Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: New Phase (6)
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"Whoa!"
A steel fist came flying straight at my face. It was a far sharper attack than usual. But after getting pummeled by this move countless times, it was plain as day to me.
I leaned my head back to dodge the strike and reached out to grab the girl's collar. But the steel, which had seemed to soar through empty air, suddenly disassembled on its own, transforming into a broad metal plate that blocked my attack in the direction my hand was heading.
Clang!
My fingers clashed against the steel, sending a sharp vibration through my body. The moment I startled and yanked my hand back, the metal plate obscuring my vision tore apart in all directions, and the girl burst forth to slam into me.
Thud!
"Oof!"
Something was off.
My skills were definitely improving, so why did it always end the same way? Lying flat on the floor, I spat out the dirt clinging to my lips. The ceiling was white too, making it feel like I was dreaming. I lifted my head just a bit to glance at the girl and Saburo.
Saburo was scowling as he scolded the girl.
"Your attacks are fiercer than usual today. I specifically told you to go easy, didn't I? Something bothering you or what?"
The girl said nothing. She shot me a quick glance, then glared with a subtle look I'd never seen from her before.
What was that?
Why was she acting like this toward me?
Ever since that one encounter at the library, the girl had been like this. Whenever she saw me, she treated me like a traitor, staring me down from the corner with utter incomprehension.
Was she scared of how much I was growing? Was she finally feeling some rivalry now that I was getting stronger by the day, to the point where I could dodge that steel fist at least once?
But there was no such thing as healthy competition or sportsmanship in this world. After every spar, the girl would put distance between us, eyeing me warily like a stray cat. If I took a step forward, she'd back away just as much, radiating clear dislike.
"Anyway, you're progressing faster than expected. You've got some decent talent after all. Good work today."
Saburo gave me that half-hearted praise with a bored expression. From his slack face and eyes, it was clear he wasn't thrilled about complimenting me at all. He glanced back and forth between the girl and me, clicked his tongue, and pulled out his phone.
"I'm stepping out for a call. You two rest up. No sparring while I'm gone."
Saburo hated me for some inexplicable reason. It seemed like neither me training here nor him teaching me was what he wanted. The only time he looked pleased was when I was getting beaten in the training hall.
The moment those words left his mouth, the girl scurried to the corner and plopped down on the floor, staring off elsewhere. While Saburo shut the door behind him, I just blinked in confusion, unsure what to do.
Saburo twisted his lips. Turning his head, he saw the corridor window shrouded in darkness. The glass-walled hallway cast shadows that reflected his image perfectly. In the shadow, Saburo looked like he was sneering at himself.
The excuse about taking a call was just that—an excuse.
As he stepped outside, Saburo recalled the moment he'd first agreed to take on this instructor role.
When Dennis had suddenly brought it up, Saburo had naturally refused.
She was the daughter of Iwamoto Yoshio, that vile villain who'd screwed over their organization. Clean streams flow from clean sources, and you can tell a child's nature from their parents. Saburo dismissed Dennis's proposal as nonsense.
"Why the hell should I waste my time on that lunatic's daughter? She's just like her old man—she'll only stab me in the back."
But despite his outburst, Dennis calmly opened her mouth.
"It's true that Iwamoto Yoshio has had a bad influence on his daughter. From the first time I saw her, Iwamoto Serika has been awkwardly playacting the villain, like she's wearing clothes that don't fit."
Saburo furrowed his brow at her words. Childhood memories surfaced.
Saburo had become a small-time crook in much the same way, tangled up with similar people. Back then, he'd wanted to be a normal person, but his surroundings wouldn't let him. As Dennis explained Serika's situation, he recalled the strange discomfort he'd felt during his first theft.
The terror of touching an item and walking out of the store. The idiotic way he'd jolted like lightning had struck when the shopkeeper suddenly yelled, bolting out in panic.
Saburo remembered the anxiety of hiding in a back alley, trembling uncontrollably.
But the boy who'd curled up shaking, thinking the sky was falling because of a theft, suddenly looked up and realized the world hadn't changed. Stealing an item, or the director beating kids with his belt—none of it changed the world.
Even when the director vented his rage on the kids with curses over tribute money issues and sent them out to commit crimes one by one, the world stayed the same.
When the aged director, beaten by Saburo, begged for his life out of old sentiment; when Saburo first joined the yakuza and killed a man; even when the dead bodies made front-page news—the world never changed.
No matter what happened, the world didn't change. Even if someone fell to the bottom, the world remained the same. Realizing that changed Saburo's world.
"I don't know how Iwamoto Yoshio is scheming, but Miss Iwamoto Serika hasn't received proper training for this world. She's got nothing but awkward admiration and a sense of duty in her head. Entrusting her to us means he needs a place that can turn her into a proper killing machine."
Saburo snapped back to attention at Dennis's words.
The Inowe Saburo who'd cried as a child, hating theft, had become a fixer who killed without batting an eye. Nodding at her words, he said,
"...So you're asking me to turn that Iwamoto Serika into a ruthless killing machine without pity or tears?"
Dennis looked troubled at that.
"...No. I think winning her over is more important. She doesn't seem to understand her own situation right now, so we combine practical training with pulling her to our side."
Saburo's face showed he didn't get it. Frowning, he asked,
"What's the big difference between living as Iwamoto Yoshio's underling or as our killing weapon?"
This time, Dennis scowled. It had been an offhand question from Saburo, but it apparently hit a nerve. As he stared silently, she blinked, searching for words, then finally took a breath.
She curled her lips upward and said to him,
"...It's a plan to screw over that Yoshio, isn't it? I thought it suited you perfectly."
That wasn't an answer to his question. So Saburo started laughing too. He nodded with a big laugh that made his scars stand out even more.
"I see. If it's that kind of plan, I can't refuse."
In that moment, Saburo saw the pity reflected in Dennis's eyes.
He realized this wasn't just about checking Iwamoto Yoshio—it was more than that. Saburo knew Dennis's past. The woman who'd gone to prison out of rage over her child's death.
To such a woman, a monstrous villain raising other kids as killing weapons deserved divine punishment. That's why she was mixing her personal vendetta into the organization's business, even deceiving herself.
She'd probably change her tune once Iwamoto Yoshio was dead. For all her airs of nobility, the woman had impulsive tendencies.
Saburo found the situation utterly amusing.
That emotion he'd never received himself. Despised and scorned even at rock bottom, the feeling he'd craved so badly—Serika was receiving it so effortlessly.
What if there had been at least one person showing him that emotion by his side? Would things have been different?
Saburo shook his head. He shook it while laughing, imagining Dennis's face.
He wanted to see her horrified expression when he reborn Serika as a true, pitiless killing machine.
Of course, the world still wouldn't change.
Saburo wanted to prove that.
That it wasn't just bad luck keeping him at the bottom.
That anyone could fall to the depths easily, and the world wouldn't care if one person turned into a villain.
That in this world, bonds and friends meant nothing—overthrowing it all was the only answer.
Even as he laughed, Saburo couldn't clearly explain the complex emotions boiling in his chest.
Saburo just hated Iwamoto Serika.
He hated that even in a den of crime, she could receive sympathy from someone and get a new chance.
So he wanted to prove it.
