I braced myself for Chon's scorn. "Xiōngdi, are you actually mad?" he blasted.

    With the damage already done, I defended my actions. "Brother, it was necessary, and now we must respect that to some degree, the program is more important than even all of us."

    While Suki and mùqīn dipped their heads, Chon wrangled his face with fingers. "Xen, if the world finds out, The Solution will be over! Everything that's happened up until now would have been for nothing!" Then Chon hit me with the big question. "Does Lee know she's involved?"

    This time, I wouldn't lie to them. "No-"

    "-Damn it, Xen!"

    "Honestly, I'm not sure how to approach it, considering his feelings on corruption."

    "Well, you'll just have to fess up!" Chon screeched with boggled eyes.

    "I know," I acknowledged. "I know. Unfortunately, there's more..."

    While mùqīn tried not to show any expressive emotion, Suki couldn't help shaking her head.

    "O-Kenai wants three things for her participation in the program."

    "And what on earth are they?" Chon wailed.

    Again, I chose to be completely truthful, and mumbled out The Pink Lady's conditions. "...She's asked for sole control of The Central Column.

    "Sole control of the black market she insists there will be.

    "And, she's asked for her participation to be made globally public, even though I'm trying to convince her otherwise. Perversely, she wants the world to know that The Pink Lady will be humanity's 'cosmic savior'."

    "Xen, what the hell have you done?" Chon asked me - his words explosive, irate, and pulsating with frustration. "What, the hell, have you done...?"

    More than anything, I wanted to answer him. I wanted to answer and reassure all three of them. Painstakingly, though, the words didn't come. Furthermore, it felt like I'd fallen from grace all over again.