Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Hey, You Fucking Bitch
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Crow walked with exhaustion etched deeply into his eyes.
Flanking him as always were two guards gripping his arms. But their purpose had changed entirely.
Before, they had clung to him to keep him subdued. Now, they were supporting him like he might collapse if he walked alone.
Trudging through the prison's drab colors, the correctional officer's office soon came into view.
Normally locked tight, with guards knocking three times before it opened, today the door stood ajar unusually.
A guest had arrived. In the past, he would've been laid out on the sofa in the center and raped for hours. Today, someone else occupied it in his place.
Familiar blonde hair. Her neatly tied ponytail seemed to reflect her personality.
Across from her sat Orca. Behind her stoic face, unease and confusion seeped through subtly.
"We've brought him."
She seemed to be trying to convey something with her eyes. But Crow paid it no mind and slowly stepped into the office.
The radiant blonde hair swayed gently, revealing her beautiful face. A sharp, fierce expression contrasted with her utter bewilderment.
"Crow?"
It was truly strange. The voice he hadn't heard in ages hit his ears hard, but instead of joy or nostalgia, he felt only awkwardness.
"C-Crow...!"
"...You two, return to your posts. Good work."
Not wanting this reunion herself, Orca dismissed the two guards. They caught on quick and backed out.
Orca was in a foul mood today especially. The guards knew better than to irk her on days like this.
A chill ran down their spines even as the door closed behind them.
"...Did you see that?"
"I saw. Let's go quick. This has nothing to do with us...!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
About ten minutes earlier,
Justice had called Orca out in front of the prison gates.
Inside the prison, a correctional officer held considerable rank, but Justice was now the Hero Association's Director. The Director, no less.
Even with the government's checks and balances, no one could deny she wielded massive influence over the prison.
"...Fine. If that's how you want it, I have no choice. Now speaking not as a former comrade, but as the Hero Association Director."
Justice pressed the guard. She wasn't one to throw her fame or authority around usually, but today she was unrelentingly firm.
"Bring Correctional Officer Orca here. Right in front of me. Now."
The situation was that urgent. Justice needed to see Crow immediately. No time for anything else.
"...Or I can speak to the warden directly. Go tell her straight. If she doesn't come down right now, I'll talk to her superior."
What public servants feared most? Complaints, of course.
Especially from the Hero Association Director?
Even Orca couldn't brush that off easily.
"...Yes, sir!"
The guard's demeanor shifted from flustered bureaucrat to eager rookie soldier. The Director title carried more weight than Justice had imagined.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ah, ugh..."
But some things couldn't be achieved.
Back to the present,
Face-to-face with Crow in Orca's office after so long, Justice hesitated, struggling to speak.
Up close, his face was gaunt and haggard, like a patient's. His listless eyes and dark circles made him look all the more pitiful.
"Wha-what... what hap...?"
The tough woman who barely shed tears even then.
Yet like their first visit, Justice was at a loss, her eyes welling up.
"What happened to you...?"
Crow showed no reaction.
He seemed to meet her gaze for a moment, then dropped his eyes to the floor frost.
He grasped the situation instantly.
Justice had stormed the prison,
And Orca had reluctantly allowed this meeting.
Whatever—
He didn't care about Orca's anger. Beatings or rapes were everyday now.
No interest in a woman who wouldn't give more drugs. He just wanted back to the women who eased this pain, even a little.
"You okay? Are you really...? Crow! Look at me!"
Still, Justice touched his face, venting her rage. What was so unjust, so sad? He couldn't fathom.
"How could anyone do this to a person...! How?!"
Crow just let her hand guide his head up, staring blankly ahead. Her smooth skin and agitated voice felt so alien up close.
"..."
So Crow couldn't tune into her words. Even if genuine fury, it didn't reach his heart.
"Call the warden now. I'll tell them myself...!"
"...Enough. So what's this about."
Crow just
wanted this painful meeting over.
So he swallowed all the curses and resentment he wanted to hurl at Justice and spoke.
"Huh?"
Justice, mid-rant at Orca and the prison staff, blinked in confusion.
Even Orca across from her widened her eyes.
Crow's response was more cynical than Orca could wish.
She felt like she was dreaming. To Justice, it was a nightmare reality.
"What's this about..."
Crow wouldn't look at her. Instead, he sat on the empty sofa, legs jittering anxiously as he took deep breaths.
All his focus was on calming his withdrawal. Holding out like this was impressive, frankly.
The addiction symptoms were too severe for mere human will or endurance.
Despite the intense symptoms, Crow clung on with Scardi's cigarettes and sex.
But only for so long.
He wanted back to smoke more.
Only one cig because of Lily's watchful eye, and the pain hit harder than expected.
"Crow, don't tell me..."
To Justice, though, his unfamiliar state just looked more wretched, more tragic.
He was doing his best to survive day by day, yet she pitied him uselessly.
"What's wrong...? You're not like this...)
Every word grated.
From her view, confusion at seeing a sudden junkie Crow. But to him, useless lines.
"No, forget it. I get it now. Lily, right?"
Barely suppressing revulsion, Crow flinched and glared at Justice. His ravaged eyes made him look harsher, scarier than before.
"Now I see what that girl's been up to. Crow, just hold on. I'll get you out somehow. Even if I have to mobilize the whole Association...!"
Unaware or not.
Justice kept apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry. I should've believed you... I should've protected you..."
Only Orca, watching their embrace from afar, fully analyzed the scene.
She'd thought their reunion would ruin her position and record as correctional officer.
Instead, Crow rejected Justice outright.
"...Mention Lily one more time and I'll kill you."
His fierce rejection drowned even Orca's chill. Who could've predicted such hatred?
"Soon as I get out, you're first. Who the hell are you to badmouth Lily? What bullshit you spout right away? Sorry? 'I should've believed you'?"
Justice and Orca,
both looked up at the suddenly standing Crow, blinking in shock.
"Cut the crap. Hey, you fucking bitch. You think you're hot shit? Locking me and Lily up here to fuck around, so the world's yours?"
Justice too stunned,
Orca too thrilled,
to close their mouths for a while.
"You'll never make it out alive. Never. Watch me. Bitches like you end up dying alone, miserable. What justice? Selling out that kid for your act!"
Justice couldn't understand Crow's words. But soon realized.
In the weeks she'd been unconscious,
Lily had completely deceived Crow.
"I'll kill you! Soon as I'm out, I'll make sure you...!"
"Guards! Guards...!"
Seizing the chance, Orca called the guards to handle it.
His look as they dragged him out
evoked his old hero days, chillingly.
"I'll kill you! You damn...!"
Bang-!
Drug-weakened, yet raging like that.
Even after the door shut, his shouts echoed, pounding it.
"..."
Justice sat dazed, mulling the false accusation pinned on her.
To clear this frame-up,
what the hell did she have to do?
No evidence, no clues left...