Chapter 170: Council of Ministers
El-Seed’s headquarters building. The members of “Thunder Beast’s Roar” have gathered in the free space on the 8th floor.
The expression on the faces of the people sitting on the sofa including Tennoji whose arm was bandaged was grave and downcast. The one who looked particularly serious was Louis.
He sat on a bench sofa a little distance away from the members, staring at his folded hands.
“Oh, shit! How did this happen?
Taizen, who’s been pacing the room by himself, looks annoyed and throws up.
“I thought I was fighting a demon, but I’m actually a human? And you’re friends with Louis? How’s that possible?
Sit down, Tai Qian.
Tennoji admonishes him, but Yasumae remains angry and keeps walking. The Seekers who fought the black armor are surprised to learn that their opponents are human, and are unable to accept it.
Because that would mean they were trying to kill humans.
The door to the room opens. Honda, the general manager, enters.
Honda-san, how was it?
Tennoji stands up and walks over to Honda. Louis immediately looked up and gathered around Honda with the other members.
“I’ve just been talking to senior government officials, and things are looking grim.”
When Honda said that, Louis said “What do you mean?” he says.
“We Elseed and some researchers argued that the black armor should be treated as humans, but it seems that many politicians say that the black armor should be disposed of as demons.”
“Oh, no…”
Louis stands there, crestfallen.
“Is Prime Minister Iwaki thinking the same way?
Tennoji raises an eyebrow and asks Honda.
I don’t know. I hear he’s not sure, but the foreign powers… I hear they’re not sure, but the foreign powers… especially Alberto… are worried about him.”
Alberto? Did he say anything?
Honda looks grim and lets out a single breath.
“That’s not the power of the Lord of Lords. It’s the power of a higher, more powerful demon.”
The expressions on the faces of those present clouded. Only Albert has ever defeated the Lord of Lords. If Albert says so… then he must be right.
We’ve been shown the power of the Black Armor.
The strength is overwhelming… and the fear is sobering. And yet Tennoji looks up.
Mr. Honda, please contact the government. Black armour… Yuma Mitaka says the Thunder Beast’s Roar is acceptable. I want a Seeker Seeker as strong as that… no matter what!
Honda gives him a hard time.
But we can’t stop them on our own if they get out of control. You know that, Tennoji. It took 80 of the world’s most powerful Seekers to capture him. There won’t be a next time.
Tennoji shakes his head and retorts.
“Yuma Mitaka wasn’t hurting anyone when he was fighting. That couldn’t have been done without human consciousness, right?
“I know what you mean. But even the experts are divided on whether he can really be called human! We can’t assume there’s no danger.”
Maybe so. But now that mana’s flooding the earth we don’t know what kind of demons might appear. He’d be a valuable asset. Honda-san!
Tennoji bows his head and Louis, who had been silent, opens his mouth.
“Yuma… He’s not a demon. I’m sure there’s a reason he’s the way he is. His parents and friends are all waiting for him to come home. I’m counting on you too.”
Louis bowed deeply. Honda closes his eyes and sighs.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do. But don’t get your hopes up.”
“Yes!”
Louis lifted his head and his face lit up.
Hey, how are you? Tanaka-san.
“Oh, Mr. President!”
A room in the hospital. Tanaka, who had a bandage on his head, was sitting up and talking with Maika, who had come to visit him.
I’m totally fine. But what about you, Yuma? I heard he’s been restrained.
Tanaka asks anxiously and Maika, who is standing next to him, opens her mouth.
“When will Yuma be back? You’re not going to get arrested, are you?”
I don’t know. And they could arrest me and Aisha, too.
“Oh no!” Maika’s eyes widen.
“The police took all the company’s documents and your father’s been interviewed! And yet…”
Tanaka also looks sad.
“The company can’t survive without you… What’s going to happen to D-Minor?
Kanzaki looked at them anxiously and couldn’t bear to see them lying face down. It’s times like this that I have to pull them along as president.
“Don’t worry! I’ll do everything I can. I’ll take care of the company and Yuma.
But, Dad. If they really arrest me, what can I do?”
“Uh, well, yeah, but…”
As Maika and Tanaka looked on uneasily, Kanzaki could only smile wryly.
The prime minister’s residence in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward–
An emergency cabinet meeting was held. The ministers’ opinions fly back and forth, and the debate turns contentious.
“Prime Minister! Why are you hesitating? The public is calling for the black armor to be killed. If we don’t, it could affect the next election.
The first to speak out was Hosokawa, the Health, Labor and Welfare Minister. Hosokawa, who is now 80 years old, is a leading figure in the ruling party and has a strong influence in the administration.
Listening to Hosokawa with his arms folded was Iwashiro, the prime minister. He was a man of good physique with gray hair.
His face was deeply wrinkled from having been through the political ordeal.
I agree with Hosokawa-san. Keeping the black armor alive is like putting it at unnecessary risk… We should get rid of it as soon as possible!
It was Ogasawara, the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, who suggested the idea. Iwashiro could not ignore the opinion of Ogasawara, the youngest of the cabinet ministers and the most popular with the public.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Takakura, who was attending the cabinet meeting, listened in silence.
Takakura himself had no clear answer as to what to do with the black armor. The ministers were divided in their opinions. About 60% of them said the black armor should be destroyed.
The rest were cautious.
Eto, the Minister of Justice, objected in particular. He was leaning forward, his big belly shaking, as he looked at Iwaki.
“Prime Minister, if we’re going to punish a Japanese citizen, we need to have a legal basis for it. There’s also the possibility of violating the Constitution, so I think we should be very careful.”
“Mm…”
Iwashiro folded his arms and closed his eyelids. The biggest problem at the moment is what to do with the “black armor”, Mitaka Yuma.
We couldn’t kill him right away because he was identified as a national with a family register.
Some people suggested that he should be treated as a demon instead of a person, but there have been no reports of Yuma Mitaka killing or injuring anyone.
That’s why it’s so hard to be sure it’s a demon.
If you’re not hurting people, it means you’re human. That’s what some scholars have been saying.The first thing to do is to make a decision on how to deal with the situation.Because he himself– he thought the black armor should be killed.
