pain, as if my entire body were being pricked by a thousand invisible needles. Her presence spoke without words, asking if I truly believed I was in a position to set conditions.
However, I held my hand out to restrain Alice as she tried to leap in front of me, and I glared back at the angel.
I was going to make this clear. I was angry.
When she had forcibly teleported Alice away, my blood had run cold. While Alice was fighting her, I felt like my heart was being squeezed in a vise.
To be honest, this angel was terrifying. I couldn't read her thoughts, and she possessed power so vast it was impossible for me to resist. But even so… I had no intention of letting her hurt Alice.
"To you, I might be nothing more than an insect. My words might be impertinent. But no matter how much you threaten me, it’s useless. If you intend to hurt Alice, then even if I’m killed right here, I won't comply with a single thing you want!"
"…Kaito-san."
"…"
Exposed to a hostility that felt like it was searing my skin, I forced my trembling legs to stand firm and spoke clearly.
At worst, I had just picked a fight. The negotiations could have shattered, and the angel might have retracted her promise and attacked us both on the spot.
I might have been an idiot, a fool… but there are things I cannot forgive. Things I cannot back down on.
The angel gazed at me with cold, iridescent eyes. Then, after a long moment, the crushing pressure vanished.
"Previous statement, retracted."
"…Eh?"
"Thou, ordinary. Singularity, none. No—thou, ability, ordinary. Spirit, evaluation."
"…E-Err…"
"Savage valor, value. Rudeness, impertinence, affirmation."
"…"
The long sentences were hard to parse, but the summary seemed to be: My physical abilities were those of an ordinary person, but she valued my spirit. Therefore, she would respect that show of courage and forgive my previous rudeness. Was that it?
As I tilted my head, trying to make sense of her cryptic words, the angel’s mouth twisted into a deep smile.
I felt a jolt of pure terror.
What was that? It wasn't a friendly smile; it was a predatory expression that made my skin crawl, like a hunter looking at its prey.
The thought that a "smile" was originally an aggressive baring of teeth flashed through my mind. Her features were perfectly proportioned, making her beautiful in a vacuum, but the smile was extremely distorted—as if someone who had never smiled in their life were trying to force the muscles into place. It was honestly horrifying.
"Interest, acquired. Time, necessary. Henceforth, ruling, continuous."
"Eh? What? Um…"
"Thou, name. Miyama Kaito… complete, memory."
"…Eh?"
Wait a second. I really couldn't keep up. I understood the part about her remembering my name, but the rest…
"She’s gained an interest in you, Kaito-san. But to measure your true value, she needs more time. So, she’s saying she’ll continue to watch you from now on?"
"Affirmation."
Alice was incredible. She took that string of nonsensical nouns and translated them into proper speech instantly. I supposed that was the difference in our mental processing speeds. I definitely needed more practice if I was going to talk to this angel.
"Humans, minuscule. Power difference, obvious… bravery, impertinence, praise. Your resistance, beautiful… reunion, attitude, same, hope."
As I stood there processing that, the angel spun around. I saw a golden halo floating behind her and pure white wings growing from… wait, were those wings not attached to her back?!
Actually, was the conversation over? Was she just going to come back another day? The thought was chilling.
The angel slowly moved away, and after putting about ten meters of distance between us, she looked back.
Seeing me still standing there, confused and unable to keep up with the situation, a faint, genuine smile played across her lips, and she spoke.
"…My name is Eden. Let us meet again, my beloved child."
With those words, the digital-like space shattered, and the scenery snapped back to the middle of the city.
The angel—Eden—had vanished as if she had never existed in the first place.
Seriously, what was she? From start to finish, I remained completely in the dark. In every sense of the word, she was a shocking existence that felt like a harbinger of future turmoil.
I still didn't know her goal, and even after speaking with her, I hadn't grasped even a fragment of her true intentions. However, there was one thing I wanted to scream from the bottom of my lungs.
YOU COULD SPEAK NORMALLY THE WHOLE TIME?!
I had a premonition—one that felt dangerously close to a certainty—that I would be plagued by headaches because of her for a long time to come.