“Imoutoya-kun. Although there’s quite an age gap between us, don’t you think we could become good friends, no, even best friends?”
Gouyoku, the board member, swirled the cheap red wine, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Yes, perhaps,” Imoutoya replied with a forced smile.
Being called “friends” by a creepy middle-aged geezer only gave her goosebumps, but he was a valuable client. It wouldn’t hurt to flatter him.
Imoutoya was currently sitting on the sofa in the board member’s office of Re:Tryz, the company where Gouyoku served as a board member, waiting for a certain video to arrive.
It was the footage of Kiraboshi’s abduction by the Gyokuryu Society.
After being repeatedly deceived by the world, Imoutoya had finally learned—relying on social media wouldn’t find her any decent Hunters.
She could ensnare low-level thugs.
But Kiraboshi had leveled up to the point where she couldn’t be taken down by mere thugs, and trying anything on the surface was too risky.
To take her down, she needed the power of an organization.
Of course, organizations that openly took on dirty work didn’t exist… Just as she was worrying about this, she remembered the office where Akushichi Nana, a former “Numbers” and Imoutoya’s senior, had worked.
If they were harboring criminals like that, she thought, and gathered as much cash as she could. She was right.
To be honest, she wanted to torture her thoroughly with her own hands.
But she couldn’t afford to be picky about methods anymore.
“I can’t let that woman live,” Imoutoya muttered, still clutching her aching stomach, and bit her nails.
Perhaps her attitude was seen as anxiety.
“Rest assured, Imoutoya-kun. This plan is sure to succeed. You know why, don’t you?”
“Yes… Because the abduction is taking place outside the Dungeon, right?”
The two main advantages of committing crimes inside a Dungeon were the ease of concealing the crime and the ability to overwhelm the opponent with level differences.
But if there were disposable pawns like those from dark recruitment, it was a different story.
Even heroes who were famous inside the Dungeon were just ordinary people outside. There was no way Kiraboshi, just a high school girl, could resist—the operation was 100% guaranteed to succeed.
“Just to be sure, there’s no evidence that we’re involved, right…?”
“At least, you won’t be suspected. Unless you’re seen with me at this office.”
True.
It would be easy enough to investigate the relationship between Gouyoku and the “Gyokuryu Society,” but there was no connection from there to Imoutoya.
She didn’t care what happened to this man, and Gouyoku probably understood that. It wasn’t a bad deal.
“…Maybe we could become good friends after all.”
“See? Now, let’s just wait patiently for time to solve things.”
“Shall we try it?” he offered, recommending the red wine. Imoutoya decided to take a glass as a test.
It was bitter, but not bad.
…Then, an hour passed…
“This is late.”
There was no contact.
According to the information, Kiraboshi was visiting Shirogasaki’s home today. The plan was to attack her on the way back, but…
Gouyoku’s Smartphone vibrated.
“Here it comes,” Imoutoya thought, her lips curling into a thin smile, but then…
“…They can’t reach the perpetrators?”
“Tch,” Gouyoku clicked his tongue, irritated at their dawdling.
He tried contacting someone else, but… no response again.
“What’s going on?” Gouyoku wondered, reaching for his Smartphone to contact someone else—when it vibrated again, and he held it to his ear.
『Gouyoku-kun. Do you even realize what you’ve gotten yourself into…?』
It was a synthesized voice, like the ones often heard in live-stream videos.
“Oh? And who might you be? I hardly think I should be criticized by someone who can’t even give their name…”
『――――』
“What? Could it be that you are…”
The name wasn’t audible to Imoutoya.
But the way Gouyoku flinched made it clear that this was no ordinary person.
『――――』
“――――”
Unfortunately, the rest of the conversation was inaudible.
But even from the sidelines, it was obvious that Gouyoku’s expression was gradually becoming more severe. Imoutoya crossed her arms and tapped her fingers impatiently.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Trouble?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the perpetrators failed.
Abduction is a high-risk operation; things like that happen. Just give me the information,” she glared, as the call ended.
Gouyoku finally looked at her, his face slightly pale, but his brow furrowed, and he made a small noise in his throat.
“Imoutoya-kun. Unfortunately, it seems today’s operation has failed.”
“Oh. That’s too bad. But there’s always next ti—”
“The Gyokuryu Society will be destroyed soon. No, it might already be.”
“Huh? …Destroyed? What do you mean?”
“But there’s no need to panic. Let’s consider the next plan.”
“…But next time? That organization was supposed to be your backer…”
“You don’t seem to understand the cunning of adults. Adults always anticipate the worst-case scenario and act with foresight. That’s what makes a capable adult.”
“…Right. You have a plan?”
“Who do you think I am? Gouyoku Hoshio is a man who always gets what he wants. Trust me as if you were on a sturdy ship.”
He spoke with the composure of an adult, but then Gouyoku sighed.
“However, even I didn’t expect this situation. To sort out my thoughts, would you mind if I had a smoke?”
He took out a cigarette from his pocket, looked at Imoutoya, and said, “Excuse me,” before getting up.
“It’s not good to smoke in front of a minor. I’m an adult; I’ll make sure to separate the smoking area properly.”
“You offered me wine, but now you’re being considerate?”
“It’s consideration for a dear friend. I want to foster our friendship for a long time.”
As his figure disappeared from the office, Imoutoya clicked her tongue, muttering, “Show-off.” But… well, if there was a second plan, that was fine, she thought, leaning back on the sofa.
“Really, things never go smoothly,” she said, taking another sip of wine. “But still…”
What did “destroyed” mean?
If Gouyoku’s story wasn’t exaggerated, the Gyokuryu Society had nearly a hundred members.
Moreover, they weren’t just a group of amateurs; they were a specialized group that focused on scams in the Dungeon.
If they were “destroyed,” the only thing she could think of was that the Labyrinth Agency had launched a simultaneous crackdown, but no such information appeared on Imoutoya’s Smartphone.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong, Imoutoya thought, and then she suddenly remembered… that man.
The man who had appeared in the room in an ordinary suit, spoken about Kiraboshi, and then disappeared—if it was that man…
Destroyed… Could he literally erase nearly a hundred people…?
“…!”
Feeling a chill, Imoutoya hugged her elbows tightly.
“No. Don’t think about it.”
She mustn’t think about that man… an existence she couldn’t understand.
It was a dream.
Some kind of nightmare, a warp magic using a special item from the Dungeon, and he used it to enter the room… but, items that used Magical Power couldn’t be used outside the Dungeon…
Feeling a chill in her core, she clicked her teeth softly and scratched her knees, thinking, “Damn it, come back quickly.”
“I… definitely.”
No matter what it took, that man.
And unless she crushed Kiraboshi Yoshiko, Kamase Imoutoya’s life would be over—
“…………”
To calm herself down, she picked up the glass again and took a sip of red wine.
It was bitter. Did adults find this taste calming?
…………
…………?
Hey.
Wasn’t that board member taking a long time?
Did smoking take that long? Was he in the bathroom…?
Just as she was wondering,
Bang!
The door to the board member’s office was kicked open with a loud noise.
Standing before the startled Imoutoya were men in suits.
They quickly scanned the room, then glared at her. “Huh? What—”
“He escaped. That guy’s quick on his feet. And you are?”
“I, I’m… ah.”
Damn it… she’d been had.
Why did it always have to be her…!
In her heart, she stirred up a boiling hatred, thinking, “Friends, my foot!” But she smiled sweetly, trying to keep a straight face.
The second plan wasn’t just for that man.
Imoutoya had an excuse ready too. “Don’t underestimate me!”
“I don’t know anything. I’m just a high school girl who came for an audition to become a Streamer.”
“I see. But you know, miss, if we overlooked a mere high school girl sipping red wine in the board member’s office, we might as well quit our jobs.”
With a clatter, the glass slipped from Imoutoya’s hand, and a red stain spread across the carpet.
The man gave Imoutoya, who looked as if she had eaten sour grapes, a disgusted snort.
“No offense, but… you’re an idiot, aren’t you?”