Jigen-no, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki-had lived in the human world for a thousand years. Over those thousand years, he had learned patience, come to understand human nature, and mastered political intrigue. By now, he had all but perfected humanity's little games.
The loss of Kawaki, his vessel, had made Isshiki realize that there seemed to be a traitor within his organization. He had devised ways to send its members to different locations, all to find out who the mole was.
At that moment, Jigen sat silently in his chair, pondering who had gone astray.
"Was it Code? Or that other fellow?"
Jigen thought it over, but ultimately abandoned the idea of testing Code. After all, someone like him hardly seemed likely to betray him. Could the problem lie with one of their outside members?
Meanwhile, Delta and Boro, who had been sent out on a mission, had gotten into an argument. Already hot-tempered, Delta had grown anxious over their prolonged failure to complete Jigen's assignment, leaving her ready to explode at the slightest provocation. Besides, she looked down on everyone in Kara except Jigen.
Someone had to take the blame for their failure to finish the mission on time. Boro, who had been traveling with Delta, became that unlucky scapegoat.
"Hey, Boro, are you even looking properly? It's been ages, and we haven't seen so much as a trace of Kawaki. Have you been slacking off?"
Boro nearly laughed in sheer exasperation. How had he never noticed what a troublemaker Delta was?
"Heh. Delta, just because you're incompetent, you think you can make yourself feel important by picking on me?"
Boro's words struck a nerve. Fury surged through Delta, and she pointed straight at his nose and snapped, "You bastard! What did you just say? Facts aside, are you saying you haven't