Entertaining a Small Thought

3rd Arc Part 9: Strategies, Risks, and Determination

"All right. Let's get started with the meeting." I said as we all entered Angie's lab.

"Yep yep. We will be discussing the details of the resurrection ritual, right?" Angie asked me.

"Yes, along with other things." I nodded as I took out the Necronomicon. "However, I want to tell you all something before we actually make the decision to use this. There...actually is a risk involved in using this."

"There is a risk?" Keebo repeated.

"But you told us that there was nothing dangerous inside the book," Tenko said.

"Yeah, and there isn't," I responded. "The Necronomicon's resurrection ritual is just making an effigy, burning the book, and spreading its ashes onto the effigy."

"That's...actually really simple," Himiko muttered.

"Yeah. So there's nothing dangerous about it. But...I can think of one possible danger when it comes to this." I sighed. "I didn't mention it to the others since they're already worried about this, and I didn't want to make it worse, but since you guys are agreeing to work with me and want to use it, I figured I had to let you guys know about this possible risk."

"And what risk?" Gonta asked.

"Well..." I began. "I have nothing to confirm it, but it's just a thought I'm having since, despite what Monodam said, this is still a motive, and we're still in a killing game. While I believe that the real motive behind all of this is creating discord among us by having us fight over the ritual due to our fears, there is a possibility that using the ritual might create an additional motive or the like."

"Additional motive?" Angie asked, now putting on a serious expression I hadn't seen on her yet.

"...I mentioned how I thought that Tsumugi was being controlled into thinking that she was the mastermind, right?" I told them. "I still don't have proof of that, but because I believe that's a possibility, then the same thing could happen with this. Whether we're really bringing the dead back to life, or whether we're regaining someone who we thought had died, there's a possibility that whoever we bring back will be under the same influence that Tsumugi was. They might...become a murderous fiend that wants to play the killing game."

"Y-You think that could actually happen?!" Keebo asked me in a horrified voice.

"It's a possibility, nothing more, but since it's a possibility, we have to discuss it." I sighed. "I don't know if it really will happen. Nothing might happen and we'll have our friend come back completely fine, or maybe they'll become a completely different person. Either way, I still think we should use the ritual, but with caution." I then gave them all a serious and determined look.

"You all wanted me to be your president, so here's the promise I'll make to you. If something bad does happen with the ritual, I'll take full responsibility. No one else will get hurt. I'll make sure that everything comes out okay. So trust me. I still believe we should do the ritual, just so we can have that knowledge that will come afterward. In this situation, we need to know as much as we can, so..." I trailed off as I waited for their response.

They all thought about it for a bit before they gave me an answer.

"If you think we should still perform the ritual, then I'll follow your decision," Keebo said. "That's what I believe is best."

"Nyeh...same here. I trust you. Atua's on our side, though, so I doubt anything bad will happen." Himiko added.

"Of course! Atua is with all of us. He will protect us all!" Angie nodded enthusiastically. "Rin is the president of the student council, so if this is what he thinks we should do, then we should follow him."