Vol 3 Chapter 35 – Peace (【The Exonerator of the Maritime Nation】 Arc)

‘”Breaking News: Massive Criminal Organization Empress Wiped Out'”

That day, the topic was unceasing on TV news programs and in newspapers.

Criminal organization Empress.

The root of worldwide chaos—the mastermind behind countless crimes.

News reports announced that this embodiment of evil had been wiped out.

‘”It was the Guardians, the anti-Empress extermination organization, who played a key role in its downfall.'”

The news anchor’s voice echoed.

Guardians.

They were the symbol of justice, hailed as the hope of this world.

‘”We have a message from the representative of the Guardians.'” ‘”To everyone around the world, we apologize for any distress we may have caused. It is thanks to your cooperation that we were able to wipe out Empress.'”

The news anchor continued reading the statement.

‘”And one more thing: thank you to the members of a certain organization for your cooperation.'”

A certain organization.

That’s us.

The organization I joined after leaving Empress.

I recalled the days I worked with Sugiyama-san, Danjizai-sha, and Kuroko-san.

It had been a very difficult few years……

‘”Now, the individual known as the head of Empress is about to make an appearance.'”

Amidst a barrage of cameras, a lone girl is escorted by individuals who appear to be from the police and the Guardians.

Yes! My dream has finally come true.

A peaceful world is coming back.

I won’t have to be known as the boss of a criminal organization anymore.

The hooded girl’s face is revealed.

And then the girl—————.

‘”—————Boss, please wake up.'”

It pulled me back into the real world.

—————————————————

Gah!!

I wake up.

“You’ve finally awakened.”

“Huh… I…”

Dreams and reality have become a jumbled mess, and I can barely make out the voice of the demon before me.

Yet, a question lingers.

“I have this strange feeling of déjà vu.”

“Déjà vu?”

Why am I receiving a lap pillow from Hirata?

It feels as if I’ve seen a similar scene somewhere before, or maybe not……

“Weren’t we caught in an explosion or something…?”

“We made sure that the explosion was contained to minimize any damage to the Boss!”

Hirata, beaming broadly and puffing out her chest.

How could that even be possible?

I didn’t have time to ponder it.

“What about Sugiyama-san and Danjizai-sha…!?”

I recalled the two who were caught in the explosion.

I hope they’re safe—I need to check on them right away.

“Ah, those two? They’re probably buried under the rubble at the movie theater by now.”

“Rubble……”

Hirata’s revelation of reality nearly brought me to tears.
But since I wasn’t wearing my mask, I couldn’t afford to let my expression give anything away.

“I mean… where exactly is this place…?”

A Western-style room filled entirely with unfamiliar items.
There was no such room at the ryokan where I was staying.

“Due to an unforeseen incident, we are now at a hotel under our control.”
“An unforeseen incident…? What exactly happened?”

While I was on the verge of being overwhelmed by anxiety and panic, Hirata maintained a calm, ever-smiling demeanor.

“Everyone at the ryokan was attacked by someone. Also, Satsuki—who was at the ryokan at the time—is currently missing.”
“That means…”

I almost blurted out, “We did it!”
It meant that the members of the criminal organization had been wiped out.
However, the real question was: who attacked the ryokan?

“Who on earth…?”
“It seems the Guardians managed to sniff this out.”
“Guardians…”

The Guardians—the anti-Empress extermination organization—had even appeared in my dreams.
When and where had they been tracking our actions?
At this rate, there’s a chance I’ll be taken out too.

“It appears likely that someone named Kuroda Shiromi is involved.”
“Kuroda…?”
“Yes. In fact, I received a message from Satsuki as evidence.”

Hirata then presented me with a screen showing the message history from her cellphone.
It contained a message instructing that I be informed that Kuroda Shiromi had been killed.

“Boss, do you know this person, Kuroda?”
“Yes. She’s the one who pleaded for our help while we were staying…”
“I see…”

I figured that feigning ignorance would only work against me.
Hirata seemed a bit troubled by my response.

“So, does that mean Kuroda is dead?”
“No, it’s just that… there’s no corpse believed to be Kuroda’s.”

Her words brought me relief.
Which means that Kuroda is affiliated with the Guardians, and that she was the one who sought help, doesn’t it?

“Satsuki is currently being searched for by our subordinates. They should contact us as soon as they learn something.”
“Understood.”

With one of Empress’s executives taken out, I’m one step closer to a peaceful life.
By now, Satsuki is probably being captured and interrogated by the Guardians.
Wait… huh?
Does that mean if Satsuki mentions me, I’ll be the one to get caught?

“Retrieve Satsuki immediately—and by any means necessary.”
“Y-yes. Understood.”

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!
It’s fine if the executives get caught, but if it isn’t clearly established that the Boss is still Hirata, I’ll be the first one to get sold out!
If I don’t get Satsuki back before they find out about me, my life is over!
My head was spinning from panic.

It was then that I heard a series of knocks at the door.

“Huh…?”

I finally got up from Hirata’s lap pillow.

“Ah…”

At that moment, she wore a sad expression.
What’s with that look?

“Is something wrong?”
“No… I’ll go out.”

With that, Hirata got up and opened the door.
Beyond the door was————

“Boss. It feels like it’s been ages.”
“I’m back!”

Kuzuryuu and Mayuzumi had arrived.

“Don’t come here to disturb the special time between the Boss and me.”
“Keep talking if you want. The Boss doesn’t think about such things at all.”
“That isn’t true, is it?! Boss?”
“Eh… yeah.”

It was a strangely nostalgic conversation—one that didn’t belong in a room filled solely with criminals——————

“Hehe…”

For some reason, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Boss! Why are you laughing?!”
“No, I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“That’s a lie, that’s a lie!”
“It means I don’t care.”

Hirata began shouting in a voice like that of a petulant child,
while Kuzuryuu and Mayuzumi looked at her with exasperation.
For some reason, this situation felt oddly comforting—making me forget all about Sugiyama-san and Danjizai-sha.

“So? What brings you here?”

Amidst all this, as if she’d just remembered something, Hirata spoke up.

“That’s right, I almost forgot—Mayuzumi, bring that thing.”
“Understood.”

Mayuzumi left the hotel room for a moment.
Then, a few minutes later, he returned with a loud clatter.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s that thing.”
“That thing…————”

Accompanying those words, what was thrust before me was Kuroko-san—bound and battered.

“Eh……”

Something indescribable surged in my chest.