[3rd POV]
(The Cabinet Office)
The atmosphere in the Cabinet Office was heavier than usual.
No one spoke at first. The long table, polished to a mirror sheen, reflected the rigid faces of the committee members and the unmoving posture of Makima, who stood alone before them with her hands folded behind her back.
Normally, meetings like this begin with paperwork, reports, formalities and all the little traditional procedures in between.
This time, there were none.
"Was this within your expectations?" one of the committee members finally asked.
Everyone in the room knew exactly what he was referring to, even without context.
The Pig Devil hybrid, which was discovered only months ago. He was catalogued as promising but manageable. An asset with a great potential curve, one that could be exploited carefully and incrementally.
And exploited him, they did.
Fearlessly and gladly.
Until the Accident Devil Incident.
Now the power balance had tipped, and not in their favour. A national threat devil was neutralised by a single person. To make matters worse, this person would only have grown stronger after the battle.
That was no longer just an asset anymore.
No one should hold that much power in their hands, especially one without drawbacks or a price to pay.
"I wouldn't say I expected it, but the possibility was always there," Makima answered, her face void of any emotion.
It was the correct answer with no holes.
If she admitted expectation, she would be questioned on why no prior warning had been given. If she denied it outright, her competence would be scrutinised, and their trust in her would falter.
She was using their trust in her competence and alliance as a leash, so she didn't want to lose that.
"So you are saying this outcome does not surprise you," another member pressed.
"I am saying it aligns with the trajectory," Makima replied.
Several members exchanged glances.
"Trajectory," one of them repeated. "A trajectory implies growth and escalation. You admit that there will be more in the future."
Makima did not deny it.
After all, this was just the beginning. The Pig Devil would only grow stronger, hold greater influence and change the world even more, fortunately, towards the shape she sees in her vision.
The silence stretched, heavy and deliberate.
"So we will ask plainly," a different voice cut in. "Do you still have the situation under control?"
Makima did not answer immediately. She merely looked at them one by one, calmly and thoroughly. As if counting something invisible, as if reading invisible things on them.
For the people who knew her true nature, it was quite unnerving.
"The Accident Devil embodies inevitability," the first speaker continued, choosing to fill the uncomfortable silence, "The fear that no matter how careful or controlled one is, disaster will come."
"This concept contradicts yours, and it is inside the Pig Devil now."
"So we will ask again, do you still have Jin Nakahara, the Pig Devil, under your control?" the speaker asked.
Finally, Makima spoke.
"The situation between me and the Pig Devil remains the same," she said.
It was truth.
The members of the committee turned their heads towards the person standing at the corner of the room. The person shifted slightly, his eyes turning white before he gave a single nod.
He was someone who had contract with the Lie Devil. At the cost of never lying again, he could sense lies.
Makima almost had an amused smile.
She had never controlled Jin Nakahara in the first place, so yes, the situation remained the same. The assumption belonged to them, and assumptions were not lies.
It was funny, really, how she didn't even need to lie.
If you control the truth, then truth can lie.
"The Pig Devil may be powerful, but Jin Nakahara is still only human," she added to erase doubts.
The members of the committee shifted in their seats. Their doubts and fears slowly melted away under her assurance. Her loyalty was unquestionable because she made a contract to be loyal to Japan.
So if she had the Pig Devil, by extension, Japan had the Pig Devil without a doubt.
Control, by proxy.
"If that is truly the case, then this committee can focus on other affairs going forward. Our concerns have been soothed," the first speaker said, fixing his tie.
"I suggest we consider foreign response then," another member said, seizing the opening. "International media has already begun framing this as a turning point."
Several heads nodded.
"Even though the countries denied it and the world pretended otherwise, devils and hybrids had always been linked to military assets," someone added. "In practical terms, they are the new deterrence that replaced warheads."
A country could invade a foreign land by making a contract with a powerful devil. Soldiers could make contracts with devils and help in warfare. It could happen, and a few examples had happened before in World War I.
Makima listened silently.
"And we just revealed to the world that Japan has a weapon with feats showing that it is capable of dealing with a high-class devil like the Accident Devil," he said. "The other nations might sing praises and congratulate us on international news, but their true reaction to this whole event is the complete opposite."
"Germany, China, the Soviets and even America are already pressuring us to release information about the Pig Devil," said one of the members, a minister of the cabinet.
"But we cannot do that. If they find out about the limitless potential and power that exist inside the Pig Devil, they will do anything to eliminate it."
Giving them false information was also not an option because in this supernatural world, there were many ways one could differentiate lies from truth.
"A war for information has already begun. I suspect many sleeper agents or spies inside Japan already. And they are all getting the same assignments."
The members chatted between each other for a few seconds. Ideas were thrown around on how to keep this information as hidden as possible. New protocols were suggested, a large-scale search for spies among the citizens and the government was favoured.
One of them spoke again with a new perspective.
"Theoretically," he said slowly, "we could neutralise any upcoming conflict by simply declaring the Pig Devil an international asset."
Several heads turned sharply.
Silence.
Makima's expression did not change.
"That would remove incentive for foreign action," the man continued. "Shared oversight. Shared responsibility."
"And shared control," another replied flatly.
The suggestion died instantly.
Japan would never surrender a weapon of that magnitude.
"Then our course is clear," the chief said at last. "We protect him."
They all nodded in agreement.
But it was going to be easier said than done because while all this was happening, Jin himself was happily skipping towards his favourite Russian spy girl.
The meeting continued on the new topic. The members talked among each other, considering how to go about protecting and securing the Pig Devil.
Many suggestions were thrown around, passed around before being dropped for one reason or another.
Until someone spoke out loud and clear.
"We can relocate him to Tokyo Devil Detention Centre. There, we can ensure permanent residence, a controlled environment and no external contact."
Tokyo Devil Detention Centre was a prison for devils. They keep the devils here so that humans can form contracts with them and borrow their power. The Future Devil, the Fox Devil and such were all imprisoned here.
Now Makima's eyes gained colour, and her face was no longer void. Her face became solid and stoic, like stone. It was not a face with no emotion, but a face with hidden emotion.
"Isn't that a bit too much? That will be the same as throwing him in prison," someone argued.
"Protection does not necessarily mean freedom. In fact, it leans towards the opposite," he said.
"What use will he have if imprisoned?"
"We will release him in case threats appear. And we can simply use his ability of consumption alone to deal with high-level devils permanently after we contain them."
The committee was going to dive deeper into that idea. But before they could discuss anything, Makima spoke out.
"Denied," she said.
Everyone turned to her.
"Those facilities are designed for devils, not humans," she stated her reason.
"Hybrid," someone corrected her. "Someone who holds the power he does cannot be considered a human."
Her eyes flickered.
"I said the situation between me and the Pig Devil remained the same. This will change everything and consider this a warning. This is not a direction you want to go," she said.
The room fell silent for a while before eventually, everyone decided to heed her advice and move on to other means of protection.
"If physical isolation is unacceptable, then we move to total surveillance. We carefully select those who can have contact with him, then we monitor him 24/7. We can implant tracking devices if necessary."
That was the next thing the committee discussed. They talked among themselves, and at the end of every discussion, this course of action seemed the best.
Everyone was leaning towards this until Makima spoke again.
"No."
Everyone paused and turned to her again.
"Excuse me?" the chief said. "Makima, this is a matter you have no voice in. You have done your report and answered our interrogation."
"Leave," he said.
But Makima continued to stand there, in front of all of them.
The chief made a gesture and the people in the corner immediately walked forward. There were two guards and the personnel who had a contract with the Lie Devil.
But the moment they stepped forward, Makima made a gun shape with her fingers and shot the two guards dead.
A hole appeared on their chests as if a cannon had shot through them. They collapsed on the spot.
"No," she said again, her hand still outstretched and slowly turning towards them.
She had had enough of their nonsense. She didn't like the fact that they were referring to Jin as a weapon they owned, as if he were inferior to them.
But what she didn't like even more was their sense of possession.
These humans.
Jin was hers alone.
"What do you think you are doing?!" the chief asked, enraged but more fearful as beads of sweat fell from his forehead.
"I am telling you what you need to do, and that is nothing," she said. "Do not meddle between us. Leave the situation as it is. I can be responsible for his protection and safety. That I promise."
She glanced towards the living lie dector who nodded rapidly to affirm her claim.
The chief narrowed his eyes at her. A long silence filled the room as he tried to understand her actions.
"Why do you care for him?" the chief asked after a long silence.
"Because I control him and he belongs to me," she said, with no hesitation.
"Looks to me like he controls you, too," he said.
Makima paused and blinked.
"..maybe," she admitted. "As much as your greed controls you, I suppose."
..
..
"Then we shall entrust you with the protection and management of the Pig Devil," he said, because her outstretched arm was nearly pointing at his head.
Makima showed a faint smile.
Had he not said that, she would have simply erased them all. She would overthrow the Japanese government overnight if she had to.
As Jin grows, her need for them would only decrease.
After all, she only needs him.
She put down her hand and gave a small, formal bow.
"Thank you. I shall excuse myself now."
..
..
[Image]
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Author : Is my Reze shipers still here? Don't you worry folks. We will get to her soon!!!!