"Mr. Roy, thank you for your assistance earlier."
After seeing Waver and his companion off, Akiha returned to the parlor and politely expressed her gratitude to Roy.
Her gaze lingered between Roy and Shiki, feeling inexplicably concerned about something.
Shiki seemed to have something to say, but her return had interrupted him.
"Mr. Roy, were you saying something to my brother just now?"
"It was your brother who initiated the conversation with me."
Roy rolled his eyes—how did it suddenly sound different when she said it?
Whatever, no point arguing with a brother-con.
"However, this is actually something I'd like to discuss with you as well, Miss Tohno."
Akiha entered the room and sat on the sofa beside Shiki, adopting an attentive expression.
"Regarding Tohno Shiki's physical condition..."
Roy glanced at Akiha.
Noticing her expression shift slightly, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"Is there a problem?"
Akiha maintained her composure as she asked, though her eyes darkened somewhat.
"You're asking me?"
Roy raised an eyebrow, his smile unwavering, adopting an expression that said 'since you insist, I won't hold back.'
"You're the one keeping him alive, aren't you?"
He bluntly revealed Akiha's greatest secret.
Bang!
A sudden noise interrupted Roy's explanation.
Akiha slammed her palm onto the coffee table in front of her, her expression terrifyingly dark as she glared at Roy.
"Weren't you the one who asked me? Why are you angry now?"
Roy spread his hands, feigning innocence.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
Roy hadn't initially assumed Tohno Shiki's life was still being sustained by Tohno Akiha—the world's timeline had changed so much that the original events couldn't be taken as gospel.
But he hadn't expected that, even in this world, Tohno Shiki still possessed the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and still became exhausted after the slightest exertion, as if he hadn't left his bed in days.
In that case, he had likely still died once in his childhood and was revived by Akiha using her ability—sharing her own life force to sustain his, allowing him to survive until now.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could only be awakened after experiencing death and touching the concept of mortality.
Tohno Shiki must have died once to awaken them—though in this world, the cause of his death was unclear. Was it still Tohno SHIKI who killed him? Or was it something else...? If it was Tohno SHIKI, that would imply True Ancestors still existed in this world. If one appeared before him and allowed him to study their physical composition, his body-modification abilities would advance tremendously.
Shiki felt as if his brain had been struck by a sledgehammer, leaving him momentarily dizzy.
This revelation exceeded his mind's current processing capacity.
He only knew his body had always been frail.
But his life was being sustained by Akiha?
His thoughts were in complete disarray, his ability to think momentarily stripped away, leaving him utterly unable to comprehend the meaning behind those words.
Seeing his dazed expression, Roy gestured toward Akiha as if to say, 'the floor is yours.'
"You two siblings can sort out your personal issues first; don't mind me."
"...I'll explain it to you later."
Akiha's expression darkened as if she wanted to cut someone down.
She glanced at Shiki, meeting his bewildered gaze, and sighed in frustration, temporarily shelving the issue.
"So, what did you want to say?"
She turned her attention back to Roy, her eyes filled with deep unfamiliarity.
She could tell Roy seemed to have some scheme.
And that scheme involved her brother.
This matter needed to be resolved with the highest priority!
"I can cure him!"
Roy curled his lips upward and raised his pale hand.
"You should already know my physical abilities are exceptional, right? For an artificial human to possess such physical prowess, you can imagine the extent of my body-modification capabilities."
"Even if someone is on the brink of death—or already dead—as long as their mind hasn't perished and their soul hasn't faded, I can bring them back. I can cure Tohno Shiki, freeing him from his current condition. Not only that, I can grant him a long life, and even superhuman strength would be effortless."
Akiha's expression stiffened.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
"...Can you really do that?"
"If you don't believe me, I can conduct an experiment with you right now."
Roy grinned.
A brother-con might be unreasonable, but they had one great advantage.
The advantage was that they were easy to manipulate!
Akiha couldn't fully restore Shiki, which was why she had to share her own life force with him just to keep him alive.
But what she truly wanted was for Shiki to fully recover.
Roy could tell—Akiha was somewhat tempted.
As long as he could demonstrate the necessary ability, he could sway her heart.
"Wait a minute!"
At that moment, Shiki's voice suddenly cut between them.
He fixed a sharp gaze on Roy, his eyes tinged with wariness.
"Assuming what you're saying is true, and you can actually do all that—there's no way it comes without a price, right? What exactly do you want?"
Roy radiated an unmistakable "I have an agenda" aura.
Shiki wasn't a fool; of course he could see it.
That sense of purpose unsettled him, and his guard was fully raised.
Akiha remained silent.
But her gaze also settled on Roy, her expression slightly softer than before.
"...Tell us your terms."
"There's only one thing I want—the only thing in Tokyo worth my attention."
Roy rose from the sofa, looking down at the two of them with a commanding gaze.
"I have a small goal: to restore this world to its original state. But right now, apart from Fuyuki City, the other cities are beyond my control. So what I want is—Tokyo itself."
This was Roy's true purpose for coming to Tokyo.
Finding Nino and Itsuki was naturally part of the plan, and dealing with the curse spirits was merely incidental. Taking control of Tokyo—that was his real objective.
"In this era, fighting only leads to unnecessary casualties, pushing our already dwindling population closer to the brink. The cost is far too great. But if I want to change the current state of this world, I must enforce strict discipline. So it's not just Tokyo—eventually, the entire nation of Japan, and the world itself, will all fall under my control."
"I wish to resolve all conflicts through peaceful means whenever possible, to restore the world to its original state. That's why I've come—to trade what I possess for what you desire, achieving unity through this arrangement. Of course, I hope you'll also remember that I'm not opposed to resorting to force if necessary."
"These are my terms. Whether you accept them or not is up to you. I don't demand an immediate answer—such a significant matter requires time for consideration. Think it over thoroughly, but I expect your reply before I leave Tokyo!"