episode_0041

“You’re finally here. I thought my neck would break from waiting.”

Number 13 said this with a playful air, looking at Club who had entered.

The place Number 13 was waiting in was decorated like a pub or a bar.

There was a counter table like one you’d see in a real bar, and beyond it, shelves lined with rows of unknown kinds of liquor bottles.

It’s worth noting that alcohol and cocktails are among Number 13’s hobbies. They are also the main reason he’s deeply in debt to the Chief of Staff….

“Number… 13…!”

Club muttered, sounding enraged.

She was naked now. The fact that her body was exposed to that villainous brat infuriated and angered her in many ways.

But even the simple act of covering herself was impossible without permission.

In the end, Club stood by the door, revealing her modest breasts and her exposed private parts.

Seeing Club, Number 13 looked puzzled.

“Huh? Why are you standing like that? More importantly, why are you naked? …Ah.”

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something belatedly, and suddenly covered his mouth, chuckling.

“Ah, I see. Is that how it is.”

“…What… are you doing by yourself? Should I be angry? Should I get angry?”

“You seem to be angry already. More importantly, you can move freely now. Ah, but please don’t leave the room.”

And then, only then.

Club felt as if the shackles binding her body had been released.

With her body finally moving freely by her own will, Club leaped backward and pressed herself firmly against the door.

Bending down, she covered her private parts and breasts with her arms, glaring at Number 13 with a growling expression.

“I’ll kill you all…!”

“Sorry, but that won’t happen. You don’t have any weapons, or anything, do you?”

“……”

“And don’t waste your energy. Isn’t it about time you realized? You can’t do anything by your own will right now. Even now, you can barely move because I’ve allowed it. Without permission, your limbs will become stiff and you won’t be able to move them as you please. For your information, your abilities are also sealed now, and you can’t harm me or anyone in our organization.”

“So, what will you do?”

Number 13 poured liquor into the glass in front of him, speaking casually towards Club.

Club glared at Number 13 for a while.

She stealthily reached out to open the door behind her, but as Number 13’s earlier command came to mind, the hand gripping the doorknob involuntarily dropped.

Even if she had turned the knob and opened the door, she wouldn’t have been able to go outside. Somehow, she knew. She had no choice but to know.

In the end, Club decided to resign herself, realizing that further resistance was meaningless.

But with eyes that hadn’t given up, she glared at Number 13 and approached as he gestured.

* * *

She sat on the chair Number 13 pointed to. It was the chair on the opposite side of Number 13, across the table.

Although Club had been naked just a moment ago, she was now wrapped in a blanket that Number 13 had retrieved from behind the counter.

“I never ordered you to be stripped and brought here. That seems to be just the Chief of Staff’s malice. After all, you gave him a hard time, so he’s allowed that much spite, isn’t he?”

“……Hmph.”

A glass of amber-colored liquor was pushed towards Club. Ice clinked lightly inside it.

Club merely glared at it, not touching it to her lips. As if she’d drink something given by a villain.

Number 13 didn’t force her to drink it either, simply tilting and drinking the contents of his own glass.

“Is there anything you want to ask? I have something I want to tell you, but if you have any questions before that, I’ll answer them first.”

Something she was curious about. Something she wanted to ask.

Club quickly recalled it and questioned him almost immediately.

“What happened to Spade Senior-nim and Apple?”

“Wow, worried about your comrades first? That’s typical of a hero, but it’s a bit much for you, who’s not exactly typical of a hero, to ask that.”

“Be quiet. Wasn’t it you who said I could ask what I wanted?”

Club’s attitude was thoroughly annoyed.

Number 13, without remarking on Club’s attitude, answered her question with complete composure.

“Both of them are safe. They’ve safely returned to Unit 7.”

“…Is that so.”

Club showed a slightly relieved expression. But soon, her eyes glared eerily at Number 13.

“…Spade-ssi was being controlled by you, right? At that time, it seemed like she broke free on her own….”

“Yeah. There was just a momentary problem then, but she’s fine now. She’s returned to being my cum-slave, just like always. Isn’t that good?”

“Good? What…!”

Club gripped the blanket tighter. Anger was visible in her expression.

If she had a weapon in her hand, and if the brainwashing’s restraints weren’t active, her attitude was fierce enough that she would have attacked Number 13’s face right then.

“Additionally, Apple is also my slave. So, all the people and the entire environment prepared at that time were nothing but enemies to you. …Of course, Spade going berserk there was unexpected.”

When her comrade was in danger, she shook off the brainwashing’s control as if she had awakened.

Even if it was temporary, it was remarkable. Furthermore, the brainwashing that had remained intact even when she herself was molested, had her virginity stolen, and was humiliated by a villain, resisted so strongly at the moment a comrade was in danger… one might call it terrifying camaraderie.

In any case, it was incredibly troublesome.

And so, Club’s questions continued for a while.

They were about the brainwashing, her current situation, and so on.

He was a little impressed. After all, she was currently abducted by a villain organization, right in the heart of enemy territory.

Moreover, her clothes were even stripped off, leaving her completely defenseless and naked.

Yet, instead of panicking, she tried to maintain her composure and continued asking rational questions to understand the current situation. She didn’t cause a scene in confusion either.

This wasn’t merely due to the brainwashing suppressing such actions, but purely Club acting this way based on her own capability and judgment.

Indeed, a young and capable hero.

While she might have some personality flaws, she was definitely a hero whom many people regarded as ‘having a promising future.’

Problems due to lack of experience were noticeable. In this very incident, if she hadn’t been blinded by ambition and insisted on a confrontation, if she had chosen to escape as Spade suggested instead of trying to capture Number 13, wouldn’t she have avoided being abducted like this?

But these are things that will improve with time and experience. What kind of hero the future Club will become, when her lack of experience is supplemented and her personality issues are somewhat addressed, turning her into a complete entity, is something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, however, Hero Club was captured by a villain. A single mistake at a young and inexperienced age led to this.

It’s regrettable to see the bright future of a hero nipped in the bud like a flower, but the world and life don’t always unfold in a positive direction.

“Alright. I think we’ll stop the questions here. I seem to have told you enough. You’ve generally understood the situation, haven’t you?”

“Ugh…! Just a moment… more….”

“That’s enough. There was no reason for me to answer your questions in the first place. It was just a whim.”

Number 13 pushed aside the empty glass of liquor and looked at Club with his usual relaxed smile.

However, his eyes held a serious light, unlike before.

Club involuntarily tensed, straightening her back.

“Alright, Club. Then I’ll explain why I called you here today.”

“Club, you――don’t you want to quit being a hero and become a villain?”

“To be precise, won’t you become a member of our villain organization, Abyss?”

At Number 13’s proposal, Club’s eyes widened.

* * *

Become a member of the villain organization Abyss. Number 13 asked Club this.

It was absurd. Utter nonsense.

But…

“Think carefully, Club. You’ve been abducted here anyway, and whether you want it or not, you’ll be dominated and controlled by us.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to do it by your own will? Wouldn’t it be much better if you became our ally of your own accord and lived with a certain level of treatment?”

“Of course, for precautions, some restrictions due to brainwashing will be in place, but other than that, I’ll treat you as a comrade as much as possible. I’ll also provide you with a place to live, food, an allowance, and various other benefits.”

In any case, it was a definite fact that Club would be working for the villain organization Abyss.

Club was experiencing firsthand that she no longer had freedom, and what happened to those controlled by him. She had also seen Spade’s case with her own eyes.

If she was going to be used like that anyway, wouldn’t it be better by her own will rather than by external compulsion?

With luck, she might even figure out a way to break free from the brainwashing… from Number 13’s control.

Club wasn’t unaware of that fact. However, withholding her answer, Club glared at Number 13 and asked:

“…Why are you making such a proposal to me? You could just control me.”

“Doing something by your own will and doing it by external compulsion are different, aren’t they? Take Spade’s case, for example. If you force someone to do something they don’t want to do, and they mess up in a crucial situation, it could be a disaster, right? So, I’m also thinking of making you perceive life as a villain isn’t bad, and gradually, little by little, make you work by your own will rather than by brainwashing… A little. Yeah.”

“For that reason, me, a hero?”

“Because we need people that much. Our organization is almost ruined because of you all. We have no people, no people at all. So I want to borrow even a hero’s hand.”

Not just a mere meat-slave who simply follows orders.

He prefers comrades who can act and think by their own will, and who look in the same direction.

Number 13 explained it that way.

“You don’t have to answer right away. I’m thinking of giving you a month-long grace period.”

“During that time, living as a provisional member, I think it would be good for you to learn exactly what a villain is, and what kind of organization we are.”

“We didn’t just become lawless villains because we wanted to. There’s a reason, and there’s a purpose. And I believe that purpose is something Club will also understand.”

“I believe the difference between a hero and a villain is merely a very subtle difference in perspective.”

Number 13 explained it that way. He told her not to feel too pressured. He asked if she couldn’t just learn about it first and then reject it if she wanted.

It was a considerate proposal. From Club’s perspective, it was a proposal with little reason to refuse. Even if she intended to reject it, accepting it for now would increase her chances of escape later.

“And, I didn’t mention this earlier.”

“Honestly, Club, I think you have talent as a villain.”

“What do you think? Club, you… haven’t you ever felt stifled living as a hero? Are you satisfied with your life as it is now?”

Number 13 spoke as if driving a wedge, and Club pressed her lips together at his words.

The glass placed in front of Club, with ice clinking alongside the liquor inside, made a timely clinking sound.