Chapter 31: Transform Villain - Omokage ④

Lately, I haven’t even been able to make it to the university. Too many villains.
It’s a problem, since my research is falling behind.

Professor Tsukishima will probably worry. And the lab itself is in trouble with fewer people around.
In the end, maybe we really do have to take down Delta, the one at the root of all this.

When I strolled home, Flux was waiting at the front entrance.
Omokage was there too, still tied up. If a passerby saw this, it’d be a disaster.

Good thing my house is tucked just out of sight from the main road.
Not that I picked the place with that in mind, but it’s sure coming in handy now.

"Ratlord’s inside the house. What do you want to do?"

"Oh, perfect. After all, Omokage stabbed me and nearly killed me. Let him throw a few punches."

Apparently, the reason Flux hadn’t gone inside was to wait for my decision.
Mio really is competent. This is the kind of subordinate you’d want.

Though honestly, if I were Mio’s boss, I’d probably lose confidence from how much better at the job he is.

Mio and I walked briskly to the living room. It’s the biggest space in the house.
As soon as we arrived, Mio spoke.

"Jin, would you tie him up instead?"

Before Jin could even respond, Mio released Omokage’s restraints.
That forced Jin to use his ability to capture Omokage.

Dragged here out of nowhere—something that looked exactly like me.
And since it was deemed too dangerous unless held by Flux’s power, it had been restrained.

Then suddenly, in my house, it was set free.
Even if he didn’t want to cooperate, for his own safety Jin had no choice but to capture it.

Seems like Mio understands how to get Jin to move even better than I do. Impressive.

"Oww oww oww!"

The bindings holding Omokage shifted from Flux’s liquid to Ironclad’s metal.
Apparently it hurt. Not surprising.

Because his skeleton is made of metal, Jin is heavy.
But my worry about the floorboards giving out isn’t just because of that.
Jin also collects all sorts of metal scraps from who-knows-where.

Is it to use as weapons, since he can manipulate metal?
Or maybe he just can’t relax unless he has a lot of metal nearby?

I don’t know, but as a result my house is piled high with useless scrap iron.
Kind of like some animal building a nest.

Using that, Jin bound the Omokage that looked like me in a tight, grinding hold.

Well, even if his skin gets cut up or his bones get crushed by the metal scraps,

if he’s copying my physiology, he’ll heal. Nothing to worry about.

The problem is Jin himself.

Veins bulged at his temples—he was clearly furious.
Sure, he always looks sullen, but this was something more.

Though I guess for him, that still counts as business as usual.

Before the bickering could start, Mio released his power.

Flux’s form dissolved back into that of a human man.
Even though he said he didn’t like this form, I wonder what got into him.

Before I could ask, Ratlord’s face twisted in shock.

"S-Senpai!?"

I glanced around in confusion. Who’s he talking to?

"Hii, long time no see. You’re Ratlord now, aren’t you? My, you’ve risen all the way to Baron."

"So it’s you, Senpai…"

Greeting Ratlord, Mio smiled warmly, the kind of smile that made people like him right away.
Now that I think about it, the day Ratlord first came to my house, Mio never showed himself.

I just assumed he was hiding in the pipes out of caution and didn’t give it much thought,
but it turns out they actually knew each other.

"So you survived. I see… I see…"

Ratlord murmured deeply, his tone full of feeling.
Just from that, it was obvious there was a history between them that words alone couldn’t capture.

So Mio is the senpai, and Ratlord is the kouhai?
It feels like it should be the other way around.
In that case… does Mio just look younger, or does Ratlord look older? Or maybe both?

"I'm doing just fine these days, you know~. Don’t worry about a thing."
"Yeah… if that’s how you feel. Just knowing you’re alive is enough for me."

Ratlord the Baron is an informant.
There’s no way he wouldn’t know about Flux, one of the most infamous villains around.
The reason he called him Senpai was because Mio was in human form.
In other words, he must have looked up to Mio back when he had no idea Mio was a mutant who could merge with liquid.

But Mio should be wanted even in human form.
I haven’t personally seen his face on the news, or posted outside police stations,

but if Ratlord calls himself an informant, it’d be strange for him not to know.
Not knowing would be the weirder option.

…So what’s going on? How does this even make sense?

"You’ve got that dying-to-know look on your face."

"Of course I do. But I probably shouldn’t ask, right?"

"Ufufu, maybe~. I wouldn’t mind telling you, Inori, but it might put Ratlord in a tight spot~?"

"The lady’s my lifesaver. I trust her. I don’t mind, y’know."

He forgot the whole -yansu bit.
But with his Edo-style speech, it doesn’t sound all that out of place.

I guess that’s his natural way of talking.
He doesn’t really need the verbal quirk… it’s just that yansu was so funny, I can’t help wanting him to say it.

Ratlord’s expression changed.
Not just his expression—his entire presence shifted.
He straightened his back, dropped the usual goofy grin, and met my gaze calmly.

"I’m Public Security."

"Wha—gh!"

A weird noise slipped out of me.
Turns out when people hear something that unexpected, they make weird sounds.

Public Security.
That’s the agency responsible for domestic order and national security.

I guess you could call it a branch of the police. Their main jobs are counterterrorism, preventing espionage, and monitoring dangerous organizations.

If I wanted to put it dramatically, they’re like Japan’s version of James Bond—
…Okay, maybe that’s overselling it.

Public Security, huh…

"So what, civil servants really get paid that little? Couldn’t even afford braces…"

I said that, glancing at Ratlord’s crooked teeth.
Mio started trembling and then burst out laughing.

Ratlord scratched his head irritably.

I gave him a bath not long ago, and yet dandruff was already flaking off again.
He said he hated bathing—guess he really meant it.

"Not that a civilian like you would get it, but if you look too refined, you can’t blend into the shadows."

"Playing the bad guy must be tough. Still, I don’t think you were all that convincing. Your decent nature kept leaking through—that’s why I treated you well, y’know. You oughta study villains a bit more."

"Ufufufufu!"

Finally, Mio couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

"Wait, hold on. If a Public Security guy’s calling you Senpai, then Mio, you’re…"

"Formerly, darling. That was before the stripper days."

"That’s… one hell of a résumé!"

From Public Security to stripper?
That career path’s way too extreme. No way. …And yet, there it is.

"I’m versatile. Back before I let go, patience was my specialty. Most of the assassinations I carried out were back when I was with Public Security. We were eliminating mutants who were inconvenient for the government. Didn’t need Flux’s powers for that."

"Wait, you mean you worked as an assassin without using your special abilities? That’s some raw talent right there."

"You don’t need special powers to kill someone."

Coming from an assassin, that really makes you think.
Humans die pretty easily. If you actually mean to kill, most people can be killed just like that.