Nothing, But Also Everything (2)
Sarina appeared in my office drenched in blood. “Luke, got any spare clothes?”
When she hurriedly stripped off the clothes that definitely hadn’t started out red, Cambara nearly had a stroke. Most people would’ve turned their heads, but Cambara simply spun the glasses he was wearing instead.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
“Huh? Ah, no, I just—”
“Hold on. There should be some union kids’ spare uniforms lying around somewhere.”
Ignoring the chaos, I calmly began searching for something suitable.
“Don’t you have anything else?”
“Sarina, this is a union office. Why would there be normal clothes here…”
“Then give me yours.”
“You planned this from the start, didn’t you?”
With no other choice, I peeled off the shirt I was wearing and handed it over. She accepted it with obvious delight. In exchange, I ended up wearing one of the union uniforms from the office.
“....”
The moment the storm passed, Cambara quietly returned both his head and his glasses to their proper positions.
“You and your sister don’t seem to keep much distance between you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
Sarina’s expression sharpened at Cambara’s words. I stepped in before the poor guy could panic any further. Still, he wasn’t wrong. Especially when it came to me and Sarina. Giovanni and Carso too—we were brothers who had walked the line between life and death together. Our blood parents had abandoned us, but we strangers had forged something far stronger. In that sense, Sarina and I shared something almost like a sibling bond. Of course, she wanted something more than that.
“So what happened, Sarina?”
“Luke, this is that stuff, right?”
“....”
The blue powder she showed me was perfectly sealed. The moment I saw that brilliant azure gleam, I knew exactly what it was.
“Blue Eyes.”
“Thought so.”
Blue Eyes. An extremely potent narcotic primarily distributed by the Carmen Family under Rita Carmen. The name was simple enough—the pupils of addicts turned blue. There had been a time when we considered handling it ourselves. The problem was that it was too strong. Before even thinking about distribution, we tested it on one of our regular junkies.
“Oh, nice! Oh man, this is incredible! …It kills.”
Those were the junkie’s last words. He collapsed on the floor and never moved again.
“…What? He’s dead?!”
“Boss, this isn’t going to work.”
For dealers, junkies dying too quickly was terrible for business. They needed to keep buying if we wanted to keep making money. If the drugs killed them, the whole beautiful narcotics economy ground to a halt. On top of that, acquiring Blue Eyes wasn’t easy. Only tiny amounts reached the market, sold exclusively by the Carmen Family and a handful of independent dealers. We had no idea who the actual supplier was.
“And look at this. Familiar, right?”
A silver mask that covered the entire face. The eerie atmosphere created by its restrained design—only the essential features expressed—was signature. Members of the Carmen Family used them. Even their boss wore one whenever she appeared in public because she refused to show her real face.
“One of Carmen’s men was trying to sell this openly at the academy.”
“So you handled him?”
“Yes. Took everything he was carrying.”
Sarina showed me the weapon that had apparently belonged to the man she’d dealt with.
“…They really have no fear.”
“Huh?”
“Not you. The five families. First Russo, now Carmen. These bastards are treating us like idiots.”
It wasn’t surprising they’d think that way. After all, instead of avenging my father I’d been meeting with movie stars. Still, the fact that we’d already seized the academy must have raised some suspicions.
“Wait, sister. You didn’t come all the way here like that while students were watching, did you?”
“Of course not. My men blocked the view with their bodies.”
Still, anyone who wanted to see probably had.
“Anyway, good work. How did you dispose of the body?”
“Made sure no one could recognize his face. My men are handling the corpse right now.”
“Good. From now on, if you see any of Carmen’s people, handle them the same way.”
I had a feeling either Russo or Carmen would come looking for me soon. They’d ignore the fact that they’d invaded my territory first and only wave around the damage they’d suffered.
I was about to climb into my armored car to head back to the hotel when—
“Mr. Luke!”
“Ah, been a while.”
An elf student in academy uniform had finally tracked me down. I knew him. He knew me. He was the representative of the student brokers who sold the product we supplied to his classmates.
“Mr. Luke, just a second. It’ll only take a minute.”
“Instead of standing there, why don’t you get in?”
“M-me too?”
The Gulliman enforcers guarding me were right there. When the crocodile and shark flashed their threatening smiles, the kid’s face went deathly pale.
“What are you waiting for? Get in.”
“Y-yes!”
The moment the doors shut, the wolf in the driver’s seat turned to look at him.
“Um, Mr. Luke.”
“....”
I didn’t answer out loud, but I was listening.
“Professor Kalma mentioned the family’s planning to raise the price on the supplied drugs.”
“Yeah, because I told them to.”
The kid swallowed hard at my matter-of-fact reply.
“Then… shouldn’t we get something extra too?”
“....”
Come to think of it, had this kid even offered condolences for my father’s death? Suddenly he seemed incredibly impudent.
“No. That goblin professor wouldn’t have stopped there.”
And here he was, only bringing information that worked against us.
“There’s a reason I raised the price. First, I lowered the cost of you guys buying your degrees. Second, after my father died, the family isn’t what it used to be.”
It was unclear whether the organization across the sea would continue giving us exclusive supply. Even if they pretended otherwise, they were probably still weighing us against other groups on their scales right now.
“S-sorry.”
Only then did the kid offer belated condolences. I decided to let it slide.
“You’re upset because it looks like only the professors are profiting?”
“Yes. Honestly, what other reason could there be?”
“Then here’s the deal. I’ll double your current cut.”
“…Yes?”
“In exchange, you’ll be responsible for shutting down any complaints from the others. Think you can handle that?”
The kid answered confidently. I saved money by not having to increase everyone else’s share, and he received proper compensation for his labor. Once again, I had created a world where everyone was happy.
“Good. Go back to the others now.”
“Yes!”
The moment he climbed out, I headed for the Rufus Carlton Hotel at the port. I had a mountain of things to report to Elena. But a woman was waiting for me at the hotel entrance.
It was Felicia.
“Felicia, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
Our beginning had been nothing but simple curiosity. Of course, that curiosity had long since transformed into possessiveness and attachment. Even now, in this uneasy coexistence with Elena, she hadn’t stopped trying to make me hers.
“I was just about to head to the top floor.”
“Straight to my room, right?”
“No. I need to report to Elena first.”
Felicia looked slightly disappointed when Elena’s name left my mouth. Still, she linked her arm with mine, and her tail slowly coiled around my leg.
“Your clothes look… interesting today.”
“They would, right? It’s what the academy union kids wear.”
It wasn’t just interesting—it was clothing that sacrificed all aesthetic sense purely to strengthen group identity. I was dying to change into something else in my room.
Riding the elevator with Felicia, I told her everything that had happened. It felt a little wrong to tell her before the boss, but her presence was simply too familiar and comfortable.
“One of Carmen’s men showed up at the academy today.”
“…Not Russo?”
“No. They were selling this in broad daylight.”
I showed her the perfectly sealed Blue Eyes.
“Trying to spread that drug at the academy… I can hardly believe it.”
Her own father had been a victim of Blue Eyes addiction, so her reaction was understandable. Come to think of it, Vito Marinelli had used the stuff until he became addicted yet somehow survived. Maybe Dragonians with golden dragon blood really were built different.
“Two of the five families have already approached the academy.”
“They’re wary of us too.”
They were probably hoping the Fellini and Marinelli families would tear each other apart. Or perhaps their impressive intelligence network had already uncovered that Felicia and I had formed a cooperative alliance through political marriage.
Ding-dong—!
Regardless, the elevator reached the top floor. The moment the doors opened, several black men stood in the hallway leading to the suites. They bowed their heads in respect the instant they recognized me.
“....”
I headed first for the suite I shared with Elena.
The moment we stepped inside, a large painting dominated the living room. It was covered with a white sheet, so its contents were hidden.
“Luke, welcome back.”
“I’m here too, Elena.”
“I didn’t call for you.”
When Felicia casually waved from behind me, Elena eyed her with clear wariness. She seemed displeased by Felicia’s very presence near me.
“Elena, as you know, today is—”
“I know, so be quiet.”
Yes. Today was Felicia’s day. That was why she was sticking to me so boldly.
“Anyway, let me introduce you. This is Ellen Douglas, who took first place at this year’s Hevilly Art Awards.”
Only then did I learn the name of the black man standing beside the painting. I had actually heard of him. The newspapers had praised him as one of the leading figures of the Hevilly Renaissance. The themes he frequently painted were, of course… discrimination and oppression. The suffering of black people at the hands of whites, the suffering of other races at the hands of both. Among black artists who viewed everything through a self-centered lens, he was one of the better ones.
“Hello, Mr. Fellini. Quite ironic, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Buying drugs from your subordinates… then receiving money from you to paint their picture.”
Ah. So this gentleman was a junkie too. I had a bad feeling. Felicia seemed to feel the same. Even Elena looked slightly uncomfortable at Douglas’s remark.
“Douglas, show us the painting first. I’m very eager to see your work.”
“What? You haven’t seen it yet either, Elena?”
Apparently Douglas had insisted on only revealing it once it was completely finished.
“....”
“I believe this may be the greatest work of my life.”
Why wouldn’t this uneasy feeling go away? Douglas yanked the white sheet off in one smooth motion.
“....”
The three of us stared at the revealed painting in complete silence. Yes, it was certainly impressive. My figure stood at the center. The right side of my body, bathed in bright blue light, looked normal. But the left side, illuminated by red light against a background of a city in ruins, was depicted as a hideous monster. There were also ominous symbols that seemed to imply I had killed my own father.
When Douglas saw our expressions, he seemed to realize he had made a mistake.
“....”
I quickly checked Elena’s reaction. She looked exactly like I felt.
“I hope you aren’t offended. This is simply how I saw you, Mr. Fellini. Like everyone in this world, a natural coexistence of good and evil.”
“You’re calling my husband a patricide?!”
“…I believe everyone has two sides. Even myself. When I was a drug addict, I did plenty of terrible things to others. I imagine Mr. Fellini, as a drug supplier, feels the same way.”
Honestly, I felt almost nothing. I was simply annoyed that this black bastard had ruined the painting Elena had prepared for me. In this situation, the first one to touch the canvas was Felicia.
“It would be better if you painted it again from the beginning.”
She pulled a razor blade from her clothes and slashed the painting to shreds. Douglas watched with a pained expression.
“It seems Elena never mentioned where she intended to hang this.”
I had planned to hang it beside my father’s portrait in the hotel restaurant.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
We couldn’t possibly hang a painting that implied the son was a patricide next to his father’s portrait.
“Well, it’s fine. Still, next time I’d appreciate it if you reduced the abstract elements and painted me as I truly am.”
“…Understood.”
Douglas left the room quickly after my words. That action ultimately saved his life. Had he stayed, Elena probably would have killed him.
“Luke, I’m sorry. I never thought it would turn out like…”
“Elena, it’s okay.”
I answered as if it truly didn’t bother me. But that seemed to hurt Elena more than anything else. Sensing the mood, I prepared to leave with Felicia. After what had just happened, leaving Elena alone to go with Felicia would wound her, but… today was Felicia’s day after all.
I gave Elena one last light hug. The moment we left the suite, the sound of something being violently smashed echoed behind us. She was probably destroying the painting.
“....”
When we entered Felicia’s room, the giant moth Hev greeted us.
“Elena really got the short end of the stick.”
“Felicia, do you actually mean that?”
“....”
Elena’s mistake was Felicia’s opportunity. She was probably rejoicing on the inside. Anyway, I had a mountain of things to report to Elena. I would wait until she had calmed down a little. Until then, I would spend time with Felicia.