Returnee from Another World - Chapter 15: The Destination of Fear

Chapter 15: The Destination of Fear

The autumn breeze blew against me, as if trying to block my path. Traffic had dwindled, and the lights spilling from house windows were growing sparse in the late night.

It was almost midnight.

I hurried toward the abandoned factory Ayano mentioned.

I’d checked on Kyouka via a casual text, and she’d replied, so nothing had happened. Still, I wanted to settle things tonight.

I didn’t want to deal with those guys’ nonsense repeatedly. I’d put an end to it here.

That resolve quickened my pace.

My ability confirmed their location.

Sakaki was with Tominaga, it seemed. He hadn’t gone home after the hospital.

What an idiot.

His wrist was broken, yet he was acting tough?

My left hand’s fingers were already healing. A bit of strain wouldn’t matter.

I’d fought through worse injuries plenty of times in that world. This was nothing.

But survival was always at stake back then, so I couldn’t afford to care about injuries.

That said, my bones never healed wrong despite the strain.

Sakaki, though, wasn’t like me.

I didn’t know how bad his wrist was, but it’d take at least a month to heal.

Still, the fact that he was out and about suggested it wasn’t severe enough for surgery—just a cast.

I sensed the destination nearing.

When my ability’s direction shifted slightly, it meant I was close.

Sure enough, the ruins of a small factory came into view.

The gate was wide open.

Rusted sliding doors told of the absence of workers.

Streetlights cast a stage of light around the entrance, which should’ve been dark.

The factory ruins felt eerie, almost sinister. The light seemed like a moth trap, luring me in.

Instead of entering, I circled the building.

Laughter echoed faintly from inside. It had to be Sakaki’s group.

The building’s windows were broken, some exposed. They were definitely in there.

From their presence, it was likely just the four from before.

Maybe one or two others joined, but the numbers wouldn’t be much higher. I could easily overpower them by force.

But for the long term, I needed one more push.

So, I retrieved something from my dimensional storage and began preparations.

◇

“Huh? Who’s that?”

“It’s Kaburaki, ain’t it? Got some nerve showing up.”

Yuichi and Tominaga started mouthing off in a cocky tone as they noticed me.

Nearby, Sakaki sat on a factory machine, glaring silently. As expected, his arm was in a cast, and he was mid-drag on a cigarette with his other hand.

“How’d you know we were here? Tch, Ayano blabbed, didn’t she? Spilling our hangout spot.”

Tominaga cursed Ayano, who wasn’t here.

Since I arrived, Sakaki had been banging his cast against the machine, the sound echoing his irritation.

I approached him, pulling an envelope from my pocket that I’d bought at a convenience store on the way.

“Medical expenses. 200,000 yen.”

I handed the envelope to Sakaki.

It was pocket change to me now, but a decent sum for them.

Unless it required major surgery, it’d more than cover it, with change to spare.

Sakaki checked the contents, set it aside, and spoke.

“Not enough. Get me another 300,000. No way I’m letting you off with just an apology.”

He spat the words.

Yuichi, the big guy, stepped toward me, cutting in.

“You’re Kaburaki, right? I’ve got your face memorized. No escaping. We know you live near Ayano’s place. That girl from earlier—Amasawa, was it? Introduce her to me, and I might let you off. I’ll take real good care of her. Whether Shintaro’s cool with that is another story.”

Yuichi slapped my left shoulder, a sleazy grin on his face.

It was obvious Sakaki wouldn’t agree, regardless of Yuichi’s words. His injury had nothing to do with it.

As Ayano said, Yuichi’s desperation for women was clear as day.

Behind him, Tominaga joined in, circling me. Nobuo, the other guy, smirked from a distance, enjoying the show.

I wasn’t giving them money because I wanted to.

It was insurance in case they ran to the police.

The 200,000 yen didn’t matter.

Even if Sakaki demanded 500,000, I could pay easily. I’d hate giving them even 1,000 yen, though.

The point was the fact that they accepted it as medical expenses.

If they later tried to report me, the injury could be seen as settled.

My real fear wasn’t them—it was this society.

I wanted to avoid dealing with police or laws. Brute force couldn’t solve everything here.

That didn’t mean I planned to live cleanly. If I stayed off the radar, I had no issue with crime.

I wasn’t a lawyer, so I didn’t know how it’d play out, but accepting the money would make it harder for them to act. I was just preemptively limiting their moves.

“So, what’s it gonna be, Kaburaki? Pay another 300,000, or get beat down here?”

“Hold on, Sakaki. Don’t misunderstand. 100,000 is for your treatment. The other 100,000 is for these guys—compensation for the beating I’m about to give them.”

“Huh!?”

Instantly.

My right fist sank into Yuichi’s solar plexus.

As he doubled over, I drove my knee into his face.

Grabbing his hair as he staggered, I dragged him down and straddled him, pummeling his face.

Thud.

Thud.

Dull sounds echoed.

Yuichi’s frog-like groans reached my ears.

Tominaga, Nobuo, and even Sakaki were frozen, unable to react to my sudden violence. Ignoring them, I kept hitting Yuichi.

I watched coldly as his aura filled with purple (【Fear】) and gray (【Pain】) under my relentless assault.

I was holding back, of course.

While I relied on Ladybird in that world, I wasn’t inexperienced in hand-to-hand combat. Early on, brawls were daily life.

I could gauge the damage from the feel of my punches.

“What was that you said? Something about doing shit to Kyouka?”

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

Yuichi had no answer, desperately guarding his face with both arms.

I didn’t care, hammering through his guard.

Then, I sensed movement to my right—Sakaki.

A kick hit my side, jarring my ribs.

I braced my fist on the ground to absorb the impact, glaring at Sakaki while still seated.

Without pause, he kicked again.

I took a few hits, then caught his ankle between my arm and torso.

“What’s that, Sakaki? Want your right leg broken too?”

I applied slight pressure, twisting.

Sakaki struggled to pull free, but with one leg trapped and his balance off, he couldn’t escape.

“Stop! Let go, you bastard! Kenji, Nobuo, do something!”

Tominaga was out of the question.

I thought this objectively, listening to Sakaki.

His aura was consumed by purple (【Fear】).

Seeing Sakaki’s wrist broken and Yuichi beaten likely crushed Tominaga’s spirit.

Nobuo, the pretty boy, also felt some 【Fear】, but it could be overcome by 【Anger】 or other emotions.

I released Sakaki’s leg.

The recoil sent him tumbling backward.

I stood slowly, approaching Nobuo.

A light tap to his face was enough.

That single hit drained his will to fight. He collapsed sideways like a girl, curling up, covering his head with crossed arms.

“Now, Tominaga’s left.”

I turned toward him.

He didn’t move, just shook his head slightly.

“No, wait, Kaburaki-kun, it’s not like that. I… I…”

What was he trying to say now? I was mildly curious, but breaking his spirit was the priority.

Grabbing his hair, I slammed my forehead into his face.

“Gah!”

Tominaga clutched his face.

The dark part of me, long hidden, began to spread. The scent of blood excited me, my own blood boiling.

Still gripping his hair, I dragged Tominaga toward Yuichi, who was still down.

“This Yuichi guy’s so desperate for girls, huh? Poor thing. Tominaga, why don’t you suck him off instead?”

Yuichi tried to crawl away.

I stomped his stomach hard.

“Stay still. I’m trying to make you feel good. Or do you prefer pain, like earlier?”

“Stop it, you fuck!”

It wasn’t Yuichi or Tominaga. It was Sakaki.

In that moment, I lunged, tackling him with my knee.