Chapter 72: Thunder God (2)
Chapter 72: Thunder God (2)
Click.
Perhaps because it hadn't been used in a long time, the handle gave a slight, hollow resistance before turning.
As the door opened, a room with a design similar to the Thunder God’s came into view.
The room was suspiciously clean, as if no one had ever set foot in it. The wallpaper was spotless, and the white appliances were devoid of a single scratch. A thin layer of dust covered everything, but it wasn't enough to be bothersome.
"Well then..."
I intentionally let a monologue slip from my lips.
"I know you're listening. Tell me where the bugs are. Now."
I threw myself onto the bed, speaking to the empty room.
The dust settled on the blankets billowed up, tickling my nose.
"Phew."
Controlling my reflexes, I exhaled sharply. My breath became a shockwave, driving the dust into the corners of the room.
Those bastards were probably listening to everything through the microphones; I couldn't afford to lose face by doing something like sneezing.
I rolled over and stared at the metallic ceiling.
The silver surface shimmered, reflecting the light from the lamps.
Seeing the light pouring in from all directions brought the Thunder God to mind. Her, draped in brilliant light, wearing that beautiful smile.
She’s grown up so much...
Only eleven years had passed, yet she had matured into an adult.
To think I’d feel this way again—the sensation that everyone else is changing while I remain the same.
It was that same negative emotion I’d felt once before with Oxymoron.
Wallowing in that feeling, I recalled her image again. Her hair glowing bright yellow, the smile she gave me today, her radiant skin visible through her sweat-soaked shirt.
...Tsk. Useless thoughts.
Why was I feeling this way toward an old comrade? These emotions that burn a person, driving them toward death.
To control those turbulent feelings, I took a deep breath.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale...
Even after repeating it several times, the flame inside wouldn't die down.
Her image flickered in my mind again. That brilliant, yellow light.
What was it about her that made me view her so specially?
Why? These emotions that I had kept under such tight control... they wouldn't subside. As if they had been waiting for a long time, the wavering feelings grew more intense—
Thud, thud, thud.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Lee Ha-ram! Did you call for us?"
The voice of a dim-witted Mutant drifted in.
It must be because of the bugs.
Thanks to the Mutant’s arrival, my emotions cooled down quickly, but an inexplicable irritation rose in their place.
Channeling that annoyance, I yanked the door open.
"Ah. You were here. I came to remove the bugs as requested."
The one who spoke was a massive, hulking man standing at the door.
At a glance, he looked human, but the faint, wild scent of a beast wafting from the tip of his nose made it clear he was a Mutant.
"...Come in."
Though irritation flared for a moment, I hid it and spoke, giving him credit for helping me calm my emotions.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
He crossed the threshold with a refreshed expression that was the polar opposite of my mood and immediately bent down to start working.
He peeled back wallpaper.
He disassembled appliances.
He detached the light fixture from the ceiling.
Every time his hands moved, the pile of silver spheres grew.
There sure are a lot of them.
The bugs kept appearing. From the pillow stuffing, the showerhead, the inside of the drain.
At first, it was somewhat amusing to see the devices pop out from such strange places, but I soon grew bored. I struck up a conversation to kill time.
"What kind of Beastman are you?"
"I'm a creature that doesn't exist in these parts, but if I had to categorize myself, I'd be similar to a dog."
Looking closely after hearing that, the dog-like traits became apparent.
The slightly protruding snout.
The nose that twitched as if sniffing for something.
They were biological features that weren't obvious at first glance, but once I heard "dog," I couldn't unsee them.
"What's your role in this organization, and what's your rank in The Society?"
I didn't think someone doing menial labor in front of me would have a very high rank, but isn't that what small talk is for?
"I hold the position of Hokkaido Branch Manager and am a Middle Executive of The Society."
"...Branch Manager? Middle Executive? Did I hear that right?"
"You heard correctly."
Then why is a guy like that sitting here doing chores?
He might be lower than the Thirteen Great Executives, but for a Middle Executive to be doing grunt work...
"...Why is a Middle Executive doing this instead of leaving it to the others?"
"Since Lee Ha-ram and Linshua have arrived, it is only natural that I personally attend to you."
He let out a boisterous laugh as he spoke.
Once his laughter subsided, he fell silent again and continued his work.
After about three minutes, he peeled the last bug off the floor, straightened his back, and addressed me.
"It's finished. Is there anything else you need?"
"Is it the same in the other rooms?"
"What are you referring to?"
"The bugs. The microphones."
If the other rooms were in this state, the Thunder God would have noticed by now.
There was no way she, having regained even a portion of her power, would miss the electrical signals.
"They are installed in every room, but for now, they are all turned off. Ah! Of course, that includes the rooms where your friends are staying, so you don't need to worry."
So they were bugs that could be operated remotely. That explained why they hadn't been caught, but something felt off.
"Then why did you bother coming to collect them?"
"Even if I explained it like that, the higher-ups issued a directive to nip the problem in the bud, because you'd surely go on a rampage if you found them later..."
Directive?
Rampage?
"Which bastard issued that directive?"
With those words, the irritation and anger that had been building up finally exploded.
Perhaps sensing my mood, the dog Mutant’s expression twisted strangely.
"It was Great Executive Al’shel."
That Octopus Head again. Is there anything that guy doesn't stick his nose into?
"Ha."
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. Does Al’shel have a hobby of making me out to be a villain?
Fine, it's not this guy's fault. It's all that Octopus Head's doing.
"Don't worry about it so much; just do things moderately. Don't put your actual work on the back burner just to cater to me."
"Then, how should I proceed?"
"Just act normal. Normal."
Why was he even asking? He should just do what he usually does.
"Understood. Then, I look forward to working with you."
The Mutant said this and backed out of the room.
Was he trying not to show me his back?
As he finished his task and was about to close the door and leave—
"Hello! Are you a staff member?"
"Ah. Hello. I am Irua, the manager of this branch."
Han A-bin’s voice drifted in from beyond the half-closed door.
"It looks like you're coming out of Senior Ha-ram’s room. Do you two know each other?"
"We met for the first time today, but since Lee Ha-ram is quite famous in our organization, I stopped by to pay my respects."
Their conversation reached my ears even as I rolled around on the bed.
That's a decent excuse—a celebrity. Well, I suppose I am famous.
"Famous, you say?"
"Hmm. He is famous for many things, but most notably for the massive donations he has made."
"Senior... donating? That doesn't really suit him."
A-bin, that senior is right inside the room. Maybe watch your words?
"There is no one for whom the word 'donation' is more fitting than him. Even ten years ago, he gave all his money—"
How much is this guy going to blabber?
"That's enough."
I dashed out of the room and clamped my hand over his loose mouth.
"Don't say unnecessary things."
After pressuring the Mutant, I turned my gaze toward the startled Han A-bin.
"Do you need something?"
Perhaps surprised by my sudden appearance, Han A-bin trembled slightly as she spoke.
"Um... Senior Prohibition called for us to have dinner..."
Dinner? Come to think of it, I haven't fed the kids anything today.
They must be pretty hungry... I should hurry.
"Let's go. Lead the way."
I said this and tossed the Mutant I was holding aside.
There was a loud thud, but it was his punishment for running his mouth.
However, for some reason, Han A-bin didn't lead the way but stared blankly at the spot where the Mutant had landed.
"A-bin? Aren't we going to eat?"
"Se... Senior."
"What."
"About Branch Manager Irua over there..."
Why was she dragging her words? What about the Mutant guy?
With that thought, I turned my gaze.
"..."
There he was, twitching with his eyes rolled back and foam at his mouth.
Did I grip him too hard?
Calming my mind, I approached the foaming body and checked him over.
Please just be alive.
Pulse: Abnormal.
Respiration: Abnormal.
Heartbeat: Abnormal.
Finally, I summoned my hammer and shone its light into his eyes; I saw his pupils constrict rapidly.
"He's not dead. Let's go."
"Pardon?"
Han A-bin pointed at Irua in a panic, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"The Dining Hall is this way, right?"
"The Dining Hall is that way, but Senior, is that person really okay? Senior?"
"He's fine. He won't die."
He's a Mutant, for heaven's sake. Surely he wouldn't die from just that.
* * *
Sitting in the surprisingly clean Dining Hall, I stirred my meat rice bowl with chopsticks.
The round, clearly fresh egg yolk broke, and the finely chopped onions and meat began to unify with the rice, soaking up the soy sauce.
"Master! You're supposed to eat a rice bowl as it is, without mixing it!"
Perhaps my actions were bothersome to her.
Baek Si-hyun, who had been shoveling food into her mouth with her head down, suddenly spoke up.
"I know. But it's a hassle."
Is there a need to struggle with chopsticks? It's much easier to just mix it and scoop it up with a spoon.
"Understand him, child. Hammer Kid has always had the strange habit of mixing everything together. Even in the old days, he’d just mix his mess hall rations, roll them into a ball, and shove them into his mouth—"
"Prohibition. Don't fill my disciple's head with weird facts. Back then, we were too busy to even eat properly."
Back then, with enemies constantly swarming, who had time to eat bite by bite?
I'm doing this now because I'm too lazy to use chopsticks, not because I have a preference for dog food.
"But... what's in your bowl right now looks exactly like it did back then, doesn't it?"
At those words, I looked down at my bowl. Rice and meat mixed haphazardly. Various sauces blended into a mess.
Does it... look similar?
As I stared at the bowl, unable to offer a rebuttal, laughter erupted from somewhere.
"Pfft. Ha-ram is the same as ever."
It was the Thunder God, covering her mouth as she let out a giggle.
For some reason, she had a delicate air about her as she ate a traditional Japanese set meal. White rice, miso soup, grilled fish. Exactly what comes to mind when you think of Japanese food.
"And you, why has the amount you eat decreased so much? Usually, you'd eat several times that—"
My vision flipped.
Pain followed.
Bang!
The sound of air tearing reached my ears a moment too late. An experience I’d already had several times today. A punch from the Thunder God.
Why? That was the word that popped into my head as I quickly recognized it as her punch. Which part of what I just said deserved a hit?
I saw my rice bowl flying through the air. The 'dog food' bowl I had been mixing just moments ago.
Recovering my posture, I caught the bowl before the contents could spill.
Since it was an exchange that happened in an instant, the contents were fortunately safe.
"Thunder God! What the hell are you doing?!"
Even monsters didn't mess with someone while they were eating!
Tap.
A black gun barrel pressed against my forehead as I roared in anger.
What now?
"Hammer Kid, you were in the wrong just now."
What did I do? Wondering if I really was at fault, I looked back at Han A-bin. She was looking at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
It was the third time I’d seen that look today.
The first was when we first met the Thunder God, the second was in the Thunder God’s room, and the last was now.
I didn't know what it was, but I guess it was my fault.
I looked for the Thunder God to bow my head in apology again, but she had already vanished.
"Where did the Thunder God go?"
"She told me to have the rest of her food and went back to her room!"
Baek Si-hyun said this as she stuffed the grilled fish into her mouth. That fish must have been the Thunder God’s dinner.
Nothing is going right today.
I haven't been able to have a proper conversation with the Thunder God, I keep getting beaten up, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
I miss the old days when I’d just eat with my arm around her shoulder.
As I sat back down at the table, dejected, holding my rice bowl—
"I'll be coming to your room tonight, so make sure you're waiting."
"..."
Prohibition whispered in my ear again.
The same thing she said earlier.
"Try apologizing then, Kid. There are still plenty of ways to make it up to her."
"Shut up, old lady."
Thwack.
That hurt.