A Night of Paranoia (13)

“I went to consult Menou, who’s basically our leader, about what we should do from here on out in this world and whether we should keep working with the Resistance.”

Parna answered with a brave front, but the heavy atmosphere emanating from Balmung—who seemed like a completely different person from the one this morning—made it impossible for her to stay calm. A bead of sweat slid down her cheek.

“I thought Takako was the one in charge of your group...”

“She is, but when it comes to thinking things through and deciding our course of action, Menou is the one who can stay the calmest.”

“Oh?”

Balmung considered Parna’s seemingly natural reply. He didn’t seem to have completely decided that Menou and the others were guilty, and Merry quickly seized the opportunity to step in. “Chief,” she said, trying to mediate.

“Even to me, the timing is far too convenient. It’s almost like someone’s steering things to make it look like these guys did it.”

“They’re taking advantage of the situation... That’s certainly possible. Some of this does seem far too contrived.”

“There’s no solid evidence, right? It’s hard to win back trust once you’ve lost it—whether you’re us or them. We should be more careful.”

At this wholehearted defense, the four women around Merry, excluding Yuki, turned to her and smiled. Perhaps noticing their gazes, Merry blushed, bashfully lowered her head, and said, “This much is only natural...”...