Chapter 67
Beneath the smog-shrouded clouds, the outline of a luxurious mansion began to emerge.
Perhaps as an additional measure to keep intruders out, powerful lights were constantly trained on the building.
The walls were high.
The garden was vast.
Thanks to that, only this area felt as bright as broad daylight.
“Hmm….”
The sight put a fair amount of pressure on me, but the size and scale of a building didn't tell you everything.
“A nail-biting win at the grocery store.”
“…What did you just say?”
I startled at the limousine driver's voice and hunched my shoulders.
It seemed I had muttered to myself without realizing it.
Anyway.
“We've arrived.”
Going by the address alone, this place should technically be classified as part of the Old Town, too.
Looking at the mansion's lavish interior, decorated with antique embellishments, I felt as though I had stepped into a scene from a Hollywood movie.
The problem was that the movie's genre was noir.
At the mansion's entrance, a receptionist was waiting as though they had been informed of my arrival in advance.
“…We sincerely welcome Hotdog Man, who has accepted the invitation, to our home.”
Their voice trembled nervously.
They looked fairly young, but like the other members of the organization in the mansion, they were decked out in a black suit.
‘Is this a new recruit?’
The tension in their manner of speaking came through clearly.
Where had the man who guided me last time gone…?
“The boss is waiting for you inside. Th-then, allow me to show you the way.”
I nodded without answering.
The truth was, I was just as nervous.
Apparently satisfied with that, the nameless new recruit let out a small breath, pushed open the mansion door, and walked inside.
This was my third visit to the mafia's grand mansion.
I was starting to become familiar with the mansion's interior layout.
But the looks from the organization members whispering around us were somewhat unsettling.
“That guy….”
“Hey, they can hear you. Use the internal network.”
The receptionist guiding me was the same.
So were the organization members watching me closely.
The atmosphere was a little different from my last visit.
‘…Are they on guard?’
Their gazes weren't exactly hostile.
But emotions that could be called discomfort, unease, or even resentment were leaking through in brief flashes.
In fact, the shoulders of the organization member guiding me were still trembling intermittently.
This definitely wasn't just my imagination.
Could it be…?
‘Has word already spread that I made an absolute mess at the Hakuagumi Club?’
Otherwise, their reactions made no sense.
Given our relationship, asking about the reason while displaying my capybara-level friendliness would be difficult.
So I kept my mouth shut and simply followed them.
Just then, a handkerchief slipped from the young organization member's pocket and fell to the floor.
“Excuse me.”
As someone from the twenty-first-century Land of Eastern Courtesy, I couldn't very well leave a lost item on the ground without picking it up.
The receptionist came to an awkward halt.
“…Yes? D-did you call me?”
What kind of rumors about me had spread for a mafia family member to look this terrified?
“You dropped this.”
When the receptionist's breathing grew increasingly ragged,
I quickly conveyed the message: ‘I had no intention of talking to you, but you dropped your handkerchief, so I picked it up.’
“…Ah, thank you.”
They fumbled through their pocket with a flustered expression, then gave me a slight bow in thanks.
This was my chance.
“Think nothing of it. Anyone can make a mistake.”
But it seemed my icebreaker had landed with far too much force.
The receptionist's complexion suddenly began to turn deathly pale.
“Th-that’s right….”
What was going on?
I added the rest of what I had been saying.
“I drop ‘things’ pretty often myself. Haha.”
“W-what did you say you dropped!?”
“No, I meant things….”
As they gulped,
the receptionist's pupils began to dart around aimlessly.
‘…This is genuinely strange.’
Just as I tilted my head, puzzled by their reaction, the receptionist seemed to finally come to their senses, bobbed their head, and hurried down the hallway.
This was practically an alarm-level response.
After the uncomfortable guidance finally ended, though it hadn't exactly been an uncomfortable cohabitation,
“W-we’ve arrived.”
“Thank you. Next time, be careful not to ‘drop’ any ‘things.’”
“…Eek!”
I didn't know the exact reason, but they seemed especially sensitive to the word ‘thing’ and the transitive verb ‘drop.’
In any case.
Leaving the receptionist to hurry away as if they were fleeing,
the organization members who appeared to be guards stepped aside one by one, and an elegant wooden door carved with a mahogany pattern slowly began to open.
This time, I wasn't led to Luciana's office as I had been before.
A massive dining room, complete with a long table for entertaining guests, unfolded before me.
Why was the ceiling so high, too?
Thud.
The door closed naturally behind me,
and I stared awkwardly at the shut door before meeting the gaze of a beautiful woman seated at the end of a long dining table large enough to accommodate several dozen people.
“Hello.”
“…Yes, nice to meet you.”
The boss of the mafia family in the underworld.
Luciana.
“Yeah, nice to meet you too, Abel Anderson.”
A languid smile traced a gentle curve across her face.
I could have sworn she had faint freckles on her face last time, but for some reason, they were nowhere to be seen today.
‘Did she cover them with makeup? Or, conversely, could she have drawn them on with makeup back then?’
Seeing her in such a brightly lit place, she looked young even aside from the freckles.
But I knew all too well that if she put her mind to it, she could blow up several buildings with ease, so I never let my guard down.
Luciana gave a small wave as she looked at me, still standing.
“If you're here, sit down.”
All kinds of lavish dishes were spread across the long dining table.
It looked like a scene at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
“You said it last time. That if the opportunity arose, we should have a meal together sometime.”
“…I did say that.”
This was a quintessential Korean greeting.
- Uh, long time no see! If you have time sometime, let's grab a meal together!
- Oh, sure! We definitely should sometime!
If you were actually making plans, you were supposed to decide on a date and time first.
In other words, it was a promise with no date attached.
But the boss of a mafia family, who had no need to learn the art of cushioning her words, seemed to have taken me seriously.
Her faded blond hair swayed faintly, and ruby-red eyes watched me intently.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, not at all. I'm happy as long as you've gone to this much trouble to prepare a place for me.”
“Hehe.”
I couldn't even make polite small talk anymore.
Without showing my displeasure, I calmly pulled out the chair on the opposite side.
Then.
“Not there.”
“Pardon?”
What now?
“The food is too far away over there.”
Luciana pointed to the seat beside her.
It wasn't directly next to her, but it was close enough to reach by extending my hand.
“…Thank you.”
When she told me to do something, I had to do it.
I quietly sat in the chair she had indicated.
I just wanted to go home and eat a hot dog.
I managed to pick up the fork and knife without looking too awkward, but faced with all the elegant food I'd never seen before, I had no idea where to begin.
If I had known this was what awaited me, I would have studied table manners before coming.
“Hmm….”
But Luciana seemed to have mistaken my unspeakable concern for something else.
She dabbed at her lips with a napkin decorated with elaborate golden thread.
“Shall we talk about why I called you first?”
“Yes, well….”
I didn't correct that misunderstanding.
“Why did you call me?”
I simply asked the question boldly.
The question came out more easily than I had expected.
Seemingly more intrigued than offended, Luciana's translucent eyes narrowed into fine lines.
“But before that.”
Clap, clap. She gently clapped twice.
Suddenly, more than ten people began filing into the back of the dining room.
I was momentarily flustered by the intimidating crowd and clenched my fists tightly,
before belatedly realizing that every one of them was a ‘female android.’
A faint sense of déjà vu.
These people…
“The androids we rescued from the Hall Paradise building back then… You’re those people.”
“That’s right.”
The people Luciana had taken with her, promising to look after them, had reappeared before me after some time had passed.
“Photos might not be enough to show you that they're doing well.”
She interlaced her fingers atop the table, as if watching an exciting spectacle.
“Of course, not all of them. A few wanted to leave Area 49, so I provided them with financial compensation and helped them relocate to an area in the thirties.”
“Th-thank you.”
I really hadn't expected her to take care of them this thoroughly.
To be honest, I had even forgotten they existed.
“And….”
But I knew Luciana hadn't helped the androids out of pure goodwill.
“The ones gathered here either don't want to leave just yet, or stayed behind because they wanted to thank you before they left.”
“…Thank me?”
At that moment, more than ten female androids approached me all at once.
The alluring scent of their bodies naturally filled the air,
and soft skin was fully revealed above their carefully lowered clothes.
I looked at Luciana in bewilderment, but she continued to stare at me with rapt interest.
“Yes, to thank you. There’s no coercion or force involved. I didn't even suggest it first.”
They were all androids, but their actual appearances were exactly like those of human beings.
Their nationalities, skin tones, and tastes were all different,
but the sweet voices of these unquestionably beautiful women rang in my ears.
“It’s true. We only want to thank our benefactor.”
“We even replaced our parts with new ones in case they made you uncomfortable…. If you don't mind, please.”
“It was truly hell there. Since you rescued us from that hell, this is only natural.”
A honey trap no man could escape.
If this had been me until a few days ago, I probably would have gritted my teeth and agonized over it desperately.
But.
My emotions weren't stirred now.
【Iron Will】
A few days ago, I had selected a new trait.
I calmly pushed the women away and spoke in a gentle tone.
“I'm really fine. I didn't rescue you for that purpose in the first place. If anything, Ms. Luciana has done far more for you.”
First, I made sure to compliment the mafia boss.
“It’s not because I dislike you or feel uncomfortable around you. It’s simply unnecessary.”
I pulled the clothes that had fallen to the floor back over their shoulders.
“So you don't need to feel indebted to me. Truly. You can start over with peace of mind.”
Cheap prosthetic bodies couldn't shed tears, but that did not diminish their gratitude.
The noisy dining room fell silent,
and when I looked at Luciana with an uneasy expression,
she was staring straight at me with eyes even more lively than before.
“You’re more ascetic in this regard than I expected. You didn't have to refuse.”
“Was I different from what you expected?”
It was obvious that Luciana had been testing me, so my tone came out less than pleasant.
But even though Luciana must have noticed, she smiled as if nothing had happened.
“You were. Which makes you even more interesting.”
Only then did I understand the true nature of Luciana the mafia boss.
Interest and curiosity.
And a small amount of responsibility.
That was all.
And unfortunately, her attention was currently focused entirely on me.
‘…I want to go home.’
I desperately felt that way, but
the meal had only just begun….
* * *
The day before Abel Anderson was invited by the Sparo Rapido Family.
In the center of a pitch-black conference room, a holographic report summarizing the events that had occurred at the Hakuagumi-operated club 「Mobius」 was being presented.
The sotocapo, consigliere, caporegime, and other high-ranking mafia family executives had all gathered in one place.
A soldato who had returned from inspecting the scene of the incident.
The young man, an excellent investigator who had been assigned to guide ‘Hotdog Man’ the next day on the boss's mere whim, continued his report in a trembling voice.
“…The number of Hakuagumi members who died inside the club is estimated to be around fifty. We’re still determining the exact number. As you can see in these photos, unlike at the entrance, the condition of the bodies becomes increasingly horrific the farther inside you go—.”
Once the breaker was raised and the club's interior lit up, it looked like a scene straight out of hell.
From Abel Anderson's perspective, he had merely failed to control his strength as his physical abilities kept increasing, but to the investigator who had visited the scene, he hadn't looked human.
“And this is a photograph of the body of Bansho Takemaru, the Hakuagumi squad leader who died at the scene.”
One of the executives listening to the report spoke in a displeased tone.
“It’s astonishing enough that he pinpointed the rat's location perfectly in only a few hours, but he dealt with the bastard alone? And he left the inside of the club looking like that? How does any of this make—.”
“Quiet.”
At the boss's low command,
the executive immediately fell silent.
Luciana gestured for the investigator to continue.
“Go on.”
“…For starters, it’s clear that Bansho Takemaru was a beastman hybrid. However, given that there were no signs whatsoever of firearms being used in the hallway, it appears that the person we believe to be ‘Hotdog Man’ engaged Bansho Takemaru in close combat using only his bare hands.”
The holographic photograph showed the completely shattered ceiling, walls, and floor exactly as they were.
“And….”
The investigator drew out the end of his sentence.
The holographic display switched again.
“…We found the ‘internal organs’ of a man that had ‘fallen’ onto the floor in the hallway.”
Everyone swallowed a groan.
“…Gasp.”
“No, what the hell….”
“……”
Normally, when people fought, there were certain areas they tacitly agreed not to attack.
But he…
was someone who didn't follow the rules set by others.
As a quiet silence filled the conference room,
someone's mutter voiced what everyone was thinking.
“……He’s completely insane.”
It was a fact made with one hundred percent accuracy.
notes
Fixed the accidental repeated/stray ending text and corrected “an displeased” to “a displeased.” Used neutral pronouns for the unnamed receptionist and young guide where the Korean does not establish gender.