Vol 3 Chapter 44 – The Price of the Right Arm(【The Exonerator of the Maritime Nation】 Arc)

“There’s a possibility that a second personality has taken residence.”

What Takanashi-san told me was utterly unreal.
Another personality of me.
And then, the incident that occurred.
None of it remains in my current memory at all.

“……”

I was cradling my head, unable to accept this fact.
And before I knew it, I had slipped into the master’s room and sat in the chair reserved solely for the master.

“I wonder what the master is doing by now.”

I stared at my battered left wrist as I thought.
I want to see the master soon.
What should I do when the master returns?
Thinking of that kept me from losing my composure.

“If the master comes back, I’ll whip up his favorite dish—”

My thought was abruptly shut down by my own mind.

“Right… the right arm…”

I lost my right arm in battle with the enemy.
It was a reality too hard to accept.
The sleeve of my maid uniform’s right arm fluttered gently,
and I still felt as if my arm were attached.

“Damn it… damn, damn, damn!!”

I scratched my head with my left arm.
The fact that I can no longer serve the master perfectly infuriates me—especially after losing my dominant arm.
What am I even capable of now?
I’m probably only useful for comforting myself.
I end up hating myself.

Then, it happened.

“Do you really think the master would be pleased with that appearance?”

I heard a voice right beside my ear.
I was alone in this room—no intruders in sight.

“…Did I mishear?”

“It wasn’t a mishearing. That’s my voice.”

This time, I heard it clearly.
And it was identical to my own.

“No way…”

That voice from earlier—and the faint one I heard while talking with Takanashi-san—
“———Is that… another me?”

“Correct. So you finally acknowledge it?”

The other personality I’d never wanted to believe in.
I couldn’t see her, yet she spoke directly into my ear… no, into my mind.

“Why are you suddenly talking to me? It’s annoying.”

“Oh, I was expecting you to be a bit more surprised, but you’re surprisingly calm.”

That bright voice—one I’d never use—echoed in my brain, making me feel uneasy.

“Your cheerful tone and the way you speak don’t seem like mine at all, yet your voice is identical to mine.”

“Wouldn’t it be boring if the other me were exactly like you?”

“I already find this situation far from amusing…”

In this bizarre state—conversing with my own mind—I recalled the words my other self had uttered.

“By the way, what do you mean by ‘Do you think the master will be pleased’?”

“It means exactly that.”

“‘Exactly that’ means—————”

“—————So, I’m saying that a maid who loses her right arm and can’t serve the master properly has no value.”

“Th-that’s…”

I couldn’t even refute those words—words I should have denied.
No matter what I look like, I’ve always given my all for the master.
And the master needed me for that very reason.

“But now, you’re nothing but a useless maid, aren’t you?”

“Th-that’s not—!”

“Ah, indeed. You might still be useful as a… ‘nighttime tool,’ though.”

I could easily imagine my unseen other self wearing a devilish smile.
At the same time, I felt as though something within me had shattered.

“I’m useless.”

“Yes, useless. You finally accepted it.”

“No—I don’t want to accept it.”

“It’d be easier if you did. You wouldn’t want to suffer in front of the master, would you?”

My own self pleaded inside my head.
My head hurt.
I just wanted relief.

“Yes… I’ll accept it——————”

Then, it happened.

“A phone call…?”

The ringtone from my cellphone rang out.
My cellphone is strictly reserved for calls from the master, except in emergencies.

“Master…!?”

Without checking the caller’s identity, I answered.
I thought that if I heard the master’s voice, that detestable sound would vanish.
That was what I believed.

“Is that Meido Arisu? I heard you’ve revived safely, and that’s all that matters.”

“…Hirata?”

I expected the master’s voice, but instead I heard Hirata’s.
My hopes sank, yet I listened to the message.

“What do you want from a me who’s both mentally and physically shattered?”

“It’s an emergency—I called just to update you on the current situation.”

“An emergency?”

Hearing Hirata’s voice—a voice unlike her usual self—sent a jolt of tension through me.

“We’ve just returned from Hokkaido.”

“…! Does that mean the master is there too!!?”

“…He is, though…”

“I’ll go immediately. Where are you?”

Then the master responded.
I was happy.
So happy I felt like I might vomit.
Before I knew it, that detestable voice had ceased.

I wanted to see the master right away.

“We’re just arriving at the boss’s hideout, but…”

“Understood. I’m on my way.”

“Wait… Meido Arisu——————”

I cut Hirata off and bolted out.
Once outside, I’d see the master.
I was like a dog waiting for its master’s return.

Run.
Run, run, run.

Struggling to steady my ragged breathing, I stepped outside.
It was just after 10 AM.
The dazzling sunlight hit my face—but it was a ray of hope——————

“Master, welcome home!!”
—or so I thought.

Before me lay the master, sprawled on an emergency bed.

“M-master…?”

My whole body trembled.
From a Hiace parked behind the emergency bed, a familiar figure stepped out.

“Meido Arisu, you came early.”

Said Hirata, her face etched with exhaustion.
Following her lead, Kuzuryuu, Satsuki, and Mayuzumi stepped out of the car, all bearing gloomy expressions.

“W-what is…”

“Meido Arisu, let me explain the situation.”

No, I don’t want to.
Please, don’t say any more.
If I hear any more, I really—

“The boss has fallen into a coma.”
——————I was shattered.

——————————————————

Somewhere in Hokkaido

The city was in utter chaos—police and fire brigades were everywhere.
People were in complete panic, and crime ran rampant.
From the rooftop of a building, a woman in a lab coat gazed upon the scene.

“Oh dear. There’s nothing that can be done anymore.”

Holding a can of coffee in one hand, she wore a look of disappointment.
Then, from behind her, a new figure approached.

“This isn’t the time for that. What are we going to do about this situation?”

“Oh, Force, didn’t you also love this view?”
“You’re as spiteful as ever, Fifth.”

The woman called Fifth beamed broadly.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Not complimenting you…”

Amid their banter, a young girl interrupted.

“Both of you—let’s go home.”

“Oh, Second, are you leaving already when things are just getting good?”
“Bad taste.”
“Coming from you—it seems everyone loves peace.”

Fifth snorted as she left the rooftop.

“Second, what will you do once you get home?”
“Judgment. I’ll crush the Empress.”
“Heh… that sounds exciting.”

Force spread his arms as he departed.
Watching him go, Second surveyed the city.
Shouts rang out everywhere, like a war from ages past.
Addressing the people, Second declared————

“——————Absurd.”

With that single word, she left the rooftop.

——————————————————

A pile of rubble.
From within a collapsed building, an arm protruded.
It pushed aside the debris until, at last, its owner revealed herself.

“I’m back!!!!!!”

Resurrected from the rubble, Sugiyama Reina shouted loudly as she raised her right arm high.