Vol 2 Chapter 3- Executive Meeting (True) (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

With the escort of my subordinates, I arrived at the hideout and headed toward the conference room where the executives were gathering, accompanied by Hirata.

Hirata was mostly silent during the car ride. It’s unsettling.

Hirata and I have known each other for a long time. When she joined Empress, she didn’t seem like someone capable of committing crimes. In fact, I’d heard she was charming and passionate about her activities, so I appointed her as an executive, making her my deputy.

I never expected her to carry out inhumane acts as if they were second nature.

Now, she holds the position of vice leader in what has become a criminal organization, Empress. For the executive meetings that follow, she typically takes charge of proceedings.

I sometimes wonder if she’ll unite with the other executives to oust me and take over the organization.

(Not that I’d mind handing over this organization before the police uncover my identity!)

I’d mentioned this to the executives before, but they unanimously rejected the idea. Some even cried.

From the perspective of the executives, it’s probably in their best interest to have me as the top figure. If they’re ever caught, they might think they can lessen their sentences by pinning everything on me.

If I tried to escape, they’d likely detain me.

“Sigh…”

I let out a small sigh.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the conference room. Inside, the other executives must already be present. Outwardly, they all act like they worship me, so when it comes to meetings involving me, they’re never late.

(To be honest, I don’t really want to see them…)

Thinking that, I opened the door.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As I entered, all the executives stood up in unison and bowed their heads. I lightly motioned with my hand to stop them and then sat in my usual seat. Seeing this, the executives returned to their seats.

The room was arranged with a round table, where everyone was seated in order of rank, starting clockwise from the head seat. To my left sat Hirata, my deputy.

Leaning back in my chair, I stretched deeply, prompting Hirata to speak.

“What’s the matter? Is something troubling you?”

“No, not really. I’m just a bit sleep-deprived.”

“I see.”

(But every time before this meeting, I can’t help but think…)

I glanced around the room.

(The atmosphere in this room is way too tense!!)

Since all the executives are criminals, the room is filled with an almost palpable tension. It feels as if a fight to the death could break out at any moment.

The meeting itself usually proceeds without any issues, so on the surface, there’s no problem, but—

(It would be nice to have a more relaxed atmosphere for a change. Maybe I should try doing something boss-like.)

With that thought, I opened my mouth and addressed the executives.

“Everyone, there’s no need to be so tense. Please, try to relax.”

At my words, all the executives turned their gazes toward me at once.

Hey, that’s scary. Are you trying to kill me with your stares?

As I was internally trembling, Hirata followed up.

“As the ‘Boss’ says, this is not a fight to the death but an important meeting. Please, everyone, make sure to approach this with the intent to discuss matters calmly.”

Thanks to her statement, the room’s atmosphere became noticeably calmer. The tension that had filled the room earlier dissipated as if it had never been there.

“Now that everyone is ready, let us begin the executive meeting.”

With that declaration, the meeting officially commenced at the round table.

The meeting proceeded without any notable issues.

I half-heartedly nodded in response here and there, letting the discussions wash over me. Everything seemed fine anyway.

(Will this end soon? I just want to go home.)

That thought crossed my mind when the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned tense again.

The reason was the report from the third-ranked executive, Kuzuryuu Kazuto.

“…Actually, yesterday, we confirmed movements from the ‘Guardians.'”

The Guardians—

I’d heard from Hirata that they were an organization formed to eradicate Empress. According to her, they’re a group that would stop at nothing to bring us down.

With people like that after us, it wouldn’t be strange if I were killed at any moment. In other words, I could be killed by either my enemies or my allies.

Haha, how fun.

While I grew more depressed at the thought of the Guardians, Kuzuryuu continued his report.

“Additionally, it seems they’ve become aware of our movements and are mobilizing forces on a completely different scale than before.”

(You’ve got to be kidding me! Is this finally the end for Empress?!)

Ah… If I get arrested, the executives will definitely pin all the blame on me. Then they’ll feign ignorance and get away with it, won’t they?

Knowing them, that’s entirely possible. After all, these lunatics treat volunteering and crime as if they’re the same thing.

As I imagined my bleak future, Hirata, sitting to my left, suddenly posed a question.

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

I felt all the executives’ gazes focus on me at once.

(Crap, crap, crap! I was just imagining the rest of my miserable life, and now I’m being put on the spot—)

Panic surged through me.

Thanks to the mask I wore, though, the executives couldn’t perceive my inner turmoil. I quickly forced my brain into overdrive.

(So, the question is how we’ll handle the Guardians, right?)

I pieced together the question’s context from the fragments of conversation I’d half-listened to. Why was the question directed at me?

Was this Hirata’s way of checking if I’d been paying attention?

I wasn’t. Sorry about that.

(For now, maybe I’ll just agree with the executives’ opinions…)

Wait a second—

A flash of inspiration struck me.

(What if we invited the Guardians to our hideout on purpose and proved that I’m not involved in anything bad? Maybe they’d even help me out!)

It was, in essence, a gamble. But I couldn’t see another way to save myself.

(I haven’t directly committed any crimes, so even if I’m caught, my punishment could be reduced…! Honestly, this criminal organization should be wiped out as soon as possible!)

The moment that thought crystallized, I moved quickly. Addressing the executives, whose sharp gazes still pinned me down, I made my proposal.

“How about, for once, we welcome them ourselves?”

All the executives let out shocked exclamations at my suggestion.

I decided to push a little further.

“After all, they’re now our greatest enemy. Before they further strengthen their forces, it might be best to eliminate them first.”

I framed my suggestion as if I was considering the organization’s best interests while carefully watching their reactions.

However, all of them were clearly opposed to the idea.

The one who expressed the strongest opposition was Hirata.

“They shouldn’t know anything about us executives yet! If we’re exposed, it would be a devastating blow to us. And besides… if anything were to happen to you, Boss, I—”

(It’s because your future criminal activities would be affected, right? I get it. But I couldn’t care less. What matters most to me isn’t this criminal organization.)

Sorry, but you’ll just have to deal with it. Even if it costs lives.

Despite everything, the executives refused to budge.

(Am I not supposed to have the final say as the Boss here? Don’t I have the authority to make the final decision?)

Fine. If all else fails, I’ll resort to my last-ditch tactic.

The ultimate weapon—

“Do you all remember the dream we had when we first started this organization?”

At my sudden question, all the executives looked visibly confused.

When I officially launched Empress, I’d shared the organization’s dream with all the executives.

It was “world domination through kindness.”

Simply put, world peace.

This might be my ego, or perhaps just an idealistic notion, but even so, I want to make it happen.

After much thought, I founded this organization, and this was the answer I arrived at.

To be honest, the executives had various reactions when I first shared this dream with them…

But now, I’ll remind them of this dream once again to change their perspective—to make them realize that this criminal organization is better off gone.

This was my last resort.

Among the executives, the first to raise their hand in response to my question was Kirino Haruka, ranked ninth.

She’s at the bottom of the executive hierarchy, but her abilities are still on par with the others. That said, her lack of intelligence is glaring—she once interpreted the directive to “make money” as an excuse to rob a bank.

When it comes to brains, she’s competing for last place among the executives.

Feeling a twinge of unease, I decided to listen to what she had to say.

“Our goal is to eliminate all unnecessary humans who oppose us from this world,” Kirino declared, puffing out her chest with pride.

I let out a deep sigh—

(That’s completely wrong! Eliminate? What happened to conquering the world through kindness? You’re only talking about conquest, no kindness at all!)

Her answer was so far from what I’d imagined that I was left speechless.

Contrary to my thoughts, Kirino’s eyes sparkled as she proudly asked, “How about that?”

Unable to withstand her eager gaze, I glanced around the room, only to see that all the other executives seemed to agree with her statement.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

(If I outright deny this, I might get killed by the others… Better just nod and act like it’s the right answer for now.)

When I nodded, Kirino’s face lit up like a child’s. Adorable.

Wait, this isn’t the time to be thinking that.

(For now, I need to come up with an excuse to convince them to agree to lure the Guardians here.)

I turned to Kirino.

“But if we leave things as they are, they might bolster their forces even further.”

“That’s…”

At my words, Kirino’s face, which had been shining like the sun moments ago, darkened like a rain cloud.

Feeling a pang of guilt, I continued.

“If we’re defeated by them, it would mean that our dream could never come true.”

Kirino looked down, her expression on the verge of tears.

I hadn’t intended to make her feel this way… Should I console her?

Kirino was on the brink of tears, I was deliberating how to handle her, and the other executives just silently observed the situation. The room’s atmosphere was pure chaos.

That’s when a savior appeared.

“Boss, are you suggesting that we lure the Guardians here to eliminate them?”

The voice belonged to Kuzuryuu.

(Nice, Kuzuryuu! As expected from the sharpest mind among the executives!)

Kuzuryuu, the exact opposite of Kirino in intelligence, is someone I consider a genius—the smartest of the group.

Grateful for his intervention, I followed his lead.

“That’s correct. We have more than enough strength to stand against the Guardians.”

“By intentionally luring them here, we can catch them off guard and strike decisively.”

“Yes. While they may be cautious, they likely don’t have an accurate assessment of our forces. Given our resources, I believe we stand a good chance.”

“I see. With that approach, we can prepare accordingly.”

Hearing our conversation, the other executives nodded in agreement.

However, Kirino still looked sad.

Unable to shake my guilt, I turned to her.

“Kirino. I was a bit harsh on you earlier. I’m sorry.”

“No, Boss! You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s my fault for not coming up with a plan as good as yours!”

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

“Boss…! Thank you so much!”

At my words, Kirino’s expression transformed. Her sparkling eyes and bright smile returned, full of energy.

Kirino, despite her simplicity and lack of intellect, is pure and honest. Among the executives, she’s probably the only one who genuinely admires me.

Well, she’s still a hardened criminal, though.

“…Then, let us proceed with our original plan while deliberately luring the Guardians here to eliminate them. Does everyone agree with this course of action?”

“Yes, no objections.”

“I’m on board as well.”

“Same here.”

“Understood.”

In the end, my proposal was approved.

Not that I’m planning to actually eliminate anyone—I’m fully prepared to get caught.

“Let’s conclude this executive meeting. Let’s prepare to welcome the Guardians!” Hirata announced, bringing the meeting to a close.

With the meeting over, everyone began leaving the room.

Exhausted and immobilized by a mix of stress and stomach pain, I noticed Hirata still seated beside me, her face tense as she stared at an electronic device.

I was about to ask if she was okay when she abruptly stood up.

“Boss, my apologies. Something urgent has come up, so I must leave immediately. I’m sorry I can’t accompany you.”

“No worries. Take care, Hirata.”

“Thank you. Excuse me.”

After hearing my response, Hirata quickly left the room.

What was that about?

Well, as long as I can make my way back on my own, it’s less trouble for me.

(My stomach hurts. I’m tired. I just want to go home…)

With that thought weighing on me, I trudged out of the meeting room.