Vol 2 Chapter 18 – Limiter Release  (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

The night beach.

The sound of waves echoed across the shore.

Moonlight reflected on the sea, scattering tiny fragments of light across the surface.

A single shadow stood there.

“This town’s sea really is the best.”

A shadow—a lone girl sat on the sandy beach.

The cool night sand felt comfortable.

Waves washed over the shore, gently wetting her feet.

In that serene moment, the girl began to sing softly, swaying slightly.

“——————♪”

Her song seemed to summon a gentle sea breeze, carrying the scent of the ocean to her.

“…….”

Catching the scent of the sea, the girl muttered—

“…I feel like something bad is about to happen.”

Murmuring those words, she stood up abruptly and looked toward the town.

The town, illuminated by countless lights, seemed as if it were welcoming her.

“——————But no matter what happens, I’ll protect this town.”

Her eyes brimmed with determination.

However, despite her resolute gaze, her eyes held no light.

They were like the deep sea, untouched by light.

——————————————————  

September 10, 6:00 a.m.

At Sakata’s hideout, all the executives had gathered.

“Thank you all for seeing me off.”

Sakata, the boss of the Empress, bowed his head to his executives.

“It feels lonely knowing the boss will be gone for five days.”

“True, it’s the first time the boss will be away for so long.”

Hirata and Kirino spoke with a hint of sadness.

Seeing their dejected expressions, Kuzuryuu and Satsuki responded.

“Well, as soon as the mission is complete, we’ll be back. We plan to wrap it up quickly to avoid drawing attention.”

“Exactly. It’d be a pain if we got tangled up with some troublesome people.”

Their words brightened Hirata and Kirino’s expressions slightly.

“But wouldn’t it be a disaster if something happened while the boss and you two were away? Like…the Guardians attacking?”

Takanashi questioned the group, her tone sharp.

Hearing this, Sakata shook his head slightly before responding.

“I understand your concern.

—That’s why, if it comes to it, we’ll have ‘Mayuzumi’s limiter released.'”

The boss’s words caused a stir among the executives.

Amid the murmurs, a deep male voice rang out.

“Boss. Leave it to me.”

——————————————————  

‘Mayuzumi Ouga’

The fourth-ranked executive of the Empress.

A man with a towering, muscular frame that far surpassed an ordinary person, with a shaved head.

His suit strained against the bulk of his muscles.

Clenching his fists together, Mayuzumi nodded firmly in response to Sakata’s words.

Seeing this, Sakata smiled in satisfaction and continued.

“Mayuzumi. Are you prepared to release the limiter at any moment?”

“Of course. I’m ready to act whenever needed.”

Mayuzumi swung his fists in front of Sakata as he answered.

‘Limiter Release’

A process involving the injection of a specialized drug into the body, temporarily lifting the brain’s natural restrictions and unleashing superhuman power.

However, it comes with severe physical backlash and shortens the user’s lifespan—a double-edged sword.

Among the executives, Mayuzumi’s combat ability was among the best.

If his strength were amplified severalfold, even dozens of times, he could hold off most adversaries.

“…Then I trust you. I’m counting on you if anything happens.”

“Understood.”

With a bow, Mayuzumi accepted Sakata’s words.

Hirata then spoke up.

“Boss, will I be responsible for making the call to use Mayuzumi’s ‘Limiter Release’?”

“Yes. While I’m away, Hirata will have full command over the Empress. Does anyone have objections?”

Sakata posed the question to all the executives.

Everyone nodded in agreement without protest.

Meanwhile, the clock approached 6:30 a.m.

“Well, it’s about time to head out.”

Sakata stretched his body and called out to Kuzuryuu and Satsuki.

“Yeah, let’s get going.”

“I haven’t been to Hokkaido in ages—looking forward to it!”

The two responded cheerfully as they climbed into the waiting car with Sakata.

Just as the three were about to set off—

“Master, please wait.”

The voice that stopped Sakata belonged to Arisu, who had remained silent until now.

“Arisu? What is it?”

“Um…well…”

Despite stopping Sakata, Arisu looked a little hesitant to speak, prompting him to gaze at her curiously.

That’s when Sakata noticed something unusual about Arisu.

“Arisu… you’re wearing an eye patch over your right eye. What happened?”

Usually emotionless, her gaze was always clear, but today, an eye patch covered her right eye. He distinctly remembered that she hadn’t been wearing it yesterday, suggesting the injury was recent.

Arisu, unfazed by the comment, answered without changing her expression.

“Yesterday, there were… various circumstances. Please don’t concern yourself with it, Master.”

“Various circumstances…? Well, if you say I shouldn’t worry, I’ll respect that.”

Although he was still a bit curious, Sakata decided to let it slide and moved to the main point.

“So, why did you stop me?”

“Oh, yes. I stopped you to hand you this, Master.”

Arisu handed him a small package.

“And this is?”

“I would appreciate it if you opened it.”

Following her suggestion, Sakata opened the package.

“This is…”

Inside was a small charm, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.

“It’s a charm I filled with prayers for your safety… and my feelings. I hope it provides some comfort.”

Arisu spoke shyly, her cheeks faintly red.

“Thank you for making this for me. I’ll keep it with me always.”

Sakata tucked the charm into the breast pocket of his suit. His face, hidden by a mask, didn’t show emotion, but his voice sounded genuinely pleased.

“Well then, everyone, I leave this place in your care for the next five days.”

Sakata got into the car, and the vehicle, now carrying its last passenger, sped off toward the airport.

—————————————————— 

After the Departure

As the car carrying the three leaders departed, the remaining six executives stood by.

“Well, now that the Master has left, shall we disband for now?”

Nonomura spoke as he left the hideout, but just as he stepped out, he seemed to remember something.

“Oh, right. Hirata, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Something you need to tell me?”

Hirata tilted her head curiously at his words.

“The Master asked me to create a certain ‘new drug,’ and it’s nearly complete.”

“The new drug… Don’t tell me!”

“Exactly. The one that completely nullifies pain—it’s almost done.”

The Drug That Nullifies Pain

Previously, Sakata had tasked Nonomura with developing a drug to completely block pain. Hirata frowned slightly as she thought about the implications.

“Understood. Please report to me as soon as it’s completed.”

“Got it.”

With that, Nonomura boarded his arranged car and left the hideout. Watching him go, Hirata spoke to the others.

“Now that we’ve seen the boss off, let’s call it a day… Oh, Meido-san, could I have a word with you?”

“I don’t know what you want to talk about, but… fine.”

As the other executives dispersed to their respective hideouts, only Hirata and Meido remained.

—————————————————— 

The Confrontation

“So, what is it? I don’t have the time to entertain you, you know.”

Arisu’s expression, usually emotionless, now looked irritated as she addressed Hirata.

And then—without warning—Hirata grabbed and tore off the eye patch covering Arisu’s right eye.

“———Ah! What are you doing?!”

“…Just as I thought.”

The eye patch was torn away, revealing—

“———Your left eye… You gouged it out yourself to make that charm, didn’t you?”

The spot where her left eye should have been was empty.

“Oh my, you caught me.”

Arisu began to laugh. It was a chilling, doll-like laugh that sounded entirely unhinged.

“You showed no signs of injury yesterday, and then today you suddenly show up with an eye patch. Of course, I’d be suspicious.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just yank it off like that!”

Arisu snapped back, her voice tinged with irritation, but she continued.

“Well… with this, I’m practically accompanying Master to Hokkaido, aren’t I?”

“That doesn’t count as accompanying him… does it?”

Hirata, exasperated, tried to point out the flaw in her logic, but Arisu was unfazed.

“If you’re not even willing to sacrifice a part of your body, your words don’t matter.”

Arisu rebutted, her tone icy.

“My way of loving is different from yours. I have no intention of indulging in twisted love like yours.”

“How amusing, Deputy.”

“And you’re just as amusing, self-proclaimed maid, satisfied by feeding him pieces of yourself.”

Tension crackled between them as they stared each other down.

Hirata held a karambit knife in her hand, while Arisu drew a dagger from its sheath.

A deadly fight was about to begin when—

“Oh, I thought this would arrive a little later.”

A car pulled up in front of the two.

“A pickup vehicle?”

“Yes, I called for it earlier.”

Arisu chuckled softly.

“Well, there’s no point in settling this while the boss isn’t here.”

“Agreed.”

Both lowered their weapons. The tense atmosphere dissipated as if it had never existed.

“Let’s finish this in front of the boss next time.”

“Yes, let’s.”

With those parting words, the two left the hideout in different directions.

En Route to Hokkaido

Inside the car heading to Hokkaido, Sakata sat with Kuzuryuu and Satsuki.

“By the way, are you keeping the mask on during the flight, boss?”

Kuzuryuu glanced at Sakata’s mask, curious. In response, Sakata shook his head and pulled a small bottle of liquid from his bag.

“What’s that?”

Satsuki peered at the bottle with interest.

“This is a drug that makes others unable to recognize my face.”

“Ah… So drinking that will make your face unrecognizable?”

“Exactly. It’s about time I drank it.”

Sakata removed the mask from his mouth, opened the bottle, and drank its contents.

“Not the tastiest thing, as expected.”

He chuckled, removing his mask completely.

Kuzuryuu and Satsuki froze, tension in the air.

The rare chance to see their boss’s face…

And what they saw was—

A faceless, featureless void.

“So that’s how it works?”

“Yes. While you two can tell something’s off, to the average person, it will look completely normal.”

“Boss, you’re scarier than any ghost!”

“Sorry, but bear with it.”

Sakata’s apology seemed genuine. The clock struck 7 a.m.

“We’ll reach the airport soon.”

“I’m not great with flights… Can I sit next to you, boss, and hold onto your arm?”

“We’re flying first class, right?”

The conversation filled the car with lively chatter as they finally arrived at the airport.

Unbeknownst to them, a long battle awaited.

—————————————————— 

Somewhere in Hokkaido – 8 p.m.

In a bustling city lined with restaurants and bars, a lone girl appeared.

“Finally made it. I’m so tired.”

The girl, her hair tied in a single black-and-white ponytail, surveyed the busy streets, exhaustion clear on her face.

People enjoying meals, drunk revelers stumbling about—such was the lively scene before her.

“First, the hotel. Gotta check in.”

She muttered, walking through the streets.

The chilly September breeze of Hokkaido nipped at her, making her shiver slightly.

“So cold. Maybe no swimming this time.”

Her whispered words carried a hint of melancholy.