The License to Do Harm

Not having a reflection in a magical mirror turned out to be only a minor red flag, and Raven got a second date a day later. E.T. took her out of Tokyo to the countryside.

“Where are we going?” Raven asked. Great question, because I also had no clue. I still didn’t know much about E.T. and whether he killed Genki. My quasi-omniscience wasn't much help in uncovering that. All because of the blind spots.

Blind spots that were created by his harem of magical artifacts. He had always kept at least one close. And those artifacts were a constant nuisance, obscuring the information about E.T.

But something was still amiss. I should have overcome this proximal concealment as I gained prior knowledge to build on. I had seen E.T. in person, deduced some of his background here and there, and knew that he was the Robin Hood. With what I know, my mental search engine should have sifted through the interference of the artifacts and grabbed onto whatever information they could get from E.T.

Unless… E.T. himself was the blind spot, then no amount of adaptation would help. But how? He certainly wasn’t Famine or War. So, what could he be? Unease built in my mind as I pondered the possibilities. As much as I wanted to beat the information out of E.T. and as much as I hated playing under his rules, I needed him to reveal all his cards first.

This E.T. was a slippery bastard, dismissing Raven’s every question while leading the way through the serpentine rocky path. We emerged from the domain of lush foliage, overlooking the slope that concluded with concrete-paved roads. E.T. set down his giant backpack, with a thud, and finally threw us a nugget of information. “You said you wanted to learn more about the magical item trade?”

“Dude, do we have to go all the way out here just to talk about this?” Raven panted heavily, her days of lounging around, clearly on display.

“They don’t do public bids anymore. All the trading they do is more private and clandestine.” The superficial pride in his voice hinted at other uglier emotions.

“Why?” Raven asked, while still heaving. I couldn’t tell whether she was having a panic attack, or was just that unfit.

“Because they fear me. And I’m about to confirm those fears once more.” E.T.’s eyes locked onto the road; perhaps the exposed asphalt looked like vulnerable prey to him. “In about thirty minutes, to be precise.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to do what I think you are.” That was a mouthful. If only Raven exercised as much as she spoke. She even propped her hands on her waist, acting like she was qualified to lecture him.

“Don’t you think society was committing a crime when it gave all its wealth to only a handful of people? Oh, wait. You also have quite a bit of money. You won’t get it.” Wrinkles charged with hostility defiled E.T.’s pretty face. With a laugh track added, this image could almost qualify as comedy.

“Why are you saying it as if I’m a bad person for having money? I use what I have to help people. Don’t lump me in with those awful pricks.” Raven mirrored his turbulent attitude; at least she didn’t bring up her mother.

“Oh? You’re different? How did you get so rich?” Finally, someone else asked.

Raven scoffed, communicating that even the act of answering was beneath her. “My mother earned it in her life. Fair and square, and can you stop prying? I’m leaving.”

She sought an escape, a bit like kids flipping the chessboard once they were losing. E.T. grabbed her arm before she could get too far. “No, you aren’t. You’re helping me.”

“Why would I help you commit crimes?”

“Do you think the rich would stop hoarding the life-saving magical items if we just asked nicely? You really think your charity work can change society for the better? Do you want to protect the corrupt system this desperately?” Words spew out of E.T. like a flood.

Raven only replied with a stare against this verbal force of nature.

E.T. took that as a cue to continue his waves of arguments. “They will watch a child starve to death without intervening if it means they can make more money. You can’t just wait for evil to disappear on its own.” He might just talk about the rich eating babies next, although that still couldn’t drag Raven off her self-appointed moral commissioner position.

“I won’t do bad things in the name of good,” Raven said. A final determined stand, but also a shaky one. Not unlike a chihuahua barking to appear bigger than it is.

“And why is stealing from the powerful such a bad thing?”

“Because stealing is wrong!” The ultimate set of pompous words. But I had to remember that better adjectives weren’t available in Raven’s vocabulary.

Raven’s words evidently set off E.T.’s bitch detector, and his expression sank. He let Raven go and adjusted his gaze back to the empty road. “Yonna-san is wrong. You aren’t suited for this.”

Raven grimaced at the rejection, but she didn’t say anything. Running away from reality took priority.

“Raven.” I had to speak up, lest Raven flee too far from the scene.

“I’m not listening to you. You two are… are… both insane. I tried to give you a chance. I tried. Why can’t you be normal? Why can’t he be normal?”

“Raven, what do you want?”

“No, I’m not doing this anymore.” Raven sped up her navigation around the sudden rocks and unyielding trees. The rhythmic crunching of the dried leaves gained in frequency.

“In the end, what do you want to achieve? What is your end goal?”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll say it. I want to help people. I want to make the world a better place.” I had expected an answer like this, but as Raven said it out loud, her words echoed inside me, never dwindling.

“Then, what if there are more people that need help, and the world hasn't changed after all you did?” This question wasn't one that I had mulled over. In hindsight, perhaps I should have. But this just felt like the right thing to ask. My words stunned Raven into a falter. In her awkward movement, she tripped on a stray stone and stumbled to a halt.

The rustling trees and chirping birds filled the hushed gap after. A moment where soft thoughts crawled about. As the saying goes, silence speaks louder than words. But then, what did it say?

Whatever it said, it was enough to send Raven shuffling back to E.T. He was putting on a golden shawl, translucent, that gave the sense of silky texture. But as it fluttered under the sunlight, glassy feathers jutted out from the surface before quickly fusing back into the larger cloth again. This was one of the items he had hidden in his bag, all so he could act as an innocent backpacker for the cameras to see.

Raven didn’t comment on E.T.’s new outfit as she was too busy stating her conditions. “I'll help you steal it, but if I don't like where it's going. I'll report you to the police and make sure justice will be served.” Tactful people wouldn't say it out loud, but of course, I'd be more surprised if Raven had kept her mouth shut.

“Remember that you are my accomplice.” E.T. winked, muddying the waters on whether it was a threat or a joke.

“It wouldn't matter. If it were the right thing to do.”

Despite Raven’s declaration, the smile stayed on E.T.’s face. Maybe it was mixed with condescension, but his handsomeness made the nuance invisible to her.