As he leaned back in his airplane seat, Gouyoku let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had narrowly escaped.
It was a close call.
He hadn’t realized he was being pursued, but the moment he left the board member’s office, a premonition ran down Gouyoku’s spine, and his hasty departure proved to be the right move.
That high school girl—he couldn’t remember her name—might have been caught in his place, but as a close friend, she would surely forgive him.
After hiding out for a night, he passed through the Gate under a false name, and now that he was on the plane, he could finally relax.
All that was left was to wait for things to cool down.
He wiped away his sweat and was about to order a red wine from the flight attendant when he stopped.
He realized with a click of his tongue that they didn’t take alcohol orders in the economy class of domestic flights.
When Gouyoku flew internationally, he always ordered red wine. He deliberately chose the cheap stuff.
Back when he didn’t have any money, his boss at the time took him out—but only let him order cheap wine and mocked him. He would never forget that humiliation.
Compared to those days, he had become stronger.
He had acquired money, achievements, and a corresponding position… or so he thought, but in the end, he was just a big fish in a small pond.
He had vaguely understood it.
If he were truly capable, he wouldn’t be content with being a board member of a small streaming company and wouldn’t need to associate with underground organizations.
“Hmph…”
But in life, as long as you’re alive, anything is possible.
Gouyoku himself wasn’t a Hunter, but he knew how to use people and had experience.
If he learned from this failure and spent a few years building up his strength…
…Even so.
What was that man, Kageichi Futsuu?
Reports of the Gyokuryu Society’s annihilation had come from other sources, and there was no sign of the Labyrinth Agency moving.
If he really acted alone, he was beyond human.
A kind of natural disaster—had he laid his hands on something he shouldn’t have?
He sighed and reached into his pocket, remembering that smoking was prohibited.
Feeling restless, he tapped the armrest, wondering if there was anything to do—when a package was suddenly offered from next to him.
It was a gummy candy, the kind you chew and swallow.
“If you’d like, please have one.”
“How thoughtful. I’ll gratefully accept.”
“No, it’s nothing. It’s your last flight, so I’m happy to provide this much service.”
He looked next to him.
His eyes met those of a Suit Man with glasses, who looked like he could be found anywhere, smiling with his hand on his cheek.
…?
…Huh?
Before Gouyoku, frozen and dumbfounded, could even utter a word, the man popped a candy into his own mouth.
“I’ve come to see you off today. Even for me, it would be troublesome if you fled overseas after going through another prefecture.”
“—Wh-what…”
“I don’t mind answering how I got here, but I’ll tell you in advance that it’s meaningless. It won’t change the fact that your destination will change from overseas to beyond the sky.”
The Suit Man—Kageichi Futsuu—smiled gently and touched Gouyoku’s shoulder.
All that remained was the sensation of something being set in motion… and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He couldn’t understand. It didn’t make sense. Why was he here? How—questions raced through his mind, but he discarded them all and relied on his intuition.
Ah. He was going to die here.
Then—suppressing his inner turmoil, Gouyoku sat up straight.
“I’ll ask just in case, what’s your purpose?”
“Is there any need to say it now? I would like to say that, but I haven’t explained my pride to you. My principle is safety, security, and no stress. It’s best to eliminate future worries early. I hope you understand.”
“…How did you find out where I was? Putting aside how you boarded the plane, I thought I moved in a way that wouldn’t be noticed.”
Instead of answering, Kageichi pointed to the briefcase placed at Gouyoku’s feet.
When he opened it—a wooden tag-like object was hidden in the inner pocket of the bag.
“I asked a certain man, and he happily set it up, saying, ‘Bro, I’ll do it!’ It’s a rare cursed item that uses Magical Power instead of a metal transmitter, so it won’t be caught in baggage inspection.”
“That idiot… until the very end!”
Gouyoku’s face turned bright red.
However, he himself had kept that man by his side knowing he was an idiot. …He had no choice but to give up.
“Kageichi-kun. I have a question, is there any insurance I can take out now?”
“Unfortunately not.”
“I swear I promise. I won’t get involved with you or lay a hand on you in the future.”
“In my experience, no one who says those words has ever kept their promise.”
“I see. If our positions were reversed, I’d have the same impression.”
“Indeed,” Gouyoku said, looking around the cabin.
There was no escape in the narrow cabin. Even if there was, this man wouldn’t let him get away.
Having calmly judged that he was cornered, Gouyoku stopped a flight attendant and ordered a grapefruit juice.
Kageichi ordered the same thing, and they were given paper cups.
“I’d like to order at least one wine on my last flight.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just a very ordinary former Salaryman, so I can’t meet your expectations that far.”
“I guess not,” Gouyoku said, slowly bringing the cup to his lips. …He didn’t dislike the sweet and sour scent of the cheap drink.
Kageichi next to him also sipped his juice.
“My decision hasn’t changed, but there’s one thing I’d like to tell you.”
“I hope it’s a pleasant story.”
“By nature, I don’t forgive those who oppose me. Basically, I eliminate them all. However, there are degrees even among them. …Those who are unrepentant, make excuses saying they are not at fault, and do not admit their own faults to the end are the enemies I hate the most. —But I also think that those who acknowledge that they are evil are not objects I should hate so much.”
“Ridiculous. An evil person who doesn’t admit they are evil is the most hated person in the world.”
Gouyoku understood that he was an evil person and committed evil deeds.
If he was going to pay for it, it was just because his abilities were insufficient.
He never thought he would be caught by a man like this.
“So, I don’t feel that much irritation towards you. Well, I’ll still carry it out for safety and security.”
“I see. I’d like to ask for the sake of future study… no. For the sake of the next life, what did I fail at?”
“Perhaps it was getting involved with me.”
“Then, what do you think I should do to avoid failing next time?”
“Perhaps it’s not getting involved with me.”
Hearing him answer so calmly… was it simply bad luck?
No. That was also an excuse.
The direct cause was a lack of research on the man named Kageichi Futsuu.
If he had withdrawn when he saw him defeat all the Gyokuryu Society’s underlings.
If he hadn’t had the Gyokuryu Society target Kiraboshi, Kageichi’s disciple.
If he had made the decision to escape by plane sooner.
Despite having several opportunities to recover, he prioritized his own pride, and this was the end result.
He had become a board member of a small company, but he had lost the sense of danger he had forgotten as his position rose—he had fallen, and he could only laugh.
“Life doesn’t always go well. By the time you realize it, it’s too late.”
“I agree. However, you can also say that’s part of life.”
“…What kind of life have you lived, Kageichi-kun?”
“It’s been a strange one. Actually, I was reincarnated from a Japan that’s a little different from the current Japan. Shall I tell you about it as a souvenir for the afterlife?”
“By all means. Maybe I’ll be reincarnated too.”
A journey is better with company.
As if he had hit it off with a neighbor he happened to be sitting next to on the bullet train, Gouyoku laughed and replied.
It was a strange story, but—Gouyoku wasn’t nervous until the plane arrived.
Of course, it wasn’t that he wasn’t aware of the approaching fear of death, but he decided that there was no point in thinking about it.
As the plane arrived, Gouyoku shook hands with him and smiled broadly.
“Thank you for the interesting story. I had a fun time, Kageichi-kun. …By the way, a journey is better with company, and the world is full of kindness. How about we let bygones be bygones and you save my life?”
“I can’t. I see you as a cautious and persistent person. If I let you escape here, there will be lingering resentment. A journey is better with company, death is kindness. That’s my principle.”
“How much do you want?”
“I think you already understand that money isn’t the goal.”
“You’ve seen through me,” Gouyoku said with a laugh.
A witty talk?
A fun conversation for adults?
Nonsense. It was true that he enjoyed the conversation, but it was all a plan to draw a little sympathy from this man and prolong his life—but it seemed to have been in vain.
“I see. But you know, Kageichi-kun. I’m a villain.”
“Yes.”
“As a villain, it’s also a virtue to die gracefully. But, as the name suggests, I have a greedy personality. Even if I know the possibility is almost zero, it’s my pride and ‘origin’ to resist pathetically.”
Gouyoku then grinned at Kageichi—
He happened to pass by an old woman and pounced on her, putting her in a headlock from behind.
“Gyah!” the old woman shrieked, and as the surrounding people stirred in confusion, he questioned the man, “Well?”
“Kageichi-kun. You’re quite the sincere man for a murderer. But aren’t you being a bit too leisurely? If you try anything in this situation, this innocent old woman will be caught in the crossfire. And you’ll draw attention to yourself. Now, in this situation that screams ‘villain,’ how will you get out of—”
Kageichi snapped his fingers.
Immediately after, something happened inside Gouyoku’s body—guh, his vision wavered.
Writhing in agony from an unidentified sharp pain, Gouyoku collapsed.
…What.
…What, happened…?
Something, inside my stomach, exploded…
“I apologize for the rather lonely last supper being Gummy Candy. I couldn’t think of anything else I could plant.”
I am also sorry that I could not meet your expectations regarding the Red Wine incident—
Kageichi bowed deeply to the man lying on the ground and gracefully walked away, Gouyoku following his back with his gaze alone.
The surrounding customers were in an uproar, shouting about someone collapsing and calling for an ambulance.
Ah.
Only now did he realize that he had truly messed with someone he shouldn’t have… damn it, he clicked his tongue.
Ah. I want to live.
I don’t want to die.
He knew he was going to die here for sure, but even so, he still wanted to live—hurry, hurry, an ambulance.
Knowing that his prayers would not be answered, Gouyoku Hoshio continued to pray until the very end—
*
After leaving the airport, Kageichi headed to the hotel he had booked for the night, and quietly put a Gummy Candy in his mouth.
“It has a rather bitter taste, doesn’t it?”
Even villains have their own flavor.
He learned that he preferred the more straightforward, foolish villains—the kind you see as mobs in manga.
Kageichi settled into the taxi and disappeared into the city, blending into the hustle and bustle.