Date Masamune's face darkened as he demanded, "Schale's Sensei, what possible benefit could you gain from provoking me?"
"None at all," I said with a smile as I shook my head, "but I feel like it."
"Looks like you still haven't grasped the situation. Hah. Acting this calm, do you have some hidden card to play? Don't tell me you think those people from the festival operations department are coming to save you."
Instead of getting angry, Masamune let out a mocking laugh. "How unfortunate for you. I'm not like those villains in manga. I foresaw this. All communication signals in this building have already been blocked by devices I installed beforehand. Those brats wrapped up by Street Mouryo won't be finding this place anytime soon. You could say you're completely isolated, Sensei."
Explaining his perfect crime plan to the victim before finishing them off was exactly the kind of long winded thing manga villains love to do.
I curled my lip and asked offhandedly, "So you're going to kill me?"
Masamune frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting? I am a legitimate businessman. I only solve problems through proper business methods. I simply plan to escort you to a safe place for a while, so that those standing in my way don't act recklessly."
Proper business methods meant hiring delinquent students to sabotage a festival and kidnapping key federal officials.
Speaking of which, the last genius who came up with the idea of kidnapping me was a certain ravenous dog.
I found myself missing that unruly mutt, then said casually, "So I'm cornered now?"
Masamune looked even more pleased with himself. "Exactly, you could say everything is already decided."
"In that case, will you answer one question for me?"
"Of course."
Truly a dedicated villain. He even answered every question, letting me stall for time.
I decided not to waste his kindness. "Why disrupt the festival? As the head of the shopping district, wrecking the Cherry Blossom Festival doesn't benefit you, does it? Is it really as you said earlier, wanting to protect the traditional fireworks from being replaced by holographic ones?"
"Gahahaha. You actually believed that ridiculous excuse."
Masamune paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, wiping away tears as if I had told the funniest joke he had heard in years.
"Schale's Sensei, you can be unexpectedly naive."
It took nearly ten seconds for his laughter to fade. He wiped his eyes and spoke with feigned seriousness.
"Not that there aren't a few reasons like that, but what I truly care about has never been something so minor."
He was about to reveal his grand plan, one in which sabotaging the festival would force accountability on the operations department, letting him seize control of the festival budget and build his commercial empire. But at the crucial moment, Masamune suddenly froze.
It wasn't that he didn't know where to begin. He had rehearsed his victory speech countless times.
What made this moment painfully awkward for him was entirely a consequence of his own past decisions.
"Now that I think about it, the master never told us the full scope of his plan. If we ruin the Cherry Blossom Festival, won't that let us make a fortune?"
"What nonsense. Do you think the master is as short sighted as you, caring only about money? His intentions must be far more profound."
"I know, I know, I was just saying."
Listening to Street Mouryo whisper among themselves, Masamune was filled with regret.
Why had he lied to them just to save a little face, making them believe he was some great man?
No, he truly was impressive. It was just that the direction of Street Mouryo's admiration differed slightly from reality.
If he told them the truth now, their image of him would collapse.
Having finally earned their respect through lies, Masamune couldn't bring himself to give it up. He could only keep lying.
At that moment, noticing his sudden silence, I spoke up out of humanitarian concern, ignoring the line between enemy and ally.
"Why aren't you talking? Early onset dementia?"
"...What I care about is the loss of something ever since the form of fireworks changed."
Forcing himself forward, Masamune slowed his speech while desperately trying to think.
"Yes. Something that seems unreal yet exists, scorching hot, capable of destruction, no, of transformation. Fire."
After circling around the point for a while, inspiration struck him. "Exactly, fire."
"Fire?"
"Yes. Unlike traditional fireworks, holographic fireworks don't require ignition."
Masamune grew animated. "This is what I cannot allow. If this festival succeeds, future fireworks might all be replaced by devices ordered from Millennium. There would no longer be any legitimate reason to store large amounts of flammable and explosive material outside the control of the Ying-Yang Club."
He took a deep breath and declared his final goal.
"As long as I ruin this Cherry Blossom Festival, I can start a fire, maybe even burn the entire Hyakkiyako to..."
Wait, what am I saying?
His rush of passion ended abruptly. Realizing the enormity of what he had just announced, Masamune fell into existential confusion.
The murmurs of Street Mouryo behind him sounded distant, unreal.
"Why is the master hesitating?"
"Because if everything goes well, he could burn all of Kivotos."
"Seriously though, isn't that a bit too far?"
"I also think so."
Then why didn't you say that earlier?
Composed on the surface, Masamune met my eyes. I had fallen silent as well.
After a long pause, he spoke with a strained voice. "That is my reason for destroying the Cherry Blossom Festival. Are you satisfied?"
"It's pretty interesting."
I admitted it, and my view of the tabby cat shifted a little.
I had underestimated Masamune. He wasn't just a criminal. He was already a full blown terrorist, someone who must not be allowed to roam free.
I had thought I could slip away later, but now my goal had changed. I needed to get Masamune behind bars as soon as possible.
Thankfully, he didn't seem all that bright, so I could probably stall until help arrived.
I fixed my gaze on him and spoke in a low voice. "So this is also why you deceived and used Izuna?"
Above us, a pair of fox ears twitched on the ceiling.