Not Everyone is a Homosexual

Since I didn’t feel like looking for another companion after being rejected by Churchill, instead of having a proper meal in the cafeteria, I went to the attached café and ordered coffee and a croissant. Considering my daily exercise routine, it would be better to eat more heartily, but after just mentioning Mayumi, my appetite had completely disappeared.

…I shouldn’t admit it. I shouldn’t admit anything.

That I killed her. That I loved her. I shouldn’t admit either of these. I can’t admit to myself that I’m the kind of person who would just let someone I love die and turn away with a smile.

…Even though I was caught by my roommate whispering her name in my sleep, I can’t admit it. That Mayumi was a big part of my life at that time, back then. That’s the one thing I can’t admit. It was a mission. The kind of mission that ends with the death of an informant contact.

But this mission, does it begin with the death of a contact?

As I was quietly sipping coffee and nibbling on bread, one of my classmates approached and plopped down across from me. It was Shradha Bhatt, the daughter of an Indian businessman.

“Ms. Bhatt. Did you come to eat alone too?”

“Me? Well, yes. Actually, I don’t have many friends either. My roommate, Ms. Curoo, is a nice person, but since she’s a celebrity, it’s not easy to get close and hang out casually. It feels like doing business no matter what we do.”

“Isn’t that partly because you’re a business person, Ms. Bhatt?”

Shradha Bhatt laughed at my words.

“No, my father does the business. I’m not a businessperson, so I don’t know much about business. Bhatt Enterprises is busy just trying to prevent British people from taking away our shares.”

“You can’t exclude foreign investment, especially British investment. You can’t run a large corporation with just Indian money.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m saying it’s difficult to do such troublesome things. The intentions of colonial empire investors are all different. Sometimes they try to impose economic sanctions on our company for actively supporting India’s independence, and other times they try to acquire a lot of shares to exert pressure on management as major shareholders. Watching my father, I think even if our country becomes independent, I shouldn’t inherit that job.”

“I thought being the child of a big corporation would be all good, but there are headaches too.”

“Ah, I don’t have any problems. As I said, I’m not interested in inheriting management rights, so I only have the advantages of being a rich man’s daughter, with no disadvantages, you could say.”

She’s speaking casually, but thanks to the materials provided by the CIA, I know that Shradha Bhatt is lying to some extent.

Yes. The internal situation of Bhatt Enterprises is complicated. Attempts at management interference from European bloc members who don’t want the collapse of the British Empire, some radical groups within India who criticize Bhatt Enterprises for being conciliatory towards the colonial government and claim they’re not truly patriotic. Even people who complain that Bhatt Enterprises’ financial support for the parliament oppresses Muslim followers in India. Given the chaotic situation within India itself, how could a high-tech company entangled in such political issues be safe?

Even so, Bhatt is currently one of the most advanced and largest high-tech companies in the world. It’s a company so big that its existence adds considerable weight to the justification for India’s independence. The perception is that if Indians alone can lead such global technological advancement, how could England colonially rule Indians?

Shradha Bhatt is speaking as if she’s not involved in the company’s management at all, but in reality, it’s known among intelligence agencies that she’s the one taking on the most difficult tasks in Bhatt Enterprises.

Publicly, Bhatt only makes enormous contributions to the operating funds of the Indian Autonomous Council. But in reality, a significant number of armed warlord groups in India are arming themselves with financial support from Bhatt Enterprises. These warlords mostly stay in their local areas, maintaining public order and governing, without causing much disturbance usually.

However, these warlords are forces ready to rise up all at once and start India’s war of independence if England’s attitude becomes even slightly violent. Since corporate support for warlords is defined as an illegal act and can be punished, only a very experienced and astute person can do this job.

If India were to become independent, it’s Shradha Bhatt who is essentially in charge of this warlord support work, which would form the foundation of the Indian military. Though she appears to be a sensible person, she’s not someone to be taken lightly.

“More than that, I’m curious about something. About that Briar Churchill…”

“Ah, yes. You don’t like Briar very much, do you, Ms. Bhatt?”

“Are you two… actually dating? Or is it just play between girls? Some unique form of friendship? Actual lust, or, um, is the word ‘lust’ too explicit? Anyway, that kind of romantic relationship… it’s not something you can just say outright, right?”

“Which do you think it is?”

“Well, that’s what’s confusing. Ah, of course, I acknowledge that there are women who like women. Since Briar Churchill is such a strange person, even if she were a homosexual… I guess I could just consider it another unique personality trait and ignore it. But can such a convenient thing happen? That another foreigner I meet in a faraway country happens to be a homosexual…”

“Relationships are complicated.”

I nodded.

“So it’s a real romantic relationship?”

“Relationships between women seem even more complicated. A triad forms quickly. Maybe we should say it’s fortunate if it ends with just three.”

“Oh… you’ve dated a lot of women, haven’t you?”

“Yes, Churchill is a virgin. I’m the one who drew her in. Things aren’t going well though.”

Seeing my smile, Shradha Bhatt momentarily made a disgusted expression. Although she has some aspects of a businessperson, she’s still young. In politics or business, even if you’re disgusted inside at moments like this, you shouldn’t show it on the outside.

I didn’t show any reaction.

“Isn’t it strange for a third party to intervene in a relationship between a man and a woman?”

“It seems like some country’s king has set up a harem.”

“Hmm, that could be the case, but we can only say it’s a truly strange situation. In fact, from a woman’s perspective, a harem can’t be pleasant. So it’s a relationship that forms by suppressing with power. It’s a relationship strictly centered on the monarch. That’s how it is, right? I think that’s a different shape than a triangle.”

“We could say it’s an isosceles triangle rather than an equilateral triangle.”

“That’s a good analogy. But in relationships between women, the situation takes an interesting turn. I think it might be similar for relationships between men. First of all, it’s a relationship that deviates from social norms, and inevitably more open. Once you’ve crossed one boundary, it’s hard to know where to stop.”

“…So you’re saying a third or fourth lesbian could enter the shape at any time. Forming an equilateral triangle or square.”

“It would be nice if it connected so neatly into an equilateral triangle or square. Are human relationships that easy? Ms. Bhatt, you’re Hindu, right? I know there are many Muslims in India too.”

“…There are many. It’s an uneasy coexistence.”

“I believe the concept of a harem itself came from Islam. I don’t know much about religion, but I hear Prophet Muhammad was a great figure. I’ve heard that he also had several wives and struggled quite a bit trying to keep the rule of loving them all equally.”

“Haha…”

Bhatt scratched her head with a face that seemed unsure of what to say.

“It’s difficult, isn’t it? I’m neither a prophet nor a saint. So I don’t think things will go smoothly with Briar in the future either. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Um, is this relationship advice about wanting to date Briar Churchill well but finding it difficult?”

“I was saying that this is a promiscuous relationship that might be hard for a wholesome and upright person like you, Ms. Shradha Bhatt, to understand, so it might be dangerous to get too involved unless you’re planning to join in directly. Not as a threat, but as genuine advice.”

“Join in? I absolutely prefer men.”

Bhatt waved her hands in great embarrassment. As soon as our eyes met, she backed away slightly and abruptly stood up from her seat.

“Ah, I just remembered something urgent. Um, I’ll see you later then!”

“Yes. Go ahead. I’m planning to sit here a bit longer before getting up.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Shradha Bhatt scurry away. That’s a fairly polite reaction. Even I, in the days before joining the CIA, if some gay man had talked about his sex life with his boyfriend and said such things to me, I would have run away with an even more intense reaction than Shradha Bhatt just now.

I’ve become more experienced since joining the organization. Maybe I had the talent from the beginning. Just as I had almost finished my bread and completely emptied my coffee cup.

The woman I was supposed to meet after lunch finally appeared in front of me again.

“You were here alone. I just saw Shradha Bhatt running out with a pale face, you didn’t say anything strange, did you?”

“I may not look it, but I’m a professional who handles many secrets. I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have.”

“That’s right. It’s funny for a self-proclaimed private detective to worry like that in front of a real professional.”

Rebecca Katerfeld casually sat down in the seat Shradha had just vacated and looked at me.

“Berlin?”

I asked.

“The answer came. As expected, the branch there caught wind of it. I heard that as soon as they heard news of contact from Huangpu, they tried to intercept it without even caring who sent it.”

“How did the answer come?”

“Here. Berlin sent the reply content via wireless communication to the intelligence department in nearby Dongguan, and the printed note from Dongguan came into my hands.”

“Usually, it goes through a more complicated procedure than that…”

I took a small paper note from Rebecca’s hand. I can’t fully trust this self-proclaimed detective spiritualist, but at least if she brought the note, it would be courteous to check its contents.