episode_0019

“You…!”

The Homme, looking at me, or rather, my face, steps back.

Since it’s time to make money by selling my face, I put the mask Eclipse gave me in my pocket.

I had a bad feeling that if I lost or burned it, he wouldn’t make me another one.

“Bad Face…! How come…!”

What do you mean, how come. I came to make money.

But you can’t always be honest about life.

“You know that better than anyone.”

“What…?”

The Homme makes a face like he doesn’t understand at all.

Of course he wouldn’t. Because I don’t either.

It’s just that we were short on money, and you were the first one on the news.

If the first guy on the news had been some other rich dude, he would have been our target.

Just think of it as bad luck.

But the person involved doesn’t seem to think so.

He frantically waves his hands and looks at the others.

“S-Someone stop him!”

At the same time, from his pocket, a gun…

A gun?

“Firebringer! Burn it all!”

I shout to Firebringer in a hurry, and as soon as she hears me, Firebringer’s body starts to blaze.

At the same time as her body is engulfed in red flames,

“Burn!”

Firebringer shouts loudly,

-Whoosh!

Tremendous heat spreads forward.

So much heat that you can’t stand properly.

Fortunately, Firebringer only shot the heat forward, so I only ended up staggering, but,

“Aaaagh!”

“Kaaagh! It’s hot!”

Unfortunately, it seems the people in front weren’t so lucky.

They were all lying face down, making dying sounds.

“I didn’t kill them.”

“You wouldn’t kill them even if I told you to.”

“You wouldn’t tell me to kill them in the first place.”

“Of course not. Killing them would immediately raise the danger level.”

Killing people willy-nilly? That’s not a villain anymore, that’s a lunatic.

Just because it’s a society with superpowers doesn’t mean it’s turned into a society where human lives are disregarded.

At least I came from a society where human lives weren’t disregarded, so I had no intention of killing people carelessly.

“Should we count that as something?”

Firebringer smiles at my words.

What do you mean, count it as something. She doesn’t try to take people’s words at face value.

Flames rise every time Firebringer waves her hand.

And other people scream and run away.

I just follow behind with my arms crossed.

The reason for crossing my arms?

It’s hot.

I have to stick closer to her than others to keep up with her, and thanks to that, I’m watching a fire show right next to her, so it’s a real pain.

Sweat is pouring down, but I can’t show the ugly sight of wiping away sweat, so I’m just sweating and watching from the side.

“Hoo…”

After the situation is somewhat settled, Firebringer looks at me.

“Is this enough?”

“You knocked everyone down, right?”

“I think so?”

I look around at her words.

People lying down or passed out with burns.

In the original story, Firebringer was no different from a crazy murderer, but now she’s been reborn as a master of controlling her fire so she doesn’t kill people.

I’m so proud just watching her.

“Huff… Huff…”

Now there’s only one person left.

The Homme, his legs giving out, sits on the spot and looks up at us.

I smile as I look at him,

“…”

The Homme avoids my gaze.

Well, I didn’t expect this reaction, but I expected it.

“Wh-What do you want.”

Unlike before, the Homme speaks politely and looks at me and Firebringer.

Money, of course.

But saying that wouldn’t save my face.

Image management is really difficult for villains.

If I shout money, money, money, I become a miserly villain obsessed with money, if I shout power, I become a villain obsessed with power, and if I shout justice, I’m just crazy.

And what’s the problem with that?

If my image is fixed, I won’t get other side income.

If I ask for money here, even after defeating Eclipse, it’ll be “He defeated Eclipse because of money!”

What should I say?

“I-Is it to defeat Eclipse? Or are you trying to show us an example because you’re fighting with her over this area?”

The Homme, trying to guess the answer, blurts out this and that as I say nothing.

First of all, both are wrong.

“No.”

“Th-Then…”

Ah, what to say.

While I was pondering for a moment, Firebringer, who had been quiet, started playing with fire.

She takes out a small fireball and starts playing with it, letting it flow between her fingers.

And the Homme’s face turned even paler at the sight.

“I-I’ll guess it! Please, just spare my life!”

I didn’t say anything, but I became the one giving the quiz of death.

“Foolish question.”

And, Firebringer mutters and opens her mouth.

“Why do you think about what to offer?”

“Yes…?”

“Do you think we came here to get your tribute?”

Firebringer carelessly mutters, rolling the fire around in her fingers.

“If that were the case, we wouldn’t have come in so openly, right?”

“Th-Then…”

“You have to give it all up first, right?”

Firebringer turns around and looks at me.

She winks cutely with the Homme behind her.

She’s setting the stage, so do as I please.

“…Good.”

I open my mouth.

Right. When I think about it, I can just ask for everything.

But how should I say it?

While I was thinking about what to say,

“I-I’ll give it to you.”

The Homme suddenly gets up and leads us.

Firebringer secretly gives me a thumbs up.

I didn’t do anything.

*

The place the Homme took us to was a pretty cozy office.

“H-Here… is the ledger.”

He hands me a ledger.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a list of organ buyers.”

“…”

An organ trafficking ledger?

He even manages a ledger, he’s really doing business properly.

I start flipping through the ledger, and Firebringer’s eyes widen as she looks at the ledger with me.

“E-Even this kind of person?”

“…”

I don’t know them.

Come to think of it, it’s natural that I don’t know them. Because I’m from another world.

“…Aren’t you surprised?”

Firebringer stares at me, and I just shrug my shoulders.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about.”

How can I be surprised when I don’t know them?

“…I see.”

And, Firebringer nods as she looks at me like that, and the Homme looks at me with a shocked expression.

“Th-The next thing is…”

Then the Homme hands us a heavy bag.

“…This is all the assets here.”

“I see.”

How much is there?

My lips twitch, but if I smile now, the world will spread the rumor that Bad Face is crazy about money.

It’s time to pretend to look at the ledger.

Is there more?

I give the man a look, and the man stands at attention again.

Nevertheless, seeing him standing still, it seems there’s nothing more to squeeze out.

Then, well, I should let him go.

“…Okay, then our business is done.”

“Hehe…”

Firebringer laughs evilly at my words.

She’s enjoying it now too.

But what should I do with this guy?

I look at the Homme, unable to hide my complicated feelings.

Should I hand him over?

Then I’d look like a vigilante.

Should I tell Eclipse?

If I had known this would happen, I would have left a message.

What should I do. Can I just let him go? Will there be no repercussions?

“Then…”

“…Just promise me one thing.”

Before I could finish speaking, the man starts speaking in a solemn voice.

“Ah, as you know, I have a family.”

I didn’t know. How would I know that.

“And, I believe you also know that my daughter is just starting school.”

Of course I didn’t know.

“As you said, I’ll give you everything, so please spare my child…!”

He bows his head.

I was just standing still?

What should I do with this again.

As I remain silent, Firebringer steps forward again.

She mutters in a low voice.

“The people you sold off.”

“…”

“They were someone’s parents, and someone’s children, too, right?”

Firebringer looks at me, and he looks up at me the same way after hearing those words.

“…”

The survival rate went up.

Then I should tell him not to do bad things anymore…

This is absurd.

What am I supposed to do?

Just shut up?

Ah, I don’t know.

First, I need to catch him and hand him over somewhere-

-Beep beep!

At the same time, my cell phone rings.

“…”

It was a burner phone.

The burner phone that only me, Eclipse, and Firebringer use to communicate.

After exchanging glances with Firebringer, I take out my cell phone.

There was a text message.

No, here? Why?

I felt puzzled, but now wasn’t the time to satisfy my curiosity.

I back away.

“Let’s stop here.”

“I, I…”

“Do as you please.”

Now’s not the time for that.

Let’s run away.

Firebringer and I hastily grab the bag and come outside.

Wow, the bag is really heavy.

Outside, Eclipse was waiting for us with his arms crossed.

“They’re coming now. Let’s go quickly.”

“Did you come to pick us up?”

“Give me the bag. If they find that, we’re in big trouble.”

I was a fool for being touched for a moment.

*

Appearing like a ghost and disappearing like a ghost.

That was the man’s feeling after seeing Bad Face for the first time.

More than anything, that face.

‘Do as you please.’

That’s a warning.

A warning that if he catches his eye again, he’ll kill him.

That’s why he left with only one bag here out of all that wealth.

No, he took something more important than that.

The ledger.

Taking the ledger means he also knows the names and identities of the people who are trafficking organs.

Maybe he already knew everything.

‘There’s nothing to be surprised about.’

The Homme recalled his calmly muttering words.

Doesn’t that mean he already knew?

He’s an incredible guy.

He doesn’t chase after money, he’s not consumed by revenge, and he’s not overflowing with justice.

He’s an unpredictable guy.

And those who are targeted by such an unpredictable guy.

“…I should close up shop.”

With his family exposed, he couldn’t take any more risks.

Let’s get out of here quickly.

As he was thinking that and organizing his desk,

“…Huh?”

He found a piece of paper.

It was a business card for an orphanage.

The orphanage that was attacked back then.

‘They were someone’s parents, and someone’s children, too, right?’

“…”

Terror filled the Homme’s face.

*

“Wow, I heard some amazing news.”

A few days later, during our lunch break when we were a bit better off again, Firebringer opened her mouth.

“What is it?”

“No, listen to this. A big spender donated to our orphanage.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, so they’re repairing all the damaged facilities and buying new ones.”

“Wow, you really have to live to see the world.”

“They even said the volunteer work has increased quite a bit? Especially a middle-aged man who’s working really hard-”

I fall into thought as I listen to Firebringer’s words.

The world is still worth living in, I guess.