Vol 2 Chapter 8- End Roll and Side Effects (【Just Trying to Be Kind】Arc)

I was dreaming.

It was a prophetic dream of the past.

The setting was the rooftop of the school.

I was in my school uniform.

I took off my indoor shoes and walked barefoot across the rooftop.

“Ah, the sky is so beautiful.”

I murmured as I leaned against the railing.

The cloudless blue sky stretched endlessly above.

The breeze was comforting.

I felt like I could fall asleep right here.

“…Ah, how did it come to this?”

My gaze naturally drifted downward.

Below, there was nothing but the ground.

If anything, there was just the height of five stories separating me from it.

Today, I would reach the end roll of my life here.

It had been hard.

I hated pretending to be cheerful around people.

Why did I have to put on a smile for people I didn’t care about?

People misunderstood on their own and confessed to me.

When I turned them down, rumors spread.

I was envied.

Talked about behind my back.

I just wanted to live an ordinary life.

As I spent my days like that, I lost the ability to laugh from my heart.

I had no one I could call a true friend.

Only shallow relationships.

When I confided in my parents, all they said was, “Just be cheerful.”

I didn’t know what I was supposed to do anymore.

I’d had enough.

If I had to endure this, I shouldn’t have acted cheerful in the first place.

“Well, whatever… I’m tired anyway.”

——Time to put an end to this.

“Goodbye.”

And with that, I jumped—

————————

————————

“…Ma… …sama.”

“Hmm…?”

“Kirino-sama. Please wake up.”

“Hmm… Have we arrived?”

I woke up to the voice of my subordinate.

Before I realized it, the car had arrived at the hideout.

It seemed I had dozed off in the car.

I stepped out of the car and stretched lightly on the spot.

“Phew…”

I felt a bit tired…

Not that I had done anything particularly exhausting, but somehow, I just felt mentally drained…

It was a familiar feeling—

Like I had just woken from a bad dream.

I shook my head, as if to dispel the lingering thoughts that had surfaced in my mind.

Then, I raised my head, refreshing my mood, and there stood a building I recognized well.

“Well then! Let’s give it our all today!”

As always, I cheerfully said this and stepped into the building.

————————

While Sakata was having his “meal” with Arisu,
in the hideout’s conference room, Hirata and Kuzuryuu were still deep in discussion.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

The cause of it was the item they were holding.

“……”

What the two of them held was the “Friendly Relations Candidate List.”

The list detailed the names and locations of a variety of individuals, young and old, male and female.

“Prioritizing ‘friendly relations,’ huh…”

“I was just as surprised when the boss told me last night… Honestly, it was a gamble of a suggestion.”

Kuzuryuu and Hirata spoke as they looked over the names on the list.

Hirata sighed softly before continuing.

“The boss used to be more reserved, but it’s like they’ve suddenly become a completely different person…”

She spoke with a slight pout, but there was a trace of delight in her expression.

Kuzuryuu noticed but chose to ignore it and carried on.

“——However, pursuing ‘friendly relations’ will require significantly more effort than before…”

Hirata reacted to his comment.

“I see… It’s impossible for subordinates to handle this alone.”

“So it’s finally time for us executives to take the stage.”

“That’s how it looks.”

The executives taking action.

That meant the tasks would now be carried out personally by the executives themselves.

Until now, the Empress organization had relied on subordinates to handle incidents and operations. The main reasons were to prevent information leaks and to ensure nothing happened to the executives themselves.

There were exceptions, such as Arisu and Takanashi, executives who didn’t trust their subordinates much and preferred to handle things on their own.

However, it was unprecedented for all the executives to step into the spotlight at the same time. This thought weighed heavily on Kuzuryuu.

“I’d rather avoid showing my face in public…”

“There’s no helping it. The boss has made this decision fully prepared for the consequences.”

“True, but still…”

Kuzuryuu sighed, as if resigning himself to the inevitable.

Hirata, too, was well aware of the numerous risks involved with the executives stepping forward. She continued:

“So this means we’re on the verge of a full-blown ‘war,’ doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

Hirata’s expression turned grim.

In contrast, Kuzuryuu remained optimistic, glancing over the list of names again before turning back to Hirata with a question.

“——Who should we prioritize for ‘friendly relations’ on this list?”

The list contained the names of 13 people.

Their eyes shifted into an evaluative gaze, almost like they were appraising merchandise.

Hirata was the first to speak up.

“If that’s the case, how about starting with this person?”

The name she pointed to——

It read: “Kinjou Honoka.”

————————

The Empress organization had multiple hideouts.

Each executive was allocated their own hideout, with Sakata’s serving as the main base. This main hideout was used for important meetings and reporting.

Depending on the hideout, some were equipped with not just meeting rooms and private quarters for executives, but also a variety of facilities.

For instance, some hideouts had large underground training grounds, recreation rooms, or even libraries.

These facilities existed for various reasons, such as relieving stress for the subordinates directly under the executives or for the personal indulgence of the executives themselves.

Regardless of their purpose or effectiveness, these facilities had become essential for both the executives and their subordinates.

————————

A dimly lit basement room.

The space was filled with various chemicals and substances stored away.

The room’s cool temperature was enough to make one forget the sweltering heat of midsummer aboveground.

This was the laboratory.

A facility dedicated to the development and research of various drugs.

This laboratory was a place frequented by an elderly man.

The old man brushed back his long white hair as he focused intently on the flask in front of him.

“If I add these substances in 10mg quantities and then heat it, the mixture will be complete…”

Nonomura carefully added various substances into the flask.

Just as he was about to heat it over the flame, there was a knock at the basement door.

“Who’s there…? You may enter.”

The door opened, revealing a girl in a maid uniform with an expressionless face. Her voice, devoid of any inflection, sounded mechanical, as though entirely stripped of emotion.

“As always, you’re solely focused on developing your drugs, ‘Nonomura.’”

“Ah, ‘Meido.’ …Well, don’t blame me. I have my reasons, you know.”

Nonomura Ganji—ranked 8th among the Empress executives.

A researcher clad in jet-black robes, despite his old age. The robes bore the mark of a red crown.

Nonomura was a unique executive—he did not directly engage in operations, and his subordinates numbered only a handful.

His role as an executive was to develop the chemical substances used in the Empress organization’s criminal activities. The executives would sometimes use his concoctions to carry out their crimes, selecting whichever suited their purposes.

For example, a slow-acting poison, ingested by subordinates during missions, was one of his creations.

Nonomura replied to Arisu’s somewhat sardonic remark.

“…Besides, staying here and conducting research suits me better. …Anyway, what brings you here? Surely you’ve come for something specific?”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot,” she said as she opened the toolbox she had been holding and handed him an empty syringe.

“I need a replacement for the truth serum.”

“The truth serum, huh. When was it used?”

“Three days ago, to extract information from a senior police officer,” she replied, showing him a photo of the presumed serum recipient.

“I see. That must’ve been a lot of work. Fortunately, I’ve already completed a new batch of truth serum.”

Nonomura disappeared to the back of the room for a moment before quickly returning and handing her a fresh syringe filled with the serum.

“Here, the new truth serum. Take it.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the prompt response.”

Arisu accepted the truth serum and expressed her gratitude.

“It’s fine. After all, you’re the one who uses my drugs the most frequently,” he said, turning his attention back to the flask as it began to heat.

“What kind of drug are you making now?” she asked, pointing curiously at the flask.

“This? How should I describe it…” Nonomura paused, pondering for a moment. Three minutes later, he finally spoke.

“——For just three minutes, it allows you to ‘control a person as though they were a remote-controlled vehicle.’”

“Such a drug exists…?”

“However, it’s not as useful as it sounds. Anyone who consumes it will almost certainly die. The tests yielded consistent results,” he said flatly.

“——I see. That’s unfortunate,” she replied, her shoulders slumping in apparent disappointment.

Nonomura, sensing her reaction, continued.

“Drugs with such extraordinary capabilities often come with severe side effects. Most of my creations are one-way tickets—effective, but with no way back.”

“It’s like the law of equivalent exchange in alchemy,” she remarked.

“Comparing it to alchemy doesn’t particularly please me,” he muttered.

————————

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Take care. Come back if you need anything,” Nonomura replied as Arisu picked up her toolbox and headed for the exit.

At the door, she suddenly stopped, as though something had just occurred to her.

“By the way.”

“Did you forget something?”

In response to his question, she said:

“——Thank you for ‘that drug.’”

She bowed deeply.

“That drug…? Ah, I remember now.”

——‘The drug that makes human blood and flesh taste delicious,’ was it?

Nonomura’s words made Arisu nod.

“Yes. Both of them served their purpose wonderfully.”

“I see. I won’t ask what you used them for… but I’d advise against repeated use of that drug.”

Arisu tilted her head slightly at his remark, as though the suggestion of “not using it forever” was incomprehensible to her.

“Why is that?”

“Humans are not suited for cannibalism. If you continue to consume it, your body will eventually reject it, and you’ll go mad. ——In the worst-case scenario, it could lead to death.”

Her face remained expressionless as she listened, but Nonomura sensed a twisted sense of madness hidden beneath the surface.

Without any change in her demeanor, she said, “I see,” opened the door, and added:

“It’s fine. Both ‘that person’ and I are already insane.”

With that, Arisu left the basement.

Her face was filled with unrestrained madness, and no one could truly understand the meaning behind her words.

“——So, the side effects have already manifested,” Nonomura muttered to himself.

In the dimly lit basement, the smell of chemicals mixing in the heated flask filled the air—a scent foreboding an inevitable tragedy.