Melt was indignant upon learning about Raiha being the subject of experimentation by her government to protect her family.
However, Raiha shook her head as if to reject her sympathy, and clenched her fists tightly.
That tragedy… Everyone knew she was referring to the incident five years prior.
And as everyone looked at her, Raiha spoke about that day.
“What happened that day… I’m not sure myself. I remember receiving my periodical check up in a government research facility, but then suddenly, I found myself in a town far away… And I learned a nearby castle was attacked by a loong.”
As Raiha spoke about having no memory of her rampage as the mad loong, she touched her chest. And she spoke with a trembling voice as she pressed it.
“I remember one thing… A pain reverberating from my chest. And this wound is proof that it did happen. It was a clue about what I did during that time I don’t remember.”
Surely, even Raiha was not aware of what happened at first. She was far away before she knew it, and had a big scar on her body. She must have been baffled, with no idea what happened.
What went through her mind when she learned the whole truth? She turned into a mad loong and attacked people… The realization that she took a life must have driven her to despair.
“I’m sure the loong power lying dormant inside me woke up that day. That great power was too much for a human body, and went berserk, turning me into the mad loong… And I attacked the castle where Ryuuga’s family lived. And their father stood in my way to stop me…!!”
Raiha confessed her sins, sounding as though she was mustering up the strength to speak.
The pain and sadness was too much for her to bear, and as Yuugo felt her regret, he spoke also with a pain in his chest.
“But until that incident five years ago, you never turned into the mad loong and went berserk, right? Then it wasn’t because of you, they must have done something to you in that research facility, right?”
“That’s highly likely. From what I’ve heard, it would make a lot of sense for something they did under the guise of a check up to have caused it.”
“We also believed in that possibility, and conducted an investigation. However, the secret research facility was destroyed in the incident five years ago, and no survivors were found… In the end, we were unable to reveal what was done to Raiha.”
“Also, it doesn’t really matter. I went berserk and killed Ryuuga and Yui’s father… Nothing changes that fact.”
Yuugo proposed that the experiments being done by the Yamato government caused her to go berserk, but it was nothing Setsuna and Sakura had not thought about before.
Nothing came of the investigation, and even if the experiments caused it, the fact remained that Raiha did what she did. Yuugo fell silent after hearing them, but Ryuuga spoke.
“That’s right. Whatever happened before doesn’t change the fact that you killed my father. My little sister lost her vision because of you. She shouldn’t have had to see the world as seen by that ugly eye.”
“…I’m sorry…”
Raiha responded apologetically as Ryuuga chastised her.
She faced down and her shoulders trembled, and Melt asked Setsuna and Sakura a question with a sad expression.
“…I’m not going to touch on Raiha’s past or what happened, but I have a question. Did you approach us because Ryuuga was close to us? When you, Setsuna and Sakura, said you liked Yuugo, was that a convenient lie?”
“N-not at all! We had no such intentions when we approached…!!”
“I don’t think you’ll believe us after we kept something this big hidden, but… We never intended to use you. We really did just want to be friends.”
Did the three combat miko approach them just to make contact with Ryuuga?
Basically, they kept the truth hidden as they became closer… Would it not be so they hesitated to take revenge in case the truth was revealed?
Setsuna and Sakura’s faces turned pale as they denied Melt’s theory.
However, both knew the circumstances made it hard to trust them, so their voices sounded weak, and Melt and Angel could only face down and say nothing.
“…I understand what happened, but I’m a little curious about something?”
“What is it? Was our explanation unclear about something?”
“No, that’s not it. If the government knows Raiha is half loong, why did they let her leave the country as an exchange student?”
“I had the same question. Raiha is a scandal waiting to happen. Why would Yamato let her go abroad instead of keeping her under their watch? And…”
Marcos agreed with Yuugo, and broke it down for the others.
But before he could finish speaking, a voice echoed in the room.
“It’s simple. Only a select few in the government know that Raiha is half loong… A combat miko’s studies abroad are decided by lineage, and if this were to be blocked, it would attract suspicion. That’s why the people who knew purposefully let it happen.”
Everyone was startled by the voice that responded to Marcos’ question.
Yuugo recognized this voice, and turned around towards the door, as did all the others. And they saw a few men as the door slowly opened.
“One more thing… Someone was to stay close and act swiftly to clean up if anything happened. Me.”
“Sakai…!?”
Koumaru Sakai, the Yamato diplomat Yuugo met once.
They were surprised by his sudden appearance, and he continued.
“That will be enough talking. How about you follow my instructions henceforth?”
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