Chapter 1283. Crushing Negatives / Door to the Past
Then, we all walked to the backside of the school.
「 Still, it’s surprising how few people we see here 」
That said, we’re walking down the route we use to evacuate from the mansion to school so it’s natural.
There’s hardly any highway.
Basically, we’re walking inside a fenced-in driveway.
It’s not the path we use to school most of the time but we have no way around it.
We don’t want ordinary citizens to see Anya and the drill sisters.
「 If we can manage this morning, then the police won’t come here 」
Nei tells me.
「 Why? 」
「 Kyouko-san mentioned that she’s going out with Miss Cordelia, didn’t she? That she doesn’t need lunch 」
Now that she mentioned it.
「 Then that means that Kyouko-san’s going to be seen somewhere else, right? The police would notice that Kyouko-san’s back in Tokyo 」
「 I see. They’ll ignore us and let all the available people track down Kyouko-san 」
「 That’s right. I’m sure that there will be at least one watchman left at the mansion just in case Kyouko-san comes back, but they won’t be coming to our school 」
Since it’s Kyouko-san, she’ll definitely drag the police to her place.
「 Kyouko-sama’s giving me and these girls a vacation. Just so we can stretch our wings and relax 」
Anya, who’s wearing a tiger mask looked at Dolly and Anna and said with a smile.
「 These girls were under Kyouko-sama and Cordelia-sama’s pressure ever since they left their hometown 」
These sisters who had no hesitation in killing people had been following Kyouko-san and the team.
That’s the reason for their fear.
And since Kyouko-san is the one who killed and destroyed the Southeast Asia Organization that was in control of the female a.s.sa.s.sins since childhood.
「 These girls don’t know what it feels like to be free from the organization after all 」
I said.
「 Obviously. These girls don’t even know what freedom is. When their former organization was destroyed, they now see Kyouko-sama as their new Master, that’s how they think 」
Anya said.
Dolly and Anna are looking at us with a curious look.
「 That’s why Kyouko-san is giving these girls to Yo-chan 」
Nei?
「 The smell of blood and violence in Kyouko-san is too strong that these girls will always be frightened. They can’t feel liberated because these girls can’t let go of their collar of subordination 」
The existence of an overwhelming power frightens people.
For Misuzu, it’s the Kouzuki house.
For me, it’s the Kouzuki SS.
And for Kyouko-san, it’s her strong body.
「 That’s right! That’s why it’s best for these girls to have Yo-chan who isn’t scary at all! 」
Nei said.
「 Well, I certainly don’t have powers that would scare people away 」
「 Huh? But isn’t that amazing? Normally, women feel scared of men. Yo-chan doesn’t have that fundamental scariness at all! That’s the reason why the girls accept you 」
I’m not scary, so they accept me.
Nei might be right.
Still.
「 Nonono, that’s wrong. Darling’s quite scary you know 」
Huh?
「 He’s soft-spoken, and he doesn’t seem dangerous at a glance, so people approach Darling feeling safe, but Darling’s true nature is real scary 」
Edie said.
「 That duality is Darling’s charm. You won’t understand it until your skin’s touch until you have s.e.x with him. That’s why Motoko only understands Darling on the surface 」
Kuromiya Motoko-san.
But…
「 Edie. I’m just a high school boy you know 」
Furthermore, someone dumber than an ordinary high schoolboy.
n.o.body would see me as dangerous.
「 That’s not true 」
Edie said and looked at the members we have now.
Nei, Tsukiko, Anya, the drill sisters, and Grace Marinka-san.
「 I guess it’s okay even if Jun hears it in this situation 」
Hmm, what?
「 I mean, I don’t really mind if Jun knows 」
Then, she looked at me.
「 Darling’s killed a person already 」
「 Huh? 」
Grace-san’s surprised.
Tsukiko can read minds so she’s not surprised.
Anya already heard it from Miss Cordelia.
Miss Cordelia was there when I shot Cesario Viola after all.
Dolly and Anna don’t know j.a.panese much so they’re looking at us expressionlessly.
「 You know, Yo-chan killed the man who killed my brother and parents 」
Nei insisted.
「 It’s a villain who killed my family and a lot of people, and Yo-chan defeated him! He didn’t do anything wrong 」
Nei speaks with a scary expression.
「 ……?!!! 」
「 ……?!!! 」
The drill sisters look at Nei curiously as her expression has changed.
I…
「 I killed Cesario Viola because I thought that if I don’t shoot him, he’ll shoot me, it wasn’t because I was trying to avenge Nei’s family or some kind of heroic act 」
But…
「 But, I don’t regret doing that at all 」
Even if I killed a person, all I can do is move forward.
For my family’s sake, for my own sake.
「 If something similar happens again, then I’ll pull the trigger without hesitation. I will defeat my enemies. I don’t hesitate 」
I can’t hesitate nor be pessimistic.
「 I don’t have the same strength to overwhelm my opponent like Edie or Kyouko-san. So, I can’t subdue them without hurting them, I know that some people can’t be talked to either. I don’t wait for the police or someone to come and save me. I know that If I don’t face them with everyone in my power, then it will be too late 」
I…
「 I’ll do anything as soon as I sense the danger. Even if it means killing someone. I can think about what I’ve done after taking out the danger in front of me 」
That’s my vow as a member of the criminal syndicate the Black Forest.
I’m an idiot after all.
If I hesitate or think about it, then they could get me before I could finish.
That’s why I destroy the source of danger before it appears.
I don’t fear getting attacked.
「 See? Scary, isn’t he? Someone with that resolve is… 」
Edie said.
「 Darling. Can I translate it for those girls? 」
The drill spear sisters?
「 Right now, the sisters have their minimum brakes using Tsukiko’s power. It’s easy to break the human mind if you move it too much. It isn’t as easy as Kyouko thinks 」
Yeah.
For now, they’re not going to attack the family, and they’re going to listen to what I tell them, right?
Any more than that would take more time compared to earlier.
「 Those girls aren’t normal, so controlling them is hard. 」
Tsukiko said.
「 They lack the morals of normal people, and they also lived under a different common sense than us, and so their priority in things is different. These girls don’t see killing people as a crime. Despite that, they understand that stealing is. 」
Their standards for everything are different.
They are girls who lived in a world where lives can be taken away easily.
If they don’t numb that feeling, then they can’t kill.
「 That’s why it’s us who have to adjust to their common sense 」
Edie?
「 If they find out that Darling kills for obligation, then they’ll look at you differently 」
「 For obligation? 」
「 Darling didn’t kill Cesario Viola for pleasure or for benefit. It was an obligation to kill that man 」
Well, that’s true, but still…
「 It’s the same for their a.s.sa.s.sinations. These girls had to kill as the organization ordered them so they have to live. They didn’t do it out of their desire 」
「 Right. I think Edie’s right about that 」
Anya agreed.
「 I will also convey to these girls with honesty 」
Even Tsukiko…
「 What do we do, Yo-chan? 」
Nei looks at me worriedly.
「 Sure, do it. Try it out, Edie 」
「 Thanks 」
Then…
Edie and Anya talked the tale of when I killed Cesario Viola to Dolly and Anna.
Well, I don’t know what exact words they said.
It’s only my guess.
「 Hauu! 」
「 Moi? 」
Dolly and Anna’s eyes opened wide after hearing the story.
Then, they looked at me.
Oh, their eyes definitely changed.
I guess they figured out that I’m just like them, someone who experienced killing.
Do they feel that I’m their friend now?
「 Ugh 」
Compared to that, Grace Marinka-san took a bit of distance from me.
Right…
People who would avoid killers no matter what the reason also exists.
「 Auau!! 」
「 Pau!! 」
Using that talk as their opportunity, the drill spear sisters had a peaceful conversation with Edie and Anya.
Seems like they opened up their hearts a bit.
Both of them let go of the switch for the drill on their spear.
Their caution level went down from the max.
「 Yo-chan… 」
Nei comes to my side and holds my right hand.
「 Onee-chan’s here with you 」
「 Me too 」
Tsukiko holds my left hand
「 Yeah, thanks 」
We then arrived at the usually closed gates of our school.
◇ ◇ ◇
The area behind the library of our school is cut off like a cliff.
At the bottom of the cliff, where there are no trees.
Our objective is the gate over there.
「 HUh, this gate? 」
You’ll immediately know as soon as you see it.
It looks dirty, but the st.u.r.dy-looking iron door is…
『 Kuromori Dorm Gate for Students, made in 1966 』
Is carved in it.
Oh, I see, I now get the reason why the path from the mansion to the gate is hard to see.
This route is…
Back when the mansion was a brothel called Kuromori tower.
This was the path the high-school prost.i.tutes sold from the countryside went to school every day.
「 The ladies from before, go to school from here 」
Nei said.
The girls from the Kuromori house’s brothel weren’t allowed to go to and from the same gate as the regular students.
Minaho-neesan’s grandfather sends the young prost.i.tutes to school.
It’s said that the brothel is camouflaged as a female dorm, but…
Maybe it’s because he wanted to make sure that they at least have high-school education for when they retired.
Or maybe, it’s the t.i.tle that they’re still high-school students that makes the prost.i.tutes valuable.
Who knows the truth nowadays, but…
Click.
I used the key Katsuko-nee gave me and opened the gate.
Giiiiii…
Pushing the heavy gate, and it’s dark and gloomy inside.
「 Oh, here’s the light switch! 」
Nei turned on the lights.
Huh? Does this place have lights?
It’s been abandoned for so long but it still lit up well.
It’s been fifteen years since Shirasaka Sousuke took over the Kuromori tower.
The girls Shirasaka Sousuke kidnapped and corrupted to prost.i.tutes were locked up in the mansion.
None of them attended school.
Instead, Katsuko-nee and Nagisa, girls who were students in our school were kidnapped, turned into prost.i.tutes, and became unable to come home.
That’s why the gate for the prost.i.tutes wasn’t used for fifteen years.
Minaho-neesan and Katsuko-nee probably came over to do some maintenance, but still.
「 Yo-chan, we have stairs over here! We can climb up from this part 」
Nei found the path inside.
The fluorescent lights on the stairs managed to light up too.
I first closed the gate and locked it up.
Yeah, it’s a heavy gate so if you lock it, it won’t shake at all.
「 Sure, let’s go 」
I went up the stairs.
The door at the top of the stairs had been replaced by a door with fingerprint recognition.
I pressed in my finger, and then…
『 Please put in your PIN number 』
The announcer said.
「 I got this 」
Edie punched in the key for the PIN today, which she memorized.
The PINs change every day when we use this.
Still, the only ones who can memorize the 8 digit pins every day are the bodyguards.
My head can’t keep all that information inside.
「 Okay, it’s open 」
Pipi~
An electronic sound and then the lock on the door open.
「 There we go! 」
Edie opens the iron door and…
We find ourselves in the bas.e.m.e.nt of some building.
The location is…the library, I guess.
It’s a bleak room with no furniture whatsoever.
「 There’s a lot of dust in this room so let’s get out right away 」
Nei said, but…
「 Wait a second 」
Oh, the drill spears got caught, having some hard time climbing up the narrow stairs.
We wait for Dolly and Anna to reach upstairs.
「 This room is also electronically locked 」
Opening the door, I peeked outside.
Just as expected, it’s on the bas.e.m.e.nt floor of the school library.