Saya hesitated, finally choosing not to mention that she possessed the Delta Driver. It wasn't that she distrusted Mari, but she felt exposing the belt would bring harm to many people.
"No, did something happen?" Saya couldn't help but ask.
Mari then recounted everything that had happened to her that day, including the deaths of two of their Ryusei School classmates. Two classmates were now dead, both linked to the Drivers and killed in Orphnoch attacks.
"That such a thing happened..." Saya instantly looked sorrowful.
"But you should be very safe with Mr. Raven. Even if they target you, those Orphnochs won't be able to hurt you," Mari quickly reassured Saya.
"Yes, thank you for telling me all this, Mari," Saya said gratefully.
Mari nodded, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Raven. "Mr. Raven, didn't you say you had something to tell me?"
Takumi immediately pricked up his ears and looked at Raven.
"The new President of Smart Brain is actually the one sending the Orphnochs to attack you. So, by willingly giving them the Faiz Driver, Mari, you essentially allowed them to get what they wanted without a single casualty," Raven said, cutting straight to the point.
"What did you say?" Mari looked at Raven in disbelief.
Takumi was also shocked. Although he had found the President strange, he never connected him to the Orphnochs.
"If Smart Brain is connected to the Orphnochs, why would my father send us the Drivers and tell us to use them to destroy them?" Mari couldn't understand.
"I don't know about that part," Raven said. He didn't want to reveal everything at once, as that might drastically alter the future course of events.
"Also, there's one more thing I need to tell you: even among Orphnochs, there are good and bad ones. Some attack humans, but others just want to live peacefully without harming anyone," Raven added at the end.
Yuka, seated quietly next to Raven, felt a deep sense of security upon hearing this. Raven's attitude toward her had never changed due to her status as an Orphnoch; instead, he continuously cared for her and comforted her.
However, Takumi, the Orphnoch who had no memory of being one, immediately objected. "Are you defending those monsters who attack people everywhere?"
Seeing his reaction, Raven looked at him with interest. This guy really has lost a portion of his memory—the part where he himself is an Orphnoch.
"You'll understand this eventually," Raven said, choosing not to elaborate.
"Mr. Raven, please don't mind him. Takumi is just naturally annoying," Mari immediately said, chiding Takumi. "It's just that I really want to believe you, but we've encountered too many incidents of Orphnochs attacking people along the way."
The unspoken message was that Mari hadn't yet seen a "good" Orphnoch.
"Don't be so certain. Maybe an Orphnoch has been helping you all along," Raven continued to hint.
But Mari remained completely confused, clearly not taking the hint seriously.
"In any case, thank you, Mr. Raven, for saving me several times and for telling us so much."
With that, Takumi and Mari bid farewell to Raven and the others, preparing to return to the laundry shop.
After they left, Saya was left with a complicated look, lost in thought.
....
At Smart Brain headquarters.
"Jay is dead." Smart Lady walked into the President's office and personally reported the news.
"I see." Kyouji Murakami's expression remained unreadable upon hearing the result.
"President, I don't think much of the Lucky Clover. They act so high and mighty, but they haven't completed a single task you've given them so far," Smart Lady said dismissively.
Murakami sighed, stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the city below.
"Their strength is not in question. The problem is this fellow named Raven. I don't know where he came from," Kyouji Murakami said, visibly frustrated.
"Could he really be someone President Hanagata sent?" Smart Lady ventured, referencing Murakami's previous suspicion.
"President Hanagata." A trace of apprehension flickered in Kyoji Murakami's eyes.
The former President, Hanagata, was an Orphnoch whose power was undoubtedly superior to that of the Lucky Clover. Furthermore, he was the one who spearheaded the development of the three Drivers.
"It seems we'll need to increase our own strength..."
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!