On the third day after He Kui's plan was set into motion.
"Didn't you say the plan was going smoothly?!"
Yuna Seran was holding a newspaper, his face filled with panic as he questioned.
The newspaper detailed everything Seran had done recently. Although the evidence wasn't substantial, once people got an idea, attacks would naturally follow.
Even without direct evidence, the circumstantial evidence was more than enough.
Yuna's father, the head of the Seran family, looked at his son, who was now questioning him, and was furious.
This good-for-nothing son of his—if he weren't his son, he would have kicked him out long ago.
"Let me think about it. You go back."
Old Seran said bitterly.
"No! Our house is surrounded now. Who knows if those troublemakers will set it on fire?"
Yuna said, his face filled with terror.
"Then go find somewhere else to stay! Just stop wailing here."
As Yuna left, Old Seran didn't bother with him anymore and dialed a number.
"The plan has changed. Proceed as agreed!"
"Of course."
Listening to the processed voice on the other end, a malicious smile appeared on Seran's face.
"Yuna! Call Yuna back!"
In his excitement, he didn't notice that on a branch outside the window behind him, an inconspicuous little bird was quietly observing him.
"Why are you calling me back again?!"
Yuna, who had just been thinking about going out to meet some girls, was dragged back again, looking at his father with resentment.
"..."
"Take this information and release it tomorrow morning. I'll lend you some people from the police station. Take them and arrest the people there."
It's just cracking a big case, right? Anyone can do it. And since he's producing and consuming his own evidence, these rumors will be debunked. As for circumstantial evidence? Those are things people believe if they want to and ignore if they don't.
"Isn't it dangerous?! Can't I just stay in the back?"
Yuna frowned tightly.
"...They're our own people! Just go with them!"
Old Seran was once again on the verge of a heart attack.
"Our own people~"
Hearing that they were his own people, Yuna felt at ease. Relaxed, he flashed a greasy smile.
"What about Cagalli..."
"If you do this well, once you get promoted, there will naturally be a chance to propose."
Old Seran also smiled.
With the credit from this and the cases they had 'solved' before, there was no doubt they could take over Cagalli's position.
Even Uzumi wouldn't have much to say.
And Uzumi was getting old. Despite all they had done, he hadn't noticed or reacted.
No, perhaps it was a hint. Maybe he knew about the massive organization backing them and was tacitly allowing it.
The more Old Seran thought about it, the happier he became, and he didn't care what Yuna was so excited about doing.
Time smoothly transitioned into the next day.
In the afternoon, Yuna, leading a team, finally appeared outside the Orb National Broadcasting Station, half an hour late, strutting with arrogance.
"Get out of the way! The Seran family is handling official business!"
Amid the humiliated anger of the guards, Yuna and the other uniformed but equally sloppy young men didn't care. They strolled leisurely to the agreed-upon location.
"Matsumoto Shiori, you are suspected of violating Article 14 of the Orb Security Law for espionage. Come with us quietly for investigation."
As Yuna spoke, the guards around him didn't even raise their guns, just smiling faintly, as if already imagining their promotions and raises.
Seeing this, the girl at the corner of her mouth twitched, and then, to everyone's surprise, she took Yuna hostage and pulled out a self-destruct button.
The teammates, who had been confident about the mission, panicked, and Yuna, who was now a hostage, was even more terrified.
"P-p-p-please spare me!"
"We're on the same side."
Yuna instantly turned into a jellyfish, but with some remaining rationality, he didn't speak too loudly, only whispering so that only the two of them could hear.
"Who's on the same side as you?!"
But the girl didn't give him any face, shouting loudly.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Old Seran, who had been waiting at home for good news, was now watching the TV, his face ashen.
The reason was simple: the conversation between the two had just been broadcast on TV, and there were several live feeds.
If he didn't realize he'd been set up by now, he'd be a fool.
"Quick! Call them back!"
"No, I'll go myself!"
Amid the chaos, practically the entire Orb had learned about this news online. Some were watching TV, others live streams—it was quite the spectacle.
Although the Seran family treated Coordinators inhumanely, they were quite humane towards Naturals.
At least the policies they talked about were humane.
So even though the Seran family was rotten at its core, their approval rating in Orb wasn't low—12%. Add twenty more, and they could catch up to the entrenched five great families.
And now, with the Seran family's young master live on TV arresting a terrorist, it naturally sparked a nationwide discussion.
"Is this a variety show? Why is Mr. Yuna in a variety show?"
Some of the Seran family's supporters commented under the live stream.
"Is this a variety show? If this is a variety show, I'll eat shit standing on my head!"
"Yeah, and do families even do variety shows? And admitting they're on the same side as a spy (lol)."
As a small portion of Seran fans faced off against the majority of Asuha fans, a line of text appeared at the bottom of the TV screen.
[Real live broadcast, real footage. In memory of the victims of the 32 terrorist attacks in the past year.]
"It's definitely real. The official channel confirmed it."
"Who would've thought? The prestigious Seran family colluding with external enemies."
"Could it be a hacker takeover?"
"But even if it's a takeover, can people be faked?"
When the wall falls, everyone pushes. The comments online were overwhelmingly one-sided.
This was natural. The previous terrorist attacks, although targeting Coordinators, had also affected Naturals.
Not to mention, this was treason. So most people were furious when they heard about it.
Of course, there were those who took sides.
"Enough! Even if the Seran family attacked, they attacked Coordinators! Those genetically modified monsters deserve to die!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"How much of our technology was developed by Coordinators? Without Coordinators, could we have made Gundams? Brainwashed by Blue Cosmos?"
"Suggest a thorough investigation."
The young man looked at so many people cursing him, feeling incredulous. In his mind, there should be many people who hated Coordinators.
If he stood up, he should have been met with overwhelming support.
Instead, he was met with so much criticism.
Sweating profusely, he quickly closed the comment section.
And his account was banned amidst the torrent of abuse.
"The banned IPs have all been monitored."
He Kui said in front of the computer.
"Thanks."
Cagalli didn't stop him. Those people were unstable factors. Although they might not be actual spies, they could potentially aid spies.
So monitoring them first wasn't wrong.
(End of Chapter)