That Half-Finished Drink Was Lethal— What Happened When I Left My Bottle Behind in a 1:4 Male-to-Female World - 19

Chapter 19: The Girl, Observing — Until the Mad Shareholders’ Meeting

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―Aoi Mimori’s POV ―

(A-Ah… ugh… It’s dark.)

A single six-mat room. This place, completely sealed by blackout curtains, was the entirety of my world.

Only the pale blue light of the monitor coldly illuminated my own pale skin. The room was filled with that distinct smell of scorched plastic caused by the heat exhaust of machinery. Piercing through my noise-canceling headphones, the drive sound of the PC fan created a gritty sensation deep in my ears.

I was there, but my heart was always “outside.”

What appeared on the monitor was my alter ego. It was the scenery seen by the “eyes” that flew with a hum through a sunset so bright it burned the retinas.

(Yuu-kun. Found you. …Locked on…)

On the screen, Yuu-kun was smiling. He picked up trash, gave someone directions, and continued to spread kindness in this world that day.

I observed him.

Every time he smiled at someone, the depths of my chest felt a chill, as if I had swallowed ice. Every time he touched someone, my fingertips tingled, as if charged with static electricity.

◇◇◇◇◇

Today, as usual, I was flying my drone and watching Yu-san.

(Ah.)

At that moment, the scene inside the monitor changed completely. The terrace seating of the luxurious cafe “Les Ailes.” Yuu-kun bumped into a pedestal while shielding an old woman.

CRASH!!

The high-performance microphone I retrofitted to the drone picks up the loud noise. An unpleasant, ear-piercing sound of expensive porcelain shattering into pieces echoed through the air.

I could see the blood draining from Yuu-kun’s face. His trembling fingertips. The strength leaving his knees as his hands were thrust against the ground.

(A-Ah… ugh… Yuu-kun. …What should I do? …I can’t do anything through a screen…!)

I clawed at the monitor. The unpleasant sensation of my nails scraping the liquid crystal transmitted to my fingertips. The woman who was called Reika. Her eyes emitted a golden, filthy light.

(Something is strange. …A-Ah? …Strange. …Something is…)

I kept the drone on standby and continued watching the footage. My finger reflexively flicked the zoom lever. What the lens captured was that “victim,” the old woman, who should have been trembling in shock until just a moment ago.

The moment Yuu-kun was led away, she straightened her back and began to walk, as if the transformation of a special-effects hero had worn off. Her trembling gait was nowhere to be found. The old woman slipped into the back alley with a stride that held no hesitation.

(I won’t let you get away.)

I lowered the altitude of the drone “Eye-Zero” and switched it to Silent Mode. A dead end in the back alley lined with trash cans. There stood Chihiro Kujo, dressed in a perfectly neat secretary’s uniform.

(Kujo… Chihiro. …The person from before… I knew it…)

The old woman bowed deeply before Kujo. Without a single change in her expression, Kujo pulled out a “thick envelope” from the inner pocket of her jacket. From the gap in the brown envelope, a bundle of ten-thousand-yen bills with a savage thickness peeked out. The old woman received it reverently with both hands, as if she were receiving her rightful reward—her “pay.” Through the monitor, I saw Kujo’s thin lips move. The audio barely failed to reach. However, the AI-powered lip-reading spat out inorganic fonts onto the screen.

《Good work. You only had a minor role, but that was a fine performance.》

At that moment…. The depths of my stomach twisted violently, like a rag being wrung out.

(A-Ah… ugh… That bitch Reika… From the start…She wrote… everything. It’s a bottomless “scenario” meant to bind Yuu-kun with the chains of “debt” and lock him in a cage where no one can reach him…!)

(Even though Yuu-kun… had turned so pale… was blaming himself… was crying.)

My fingertips trembled, and the edges of my vision burst into white. I immediately searched for information about those women, Reika and Kujo, through the internet and social media. It wasn’t listed publicly, but I was able to identify the targets using the image recognition function.

(I’d appreciate it if you didn’t underestimate the search skills I’ve honed during my time as a shut-in.)

It took a little time, but I managed to trace them back to being Reika Ootori, the daughter of the Ootori Group’s chairman, and her exclusive secretary.

(I won’t forgive you. I will definitely… delete you. Both your “status” and your “honor.”)

With trembling hands, I transferred the “Eye-Zero” recording data to a separate server while maintaining the highest image quality.

“…This… is evidence. …The bomb… meant to… drag down… Otori…”

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For several days, I thought. I thought only of how I could save Yuu-kun.

(There’s no other way left but this. …A-Ah. I have to do it.)

Data on the “pests” on my “Blacklist” who drifted around Yuu-kun, which I had collected in the past. The faces of women dancing across the screen.

Miya Akutsu. The noisy woman in the room next to Yuu-san’s. A filthy influencer who stole Yuu-kun’s shirts and did lewd livestreams repeatedly.

《Miya Akutsu. Once called the “Queen,” an incarnation of the power to go viral. Her aggressiveness and lack of fear toward being flamed could become the only “poison” capable of dragging the giant authority of Otori through the mud and creating a shield called public opinion.》

(Utility value… S-rank. …Viral power… A pro at flaming. …This person could stain Otori’s “prestige” through the mud.)

The decisive moment of the “Three Hundred Million Yen Vase Incident” that I had recorded and saved from the drone’s camera. I compiled the “evidence of fabrication” showing Chihiro Kujo interacting with the old woman into a file.

I sent this as a DM (Direct Message) to Miya’s social media account.

“Yuu-san is going to be killed by Ootori. If you want to save him, come here. Coordinates: Kisaragi Law Office.”

I pressed the send button. My fingertips were trembling slightly, regardless of my will.

(Next. …Shizuku Kisaragi. …She was watching from the third-floor window. …She was crying. …She’s about to lose to Ootori. …Out of frustration. …But… she will become a shield. …Because she’s a pro… at the law.)

I wheeled the drone around. The aged window of the Kisaragi Law Office. There was the figure of Shizuku, who collapsed in the darkness.

(And then… that… suspicious person.)

Rin Asami.

On the data, she was the most unpredictable, so-called high-spec woman. A crazed woman who borrowed a jacket from Yuu-kun and hugged it with an ecstatic expression.

(I won’t call her. …Too dangerous. …The ace of a major advertising agency…Even if she has connections with the Ootori Group… I can’t control her.)

In the corner of the monitor, another window sounded an alert.

(A-Ah… ugh! Yuu-san is heading to the Ootori estate!? I see, his butler job starts today! I don’t know what will be done to him by that sheltered young lady and once he goes to the Ootoris, there’s no guarantee he’ll come back!)

(There’s no… time…)

“…I… have to do something… to protect Yuu-kun…!”

【Until Reika Ootori does ○○ to Yuu, 4 hours remaining】

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In front of the Kisaragi Law Office. The acrid smell of burning asphalt after the rain hung in the air. Through the drone, I observed the “pests” gathering there. A single luxury car stopped silently in front of the office.

A jet-black Hiace. Stepping out from it was Rin Asami, dressed in a perfectly neat blouse.

“……How filthy. The cage prepared by Ootori-san is nothing but a trash can that hasn’t even been properly disinfected… For Yuu-kun, my soundproof room (Sanctuary) is what’s truly appropriate (White-eyed).”

(A-Ah… ugh!? Asami… Rin. …Why is she here…!?)

I caught my breath behind my headphones. I shouldn’t have sent her an invitation. Rin glanced at the screen of the tablet in her hand and then looked up at the third floor of the office. It was as if she were looking straight through the lens of my drone floating there.

“……The Ootori Group’s stock movement yesterday. ……Unnatural acquisition of treasury stock. ……And the laying of groundwork for a disciplinary request against Kisaragi-sensei. ……Kisaragi-sensei, you seem to be in trouble?”

Rin stepped into the office without hesitation. Wrapped around her back was an obsession like a giant cage, meant to “protect” Yuu-kun.

(Unpredictable. …Calculation error. …This woman… She identified Ootori’s movements using only… numbers…?)

Next, a large red motorcycle roared in. Miya Akutsu, having tossed aside her helmet, kicked open the office door with a bat slung over her shoulder.

“Kehyahya! Who stole my dog!? I’m not gonna let that Ootori brat get away with this!”

Inside the office, Shizuku, Miya, and Rin were already throwing sparks at one another before anyone knew it. Coincidentally, the window had been left wide open, so the drone’s microphone picked up the sound.

“Whose orders are you under!? Are you trying to steal my dog!?”

“I can understand Kisaragi-sensei, but who are you in the first place? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before… Regardless, you’re filthy.”

“Ah, the door to my office… When did I descend into a manga world!? I mean, who are you people!?!? Don’t interfere with my work!”

It was a combination with the “worst compatibility” in this world, where it wouldn’t be strange if they started killing each other. If left alone, this place would become a mortuary before Yuu-kun could be taken away.

I turned on the drone’s speaker. My throat was bone-dry. Even so, I squeezed out the words.

“A-Ah… ugh! …We don’t… have time… to be fighting…!”

【Until Reika Ootori does ○○ to Yuu, 3 hours remaining】

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