Shattered Trust
Piling up the broken phones and gloves, I felt like I’d somehow become a voice phishing operator. All that was left now was to smash them with a hammer and scatter the pieces. Thud. Thud. Thud. Huh? Already?
I set the hammer down and headed for the front door.
“I’m back.”
“…What the hell is all this?”
There stood Bianca, both hands gripping duffel bags, smiling brightly. It was the first time I’d seen her smile like that. No, that wasn’t the point.
“Hey, you’re seriously planning to eat all of this?”
“Why not? I worked pretty hard showing off today. And if you want to maintain muscle, you need to eat this much. I got some for you too.”
She proudly held up several packs of meat. A single serving at a barbecue place was around 180 grams, right? Sure, you usually ordered two servings to fill up, but this… even at a glance, it was way over a kilogram. And she was saying this was all for me?
“You think I can finish all this…?”
“You’ve been running around all over the place too. Eat up, eat up. This is on the Alpha of Bulph.”
“Things are going to get seriously busy starting tomorrow. If I eat all this, how am I supposed to digest it?”
“Hey.”
Was I nagging too much? She suddenly went dead serious and dropped the meat straight onto the floor.
“Eat.”
“…Thank you.”
“Good boy.”
Strength really is everything. Damn it, villains really are all about raw power. Yeah. What was I even expecting?
Judging by the sheer amount, one grill wasn’t going to cut it, so I decided to go back and forth between the kitchen and living room. I opened every window, closed every door, and started the meat feast.
“Taste good?”
She had already shoved that massive chunk into her mouth, chewing noisily while nodding. Where the hell had she gotten the beer? She poured it into a chilled glass and downed it in one go.
“Kya—ha! I feel alive again.”
“You sound like an old man.”
“Why? Do I look like a woman to you?”
“Cough, hack, cough, cough, cough!”
I choked. Badly.
“…”
I was screwed. She was probably glaring daggers at me from behind right now, wasn’t she?
“Aigoo, whatever. I’m used to it now. I’ll let it slide! Today’s work went smoothly anyway.”
For some reason, her face looked a little bitter as she said that. Had I ruined her good mood?
“I, cough, I need an answer, don’t I?”
“I already gave you one. You looked like you were struggling not to laugh.”
It was true. I could at least tell a white lie.
“There aren’t any handsome old men, are there?”
Well, her rough, wild beauty was a fact. Those fierce eyes… distorted sexual desire… was that how it was phrased? If it weren’t for the scars and that sharp gaze, she probably would have been incredibly popular.
“…”
Hm. Her face had turned bright red. Or was she already drunk?
“Your tolerance is weaker than I thought, huh?”
“Huh? Um? Ah, ah, it’s, it’s been a while, ahem, it’s been a while since I drank, so maybe that’s why. I feel a bit… whew.”
“Have some more side dishes. Drink slowly. We’re supposed to enjoy the party.”
I placed another pile of meat in front of her as she kept fanning herself, then slid the fan I’d been using over to her side. Along with a two-liter bottle of ice-cold water.
“You should eat too. It feels weird if I’m the only one eating.”
“If I ate comfortably with you, I’d have to stay up all night grilling meat. And I’m not giving you side-eye. You worked hard, didn’t you?”
When I tried to leave, Bianca stared at me without picking up her chopsticks. What? Why is she acting like this?
“You’re drunk.”
“…If you leave, won’t it get hot? You don’t have to take it off?”
“I’m fine. No point in letting villains see my face for no reason.”
“You’re a villain too.”
“Villain my ass.”
“Then what are you?”
She grabbed my arm with a crack. Shit, she really was drunk.
“It hurts. Hey, it hurts, it hurts!”
“If you’re not a villain, then what are you? A hero? A fucking cop?”
“Ugh, I pulled you out of the water and now you want my whole damn wallet too?”
“I need insurance too. Take off the mask. Or tell me your name.”
“You’ve already moved into my house, what more do you want me to reveal!”
I should have realized it the moment she started drinking. Come to think of it, if she went on a rampage in the house with that strength—
“Tsk. After seeing all my embarrassing moments, you’re going to act like this, you cheap bastard?”
“Your arm’s going to break, no, stop, hey, tsk, you shouldn’t do this.”
“…You just treated me like a fucking dog, didn’t you.”
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!”
I was going to die. I was seriously going to die. I changed one part of the original story only to get my arm broken by a drunk villain and die? The author would probably laugh his ass off. That couldn’t happen. This couldn’t be how it ended. How do I get out of this? What should I—
Act?
“Let’s see that smart wolf face of yours.”
She pulled me down, wrapped her legs around me, and reached for my mask. That was when I screamed with every ounce of strength I had.
“The meat’s burning! The meat’s burning!!!”
“M-meat? Meat!?”
Bianca immediately threw me aside. My freed body rolled across the floor. Ow, my arm.
“We can’t waste good meat. Protein is a serious matter…”
Cancel the part about her being smart. Once alcohol entered the picture, she was nothing but a beast.
“Hey.”
“It hurts…”
The bruise on my wrist from last time hadn’t even faded yet. Now I had to ice it again? I wasn’t even a powered individual, so my recovery was slow.
“…Yeah, whatever. I’m the one in debt here, so I shouldn’t be lecturing you. Just grill me some more meat.”
“With this arm?”
“Then take off the mask.”
“I’ll grill it.”
Just as I was about to jump up and head to the kitchen before she changed her mind, there was a knock at the door. Had we been too loud?
“Who is it!”
“…”
Something felt off. There was no answer. If they were here to complain, they would have already started yelling for us to come out.
“…Ah.”
Bianca’s expression hardened. Her twitching ears froze, and her chopsticks clattered to the floor.
They’d tracked us. But how? The phones? No. The calls had been short, and all the phones had different registered owners. Then… it must have been Bianca’s side. The apologetic look she gave me confirmed it. After causing such a commotion and then buying an absurd amount of meat from the butcher, of course they’d notice.
The excited mood sank in an instant. I gave Bianca a nod. She turned off the grill, hurried to the kitchen to shut off the gas stove, then picked up a kitchen knife in one hand, leaned against the wall, and nodded back.
“…Whew.”
I grabbed the stun baton hanging above the shoe rack, cranked up the voltage, and placed my hand on the doorknob. The moment I turned it—
“Guh?!”
My body was violently thrown backward. I flew across the hallway and slammed into the wall. Through my blurry vision, I saw masked intruders casually pushing their way inside.
“What the hell? Were you grilling meat? Where’s that bitch?”
The grill tipped over. Meat spilled everywhere. In the blink of an eye, three intruders filled the house, and… when I managed to pull myself together, I saw Bianca’s face.
Wow. She was pissed.
“Why the hell are you wearing a mask? Hey. Can’t you read the—
Before he could finish, a kick sent his body flying. The masked man crumpled like scrap.
“…!”
The kitchen knife she gripped tightly struck the next person in the blink of an eye. She hacked at him like he was nothing more than meat, then stomped him into the floor. It was brutal.
“H-hik?!”
The last one finally realized the danger and stumbled backward, trying to flee toward the door.
“You bastards with no fear… coming into my house… touching what’s mine?”
Hey. This isn’t your house. And there’s still plenty of meat left.
But something began to swirl around the masked villain’s hand. That sensation, like the air itself was being sucked in… No way.
A flame user…!
“Bianca!”
“You fucking—
The last intruder’s words cut off awkwardly. Blood sprayed. But no scream followed.
“…”
Leaving the falling body behind, Bianca stepped out the door. Murmurs rose from outside. So there weren’t just three of them. I’d hoped the enemy had underestimated her, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Bianca.”
What kind of abilities did this group have? What weapons were they carrying? How were they planning to hunt her?
“Don’t.”
It would have been better to barricade ourselves inside. Anything was better than leaving her out there with so many of them. But Bianca didn’t move. She simply gripped the blood-soaked knife tighter and glanced back at me for a moment.
Someone charged with a battle cry, but after a spray of blood, silence fell once more.
“Clean up nicely until I get back.”
With those words, the hallway lights went out. The door moved quietly and then shut completely.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The door lock hadn’t fully engaged. That was why I could hear the sound of flesh being torn apart… and the sharp screech of metal scraping. What was spilling onto the floor? What kind of torment could make someone let out such miserable cries?
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Thud. A terrifying impact shook my whole body.
Click.
The door finally locked. Yet even then… the death throes of slaughtered livestock continued to echo. Faintly.
“It’s me.”
A completely exhausted voice. I carefully opened the door, and her body collapsed forward.
“Ugh?!”
I caught her, but the blood covering her body stuck to me thickly. Damn it, she wasn’t hurt, was she?
“It’s not my blood. Relax. You’re all tensed up.”
“…”
Hidden in the darkness, I could still clearly see the countless bodies. Panting. Crying. The mixture of sounds filled the entire hallway.
And then.
“I’ll call the kids to clean this up. Give them some cash and it’ll be done in no time.”
“…Relax? After seeing you like this?”
She wasn’t uninjured. There were cuts and stab wounds all over her. There was even a knife stuck in her back. Shallow, but definitely there.
“I was trying to look cool, but now it’s embarrassing…”
When I pulled out the blood-covered knife and tossed it aside, Bianca winced slightly. I dragged her into the bathroom, staining the floor I’d just cleaned with fresh blood.
“Wash up so I can bandage the wounds. I’ll bring some medicine. Do you need painkillers?”
“Why are you making such a big deal out of it? I didn’t even get shot this time.”
“You’re injured. Of course we have to treat it. Just because you’re a powered individual doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”
“…”
Why is she staring at me like that? It’s burdensome.
“Hah, do you not trust me right now? I’m going to be the Alpha of Bulph. I’m not someone who needs to be worried over like this.”
“Yeah, yeah. Save the tough act for the other villains. In front of me, just be honest. Don’t go suffering alone later.”
“…Heh.”
Suddenly, Bianca washed her hands in the water, then roughly ruffled my hair.
“You worked hard today. You even took a hit because of me.”
The way she looked at me with those deep eyes… Yeah. I guess I didn’t need to worry. She’d eaten a lot earlier, so her wounds would heal in no time.
“If you think about it, you’re the one working the hardest. This much is nothing…”
But the atmosphere felt… heavy. Being this close to each other like this.
“…Can I go now?”
“You’re asking for permission even for that?”
When she gently pushed me away and waved her hand, I figured worrying any more would only hurt me. I stood up and carefully moved to close the door.
“Oh, right.”
“What?”
“The ones who attacked today… they were from Stahlleder’s crew.”
“Ah. That hardening ability user.”
One of the places I’d called—and the most powerful Delta faction. He’d also thrown his weight around quite a bit in the original story. His hardened skin had cracked from desperate fighting and drug abuse, allowing him to be taken out ridiculously easily.
“It won’t be easy.”
“…Then should we move houses?”
It hadn’t even been a few days, and we already had to move? But since we’d been found, we couldn’t stay—
“When a wolf’s territory runs out of prey, does the leader move because he’s scared and runs away with his tail between his legs?”
She cracked her knuckles. Bianca crossed her legs slightly, exuding confidence.
“You just focus on carrying out your plan. I’ll be the one protecting you.”
Maybe it was because I’d seen the carnage outside the door. Why did I suddenly feel like I could trust her?
But.
“You know this is my house, right?”
What was with her casually declaring it her territory? She was trying to take everything for free.
“Good things are good things. What would you have done if I wasn’t here today?”
“Then those bastards wouldn’t have trashed my house in the first—”
“Hey.”
She really was all bark and no brain. And insanely vicious too.
“You should feel honored that I’m treating an outsider like family.”
She couldn’t make me family, so she treated me like one instead? Not only did she take my house without permission, now she was trying to take me too.
…Yeah, well. If this was proof of growing trust, then fine.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I told you to call me Alpha.”
I closed the door without answering.
“Hey, you—
Tomorrow, the executives would likely make their decision. Whether they contacted us or came in person like this—we needed to prepare. Of course, feeding a wolf until it was full was one way, but there was a more fundamental solution.
In other words.
Would you like to proceed with the Improvised Weapon Tutorial?
Yes. Something like this.