3rd Person POV
Kazuki was still tied tightly to the chair.
At this point, he was starting to wonder if being tied up was some kind of fetish for the woman in front of him.
She hadn't exactly denied his earlier accusation, either.
At least, not yet.
Unless she decided otherwise.
But something was bothering him.
Why had this woman suddenly brought up Asia?
"As I said before," Raynare continued. "Because Asia healed a Devil, rumors started spreading. I don't know if she knew that person was a Devil, but she definitely knew that people had started viewing her negatively."
Raynare paused before taking a seat on a ruined pillar in front of him, one of the many parts of the church that had yet to be repaired.
"That's when I was there for her." She smiled. "It was easy to make her trust me. And after she was expelled, I was the only place she could find comfort."
She opened her book once more, pretending to read.
"Interesting, isn't it?" she said, smiling from ear to ear. "The person she trusts most is actually going to betray her."
Raynare slowly glanced at Kazuki.
"Just like I betrayed you, Kazuki-kun."
Kazuki's eyes were shadowed by his hair.
But Raynare could tell. He wasn't trying to hide his expression.Just like before, when she had mentioned Asia Argento.
Would he crumble again?
Would he become angry again?
That moment... that exact moment was what Raynare had been waiting for.
She was ready to begin the Sacred Gear extraction.
"I see..." Kazuki answered calmly.
Raynare raised an eyebrow.
"So, Asia's judgment to trust you wasn't wrong. I'm glad to hear that." He smiled faintly. "Thank you, Sister Ray."
Raynare's eyes widened in surprise.
That was clearly not the reaction she had expected.
And as she tried to hide her surprise, Kazuki wouldn't miss something like that.
"What's wrong?" he asked with a small smile. "You seem surprised."
Raynare cursed herself internally.
She had clearly misjudged how Kazuki processed what she said.
"Regardless of what you will do," Kazuki continued, his voice genuine, "you were there for her."
He paused.
"Not me. Not anyone else..." His smile softened. "But you were there for her."
Kazuki looked directly at her.
"Isn't that enough for me to be grateful?"
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Raynare's POV
The moment Kazuki called me Sister Ray, I understood.
He wasn't addressing the woman who had attacked him.
He was addressing the person he had met on the street.
The woman who had carried groceries with him, talked with him, joked with him, and sang with him during their walk.
The woman who had been there for Asia Argento when everyone else had turned against her.
Even after being tied to this chair, he had never called me Sister Ray. He had always called me you.
But now, he had deliberately used that name again.
My expression remained calm, but my thoughts were racing.
His emotional state had already stabilized.
I had been so focused on pushing him toward another emotional outburst that I had failed to notice when he regained control of himself.
And now I understood exactly where I had gone wrong.
Why had I taken the longer route?
The moment I mentioned Asia's name, I had already gotten the reaction I wanted.
His anger.
His fear.
His desperation.
That should have been the perfect moment to begin the Sacred Gear extraction.
Instead, I had continued.
I had talked, pushed him further, and wanted to break him completely before beginning the extraction.
And now...
I had given him time to recover.
For the first time since meeting Kazuki, I had to acknowledge something I would rather not admit.
I had made a stupid mistake.
But I hadn't completely lost yet.
"But I wonder..."
Kazuki's voice made me glance toward him.
His eyes had changed.
The flame that had nearly gone out had been reignited, burning with something dangerously close to hope.
"Why did you mention Asia's past at all?"
There it was.
The question I had been afraid of.
"If you wanted to kill me," he continued with a faint smile, "you could've just done it. You didn't have to tie me up, talk to me..."
He paused, his eyes never leaving mine.
"...or try so hard to get a specific reaction out of me. Am I right?"
My expression remained unchanged, but inside, I felt a chill.
Kazuki tilted his head slightly.
For a moment, he looked almost thoughtful.
Then that faint smile returned.
It was the kind of smile that told me he knew he had found something.
"No..." he paused again. "You're trying to forcefully take something out of me, aren't you?"
I calmly closed my book and looked directly into his eyes.
It was now or never.
If I wanted to regain the advantage, this was my chance.
"Exactly," I confirmed his hypothesis. "I mean, why would I bother giving Asia a place to stay after she was expelled, followed her, and established a new church for her while remaining inside the Cathedral was far more beneficial for me."
I stood up calmly, masking the anxiety building inside me.
"There's something I wanted from Asia. Something valuable enough to make me give up the benefits of years of infiltrating the Church."
I took a step toward him.
"Do you know what it is?"
"I figured it out..." Kazuki nodded. "Her miracle of healing others, but I never had any miracles to begin with."
"Is that so?" I smiled as I found the opening I needed. "But is that really the truth?"
I began walking slowly around him.
"Miracles are simply a name for something people can see. Something that appears impossible when witnessed by ordinary people."
I stopped behind him.
"But just because something cannot be seen doesn't mean it isn't there."
I continued walking, circling him.
"After all, wouldn't it be strange if something so extraordinary could only be recognized after it was used?"
I stopped in front of him and lowered my gaze.
"That's why the term 'miracle' isn't entirely correct." I smiled. "We call them Sacred Gears."
"Sacred Gear?" Kazuki tilted his head, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Good.
That was exactly what I needed.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter to you." I raised a hand toward him. "Because you'll die without ever understanding what it is."
"I doubt it." His answer came immediately. "You won't make me yield emotionally that easily."
I stared at him for a moment.
"I know." I had already expected that. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to use Plan B, but you've left me with little choice."
I flicked my fingers.
A magic circle appeared beside me, glowing ominously.
Something emerged from within it.
The moment Kazuki saw it, his eyes widened.
His breath caught.
Tears began forming in his eyes as his teeth clenched tightly together.
Then he began struggling against the restraints.
Violently.
Desperately.
As though he would tear his own flesh apart if it meant reaching me.
Asia's eyes were open, but lifeless. Tears stained her face. A gag covered her mouth.
For a moment, I simply watched him.
The reaction was even better than I had expected.
"I mean," I said to Kazuki as if I were presenting him with a New Year's present, "if Asia were here, she would help you with her Sacred Gear, which would only make things more troublesome for me."
I watched him struggle with a delighted smile.
"So, I extracted her Sacred Gear somewhere else, letting her watch what happened to you..." I said. "Of course, adding my betrayal made the extraction much easier."
Then, from Asia's motionless body, two silver rings with a blue-green gem on each ring began levitating and fell into my palm.
"Twilight Healing..." I closed my fingers around the rings. "...is mine now."
The extraction sigil beneath Kazuki began glowing.
"Let's begin the extraction, Kazuki-kun."