Vol 2 Chapter 1- The Secret of the Karambit Knife (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

“Empress”

＿＿＿＿＿

“Shit! What the hell is wrong with these guys!?”

“Hey! Hang in there! Please, wake up!”

“No… I can’t… I don’t want to do this anymore…”

Inside an abandoned building in the city, young men ran for their lives, screaming in terror.

Chasing them were figures clad in jet-black suits.

Each carried a different weapon, and the mark of a red crown was engraved on the back of their suits.

They remained silent as they methodically killed the fleeing men one after another.

One by one, they fell, until only one man remained.

The man desperately tried to run, his face twisted in terror.

But his legs trembled and refused to move as he wished.

Eventually, they caught up to him.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he turned around.

Before him stood the group in black suits, weapons aimed directly at him.

Realizing his inevitable death, the man cried and pleaded for his life.

“W-wait! I don’t want to die yet! Please… spare me!”

But those standing before him showed no mercy.

Among them, a woman with cold, unfeeling eyes pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his heart, and he collapsed on the spot.

The black-clad group, their expressions unchanged, looked down at his lifeless body for a moment before turning on their heels and leaving.

＿＿＿＿＿

In a dimly lit room with an eerie atmosphere, a large round table dominated the space.

Seated around it were ten individuals, ranging from a young girl who had yet to know adulthood to an elderly man who seemed on the brink of death.

The room was suffused with tension so thick it felt suffocating.

Each person radiated hostility, making even breathing feel dangerous.

The oppressive air suggested that violence could erupt at the slightest provocation.

Then, a man shattered the tension.

“Everyone, please, there’s no need to be so tense. Relax.”

At his words, all eyes at the table turned to him.

Their gazes held no malice or disdain—only respect and admiration.

The man wore a jet-black suit and a black mask with a distorted smile painted on it. His presence alone exuded an overwhelming aura, even among the powerful figures at the table.

Following his words, a young girl spoke up.

A blue-haired girl with a wolf-cut hairstyle, Hirata Shizuku, also dressed in a jet-black suit, added her voice.

“As ‘Boss’ said, this isn’t the time for fighting. We’re here for an important meeting. Please, let’s all focus on the discussion.”

At the combined remarks of the man called “Boss” and Hirata, the atmosphere shifted entirely.

The oppressive tension dissipated, replaced by a calm and amicable air.

“Now then, with everything ready, let’s begin the executive meeting.”

With this declaration, the meeting at the round table commenced.

As discussions unfolded, the “Boss” sat silently, observing.

Though his face was hidden behind the mask, it seemed as though he was enjoying the lively atmosphere of the meeting.

＿＿＿＿＿

This world harbors every kind of crime.

Theft, fraud, defamation, rape, murder…

Ordinarily, committing a crime results in punishment.

It’s no exaggeration to say that punishment acts as a deterrent to crime.

For this reason, crimes among ordinary people are relatively rare.

However, there are those who do not fear committing crimes.

These individuals blend seamlessly into the world of ordinary people.

On the surface, they live as normal citizens, but beneath the facade, they are criminals—lunatics reveling in chaos.

Such lunatics band together to form a group.

A criminal organization.

And now, there is one criminal organization that has drawn attention from around the world.

An organization rumored to have thousands of subordinates.

Almost nothing is known about its leaders, not even their faces or genders.

Their motives are entirely shrouded in mystery.

However, the world is well aware of their terrifying and brutal nature.

They have a signature feature that seems to flaunt their crimes.

It is the black suits they wear, each marked on the back with a red crown.

Because of this distinctive feature, they are called “Empress.”

＿＿＿＿＿

Here are some of the known incidents attributed to them:

○ A random killing spree in a small town.

The perpetrator was said to be one of Empress’s subordinates.

Armed with a blade, she indiscriminately killed townspeople.

It’s said that 90% of the town’s population fell victim to her rampage.

After her arrest, she died during transportation.

The cause of death was poisoning from a delayed-acting toxin.

The poison was likely ingested before her crimes and is suspected to have been a measure to prevent information leaks.

This incident is believed to be Empress’s first recorded crime.

○ A bank robbery in a certain city.

Surveillance footage captured a group of eight perpetrators.

All of them are said to be Empress subordinates.

They were armed with firearms.

They killed all the guards and customers present.

Afterward, the perpetrators stole approximately 200 million yen and escaped while engaging responding police in a shootout.

Of the eight, three were arrested, four were killed by police gunfire, and one escaped with a suitcase containing 100 million yen. The fugitive remains at large.

All those arrested later died from delayed-acting poison, the same as in the earlier incident.

The incident became a major bank robbery, with 41 victims including bank staff, guards, customers, perpetrators, and police officers.

From this incident onward, Empress became a recognized presence in the public consciousness.

When Empress’s crimes came to light, it was initially thought to be the work of several individuals acting together. However, the consistent deaths of arrested members from poison, as well as their peculiar habit of expressing gratitude to a figure they called “Boss” before dying, led investigators to believe the group has leaders and executives orchestrating these events.

Currently, the police are devoting all their resources to finding and apprehending Empress’s leaders and executives. However, their whereabouts remain unknown.

Bounties have been placed on all members of Empress, with exorbitant sums offered for their leaders and executives.

To counter Empress, the police have formed a special task force.

Its name is “Guardians.”

This organization operates separately from the police and focuses on apprehending those involved in Empress-related incidents.

Its members are mostly combat specialists, each with exceptional skills.

The police have strengthened their investigative system and established this organization to combat Empress.

However, Empress will not remain idle.

For them, Guardians are their polar opposite.

＿＿＿＿＿

“Now, onto the next agenda item…”

One of the executives leading the discussion hesitated mid-sentence.

Noticing the change, another executive seated nearby spoke up.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“…No, it’s not for me to say. I think it’s better if ‘Kuzuryuu-san’ explains.”

The moderator directed everyone’s attention to a man with slicked-back black hair, dressed in a jet-black suit. Kuzuryuu began to speak.

“…Yesterday, we confirmed movement from ‘Guardians.'”

With that single statement, the atmosphere in the room grew tense once more.

“That group again! They’re such a nuisance!”

“From Kuzuryuu-san’s report, it seems they may have anticipated our next move, correct?”

“Yes. There’s also information suggesting they’ve deployed a level of force far beyond anything we’ve seen before.”

“What!? They’ve grown into such a large organization!?”

“Could they finally be taking us seriously…?”

“That’s highly likely. I believe we must come up with a response.”

“Agreed…”

Silence filled the room.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: how to deal with Guardians.

The silence was broken by a woman with chestnut hair tied in a ponytail and a husky voice—Takanashi.

“For now, we should just wait and see. I think they’re still in the preparation stage too.”

She spoke lazily, then slumped forward onto the table.

Hirata followed up on Takanashi’s statement.

“However, it might be wise to prepare something on our end as well, just in case…”

After a brief moment of thought, she looked at a particular individual and spoke.

“Boss, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

Following Hirata’s question, all the executives’ gazes focused on one person.

Their eyes carried an air of expectation.

The person, who had remained silent while listening to the discussion, slowly began to speak.

“Sometimes, It’s Good to Welcome Them First.”

At the Boss’s statement, every executive in the room erupted in shock.

“What!? Surely not…!!”

“Do you mean to summon them here?”

“That’s far too dangerous!”

“They don’t know any of our personal information! If they find out, it could be a huge blow to us! And if anything were to happen to you, Boss, I—”

One by one, the executives voiced their objections.

Even so, the Boss remained composed, silently observing the dissenting executives with calm eyes. Then, he posed a question.

“Do you all remember the dream we had when this organization was founded?”

Suddenly confronted with this question, the executives wore confused expressions. Finally, one raised her hand confidently.

“Our dream is to eliminate all unnecessary opposition from this world.”

The speaker was Kirino, a blonde-haired girl with hair flowing down to her shoulders. She proudly declared her answer.

Satisfied, the Boss nodded at her response.

However—

“But if we continue as we are, they may only grow stronger.”

“That’s…”

“If we lose to them, our dream will become impossible to achieve.”

At the Boss’s words, Kirino fell silent.

Seeing this exchange, Kuzuryuu spoke up.

“Boss, are you planning to lure the Guardians here and annihilate them?”

At Kuzuryuu’s remark, all the executives froze in realization.

The Boss turned toward Kuzuryuu, nodded, and began to speak.

“That’s correct. We already have enough strength to counter the Guardians.”

“By deliberately inviting them here, we can catch them off guard and strike decisively.”

“Exactly. They may be cautious, but they likely don’t have an accurate grasp of our forces. With our resources, I believe we have more than enough chance of success.”

“I see. With that approach, we can adequately prepare our defenses.”

At the Boss’s explanation, all the executives nodded in agreement.

The Boss then turned to Kirino, who had answered his earlier question.

“Kirino. It seems I teased you a bit. My apologies.”

“No, Boss, you did nothing wrong. The fault lies with me for not immediately understanding your plan!”

“Not at all. I was pleased that you were the first to raise your hand.”

“Boss…! Thank you so much!”

Hearing the Boss’s words of praise, Kirino swayed slightly from side to side, her face beaming with a broad smile.

＿＿＿＿＿

“…So, from now on, we will proceed with the originally planned operations while also luring the Guardians here to eliminate them. Does everyone agree with this course of action?”

“Yes, no objections.”

“I’m in favor.”

“I agree as well.”

“Understood.”

“Then, this concludes the executive meeting. Let’s start preparing to welcome the Guardians!”

With that, the meeting around the round table ended. The executives left the room one by one, leaving only the Boss behind.

As for the Boss himself—

(My stomach hurts. This is unbearable. I just want to go home…)

He silently complained to himself, wrestling with a stomachache.