Chapter 36: Poison Mist Villain – Usuzumi③
" I’m home! Brought a friend along! "
I came back home dragging D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. with me.
Without asking, I pulled off D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.’s shoes. Probably from America or somewhere like that—no way they’ve got the custom of taking shoes off indoors.
I tugged D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. by the hand into the living room, where Jin stood up.
" Hey. "
" Ah, crap! I totally forgot—you wanna kill D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E., don’t you! "
D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. has blown up everyone who’s ever seen their face. That’s why nobody knows what they look like. Convenient, right? You wouldn’t even suspect they’re a villain. I got careless.
Jin, however, is the one and only villain who survived fighting D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. If it weren’t for my drugs, he wouldn’t have made it out alive. In that sense, the kill had been a “success.”
I turned to D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. and spoke.
" Amusing, Decidedly Entertaining. Missed the target, Target Overlooked? No proof the job was finished, No Actual Termination Evident? "
They claimed to have eliminated every target so far, and yet Ironclad is still alive. That doesn’t quite add up. When I pressed D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. about it, Jin’s killing intent wavered slightly. Alongside anger, I could see pity in his eyes.
" …So you’ve finally lost it for real. "
" Rude. I’m just matching the crazy talk. "
" Which means you’re crazy too. "
Ah, that old saying—one who pretends to be mad is mad all the same. But what can I do? If I don’t talk this way, I can’t even have a conversation with them.
" The attack was aimed at one, Directed Energy Toward One. But the name was different, Named Another. Tragically, someone else was caught, Tragically Enveloped. "
So Ironclad nearly died just from collateral damage. Makes sense now. If Ironclad had really been the target, it’d be strange that D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. didn’t confirm the kill or follow up. They’ve always executed orders to perfection—no way they’d leave it sloppy.
" D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. says he wanted someone else dead, but you just got dragged in. He’s saying sorry, so maybe forgive him? "
" …He really said that? "
" You don’t get English, huh. But insults sound the same in any language, right? Just look at that apologetic face. "
D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. widened his eyes to their limits, pink pupils darting all around.
…Nope. That’s not apologetic—that’s just the face of a maniac. Guess this persuasion angle was doomed from the start.
" Dragged everything too over, Everything Too Over. Never aimed to involve you, Never Aimed To Enlist You. "
" He’s nuts, so he can’t say sorry directly. But believe me, he’s apologizing real hard. "
" …Tch. "
Jin slumped back down into his seat, grinding deep furrows into his brow as he spat the words.
" If we fight, the house won’t survive. "
" That’s seriously true. And hey, this is a rental, so give me a break, yeah? "
If the house really did get blown away, maybe it wouldn’t count as my fault and the government would compensate me.
Now then, time to get Sudama on board. She’d kept quiet this whole time, probably because Jin’s killing intent was so suffocating. But now, her tail swished restlessly—she looked ready to launch into a lecture any second.
" This is our new ally, Mr. D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. Please take care of him. "
" You fool! What kind of monster have you dragged home this time! "
" Don’t call him a monster. He just… comes apart into pieces. "
" That’s a monster! "
Cute, isn’t it? Falling to pieces isn’t a big deal. If he were actual explosives, I wouldn’t have brought him back here.
" Didn’t expect to observe numerous, Numerous. Associates together engaged, Associates Together Engaged. "
Hearing D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.’s words, Sudama’s jaw dropped.
" And he only speaks some foreign tongue!? I’ve never set foot outside Japan, I don’t understand a thing! "
" Yeah, I never expected you to know English. Even if you did, it wouldn’t help much with him. "
" Then how are we supposed to talk to him!? "
" Maybe we don’t have to? He can see, so expressions and gestures might be enough. "
" That’s how you’d deal with a half-witted yokai! "
" …Sounds fine to me? "
Sudama cracked her knuckles.
" Then let’s start by beating him down, to show him the pecking order. "
" Please don’t. That’s not the approach I had in mind—sit, stay, good fox. "
Didn’t think she’d go for a full-on survival-of-the-fittest power grab. I’d forgotten she was a fox, what with how well she blended into human life. Establishing dominance in the pack probably is important… though I don’t really picture foxes making packs.
" If you’ve got something to say, I’ll translate for you. Honestly, I might be the only person in this world who can actually talk with him. "
" Just where did you drag this one out from? "
" Who knows. I’ll ask him eventually. "
We’ve got time, after all. He’s going to be living here from now on.
The house is small. We’re already way past capacity.
Comments (1)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.