Chapter 140

Twitch… twitch.

The legs of the man sitting in the office chair shake rhythmically… or unpleasantly.

As the pages of the documents in his hand flip by and his sunken eyes trace the neatly arranged strings, the once calming movements gather strength again like Newton’s pendulum.

Since the air raid on the Delta Research Institute, the head, and the minor member of the ruling family of Enema, Edamatsu Amagi, could be said to have led quite a fulfilling life.

…Usually, he pretended to be indifferent to the succession plot, but whenever a case arose, he would froth at the mouth and thrash about, leading his siblings and surrounding individuals into his hysteria—an unexpected calamity for those who had been idly nosing around for other reasons and purposes.

With the pretext of a full investigation and criminal identification, the person who had the opportunity to strike out their claws and sink their teeth into matters beyond their own enclosure had spent days filled with an extreme emptiness. Indeed, “there was.”

“…It’s insufficient.”

Feeling thirsty, he licked his lips.

In contrast to his tidy attire, his eyes, raised fiercely, momentarily drifted away from the documents to hover in the air.

Just recently, after being called to the chairman Amagi and receiving a reprimand along with full authority, the situation had completely changed.

A mad dog running wild alone is a wild beast. A creature that cannot be dealt with. A calamity to be avoided when approaching.

However, after receiving the chairman’s approval and determining covert support, as it became the intention of MegaCorp to punish those who had dared to attack the Enema direct facility, more and more people began to see shadows of someone in his movements.

Guarding the assigned place as per the master’s intent, they tore at the bait presented before them.

Isn’t it just like a well-trained hunting dog?

“Tsk…”

A dog that kills its prey once the hunt is over. Livestock meant for slaughter once it has served its purpose.

The cacophony of treacherous words swirling in his head, Edamatsu’s hand, raised unconsciously, tugged at the collar of his dress shirt as if it were a leash.

If this frustration could have been resolved by loosening his clothing, many lives would have been made easier.

If he stopped immediately, he would have likely freed himself from the antidepressants he was perpetually taking.

It suddenly felt absurd to him that a powerful figure capable of commanding hundreds of thousands of employees and thousands of soldiers was worrying about the chill around his neck in the depths of the headquarters.

Enema (Eternal Life), a leading company in the medical field that guarantees humanity’s health, longer and healthier lives, and ultimately, eternal life.

Although there are often controversies over exorbitant service charges, in the end, it is an entity that bears the responsibility for the public healthcare of the metropolis, so inevitably, people find themselves indebted to it at least once or twice during their lives.

It is a large corporation closely related to life in the city, to the extent that even carelessly speaking ill of it feels daunting.

…In such a place, with immense wealth, honor, and a guaranteed lifespan, he, the young master of the blessed bloodline of the ruling family, was plagued by such ridiculous concerns.

But just because it appeared outwardly intact did not guarantee that it was free of rot within.

A core power structure concentrated on individuals, all sorts of dirty schemes and chilling means to maintain it. And endless stress derived from human relationships stained with blood and distrust.

Although Edamatsu had declared he would withdraw from the succession competition and fallen into the position of the chairman’s errand boy, it didn’t mean the restraint from competitors had subsided, as the violent internal conflict for the throne, limited to a single victor, was certainly still prevailing.

“Those fucking idiots…”

…Do the other relatives even understand? The ones so engrossed in the turf war right in front of their eyes that they don’t even glance at the villa?

Hadn’t the father, who supposedly retreated due to health and judgment issues, already overcome the risk of “aging and dying,” and could step back into the front line if needed?

In truth, his stubbornness stemmed purely from his rejection of an imperfect rejuvenation procedure due to his own perfectionism and the difficult-to-expose alternative clone of his mother…!

“……”

With a clack! the sound of teeth grinding filled the air as his open mouth closed.

Truly… a loathsome family.

No matter how much he examined it logically, the abnormalities of the Amagi family and its members were the only things highlighted. People flawed in various aspects, not satisfied with what they held, continuing to seek something more like natural-born evil spirits.

Of course, he wasn’t exactly a moral or ethical individual. He had a self-awareness of being a broken man.

But what was he supposed to do when the solitude of a wanderer without a resting place—a home—could not be soothed by material rewards?

The born life wishes for affection and yearns for what is lacking; how could that be such a wrong behavior? Rather, the family-less household that included bottom-tier incomes and miserable lives was the truly odd one.

Even now, if he closed his eyes and calmed his heart, the nostalgia of the past would engulf his mind.

The vividness of the senses experienced back then was more akin to a fervent obsession than mere nostalgia.

The soft air, the warmth conveyed to his face resting on a knee pillow, the gentle touch stroking his forehead, the sweet scent that tickled his nose, and the melody of the music box she used to hum as a habit. He could not forget a single one.

Every single thing was a precious memory.

Every time he recalled his deceased mother during the corporate war, a pang filled his heart… it was unavoidable, and recognizing and accepting that through a long time was part of life.

Yet, from the position of someone who had to assist the ghostly obsession to deny that death with eminent science and technology, how should one even react?

It was a disgrace to the lion, and he was not the only one tied together by the memory of the woman named Suzunashi Amagi. Was there also someone out there who sullied that empty space by creating such a fake doll?

Truly… it was evident that they did not consider what emotions those watching the spectacle would harbor.

Therefore, someday, inevitably, he would make them regret.

He would make them pay for their insults and prove that reality is not a model garden to play with at will.

…If necessary, even by extreme means.

“…Hmph!”

Tap, tap…

With a final rough breath, Edamatsu returned the music box, which he had been stroking, to its designated spot and struck the stacks of documents against the edge of the desk several times.

It was not a lie that the forensic work was proceeding smoothly.

Considering he had hired a small team of three hackers, the speed of restoration was decent, and the forensic team reported that there was no trace of manipulation on the data being uploaded.

However, there was something awkward about the detailed insider information he had received from the chairman regarding the institute; there was peculiarly a complete absence of data concerning the institute head and the main project he was directly overseeing.

As if… someone who knew the inside story had cut out only the relevant files.

Well, maybe the restoration of the documents related to that project simply got pushed back due to coincidence. Or perhaps the idiots hired didn’t have the capability to handle the most crucial deep security files, so he refrained from jumping to conclusions.

Having grown weary of acting like a fool under the chairperson’s authority, he didn’t particularly feel troubled by the sluggish progress, but… he still had to check whether there might be any issues.

“…Kakubari, you mentioned there would be a regular inspection today? I’m heading to the isolation area. Once the interviews with the outside contract personnel are over, I will go straight to the forensic team, so prepare for that. …There might be a mole inside.”

“!! Understood. I will prepare the escort immediately….”

“I plan to go through the basement and return shortly. So keep the fuss to a minimum.”

Upon seeing Edamatsu burst out of the office without warning, Kakubari, his secretary, was caught off guard, thinking it was odd that he now seemed interested after having previously expressed disinterest in getting too involved, but quickly followed along with the other secretaries in a panic.

Just moving around a lot doesn’t mean things will progress efficiently, and if it were a typical day, he might have just stayed put in his role as the head, summoned the responsible parties to reprimand them, and replaced some personnel.

It’s just that today, he wasn’t in the mood to mimic the chairman.

To relieve that suffocating breath even a little.

And… feeling an inexplicable urge to do so—an utterly ridiculous sentiment, but—

In that way, as a member of the Amagi family, Kakubari led a somewhat assembled group, even pulling reserve security from the area.

Their destination was Isolation Area 38, which had recently been updated with new cooling facilities and accommodations as ordered.

“…It’s been a while, Executive Director Edamatsu.”

The investigator awaiting them bowed deeply after opening the barrier gate. Yet, even at this point, he was still pondering how to select and discern personnel while minimizing the use of confession drugs.

He was even contemplating that while stepping forward and raising his head, recalling that hired wandering hackers might lack manners, weighing the appropriate carrot and stick for them…

“……?”

He locked eyes with a girl.

His internal clock slowed down suddenly, and his blood flow accelerated, narrowing his vision.

There was no other way to describe it except that the day was unfavorable. Perhaps because he had been fiddling with his mother’s belongings, or maybe because he was reminiscing about a cherished scene, an absurdity slipped out of his lips before his logic or reasoning could catch up.

“……… Mother…?”

…No. It really isn’t. It’s simply an illusion.

Just like when magic calls a name and dispels it, saying the title made the fantasy shatter.

No, it was strange to have such a ridiculous misconception in the first place.

Was it because of the dark hair? If he were simply the type to easily feel such deja vu from a black-haired woman, then he wouldn’t have had a bad relationship with the women of the family.

Was it because they resembled each other? His mother, Suzunashi Amagi, always displayed a gentle atmosphere with her elegantly arranged hair and soft expression. She wasn’t someone whose appearance resembled that of a girl dressed in a suit with a bob.

Was it because his heart softened? Had he been mentally pushed to the point of daring to impose her image onto a stranger? Just like the chairman?

It was merely that… they were just a vaguely similar person. The world is vast, and if one were to consider just the pure statistics, the population has increased since the pre-war era, making it quite possible.

However, then why did this girl gaze at him with the same vacant expression? What emotions was she feeling, and what connection—what past—did she have with the Amagi family?

“…Um, Edamatsu-san, was the planned interview going to be held here…?”

“…”

The insane person who had just pointed out the dental debris was nowhere to be found.

Even the second-ranking man in the gathering continued as if nothing had happened and seemed intent on proceeding with the tasks as if he had heard nothing; who would question that?

…If there was, it would only be himself.

“No, today I’ll just drop by the forensic team and then head back. And those hackers…!”

Like someone who needed to flee this spot at once.

Edamatsu turned his body hard enough to disrupt the fitting of his suit, almost commanding to get rid of them from his sight immediately…

He barely swallowed back his retort.

The moment he misidentified her even for a moment was repugnant. It disgusted him, thinking it was an encounter with a demon that had come to tempt a weakened human, and he was engulfed in a worrying thought, wondering if this too was someone’s scheme.

But more than that… even as he forcefully turned his gaze away, wanting to face the girl and uncover the cause that disturbed this feeling of lingering past, he wanted to know.

“…I will find the mole later. Once the contract is over and the confidentiality chip is inserted, bring them all back to headquarters. I will also double-check all reports and audits that have come from the past institute. …I need to know a bit more about just how far the Doctor has gone.”