Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Friend (1)
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My first assignment had gone off without a hitch. The wicked and unruly gangsters had disbanded on their own, and it seemed the Transparent Brothers had washed their hands of the underworld.
Saburo looked at me with a strangely satisfied expression and said,
"I figured you'd be green on your first mission, but you handled it perfectly. The higher-ups have high expectations for you now."
Until I'd pulled off the mission, this guy had looked at me like some pathetic underachiever, so the praise felt downright alien. When I stared back at him with a blank expression, showing no real reaction, Saburo nodded approvingly at my demeanor instead.
"Yes, that challenging gaze is good too."
Was my face really that intimidating?
"But Carmen... I'm very disappointed in you."
On the flip side, Carmen got a harsh reprimand. Saburo shifted his friendly gaze away from me and fixed Carmen with a stern look.
"Charging ahead like an idiot and getting done in by amateurs. What's the point of doing well in training?"
Carmen was huddled in the corner, clutching one leg tightly with both hands. She'd tossed her crutches aside on the floor and muttered,
"...It was just bad luck. If she'd gone first, I would've shone."
Saburo replied firmly.
"Then you should've known that."
When I widened my eyes and looked at Saburo, he was still glaring at Carmen while pointing at me.
"That would've been the smart play. Put Serika up front—she's one of the strongest in physical enhancement types—to force out all their cards, then support from behind! But no, you underestimated them, rushed ahead, and left them an opening? If Serika hadn't handled it, we'd have been a laughingstock."
Carmen shot Saburo a glare before dropping her head. She had plenty to say, but she knew opening her mouth would only make her look worse.
Watching Saburo compare me to Carmen and pile on her like that, I couldn't shake the feeling that getting close to Carmen was a lost cause. It almost seemed like Saburo was deliberately driving a wedge between us.
He was praising me so openly in front of her, and tearing into her excessively in front of me. Saburo turned back to me, his tone softening to an unprecedented gentleness.
"Well done this time. You've completed your first mission safely, so forget training for now and get some solid rest."
The softness threw me off, but I nodded and replied,
"Yes, sir."
Saburo licked the scar at the corner of his mouth and said to me,
"Also, it seems your father tailed you during the last mission. Tell him not to pull stunts like that on assignments anymore. And let him know we send daughters back safe without needing that kind of thing."
...What was that supposed to mean?
My dad tailed me? Was my dad actually some big shot? I had to tilt my head in confusion. Seeing my puzzled look, Saburo scowled and said,
"You didn't notice? During the last op, your father sent someone. Probably wanted to check if you'd pull it off properly, see how much talent you really have."
What on earth was he talking about?
I racked my brains, pulling up every scrap of original story knowledge and every memory of my dad so far, but I couldn't figure out what Saburo was getting at.
I tilted my head and asked,
"...My dad? Why?"
When I pressed him, Saburo looked flustered this time. He blinked at me and asked,
"...You serious? You're joking with me, right? You don't know why your father tailed you?"
I really didn't.
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't fathom why my dad would assign someone to me. Did he even have employees hardcore enough to secretly observe a mission like that? If anyone, maybe Sally.
But send Sally to spy on my field trip while she's swamped with research?
No way.
Seeing me shake my head, Saburo suddenly bit his lip, his face twisting in dissatisfaction. He ground his teeth, shook his head irritably, shoved his hands in his pockets, and said,
"Forget it. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
I left still tilting my head.
My dad?
What?
Was there some secret theatrical version of the original story I didn't know about?
[Alice in the Multicolored Garden Theatrical Edition: Iwamoto Industry's Legend that Summons the Storm]
Something like that.
Once Serika closed the door and left, Saburo pulled his hand from his pocket and turned to Carmen. Unlike the harsh scolding moments ago, his curved eyes brimmed with affection.
"Carmen. So why'd you rush ahead like that? Couldn't stand being outshone by her?"
Carmen glanced at Saburo before staring at the floor again. Their bond went way back. They'd met in some South American village, and it was Saburo who'd given her a real shot at life. Carmen stared at the floor and said,
"You told us people like us don't have friends. That everyone's selfish, no one truly connects. Pretend to be close, sure, but never make real friends."
"That's right. That's the truth of surviving this world."
Saburo nodded. Carmen wiggled her toes and continued.
"When I first saw her, I thought I'd try that 'pretend to be close' thing you mentioned. I didn't really want a true friend. She just seemed to have a lot in common with me, and since she'd ended up here, I figured she had some complicated past too."
Carmen's words dragged on oddly, like she was justifying herself. Saburo cut her off appropriately and asked,
"So, what was she really like?"
Carmen's flustered gaze hardened. Her tone cooled accordingly.
"...I happened to go to the library, and I saw her chatting with her friends. Dressed impeccably, laughing all cheerful."
"And that sparked jealousy?"
Carmen shook her head vigorously, her hair getting messy, then spoke rapidly.
"From then on, I just hated her. Didn't want to lose at anything, wanted to beat her at least once."
"So you jumped the gun."
Carmen nodded. She couldn't quite articulate her feelings. Saburo knew that simple 'I hate her' hid a tangle of emotions. So he chuckled.
"Half-ass trying to get close, and she eats you alive."
Carmen started to retort.
"It wasn't that I wanted to be friends..."
Saburo cut her off.
"That girl? She just wants to crush you and become the organization's ace. Cold-blooded bitch. I paired you with her not for friendship games. This is prevention. Like a vaccine shot at the hospital. Lots of nuisances will pretend to befriend you down the line. Waste emotion on each one, and you'll make bad calls."
Carmen's eyes wavered briefly. She looked at Saburo, started to speak, then dropped her head and said,
"...Okay."
Saburo grinned happily and said,
"I told you. No one you can trust in this world. Everyone's dying to use you, leech whatever they can. In a place like this, you strike first, cut ties. Remember: not friends. Tools to exploit."
Carmen didn't reply. Instead, she peeked at Saburo repeatedly. He kept staring, waiting for her response.
In the tense standoff, Carmen finally spoke.
"...What was that about that girl's dad earlier?"
Saburo blinked at the question.
He found Serika's response odd too.
Serika herself didn't know what her father did?
Was Iwamoto Industry's president innocent after all?
All our wariness, our worries—were they just mistakes? Was the real Iwamoto Yoshio clueless?
Just a good guy?
Not trash doing fake orphanage charity for image control to hide his crimes.
Just a decent businessman?
Did normal good people like that even exist?
"...Nah, must be some misunderstanding."
Saburo shoved the thoughts aside. He knew no such people existed. Everyone had darkness inside, dirty backs.
No purely good humans.
"...I know guys like Iwamoto Yoshio well. Very well."
Saburo muttered to himself, trying hard to forget Serika's puzzled question from moments ago.