"You're really something, using magic to ignore the dissonance in your speech. Do you think it's okay to act so recklessly?"
"Why should I waste my breath on a pack of jackals who only care about profit? Compared to these politician-like figures, I prefer magicians—those who carve their magical names and forge ahead with unwavering determination. That's much more interesting."
A man and a dog were conversing without barriers.
A rapidly promoted Board member and the Chairman's watchdog shouldn't have much in common, yet here they were, standing together.
Kihara Noukan spoke up, "If those people knew you were standing next to me right now, they'd be worried sick."
"That's their problem. After all, they're just parasites clinging to the trunk of Academy City, growing by leeching off its resources. They're of little use to the Chairman, but I'm different.
Whatever the Chairman's ultimate goal is, I don't care. Unless, one day, he suddenly decides to destroy the entire planet."
Li Mo said.
The plan.
Aleister's leniency made Li Mo realize that he had already been placed on the chessboard by the Chairman. Since he was being treated as a pawn, why not act even more recklessly? What did it matter if he targeted a few Board members?
After all, in the past month, five Board members had already been killed. It was hard to feel any reverence for them.
"Is that so? I'm getting more and more curious about your identity. But aren't you afraid of me taking action against you, now that you're so bold?"
Kihara Noukan's actions were equivalent to Aleister's permission.
Opposing Kihara Noukan meant opposing Aleister.
Aleister Crowley. The founder of modern magic, the strongest magician of the modern era. A monster who could become a **Magic God** but chose not to.
Facing such a person...
"I don't care. I'll just run away."
"That's so like you. But the question is, why were you so in a sorry state last time?"
Last time, undoubtedly, referred to the encounter with Ollerus.
When Kihara Noukan had found Li Mo, he was running away, being chased by Ollerus. It was only Kihara Noukan's timely appearance that saved the day.
Li Mo said seriously, "Times have changed!"
"Then do as you please. Shouldn't you be leaving now? Why are you still hanging around here?"
"Doesn't your disciple look at me strangely? Does she want to put me on a dissection table?"
Kihara Noukan asked, "Is it possible that she's taken a liking to you?"
"Are you seriously suggesting that, given your family name?" Li Mo snorted.
Expecting the Kihara family to be romantics? Li Mo would rather believe Kamijou Touma had regained his memories.
Faced with Li Mo's sneer, the golden retriever showed a human-like expression of helplessness. "The commotion you caused in District 10 wasn't small. Did you really think no one would notice?"
"Oh. So, was it you who told Kihara Yuiitsu?"
"Damn it, are you even human! How dare you choke a dog! Get off me!"
The man and the golden retriever were roughhousing in the living room, hardly resembling the figures who loomed over Academy City.
Neither of them used their real power, and Li Mo, relying solely on physical strength, easily overpowered Kihara Noukan. He was like Wu Song subduing a tiger, sitting atop the golden retriever.
"I used to practice martial arts."
"So, can you get up now? I promised Yuiitsu we'd go for a walk."
"Fine. Hurry up and take Kihara Yuiitsu away." Li Mo paused, then added, "Seeing that look on her face, I might not be able to resist punching her."
—Li Mo had never experienced such "enthusiasm" before. It was different from the enthusiasm of the Butterfly Sisters.
It was downright spine-chilling.
"Get off me first. Not all Kiharas are like this. I'm the outlier in the Kihara family. You should know that."
Getting up from the golden retriever, Li Mo muttered, "If it were someone like Kihara Gensei, I'd just kill them and loot their stuff."
"So, you can't bring yourself to harm a beautiful woman?"
"Ha, it's only because she's your disciple. I've crushed flowers more than once." Li Mo said.
For example, in the *Demon Slayer* world, among the hundreds of demons he had killed, many were female demons who fit human aesthetic standards.
He had never hesitated.
"Is that so? Then I'll be off."
Kihara Noukan left first.
This was supposed to be its residence, but Li Mo had taken over. Watching the golden retriever leave, Li Mo silently exited through another route. Concrete walls were no obstacle to him. Academy City typically had countermeasures for espers, but its defenses against magicians were lacking.
Except for the Windowless Building in District 7, Li Mo could come and go as he pleased using spatial movement magic.
Not long after leaving Kihara Noukan's place, Li Mo looked down at his phone and answered a call.
"Board Member, the information you asked for has been confirmed. Kakine Teitoku is not in a good state and is currently under Kihara Yuiitsu's control."
"Thanks, Tsuchimikado. If you need anything, I can send you to the UK."
"That won't be necessary. Someone like me has no business going to the UK."
"I see... How about Kumokawa Seria's situation?"
"Kumokawa Seria, it's for you." Tsuchimikado Motoharu seemed to be calling someone else.
Soon, Kumokawa Seria's voice came through the phone. "Board Member, the matter with the **Misaka Worst** has been handled."
"Good. Is Oyafune Monaka willing to step in?"
"The professionals have been borrowed."
"I'll grant you the permissions. Handle the Juvenile Correctional Facility matter. I doubt anyone will stop you at this point."
The current timing was interesting. Everyone's attention was focused on the war, but after my appearance, there wasn't even time to discuss Board member replacements—after all, increasing the number of Board members would dilute the others' interests.
My appearance would likely shift the Board members' focus inward, wouldn't it?
But so what? With the corresponding authority, Li Mo could even give up his share of the profits. Because, to him, those profits were insignificant.
"October 30th."
Li Mo muttered, looking at the date. There were still a few days left until that day. The war that had started yesterday hadn't yet reached its peak. It hadn't escalated into a world war.
But when Russia declared war on Academy City, it was inevitable that France would declare war on Britain. Centuries of grudges between the two nations ensured that.
But no one knew the direction of this war better than Li Mo. Whether it was Russia versus Academy City or Britain versus France, none of it mattered.
What mattered was Kamijou Touma versus Fiamma of the Right.
What mattered was the so-called "Kamijou Faction," centered around Kamijou Touma, clashing with Fiamma of the Right's Roman Catholic Church.
So... what should I do next?
Li Mo fell into deep thought.