Chapter 59: Illusion Smoke Villain – Haze Fog⑥

When I woke up, I was in a different place. Whoa.

It felt like I’d just dozed off inside the kotatsu—at least, that’s how ordinary this living room looked. But I didn’t recognize it. And with my usually sharp memory, I was sure of that much.

Probably an apartment or a condo, family-sized judging from the space. From where I was still sitting in the kotatsu, I could see the kitchen. Under the range hood, smoking a cigarette, was Haze Fog.

…Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Morning.”

“Mornin’. You’re the one who snatched me, huh? Not bad!”

“Feels weird getting praised so honestly.”

So this was his hideout—his safehouse, maybe. Or maybe if I just waited here long enough, Delta would show up.

Watching the smoke drift into the vent, Haze Fog said,

“Well, you see. My ability’s pretty handy for intelligence work, so I looked into you, missy.”

“Oh, diligent of you.”

“Nah, nah. Last time, when I tried to grab you without doing that, that was me being way too sloppy.”

“You could’ve kept that to yourself. You’re oddly honest.”

“Gwahaha! Me? Honest!? Haah, you kill me, that’s hilarious.”

After wiping the tears from laughing too hard, Haze Fog continued,

“Looks like you’ve got quite a few villains circling around you. I was curious what your real goal was. That’s why I wanted this little chat.”

“My goal? Well, since Delta’s come after me for whatever reason, I’m kinda thinking I’ll just kill him first.”

“Gwahaha! Bold, aren’t ya?”

He roared with laughter, smoke bursting from his mouth as his eyes curved into crescents, then asked,

“So that’s it? Just reacting? No bigger ambitions? Not even the tiniest dream of re–pla–cing Delta and taking over, hmm, young lady?”

“Hold up. Don’t lump me in with the villains, you bastard. I’m just a helpless civilian here.”

“Gwahahahaha!”

…Is that really laugh-worthy?

Leaning on my hand at someone else’s kotatsu, I thought it over.

“I’m working on a treatment drug for my father’s illness. But that’s not the kind of short-term goal you’re asking about, is it?”

He wanted to know what I’d do after that. But I didn’t know. Right now, I was barely managing to deal with the present. Still, I could guess what he expected.

“You’re hoping I’ll take on something troublesome, aren’t you? Tear away Public Safety’s cover-up system, force society to recognize heroes and villains officially, and set up a hero system here in Japan like overseas. Do it yourself.”

“Well, I figure a young lady sharp enough to guess all that might be the right one for the job. I mean, c’mon—do I look like someone who could pull off politics?”

“You’ve definitely got the aura of someone who’s lived life sloppily.”

“Much obliged.”

He let out a crooked grin as another stream of smoke curled from his lips.

“You told me you went into debt and sided with Delta, right? Maybe you’re really a gambling addict, maybe not—but if that’s true, no matter what new laws Japan passes, there’s no place for you anyway. You’re not worried about yourself, are you? You’re worried about something farther ahead. Maybe even what happens after you die.”

Someone who could care about what comes after death—there aren’t many real villains like that. Most criminals only think about themselves, about right now, about what feels good this instant. If you can seriously consider the future and other people, you naturally end up at least halfway decent. …Delta, though, he feels like the type who thinks it all through and still chooses to act this way.

“So if you were planning to say ‘I’m just being held hostage’ to pull on my sympathy, well, the deadline for that excuse is now.”

Haze Fog stubbed out his cigarette and dropped it into the sink’s trash corner. Then he pulled out another paper cigarette, lit it, and let the smoke drift lazily upward as he stared into the distance.

“You know, the name ‘Haze Fog’ is almost redundant.”

“Didn’t you pick it yourself?”

“Yeah, but hey, I’m a half-assed guy.”

The English word haze means mist, smoke, a thin fog. And fog means, well, fog, cloud, murk. Different, but similar.

“Not that layering meanings for emphasis is meaningless. Still, that’s why I didn’t want that ‘Illusion Smoke Villain’ title spreading around. My ability is just smoke. That’s all it needed to be.”

In other words, his tone implied there was more to it than that.

Illusion Smoke Villain.

Even that alone already means “smoke.” Awfully redundant. Which meant the only part that really mattered to him was the illusion in Illusion Smoke Villain.

“We’re actually in a dream right now.”

“A dream ending? That’s the worst.”

“Sharing a dream with me? Yeah, that probably makes it the worst.”

“So what you’re saying is—our consciousnesses are linked, we’ll keep these memories even after waking, and since you’ve kept this ability hidden, anything we discuss here will be outside Delta’s awareness. That about right?”

“You really do have a sharp mind, young lady.”

I’d expected something more like hallucinations, direct illusions and such, but this was a whole different angle. A power perfect for secret conversations. Pretty interesting.

And if Delta didn’t know about this ability, that meant Haze Fog had kept it hidden even from Public Safety. A true ace up his sleeve.

“Good thing you’re good at begging for your life. Saves me from letting you end up like D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.”

I gave him credit for using his trump card on me. The man had good instincts.

After all, I was just a girl with no combat ability, a little harder to kill than most, and for some reason targeted by Japan’s most notorious villain. If you were looking for help, I’d be way down the list—plenty of heroes out there, after all.

But this was the right choice. I’d make sure he felt that way.

“I’ll help you—this time for real. What you want more than saving yourself is keeping the hostage safe, right? If you know where they are, say it. If you’ve got a hint, give it. If you’ve got nothing, then bow your head and beg properly.”

Escaping alone would be easy. Smuggling someone else out with him? That would take time.

That’s what Haze Fog meant. Which meant the reason he couldn’t break free from Delta’s control was that he wasn’t alone.

“I know it’s not the kind of thing you ask a stranger, missy. But this is about all I can do. Should’ve polished more skills when I was younger, huh? Too late to regret it now. Anyway…”

He crushed the lit cigarette in his palm, then bowed his head to me.

“You can do whatever you want with my life. Just… help me out, won’t you, young lady?”

I stared at the crown of his head and found myself thinking—wow, for an “old guy,” he’s not balding at all.

Maybe he wasn’t really that old. Maybe the stylish ones just don’t lose their hair. Or maybe stylish guys invest in hair care. Which was it? Honestly, one perk of ending up in a female body is not having to worry about balding as much.

“Guess your intelligence work isn’t all that great. My name’s not ‘young lady.’ It’s Katagiri Inori, Haze Fog.”

“Gwahaha, you got me there. Name’s Shinichi Usui—yeah, I should’ve introduced myself sooner. My apologies, Inori-chan.”

“Huh. So what do I call you then? Usui-chan? Shin-chan?”

“Gwahaha. Call me whatever you like.”

Even in a dream, Haze Fog didn’t litter his cigarettes. He shoved the crushed butt straight into his pocket, then said,

“Entrusting you with my life. Don’t need a gravestone, but if I kick it, at least remember my name, will ya?”

Usui Shinichi was a man who had a knack for saying heavy things in the lightest possible way.