Chapter 449: Apology
"I’m very sorry, Kouhei-sama," Yuka said, lowering her head slightly as she addressed him. "I sincerely apologize for putting you in that kind of situation, especially when you were dragged into something that you probably never intended to become this serious in the first place."
"I-It’s fine," Kouhei replied, still looking a little uncomfortable with how serious everyone was making the situation sound. "It’s my fault that things escalated in that form anyway, so I don’t think you need to take all the blame for what happened."
"Kouhei-kun," Yuuna said, turning toward him with a much more serious expression than before. "At this point, I think you should be a little firmer about this matter, because what Yuka and her member did could be considered a declaration of Faction War. If you simply let something like this slide without making a proper statement, there is a very real possibility that someone could interpret your silence as permission for it to happen again."
Yuuna was right about that, and Kouhei understood the point she was trying to make. There could only be a certain limit to how one Faction was allowed to make fun of, provoke, or otherwise mess with another Faction before things stopped being harmless and became an actual problem. Friendly rivalry was one thing, but attacking the leader of another Faction was an entirely different matter, especially when the people involved were powerful enough that a simple confrontation could quickly turn into something much more serious.
If the leader of a Faction was attacked, then naturally, the Faction responsible for that attack was expected to make amends for what had happened. That was simply how things worked between the Factions, and there were not supposed to be any convenient loopholes or technicalities that someone could suddenly pull out whenever they wanted to avoid taking responsibility. It was something that needed to be acknowledged properly, regardless of how awkward the situation had become.
Yuuna looked toward Yuka, her expression remaining firm as she continued explaining her position.
"I don’t think apologizing would even come close to making this right, especially since we’re currently in the middle of a crisis," she said. "We already have enough problems to deal with without having another conflict between our Factions hanging over everyone’s heads."
"What would you like me to do, then?" Yuka asked, remaining composed despite the pressure Yuuna was putting on her. "Just so you know, there is a limit to what I can do as well. I can apologize sincerely, and I can acknowledge that my member made a mistake, but I can’t exactly go down on my knees and press my head against the floor just to prove how sorry I am. Even bowing my head dramatically would be going a little too far for my taste."
Yuka paused briefly before continuing, and although she still had a smile on her face, her words had become considerably firmer.
"I am the Head of the Yuka Faction, after all. Just like you want to maintain the dignity and authority of the Kouhei Faction, I also have a responsibility to maintain mine. I can admit when my Faction has made a mistake, and I can make sure that the person responsible faces the proper consequences, but I won’t humiliate myself simply because you believe that is what an apology should look like."
The tension in the air had become so thick that it almost felt like someone could actually cut through it with a knife. Nobody seemed particularly interested in making the first move, either, because the conversation had reached that uncomfortable point where even a single badly chosen sentence could potentially turn an already tense discussion into a much bigger argument. Considering how many powerful people were standing around, Kouhei figured that was probably something everyone wanted to avoid.
"Uh-oh, have I done something really bad?" Eriko asked, finally realizing just how serious the situation had become.
She looked around at the others, and it did not take long for her to realize that things were definitely not going in her favor. Yuka’s expression was still calm, but Eriko knew her well enough to recognize that particular smile, and it was not exactly the kind of smile that made someone feel safe.
Right now, Eriko could tell that Yuka was pissed, and although her anger was not really directed toward Yuuna or Kouhei, Eriko knew perfectly well that she was the person responsible for causing this entire mess in the first place. Yuka was genuinely angry with her, and it felt as though she was dangerously close to finally blowing up, even though she was doing an impressive job of keeping herself under control.
The fact that Yuka was still smiling somehow made things worse.
Her expression looked perfectly pleasant on the surface, but anyone who knew her could probably tell that she was holding back a considerable amount of anger. The contrast was enough to make Eriko nervous, especially because she had absolutely no desire to find out what Yuka looked like once that smile finally disappeared.
"You should’ve thought about that before you started attacking," Chiemi said bluntly.
Her words were simple enough, but they carried enough weight to make Eriko’s expression stiffen. Chiemi did not seem particularly interested in comforting her, which was understandable considering that Eriko was the one who had started the whole incident and had now managed to create a problem between two Factions.
Chiemi then looked back toward Kouhei, and her thoughts immediately returned to something much more concerning.
Chiemi had already considered Kouhei someone dangerous, but what had happened previously had given her even more reason to be wary of him. If Ruri had not frozen time at that moment, Kouhei would have been capable of defeating and killing Eriko back then, and that alone would have been enough to make him someone worth watching carefully. However, the truly shocking part had been what happened afterward.
Kouhei had somehow managed to move even while his time was frozen.
There was simply no reasonable explanation for how he could have done something like that. Ruri’s ability was supposed to prevent someone from moving through time once she had successfully frozen them, yet Kouhei had somehow broken through that limitation as though it were merely an inconvenience. It was something that should not have been possible, and yet he had done it anyway.
Ruri had clearly struggled against him as well, and Chiemi could not simply ignore that fact.
It had been the first time she had ever seen Ruri suffer a nosebleed like that from using her ability, and normally, even against extremely powerful opponents, Ruri would not have been pushed to such an extent. She was strong enough to deal with most opponents without showing much strain, yet when it came to Kouhei, things had been completely different.
Against him, Ruri had struggled.
The realization was an absolute shock to Chiemi, especially because it forced her to reconsider just how much Kouhei’s existence might affect the future.
Ruri was currently resting because of the flight they had taken, partly because she was dealing with the effects of jetlag, but also because of the strain she had placed on herself while fighting against Kouhei and using her ability to freeze his time. The combination of those things had taken a considerable toll on her, and Chiemi understood why she needed some time to recover before doing anything else.
’Maybe he’s really capable of changing the future... and perhaps even the prophecy that has already been decided for us demonkind.’
That thought remained in Chiemi’s mind as she continued watching Kouhei.
The Prophecy of Yesh was well known among demonkind, and according to that prophecy, demonkind would eventually be erased from existence, with demons eventually becoming unable to exist any longer. That was the future that had been foretold, and for generations, it had been treated as something that could not simply be avoided because the prophecy was already considered an inevitable part of their fate.
However, Kouhei was the Child of Anti-Prophecy.
Because of that, Chiemi could not help wondering whether he might genuinely be capable of changing the future that had already been decided for them. Perhaps Kouhei really was someone who could alter the course of the prophecy and eventually save demonkind from the fate that awaited them.
At the moment, though, Chiemi knew that the future had not changed at all.
The future of demonkind was still bleak, and there had been no obvious change despite Kouhei’s appearance. The person who was supposedly destined to prevent the Prophecy of Yesh from becoming reality had arrived, yet the future itself remained exactly as terrible as it had always been.
Still, Chiemi believed there was another possibility.
Perhaps Kouhei was only beginning to be led toward that fate.
If that was truly the case, then Chiemi wanted to do everything within her power to make sure Kouhei eventually became the person he was supposed to become. She did not know how that future would unfold, and she certainly could not guarantee that everything would happen according to the prophecy, but if Kouhei really possessed the ability to change their fate, then she wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to do exactly that.
For the moment, however, there was nothing Chiemi could do about the current situation other than watch.
"I would appreciate it if you don’t do anything like this to us again, Sano-san," Kouhei said, bringing the conversation back toward Yuka.
"Thank you for giving us a chance despite the mistake made by my member," Yuka replied, her expression becoming a little more serious. "Rest assured, I will properly punish her for what she did, and I’ll make certain that she understands why her actions caused such a serious problem."
Yuka then shifted her gaze toward Eriko.
"I’m going to make absolutely sure that she’s properly educated about this."
The moment Yuka’s eyes settled on her, Eriko immediately shivered.
She instinctively tucked her tail between her legs, and the reaction made it painfully obvious that she understood exactly what Yuka’s words meant. If Yuka was genuinely mad at her, then whatever punishment was waiting for her was probably going to be one hell of a pain.
Eriko could already imagine how unpleasant that conversation was going to be, and judging by Yuka’s expression, attempting to run away was probably going to make things considerably worse. Her earlier confidence had disappeared rather quickly, which was understandable considering that she had somehow managed to turn what might have been a relatively simple incident into something that could potentially be treated as a declaration of Faction War.
"Sano-san, before that," Kouhei said, interrupting the conversation before Yuka could deal with Eriko.
Yuka turned her attention back toward him, waiting patiently for him to continue.
"If at all possible, I need the help of one of your members," Kouhei said.
Yuka looked at him for a moment before she realized exactly what he meant.
She knew which member he was talking about because she had been the one to recommend the idea in the first place. Kouhei needed Ruri, whose ability allowed her to freeze another person’s time at the cost of her own time, and that ability might be the key to allowing Kozue to continue living.
The situation was complicated, but Ruri’s ability offered them a possibility that they otherwise would not have had.
"We have to talk to Ruri first," Yuka said. "I don’t know whether she would be willing to freeze her time in order to freeze someone else’s, though, especially considering how much strain using that ability can put on her."
Yuka then looked directly at Kouhei, her expression becoming serious once again.
"You’ll have to convince her yourself, Kouhei-sama."