Chapter 88 An Unhinged Woman
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had completely lost the urge to finish Saeki Rinka¹ possessed of no desire to kill her. Until a moment ago, I was convinced that anyone who saw me-woman or not-had to be erased. But if I’d had a connection with this woman in a past life, I couldn’t help but hesitate to lay a hand on her.
”What’s the matter? Are you impotent or something?”
”Hmph. I appreciate the bravado, but you’d be better off worrying about me killing you to keep you quiet.”
”Worried about what? I have no intention of talking, and I’m offering you this young body to do with as you please. For a hitman, I’d think that’s a pretty sweet deal, wouldn’t you?”
That’s right. The Saeki Rinka in my memories had been a bit of an unhinged woman too. Whether her personality got twisted because her father was driven to suicide, or if she’d always been that way, I didn’t know. I recalled her being quite sharp, but she was a slave to her own fixations. She was so obsessed with revenge that she treated even her own life as something cheap. Then again, I was her accomplice back then, knowing full well how dangerous she was, so I really wasn’t in a position to talk. Regardless, her ability to switch gears and try to side with me the second after witnessing a murder was nothing short of bizarre, but for Rinka, it wasn’t exactly out of character.
Still, that didn’t mean I trusted her. My current feelings were entirely separate from my past life. I didn’t feel any empathy for her, nor did I harbor any lingering affection. In short, I was just putting her case on ice for a while.
Worst case scenario, I could just discard the “James Masuda” mask and be done with it. Besides, the Binding Ring² only lasts a month. I could always spend that time keeping Rinka doused in aphrodisiacs. An even faster way would be letting Yukari suck her blood to turn her into a thrall³. Ultimately, Rinka and I are destined to sleep together anyway. I’d already remembered a scene of us embracing while naked, so the chances of her betraying me had to be low.
I had plenty of ways to handle that side of things. The real problem was this supposed “vengeful spirit” of mine. If I had to guess at the cause, it would be Akuzawa stealing Kyouka away from me. But the timeline didn’t add up. I’d already had my revenge on Akuzawa in this life.
Even if memories of the past change shape slightly, they usually follow the same general flow. Which meant that from here on out, Rinka and I would have to become accomplices for our respective goals to keep things consistent… or would we? No, I couldn’t say that for sure. Just like with Kyouka, I just needed to go through the same experiences as the memory. It didn’t matter if my own emotions weren’t involved, and the petty details didn’t matter either. As long as the fact remained that I and my woman shared the same experience as the memory, that would be enough.
”I told you, I’m not interested in risking a murder charge for that,” I said.
At my words, Rinka looked as if she were contemplating something.
”…Fine. Then how about this? You don’t have to kill him, but help me trap Tsuzuki Miyabiya using the terms I offered.”
”Sigh… You really hate this person that much?”
”Yeah. I hate that parent and child from the bottom of my soul. If I could, I’d strangle them with my own two hands.”
”Parent and child?”
”Miyabiya’s only son, Naoya, is a target too. I didn’t hate him this much at first, but the more I learn, the more the hatred grows. I despise his personality. To think he’s out there living a cozy life, completely oblivious to how his father tore my family apart… I can’t let that stand.”
Her voice grew harsh as her emotions flared while she spoke. Her aura was a pitch-black so toxic it was palpable.
”Does the son not know who you really are?”
”My mother and I went back to our maiden names to escape the creditors who kept hounding us after the bankruptcy. Besides, I doubt Miyabiya would ever tell Naoya about what he did.”
I suppose so. Driving someone to the point of suicide after framing them isn’t exactly the kind of bedtime story you tell your son.
”So you specifically targeted the son, Naoya, just to get back at Miyabiya?”
”That’s right. I was going to use my body as bait to frame them. I’d show him an opening, and the second he laid a hand on me, I’d scream rape. Of course, I’d have the whole thing recorded on my phone.”
”Don’t do anything that stupid. You’ll only end up failing.”
Hearing her say that, I finally remembered how Rinka’s story ended. The Rinka of the past had actually tried this. But the result wasn’t that her lie was exposed-rather, the defense team picked apart the inconsistencies in her story until there wasn’t enough evidence to stick.
And what happened to Rinka after that? She took her own life. Not out of despair. Just to create a shocking tragedy where an entire family committed suicide because of the Tsuzuki family… That’s how broken she was. For Rinka, her revenge against the Tsuzukis was her entire world.
”You don’t know that!”
”Fine. I’ll help you with your revenge.”
In the end, the Tsuzukis’ crimes were exposed to the world and Rinka got her vengeance, but it was hardly a happy ending. Maybe I’m supposed to change that miserable outcome. The fact that I saw that vision means helping Rinka is essentially the “canon” path.
Perhaps I’m meant to lend her a hand and create a future where she doesn’t have to kill herself. The fact that Rinka was here wasn’t a coincidence either. I don’t know if it’s whatever entity is making me redo my life or just some coercive force of destiny, but it felt like something was trying to force Rinka and me together.
”Really?”
”Regardless, I just have to ruin this Tsuzuki pair, right? As long as you promise to follow my orders to the letter. I’ll decide the method.”
”I will. I promise. If you can really destroy the Tsuzukis, I’ll do anything.”
”Then first, I’ll need you to take a whiff of this.”
I told Rinka that, then pretended to reach into my pocket while I pulled a small vial of Devil Flower⁴ pollen out of my extra-dimensional warehouse⁵.
”What’s that?”
”Think of it as a sleeping pill. One sniff and you’ll be out cold for a while.”
”What for? You want to do some somnophilia stuff while I’m out?”
”You said you’d do anything, didn’t you? Stop questioning me and do as you’re told. That’s the price of my help.”
”Hmph. Fine. Do whatever you want. I made my peace with this a long time ago.”
”Relax. I certainly intend to take your virginity, but not right now.”
At my words, while still straddling me, Rinka took the vial and opened it without a second thought, breathing in the scent. Almost instantly, her eyelids grew heavy and glazed over. Without waiting for her to fully drop off, I pulled out my phone and called Yukari.
* * *
After that, I chopped Akuzawa’s corpse into pieces and stowed them in my extra-dimensional warehouse. Before that, of course, I had a weakly acidic slime clean up Akuzawa’s clothes and the blood that had sprayed everywhere. I planned to dump the remains in the ocean later so no fingerprints would remain, but it would be bad if a stray hair or some cells with my DNA were found on his body.
That was why I had the slime dissolve the clothes and everything else. Now, no evidence of the murder would be found in this factory, let alone anything linking back to Akuzawa. The reason I put Rinka under was that I didn’t want her seeing me do the cleanup.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Akuzawa’s car was still here. I didn’t think that punk Eiji would tell the police I’d been kidnapped by Akuzawa, but it was safer to erase any potential evidence.
At any rate, it would be bad if the car was found here now. It would basically confirm that I was involved. At the very least, Eiji would suspect as much. To prevent that, I drove Akuzawa’s car to a deserted wharf. After having the slime do a once-over of the trunk and the driver’s seat, I jammed the accelerator and sent the car plunging into the sea. The water is deep enough around there and murky enough that it shouldn’t be found anytime soon. Based on the talk between Akuzawa and Eiji, Akuzawa likely hadn’t told anyone about this factory. If that was the case, buying just a few days until the car was found would be plenty.
All that was left was how to dodge the heat from the Rindou Group. This was something Akuzawa had done behind the syndicate’s back. Normally, Eiji wouldn’t have a reason to snitch, but if Akuzawa goes missing, the situation changes. If that happens, I’ll just have to say I begged Akuzawa for my life by offering him a lucrative deal, and he let me go… Mulling it over, I trudged back to the factory to find Yukari’s car already waiting. I walked up and tapped on the glass.
”Sorry for calling you out so late.”
”It’s fine. So, what about Akuzawa’s body?”
”I handled that myself. All that’s left is digging the bullets out of the factory walls and dealing with the witness.”
I’d already given Yukari the gist of things over the phone. I was fairly certain Ayaka would never betray me, but Yukari was much better suited for handling this kind of dirty work.
”What are you going to do with the woman?”
”I’ve got her silenced for a month for now. I’ll keep an eye on her during that time, but it might be better to either turn her into a thrall or keep her drugged with aphrodisiacs.”
”It would be safer to just erase her.”
”I can’t do that for reasons. No, there’s no point hiding it from you now. I’m going to make her one of my women.”
”I see… Are you turning her into a thrall right away?”
”No. That’s a last resort. If I turn her, she’ll do whatever we say, but she’ll also become more violent. She’s already dangerous enough as it is; she’d cause too many problems in daily life. I’ll try to break her with the aphrodisiacs first.”
”Understood.”
”Also, I might need your help with something soon. I’ll explain inside. Follow me.”
I walked back into the factory with Yukari as she stepped out of the car. The pitch-black interior was deathly silent, as if nothing had ever happened.
—
Summary:
The protagonist decides to spare Saeki Rinka after remembering her from his past life. Rinka, driven by a suicidal obsession for revenge against the Tsuzuki family, agrees to follow the protagonist’s orders in exchange for his help. After knocking her out, the protagonist methodically cleans the crime scene and disposes of Akuzawa’s body and car.
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Trivia:
- The Binding Ring item has a one-month duration limit.
- Turning someone into a thrall increases their violent tendencies.
- The protagonist utilizes slimes for bio-hazard cleanup.
- Rinka previously died by suicide in the original timeline.
- The ‘James Masuda’ persona is a mask/alias being used
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Character Insight:
The protagonist is increasingly aware of a ‘force of fate’ pushing him toward specific outcomes, leading him to accept Rinka as a partner despite his lack of emotional connection to her. Rinka shows extreme desperation, willing to use her body as bait for ar**apeframe-up.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the protagonist’s memories to contrast the ‘bad end’ of the previous timeline with the current path.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Saeki Rinka – A teenage girl with a pure, minor appearance and a strong‑willed jawline, daughter of a former factory owner; distinctive moles mark her, known to the protagonist. Her family was shattered by her father’s suicide, driving a vengeful, pitch‑black aura against the Tsuzuki family. Now a student and witness to the protagonist’s deeds.
• Yukari – An associate of the protagonist who handles ‘dirty work.’ She is implied to have supernatural qualities, specifically the ability to turn others into ‘thralls’ by draining their blood.
• Akuzawa – A member of the Rindou Group who was killed by the protagonist. His body was disposed of in this chapter.
• Kyouka – She is Kaburagi’s girlfriend, balancing exams and club activities, with a changing relationship dynamic.
• 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.
• Miyabi – She is a junior student, appeared as a club member, resembling Kyouka, popular and assertive, with a modest chest.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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