Vol 2 Chapter 2- A Thin Line Between Kindness and Madness (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

22:00, Late at Night

While resting in my room, the sound of my phone ringing shattered the silence.

Receiving a call at this hour was, by any standard, rude. However, seeing the name displayed on the screen—Takanashi—I answered without hesitation.

“…Hello?”

“Apologies for calling at such a late hour, Boss.”

The voice on the other end sounded calmer than usual, though slightly fatigued.

That wasn’t surprising. She was in the middle of executing an operation, and I knew how busy she’d been lately. Most likely, she was still actively engaged in that mission.

“It’s no problem. What’s going on?”

“I have a report.”

I acknowledged her efforts and asked about the purpose of her call. Her response was entirely unexpected.

“The operation has been successfully carried out.”

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

I asked without thinking.

“We’ve completed the elimination of the police executive’s son and his group of friends as ordered.”

“I’ll return to the hideout now to brief Hirata and the others.”

“I see. Understood. Good work.”

“This is what we do.”

“Thank you for your efforts. Let me know if anything else comes up.”

With that, the call ended.

____

“Forget it… just sleep it off…”

The man they called Boss—the head of the massive criminal organization Empress—was widely regarded as the most ruthless and cold-blooded criminal in modern history.

That man is me, Sakata Yuuto.

But if I could tell the world one thing, it would be this:

“I never intended to start a damn criminal organization!!”

With a familiar pang of stomach pain, I braced myself for yet another dreary morning.

____

From a young age, my parents had taught me to be kind to others.

I extended kindness to everyone: children, the elderly, and even those with disabilities. In elementary school, I was even commended for it.

It might have been self-serving, but helping others gave me a sense of joy. It made me feel like even someone like me could make a difference.

As I grew older, I continued to treat those around me with kindness, just as I had as a child.

Some people called me a hypocrite, but I didn’t care.

Over time, people who agreed with me began to gather. That group eventually turned into a volunteer organization.

I ended up becoming the leader.

But then…

At some point, what I thought was a volunteer organization became a full-blown criminal syndicate.

I don’t know how it happened.

Actually, I do.

I just don’t want to admit it.

The organization I created to carry out justice had warped, targeting those they deemed evil according to their own whims and harming others under the guise of morality. I pretended not to notice.

Because I was afraid of the truth.

And so, before I realized it, the massive criminal syndicate had been born.

For some reason, the members began calling me Boss and revered me like some kind of deity.

I couldn’t make sense of it.

On top of that, I had a new problem to deal with.

____

Managing such a large group alone was impossible.

To ease the burden, I appointed nine particularly passionate and respected individuals as lieutenants. They obeyed my orders without question, and the other members followed suit without complaint.

Still, I couldn’t leave everything to them; that would’ve led to the organization’s collapse. I made sure to give them regular instructions.

But the problem was that they twisted my orders, interpreting them in ways I never intended.

For Example—

“There’s a town a little ways from the city center. It seems to be in pretty bad shape. Could you go check it out and clean it up?”

That was the instruction I gave to Hirata, one of my lieutenants.

“Understood. I’ll send someone right away.”

She promptly dispatched one of her subordinates—a personable woman—to investigate the situation.

The report I received from Hirata afterward was entirely beyond my expectations.

“…What?”

“The subordinate I sent has completed the town’s purification, just as you ordered.”

“…Is this the incident currently being covered in the news?”

I showed Hirata the news article I’d been reading. The headline read:

“Massacre in Town: Random Killings by a Lone Woman”

On the XXth day of XX month, a random killing spree occurred in XX Town.

The perpetrator was a single woman who used a bladed weapon to indiscriminately kill townspeople.

(For details, see earlier coverage—)

“Yes! That’s the one! My subordinate did an excellent job, didn’t she?”

“…I see. Great work.”

“Thank you!”

(“Great work, my ass!! Cleaning up the town meant organizing and repairing things, not murdering every single resident! How the hell is that considered ‘purification’?! This is insane!”)

I screamed internally as I looked at Hirata, whose eyes sparkled with pride.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you from here.”

“Understood! I’ll meet your expectations, no matter what!”

(“Meet my expectations?! Why do you look so damn determined to kill people?! You’re practically radiating ‘murderous intent!’ It’s honestly terrifying!”)

Suppressing the urge to shout, I forced a smile.

Even after this incident—

“To ensure we have sufficient operational funds, let’s all pool some money by working.”

“Understood! I’ll have it collected immediately!”

For some reason, Kirino, who manages the organization’s finances, interpreted my instruction as a directive to have her subordinates rob banks.

My stomach pain worsened with every passing day, thanks to lieutenants repeatedly twisting my instructions into (in the worst possible way) something I’d never intended.

And now, the operation I had assigned to Takanashi—

“To make the police and the Guardians think of Empress as a charity organization, let’s help rehabilitate the troubled son of that police executive.”

“Understood. Leave it to me.”

Among the lieutenants, Takanashi was the kindest and served as an advisor. I had thought sending her would prevent incidents like murder or robbery and ensure a peaceful resolution.

(“So how did this turn into murdering the son and all his acquaintances?! What the hell is going on?!”)

Even Takanashi, whom I had entrusted with the role of an advisor, resorted to murder. I was at my wit’s end.

And now, here we are.

____

The alarm on my phone blared throughout the room.

It was 8 a.m.

Today was the day of the lieutenant meeting.

It was a critical meeting held several times a month, where we reviewed current situations, actions taken, and plans for future operations.

Naturally, I, the boss, was required to attend. Missing it would result in being brutally murdered by the lieutenants for failing to uphold my supervisory responsibilities.

I hurried to get ready.

Just then, a notification popped up on my phone.

“Boss, I’ve come to pick you up.”

Empress’s designated driver had arrived to escort me to the meeting.

“Time to go…”

I adjusted my appearance and put on my mask.

The mask was specially made to hide any changes in my expression or signs of nervousness from the lieutenants. I had commissioned it when the organization began shifting toward criminal activities. Since then, I never appeared in front of them without wearing it.

Empress also had something akin to a uniform.

A jet-black suit adorned with a red crown insignia on the back.

The idea had come from Hirata, one of the lieutenants.

Her proposal had two objectives:

Improve the organization’s public image.

Ensure unity and convenience.

Her proposal was quickly approved, and I had no particular objections to it.

Wearing my mask and suit, I headed for the car waiting outside.

Inside were the driver and another passenger—a familiar face.

“Good morning.”

She greeted me politely. Her trademark blue wolf-cut hair made her instantly recognizable.

Hirata.

“Oh, good morning.”

“Looking forward to the meeting today,” she said with a smile.

The smile was terrifying. Was she subtly implying that failure wouldn’t be tolerated?

Why was she in the same car as me? The thought crossed my mind as I climbed in.

The car set off, taking us toward the hideout.

My stomach was already in knots.

____

The silence in the car was oddly comforting.

My name is Hirata Shizuku.

I focus on supporting the boss who leads Empress.

Although, to be honest, there isn’t much for me to do as an assistant…

Our boss is truly a remarkable person. Every single one of us, lieutenants and subordinates alike, owes our lives to him.

When I was a child, I suffered abuse at the hands of my parents.

I was often forced onto the balcony of our two-story apartment, beaten, and denied proper meals.

One day, as usual, I was pushed out onto the balcony by my parents. That’s when the boss saved me.

He saw me standing on the balcony, reported it to the police, and had my parents arrested.

When the police arrived, arrest warrants were issued, and my parents were taken away.

For the first time in my life, I expressed gratitude to someone.

“Thank you,” I said.

In response, the boss said:

“No need to thank me. I just did what anyone should.”

Hearing those words made me indescribably happy.

This man was my savior. And even as a child, I thought to myself—this is my destined person.

Before the boss left, I asked him:

“What’s your dream?”

“My dream? Hmm… maybe world domination through kindness?”

The boss answered with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Hearing those words stirred something inside me, something I had never felt before in my life.

I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

Afterward, I was placed in a care facility.

To support the boss’s dream, I personally interpreted his ideas and spread them to the other children at the facility.

Fortunately, the orphanage was home to many children, making it easy to share the boss’s ideals.

The rumors spread, and soon, every child in the facility followed his teachings.

At first, many were hesitant, but eventually, they realized how incredible his vision was.

However, an incident occurred at the orphanage.

The adults, seemingly frightened of us, abandoned the facility and fled.

The children were in turmoil until a figure appeared, as if descending from the heavens—

“I’ve come to help you, children of the facility.”

It was the boss! To calm everyone, he first instructed us to take deep breaths and quiet our minds.

Then, he encouraged us to unite and persevere together.

And wouldn’t you know it?

The children’s fear and tension dissipated, and calmness returned to the group.

The boss truly was a remarkable leader.

Afterward, the boss took us to a new place of refuge—what is now the Empress hideout.

Even back then, the facility was a haven for people who shared the boss’s beliefs and revered him. For us, it was paradise.

I vowed to dedicate everything to this place.

____

When Empress expanded globally and grew in scale, I was appointed as one of the lieutenants.

Not just that—I was assigned the role of the boss’s personal assistant.

I was so ecstatic I thought I might lose my mind. I even believed that this was why I had lived up until now.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

I responded energetically.

But contrary to my enthusiasm, the boss’s expression was dark—no, more than dark. It was ice-cold.

A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps covered my skin.

(Why is the boss making that face?)

I pondered this question.

Eventually, I arrived at one conclusion:

Perhaps the boss is feeling threatened by those who oppose his ideals and dreams.

From then on, I followed the boss’s orders and led the children from the orphanage as subordinates, working for world peace.

At first, there were many within the organization who didn’t know me, which caused various issues.

But those problems were quickly resolved, and I gradually became a respected figure within the group.

____

Before I realized it, the car we were riding in had arrived at the hideout.

I wished we could have spent a bit more time alone, but it couldn’t be helped.

I decided to address the boss.

“Boss, we’ve arrived at the hideout.”

“Ah, I see. Let’s head to the round table.”

From this moment on, I will continue to dedicate myself to the boss.

For eternity—.