Chapter 17: Starting Today
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Starting Today
Yukina gazed wistfully at the streets passing by the car window.
The mission had been abruptly canceled.
As she retreated as if fleeing, she knew there was no going back to Yggdrasil.
The people walking the streets looked ordinary, yet peaceful.
The mundane world she had yearned for so desperately was completely cut off, separated by a single thin pane of glass.
Yukina had eliminated countless enemies at the Organization’s command, but this thin glass—which anyone could surely break—felt impossibly reinforced to her.
Her brief time at Yggdrasil.
Living as a student, meeting friends, chatting, and going out—she had realized just how sweet that ordinary, simple daily life truly was.
But she would never taste that sweetness again.
I’m sorry… I don’t think I can go to the beach with you this summer…
Summer hadn't even arrived yet, but she remembered Mary scouting for swimsuits with sparkling eyes, insisting they had to be prepared in advance. A faint smile touched Yukina’s lips.
Even Jade had looked forward to it in her own subtle way, despite pretending not to care. But Yukina wouldn't be there.
Friends she could never have again.
She had experienced the joy of a normal life and met warm, kind people she would never have encountered in the underworld.
The emotions she used to feel only when meeting Haruna were a given there, overflowing to the point of feeling like a luxury.
As she reminisced about her life at Yggdrasil, Yukina let out a short, dry laugh.
What’s the point of remembering? I’m not an Yggdrasil student anymore.
In a way, it was for the best.
If it hadn't been for Yeon-woo’s interference, she would have been caught long ago; bypassing Yggdrasil’s security was far beyond her capabilities.
But did the Organization care whether a mission was difficult or not?
They would have continued to drive her into death traps, and her future was destined to end in capture.
Leaving like this at least allowed her to spend more time with Haruna.
Though she didn't know how long that would last.
Predicting a future that would eventually end in tragedy, Yukina closed her heart.
"Fuck, the Organization is going through so much trouble because of you, you bitch."
The man stroking her thigh spoke in a voice thick with irritation.
She now knew what had happened to him in the early hours of the morning.
While she didn't know the full details, she knew he had survived. The Organization, having failed to kill a student, was now trying to go into hiding before Yggdrasil could take action.
It was the Organization’s hitmen who had failed, but the man sitting next to Yukina shifted the blame onto her.
"If we’d just sold this bitch to a brothel like I told the Boss, none of this would’ve happened."
The man gripped Yukina’s thigh tightly in his anger.
Even as his fingers dug into her soft flesh, Yukina remained unresponsive.
Her attitude seemed to incense him further. His grim face contorted as he pulled his hand away from her thigh and roughly grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look at him.
"Not even a word of apology?"
What is Seo Yeon-woo doing right now?
Yukina thought of Yeon-woo, not caring what the man in front of her did.
What would he have done in this situation?
Knowing Seo Yeon-woo’s personality, he would have resisted the Organization without a second thought.
Because he was a strong man who wouldn't submit like some selfish woman.
"You’re completely ignoring me? You think you’re hot shit just because we got you into Yggdrasil? Should I take your virginity and turn you into nothing?"
If Yukina lost her virginity, she would lose her mana as well.
She almost wished for it. She hoped the Organization would let Haruna go if that happened, but she knew it was a pipe dream.
Strength returned to Yukina’s expressionless eyes. When she shot him a defiant glare, the man finally smirked as if satisfied.
"Yeah, that’s the look. That’s our Yukina."
The man wore a disgusting smile as he lowered his zipper.
His fully erect cock stood right under her chin, but Yukina’s eyes didn't waver as she glared at him.
"What are you waiting for? Suck it. It doesn't matter how worn out your mouth-pussy gets. You’re in deep shit now, bitch. You fucked up the job that badly? The Boss might just cut off one of your sister’s fingers."
At the mention of Haruna’s name, Yukina’s defiant spirit vanished instantly.
The man felt a surge of pleasure seeing her blue eyes tremble with anxiety.
"Give me one hell of a blowjob, and maybe I’ll put in a good word with the Boss."
"..."
"Or you could just kill me right now and go save your sister. You’re strong, aren't you? I’m not even a mage, so you could kill me just by swinging your fist, right?"
The man wasn't a combatant, but he had reached a high position in the Organization through business acumen alone.
As he said, if Yukina set her mind to it, she could kill him easily.
"Suck it."
But Yukina could not refuse his command.
A foul stench wafted from his unwashed dick, but Yukina endured it and prepared to lower her head.
Why...?
Why was that person here?
As she was about to bow her head, Yukina froze, staring at the handsome face visible through the window.
Yeon-woo, driving in the next lane, gave her a bright grin when their eyes met.
Come to think of it, even during the entrance exam test, he had taken down Team A just by driving.
With a radiant smile, Yeon-woo jerked the steering wheel.
* * *
Screeeech—! Crash!
Whoa, whoa—the world is spinning.
Realizing the importance of seatbelts all over again, I tumble inside the car as it wrestles with Yukina’s vehicle and rolls over.
With a heavy thud, the car stops. I kick open the crumpled door and crawl out.
I would’ve died if it weren't for the Mana Barrier.
Car accidents are scarier than I thought.
Yukina has a Mana Barrier too, so she should be fine, right?
As I approach Yukina’s car a short distance away, I see some pervert bleeding.
"What the? How do you crash and end up with your dick hanging out?"
What kind of excitement was he feeling in that situation to be rock hard?
The Geukryu Society really is an organization that shouldn't exist in this world.
"Y-you... you bastard... do you know who I am..."
"I know, you pervert."
"Gwaaakh—!!!"
I kick him right in his wide-open crotch. With a sickening crunch, his dirty bits are pulverized.
I’ll have to throw these sneakers away when I get home.
"Gwaaaah, guh—khuuhhh!!"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear a man moaning."
I’m giving the guy clutching his crotch and screaming another kick when Yukina approaches.
"You...! What the hell are you doing?!"
"What does it look like? I came to take you back to Yggdrasil."
"I have nothing to do with that place anymore."
"Mary didn't seem to think so."
At the mention of Mary’s name, Yukina flinches, her expression hardening.
I reach out my hand toward her.
"Take my hand. Let’s go back."
"Yukinaaa!! Kill that bastard!"
"Man, I’m trying to have a moment here, and you keep interrupting!"
I give the pervert’s crotch another kick, making him foam at the mouth.
Watching him wail Yukina’s name makes me doubt if this is really the criminal organization everyone is so terrified of.
"Stop it. I’m not going. Just leave me alone and go."
"Don't you want to live a normal life?"
She hesitates for a moment, but then her face turns cold and she snaps back.
"I told you to go. Go before I kill you."
"I’m going with you."
"Why are you being so stubborn!!"
When I insist on going with her, Yukina screams.
Was it the outburst of resentment she had suppressed her whole life? No longer the cold hitman of a criminal organization but a normal girl, Yukina shouts through thick tears.
"Who do you think you are?! What do you have to do with me? Why do you keep meddling in my life!"
"I told you. I want to help a cute girl."
"I’m not cute! My hands are covered in blood, and I left you to die! I’m not a good person who deserves your kindness!"
I fall silent as she clumsily wipes away her heavy tears like a child.
Her face, showing all the emotions she had suppressed since childhood, looks incredibly sorrowful.
"Just... go. Don't worry about me and just go..."
Having become a fragile girl, Yukina tearfully tries to send me away.
But there’s no strength in the hands pushing me; if anything, it feels like I should be the one holding her.
"Mary and Jade are worried about you too. You can live a normal life."
"Don't give me that bullshit!!"
"..."
"When exactly does it become normal?! I’ve wanted it too! No one wanted it more than me! But it never happened! That man died because of me, and no one could save me!"
The "man" she just mentioned is likely the righteous person from her personal story who tried to help her escape the Organization when she was a child.
Instead, the Organization used him as an example of what happens when you resist, brutally torturing and killing him in front of her. It was a memory deeply seared into young Yukina’s mind.
Gaslit since she was a child who should have been protected by adults, Yukina is bound by invisible shackles, under the illusion that the Organization is too terrifying and massive to overcome.
"Tell me! When do I get to be normal?! Tell me!"
As I take the brunt of Yukina’s anger, my smartphone rings. I raise a hand to tell her to wait a moment and answer the call.
"Hello."
— We’ve secured Haruna.
"Good work."
— Good work? Please. They were so weak I actually felt embarrassed taking this much money. Our leader sure knows how to pick the easy jobs. Oh, don't tell the leader I said that. Anyway, we’ll keep protecting the target until the situation is over.
After hanging up with the mercenary, Yukina starts to shout something, but she stops when I raise my hand again.
Look... I know you were being serious, but don't look at me like that. I’m a bit busy right now.
Under Yukina’s gaze, which is a mix of confusion and irritation, I dial Frey’s number.
"Master~"
— I believe I told you not to call me that.
"Aw, come on, between us. Besides, I’m the client right now. Be nice."
— Whatever. I got word that the target was secured. I can start the operation now, right?
"Yes, level the whole place. Like I said, take out all the data too."
I hang up and smile at Yukina, who is breathing heavily.
"Since when?"
"..."
"Starting today."
"...?"
"Congratulations on becoming a normal girl."
I don't have any power? So what.
I have the Greyhound mercenary group, which appears in the late game with an average level in the 70s. Why should I care?
The Geukryu Society is as good as dead with Frey alone on the move.
* * *
Once Greyhound, one of the top three mercenary groups in the world, stepped in, the Geukryu Society vanished without a trace in less than a day.
Every one of their bases, starting with their business fronts, was destroyed. Except for a few low-level grunts, everyone was killed—an event so massive it made the news.
Erin Blair, the principal of Yggdrasil, looked down from the news to the documents on Seo Yeon-woo in her hand.
It stated that he was connected to Greyhound and had a close relationship with Frey, the leader of the mercenary group.
With a complicated expression, Erin let out a bitter laugh.
"Yeon-woo really does stand out."
The Geukryu Society incident was a major problem, as even an Yggdrasil teacher was involved.
Fortunately, because Greyhound had wiped out the Geukryu Society without leaving a trace, the fact that a teacher was involved was buried, allowing Yggdrasil to maintain its honor.
Fortunately? No. He probably did it on purpose, knowing full well. To use it as bargaining chips.
Yggdrasil had already known Yukina’s identity and was keeping an eye on her.
With his cleverness, he intended to put Yggdrasil in his debt and use that to save her.
Looking at the documents regarding Yukina in her other hand, Erin pondered for a moment before scheduling an interview with the two of them.