Vol 4 Chapter 2 – Oleander(【Revolver Maid】 Arc)

The room was filled with the scent of chemicals.

It could be called a laboratory, for it contained various experimental apparatus, chemicals, and even animals.

LED lighting bathed the room, revealing stark white walls.

In that place, a woman in a white coat was at work.

“Hmph. Heh-heh.”

She hummed in a high-pitched voice while mixing chemicals in a flask.

Swirl, swirl.

Splash, splash.

The colorful hues assigned to each chemical blended together, forming a green liquid.

She sniffed the combined scent from the flask’s opening and took a deep breath.

“Is it finished now…? I’m tired.”

The woman in the white coat raised the flask so that the chemicals caught the room’s light.

Under that light, the green liquid turned translucent and glowed with an emerald gleam.

The woman gazing at the flask nodded slightly.

“Beautiful. I must admit, I’m quite taken with it.”

Her eyes sparkled like those of a child who had just gotten a new toy.

Her hair, tied at the back of her head, swayed with her rising excitement.

“Oh, is that a customer?”

Amidst that, a guest arrived.

Entering was a little girl dressed entirely in white and black.

“Creepy. Fifth is such a weirdo.”

“You say something rude right off the bat, Second.”

“Mm… I was merely stating the facts.”

Second—Kuroda Shiromi—grimaced at the sight of Fifth laughing boisterously in her white coat.

Fifth sighed and returned the flask she had been holding to its original position.

“So, what’s your business? It’s rather rare for you to visit my lab, isn’t it?”

“Correct. I need you to help me search for someone.”

Kuroda handed a photograph to Fifth.

It showed a single person.

“…Who might this be?”

“It should be my benefactor… supposedly.”

“Hehe. How amusing—to claim that you are my benefactor. Were you ever the type to say such things?”

At Fifth’s laughter, Kuroda wore an exasperated expression.

“Stupid question. I, too, am grateful.”

“Heh… that’s rude.”

Fifth studied the photograph given by Kuroda intently.

Apparently satisfied, she tucked the photograph into the pocket of her white coat and, crossing her legs, asked:

“Well, leaving aside the details, why on earth must I search for your benefactor?”

Without missing a beat, Kuroda replied:

“Because I trust you.”

“Trust? That’s a pleasant thing to hear.”

“Of course. Within the organization, Fifth is the second most reliable after the princess. And you’re smart.”

Fifth—whose expression had been perfectly described as ‘smiling’—suddenly wore a blank look.

Her tone shifted, as if she were a completely different person.

“Indeed, although we belong to the same organization, we’re not exactly in a mutually supportive relationship. So such sweet words won’t make me want to cooperate.”

“My stance hasn’t changed. Cooperate.”

“There’s no benefit for me.”

“There is a benefit.”

Kuroda flashed a confident look and continued:

“You can curry favor with me.”

Listening to her words, Fifth widened her eyes.

A few seconds of silence.

A harsh, desolate atmosphere settled over the room.

“Hehe. Heh-heh.”

She chuckled softly as she stood up.
Then, raising both arms high, she began laughing out loud.

“——————Ahahahahahahaha!!”
“Question: I don’t recall saying anything that amusing.”
“Haha… sigh. Truly hilarious.”

Still laughing and wiping away her tears, Fifth approached Kuroda.

“All right, all right. Good job, good job.”

Suddenly, Fifth began patting Kuroda on the head.
Kuroda, being cooed at in a cat-like voice, shivered as she tried to brush away the hand placed above her head.

“That’s too much. I was in the middle of petting you.”
“Disgusting. Creepy. Terrifying.”
“You don’t have to go that far…”

Kuroda trembled as she cried out in a small voice.
Fifth pouted, clearly unconvinced by her words.

“…Well, fine. I’ll help you, since there’s no other choice.”

Fifth slowly stood up and, gazing into Kuroda’s eyes, spoke.
Hearing her casual reply, Kuroda relaxed her expression.

“I got your promise. It’s a deal.”
“Yes. It’s a promise. If you betray me, you’re as good as dead. Or do you need a contract?”
“I don’t need one. I trust you.”
“Hmm… you’re strange.”

The room’s lighting illuminated Fifth’s red hair.
She extended her hand toward Kuroda—not to pat her head, but as a handshake.

“From now on, as comrades in search, let’s get along.”
“Yeah, let’s.”

Accepting the hand extended by her, Kuroda watched as Fifth retrieved the photograph of the person they were searching for from her white coat pocket.

“By the way, your benefactor—Second’s, no less—and he’s a boy.”

Fifth nonchalantly remarked as she strolled about the laboratory, almost like a mother delighted by her daughter’s growth.
Yet Kuroda was left with a nagging concern.

“Benefactor. But there’s doubt.”
“Doubt…? What do you mean?”

Kuroda took a breath and began speaking, her expression showing the resolve of someone about to reveal something important.

“—————————That person might be the Empress’s Boss.”

In the photograph that Fifth held, a man wearing a mask was depicted.
Upon hearing those words, Fifth froze like a statue.
Then, slowly, she tilted her body toward Kuroda.

“Really… that’s the most amusing story of today.”
“Not a joke. The possibility is very high.”
“Does it have anything to do with what happened in Hokkaido the other day?”
“…Correct.”

The reason Kuroda mistrusted Sakata was that she had been attacked by an Empress executive in Hokkaido.

“What was it called again—the volunteer charity organization?”
“That’s right. They actually saved me when I was near death.”
“But then, you were killed by that organization afterward, right?”
“I wasn’t killed. I’m alive.”

The organization that saved her—its leader, “Saitou-san,” who conducted charitable volunteer work—had spoken of it.
However, I was ambushed and gravely injured by a man who called himself Kuzuryuu, accompanied by a woman named Satsuki.
And most importantly————————

——————————————————

‘”You are one of the Empress’s people.'”

‘”Yeah, that’s right. Big sis gives you a perfect score.'”

——————————————————

That conversation with Satsuki—finally, she had met an Empress executive.
Then, wouldn’t Saitou-san, who accompanied that executive, be the Empress’s Boss?
Leaving the biggest question unanswered, Saitou-san and the others vanished.

“Anyway, I’ll start the search using my subordinates.”
“——————Understood.”

Kuroda was brought back to reality by Fifth’s voice.
She felt the tension in her shoulders ease.

“So, what will Second do?”
“I’ll go and ask. Get an answer.”
“An answer? Ask whom, and about what?”

To Fifth’s query, Kuroda replied——————

“To an Empress executive.”

With that single word, she left the laboratory.

“—————Haha, this is fantastic. Something interesting is bound to happen.”
Fifth beamed a broad smile as she pulled out her cell phone.
Her smile carried a hint of madness.