Chapter 39: Poison Mist Villain – Usuzumi⑥

At long last, the long-awaited visit from Usuzumi.

This could finally be the breakthrough I needed to resume progress on the treatment drug development that had been stalling recently. Naturally, I was fired up. I prepared tea and sweets, waiting restlessly for Usuzumi to arrive.

Through connections with active Public Safety officers like Ratlord and Omokage—both acquaintances of mine—it wasn’t difficult to arrange for him to come by.

Since having too many people around might complicate things, I asked Sudama and Jin to step out for the time being. Mio was probably inside the water pipes, and D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. was stowed away in the closet, but that was fine.

"Yo, nice to meet you. I’m Katagiri Inori. Looking forward to working with you."

"A reverse-trap girl!"

Poison Mist looked exactly like the stereotypical image of an otaku.

A pudgy man who wore a checkered shirt like it was his uniform, with a towel draped around his neck to wipe away sweat. Probably some kind of concert towel—idol or anime related, I couldn’t tell. His eyebrows were bushy, but his beard was neatly shaved. A beauty mark sat just under his left eye. Adjusting his glasses, he immediately dabbed the sweat from his face.

At least he was self-aware about his sweating—that was already better than most. Strangely, he didn’t reek of sweat, either. Maybe he used deodorant religiously, or maybe he’d actually developed his own deodorizer. With his reputation as a specialist in chemical compounds, I wouldn’t be surprised. In another life, he might have been thriving in a pharmaceutical company.

Despite his outward appearance being far from “clean-cut,” his shirt was buttoned neatly all the way up, which gave off an oddly earnest impression. Still, since his first reaction to my self-introduction was to shout at me, I couldn’t help but worry I’d made a bad impression.

"Was being a reverse-trap a dealbreaker for you?"

"No, quite the opposite—it’s my absolute favorite."

That exchange told me everything: this guy was an otaku. Sure, his appearance already screamed it, but I know from personal experience that looks and personality don’t always match.

I actually felt like we might get along, but truth be told, I was out of my depth with the otaku culture of this world. Growing up in the countryside meant trends were always out of sync with the rest of the world, and once I moved to the city, I didn’t have the mental space to indulge in subculture hobbies. I’d become an otaku of nothing in particular.

"I don’t mind giving you my real name, but I’m more used to being called by my handle. So please, feel free to call me Poison Mist—or Usuzumi."

"Alright, Poison Mist… or Usuzumi, got it. Since you’re a friend of a friend, let’s start with Mio. I heard you two were close?"

"Not exactly. It was more of a one-sided admiration. I have the kind of nature where I don’t want my idol to recognize me. I preferred to watch from a distance, soaking in the comfort."

"Ah, so that’s why Mio was shocked to hear the rumor that you became a villain because he disappeared."

"Well, it’s not entirely untrue—in fact, pretty much yes. But I never imagined my misdeeds would be blamed on him! I couldn’t bear to inconvenience the one I admire, so I came back to the government’s side instead."

"Wow, you really like Mio."

So he was his oshi.

That word was hard to define. It wasn’t necessarily romantic—it was more like devotion. A feeling close to faith. Someone you’d gladly spend money on if you could, someone who became your reason to live.

In other words, something godlike. One of the reasons Japanese religion was so convoluted—because “oshi culture” was practically a faith of its own.

"He’s beautiful, and he was kind even to a nerd like me. I never imagined he’d end up in Flux, so now I’m even more grateful. Thanks to him, I awakened to monster girls."

So his fetishes had gone down a strange path. An “otaku-loving gal” combined with “monster girl”? No wonder—Mio was a perfect storm of kinks.

"Are you into trap boys too? Not sure what Mio was like back when he was in Public Safety…"

"Oho! You’re willing to talk about that kind of thing? I’m touched! I’ve never had anyone like-minded around—my only friends were online."

So that explained his weird way of talking. Or maybe I was just being biased. Either way, Poison Mist suddenly grew serious, lowering his voice to ask me something.

"…By the way, are you a trap boy?"

"Hate to disappoint you, but this body’s a pure, genuine beautiful girl. Just happens to have an old man inside it."

"Hohohoho! That’s wonderful!"

"It is?"

"I do like trap boys, but I also like ‘male girls.’"

"Wait, that’s actually a term!?"

"Some also call them ‘manly women.’ It refers to women who look completely male. Since you clearly look like a girl, the term doesn’t really apply, but I couldn’t think of a better word. It’s still a developing genre, but one I hope will catch on."

That rapid-fire otaku way of speaking—yeah, I liked it.

I’m a modern kid myself, so I watch YouTube at 1.5x speed. Skimming Wikipedia articles is fun, too. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if he dumped trivia on me all day long.

"Nice. I’ve always been interested, but I don’t know much, so I was looking for a guide. Not just about trap boys, I mean subculture in general. Got any manga or anime you’d recommend?"

"Whoooa! If I start on that, it’ll take all night and day! May I have time to prepare a proper presentation!?"

"Gyahaha! You’re way too motivated! Should we rent a conference room and get a projector?"

"That sounds way too fun!"

Looked like we had the makings of a fun otaku event.

Of course, I had plenty of problems I needed to solve first… but maybe building a friendship came before asking for Poison Mist’s cooperation. Still, approaching him with the intent to use him left a bad taste in my mouth. Sure, I wanted a contact who knew drugs inside and out, but honestly, I’d always wanted an otaku friend too.

"Omokage said you seemed hard to get along with, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But now I get it—you’re this type. I guess you sized him up as the flashy type, huh?"

"Subculture is subculture, but I sensed our genres were different. He struck me as a Harajuku-type, chasing the latest trends."

"He doesn’t think that deeply, trust me. Bet he’d get hooked on anime if someone recommended it."

"Mm, true. If he’s that trend-conscious, he might have the stamina to keep up with the seasonal anime every time. Once you get older, though, it’s hard to find the time, and you just can’t follow them all anymore."

"Even just having a phase where you watched everything that aired—that’s commitment. Honestly, that’s kind of perfect for a civil servant."

"Ohoho, well at the very least, I was never suited for the frontlines. I fit the role of the man in the chair quite nicely."

So that’s how he worked in Public Safety, too. Developing poisons but leaving the actual assassinations to others? Looking at the extra flesh around his midsection, I couldn’t picture him darting around killing people. If he did get involved directly, it must’ve been through traps or setups.

"By the way, I’ve been hit by your poison before. What was the idea behind that one?"

"Oh, you were a victim!? My deepest apologies. I’ve scattered it indiscriminately for distraction purposes a few times, so such cases must have occurred. I can only hope you don’t hold a grudge!"

"Nah, don’t worry. I’ve got regeneration, so I was fine. Didn’t hear about anyone dying back then either. I’m talking about when you spread poison at that intersection."

"Ah, the blueberry one."

"So it really was blueberry-colored, huh? Dyed my skin perfectly."

"Yes, a toxin that stained the skin purple and induced palpitations, nothing more. It was an experiment to see how far I could extend placebo effects through visual cues. And, how did it feel?"

Yep, this guy really was a mad scientist. You don’t just ask people for feedback on your poisons like it’s a taste test. That’s beyond insensitive. Then again, most ability-users aren’t exactly normal, so I let it slide.

"Man, I thought it was brutal at the time, but it cleared up pretty quick. Guess that was by design, huh? I figured it was just my regen doing its job."

"It was meant to last a week, so if it cleared sooner, the credit goes to you."

"What, were you planning to have me chased through a haunted mansion? Or execute kids in a chocolate factory?"

"Ohohohoho! Such erudition!"

Poison Mist clapped his hands in delight.

Only after I said it did I realize—some content from my previous life existed here, some didn’t. Luckily, both of those did. Otherwise, I’d just sound insane blurting that out. Then again, Usuzumi said weird things constantly, so maybe it wouldn’t matter.

"Now then, onto the main subject. Since Flux asked, of course I’ll accept. Drug development, yes? But since I’m currently under Public Safety’s custody, my lab space belongs to the government. Advancing the research means the government will learn of it as well. Is that acceptable?"

"Doesn’t matter. What I don’t have is time."

"Very well. May I borrow a sample? I’ll run the analysis back home."

"Hell yeah, that’s a huge help! I’ve been wanting someone with ability powers to back me up! Nobody knows drugs better than you—this is perfect!"

"Ohoho, I must admit, it feels good to be praised. This is my one real talent, after all, sushi aside."

When I handed him the treatment drug, Poison Mist carefully packed it away.

I was curious about what exactly made him a “specialist” in drugs and what his ability really was, but that was too delicate a subject to pry into on a first meeting. That would have to wait.

"Come hang out again sometime. Next time, I’ll introduce you to a fox-eared shrine maiden."

"Ohohoho! You tell the best jokes, Katagiri-shi! As if such a prime otaku fantasy would just be lying around!"

He might actually faint if he saw Sudama.

Back in my countryside hometown, the flow of trends was always behind… but genuine otaku fantasy content was lying around everywhere.