A few days later.
Chilly rain washed over the city's scars, flowing from the cracked asphalt into deep pits that had yet to be filled, pooling into murky puddles.
Sonozaki Saeko stood in the office on the top floor of the Museum building that had once belonged to her father, her feelings immensely complicated.
Though she had prepared herself mentally, she had not expected this day to come so quickly.
Shaking her head, she looked back at the documents on the desk.
They ranged from allocation lists for disaster-relief supplies to employee compensation plans, as well as the group resolution to completely terminate Gaia Memory production.
Her pen traced one final crisp stroke across the page. She closed the file and tossed it into a folder marked "Archive."
At that moment, the encrypted satellite phone on the desk rang. No number appeared on the screen—only a blood-red "X" symbol.
She pressed the answer button without speaking.
"Miss Sonozaki, we need an explanation."
The voice on the other end had been electronically altered, devoid of all human emotion. "Halting the Memory production lines is outside the scope of our agreement."
"After my father's death, Museum is now under my responsibility."
Sonozaki Saeko walked to the window, lifted a corner of the rain tarp, and looked at the construction convoy below, tiny as ants. "I said stop, so they stopped."
"Heh~ That is not for you to decide—"
"That well is something Foundation X is determined to obtain.
"Since the Sonozaki Family is no longer a qualified partner, we will send our own team to take over."
The tone of that voice did not change, but its words carried a naked threat. "You can try."
Sonozaki Saeko hung up directly.
Foundation X moved faster than expected.
Three days later, at dusk, as