Sumeragi Kaguya—the gentle, doll-like princess of the Kyoto Six. To the world, she is nothing more than a sheltered figurehead, a girl too young and too soft to wield any true power. But behind those innocent eyes lurks a soul that has already lived one life—the soul of Haman Karn, the Iron Lady of Axis, reborn into a world of Britannian oppression and Knightmare Frames.
When Zero, the masked leader of the Black Knights, comes to Kyoto seeking money, weapons, and machines, he expects to charm a
Code Geass: Kagura of the Shadow Reign - Tears Beneath the Mask — The Isolated and Unsupported Head of the Family
The stone steps leading down to the basement of the Kirihara estate were freezing cold, even in broad daylight.
Kaguya followed behind Kirihara, trailing her hand along the wall. The chill of the stone crept up through her fingertips. As if the brightness aboveground had been a lie, there was no sound here. Only her own footsteps rang out, click, click, in steady rhythm.
(That man summoned me. And to the basement conference room of the Kirihara estate, no less.)
Inside Kaguya, Haman Karn's voice echoed quietly.
(Yes. The security guarantees you demanded at the last meeting — those got under his skin. And then the Katsuragi family's slander. That you're a Britannian pawn.)
Kaguya gave a slight toss of her black hair, tied back with a vermilion ribbon. The hair that reached her waist swayed softly. For just an instant, a cold shadow unbefitting her age crossed the face of the fourteen-year-old girl. But it vanished just as quickly.
Before the heavy iron door underground, Kirihara Taizou came to a stop.
The old man, his short, salt-and-pepper hair neatly combed, clutched a string of prayer beads in his left hand and narrowed his already thin, slit-like eyes even further.
"Kaguya. Things are different today. Lord Zero says he wants to speak with you alone."
Kirihara's voice was low and heavy.
"My, Lord Zero, alone with Kaguya? Hee hee, I do feel a little nervous."
Kaguya wore a smile like a blooming flower. Her large, round, dark-brown eyes sparkled with innocence.
(This little girl, putting on that perfect mask again. I can see right through it, clear as day.)
Kirihara muttered inwardly.
"I'll be in the waiting room next door. If anything happens, I'll come bursting in. Understood?"
"Uncle, thank you. But it's all right. Lord Zero would never harm Kaguya."
Kaguya smiled sweetly.
(Won't harm you, eh? When he might turn something far more terrible on you — something called Geass.)
Kirihara tightened his grip on the prayer beads.
"Hmph. Then go. Lord Zero is waiting."
Kirihara pushed open the iron door.
With a heavy creak, the underground secret conference room spread out before her.
In the center of the room stood a black table. Beyond it sat a man wearing a pitch-black mask.
Zero.
Black clothing covering him from head to toe. From behind the mask, a gaze that revealed nothing of his thoughts pierced through Kaguya. Overwhelming charisma, and somewhere in it, a cold emptiness. Just his presence seemed to drop the temperature of the room.
"You've come, Sumeragi Kaguya."
Zero's voice carried clearly even through the mask. It had an arrogant, domineering ring — the tone of a man looking down on whoever he addressed.
"Lord Zero, what an honor to be summoned. Kaguya has been counting the days until today."
Kaguya spoke in a dreamy voice. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she gazed at Zero with eyes full of admiration.
(This little girl, still playing the devoted worshipper. But...)
Zero frowned behind his mask.
(Our eyes don't meet. Not last time, not the time before. This girl never once tries to look me in the eye. If she were simply an innocent princess, could she avoid my gaze so thoroughly?)
Zero probed Kaguya's eyes.
But Kaguya, as though she hadn't noticed at all, reached for the teapot on the table and began pouring tea.
"Lord Zero, please. Kaguya brewed it with all her heart."
Kaguya offered him a teacup.
"...Ah."
Zero took the cup.
(Just now — she definitely looked away. With a natural motion. Coincidence? No. Three times in a row, and it can't be dismissed as coincidence.)
Zero brought the cup to his lips, his mind racing.
"Now then, to the point. Sumeragi Kaguya. There's something I want to ask you."
Zero's voice resonated low through the room.
"Yes, whatever might it be? Kaguya will answer anything for Lord Zero's sake."
Kaguya straightened her back and folded both hands in her lap.
"...Are you a pawn of Britannia?"
Zero's voice was cold and sharp, stabbing into Kaguya.
In that instant, Zero fixed the eyes behind his mask on Kaguya and stared.
Geass.
The power of absolute obedience. By meeting a target's eyes directly, he could force them to obey any command — an unnatural power that interfered with the human mind.
(Here it comes.)
Inside Kaguya, Haman's voice rang out sharply.
(Don't meet his eyes. Not for anything. That man is trying to look into your eyes and activate his Geass.)
Kaguya set the teacup down on the table.
Then she drew a single document from her sleeve and held it out before Zero.
"Lord Zero, this is something Kaguya had been intending to give you. It's a detailed list of relief supplies for the Black Knights."
Kaguya slid the document across the table.
With that motion, her gaze fell completely onto the papers.
(Tch... dodged again.)
Zero clicked his tongue inwardly.
"...I'll look at that later. For now, answer my question. Are you a pawn of Britannia?"
Zero leaned forward. The eyes behind his mask tried to capture Kaguya's face.
"Lord Zero, Kaguya being a pawn of Britannia... such a thing could never be."
Kaguya kept her head down and shook it slightly.
"Then why won't you meet my eyes?"
Zero's voice pressed in sharply.
"Because... Kaguya could never do something so shameless as to stare fixedly into Lord Zero's eyes. Kaguya respects Lord Zero from the bottom of her heart. That is precisely why I must not be rude."
Kaguya clasped her hands before her chest and spoke in a trembling voice.
"...I see. Then lift your head. Look me in the eye and answer."
Zero commanded, low.
(Here it is. There's no force behind it. But if I refuse here, his suspicion becomes certain.)
Kaguya slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were brimming with tears.
"Lord Zero... Kaguya believes in you. And yet you think Kaguya has betrayed you? All Kaguya wants is to be of service to you... why would you say such a thing?"
Kaguya's voice trembled, and a single tear traced down her white cheek.
(Crying? Is it an act? Or is it real?)
Zero faltered for an instant.
In that instant's opening, Kaguya pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
Her gaze slipped away again.
(Damn it...!)
Zero cursed inwardly.
"Lord Zero, Kaguya believes in you. Please, believe in Kaguya. Kaguya can do anything for your sake. For the Black Knights, I would gladly risk my life."
Kaguya wiped her tears and spoke as if pleading.
(This little girl...! She means to keep me from using Geass by crying. No — more than that, she avoids my eyes with absolute consistency. As if she knows about Geass...)
Behind his mask, Zero observed Kaguya coldly.
"...Fine. I'll withdraw for today. But remember this. If there is even the slightest sign of betrayal from you, I will show no mercy."
Zero rose slowly to his feet.
"Lord Zero, Kaguya would never, ever betray you. Kaguya's loyalty belongs to Lord Zero, forever."
Kaguya looked up at Zero with moist eyes.
But still, her gaze did not precisely catch the eyes behind Zero's mask.
"...Hmph."
Zero left it at that and walked out of the room.
The iron door closed heavily.
Silence returned to the room.
Kaguya sat there for a while.
Then, after confirming no one was around, she let out a small breath.
"...That was close."
Kaguya's voice was cold and quiet — the trembling from moments before now like a lie.
(Yes. That man definitely suspects you. He withdrew today, but next time he may resort to harsher means.)
Haman's voice echoed inside Kaguya.
(I know. Crying bought me time. But to fully clear that man's suspicions, I need material evidence. Definitive proof that I am not in league with Britannia.)
Kaguya stood.
(For that, exposing the Katsuragi family's betrayal is the surest way. That family is the very one that slandered me to Zero. If I can obtain proof that the Katsuragi family is actually in secret collusion with Britannia, the suspicion against me will vanish at once.)
Kaguya left the underground conference room.
She climbed the stone steps and emerged aboveground.
The outside air, unlike the chill below, was lukewarm and humid. Kyoto's summer was muggy.
"Kaguya. Are you all right?"
Kirihara came out of the waiting room and called to her.
"Uncle. Yes, I'm fine. Lord Zero simply had a little something to discuss with Kaguya."
Kaguya answered with a smile.
"I see. That's good, then."
Kirihara stared at Kaguya's face.
"You look pale. Stay and rest a while."
"Thank you. But Kaguya must return to the Sumeragi Group headquarters now. I'm grateful for your concern."
Kaguya bowed politely.
(This little girl — something happened. But I won't press her here. Waiting until she's willing to talk is an old man's duty.)
Kirihara muttered inwardly.
Kaguya left the Kirihara estate and headed for the Sumeragi Group headquarters.
In the back seat of the car, Kaguya gazed out the window. The streets of Kyoto flowed past. The roofs of old temples, stone-paved roads, people in kimono. Even under Britannian rule, this ancient capital seemed to live in some other time.
(And yet — that man did try to use Geass after all. He showed an abnormal fixation on meeting my eyes. He kept trying to look directly into them.)
Kaguya spoke to Haman in her mind.
(Yes. That man's Geass activates by looking directly into his target's eyes. That much is certain. As long as you don't meet his gaze, he cannot use Geass on you. But how long can that last?)
Haman's voice was cold.
(The development of the special contact lenses is still in the prototype stage. It will take time to make them practical. Until then, I must keep fighting this battle of never meeting his eyes.)
Kaguya gently touched her own eyes with her fingers.
(And besides, that man's suspicion has only deepened thanks to the Katsuragi family's slander. At this rate, my position among the Six Houses of Kyoto will only worsen.)
Kaguya let out a small sigh.
The car arrived at the Sumeragi Group headquarters building.
The thirty-two-story building towered conspicuously above the Kyoto skyline.
Kaguya headed for her private room on the top floor.
The elevator doors closed, and it rose silently.
With a chime, the doors opened.
Kaguya opened the door to her private room and stepped inside.
And the moment she closed the door, her expression crumbled.
"...Nn."
Kaguya leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor.
The tears came spilling out.
(My agent was caught. And executed.)
She had received that report in the car on the way back from the Kirihara estate.
A small note, quietly handed to her by the driver.
It read:
'Katsuragi family's secret pact documents stored at Britannian Intelligence facility in the Tokyo Settlement. One agent captured, then executed.'
Kaguya clenched the note.
The paper crinkled.
(That man risked his life for me. On my orders, he tracked the Katsuragi family's movements — and he was caught. And killed.)
Kaguya's shoulders trembled.
(Lady Kaguya, I serve you. I cannot run away.)
The agent's final words came back to her.
"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
Kaguya murmured it over and over, softly.
(Don't cry, Kaguya. Those tears do nothing for that man. Or are you the kind of soft creature who weeps over a sacrifice this small?)
Haman's voice pierced Kaguya's heart — quietly, but sharply.
"...I know. Crying won't change anything. I know that much."
Kaguya wiped her tears and lifted her head.
In her eyes, a cold flame burned once more.
"I won't let that man's death be in vain. I will expose the Katsuragi family's betrayal. And I will protect the Six Houses of Kyoto."
Kaguya stood.
Outside the window, the setting sun dyed the city of Kyoto red.
That light reflected in Kaguya's eyes like blood.
A few days later, an emergency meeting of the Six Houses of Kyoto was convened.
The venue was the Six Houses Association Hall. On the surface it was the office of a cultural heritage preservation society, but deep inside was a stately conference room where the heads of the six families gather
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