Chapter 31: The Visceral Truth

Mateo adjusted his posture, keeping his focus on the officer as he spoke dispassionately and offered his unfiltered opinion.

"Ms. Park is reckless, prideful, and undisciplined in many areas; that being said, she’s also intelligent, and I would even say she has a shockingly military mind for a civilian—to an extent. I’d say she has an overinflated ego regarding her abilities, which, while being very useful and powerful, she doesn’t have the experience to utilize them to the degree she operates... She’s been extremely lucky."

Thompson’s fingers skidded across the keyboard, making Rachel’s tail stiffen and ears twitch. "From what I’m reading about the mythology she’s associated with, couldn’t it be extrapolated that it is a part of her powers?"

"It’s conceivable," the Green Beret shrugged. "However, from what I’ve heard while paying close attention to her comments and actions, I’d say she falls more in line with what we’ve read regarding the hare in the way of misfortune she can bring others."

His even tone and gaze shifted to her as he continued. "When the toad entered the building, and we were moving to intercept, she ran ahead, despite her physical state after exiting the other world, to reach the enemy first. I initially thought it was her reckless behavior, but later learned that she sensed many of my men would die and put herself in danger to prevent it."

Rachel turned away, trying to act natural as her heart thumped against her ribcage; there were so many ways this could go, and anxiety was pushing back the fog clouding her mind as she ate in silence. It was best she didn’t interrupt until being called upon; this was also a test to see how she’d respond to criticism.

"I see..." the blond man hummed, lightly tapping a finger against the keyboard without pressing it in as his knuckles came to his mouth. "Hmm. One could say the act was selfless and courageous, then?"

"I’d like to believe so," Mateo said, folding his hands in his lap. "However, Ms. Park made it clear when we first met that her plan was to meet with you; therefore, many of her actions of bravery could be seen as her trying to score brownie points for that purpose."

Rachel internally groaned. Dammit! It is a valid point, though...and not entirely wrong. Military men really are observant; he’s been watching me closely.

"She mentioned her Feats or abilities help to connect a pathway to her goals by acting as a sort of memory bank for everything she’s heard while drawing points of actions that can bring her in that direction.

"That’s not to say she doesn’t have good intentions or that everyone doesn’t act in the same way, but it is worth pointing out that she is a very rational and practical girl with high motivation and drive. She wants something from you, Lt. Thompson, and that cannot be denied..."

He paused, narrowed eyes shifting back to her. "If there’s one criticism I have, though... It’s that Ms. Park has no inhibition toward murder from her story against the goblins or when facing the toads. No fear. No sympathy. No remorse. Despite her claim that they were intelligent creatures with culture, as vile as it may have been.

"Everyone thinks they’re prepared to kill something until the gun or knife is in their hands; people have a hard time killing pets. It’s almost as if she’s taken lives before this, and her school records show that, while having top marks in academics, she has a habit of getting into fights."

They even got into my records while I was out? Rachel internally sighed. All of it shows I wasn’t the one to start them, though...and there it is! I couldn’t help attacking anyone who tried to bully, throw racist remarks, or any other aggressive challenge someone made against me. Although...I did manipulate things where they’d throw the first punch for an excuse.

Thompson slowly nodded, scrolling down on his hidden screen. "It does show she’s been in a decent amount of scuffles, and done some...damage to a few girls with records of their own. She’s never stated to have thrown the first punch..."

"True," Mateo agreed, fingers tightening against each other. "However, given what I’ve seen of Ms. Park’s behavior, I can see her easily being capable of guiding things down that route and pushing the right buttons. She’s methodical in her approach to things, which showed with how she handled Scarlet, manipulating her into a position to rely on her in the girl’s manic state...and that can be dangerous."

Rachel knew the topic would come up; if she decided to press the right buttons, Scarlet could become her puppet attack dog. What other choice did she have with the unstable girl? Yes, she did play Scarlet, to a degree, but she could also empathize with her, and it wasn’t like she wanted to hurt the broken teenager.

Thompson scratched his temple, showing a deep frown. "Yet, in the warning report you sent me between the incidents, you mention that Ms. Park likely curbed a horrible disaster by keeping the girl stable and calming her down. It is hard now that they’ve established a connection since we can’t separate them... You’re right; it’s a calculated play and calls into question motive."

He turned to her with a tight mouth, appraising her as she calmly waited; Rachel’s actions only further highlighted her mind and mental state. "What do you have to say about your actions after Mateo described them from his point of view; do you have anything you want to respond to?"

Rachel breathed out a long stream of air while setting aside the partially eaten hamburger she’d chosen after the fruit and cleaning her fingers and mouth with a napkin.

"I promised you I would be honest with how I responded, and I could twist my words and events into a favorable light, but you want the visceral, cold truth of who I am without the bullshit. Ever since I’ve gained this Feat called [Strategic Mind]—which happens to be in the Cerridwen Branch of my abilities—I’ve been able to analyze my own actions in ways I wasn’t able to before, heh...think of it like an epiphany of sorts," she chuckled, settling into her seat.

Her unshaken, eclipse-like eyes were held on the military officer across from her. "I am cruel to those I view as my enemies—without a doubt—and I won’t deny it; I don’t have a hint of regret or shame for fights I’ve gotten into or the noses I’ve broken. They were asking for it.

"I don’t run from conflict; I find a way to win at any price. It’s how I’ve won multiple Muay Thai competitions, and I love to fight. The reality is, I feel the most alive while in a fight, and when I was under the Azure Moon on the other planet, as the Lt. said, my inhibitions were shoved away, and I was able to see myself in raw form..."