Vol 3 Chapter 12 – The Taste of Meat   (【The Exonerator of the Maritime Nation】Arc)

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.”

After leaving the café, Sakata returned to the inn. In the room used for meals and strategy meetings, Kudaryu, Satsuki, and Kuroda sat on the tatami floor, each looking a little bored.

“You’re late, Saito-san.”

“Apologies. I got caught up in some tasks.”

“Well, that’s fine, but… who’s the girl behind you?”

Satsuki’s gaze fell on the woman dressed in a maid outfit. Kudaryu and Kuroda also turned their attention toward her. Kuroda’s eyes, in particular, looked as though she were seeing an exotic animal for the first time.

The girl in the maid outfit—Arisu—bowed deeply.

“Why am I here, you ask? Naturally, I am here to serve my master.”

“This has gone beyond stalking and reached its terminal stage…”

Satsuki’s expression twisted uneasily.

“Calling me a stalker is quite rude. I live for my master. It’s only natural… Besides, I was ordered by the organization to come he—”

“Arisu, that’s enough.”

Arisu fell silent immediately.

“My apologies, Master.”

“It’s fine. Any more than that, and Kuroda-san’s brain might short-circuit.”

As Sakata spoke, he glanced at Kuroda, who stared blankly as if the situation made no sense.

“I’ve been curious ever since entering this room. Who is this young lady?”

“She’s someone we saved when she was on the verge of death in an alley.”

“Oh, you saved her, did you?”

For a moment, the room’s atmosphere grew chilly. Sensing the tension, Sakata lightly patted Arisu’s shoulder.

“Arisu, introduce yourself.”

“As you wish. I am Arisu Meido, my master’s personal maid. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

After her introduction, Kuroda began speaking.

“My name is Kuroda Shiromi. I was incapacitated, but these three saved me.”

Arisu smiled warmly at Kuroda’s words.

“Now that we’ve finished introductions, may I ask about the current situation?”

“Master, the current situation?”

“It’s a long story, so I’ll explain it to you later. More importantly, I heard Kuroda-san obtained some valuable information. What is it?”

With Sakata’s words, the conversation shifted to talk of the Avenger.

“Yes. I met with an informant this morning.”

“An informant? That’s rare these days.”

“Maybe so, but in my line of work, it’s not unusual.”

Sakata tilted his head curiously.

“Your line of work?”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you, Sakata-san. I’m involved in law enforcement.”

“That makes sense. Then it’s no surprise you’d hire an informant.”

Sakata nodded in understanding, while Arisu remained as still as a statue beside him.

“So, what’s the critical information?”

“The information is that the Avenger is part of a group.”

“As we suspected, multiple perpetrators working together… This could be troublesome.”

Since they already knew of the Avenger and the woman with the Hannya mask, the idea of multiple culprits wasn’t shocking.

“Did you hear about the number of people involved?”

“The group consists of three: the Avenger, the Hannya mask woman, and one more.”

“What kind of person is the last one?”

Satsuki’s question prompted Kuroda to speak again.

“The last one… I don’t have many details, but it seems they command the other two.”

Someone who can control those two, who nearly killed Kuroda, sounded like a serious threat.

“Are you sure the informant’s information is accurate?”

“There’s no doubt. His information is always reliable.”

Satsuki paused, then grinned widely.

“If that’s true, we just have to take down the ringleader, right?”

“That may be, but finding them won’t be so simple.”

Kudaryu denied her proposal, but Kuroda interjected.

“No, there’s one possibility.”

“Possibility?”

“Yes. There’s a shop connected to those three.”

“A shop, huh… Some shady place, maybe?”

Satsuki teased, but Kuroda continued.

“A Café.”

“A café?”

Kudaryu and Satsuki tilted their heads in unison.

“There’s a café in the shopping district run by someone who has friendly ties with the three.”

“A café…?” Satsuki muttered.

“So, if we go to that café, we might be able to get some information.”

The mention of a café caused a flicker of unease to pass over Sakata’s face. However, the only one who noticed his subtle reaction was Arisu.

“There are only a handful of cafés in this town. It’d be best if we split up and gather information separately.”

“Good idea. In that case, I’ll go with Saito-san,” Satsuki declared, wrapping her arms around Sakata’s left arm.

Arisu’s face remained expressionless, but her silence carried an almost palpable weight, like an unspoken displeasure.

“Alright then, I’ll search on my own,” Kudaryu announced.

“Oh, so you’re planning to leave poor Kuroda-chan all alone?” Satsuki countered, raising an eyebrow.

“And what about Arisu, who’s just standing there? Isn’t she alone too?”

“…I never once said I’d help you all.”

“There it is—Arisu-chan’s bad habit showing up again,” Satsuki teased.

Arisu, unmoved by Kuroda’s presence, showed no intention of changing her attitude. In fact, her self-restraint in not targeting Kuroda was remarkable by her standards.

“—Arisu, this is for our benefit. Please, won’t you help us?”

Sakata bowed his head to her. Arisu sighed softly.

“Please stop that, Master… If you insist so earnestly, then I will assist with all my heart.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing Sakata’s gratitude, Arisu smiled briefly before her face turned neutral again. She shifted her gaze to Kuroda.

“Since Satsuki will be accompanying Master, I will conduct my investigation alone.”

“Understood. But the enemy is strong—be careful.”

“Certainly. Master, I shall take my leave. If anything happens, please contact me immediately.”

“Wait, you’re heading out without any investigation first? Do you have a lead?” Satsuki asked, pausing Arisu in her tracks.

Arisu glanced at Sakata, then replied.

“Yes. On the way here, I noticed a café to the north of the shopping district.”

Without waiting for a response, she quickly left the room.

“The north, huh… Then we’ll head south, toward the sea,” Satsuki said with a grin.

“Um… Satsuki-san? I didn’t agree to go with yo—”

“Alright, let’s go!” Satsuki interrupted, cutting him off with a cheerful tone.

“Mmph—!!”

Sakata’s protest was stifled as Satsuki clamped her hand over his mouth and dragged him along.

————————————————————  

“…Alright. Guess I’ll head out too.”

Kudaryu muttered as he stood and started walking toward the inn’s exit to begin his investigation.

“Yeah. Agreed.”

Kuroda followed closely behind him. Kudaryu, realizing this, stopped and turned around.

“Why are you following me?”

“Being alone… makes me uneasy.”

“Then why not follow that maid instead?”

“That person… didn’t feel human. Like a cursed doll. Just madness wrapped in human form.”

“…You might not be wrong.”

They left the inn and walked toward the shopping district, Kudaryu preferring to act alone but with Kuroda tagging along. Kudaryu’s irritation with her was obvious, but Kuroda didn’t seem to care at all. She followed him without a hint of hesitation.

The scene resembled that of a parent and child, though the pair would likely deny it outright.

Several meters behind them, a shadow emerged.

“—Found you. Hmm, there’s a guy with her this time. Who could he be?”

It was a signal that the moment of judgment was drawing near for the two.

————————————————————  

Arisu Meido.

To her, Sakata Yuuto was an irreplaceable existence. He was the master who extended a hand to her when she was drowning in despair, the reason she continued to live.

Her purpose in life: to be a perfect and loyal maid for her beloved master.

Yet, within Arisu, there was an emotion unbecoming of a servant—love. Twisted and fervent, her feelings blended with the innate talents she kept hidden. It was this combination that birthed her obsessive and distorted love.

Now, she stood before a door and opened it.

“Welcome—oh, it’s you again. We just saw each other earlier.”

“Yes. Good afternoon,” Arisu replied.

Kuroko, the café owner, stood behind the counter. The shop was empty, with no other patrons in sight.

“Is something wrong? I don’t see your master, Sakata-sama, with you.”

“No, I simply have something I’d like to discuss.”

“Something to discuss?”

Kuroko’s expression was unreadable behind the black veil she wore. Arisu’s gaze, however, carried an almost mocking air as she stared at her.

“I’ve heard rumors of suspicious individuals appearing recently. Do you happen to know anything about that?”

“No, I can’t say I’ve heard anything like that.”

“Is that so?”

Arisu began walking toward the counter. Kuroko remained perfectly still as the distance between them shrank, step by step. When Arisu was close enough, she leaned in and whispered into Kuroko’s ear.

“—So, where does this café source the ingredients for its human meat sandwiches?”

“Human meat sandwiches? Are you accusing my shop of something ridiculous? I know nothing about that,” Kuroko responded, her voice unwavering.

Arisu smirked faintly.

“Feigning ignorance, are we? How pitiful.”

“Feigning ignorance? And what proof do you have of these wild accusations? Are you suggesting I’ve eaten human flesh before?”

For the first time, a hint of unease crept into Kuroko’s tone. Arisu took her time before replying.

“Recently, I’ve been cooking meals for my master.”

“And? Why bring this up now? Is this some sort of work update?”

“No, no, please hear me out,” Arisu said, smiling faintly.

Kuroko’s confusion was evident, but Arisu continued.

“Earlier, my master mentioned something peculiar while eating one of your sandwiches. He said, ‘This tastes just like the meat Arisu uses in her cooking.’“

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I was shocked to hear it. Because—”

Arisu’s voice dropped as she delivered the coup de grâce.

“—The meat I use in all my cooking is my own flesh.“

At that moment—

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet tore into Arisu’s left side.