Chapter 165

Like a blooming flower scattering its pollen.

Once doubt sprouted, everything seemed oddly coincidental, and Kasane’s voice automatically rose to a higher pitch. Even in the midst of her questioning, there was an intangible force behind it.

“What on earth is this ridiculous scheme? My older sister told me to block off a hole like me!?”

Even as she spoke, it seemed Kasane thought otherwise, shaking her head from side to side.

All of her blood relatives were enemies, so it appeared she couldn’t conclude that the Show right in front of her was actually the real threat. Unless one was an agent for someone else.

“Could it be… that there are people in my room right now? By the way, where’s that secretary I’ve always had with me…?”

“…If you’re that anxious, shouldn’t you check for yourself? Kakubari is busy with the paperwork that’s piled up. Or should I take it that you think I’m making it obvious that I’m the one who’s anxious?”

It was as if she questioned what kind of words a visitor could say.

Even if she was wrong regarding the cause, she was indeed on point regarding the intention, yet Show calmly handed back a sarcastic remark about setting aside the delusions.

Upon hearing her response, various types of spears appeared and vanished in her retina repeatedly.

‘Oh my.’

Pretending to cautiously observe the angry Kasane, I watched her expression.

Instead of being an implant that completed calculations in the mind, this was a way of projecting onto the retina, which meant I could stealthily steal glances at her eyes—an unexpected gain.

It wasn’t simple communication; glimpses of the room were passing by, not just a line that typically connected to the control room or security personnel, but it appeared there was a direct video data line sent straight to her. I need to be careful when working later… hmm…?

“…”

‘…Ah.’

That was enough.

As soon as I turned my gaze to reality, folding up the wings of my imagination, I met her scorching stare.

It wasn’t a mere curious glance like before. It was as if she was ready to tear apart anyone who dared to probe if I had any ulterior motives.

In a chilling manner, Kasane looked down on me, as if she had pierced through any bad thoughts related to her.

This is… dangerous. It’s hard to breathe and my skin prickles.

Even so, she’s merely an ill-tempered, neurotic beauty.

I had been thinking of her as an extra who didn’t even appear in the original, or something from the remnants of the past, but reality scolded me. How could I continue to disregard the other party like this?

“You, did you coax her with some ridiculous wind? That pessimistic brat wouldn’t think of such nonsense alone…”

“No…!? There’s a misunderstanding… a big misunderstanding…!!”

Despite being a haphazard, baseless accusation thrown around wildly.

I was about to sell out Kajun, trying to blame it on him, but I suddenly realized that he was still on the same side and barely stopped myself.

We were fundamentally different.

Unlike the type to harbor resentment or affection, there exists a power that fundamentally suppresses a person’s will.

Being born under this sky, having grown as a ruler since my first cry—my spirit is overwhelmed by the innate charisma these individuals possess.

Don’t recklessly judge. Even if she sarcastically laments that her share of Enema is just a hole-in-the-wall shop, she is still the third daughter of the Amagi family.

The number of people under her influence, both directly and indirectly, would easily amount to millions, or perhaps even reach a billion… and yet, I was thinking of letting my guard down this easily!

Think, you fool. How can I get past this? Is there any way to deceive such a beast with just a few words…?

“…I…”

I soon became aware of my parched mouth and chose my words carefully.

Not just for the sake of the operation’s success, but to resist the oppression inflicted upon me as well. While I had nothing particularly to be proud of in this case, deceiving and being deceived is a type of battle. I had no intention of simply yielding.

“I…”

However, before I could even find an appropriate excuse, someone stepped forward towards Kasane in my stead.

…Ah, I had momentarily forgotten because he had only shown a gentle and soft demeanor recently.

This cunning guy next to me also inherently shared a similar or even greater level of danger as that woman.

“…I heard you’ve been enjoying some strong drugs lately; have you perhaps gotten some sort of intellectual disability? I just warned you not to meddle, didn’t I? How about I take that tongue of yours out to show you how serious I am?”

“!? You cheeky brat…!”

Though Show was significantly taller, Kasane flinched in surprise, as if she never expected the so-called younger sibling to throw such a vulgar and blatant threat right in her face.

While she might have been the one to pick the first fight, it was equally true that he had been struck directly.

Yet, rather than retreat, she was trying to secure the path by striking back—truly a dogfighting instinct.

“You’ve always been an expert in drugs, haven’t you? I’ve been suffering from insomnia recently. I’ll only indulge enough to refresh myself and will quietly take my leave after that. Surely you can show me that level of understanding?”

“…Ha! You came just to play around, did you? You??”

“If you’re suspicious, you can use my secretary’s direct line to call Manager Kakubari. You would hear how simply I left today.”

Adding lies upon lies, naturally engaging in extortion.

Packaging internal dissent like that…?!

I can barely handle a little pile of lies; I’m terrified of the backlash that would ensue… truly, their composure is of a different level. Maybe it’s because their main job is handling punishment that makes it so.

The corners of Kasane’s mouth twisted.

There was certainly lingering suspicion.

We approached, ready to bury our opponent without even intending to fight, but they remained unaware of that fact, which was only natural.

Crossing that drawn line without solid evidence must have felt like too much of a burden. Once passed, it would evolve into a tremendously exhausting full-scale battle.

Doubt and distrust, contemplation and anxiety. For a moment, her hand moved towards her chest.

…Bang!

A small, yet visually dangerous purple powder was carelessly tossed onto Show’s upper body from a ziplock bag.

“…The party room is inside, so after you finish that, you should leave with your lover. If you’re coming for that sort of thing, be sure to get a formal invitation next time.”

If Managing Director Edamatsu had any ulterior motives or not, the odds were fifty-fifty. In such a case, it seemed like she was willing to provide what was desired.

As if this was the end of the conversation, Kasane, leaving behind a sample-like item, clicked her heels as she walked away.

“…Where do you think you’re going? After slandering someone like this.”

“To my room. If anything weird pops up, I’ll assume it’s your doing.”

She coolly revealed her destination and casually flashed a ceremonial smile to other guests… before leaving the hall.

…Huh? By doing this, have I actually raised suspicion before infiltrating…?

Or perhaps, since the parties involved can’t enter when someone is in the room, it might indeed be a complete failure?

I scanned my surroundings.

Upon hearing the raised voices of the two during the initial exchange, most attendees had cleared a distance for safety, so I whispered my concerns to Show as softly as possible.

“Shouldn’t we go after her now…?”

“There’s no problem. The opening ceremony hasn’t even started yet, so the host can’t be absent forever. If we wait, there will naturally be an opening that Kajun desired.”

In interactions with dignitaries, conducting business or hosting meetings, she was someone who wouldn’t act thoughtlessly, disregarding her reputation.

Indeed, it would be quite difficult now to backtrack and say the event was canceled suddenly, or that she was sick, with the drug deal still on the table… in multiple ways, it would be troublesome.

For now, I’m relieved to have passed safely. But…

“Ugh… I really got unnecessarily tense…”

“…Are you alright, Anastasia? If such a social event is physiologically taxing for you, it would have been good to mention it beforehand.”

Show supported my wavering body as it felt like it was becoming translucent.

Ah, my legs, this damn tiredness… they keep tingling, and I can’t feel them properly.

Sure, I’d felt scared about dying from a stray bullet once.

With political battles and schemes. It was clear that if things went awry, I would be facing chaos on a scale too large for me to handle… watching it unfold left me breathless, feeling like I was about to collapse.

What if this goes wrong? The original story??? My safe return??? Every little interaction reminds me of walking through a minefield, making it absolutely troublesome. I’m utterly fatigued.

This isn’t right… incidents involving her or Kajun have far too great a ripple effect and aren’t good for my heart. I have to run away…!

“Now that I don’t have to rely on drugs anymore… at the very least, since I’ve already taken them, I must act as if I’m using them. I’ll rest inside until my condition recovers. Then… excuse me for a moment.”