The Taste of Power and the Weight of Names
Frying tempura is surprisingly simple. You just make the batter, dip the ingredients in it moderately, shake off the excess coating, and fry it until it's done. Once it turns a nice golden brown, you just take it out. It couldn't be simpler. The only real hassle is the cleanup afterward.
“Delicious!”
No, what the hell am I thinking right now? I'm not here to make sweet and sour pork. At this rate, I'll end up as a housemaid instead of a strategist.
“Hey, I set some of that aside to give to Horn... Did you already eat all of it?!”
I made a mountain of the stuff, but she's already devoured it all and is still munching away. Is she a wolf or a pig?
“It's all mine anyway. And after the way you threw me aside and only now come crawling back with your face stuck out, that bastard deserves to go a little hungry.”
“Eat it all and then talk. All of it.”
In the end, this was all I could manage to set aside for him. Looks like I'll be the one going hungry. Not that I usually eat breakfast anyway.
Watching her shove the mountain of fried meat into her mouth without any sauce, I stepped into the room.
...But yeah, size is size, I guess. The chair he's sitting on looks like it's about to collapse.
“Ah.”
“Please stay seated. Have some of this. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Even if I smile, it wouldn't show under the mask. Now, where to sit...
“I'll sit on the floor. Here.”
I shouldn't refuse. Hierarchy matters.
“Um... are we eating together?”
“Eat by yourself. I don't usually have breakfast.”
“But—”
“It's fine.”
In the end, I quietly watched as he cautiously took a bite. Just as the original story described, he's the silent, serious type. The way he chews without opening his mouth too wide makes it hard to call him a wolf.
“...It's delicious. Better than most Chinese restaurants.”
“I'm glad. Glad it suits your taste.”
With my self-taught cooking experience and a side of YouTube tutorials, there's nothing I can't make. Especially when I'm getting a massive budget from a criminal organization.
“Hmm... In a way, this could count as an interview, right?”
“Ah, yes. It seems... that's the case.”
“I already know plenty about your combat abilities, so we'll skip that part. What I'm curious about is...”
“My intentions, I suppose.”
As expected. He's sharp. And because he's sharp, he tried to attach himself to this side. After all, Bianca, the strongest in terms of pure power, is rampaging at full strength. On top of that, he even endured Stahlleder's assault.
“Should I start by asking why Stahlleder attacked your side as well?”
“Yesterday, the news that Pocket had been attacked spread like wildfire. In an instant.”
“I did order them to keep their mouths shut, but... I guess it didn't work?”
“That couldn't be helped. There were more than a few people who had their eyes on Pocket.”
That makes sense. Plenty of money, no real power, and without the organization's protection, they were just waiting for a chance to shake them down. And Bianca basically bit their heads off.
“Everyone was supposed to get their share, but Beta took everything—”
“Alpha.”
I cut him off slightly. For the sake of the boss who established the hierarchy.
“...You haven't officially received the succession of the organization yet.”
“Even so, please call her Alpha in front of us. You came rushing here this early because you want something from us, after all.”
“Yes, then... Alpha.”
He's surprisingly obedient. Doesn't seem like his pride took any damage. Or maybe he's just good at swallowing it down.
“Because Alpha took everything, the rebel faction has been shaken badly.”
“Your side was the one that stayed neutral and watched.”
“...Yes. We only observed alongside Kerberos.”
Ah, Kerberos. The flame manipulator. I heard she handles fire as skillfully as her name, the hellhound, suggests. In the original story, she caused a massive fire in the city center before trying to hijack an armored cash transport and getting caught. Since fire doesn't work on her, I was quite interested, but she answered my call with silence, which was disappointing.
“Once the guy managing the money got completely cleaned out, it seems infighting broke out... but for now, they decided to clean up the outsiders one by one first.”
“They even touched the neutrals.”
“Stahlleder currently controls most of the organization, so he has power to spare. I suspect he did this both to show off his strength and to test the waters.”
“You handled it well, but it's clear he was probing. So you want Bianca's protection before the three of them attack all at once?”
“...Exactly right.”
If he can minimize his losses by bowing his head, then so be it. After all, Horn wasn't the type to cause trouble unless his territory was invaded. He only came out to fight because Justice had stirred up the hornet's nest. Thinking about that pathetic motive of wanting to raise his name value a bit, I clicked my tongue.
“If you're trying to dump all the fighting on us, that would be a problem.”
“That's not it. It's just that I'm weak when it comes to taking the offensive...”
“What if you had support?”
Horn's techniques are all large-scale with clear wind-up motions. If given enough time, he can summon dozens of massive horns from the ground. His destructive power alone was tremendous.
“Then it's possible. As long as they don't notice in advance.”
“Then there shouldn't be any issues.”
Stahlleder has both mobility and destructive power, so Horn probably finds him burdensome. The way he's hesitating and fidgeting while watching my reaction confirms it.
“You don't need to worry. I don't enjoy overworking people.”
“...Understood.”
“You know how it is with Bianca. I let her sleep in as much as she wants.”
“Hey!!”
She heard that too? And why is that thumping sound getting closer—
“Who are you calling someone who sleeps in? Am I a pig?”
“No.”
Still, a wolf is a wolf, I suppose. The way her ears twitched between her short hair showed they were quite sensitive. And I never called her a pig. Was she bothered by how much she eats?
“...Then, it seems we should call her Alpha from now on.”
“Heh. Why not call her Beta?”
“Since we're seeking Alpha's protection, I'll call her Alpha from now on.”
Looking at how he acts, he's more like a gentle cow than a violent rhinoceros. Why doesn't this organization have a single actual wolf?
“Then, how should I address this person...”
“...Right. Hey. Don't you have some villain name prepared or something?”
“Villain name? I'm not a villain, I told you.”
...Okay, saying that now does sound ridiculous. Especially with both of them staring at me like that.
“Since it's a gray mask, how about Mask Man?”
“Ugh.”
I nearly gagged. She named herself so well, but why...
“Want to die?”
Seeing her face turn bright red, she must know how lame it sounds. I silenced her with a threatening fist.
“Um, instead of that, since we have connections with the Russian side as well...”
“That's true.”
“Then instead of Mask Man, how about just Mask, making it Maska?”
“Hmm...”
This is better. But why is she... acting strange again? Her face is red, and her breathing is rough.
“Maska... Bianca...”
Ah. The endings overlap. I thought it would be fine.
“If the overlap bothers you, should we go with something else?”
“Ah, no, it's... not bad. It's simple.”
But why is her reaction like this? Why is she watching my expression when saying my name?
“Well, originally, if the name is too complicated, people have a hard time remembering it. So if possible...”
And why is Horn watching Bianca's reaction while suggesting my name? Is there something I'm missing?
“Well, if both of you are okay with it, then Maska it is.”
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
“...But now that I think about it, it feels wrong to just call the person assisting Alpha by their name.”
“Ah.”
I had everything decided, but now it's come to this. Then what was the point of picking a villain name?
“How about calling you Strategist?”
“Yes... well, that should be fine. It's not like I'm going to be Beta.”
“There's no reason it couldn't work, probably?”
Why is he acting like this again? He hasn't been able to make eye contact since earlier.
“You fight pretty well, you've got guts, decent durability, and you're smart...”
“So if I fought Horn, would I win?”
“Well, that's...”
“Creating an official strategist position within the organization and recruiting you is also an option, Alpha.”
And Horn has been subtly siding with Bianca this whole time. What the hell is going on?
“True. Even if strength is lacking, that could work.”
“I'm not becoming a villain.”
“After beating people up, blowing up a warehouse, and even dunking someone, you're saying that now?”
“That was all to protect you.”
“Cough!?”
I really don't get it. Now neither of them can look me in the eye.
“...Are you serious about that?”
“I told you from the beginning. I'd make you Alpha.”
“Y-yeah, that's true, but...”
Is this really the same girl who used to growl that she'd kill me if I tried anything? Now that we're a bit closer, she's finally blushing?
“If possible, it would be easier for us to trust you if you clearly picked a side. Right?”
“Yes, well, yes. That's correct, Alpha. Since villains are gathering together, clearly labeling yourself as a villain would put our minds at ease.”
“Those same villains are stabbing each other in the back all the time, yet you think the villain title will stick? And even without doing that, I'm already on your side, Bianca. So what's the problem?”
“M-my... my side?”
“Yeah. We're on the same boat now. And do we really need to make a villain declaration on top of that?”
“Th-that's not necessary... I guess. If you're on my side, then there's no need to...”
Sigh. I can't take this anymore. I went through all the trouble of feeding them, and this is what they talk about.
“Then Horn will be under Bianca starting today, and I'll be Maska, the strategist. Conversation over?”
Why are they just nodding without saying anything? And she's supposed to be the alpha wolf.
“I'm going.”
“Uh, where to?”
“Don't you think my stomach might be empty?!”
Since the meat was all used up anyway, I might as well mix some rice with eggs. With that thought, I opened the door and headed to the kitchen, catching faint voices behind me.
“...If you tell anyone else about what happened today, you're dead.”
“Yes.”
All that fuss just because a name came up. Their relationship must be pretty bad for her to chew out someone who's about to become an ally like that.