Livestock Prison (17): Why the Old Man Gave Up Bidding on Saeko
The reason the old man abandoned his bid on Saeko was none other than his secretary's report.
"Chairman, we've received pressure from the Prime Minister."
"The Prime Minister?"
He had no idea why pressure from the Prime Minister had suddenly come down. But he wasn't foolish enough to probe into the reason and keep clashing with Yamaguchi over it. If he had been that foolish, he never would have become the chairman of a massive corporation. There were secrets in the world, and those secrets held their greatest value when they remained secrets. The old man's judgment was remarkably swift, unlike others his age.
He immediately withdrew from the bidding. In that moment, he didn't miss the smile creeping onto Yamaguchi's lips. As expected, it seemed Saeko had been promised to Yamaguchi all along. Without a backward glance, the old man strode out of the auction house with his secretary. At his side crawled livestock on all fours, their bodies nearly naked. Was he a bit angry? Suddenly, he kicked one of the livestock in the rear.
"Kkiiik!"
One of the livestock let out a scream of pain, but it fell on deaf ears. His fist simply clenched at the fact that he couldn't have Saeko.
"Hey, Kitaku."
Kitaku was the old man's secretary. Not just any secretary—he was essentially the fixer who handled the chairman's dirty work. He nodded as if it were routine.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Put out a nationwide search for livestock that resembles Saeko. If none exist, make one and bring it to me."
If he couldn't have Saeko herself, then a suitable substitute would do, or so the chairman thought. Anyone overhearing might call it madness, but to the chairman and his secretary, it wasn't strange at all. And the secretary nodded as if it were the most natural thing.
"Just wait a little longer."
To the secretary, this was child's play. Compared to the messes he'd cleaned up for the chairman over the years, it was nothing.
Once Saeko's final sale price was set, she fell into a daze of bewilderment. The amount was an enormous sum, one she herself could never have touched easily. She even wondered if her body truly held that much value. Of course, to Yamaguchi, it was pocket change he could easily procure, which only highlighted the gap more starkly. Before falling to livestock status, she'd been full of resolve to crush Yamaguchi, but experiencing him firsthand proved he was no pushover. He wasn't called Japan's economic overlord for nothing—the symbol of politico-economic collusion. That was Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi, who had just won the bid for Saeko, approached her with a grin. Saeko flinched back in alarm, but the cold iron bars blocked her escape.
"Saeko, from the moment I first saw you, I wanted to make you mine. Why didn't you just come quietly to our party and take my sponsorship? Then you wouldn't have ended up like this."
"...What? You're the one who put me in this state?"
Until now, she'd sensed something off about being reduced to this over mere tax evasion. Did she even truly have tax evasion charges? It wasn't certain. She hadn't possessed vast wealth worth dodging taxes for anyway. For her life to shatter overnight due to tax evasion? That required pressure from someone powerful. If she'd considered that possibility from the start, she might have fled Japan immediately—but by the time realization dawned, it was too late. Once dragged into the livestock prison, there was nothing she could do. Only suffer the brutal training as livestock. That was all Saeko could manage. And now, the man who had orchestrated it all stood before her.
"It was you. All of this."
"If you're only realizing it now, I'm disappointed. I thought you were smarter than that."
Of course, it would have been strange if she hadn't suspected. But suspicion and hearing it confirmed aloud were worlds apart. That tiny gap had led to her current hell. Her mortal enemy—the one who had cast her into the abyss—stood before her. Yet she faced him naked. And he had bought her. If she missed this moment, true revenge might never come. Saeko assessed the situation. Yamaguchi approached without suspicion. What did she have? She'd secretly palmed one of the needles that had pierced her breast earlier. Picking a lock like in the movies was impossible. But as a sharp needle, it could inflict a decent wound in a brief window. She kept watching him closely. She had no chance overpowering him physically. She had to wait for him to let his guard down and close in. That was her only shot.
"So, Saeko, why not give up now? Instead of stubborn pride, live comfortably in the basement of my residence."
It didn't sound much different from telling her to live as livestock. To Saeko, who had lived as a human, it was utterly unacceptable. And after paying such a fortune, to just keep her in some basement? No way that was the plan. He'd say pretty words, but she'd surely endure all manner of horrors down there. Otherwise, what justified the massive sum? And Saeko's hunch was spot on.
"Occasionally, we'll put on fun shows in the basement. You just need to be the star. A spectacular secret show starring a former politician. Doesn't that make your mouth water?"
As expected. That "show" would undoubtedly be humiliating beyond measure for her. Introduced as a former politician, the audience would know her past. A secret show before such people. Better to embrace death. She didn't even want to imagine it. By the time Yamaguchi was nearly upon her.
"Besides, now that I've bought you, I should test you out properly, right?"
Even back when she was a toilet, he'd been the only one to toy with and mock her. But his words now meant he just wanted to fuck her. And Saeko knew it. She simply waited for him to draw near. Thud. Thud. Yamaguchi approached with greedy eyes. A little closer. Just a bit more, and she could jab the needle in. A mere needle couldn't kill, even to the heart—it might not penetrate properly. So Saeko had one goal: inflict lifelong agony on Yamaguchi. Stab his eye, or his cock the moment he tried to rape her. Stretching the rattling chains to their limit, she could probably reach his eye. Creak. Yamaguchi opened the door to her iron cage. His greedy, brutish hand grazed her breast.
"Such a luscious shape. Amazing bounce—I really want to taste it."
He'd already tasted plenty. Saying it anyway was probably just habit. She endured his groping hands on her breasts. She swallowed the moan rising in her throat. Then Yamaguchi leaned in slowly. His toad-like, slimy tongue licked across her body. Saeko seized the moment. The instant he let his guard down. Stab.
"Gaaahhh!!!"
The needle plunged into Yamaguchi's eyeball. He screamed, wracked with searing pain.
"You! You ungrateful bitch!"
Leaving Yamaguchi clawing at his bleeding eye and thrashing wildly, Saeko bolted from the cage. People came running from afar, drawn by his cries.
"Congressman! What happened?!"
Seeing the open cage, Saeko sprinting desperately, and Yamaguchi pointing at her with one hand over his eye, they instantly understood.
"That bitch... Grab that bitch!!"
"Yes, sir!"
Saeko ran harder than ever in her life. Fortunately, the shrine's layout was vaguely familiar to her. But as she burst out, a jolt of electricity surged through her body.
"Urghhh!!"
The shock dropped her in place. Her trembling body wouldn't obey her. Men swarmed her in moments, guns in hand.
"We've captured the escaping livestock. Shall we dispose of it?"
"No, bring it here. I'll show that bitch hell myself."
"Understood. Apprehend her!"
The men pounced, cuffing Saeko's limbs. Thus ended her first—and final—act of rebellion.