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His suspicions had initially piqued when the Shinjuku Reapers had arrived in his Composer's Shibuya, so shortly after a Noise symbol had branded the crimson sky.
"An Inversion," their blonde-haired 'leader' had begun. "It was tragic, really. Our little Game was just heating up...when all of the sudden, the boundary between the UG and RG just melted away, taking our beloved Shinjuku with it into the aether."
Megumi must have overlooked it initially. In shock at the unexpected Inversion. The sudden arrival of many Reapers looking to transfer in the wake of their home's destruction. The sight of Shinjuku crumbling away before his eyes. The thought that he had narrowly avoided this fate for Shibuya, when his Composer had challenged him to a Game relatively recently.
It had taken him a moment to realize it had been an Inversion at all. It had been an unpleasant sight.
The plight of the Shinjuku Reapers had moved Megumi, somewhat.
"We're the only survivors, and none of us are any the wiser as to why such a tragedy befell us." The blonde-haired Reaper had shaken his head slowly and raised his arms in what seemed like a resigned shrug.
Megumi had rubbed his chin as he had listened to the blonde-haired Reaper's explanation. Something about their behavior...
"I speak on behalf of us all when I say we'd be eternally grateful if you offered us shelter, gracious Conductor."
...had felt incredibly false.
It had been the showmanship, perhaps. Some kind of flair for the dramatic. As though this Reaper had exaggerated their motions, had intentionally chosen their words, had been extremely careful.
At the time, Megumi had chalked it up to a genuine effort to make an appeal and convince him to allow their transfers. It had made sense at the time; no doubt that the Shinjuku Reapers must have been grappling with their own shock and grief: their home, so easily ripped away from them.
So Megumi had understood, at the time, that this Reaper may have put on the dramatics in order to plead for all the survivors.
He'd permitted their transfers, and the Shinjuku Reapers had become part of Shibuya's roster of Reapers. Shibuya had certainly not been hurting in its numbers prior to the transfers, since Megumi managed to resolve his Game with the Composer without issue, but now the number of Reapers seemed quite gargantuan. Megumi had taken care to help the Shinjuku Reapers with a smooth transition into Shibuya with open arms.
Of course, that did not mean that the transition ended up being smooth, at all.
A sense of opposition appeared to crop up between both groups of Reapers: the Reapers operating under Megumi's Composer felt that the many outsiders had suddenly decided to move in on their turf, while the Shinjuku Reapers had apparently felt alienated and forced to work in a place they did not accept and that had not accepted them.
Disagreements had risen when the hand-picked Game Master had sent out their missions. The Shinjuku Reapers had sometimes abandoned their posts and chose to install their own obstacles in the ways of Players, interrupting the proceedings of that day. Megumi had directly requested for the Shinjuku Reapers to stop interrupting the Game; they had to play by Shibuya's rules now and not Shinjuku's, whether they liked it or not. Those requests eventually turned into warnings.
Arguments burned through the roster when any sort of relations between the groups had been attempted. Two Reapers of separate groups assigned together would eventually erupt into frustrated bickerings, it seemed like. From what Megumi had heard from his Game Masters, it was as though Shinjuku Reapers were purposefully disagreeing just to stoke flames. From how to approach their missions, to what kind of Noise to make, to even something as innocuous as trying to pick where to have lunch. The Shinjuku Reapers appeared constantly underfoot, getting in the way of Shibuya Reapers' Player hunts, in manners that appeared intentional to onlookers—admittedly, Shibuya onlookers.
And while Megumi had valued his Composer's chosen methods of growth through struggle, it seemed that this had been the equivalent of bashing one's head against a wall and expecting to break it down.
Psychs flew when tensions had reached a boiling point and the Reapers took to fighting each other rather than focusing on the tasks at hand. Given how little camaraderie between the two groups had been stoked, this had surprised Megumi little. The Game Master and the Reaper officers would settle any major encounters before any erasures occurred, thankfully. Higashizawa would get between the disputers, pull the fight apart, and try to calm everyone down, sometimes through offerings of food. Konishi would ruthlessly put down any dissenters, using them as an example for the rest of them.
Fear only went so far, however...
Megumi could understand the Shinjuku Reapers being frustrated that their home had been destroyed. But he struggled to fathom how these tensions were rising. The thought of Shinjuku Reapers lashing out was not out of the question, grief-stricken as they were, yet it almost felt...deliberate, in a sense.
Like targeted attacks. Like working together to...scramble the usual workings within Shibuya.
Megumi had certainly not observed such ire within the Shinjuku Reapers themselves. No, they all seemed to get along like the family they claimed to be. No lashing out within, only towards Shibuya.
In fact, they all seemed to gather around that blonde-haired Reaper who had pleaded for their entry in the first place.
His name: Shiba Miyakaze. A veritable rising star within the roster, as he seemed to work hard in order to gather as many points as he was able. Routinely volunteering to head missions and erasing Players even more effectively than Higashizawa had with his traps. Minamimoto was certainly the youngest Reaper to become an officer, but with the way that Miyakaze was clearly shooting for the top, Megumi had wondered if Miyakaze would be the fastest Reaper to be promoted to officer within Shibuya.
On top of working hard to rise through the ranks, Miyakaze seemed to be some sort of leader figure for the Shinjuku Reapers. Like moths to a flame, the Reapers flocked around him. Suppose that the Shinjuku Reapers were happy to have such an anchor to keep them together. Their family would not dissolve under Miyakaze's tutelage.
Megumi had first thought that Miyakaze's presence would calm tensions.
He had observed no such effect.
Turning to look at the gathering of Reaper officers before him within the Dead God's Pad, Megumi rubbed his chin. Konishi stared at him, impatient behind those glasses of hers, attempting to peer through his own. Higashizawa sat on one of the couches, with his left eye having repaired itself overtime.
A visitor had come to inform them about several...'misunderstandings' that Miyakaze had created between the Shinjuku Reapers and the Shibuya Reapers: the initial lies Miyakaze had spouted off about their knowledge of the goings with Shinjuku's Inversion, the agreement of everyone to keep this knowledge under wraps from the Shibuya Reapers, the decisions to antagonize the Shibuya Reapers at any turn they got...
This visitor had begun to excuse themself.
Before they got too far, Megumi had asked what their motivations were in exposing the Reapers he was a part of. The visitor had claimed that he couldn't stand to let things continue as they were, with the 'Shiba' he knew, gone. He had to do something before 'Shiba' did something. He had to do something before 'Shiba' proved all of his suspicions about what happened in Shinjuku to be true.
The visitor had chosen to depart before Megumi had had the chance to interrogate him further.
Megumi requested that Higashizawa keep watch over Dead God's Pad to ensure that no one interfered with the imminent private meeting and asked Konishi to call for Miyakaze. They had some things to discuss.
Konishi made her 'exit' as well, just before Miyakaze arrived.
Miyakaze strode into the Dead God's Pad, one hand holding his nostrils closed and the other wafting the air in front of him away. "I truly do wonder how you Reapers can accept this lounge being in such a...frankly, gross environment."
Megumi peered at Miyakaze silently through his sunglasses.
After a moment, Miyakaze shrugged. "What? Am I wrong? Ah, yes, I want to travel through the sewer to reach my place of employment, how fun."
Megumi ignored Miyakaze's ramblings. "Shiba Miyakaze, you have earned yourself many points, even exceeding the performances of Reapers who originate from Shibuya. Commendable, considering you've just lost your home not long ago."
Smirking, Miyakaze pantomimed patting his dress coat. "Oh ho, so it would seem I've acclimated quite well to the environment, hmm?"
"So it would seem." Hands calmly held behind his back, Megumi observed Miyakaze once again.
When Megumi didn't continue speaking, Miyakaze raised an eyebrow. "...Would it be incorrect of me to assume this meeting is about my promotion to your upper echelon? If you've elected to promote me, oh, I will ensure a most exciting Game burns throughout the UG—"
"You are not incorrect in assuming that." Megumi watched as Miyakaze's face flashed with some sort of emotion, which quickly died out behind his veil of smoke. "However, I would like to ask you a few questions before we make anything certain."
"I see." Miyakaze's face scrunched up for the briefest of moments, revealing an underlying frustration behind his words. In the next moment, the irritation was gone. "Very well! Lighting a fire under me and seeing how long I might last, is it?"
"In a sense." Megumi gestured to one of the couches with a hand. Miyakaze walked over wordlessly and sat down without complaint. Megumi remained standing.
A moment passed. Megumi stared at Miyakaze. Miyakaze stared back, eyes twitching as he tried to look through his sunglasses. Eventually, Miyakaze spoke up first. "Are you...not going to grill me over the coals?"
Megumi, with his unending grin, raised a hand to his sunglasses and held them with his pointer finger and thumb on the sides of the lenses. He adjusted them before returning his hand to his back. "I was considering where to begin. I have quite a few questions."
"Oh?" Miyakaze shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Well, don't let me rush you, Conductor."
"Hmm." Megumi stared for another moment before finally speaking—and noticing the tension in Miyakaze's muscles relax just a bit. "Very few Reapers have the desire and motivation to work for a promotion. Very few Reapers are able to obtain as many points as you have in such a short amount of time. May I ask your reasons for pursuing rank as an officer?"
Miyakaze chuckled. "Oh, I simply love to make the Game blaze excitingly. Back in Shinjuku, as I'm sure you know, Reapers act as administrators to the Players in the Game. Here, earning points may require more manual legwork, sure, but my mindset is no less the same. To stoke a Game until it burns so bright the city itself lights aflame..."
It didn't seem like Miyakaze's trailing off would end in silence, so Megumi stayed silent and let him continue.
"...Truthfully, I was also used to my role as Game Master in Shinjuku. Oh, I would host such magnificent Games, you know? My words stoked the flames of competition within the Players' eyes, and my Reapers shoveled the coal into their engines. Ha ha! Such fun, to witness such excitement." Miyakaze's eyes glimmered with some sort of... Megumi guessed it was a sort of wistfulness. "Of course, if you make me Game Master, I will deliver to you the most exciting of Games!"
His Reapers.
Megumi rubbed his chin, and chose to interrupt Miyakaze when he seemed keen to continue.
"So you've sought an officer position because it is the rank you had in Shinjuku," Megumi summed up. "May I ask what your relationship is to the Reapers who transferred from Shinjuku?"
"Hmm? Oh, you must have heard at this point! We consider one another to be family. And no matter the fires that surround, family must stick together, yes?" Miyakaze grinned.
"I assume that is why you all transferred into Shibuya together rather than splintering off."
"Indeed." Miyakaze put a hand on his chest and leaned his head back with a smile. "And though the ashes of grief remain within my family and chafe against you Shibuya Reapers, I appreciate you allowing all of our surviving Reapers within."
"I hear you act as a sort of leader for the Reapers who transferred from Shinjuku," Megumi started, observing Miyakaze's face as he changed the subject.
"In a sense, I suppose that I fan the flames of my family." Miyakaze used the hand on his chest to now adjust the sunglasses sitting on his head. He feigned an exaggerated expression of sadness across his face. "They can tend to become disheartened in such a new and different environment, even now after we've resided within Shibuya for a while. I try to give them the motivation to see the next day."
"Did you take a similar role when you were in Shinjuku?" Megumi asked, immediately after Miyakaze's response ended.
Miyakaze gave Megumi an odd look, as though trying to identify the reason for such a question. After a beat, Miyakaze answered: "Yes, I suppose you could say that."
An uncertain answer? Megumi audibly hmmed, which seemed to catch Miyakaze's attention. "What of Shinjuku's Conductor?"
"Shinjuku's Conductor..." Miyakaze began, trailing off as though finding the words to say. "...was not the most sociable person. Not unlike yourself."
Not unlike Megumi, so Miyakaze said.
"They appointed me as Game Master, for I could ignite the Reapers and Players." Miyakaze spoke with something like pride in his voice.
"For your charisma,." Megumi clarified.
"Essentially!" Miyakaze grinned and shrugged. "Shinjuku's Conductor supported the Game from the back, and I supported it from the front. They trusted me, you know. And you can do the same."
"What happened to Shinjuku's Conductor?" Megumi ignored Miyakaze's attempt to garner favor with him.
Miyakaze's gaze hardened. His brow scrunched together and his head tilted. "You mean, during the Inversion?"
"Correct."
Miyakaze seemed to take a moment to think, but attempted to conceal it by looking away and adjusting his sitting position. "Well, the Inversion came upon us so suddenly, as you know. We organized the Reapers for evacuation, but we could not find Shinjuku's Conductor and had no time to spare. I suspect they are nothing but embers of Soul within Shinjuku, right now."
"I've heard that Shinjuku's Conductor was responsible for Shinjuku's Inversion."
Those words came out so suddenly and nonchalantly that it seemed that Miyakaze couldn't help but react in a way he did not intend. His arm leaning across the back of the couch had tensed and his other hand gripped at his coat. "And where did you hear this?"
"I've heard that you were the one to have found out that Shinjuku's Conductor had been plotting to destroy Shinjuku via an Inversion."
Again, Megumi's calm demeanor contrasted what he supposed were strong words, and it seemed to disturb Miyakaze once again. "I don't know in what world you're imagining this. Coming up with lies to hinder my efforts to gain a promotion? Not unexpected from a Shibuya Reaper."
"It seems the only one lying here is you, Shiba Miyakaze." Megumi raised his arm and pointed the fingers of his hand at Miyakaze. Miyakaze flinched just a tad, nigh imperceptible, as though he feared a psych was going to fire from Megumi's hand. "All of my information comes from the Reapers transferred from Shinjuku."
Miyakaze's brow tightened further, from confusion now to anger.
"Your Reapers, as you said a few minutes ago."
"I see. So you would trust random information? Not going to 'fact-check'? Who even told you this, anyways?" Miyakaze glared at the dark sunglasses that bounced his anger away from Megumi easily.
"I would rather keep my sources quiet rather than tell you and have you seek to silence them," Megumi explained coolly.
"I wouldn't hurt or betray my family like that. Say that again and I'm afraid I'll need to make sparks fly." Miyakaze's flaming anger grew, but Megumi simply tapped his foot against the glass flooring.
"You wouldn't, would you?" Megumi asked.
"I'm not going to say it again," Miyakaze said, through gritted teeth.
Megumi turned away momentarily and walked toward the seat of the opposite couch. He sat down calmly as Miyakaze stirred in his own seat, fingers digging into the cushion and fierce anger written across his features. His eyes seemed to glare through Megumi, as though Miyakaze had given up trying to beam through his glasses. Megumi wondered when this little game would end or if Miyakaze really would go all the way.
"Well? Are you just going to sit there looking at me?" Miyakaze frowned. "Take a picture; it'll last longer."
"It's pointless to behave this way," Megumi began, leaning back as Miyakaze leaned forward. "This will be easier if we're both open with the truth."
"Yet you won't tell me which of my family is coming up with lies?" Miyakaze waved his hands around as though he was frustrated. "Tell me, which one of us is keeping secrets now?"
"It is still you, I'm afraid." Megumi silently watched Miyakaze once again. That snarling whirlwind of fire would die out one way or another. "As it stands, I believe you could have lied to me about not knowing the events leading up to the Inversion for any number of reasons. I care not for the reasons right now. I simply want to hear the truth."
"The truth? The burning truth? Fine then." Miyakaze actually seemed to calm down a bit. "The information you've heard is correct. Shinjuku's Conductor was conspiring to destroy Shinjuku by causing an Inversion."
Megumi raised a hand and adjusted his sunglasses. Finally, some truth. "How did you come about this conclusion?"
Miyakaze leaned on his knees and looked down at his hands. For once, Megumi was unable to look at his face and identify the 'color' of his veil. "As I said before, the Conductor trusted me to run the Game as Game Master and make any front-facing decisions. Reapers came to me with their burning issues and I either doused them myself or brought the flame to the Conductor to handle. They took care of the back-facing issues of running the Game: communicating with the Composer for what they thought would spice up the Game, or preparing for the Composer to award the winners. As such, the Conductor had much time on their hands, as they led a very observation-focused role..."
It was almost funny how easily Megumi was able to identify when Miyakaze's words turned from truth to lie.
Miyakaze continued, "The Plague Noise infect people, turning them into mindless zombies, and devour the planar boundaries. We had no idea where the Plague Noise came from, and none of us had the knowledge to create such a thing. But with the Conductor's time and connection with the Composer, it gave me a feeling..."
Megumi had a feeling right now, too.
"...a feeling that there was foul play."
Megumi agreed.
"And there was one final, burning piece of information that revealed to me the truth of the Conductor's intentions of burning Shinjuku to the ground." Miyakaze looked up at Megumi, as if to punctuate his words. "I'm sure you know this already. When a ward faces Inversion, the Conductor of the ward is promoted to Angelhood."
"I am indeed aware." Megumi hardly reacted.
"Then you should realize it, too. Realize the truth of what Shinjuku's Conductor was trying to accomplish." Miyakaze's lips flashed with a grin as Megumi adjusted his sunglasses once again.
A brief silence passed between them. Megumi presumed that Miyakaze intended to 'let the bombshell sink in,' as if Megumi had been convinced. "You've certainly weaved a convincing tale."
"I merely set the pieces together in a way that makes sense." Miyakaze rose from his leaning position. "The fires light on their own."
"You've seemed to convince others of that story, but you have not convinced me."
Miyakaze frowned.
"Allow me to present my own theory of what happened." Megumi's felt grin became crooked with his lips separating a bit. "You've fabricated a tale about the Conductor in order to conceal your own misdoings. You had the favor of the Reapers in Shinjuku, and you used that to manipulate them into thinking the Conductor was the one who caused the Inversion. In truth, you were the one who Inverted Shinjuku, and for whatever reason, you've chosen to come to Shibuya with the rest of the Shinjuku Reapers."
Miyakaze tilted his head as though confused. "So you would rather believe your personal theory that I Inverted Shinjuku for no reason rather than Shinjuku's Conductor Inverting Shinjuku for a certain reason?"
"Yes," Megumi said, plainly.
"Why? You're purposefully letting smoke cloud your vision?" Miyakaze sounded genuinely confused.
Megumi let his hand rest against his face and laughed. What a ridiculous question. 'Why would he ever believe that Shinjuku's Conductor could do such a thing?' It was obvious. "I would never believe that a Conductor would so easily decide to destroy the city they've worked so hard to protect. So hard to serve. How foolish it is to think that Conductors would care so little to just let everything die and accept a role as an Angel. We become Conductors because we love our cities so much. Because we fight to protect our cities. I will never believe someone who says a Conductor, not simply going along with the will of their Composer, but actively sought to cause an Inversion."
Miyakaze squinted his eyes at Megumi. "You—"
"The 'reward' for a Conductor when their city is Inverted is hardly one at all. It is a funeral gift. Something to help the Conductor move on from the idea that everything they've worked towards and everything they love is falling apart." Megumi dropped his hand from his face. "So, yes. I do believe my personal theory over yours. You act as a leader, yet you believe a Conductor is capable of doing such a thing. I believe that to be very telling of who you are."
"Then there is no convincing you?" Miyakaze challenged. "No thought put forth about how I could possibly know how to create Plague Noise? No thought put forth about my reasons?"
"I have my theories." There always seemed to be some beings within the UG with knowledge they shouldn't have access to. It was curious to Megumi how Miyakaze could've obtained such information. Shinjuku's Composer?
"Tch." Miyakaze looked away from the blank stare of Megumi's sunglasses before looking back with an honest frustration. "So, what then, will you not allow me to become an officer?"
Megumi watched him silently.
Miyakaze's eyes squinted at him harder. Then he leaned back and sighed. "Well, it seems I've lost this game."
Megumi glanced down and saw Miyakaze toying with his butterfly amulet. "What do you intend to do within Shibuya?"
Miyakaze gripped and pulled at the butterfly amulet a bit more before looking up and looking Megumi in the eyes with full confidence. "I am the Executor. I shall burn this city to the ground. Just as I did to Shinjuku."
Megumi's eyes squinted back at Miyakaze behind his sunglasses. "So you plan to Invert Shibuya."
Miyakaze's lips slowly curled into a grin. "What are you going to do? Erase me, here and now? I'd like to see you try."
"Even if I could," and Megumi couldn't say if he could with full confidence, "I would only upset the Reapers from Shinjuku who are following you. Such an action would only be an act of aggression. A war could break out."
Miyakaze let his butterfly amulet go and pressed his hand against his cheek, peering at Megumi from between his fingers. "Then you realize the position you're in? Even if you know who I am...it means nothing."
"So it would seem." Megumi calmly leaned back.
Miyakaze frowned with a huff. "You're about as exciting as a wet blanket. Where's the fire in your frustration?! Make this fun!"
"You can go now. I've learned about all I've wanted to." Megumi stood up and walked over to the bar. Miyakaze seemed to watch him carefully.
"Hmph. I'm looking forward to seeing how this little competition of ours plays out."
When Miyakaze finally stood up and left the Dead God's Pad, Megumi felt the third presence in the room make itself known.
"Conductor. How would you like me to handle this situation?" Konishi asked, stepping out of Megumi's shadow.
Megumi sustained his silence for a moment.
He supposed the next course of action was simple. Perhaps not the best course of action. But Megumi couldn't rest on his laurels. He would deal with the consequences as they came. For now, he needed to prepare the Red Skull pins and ascertain exactly what Miyakaze was up to.
If the Plague Noise really could turn people mindless, then he would give the people a hivemind to latch onto.
And as for Miyakaze...
The next morning, Megumi left the Dead God's Pad and roamed Shibuya. He'd gleaned Miyakaze's assignment from the Game Master for the day.
Megumi waited until Miyakaze was alone to approach. He stood on the roof of a building, overlooking the Crossing. Megumi noticed Miyakaze's expression at the moment that the latter appeared to spot the former: his features morphed several times, from amusement to anger to his usual cool, perhaps remembering that they were in public now. Miyakaze had to keep appearances up to make his lie convincing.
"Shiba Miyakaze."
"Ooh, you did come for me, how sweet." Miyakaze pressed a hand to his chest and leaned back. "Now, now, what did you come to talk to me about? I'm going to have a fire that needs to be fueled in a moment once the Players come to. Unless you've come to erase me, in which case..."
Megumi adjusted his sunglasses and raised a hand to stop Miyakaze. "I came to inform you of your instatement as a Reaper officer within Shibuya."
It suddenly became very quiet.
Miyakaze blinked. "You what?"
"You are an officer now." Megumi put his hands behind his back. "You are permitted to serve this last day as a Harrier Reaper, however, I expect you to report to me directly at the Dead God's Pad going forward."
Miyakaze squinted at him, just like the day before, but out of confusion now rather than anger. "You've...really done this?"
"Correct."
"I can't fathom a reason as to why..." Miyakaze stared at Megumi for a while, in silence. "Those damn sunglasses make it so hard to read you, you know."
Megumi walked over to the edge of the building and looked down at the Crossing. Miyakaze stood next to him. "You were honest with me, so I'll be honest with you. There are two reasons. First, you are a high earner of points and if I don't treat you fairly, then I'll be riling up the Reapers from Shinjuku. I don't need tensions to rise because I chose not to treat you by the book. Secondly, I need to keep my enemies, meaning you, close. Making you an officer is the best way for me to know exactly what you're doing. You will always report back to me. My officers will be around you, ready to strike you down should you act. I'll ensure that you never have another private moment again."
"I see." Miyakaze nodded. "Hah! Clever, using my goals against me. Now it'll be harder to sneak anything under your nose."
"Precisely." Megumi admired the streets of Shibuya, full of people, as it always was. If need be, he would use the Red Skull pin on them all again.
"But you know, if you play with fire..." Miyakaze hooked his thumbs into his pockets and grinned. "You're going to get burned."
"I'll do anything to protect Shibuya." Megumi looked at Miyakaze from the corner of his eye, peering at him from behind his sunglasses.
Miyakaze leaned forward and whispered. "And I'll do anything to destroy it. Melt the beams holding up the UG and crash it down onto the RG." He backed off and laughed. "Oh, I wonder which of us will win~?"
Megumi would make sure he would be the one who won.
Miyakaze looked out at Shibuya from his perch. "I suppose it's 'game on,' then?"