["This is just bait."]
["Of course! That's why you listed Ratio's [betrayal] as a critical part of the plan. I must say, that professor's acting was extremely realistic."]
[Aventurine gave a cold laugh: "Maybe he wasn't acting at all?"]
["Ha, wouldn't that play right into your hands? That meticulous Oak Family head has an almost obsessive desire for control. You had to let him grasp enough information without letting him detect any flaws..."]
["…So you had Ratio find him and deliberately leak the plan. In order not to arouse the other party's suspicion, everything you told Ratio was true, and he truthfully relayed it all to Sunday."]
["In the end, this Family head used the bait you laid (the Topaz Cornerstone) and got what he wanted—finding another Cornerstone. In this way—you were able to conceal the third stone (the Aventurine Cornerstone) from the heavens."]
——
Saint Seiya.
"The third stone… the third... Ha… hahaha! I understand… I understand!"
Inside the Pope's Chamber, Dohko's low laughter squeezed out from his throat, gradually turning into uncontrollable wild laughter. An indescribable excitement made it feel as if electricity was running through his entire body, and even his voice began to tremble slightly.
"So that's it! What he said back then… 'three chips are enough'—this is what it meant! Three chips corresponding to three Cornerstones... Damn it! This guy is a once-in-a-million absolute madman! He actually dared to gamble with three Cornerstones!"
To gamble with something more precious than one's own life—if one were to ask the Gold Saints present what was more precious than their lives, it would without a doubt be the goddess Athena who was currently leading the Holy War. Yet the mere thought of conducting a gamble with Hades the King of the Underworld, using Athena as the stake... even just thinking about it a little made Dohko involuntarily tremble all over.
What's more, the other party had pressed down three [Cornerstones] in one go—that was not merely his own life alone.
"What if he loses the gamble? Did this madman never think of that?" Hasgard crossed his arms, his brows tightly furrowed, his voice low like muffled thunder. "If Sunday discovers the whereabouts of his third Cornerstone, everything will turn to ash and smoke... the cost is too great."
"But the problem is…" Aries Shion swept his gaze over the Saints present. "Even if we know he is hiding a third Cornerstone—gentlemen, do any of you know where his third stone is hidden?"
The crowd that had just been discussing noisily instantly quieted down. The great hall fell into complete silence.
After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by Manigoldo's soft snicker, the silence was finally broken.
"If we knew what Aventurine was thinking, wouldn't that mean we've all gone mad too? Actually being able to think on the same wavelength as that kind of madman?"
Hasgard stroked his chin. "Could it be that he had the professor transfer it in advance? Is it currently hidden inside the Film Paradise? Otherwise why would Aventurine risk going to that place?"
"Impossible." Asmita turned the prayer beads in his hand and gently shook his head. "If that were the case, how could Sunday know nothing? Don't forget—he is fully aware of every dispute that occurred between him and the professor inside the Dreamscape Hotel. Every single conversation they had after stepping into the hotel took place under Sunday's ears."
"But that is precisely where the problem lies." Shion gave a slight nod. "If even we who know of the 'existence of the third Cornerstone' still cannot guess the location of the Aventurine Cornerstone, then how is Sunday supposed to know?"
——
["…Stop rummaging around in my head, you bastard."]
[The shadow couldn't help but laugh: "Your head? Our head? You are me, I am you—there is no distinction between us." He slowly walked to the side. Appearing at his feet was another green Cornerstone.]
["The most brilliant way to avoid showing flaws in front of others is to first deceive yourself… if you ask me, you can't deceive yourself at all. This time succeeding counts as you being lucky." He looked back at Aventurine. "This is the other Cornerstone in Sunday's hands. Quite a beautiful green, just like you—smooth, cunning... Tell me, what is its name?"]
["Why bother asking me specifically?"]
["Hmph… then I'll personally make you recall it. [Aventurine] is the stone of luck and trickery… when you received this stone, she said it like that, right? This kind of stone isn't particularly precious, but its color is very close to a certain gemstone, and thus it is often used as a substitute for the latter. And that more expensive gemstone..."]
[Aventurine said word by word: "…is called [Jade]." He slowly closed his eyes. "Even that Sunday failed to distinguish them. It seems Jade is not necessarily unable to substitute for Aventurine."]
[The shadow sighed with emotion: "Aventurine, Topaz, Jade… three elites, three Cornerstones. For the sake of little Penacony, they did not hesitate to stake everything they had. You are even more united than the Family."]
——
Kakegurui.
"No way—shouldn't a company be a place full of scheming, passing the buck, and internal strife? Wh-why are they..."
Inside a classroom of Private Hyakkaou Academy, Mary Saotome stared blankly at the "Aventurine" on the Celestial Screen. The drastic contrast of the Company left her temporarily unable to accept it.
Her family also ran a company—one of Japan's top toy companies. The larger a company became, the more severe the internal friction problems usually were, and the root of those problems was often related to the distribution of benefits and power. Yet why… were there actually two high-level executives willing to stake their lives and futures to accompany another colleague in a grand gamble?
…She couldn't understand it. She completely couldn't understand it.
Was this the same company as the Interastral Peace Corporation where Skott worked? Did the corporate culture inside the Company somehow differ?
No—this was already completely beyond what corporate culture could explain. Even the harshest corporate culture would never brainwash two high-level leaders into staking their futures and lives to serve as another leader's... "chips."
They were practically like one single person—some responsible for walking with both legs, some responsible for the two hands... they had fused into one body, solely for the sake of advancing toward a single goal.
Thinking of this, Mary Saotome unconsciously swallowed.
"Haa… haa..."
Sudden rapid breathing came from beside her.
Mary Saotome turned her head and saw Yumeko Jabami with flushed cheeks, her slender fingers tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, her legs unconsciously rubbing against each other. Her rose-colored eyes were shimmering with moisture—it was completely the expression of a hungry, thirsty pervert.
This girl was a dignified beauty as long as topics related to "gambling" were not brought up, but the moment gambling was mentioned, Yumeko completely transformed into a different person.
In the entire galaxy, probably only Aventurine could satisfy this girl's gambling nature, right?