Chapter 25 – Choice and Focus

Read on KatRea​d​ing​C​afe

“It’s really about to end soon.”

I could feel it intuitively. The state of anarchy that had engulfed Kivotos would soon come to a close.

The long, chaotic month was finally winding down. And that could only mean one thing.

The Prologue.

The real story of this stage was about to begin.

That’s why I knew timing was more crucial than ever. Once the main story truly kicked off, I’d have to move even busier than before.

Now was the time to reassess my plans and goals, to reconsider my future activities and areas of influence.

Compared to the early days of my possession, I now had ample funds, connections, and influence. With these assets at my disposal, how should I proceed?

‘I should start expanding my reach.’

First, staying confined to Millennium and the D.U. wouldn’t cut it anymore. With the restoration of the Sanctum Tower, order would gradually return to each district as well. 

There was no reason for me to focus solely on the central areas and Millennium anymore. I could expand my operations to Gehenna and Trinity too.

Smaller academies in between would also become viable grounds for activity. Expanding my operational bases like this would give me a pretext to intervene in Abydos, the first main story location.

Of course, the downside was that I might not be able to involve myself in minor incidents as freely as before…

‘But it’ll be about the same outside of main story events anyway.’

The periods when I’d be busiest would be during the main story—when the Sensei becomes directly involved—and the intermittent event stories.

All I had to do was adjust my activities accordingly, focusing on those locations. With my web-shooters, as long as I planned my time well, travel wouldn’t be an issue.

Later, I’d craft even more equipment beyond just the web-shooters. By then, I’d be able to move even faster, so it wouldn’t matter.

‘Financially, things are going smoothly for now, but it’s still not enough for the long term.’

The countless disasters and incidents looming in the distant—or perhaps not-so-distant—future would require an arsenal of equipment to counter. No amount of money would ever be enough for that, but…

I’d think about that later.

For now, I had some leeway, and it wasn’t too late to plan ahead.

I’d already poured all my current funds into commissioning Captain America’s shield and a Silk-exclusive hero suit, along with a few other minor equipment.

For the time being, I’d focus on adapting to and utilizing those while considering other options.

And so, for several hours, I sat in a corner of the workshop, scribbling and erasing notes as I racked my brain.

Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts.

Countless thoughts rose and faded in my mind as I slowly pieced together a solid plan.

Silk and Nanashi’s respective spheres of activity.

The types of requests Nanashi would take.

Or how to handle my relationship with the Sensei.

Of course, the occasional absurd thought would pop up.

But that was unavoidable.

Just as I was deep in contemplation, a beep— echoed—the alert for an incident. I slipped on my mask and wrapped up my thoughts.

‘Still a tough dilemma.’

Choice and focus.

These are concerns that I fell into because I knew I couldn’t shoulder everything in Kivotos. The inherent struggle of a hero

But I had to make a choice.

I’d make my decision worthwhile, laying the groundwork to reach my goals.

That was enough.

“The Sensei can be the one to embrace everything.”

I’d be content playing the role of the ‘friendly neighborhood’ hero, helping citizens within my reach.

***

Who were the biggest victims of this anarchic crisis?

The small academies stranded in Kivotos’ remote wastelands, cut off from all communication and infrastructure, struggling day by day?

The exhausted leadership of major academies, who barely slept as they scrambled to contain the chaos erupting from their dense populations?

Or the citizens whose daily lives were upended, forced to endure the rampages of villains?

Maybe even Silk, the hero who had to clean up one sudden explosion after another?

No. None of them.

The ones who suffered the most in this crisis were none other than the central governing body of Kivotos.

The General Student Council.

That very place.

Their supreme leader had vanished. They had to quell crises erupting across the city. They endured pressure from every academy. They kept the city running.

Every day was nothing short of a catastrophe.

For the members of the General Student Council, the disappearance of their president and the shutdown of the Sanctum Tower were nothing less than disasters in themselves.

How were they supposed to handle this?

Why did this happen?

Why did they have to suffer like this?

Caught in sudden chaos, the General Student Council was tossed around like a balloon in the wind.

Though it hadn’t completely collapsed—thanks to the gathering of capable individuals from all over—there was no escaping the aftermath of this crisis. It was only natural that everyone was left exhausted.

“I want to quit. I desperately want to quit!!”

“Why won’t the work end? Ah, what comes after it ends? More work. Hahaha!”

“I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’ll be good.”

“KYYYYEEEEEEEEEE—!!”

“Someone… please save me…”

The halls of the General Student Council were now filled with people who had clearly lost their minds.

Yet, as Chief Administrative Officer and current Acting President Nanagami Rin observed this scene, she smiled faintly, thinking, Things really have gotten better, huh?

Others might assume even she had finally snapped, but Rin remembered the early days of the crisis.

Back then, everyone—herself included—had been too consumed by despair to even voice complaints like these.

At least now they could vent.

“This… is also thanks to Silk, isn’t it?”

She recalled an incident during those endlessly chaotic times.

Kaiser PMC had suddenly ‘raided’ the central district out of nowhere under the pretext of suppressing disorder.

Back then, Rin and countless other GSC members had been seething with rage, agonizing over how to respond to this show of force.

Sleep-deprived and mentally drained, they could barely think straight. She had felt like she might collapse at any moment.

But at that moment, someone appeared.

Silk. The one now known as Kivotos’ hero.

A figure whose exploits could be heard everywhere, perhaps the most famous person in Kivotos today.

She had suddenly shown up, taking over the peacekeeping duties that should have fallen to the GSC, executing justice without asking for anything in return. After that day, the city’s chaos gradually subsided, and the workload on the GSC lightened significantly. Even now, many in the GSC quietly rooted for Silk’s activities.

Rin was aware of this but chose to ignore it.

There was no stopping it anyway, and it wasn’t strange that they saw Silk as a savior.

Without Silk, Rin and the rest of the GSC would have remained in a state of exhaustion until the arrival of the Sensei—the contingency prepared by the missing Student Council President.

Worse, more members might have resigned, and unforeseen problems could have arisen.

So while Rin, as Acting President and Chief Administrative Officer, had officially condemned Silk’s vigilante actions—operating outside the legal system—she privately acknowledged her to some extent.

Her skills and character, at least.

Her actions were questionable, but her dedication to protecting citizens was undeniable. That’s why Rin never gave desperate orders to capture Silk.

‘Besides, she’s beyond catching now anyway.’

Silk’s abilities grew by the day. Now, she often resolved situations before Valkyrie could even arrive, vanishing without a trace.

Watching Valkyrie return empty-handed time after time had become one of Rin’s small amusements.

“We’ll meet someday, I guess.”

If Silk kept up her activities, she’d inevitably cross paths with the GSC at some point.

Rin left her thoughts about Silk at that.

Now, what she really needed to think about was…

“The Sensei… isn’t it?”

The contingency prepared by the Student Council President.

The time to face that existence was drawing near.

KatTL