To Catch Two Rabbits

The hero. Every man dreams of becoming one at least once in his life. Yet somehow, it seems I've become the exact opposite—a villain.

Crackle—crack!

"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"

"At this level, it looks like his superpowers aren't growing at all."

"Tsk. Another failure, then."

"Well, at least we have plenty of test subjects. That's something."

Right now, a man was writhing in agony as high-voltage electricity coursed through his body, yet the people in white lab coats simply watched with indifferent or deeply disappointed expressions. Of course, I could roughly figure out who these researchers were and where I was, thanks to the symbol pinned to their chests. It didn't take long for me to realize I had become part of Black Cell, the villainous organization that kidnapped mutants and superhumans to conduct inhumane experiments aimed at forcibly evolving their powers.

I can't believe I possessed an extra of that hero comic I read right before bed…

The first few days had been incredibly confusing, but the water had already been spilled. If I wanted to leave this place, the only way out was in a body bag. As I was desperately trying to figure out what to do, a young woman—the director of this facility—called for me.

"Maxwell?"

"Yes, Director. You called for me?"

"You seem to have adjusted somewhat. How about taking on a task?"

I was currently inhabiting the body of a low-ranking scientist in this organization. However, I had been recruited with great effort because I was considered a promising talent. That meant I could choose something truly important right away.

But this organization is destined to collapse anyway once the test subjects go on a rampage.

If I took on anything critical now, I'd be the first one slaughtered by those rampaging test subjects later. For the moment, since I was still new, people nodded approvingly when I simply observed. But if I kept refusing work, this research organization—which was practically pure evil—would dispose of me without hesitation.

While racking my brain and examining internal records for a way to survive, I came across one particular file.

This villain came from here?!

Not only was she completely self-absorbed, but she was one of the most vicious and powerful villains in the comic—one who would later commit mass slaughter of civilians on a whim. When I checked to see if other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future villains were here as well, I discovered that this place was essentially the cradle of the story's major antagonists.

So this research organization existed to provide the causal backstory for those twisted personalities? That also explained why it would eventually self-destruct. And in that moment, a flash of inspiration struck me.

This… this might actually be usable.

I was currently in a position where I could take on any task I wanted. Moreover, the original story mentioned that these villains had suffered severe affection deprivation during childhood. What would happen if I treated the test subjects kindly here?

Of course, there was a chance it could fail and I'd die. But since I was going to die horribly later anyway, I decided it was better to go quickly and comfortably. With a plan in mind, I went to see the Director under the pretext of proposing a new research project.

**************

The Director looked genuinely surprised when she read my research proposal.

"You want to observe how forming bonds with young test subjects affects experimental outcomes… That's quite the unusual study, isn't it?"

"Any experiment can change drastically with even the smallest variable. And there are research results showing that most superpowers are closely tied to mental states."

"That's true. But Maxwell… are you sure about this?"

The Director's expression turned to one of deep concern.

"That crazy little brat recently massacred an entire research team. The others have done similar things."

"There is no progress without risk. I believe that's one of Black Cell's mottos."

"Well, yes, but…"

The Director stared into my eyes for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.

"Hah, fine… It wouldn't be bad to see what you're capable of. We do need someone to handle those brats anyway."

"Would it be all right if it takes a rather long time?"

"Of course. Just don't die."

Fortunately, my proposal was approved immediately, granting me access to the young test subjects. The first button had been fastened beautifully, which was a relief. However, as the Director had warned, I would undoubtedly have to endure hellish hardship. Still, they say a good beginning is half the battle.

If I could build close relationships with the test subjects, I might have a chance to survive later. And as any wise person knows, you shouldn't dig just one well.

I need to become a whistleblower from the inside.

I had to leave myself some room to launder my identity later—something like, "Even though he was a villain, he was actually kind." The best option would be to receive help from the protagonist's group, but they were probably still ten-year-old kids right now. That meant I needed to report to the Hero Association. Since leaving records would be too risky, I'd figure out a method later.

Now it was time to fasten the second button.

…………….

Could I really win the heart of a personality-disordered, narcissistic little brat? Only the heavens knew the answer.

***********************

The detention room was larger and cleaner than I'd expected. However, a chilling, murderous aura filled the entire space. The source of that aura was a young girl bound tightly in a straitjacket.

Although she was still very young, her appearance—blonde hair and blue eyes—confirmed she was indeed the Gloria I knew. This was the turning point.

Since Gloria currently possessed an intellect on par with an adult, carelessly running my mouth could easily get me killed. So I started with the simplest thing.

Scrape…

I pulled over a chair and sat down in front of her. The bound Gloria gave me a puzzled look, but the fact that she didn't attack despite being fully capable of tearing the straitjacket apart meant this could already be considered a success. Even as time passed, I simply remained there in silence.

When the heavy silence continued, a lower-level staff member wearing protective gear entered with a meal tray, likely because it was time to eat.

"Hup?! Wh-why is a researcher here—?!"

"Don't mind me. I do have one question, though. How does she eat while tied up like that?"

"I… I feed her myself…"

I see. And judging by how terrified he looked, it was obvious how that usually went. I quickly explained the current situation to the staff member and took the tray from him. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way he fled as if his tail were on fire the moment his task ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was done… gave me a glimpse into why Gloria suffered from such severe affection deprivation.

Anyway, the meal was just nutritional porridge. I moved closer and carefully fed her spoonful by spoonful. She ate without a word, and I was thinking she must have been quite hungry when—

"…Aren't you afraid of me?"

Gloria spoke much sooner than I'd expected. She began staring at me directly, then growled like a wild beast. Still, any words were better than continued silence. I simply held out the spoon without saying anything. Gloria seemed to understand the implication—that we could talk after she finished eating—and clicked her tongue. Once the porridge was gone, she lost interest and simply closed her eyes.

**************

Several days passed after that dangerous first meeting with Gloria. During that time, I practically lived in the detention room. The Black Cell personnel began looking at me like I was insane.

"Just how many lives does that researcher Maxwell have? He's been stuck with that crazy brat nonstop."

"Must be the type who enjoys danger."

"I heard a rumor he's planning to approach other dangerous test subjects too."

"Tsk tsk tsk… We'll be cleaning up one corpse soon."

Everyone saw me as a walking dead man. But perhaps because I had continued sitting beside her in silence, things began to change.

Chew chew chew…

Now, Gloria no longer sent me murderous glares when eating her nutritional porridge. Nearly three months had passed since I started spending time with her. As I entered the detention room and sat down in front of her today, Gloria surprisingly spoke first.

"If I throw off this straitjacket, you're dead."

Suddenly the room was once again filled with murderous intent. Goosebumps rose across my body, but if Gloria had truly wanted to kill me, it would have been over long ago.

"If I die, then that's the end of it. Besides, you could break out of that straitjacket right now if you wanted to."

"Tsk…"

Even with an adult-level intellect and the power to easily tear dozens of people apart, she was still quite immature. Hit right in her weak spot, Gloria frowned.

"Since when did you notice?"

"From the beginning."

In the original story, Gloria had the ability to detect lies. I didn't know if she had it now, but there was no reason to hide anything, so I continued answering only with the truth. She looked somewhat puzzled. To build a little more trust, I spoke again.

"Although others see you as a monster, I believe in you."

Because—

****************

Some time after I gave Gloria my trust and belief, half a year had passed. During that time, a truly remarkable change had occurred. I had now become like part of the furniture in the detention room—Gloria no longer paid me any particular attention!

Perhaps because I had survived so long, the Director granted Gloria a small amount of freedom. She could now move around the detention room while still wearing the straitjacket. However, her arms remained bound, so I still had to feed her the nutritional porridge myself.

By the time the detention room felt more familiar to me than my own lab, the end of the year arrived. Someone suggested the organization should hold a small party. Thinking that even a place like this had human touches, I showed my face at the party for a while.

"Hahahaha! It's the walking corpse!"

"Maxwell! Congratulations on surviving for half a year!"

"Here! A celebratory drink for you!"

Having become something of a celebrity in the organization, I ended up getting dragged around by the other researchers.

"But what about Gloria's meal?"

"Ah~ That? Don't worry, don't worry."

"The Director has already given instructions to the lower staff."

Then Gloria wouldn't go hungry even if I returned a bit late. Since avoiding the organization's disapproval required some degree of social interaction, I decided to participate in the party in earnest. But then an unexpected situation occurred.

Beeeeeeeeeep!!

"Huh? What's going on all of a sudden?"

"Did something escape from the lab?"

"Let's check it out first."

The emergency alarm suddenly rang, leaving the personnel bewildered. But after the security team investigated, they found no damage anywhere in the research complex. Just as we were all feeling something was off, a wave of anxiety began to wash over us.

"N-no way…"

"Maxwell? What's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrong with you?"

"I'll be right back after checking something."

"Do you need help—"

"No!! If you come with me, it'll be a disaster!"

I immediately left the party hall and ran toward the danger zone. Sure enough, the closer I got to Gloria's detention room, the stronger the metallic scent of blood became. When I urgently opened the door—

"Ah… You finally came."

Gloria, who had torn the lower staff members to pieces, stood amid a spray of crimson blood, staring at me with an indifferent gaze.