Gematria.
First off, it’s the organization responsible for the villainous or shadowy position in the Blue Archive universe… However, the villainous behavior is mainly attributed to the Black Suit and Beatrice on the committee’s side, while the other members seem quite friendly towards the protagonist position, the Teacher. So, it’s a bizarre organization with an oddly high fanbase.
“Beatrice, the ritual you conducted was far too dangerous. If it were just an observation of color, we would have respected your research. But… engaging with color is a completely different matter. For us, who study Shinpi and the sublime, the incomprehensible nature of color poses a risk that could turn this massive experimental facility called Kivotos into nothingness. Ignoring that, your ritual is a taboo that could wipe out all of Gematria’s research.”
The Black Suit spoke. Characterized by the black smoke emanating from his black skin and broken eye area, he wore a stylish black suit befitting his name. His most prominent aspect seems to be that of a scientist or researcher.
“To be precise, it wasn’t about contact but trying to harness the power of color. Madam did not intend to divert attention from color to Kivotos.”
Golkont added. A man with an empty head wearing a trench coat, his back resembles a gentleman depicted on the bust he holds; both symbolize phantoms and unreality. If one were to define it, he is closer to a philosopher.
By the way, I can’t even understand half of what he says. This is why philosophy is a tough nut to crack.
“Yeah! You sought to utilize the power of color to make yourself greater! There’s not a shred of intellect to be found in your arrogance to use such an incomprehensible concept without proper understanding, all for such a baseless goal!”
Finally, Maestro chastised. He looks like a wooden puppet with two heads, but calling him a mannequin makes him furious. Dressed in an outfit befitting an orchestra conductor, this part matches his name perfectly. Since a name is one’s identity, there’s no other title for Maestro besides artist.
“Cough, cough… Is this wooden doll trying to teach me something right now?”
Wow, Beatrice still has enough strength left to yap even after getting stepped on by Tsurugi. Personally, I want to step on her too…
“Get your foot off me right this instant! Not a single shred of respect for adults—AAAH!!”
“Sorry, I accidentally stepped on you☆ But what were you saying just now… Respect? Would you be wanting to extend that to someone trying to kill you? Well, even without that, I have no intention to show you any respect.”
There’s no way it was accidental. I crushed Beatrice’s hand slowly and thoroughly underfoot.
Beatrice is right in front of me, and I’m not letting her go even if Kivotos splits in two right now. It’s a matter of satisfying my anger, and if it’s difficult to take care of it with my own hands, I’d consider getting help from Gematria to deal with it.
If there are going to be any later consequences, it’s far better to dirty my own hands. But if I lack the confidence to do that, I need to choose a second-best option. If I let her go here and my precious people get hurt because of it, I’d regret it for a lifetime.
Honestly, since Beatrice is supposed to be handled by Gematria, I don’t feel much weight on my conscience. Yup, probably.
“Oh. Girl, I shall pay my respects to that mental fortitude you’ve shown, rising stronger even before the shadow of death. Moreover, your calm demeanor, not even blinking at the sight of Gematria’s presence… Remarkably, it does not come from ignorance? Fascinating. Incredibly fascinating!”
“I can’t help but agree with Maestro. Most magnificent archangel. Did you perhaps know about our existence prior to this? If so, how? How did you manage to discover us when we’ve prided ourselves on not being careless enough to let a mere student notice us?… Yes, I too am intrigued by your existence.”
“You two seem to be missing one important point. Ah, yes. This girl standing before you is astonishingly—though she is indeed a girl, she is not entirely one.”
“That’s right!!”
Huh? How did they figure that out?
No, what’s important isn’t how they found out. It’s how far Golkont has gone, and just how much he knows.
“…Oh?”
“Hmm, Golkont. Could you please provide a more detailed explanation?”
“Of course. While we can’t deny that she is a girl, she is simultaneously a fully-fledged adult. Yes, she’s a remarkably unique text with dual aspects.”
As Golkont said this, the Black Suit tilted his head and examined me closely. Maestro showed no notable movement, yet he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since calling me interesting.
So, that’s not what he meant by saying I wasn’t a girl? I’m genuinely surprised.
While I was mulling that over and feeling relieved, Golkont suddenly changed his words.
“…No, I must correct myself. She is a being whose text and symbols are inconsistent; in fact, she is something I’ve never encountered before. It wasn’t simply a dual-aspect text.”
“Indeed! Indeed!”
…What the heck!!!
Golkont, what on earth is your true identity? How did you know that much with just a few exchanged words? Frankly, it’s a little scary. This is precisely why I didn’t want to get involved with Gematria!
“To put it simply, you’re saying that her body and soul do not align, correct?”
“Indeed, that is an interesting point. If Golkont’s statement is true, then I have a question for you. Would you answer my inquiry?”
Honestly, I’d rather not hang out with these guys. I find Golkont unsettling, as if he can see through everything about me. I’m sorry to say that Maestro simply freaks me out with his appearance. The Black Suit seems like he’d want to turn me into a test subject for Shinpi, which I dislike.
“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t matter much… Alright, I’ll answer unless it’s something inappropriate or I don’t want to respond to.”
“Hmm, the Black Suit, then. You are referring to me by the same moniker as a student I know. Do students often think alike? Or could it be that you two know one another, which I didn’t foresee? But that’s quite…”
Having paused for a moment, the Black Suit suddenly straightened his outfit.
“Very well. I find it intriguing. I would like you to refer to me as the Black Suit from now on.”
Then, he suddenly bowed in a manner characteristic of British gentlemen, asking to be called the Black Suit.
Wait, come to think of it, the name “Black Suit” was likely given by Hoshino. I really shouldn’t carelessly joke about this anymore.
But not being able to call the Black Suit by its name feels like torture… This is honestly an excuse that even Nagisa would understand with a quick “I can agree with that.”
“What I want to ask is simple. Are you perhaps one of our kind… A grown-up from outside this Kivotos?”
Upon hearing the question from the Black Suit, my first instinct was to evade answering outright. However, after glancing at Golkont, that intention quickly faded. One, I was already halfway exposed because of that guy; two, there’s no reason to lie when it’s not odd for me to get caught revealing secrets at this point. As long as I don’t reveal everything, I’m fine.
“Haha, it’s not something I can deny. However, I will refrain from answering the part about being an adult! I still see potential for growth in my current existence, making it difficult to definitively say I am an adult.”
“Oh. A girl who is not fully a girl. Someone who was once an adult, but is no longer one. The mind and body influence one another, creating a contradiction in the existence of a girl. It’s almost pitiful compared to that fool who defines himself as an adult despite hardly being one. Girl, I find you rather wonderful. Girl, it seems I see the potential for you to become my ‘Muse’!”
This is insane. Please, I’m begging you, don’t say those strange things about me, Maestro, who’s been playing piano since five years old.
Wait, but Beatrice is being even more brutally treated in a different sense. Ah, suddenly I want to hit her harder for an entirely different reason.
But, seriously, this conversation isn’t the time to get swept away in such nonsense! It’s about time to get to the main point.
“So, what brings Gematria here? I hope it’s not just to take this monster away.”
“Well, I regret to inform you that you’ll be disappointed on that front. Despite appearances, Beatrice is still one of us here at Gematria. So… yes, we did come with the intention of taking Beatrice away. I cannot deny that I also wished to engage in conversation with you, a fascinating presence.”
“Haha, you say that while knowing the madness she harbors in her heart? You’re still treating that lunatic as an equal researcher?”
I immediately countered the Black Suit’s words. I’m revealing far too much to them, but even if it costs me a big price, I must handle Beatrice.
With no Teacher around, I absolutely cannot let the unknown unravel any further than I can manage with my knowledge… No matter what, I have to stop it.
“…?!”
Not wanting to see Beatrice, who was squirming helplessly beneath my feet, I kicked her hard in the head. Maybe because she was accepting color now, she remained conscious, so I kicked her again.
The primordial violence displayed before their eyes caused Gematria to momentarily fall silent.
“I guarantee that Beatrice will indeed draw color into Kivotos. Even if it’s not today, it will certainly happen in the near future. Do you still think of her as a member of Gematria despite me telling you that?”
“…You wish for us to handle Beatrice on your behalf.”
“You are defining yourself closer to a girl than an adult. The symbolism of a girl contains deep purity. This implies, you wish to avoid tarnishing that purity with blood. I can take that to mean what you’ve said.”
“That’s right!!”
…Golkont is seriously unsettling. I find myself wishing I wouldn’t have to cross paths with him again.
But I can’t shake the nagging feeling that this won’t be the end of the matter.
“…If what you say is true, then Beatrice has lost her qualification to exist as a member of Gematria. That is, only if your statement is true… You firmly believe there’s not a shred of lie in that remark?”
“Haha! I’m not merely believing that, Black Suit. Nope, I wouldn’t appeal to you with just such a belief.”
“If so…?”
“Well, to put it simply, this is the case. Yup, I know that Beatrice will bring color to this Kivotos. That’s all you need to accept☆ Surely this should shift your thoughts a little, right?”
“…There were parts of your knowledge I had my doubts about, but hearing that, I’ve deemed it irrelevant. My Muse, I shall express my gratitude for your goodwill! Although one of our plans has been thrown awry due to your existence as a girl, collaborating with that foolish person would have led to predictable results!”
The first to side with me was Maestro. The disrupted plan must refer to the artificial angel series, right?
With me, the Student Council President of Trinity, Gematria has been exposed, and since I can’t use Atsuko’s blood anymore, completing Jeronimus and Ambrosius has become almost impossible.
“Um, please don’t paint my face with terms like goodwill, knowing well they bear no truth, Maestro? Yup, this is a transaction, not goodwill. Our interests merely aligned. And please, I’m begging you to stop with the ‘Muse’ talk. Hm? You could simply call me ‘girl’ like earlier!”
“However, I must decline, my Muse!”
Ah, this is maddening. Seriously, this is why I dreaded meeting anyone from Gematria. What a bunch of crazy people.
“Though I find the symbols and texts that make you up intriguing, the texts you aspire to pursue aren’t my taste. By simply eliminating one nuisance, this story drifts further away from literary text. That’s something I can’t help but feel disappointed about. I wish there was someone I could share views with.”
“Haha, I don’t particularly dislike the literary text of a story either. But Golkont, there’s a substantial difference between us. You view the world through symbols and text, while I do not. Your literary text, which you merely observe, symbolizes conclusions I mustn’t reach in my life.”
“Indeed, that’s true. I apologize for the intrusion. And I too, shall express my gratitude for your goodwill. If the Madam were to truly succeed in calling forth color in this Kivotos, the text I observe would be instantly ruined. But you, surely, will understand my sentiments as one observer lamenting the text’s content.”
“That’s right!!”
I can empathize with the feeling of regretting the direction a story takes as a reader, but I doubt anyone else other than Golkont would preach that to a character in the story…
No, more importantly, the conversation has started to veer off track again.
“So, what’s the conclusion of Gematria, Black Suit? Just so you know, I’m expecting a positive response.”
…Cough cough. Sure, to throw away such expectations isn’t without merit, but this is not a matter to be taken lightly. Yes, effective immediately, Beatrice has been expelled from Gematria. We were already preparing for the worst from the point she engaged with color. So, we shall take our leave. It has been a pleasurable exchange of beneficial conversation, most magnificent archangel… Oh, and speaking of which.”
Oh no, what’s this? Wasn’t the plan to take Beatrice and leave? What else do they want to say?
“We need to fill the vacancy left in Gematria.”
“I’m going to refuse.”
“You, most magnificent archangel, together with us from Gematria… Hmm, I truly didn’t expect you to refuse before we even questioned your intentions.”
“I sensed you’d try to inject me with fear to get me to cooperate with your research.”
…You really do know a lot. If you happen to change your mind, we’ll always welcome you. We shall occasionally reach out through dreams.”
Watching as Beatrice and the other four members of Gematria vanished, I held my throbbing head.
For heaven’s sake, I’m seriously hoping they won’t come looking for me again. Just let me be and go engage in my story with the Teacher, you devil of “hug me”!
