The Scout's Trap
The scout offered a number that made me snort. “That’s not enough.”
“……What do you mean—”
I glanced at the figure glowing on his smartphone. One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million—. It was an eight-digit sum. Far more than any ordinary researcher could expect, yet…
‘Tch. Only this much?’
Compared to what I usually received from Regalia, it was laughably small. Of course, Regalia’s payments weren’t just for a researcher—they compensated an executive of a villain organization, a scientist, and quite possibly the only person from Earth in this world. Still, the gap remained absurd.
“—Does that even make sense?”
Mu pushed his glasses up, clearly unable to accept it. The amount he had offered was already the absolute maximum any sane company would pay. The problem was that my current salary existed in an entirely different realm of absurdity.
Mu launched into a passionate argument, insisting such a thing was impossible. “The salary I proposed is higher than anything offered anywhere in the world. You couldn’t earn that much unless you started your own company and made it wildly successful. Yet you claim it’s insufficient? Are you saying Evils pays you even more?”
“Yes. They do.”
“That’s ridiculous. Your circuits and anti-gravity devices are impressive, but they’re also treasures too valuable to protect alone. You must know that, which is why you’re still with Evils. Their offer couldn’t possibly exceed mine…!”
“I can’t exactly show you my bank statements… Believe it or not, it’s up to you. Either way, your offer is so far below what I’m used to that I’m not even tempted to consider it.”
“……You’ll regret this.”
Mu stood and walked away without another word. I watched his retreating back, let out a dry laugh, and rose as well.
“Let’s go. What rotten luck.”
“Huh? Oh… Wait, Eight? You actually get paid that much?”
“……No comment.”
“Whoa…… Technicians really are on another level. Eight, wanna marry me?”
“I’m not interested in people who only care about money.”
“Aww, what a shame.”
While Vira showed far too much interest in my paycheck, Levitan—who had been fidgeting since the negotiation stalled—carefully stood up.
“—Vira, Eight. Sorry. I have somewhere to be.”
“Huh? Oh. Take care.”
With that single line, Levitan vanished. Vira and I stared after her in confusion until Vira suddenly let out a shriek.
Still unsure what was happening, I turned to her blankly. She pointed frantically in the direction Levitan had gone.
“L-Levitang—she spoke without any dialect!”
“……Excuse me?”
“Think about it! She wasn’t saying ‘ang-ang’ or anything—she spoke in proper standard speech!”
I recalled how Levitan had spoken normally right before leaving. The realization hit me with the same force it had hit Vira.
‘So she’s been deliberately using that cutesy speech all this time?’
Stunned by the truth, Vira and I both stood frozen, staring at the spot where Levitan had disappeared.
Mu, having failed his recruitment, stood in an alley smoking one cigarette after another. The weight of failing his boss’s orders pressed heavily on his shoulders.
After a long while, Levitan slipped into the back alley where he waited. Seeing the rabbit-eared girl, Mu grinned.
“—So you really came.”
“……Why did you call me?”
“You’re speaking casually now. Judging by those ears, you’re one of the L-Series, aren’t you?”
Mu exhaled a plume of smoke and asked. At the mention of that name, Levitan flinched and glared at him. It was a name she never wanted to hear again, a memory she wished to bury forever. It began clawing its way back into her mind.
“I don’t go by that name anymore……”
“Ah, shut up. A patchwork beast like you still doesn’t understand what it means that you came here?”
Mu muttered something under his breath. The moment the words reached her, Levitan felt as though slimy tentacles were licking her brain. The sensation was vivid, invasive. A command etched into her very genes took control.
“Lucky for me. I was wondering how to get my hands on that arrogant scientist…… and it turns out he’s close with one of you beasts.”
“I—I……”
“Go. Beast. Bring Eight to Z City. To our Omega Industries.”
She wanted to refuse. The words wouldn’t come. Refusal wasn’t written into her genes.
In the end, Levitan saluted with tears streaming down her face.
“……Yes. Understood.”
In that moment, her soul died. All that remained was a doll wearing Levitan’s skin.
The next day, Levitan showed up for work even on her day off and greeted everyone in her usual cutesy tone.
“Hiii~! Hello hello! Hi-yong!”
“Levitang! You’re back!”
“Uung~? Levitang has no idea what you’re talking about!”
While Vira welcomed her return to the familiar speech pattern, Levitan naturally made her way to my side. She swung her legs over my thighs as I sat on the sofa and tapped my arm with her foot.
“Eight~ Let’s go play today. You promised yesterday, remember?”
“……I don’t recall making any promises.”
“Why not~! Vira wants to go too, right? Let’s all go out together!”
“I’m all for it!”
While the two social butterflies chatted away, I decided to bring up something that might make Levitan uncomfortable.
“—More importantly, Levitan. What happened yesterday?”
“Yesterdaay~?”
“Yes. You suddenly disappeared……”
“I won’t tell you unless you call me Levitang~!”
“……Vira, could you ask for me?”
“If Eight won’t say it, I won’t either!”
This woman was truly skilled at slipping away, just like a rabbit beastman. I weighed the embarrassment of saying “Levitang” against my curiosity about yesterday’s events and the annoyance of going out. Naturally, the first option won by a landslide. With perfect logic, I closed my mouth and stood up from the sofa.
“Well then, shall we go on a date?”
“Kyaaang~! Eight, you’re so bold! Planning to date two beauties at once? That won’t doo~!”
“Ah, then the date is canceled. Let’s just hang around headquarters.”
“That’s not allowed either! Pick one of us—me or Vira!”
“In that case, Vira. Let’s relax at headquarters.”
“Eeeh~!?”
While Levitan protested that I couldn’t possibly choose Vira over her, Vira also gave me a deeply disappointed look. But what could they do? I had already decided not to go out. Eventually Levitan shook her head in resignation.
“Eeeh~ Eight, I didn’t know you were such a playboy…… Oh well! Today, the kind Levitang will forgive you!”
“I already said I’m not going out—”
“Vira! Get the car ready! We’re leaving!”
“Okay~!”
At Levitan’s command, Vira dashed toward the parking lot. Levitan grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up with the monstrous strength unique to beastmen. As a powerless person, I had no chance of resisting and was promptly kidnapped.
Dragged down to the underground parking lot and loaded into a waiting vehicle, I sighed and asked the driver, Levitan, “……So. Where are we going?”
“It’s a secret~!”
“You’re not even going to tell me that?”
“It’s a super nice place!”
If a beastman said it was nice, it was probably the zoo…… I sighed again and quietly watched the scenery pass by.
The car Levitan drove sped out of the city at a pace that bordered on reckless. I assumed our destination was somewhere on the outskirts. Just as I thought that, Vira’s cheerful expression as she gazed out the window began to stiffen. She quietly slid her smartphone toward me.
When I looked at her questioningly, she tapped the screen insistently.
[Something’s wrong. We need to run.]
“Huh? What do you—”
Before Vira could act, the car suddenly accelerated and slipped into somewhere. Realizing the situation too late, Vira screamed.
“—Levitan! You betrayed us!”
“……Uung. Sorry. Really. I never wanted to do this either—”
BOOM—!
The vehicle shook violently, as if struck by something. Vira, startled by the impact, clung to me. I lost consciousness from the shock and only came to much later.
When I opened my eyes, an endless desert stretched out before me. I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious. The fact that we had been on the city outskirts just moments ago was astonishing.
“Awake?”
“……Vira?”
“Yeah. Don’t leave my arms. The moment you do, I can’t protect you.”
Following Vira’s words, I looked around. Beastmen with animal heads stood glaring at us from every direction. Among them, a familiar face stepped forward.
It was Mu—the man who had tried and failed to scout me yesterday.
“—Welcome, Eight.”
“……You.”
“I told you that you’d regret it, didn’t I?”
Mu pushed his glasses up again and made his offer once more. “However, Omega Industries is a merciful company. If you join us even now—”
“Eight.”
PEW—! The disposable laser mounted on my watch fired straight at Mu’s face. Though struck, Mu stood there with only a bit of skin peeled off.
That thing had even pierced Galrm’s stomach……
After a brief moment of surprise, Mu, blood dripping down his face, glared at me with barely contained rage.
“……Talking won’t work, I see.”
“If talking won’t work, then what? You think you can break through Vira’s barrier?”
“E-Eight? Provoking them like that is a bit problematic right now…… We’re right in the middle of enemy territory—”
“Haha, indeed. Your bodyguard possesses a rather troublesome ability. So we’ll have to make you come out on your own.”
Snap— Mu snapped his fingers, and Levitan, who had betrayed us and brought us here, stepped forward. Bound to a cross, she stared blankly into the air with empty eyes.
That gaze alone told me something had happened to her.
“—If you don’t come out, I’ll torture this woman. She was supposedly a close colleague of yours, so watching that would be painful, wouldn’t it?”
Mu snapped his fingers again. The surrounding beastmen grabbed blades and approached Levitan. I shouted at them.
“Wait!”
“Haha, if you want to stop us, come out right now……”
“You’re going to leave her head intact, right?”
“……Excuse me? Well, we weren’t planning to kill her.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Mu stared at me, utterly baffled by my words. But this was extremely important.
Whether or not she kept her head made all the difference.