Chapter 87 Pitch-Black Aura
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A sharp metallic clang echoed through the silence. I froze, eyes darting around the room. It wasn’t my imagination. Then again, it could have just been something unstable finally losing its balance and hitting the floor.
The abandoned factory at night was supposed to be empty, save for me and Akuzawa. If someone else was here, they were likely one of Akuzawa’s crew. But I was sure I’d parted ways with that low-life Eiji after he’d stuffed me into the trunk. Besides, it made no sense for an accomplice to stay hidden while Akuzawa was being dismantled. Even if they were lurking as backup, they should have made a move when Akuzawa was on the ropes, or at the very moment I was shot.
I had a decent handle on where the sound came from. A small room tucked away in the corner, partitioned off with thin plywood – maybe an old office or a breakroom. My instincts had definitely dulled, but even in my prime, I might have missed it at this distance. I sprinted toward the room.
Structurally, the only way in or out should have been through the factory floor, but I couldn’t rule out a window. The possibility of another gunman kept me on edge, but I’d rather face a bullet than let a witness slip through my fingers like a coward. I didn’t care about the noise anymore; I just ran.
Reaching the office, I peered through a jagged hole in the window glass. A small shadow was scurrying across the dim room like a cornered field mouse, trying to scramble under a desk. It was too dark to make out features, but a fluttering skirt and two slender legs told me everything I needed to know. It was a woman.
Was she Akuzawa’s mistress? Maybe he’d brought her along as a confidante because he couldn’t trust a thug like Eiji. It seemed unlikely for a man like him, but I couldn’t be sure. Regardless, she’d seen the kill. Whether she was a woman or not, I had to tie up this loose end.
I steeled my heart and stepped inside. I’d already stained my hands in this world. At this point, killing one more wouldn’t make much difference.
A muffled gasp leaked from under the desk. The moment I kicked the door open, she must have clapped a hand over her mouth, but the silence of the factory carried the sound straight to me. It was the sound of a witness.
I moved through the shadows of the cramped office and lunged, grabbing a thin ankle peeking out from beneath the desk. I braced for a struggle, but what I hauled out was a girl who looked too young to even be here – a minor who seemed utterly defenseless.
”Kyaaaaaaaah!” the girl shrieked.
She kicked wildly with her free leg as she scrambled for the exit. I didn’t let go. I dragged her out from under the desk and pinned her down, mounting her to kill her momentum. I slammed my hand over her mouth.
”Shut up! Be quiet!” I growled.
I let my voice drop into a deadly, gravelly rasp. The girl’s eyes went wide with terror, but she stopped struggling and nodded frantically. She was remarkably composed for someone in her position. Most people would have hyperventilated, but she was listening.
A sliver of moonlight caught her face. I faltered. I’d expected a yakuza’s moll, but she didn’t fit the profile. She was young – half my age, probably – and she didn’t have the look of a girl who lived in the underworld. She looked pure, with a stubborn set to her jaw. But that wasn’t why I hesitated. I recognized her.
I didn’t know her name, but the memory was vivid. The boy, Tsuzuki Miyabiya – the arrogant prick who’d hit on Ayaka and harassed Kyouka on her way home. This girl had been with him. I remembered her because every time she looked at Tsuzuki, a pitch-black aura¹ flared behind her.
It wasn’t jealousy or anger. It was a raw, concentrated murderous intent that went far beyond mere hostility. To carry an aura that heavy, she had to harbor a grudge against Tsuzuki that bordered on the divine. Tsuzuki himself seemed oblivious to the monster walking beside him.
But what was she doing here? That single question stayed my hand.
”How long have you been here?” I asked.
Her eyes darted nervously. She didn’t answer, but the guilt written on her face told me she’d seen everything.
”Listen. I’m going to take my hand off your mouth,” I said. “If you scream, you know what happens next. Got it?”
”Hah… hah… I-I understand,” she whispered.
Her compliance was unsettlingly smooth. She’d gone from screaming to cold calculation in seconds. Normal people don’t do that. Only people who have stared into the abyss without blinking – people like me – can flip the switch that fast.
”What’s your connection to Akuzawa?” I asked.
”Eh? Akuzawa? Y-you mean…?”
”Don’t play dumb. He called you here, didn’t he? Tell the truth and I might let you live. Lie to me, and…”
It was a blatant lie to make her talk. Witnesses are liabilities. And yet, for some reason, I found myself hesitating to finish her.
”N-no! I don’t know anyone named Akuzawa!” she cried. “I just… I happened to be here by chance!”
”Don’t give me that bullshit.”
”I’m telling the truth! And look, I won’t say anything about what I saw! I swear, please believe me!”
Her aura didn’t flicker. She wasn’t lying. Of course, some people can mask their emotions, so I couldn’t trust her completely. But her composure was still bothering me. It was wrong.
”So you saw it all. Every bit of it,” I said.
”I… yes. But I’m serious. I won’t talk. Believe me.”
”That means you saw everything. You saw me kill him.”
”I… yes. But I’m serious. I won’t talk. Believe me.”
”And why the hell would I believe you?”
My voice was ice. She froze. She was smart enough to realize exactly how deep of a hole she was in. But the words that came out of her mouth next nearly knocked me back.
”R-right… you’re… you’re a professional, aren’t you? Like a hitman? If you are… then there’s someone I need you to kill!”
”What? What the hell are you talking about?”
”There’s someone I need to get revenge on. No matter what,” she said. “If you kill them for me, then I’m your accomplice, right? We’d be in it together!”
The moment she said it, my brain fractured. A memory hit me like a physical blow.
’That’s right. You and I are accomplices. I’ll help you with your revenge, and you help me with mine. That was the promise, wasn’t it? I’d die for you, and you’d die for me.’
The memory was vivid: Me and Rinka, tangled together on a bed, skin on skin, whispering of blood and vengeance instead of love.
I knew this girl. I knew her better than anyone. Saeki Rinka. I knew the placement of every mole on her body. I knew how it felt when she tightened around me. I knew exactly how to touch her to make her come undone. We weren’t just lovers. We were two souls bound by a blood pact, knowing everything about each other except for what a real smile looked like.
Damn it, not again. How much more have I forgotten? And why was Rinka here?
”I… I don’t have money. But I can pay you,” Rinka said. “You can have my body – do whatever you want with it. I’m still a virgin, so that has to be worth something, right? I’ll let you use me as much as you want, any way you want. And if that’s not enough, I’ll work and pay you back every cent after I graduate!”
”Hmph. Your name?”
”Ri… Rinka. Saeki Rinka.”
”Why are you here?” I asked.
”I…”
”You want me to trust you, but you can’t even tell me that?”
”I’ll tell you! My father used to own this factory,” she cried. “I used to play in this office all the time when I was a kid. And… right over there. That’s where he did it. My father hung himself. He was tricked by a ‘friend’ named Tsuzuki Miyabiya. He lost everything – every penny we had – and ended up buried in debt. He couldn’t take it.”
As she spoke, the pitch-black aura billowed behind her like smoke. This story wasn’t in my current memories, but I knew she wasn’t lying. I could feel the truth of it because of the bond we once shared. Her sudden composure made sense now. She was a survivor. She was hard as nails under that cute exterior.
It wasn’t exactly love we had, but it was absolute trust. A mutual vow of revenge. But that meant… if she wanted revenge for her father, what the hell was my revenge for? That was the missing piece.
”Still don’t believe me? Fine. We can do it right here,” she said. “If you see I’m a virgin, you’ll know I’m serious about the deal!”
She lay there, pinned under me, and threw her arms up over her head in total surrender.
”I get it. I understand the situation. And for now, I’m willing to believe your story,” I said.
”Then -“
”But I’m turning down your offer. I’m not looking to pick up any messy contracts right now.”
I cut her off coldly. I reached into my subspace storage² and pulled out a Binding Ring³ – the same one I’d used on Nishikuze’s crew.
”Put this on,” I commanded. “Swear that you will never breathe a word about what happened tonight, or about me, to anyone.”
”W-what? What is that?”
”Just do it. It’s the only reason you’re going to walk out of here alive. If you won’t swear, I’ll have to find another way to keep you quiet.”
”F-fine! I just have to swear, right?” she asked. “I swear… I will never tell a soul about what I saw tonight or about you. There! Happy?”
”Yeah.”
The ring flared with a faint light. Rinka was bound. For at least a month, the words would die in her throat if she tried to betray me. I had a feeling she wouldn’t have talked anyway, but I couldn’t take chances. Not that it mattered. If she did talk, I’d just ditch the James Masuda persona.
But the real problem was burning a hole in my mind. My revenge. Who was I after, and what did they do to me?
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Summary:
The protagonist discovers a witness in the abandoned factory where he killed Akuzawa. To his shock, the witness is Saeki Rinka, a girl from his forgotten past with whom he shared a deep, revenge-driven bond. He binds her with a magical ring to ensure her silence while grappling with his resurfacing memories.
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Trivia:
- The protagonist has previously encountered Tsuzuki, the person Rinka hates.
- The ‘Binding Ring’ has been used before on Nishikuze’s crew.
- Rinka’s father committed suicide in the very factory office where they are talking.
- The protagonist’s memories include intimate knowledge of Rinka’s body, despite him currently having amnesia.
- The protagonist is currently using the ‘James Masuda’ alias
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Character Insight:
The protagonist shows a rare moment of hesitation and psychological vulnerability when confronted with a piece of his past. Rinka demonstrates extreme desperation and pragmatism, willing to trade her virginity for a contract killing to achieve her revenge.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Pitch-Black Aura’ serves as a visual indicator of character intent, a common trope in supernatural-themed light novels to represent extreme negative emotions.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Tsuzuki Miyabiya – An arrogant boy who previously harassed Ayaka and Kyouka. Mentioned as the ‘friend’ who deceived Rinka’s father, leading to his suicide.
• Tsuzuki – He is a boy, mentioned as a previous acquaintance, approached Kyouka before.
• Kyouka – She is Kaburagi’s girlfriend, balancing exams and club activities, with a changing relationship dynamic.
• Miyabi – She is a junior student, appeared as a club member, resembling Kyouka, popular and assertive, with a modest chest.
• Saeki Rinka – A minor-looking teenage girl with a pure appearance and strong-willed jawline. Daughter of a former factory owner. She has moles in specific locations known to the protagonist. Currently a student.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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