Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (WN)

It was the time when the sun was reaching the peak, when warm could be felt even in this chilly air.

It was also the time for afternoon break. Places like café and the likes in the downtown were showing bustling situation as suits the occasion with housewives and company employees.

In one of such café, the wooden building complemented with furniture, table, and chair that were similarly made from wood brought out chic calm atmosphere. It was an old shop that was locally famous. Kousuke was there.

The inside of the café was spacious. Even the second floor was usable, which was rare for an old shop. About a third of the café starting from the entrance was used as atrium, so someone standing near the banister at the second floor could observe well the situation at the first floor. Kousuke and co were sitting around the table near the banister at that second floor.

「Britain has strong image of bad food, but delicious shop is normally delicious isn't it?」

「Kousuke……it's not like I'm saying that it's bad, but what are you doing eating normally like that? Even though this is a place that the enemy designated……」

Kousuke was stuffing his cheeks enthusiastically with salmon sandwich, one of the specialties of this café. Seeing that, Emily made a troubled expression while she took a sip at her own tea that had been mixed with a lot of milk.

「Isn't it fine, Doctor Grant. He doesn't lose his presence of mind in any kind of time. As expected from Kousuke-san. I'm getting wet.」

「Paradis, please bear the TPO in mind. I'll arrest you for public obscenity.」

Vanessa who in a glance looked serious with her crisp expression ran her mouth saying such obscene thing. Before her partner Emily could make a retort as the straight man, an intensely chilly warning was given. It was Chief Magdanese who was drinking black tea with a composed atmosphere.

Yesterday, after they received contact from the mastermind who introduced himself as Odin, a mail that detailed of the time and place to hand over Emily Grant was sent to the smartphone Kimberly left behind.

It was this place. It was a bit unexpected for the delivery to be done in this café at the afternoon when it was overflowing with people, but when an additional instruction that Chief Magdanese would be the one doing the handing over at that place, this method could be said very clever.

The habitual practice for something like this would be for Emily alone to be present at the designated place, but naturally the enemy would be on guard against tracking measure. And then what they would be worried about the most was in a case that a countermeasure that was beyond mere tracking measure was applied.

Yes, they feared that the security bureau would take step to erase Emily. It was hard to imagine that the security bureau would let go of Emily under their very nose to the hand of the enemy after they knew the value of【Berserk】. In this situation, such last measure had to be kept in mind.

Emily going alone to the designated place where she then got retrieved by the enemy, if here she wasn't attached with tracking measure but explosive instead……. Honestly, that would be unbearable. Even the enemy was a creature that belonged in darkness, that was why they knew about how lacking in mercy Chief Magdanese was.

But, if they designated a place that was crowded like this, and furthermore they made Chief Magdanese to also attend, then as expected even Chief Magdanese wouldn't be able to take that kind of measure without doubt. And then, they would ascertain that Emily really didn't carry anything unnecessary at the scene of the handing over.

By the way, Kousuke and Vanessa attending the handing over were due to Chief Magdanese's instruction. Naturally the enemy instructed for Chief Magdanese to do the handing over alone, but it seemed that she would take a stance of「I brought them by mistake. It can't be helped that they are here right?」.

Kousuke wasn't even hiding himself, but from the perspective of the enemy who was desiring Emily so much that hand could grasp out from their throat, it seemed that they wouldn't be able to do anything other than complaining about instruction violation of this level. Leaving that aside, it was better for Kousuke and Vanessa to be at Emily's side to show that they weren't yes-man, and also as the support Emily's heart.

Although, honestly, putting aside Kousuke, perhaps it was a bit of failure to let Vanessa attend too. That was what Chief Magdanese was thinking.

「And, it's okay that you are entranced by the salmon sandwich but, what about the surrounding's state, Mr. Abyssgate?」

「It's Kousuke. Are you listening? My name is Kousuke, okay, chief-san.」

「Yes, I understand Mr. Abyssgate. And? There isn't any report about something suspicious from the deployed personnel, but I wonder if there is anyone suspicious slipping in the crowd?」

「……The plump middle-aged man in grey suits entering the café just now, and the emaciated middle-aged female arriving right now. It's vague, but they are looking strangely nervous for someone who only arrived for lunch.」

Chief-san didn't change the way she called him no matter how many times he said it. Perhaps she was unexpectedly bearing grudge from getting her prided squad half-destroyed. She gave no damn at the reproachful gaze of Kousuke. While pretending to drink her black tea, using a receiver attached on her arm cuff, she called the attention of the personnel that were standing by without showing even a bit of unnatural sign.

Emily who was smiling faintly seeing that exchange then sighed a bit. It was as though she was unraveling her breathing that she didn't realize was tense. Kousuke who sharply noticed that moved her reproachful gaze from Chief Magdanese toward Emily.

「What's the matter Emily? As I thought, are you feeling scared?」

It seemed Emily was happy that Kousuke noticed the small change in herself. She returned a soft smile at Kousuke's worried gaze. Inside that smile, there was heat that were unmistakably filled with immense trust and an even more immense special feeling that could be peeked on in a glance.

「I'm fine Kousuke. I was a bit tense, but I'm not scared or anything. Because Kousuke is staying at my side. Surely this spot is the safest place in the world.」

「Uh huh.」

Kousuke replied curtly. However that wasn't because he was apathetic, but because he was shy from the trust and good will that a beautiful girl were sending to him without any doubt. His faintly red ears showed that more eloquently than anything.

By the way, the people of Grant family were currently safeguarded in the truest meaning at a facility of the security bureau. The elites of security bureau and Kousuke's clone body were standing on guard there, so it could be said to be completely safe. That too made it so no unease and fear existed in Emily's heart.

「I'm also not scared you know, Kousuke-san. I believe in you. I love you.」

「Wait Vanessa! What are you saying out of nowhere! It's no good if you say something like that so lightly!」

Vanessa-san nonchalantly confessed her love with extremely serious expression. Emily's cheeks turned red while she retorted, or rather she intimidated. The voice of her heart「Get your hand away from my Kousuke!」felt like it was audible somehow.

Kousuke who got good will directed at him from two women was troubled, about should he convey the truth that he couldn't properly say since last night due to the all the mess――that actually he had a beloved lover who his heart had decided on. No, he definitely should tell them about it, but the problem was choosing the timing.

Just what kind of change would occur in Emily's mental state if Rana's existence was shed light on at this series of events that showed no sign of stopping……. It was a matter that ought to be informed to her quickly, but in the worst case it would bring about bad influence at the situation from here on.

Even while Kousuke kept worrying 'uu~n', he saw how the straight (?) confession of Vanessa who knew no shame was causing Emily's face to turn red before she shook her head with her side-tail shaking left and right, her mind worriedly thinking「Uu, is it better if I properly speak out too? But, that's really embarrassing!」. That caused him to determine himself that it was better to say it clearly with urgency.

「He, hey, Emily.」

「Whaaat, Kousuke.」

Emily-chan's cheeks loosened up broadly in a smile, as though she was happy only from getting called. There was a theory that it was easy for man and woman who were sharing dangerous situation to convert the nervousness they felt at that time into emotion of love, but in Emily's case, it seemed that theory was spot on. As expected from an easy heroine.

Seeing how Emily was like that, Kousuke went「Uuh」with his words got hitched inside his throat. From Emily who was waiting for Kousuke's words, he could see the vision of dog ears on Emily's head and a dog tail on Emily's lower back. Those visions were shaken to left and right so energetically. She looked like a loyal dog that was waiting for her owner's word.

――Genius girl wearing lab coat, cat eyes, blond hair, side-tail, charisma guard, peeing girl, straight-man attribute, easy heroine. And then, loyal dog attribute toward someone she liked.

Just how many attributes she was planning to increase……

Honestly speaking, the figure of Emily waiting for his words with wide smile was really lovely and charming. But, exactly because of that, that Kousuke resolved himself and opened his mouth.

「Yo, you see, I, actually――」

「They are coming. Stop with the youthful scene there, focus yourself.」

Chief Magdanese's cool voice interrupted him decisively. Kousuke's cheeks were twitching. Emily's expression turned puzzled, but she immediately tensed her expression.

Chief Magdanese and Vanessa were looking at downstairs. There were three men wrapped in black suit and coat. Their expression couldn't be understood because of the sunglasses they were wearing, but their atmosphere was obviously different from civilian. Those who understood would understand. These three had heavy air coiling around them, air of someone used to immorality and violence.

The three men were slowly looking over inside the café, and then they noticed the gaze of Chief Magdanese looking down at them from the second floor and they lifted the corner of their lips. And then, they climbed the stairs that connected to the second floor.

「Hmph? Chief-san, what is the meaning of this?」

「Is there any problem?」

One of the men stood still and shifted his sunglasses while glaring at Vanessa. But, Chief Magdanese calmly replied to the question, and so the man only snorted before sitting down on an empty chair. The other two were sitting on the chair at the neighboring table.

The moment the man sat down, his gaze crawled all over Emily without any reservation. Emily looked aside without even hiding her disgusted look. And then, perhaps because it was his habit, the man snorted again. And then without even asking permission, he took the ginger ale Kousuke ordered and drank the content in one gulp.

「Well, no matter. Our side won't make any complain if you hand over Emily Grant to us. I think you understand, but don't have any stupid idea. Including tracking.」

The man lightly lifted his hand. In response, one of the men took out a small device from his breast pocket. And then, he pointed that device at Emily. It seemed that it was something to search for transmitter.

At the same time, the man took out something square from his breast pocket. It looked like a Zippo lighter which made *kin-* sound when its lid was opened. Inside it wasn't anything like incendiary apparatus, but a button.

「It's interesting isn't it? Just by scattering a bit of bait to cornered people, they will do anything you want. Just with a single cheque, they will believe shady words like being test subject for new nutrients and swallow unknown thing. They will even obediently follow sudden cryptic instruction to go into this café for example.」

The speech of the man who was putting on a warped smile caused Emily to grit her teeth audibly and Vanessa to glare wrathfully. Needless to say, the man meant that people who had taken capsule-type Berserk were inside this café. And then, the detonator that looked like lighter the man was holding could destroy the capsule and transformed those people into berserker that wouldn't be able to go back to normal. In the middle of this crowded café with the sun high in the sky.

The man pretended to tremble at Emily and Vanessa's wrath.

「It doesn't seem like you are that Odin. And then, what are you going to do after taking away Doctor Grant? You will make her create the antidote, cause pandemic of【Berserk】to outbreak, and then make a killing in profit……by that point of time you will be tracked down you know? It will be the same even if you sell it to some organization somewhere in the underworld. Do you think you will be able to get away from the security bureau?」

「Who knows. That's not something that lowly bunch like us will know. That will be boss's decision. Now then, we also cannot keep making pointless talk. How about we excuse ourselves soon?」

The man directed his gaze at the man who was checking for tracking device. The man who seemed to finish already his checking shook his head and reported that he found nothing. The first man nodded in satisfaction hearing that and he put his hand on Emily's shoulder. *twitch*, Emily's body trembled, not from shock or fear, but simply from disgust.

Vanessa was about to reflexively drive off that hand, but then the man showed off the lighter detonator.

He showed――

「Kufuh」

「Puh」

「Fufuh」

Vanessa spontaneously snorted. Emily also averted her face with her shoulders shaking. And in a very rare occasion, even Chief Magdanese had a small smile on her lips.

That couldn't be helped. After all what the man was lifting with expression of contempt that was full of sense of superiority as though to say 'you cannot do anything can't you huh' was……

A salmon sandwich.

Furthermore, it was a remain of one that had been eaten until a size that was about the same with the lighter, a bite-sized salmon sandwich. It was accompanied with a lot of splendid bite mark.

「!?」

The man raised a soundless voice of shock and threw that salmon sandwich to the ground. And then, he stood up while kicking down the chair before taking one, two step away from Chief Magdanese and co.

「You bitches, screwing around with me!」

The man immediately guessed that the detonator had been replaced when he didn't notice, and that the perpetrator must be Vanessa who was attending here for some reason. He was about to take out something from his breast pocket. Most likely it was a spare detonator.

The man quickly took that out and thrust it forward threateningly.

Yes, it was a bite-sized salmon sandwich.

「What the hell!?」

Emily, Vanessa, and Chief Magdanese burst out「pufuh」once again. Hearing that, the man turned beet red from shame and confusion.

「Oi-! Take out the spare! Blow up the first and the second!」

The man ordered the third man. It seemed that the third man was also in possession of the detonator. A spare on top of spare. They were really prepared.

Although, there was no response from the third man toward the first man's order. The reason was

「Oi-. You listening!? Quickly――wait, why the hell you bastard stuffing your mouth with salmon sandwich huh!?」

Yes, the third man had his mouth stuffed full with salmon sandwich. The first man was enraged and he gripped the shoulder of his subordinate who got the sauce of salmon sandwich trickling down from the corner of his mouth, and he pulled him up forcefully.

Then, with a shake the third man fell face-up limply, exposing his face, the white of his eyes were laid bare with salmon sandwich still filling his mouth. The man unconsciously raised his voice「Oo!?」in shock and backed away. *thud* A sound came from behind him and he turned around in reaction.

Over there was,

「You got salmon sandwich too!?」

As expected, there he saw another of his subordinate fainted with salmon sandwich stuffing his mouth and the white of his eyes exposed. In addition, both of his hands were joined together on his chest for some reason, like a corpse that was put inside a coffin.

「What, what is happe――」

「Isn't it simple? The salmon sandwich of this café is just too delicious. So much so that the moment they ate it, they ascended to heaven. That's all.」

「-!?」

Hearing the unknown voice resounding from right behind him, the man twitched while turning around. Over there he saw Kousuke stuffing his mouth elegantly (?) with salmon sandwich. He might be transformed halfway to Lord Abyssgate, because even though his attire was still the same but he was wearing sunglasses.

While the man stiffened seeing the unfamiliar Japanese young man with the strange atmosphere, Kousuke called「Isn't that right?」to a young female waitress stiffening in slight distance away due to the commotion, looking for agreement.

The waitress who suddenly got attention directed at her shook her head left and right forcefully while strongly denying「Our salmon sandwich is not that delicious!」. Surely she meant to imply that 'No one will want to eat sandwich that send people to heaven!'……

That voice of the waitress that unexpectedly resounded really well reached the first floor. A middle-aged man that seemed to be the shop manager looked up in wonder about what was going on there. Seeing the beautiful vein emerging on that man's head, it seemed that the waitress's implication wasn't conveyed correctly to him. The future of the girl's employment in this café from here on was in doubt.

「Yo, you think you can get away by doing something like this? We are not the only one carrying detonator you know? Even now, this place――」

「Are you talking about the five men who monitored this place? Or perhaps, about the people who were watching the image being sent by the hidden camera set up inside the café? If it's them, then right now they should be heading to a special hotel escorted by the kindly considerate troops I think. Everyone is sound asleep. It seems they cannot stand their everyday exhausting work. Don't you think that your company is too black?」(TN: Black company = a company that exploit its employee too much)

「I, impossible……」

The man tried to take out a communication device from his pocket in panic.

……What came out was a salmon sandwich.

Also, the one that made the enemy observing this café from outside to faint was of course Kousuke. The hidden cameras inside the café were searched around by Kousuke in full invisibility last night, while the bureau staffs traced the communication channel and determined the location of the observers.

During the time Kousuke was searching for hidden camera, the enemy force that was observing the café in case the bureau was setting up something to the building sometimes witnessed black shadow displayed in the camera out of nowhere. They all shrieked in complete chaos yelling things like「Tha, that's Shadowman! This is the first time I saw it!」or「Lies……even though I shouldn't have any supernatural sense」or「AMEN-, AMEEEN-!」.

Even when Kousuke normally entered their room, they were replaying the recorded video while,

「Don't you think this will be big money if we bring it to TV station?」

「Wa, wait. This is the real Shadowman you know? I, heard something before. That there are dangerous guys researching something like this.」

「Aa, I also heard that from mummy. In this world, there is occultist group who is extremely fond for something like this, so be careful she said. She also said, that even if you see it, just pretend you never saw anything. If not, you are going to get kidnapped somewhere, and turned into sacrifice for black magician.」

「Seriously……it's scary, this underworld organization……」

They said things like that to each other while making a fuss. It went without saying that Kousuke made a retort「No, you color is different, but you guys are also members of underworld organization」.

And then, Kousuke who was suddenly driven up by mischievous heart took how he was unnoticed as a good opportunity and he tried to cause several bizarre phenomenon. For example he made the door to open and close on its own accord, then he made knocking sound from outside the window, and kidnapped them one by one unnoticed, and wrote「next is you」using magic on the monitor while the panicked people didn't notice, and so on, and in the end, he twined steel thread on the legs of one of them, and pulled that person out from the room……

The expression of the remaining people who were witnessing the figure of their comrade screaming while reaching out his hand to them, however, it went in vain and he was pulled by something unseen and disappeared deep in the corridor……those were expression that had trauma completely planted in it.

And then, the bureau staffs that were watching that from the side exploded in laughter all at once. It also went without saying that Chief Magdanese covered her face with both hands while sighing.

All the enemies fell into the bottom of terror, in addition they were perfectly apprehended. Kousuke who accomplished that was welcomed by all the bureau staffs with high five and「Iyahha―!」. Seeing that, Chief Magdanese whispered「I should just go home already」. It could be seen how tired she was from that.

Now then, putting aside Chief Magdanese who was having a faraway look from remembering the event that gave her headache last night, the man who possessed nothing but salmon sandwich and whose comrades were annihilated without him noticing was drenched with cold sweat while he tried to turn around.

「Well, don't be in such a hurry. I'm thinking of making you as our guide. That's why, it will be troubling if you go home by yourself.」

「Gu, guide you say? To boss's place? Hah, that's pointless. I'm not going to say anything yeah? I know really well boss's scariness. If I betray him, just what kind of hell I'll taste then……it's better to die.」

「I see. You will surely guide us gladly after this. I'm convinced of that. Anyway, we will become nuisance staying here. Let's have a slow talk over there okay?」

Kousuke stood up from his chair and put on a smile on his face. Seeing that, the man yelled「Shit-」while trying to jump out from the terrace of the second floor. Because Kousuke was blocking the stair, he thought that he would be able to escape somehow if it was just from the second floor.

But, there was no way Kousuke could be taken by surprise just from that much,

「Abyss-style Martial Art's Secret Technique――"Inconsiderable Banquet of Gluttony(Salmon Sandwich Got No Match!)"」

「Mugah!?」

Kousuke that circled behind the man instantly stuffed his mouth full with salmon sandwich. The writhing man was completely pinioned from behind with his mouth being pressed down, unable to run away or spit out the sandwich.

The man became half-panicked and for a while he kept struggling and kicking around, but before long his eyes rolled up and exposed the white of his eyes, and he fainted powerlessly. A scrap of salmon slipped out from the mouth of the limply falling man.

「Yep, as I thought, the salmon sandwich of this café is amazing. It instantly send people to heaven.」

Kousuke nodded in satisfaction while looking at the fainting man. Everyone inside the café thought this. 「No, you just made him suffocate normally there」. But they didn't say it out loud. Because, it was scary.

Chief Magdanese whose sigh remarkably increased in number these few days was sighing even deeper while sending sign to her subordinates. The rushing subordinates quickly apprehended the three men and furthermore they also politely led away several of the guests that seemed to have【Berserk】administered into them.

The café fell into uproar from the sudden arrest. In the middle of that Emily was making a complicated expression while asking Kousuke who was going to leave the café following behind Chief Magdanese.

「Hey, Kousuke. Why are you so fixated with salmon sandwich like that? Do you love it?」

「Yep, I love it.」

「I, is that so……」

Of course, Kousuke answered that he loved salmon sandwich. But, Emily's face turned red from seeing Kousuke saying 'love' with a serious face that was staring straight at her. With a glance at Emily who was like that, Kousuke climbed down the stairs while he started to explain with exposition that was at the same level like a certain gourmet reporter whose catchphrase was 'jewel box of taste ya~', about just how amazing the salmon sandwich of this store was. (TN: In Japan there is this famous gourmet reporter named Hikomaru, with a catch phrase of 'jewel box of (insert food name here) ya~'. It seems this guy's cheerful personality and impactful comment made him the face of the present era gourmet program)

After Kousuke left the café, it went without saying that the sale of this café's salmon sandwich increased explosively.

That night the moon was completely hidden by the cloud. In this dark world without light from the night sky, there was a high-rise building illuminated brilliantly by artificial light. For a normal company, at this time most of the employees would be home already and there would be few lighting, but it was only this building that was leaking out light from all of its floors.

The entrance of that high-rise building and the outer wall near the highest floor were drawn with the company name and emblem. The company name was【Gamma Pharmaceutical】.

A car's headlight was illuminating the back road of that【Gamma Pharmaceutical】. The car was stopped once by the guard in front of the gate of iron bars. The man behind the car's steering wheel showed his face to that guard and also his identification card.

It seemed that the guard knew the face of the driver. The guard showed a wry smile while giving words of appreciation「Must be hard work to come at this kind of time even though you aren't even a researcher」. He then took the identification card to the guard room and used a card reader to read the card to open the gate.

The man behind the driving seat shrugged his shoulders and said「It's the superior's command. I cannot go against it」while receiving back his identification card. At that time, the guard saw the person sitting at the backseat and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

When the driver told the guard「This person is a genius doctor even if she look like this. It seems she will be our company's hidden ace you know」, it seemed the person in the backseat noticed that they were talking about her. The girl wearing lab coat with her hair tied into side-tail then faced toward the guard and smiled friendlily.

Being smiled at by an amiable beautiful girl, the middle-aged guard slackened down and he smiled broadly. And then he said「Even though you are still young, you mustn't force yourself too hard to work until this kind of time you know」while drawing back.

The car then passed through the gate and kept running until its figure vanished into a rear entrance for the underground parking area.

The car parked on a corner of the underground parking area before the driver and girl in lab coat――Emily got down.

「Is this place really where the mastermind is staying? This is a large company that can be counted in one hand even at Britain.」

「So you doesn't believe it Miss? I said already that I am the direct subordinate of this place's president――Kaysis Wentworks.」

「Shut up. I won't talk to you.」

「……Ou.」

The man who received that really piercing reply got sullen. Even so he obediently backed down. He, the man who fainted after eating Kousuke's secret technique――Woody urged Emily to move with a pouting face.

Following Woody's guidance, they rode an exclusive elevator that would only move using employee ID card. This high-rise building had 66 floors in total with a height that surpassed 200 meters. They could see the night view of the city from the high-speed elevator that was attached on the outside. The higher the elevator got, the wider the view that could be seen.

「It's beautiful……」

「Yeah, this scenery――」

「I'm not talking to you.」

「……Got it.」

Woody's feeling was hurt from that second piercing reply. A beautiful girl with sparkling eyes clinging at the scenery outside, and a tough man exposing pouting face beside her. The scene was really surreal.

Before long, *ting* along with such sound, the elevator's floor display showed they were at the highest floor. Emily who came back to her senses from that sound turned around and followed behind Woody who had exited the elevator first. They passed over several corners and rooms, through several electronic locks, and in the end reached a heavy door that was engraved with the company's emblem.

Woody walked toward the display installed beside the two-leaf door and pressed a button.

「Boss, this is Woody. Just as my message, I arrived just now. I'm bringing Doctor Grant.」

『Finally. I'm opening the door now.』

The door of the president's office was constructed so it could only be opened from inside. Because of that, Woody and Emily waited for the room's owner Kaysis to open the door.

*pushu* With the sound of air spurting out, the two-leaf door opened. The two of them entered with Woody in the lead. The door immediately closed behind them. Emily looked at that across her shoulder and inside her heart she evaluated that the enemy was really cautious.

When her gaze returned to the front, she saw a man at his early thirty sitting deeply on a luxurious chair. He was a slender and blond man. His narrow eyes that looked like fox and his loose and slovenly smile gave a frivolous impression that didn't suit a president of a large company.

But, the moment that man saw the figure of Emily behind Woody, Emily saw inside the man's slightly opened eyes and unconsciously felt gooseflesh in her spine.

She thought that this man was like a snake. His gaze was that of a snake catching sight of a mouse that would be the prey. She must not be deceived by this man's external frivolous impression. Cunning and malice were compressed inside this man. Yes, detestable aura that made her unconditionally believed that was expressed in this man's eyes.

Emily unconsciously stopped walking all of a sudden. Seeing that caused Kaysis's smile to deepen further. His evil smile that gave no hint of humanity made Emily to spontaneously gulp loudly. Even Woody that was slightly in front of her also gulped loudly like her. Surely he understood just how evil that smile was.

「Hey, Emily-chan. Nice of you to come. My company welcomes you with open arms.」

Kaysis stood up and detoured around his large desk while spreading his hands open in a welcoming gesture. Emily almost shrank back from the approaching mass of malice, however, she suddenly noticed what she was about to do and she gritted her teeth.

And then, she returned her drawing back foot to its former spot and glared back threateningly with piercing cat-eyes.

Kaysis displayed emotion of surprise for a moment, but he soon started to stare with a gaze of unconcealed sadism.

「How nice, that arouse me. A girl making that kind of eye is just my favorite. How about it Emily-chan? Won't you become mine instead of just being a researcher in my company? You will be able to obtain anything you wish by doing that you know?」

「And, you will torment me who naturally is going to refuse, and then want to make me say that with my own mouth isn't that right? Anyway, go through plastic surgery first. The vulgarity of your character is coming out on your face you know?」

Even while Emily was still shaking a bit, but she threw back a scathing reply boldly. Woody looked back to her with a slightly shocked expression. Kaysis's expression was increasingly changing as though there was a delicious fruit put in front of him.

「That's a hurtful way of speaking. But, it arouses me instead. Just how long you can continue with that kind of attitude, aa, I'm really looking forward to it more and more.」

「Your disgusting behavior doesn't matter. Rather than that, are you Odin?」

While nodding, Kaysis approached until he was in short distance from Emily who was asking that to him with undisguised revulsion.

「Indeed, that's correct. I am Odin. Well, that name is just for a jest though. My real name is Kaysis Wentworks.」

「You were……the one that stole【Berserk】? The one that released the infected person in the middle of city?」

Kaysis's fingertip stroked Emily's cheek. Even while feeling nausea from that touch, Emily asked for confirmation to him. She wanted to confirm, 'are you the main culprit of everything?', like that.

「You can say that, but you can also say that it's not so.」

「What do you mean? Answer me!」

「Fufu, you are really strong-willed. Just like a cute cat.」

Kaysis dodged Emily's questioning noncommittally. His snake-like eyes shined while his hand touched Emily's slender neck. Of course, just with that it would be impossible to choke the neck and kill a person. But, most likely he just wanted to see Emily's suffering face for fun.

Emily's face slightly grimaced when that hand jerked with strength. Kaysis's expression was increasingly filled with joy by that but……

「……What are you doing?」

「I cannot just stay quiet watching more than this. Can I ask you to take off that hand from the miss?」

The one that grasped Kaysis's hand and forcefully jerked it away from Emily's neck was the man at her side――Woody. Kaysis sent him a dangerous gaze. Kaysis's eyes were tinged with dangerous light from how his subordinate showed an unforeseen rebellious attitude, and from how he called Emily as「miss」.

「I wonder if you understand just who are you opening your mouth to. Or else, don't tell me you are cajoled by this child? No matter how unlikely I think that is.」

「No way, such thing is unimaginable to happen between me and miss. Besides, I'm doing this with full preparedness for everything.」

Kaysis shook off Woody's arm roughly, then he took out a handgun offhandedly from his breast pocket and pointed it at Woody. At the same time, he snapped his finger *pachin* and armed men appeared from hidden doors set up everywhere inside the room. They pointed their gun muzzle toward Woody.

However, Woody who knew about the existence of the guards standing by inside the room naturally wasn't perturbed.

「Full preparedness? I really don't get you. Just what in the world happened?」

「Nothing special. If I'm forced to say, then it's because I found a place with better employment term than here I guess. Any humble salary man will change their job to a place with better condition right?」

「Hou. I see, so you are cajoled by the security bureau. Just how much you can receive from them? Aa, just to be clear, I'm not planning to ask you to come back by offering you more than their offer. Your fate is decided already here.」

「Even if you told me to come back, I absolutely won't. After all, it's remuneration that you cannot possibly prepare.」

「……It's that much money? Answer, how much that you got?」

So much remuneration to the degree that a president of a large company that was in the top five of Britain couldn't match it. Kaysis's expression was slightly colored with interest when he was told something like that. He was wondering, just what kind of world the security bureau used to steal his subordinate.

Seeing Kaysis like that, the corner of Woody's lips rose up in a wide grin. And then with a boastful, elated, and joyful expression that couldn't be suppressed!!, he spoke the detail of the remuneration he obtained.

「Kukuh, listen and be astonished! My reward iiis, the finest quality of salmon sandwich, FOR A YEARRRR-!」

「……………………………………………………hm?」

Kaysis-san was confused. His heinous air was unconsciously scattered apart and he tilted his head plainly thinking「Am I mishearing?」. The other guards were also the same like that.

Amidst such confusion, Emily who knew about the circumstance made a complicated expression as expected. And then, for the second time she asked the same question like before in the café.

「Hey, Kousuke. Why is it salmon sandwich? Do you like it that much?」

Hearing Emily calling a name of a person he had never heard before, Kaysis sent a suspicious gaze at her.

But, at the next moment, he turned around in shock.

「Aa, yeah. Honestly, even I myself am thinking, perhaps this hypnotist is wrong.」

The guards also turned around.

Over there, before anyone knew it, a young man in black clothes was sitting on the president chair while scratching on his cheek with a wry smile.

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

About the salmon sandwich pressuring of this chapter.

If I have to say why, that's because the author is getting fixated with it.

Salmon sandwich that is unexpectedly off-the-shelf.

If I made a handmade one, it was doubtful the chapter posting would make it in time……

I'm sorry.

The next update is planned at 6 P.M Saturday too.