Vol 2 Chapter 12 – Cannibalism (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

Leaving the meeting room, I followed Kuzuryuu and Satsuki as they led me to my room.

Why my room, though?

Couldn’t we have just stayed in the meeting room?

I sat down on the sofa, wondering about that. Kuzuryuu and Satsuki sat down too, with Satsuki settling next to me.

Is there some kind of rule that female executives have to sit beside me?

Wow, I’m popular.

As I entertained such thoughts, Kuzuryuu began speaking.

“Alright, let’s plan our operation in Hokkaido.”

“No interruptions here either,” Satsuki chimed in, looking amused.

They started talking with excitement.

Honestly, it was a little unnerving, but if they were having fun, I didn’t mind.

Deep down, they were probably just looking forward to the trip.

Remembering something, I decided to say my piece.

“By the way, thank you both for accepting my request so readily.”

I bowed my head deeply.

Honestly, most of the other executives probably wouldn’t want to travel with me.

I was genuinely grateful to these two, who were both mature and calm.

As I kept my head lowered, Kuzuryuu responded.

“All of us executives will follow the Boss’s orders, no matter what they are.”

“Exactly. You’re like a god to us, after all,” Satsuki added.

Their flattery was impressive.

Is this what they call the poise of adults?

I want to learn how to do that someday.

“I see. Thank you very much.”

I accepted their words and Kuzuryuu continued.

“Now then, about the duration of our stay… I was thinking four to five days.”

“Yes, staying too long wouldn’t be ideal,” Satsuki agreed.

Four nights and five days. That should be enough to enjoy Hokkaido, I think.

But Hokkaido is huge.

Well, we still have time to think about it… no need to rush.

For starters, I want to visit Sapporo.

Then there’s Otaru, Asahiyama Zoo, and the Blue Pond in Biei.

I doubt we can fit everything in, though.

Maybe I’ll just call it a “mission” and sneak some sightseeing in.

As I considered this, Satsuki spoke up.

“Boss, as you said earlier… is it fine to leave dealing with the target to Kuzuryuu?”

“Yes. Kuzuryuu will handle the target for the most part. If anything goes wrong, you or I will step in as needed.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

They both nodded, looking satisfied with my explanation.

Well, as long as Kuzuryuu can smooth-talk the target, there shouldn’t be any issues.

And if the worst happens and it turns into a fight, Satsuki is here.

I guess I can just relax and enjoy Hokkaido.

Next to me, Satsuki murmured.

“Since we’re going to Hokkaido… I’d like to go to the sea.”

I perked up at her words.

“The sea? That sounds nice. How about the three of us go together?”

Satsuki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Boss, you want to go to the sea?”

“Not wanting to would be a lie. A little relaxation is important too, after all.”

“Boss, just say you want to go.”

“Alright! In that case, I’ll need to buy a stunning swimsuit… it’s for you to see, after all.”

The idea of going to the sea turned into a lively discussion among the three of us.

It felt like a group of friends planning a vacation.

————————  

“Well then… I’ll excuse myself for now.”

I stood up.

“Boss? What’s wrong?”

Satsuki, still seated beside me, asked with a hint of reluctance.

“I think ‘she’ is about to wake up.”

“I see… alright.”

“My apologies… I’ll be going now.”

With that, I left the room.

Kuzuryuu and Satsuki remained behind.

“…I feel a little jealous.” 

“I’d say you’re ahead this time.” 

“Really? Do you think I still have a chance?”

“…Does Boss even have those kinds of feelings?”

Kuzuryuu raised an eyebrow.

“He does.”

“And your reasoning?”

“Because… he’s just a man, after all.”

Satsuki’s expression resembled that of a lovesick girl.

————————  

I opened my eyes.

I was surrounded by darkness.

A space where no light could reach.

—Where is this? What was I doing just now…? I can’t remember. I don’t know what I was doing.

And then it hit me.

“…Ah.”

A sharp pain shot through my head.

At the same time, my past memories came rushing back, like a slideshow in fast motion.

(So… I still have memories from when ‘I’ was still ‘me,’ huh…)

They were memories from before I met ‘Master.’

————————

That was when I was still a student.

My family was in ruins.

After my mother passed away, my father tried to distract himself, plunging into a gambling addiction instead of working.

This left him with massive debts.

When I found out, I tried to convince him to stop gambling, but it was pointless.

He was already heading toward complete destruction.

I feared what might happen if I stayed—he might even force me to sell my body for money.

I decided to leave that house as soon as possible.

But there was one problem.

“Are you okay, Onee-chan?”

That problem was my little brother.

If I left, he would undoubtedly be in danger. I couldn’t abandon him, an innocent child, in such a hellish place.

I worked desperately, earning money to escape the house.

I juggled multiple jobs from morning till late at night.

It felt like I was going to throw up or die at times, but the thought of happiness for my brother and me kept me going.

It was a small hope.

But that small hope was shattered easily.

At 1 a.m., as I returned from my night shift, a strange sound greeted me. It was the sound of something being cut.

It sounded like flesh, or maybe bone—something I had never heard before.

Trembling with fear, I walked toward the source of the sound.

There, illuminated by a small light, was my father.

He turned to me with a smile.

“You’re late, Arisu.”

“Dad…”

“Never mind that… I made dinner for the first time in a while.”

Beside him was a large pot.

At his feet lay “something”—human-shaped, with its organs exposed and bones visible.

When I asked him what it was, my father smiled.

“Meat,” he said.

“Meat.”

It was unmistakably my brother.

Nausea overwhelmed me instantly. I covered my mouth with my hands, but it wasn’t enough. I vomited on the spot.

“Ugh, what a mess. Don’t just throw up everywhere.”

My father nonchalantly began cleaning up the vomit.

I questioned him through my trembling voice.

“Dad… why would you do something like this…?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied.

“He tried to defy me, so I taught him a lesson.”

“But still—” I tried to protest, but he cut me off.

“What? Are you taking his side?”

By then, he was holding a knife, its blade pointed at me.

“He’s insane.”

This man was no longer human.

Someone who could so easily take his own child’s life wasn’t even a person anymore—a monster.

“If you’re taking his side, I’ll kill you too. You’re in the way.”

With those words, he raised the knife.

Faced with the approaching blade, I couldn’t move.

“Why?” Why do I have to go through this…?

I haven’t done anything wrong… I don’t want to die… Not here, not like this…

“No!”

I instinctively pushed my father away and dashed upstairs.

“Get back here!”

He chased after me.

I ran for my life.

But how long could I keep this up? If I kept running, it was only a matter of time before he caught me.

(No… I don’t want to die! I still want to live!!)

Even though I was terrified of the monster chasing me, the fear of dying was stronger.

I barricaded myself in my mother’s room.

I locked the door, but I knew it wouldn’t hold for long.

My father banged on it repeatedly.

“Arisu, I know you’re in there. Come out.”

I thought it was over when my eyes caught sight of something on my mother’s desk—a knife.

It was small and light, almost like a toy.

When I unsheathed it, the thin blade appeared, as if it were made for killing.

The moment I saw it, I understood.

This was my mother and brother’s final message to me.

Today, I would take a life for the first time.

I grabbed the dagger and placed my hand on the door.

When I opened it, my father greeted me with a smile.

His expression quickly turned grim when he noticed the dagger in my hand.

“Arisu… you wouldn’t…”

His voice trembled as he spoke.

I slowly approached him.

Then, without hesitation, I plunged the dagger into his heart.

He coughed up blood and collapsed.

As he fell, the warmth of human blood lingered in my hands.

It felt surreal, like a dream, as though it wasn’t real.

But there was no denying it. This was murder.

I had killed my father with my own hands.

That fact wouldn’t change.

I collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at my bloodstained hands.

I had taken a life… and the weight of it left me stunned.

Then, my brother came to mind.

My only hope was gone.

I had wanted to live with him.

“…”

I went downstairs and cradled what was left of my brother.

His blood stained my clothes and hands.

The metallic smell, the lukewarm texture, the lifeless flesh—it all overwhelmed me.

And then, an idea struck me.

“There’s one way we can be together…”

I began cutting the remains with the dagger, slicing through flesh and breaking bones until everything was in pieces.

I placed the pieces into the large pot.

“This way, we can become one…”

I stirred the pot, now dyed red.

Round and round… round and round it went.

Boiling, stirring, boiling, stirring.

————————

“…!”

I jolted awake.

I was lying on a bed.

This place… the infirmary in the hideout?

I slowly sat up.

My head hurt. My body felt heavy.

My memories were still hazy.

Amidst the fog in my mind, I heard a familiar voice.

“Awake now, Arisu?”

There he was.

“Master…”

Sitting before me was my new “hope.”

“Are you alright? You seemed to be having a nightmare.”

“…I was dreaming of the past.”

“I see.”

Master didn’t press for details.

He simply looked at me.

It was just the two of us in the infirmary.

That felt oddly comforting, almost ticklish.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s wrong? Smiling like that is unusual for you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Seeing my normally emotionless self smile seemed to fluster Master slightly.

Looking at me, he spoke again.

“Next time, let me try your cooking, Arisu.”

“—!! Of course. Leave it to me.”

Goodness. I can never beat Master.

Leave it to me, Master.

There’s still plenty of “ingredients” left to use—