Chapter 531 – #5-13 Mildam, Hero Spade and Captain Mer (3)
Rahe was clearly feeling a sense of discomfort.
No, beyond the feeling of discomfort in the first place, I can almost see through the truth.
It’s about Villain No. 13, and things like his relationship with the members of the 7th Division… Most of them, maybe all of them, are aware of it.
I don’t know when that started.
What I felt at first was a sense of discomfort, like a small crack.
As he tried to sort out his thoughts by tracing the sense of incongruity, he somehow arrived at the truth.
However, even this accident may have been induced by Villain No. 13 in the first place, so it was not possible to hastily conclude what the truth was.
There are at least a few things she is sure of.
That is, he uses a method called ‘brainwashing.’
And the entire 7th Division was taken over by Villain No. 13… Is it to that extent?
However, the brainwashing has not been lifted.
He often felt that his thoughts bounced around, and his common sense was distorted by every word No. 13 said.
He experienced the feeling that his body was not his own again and again.
It felt as if he was dreaming, so he could not intervene with mere will.
Now that Rahe is simply aware of the situation, she has no means to do anything about it.
Also, among the members of the 7th Division, only Spade was vaguely aware of the fact that he was somehow different from the other members.
After roughly piecing together the clues she got by chance, Spade said that Villain No. 13’s brainwashing was not complete.
As a result, Spade became the only hope left in the 7th Division.
Spade was the only one who resisted No. 13’s brainwashing, even though he knew the whole situation.
No. 13 also seemed surprisingly soft towards Spades, so there were often cases where he was lenient and accepted even when Spades looked like he was about to cross the line.
Therefore, even though Rahe understood the situation up to this point, she decided to remain silent and entrust her hopes to Spade.
She thought hard, but Rahe couldn’t figure out what she could do.
She wasn’t even sure if her own thoughts, her own mind, were really hers to begin with.
Is this a mind manipulated by Villain No. 13? I don’t know.
If she does something unnecessary without her, there is a possibility that she will make the situation worse.
I was thinking of handing myself over to a trustworthy colleague――Merra or the upper echelons of the association, but… In that case, she had no choice because she was worried about the damage that would come to her subordinates.
‘What Mer talked about with me this time… And she also suggested a private conversation with Spade from Mer’s side.’
‘Maybe it’s all because Mer felt something off about me.’
‘By interrogating Spade, she may have been trying to find out something about my weakness.’
‘
――If that’s the case, it’s okay.
’
If Mer realizes her own sins and her relationship with Villain No. 13, she’ll be fine.
For her, who is worried and confused because she doesn’t know which choice is right, it would be better if I gave her the iron in that way… She thought without thinking that maybe that wouldn’t be so bad either.
However.
But the worst case scenario she thinks of is.
She is not only herself… In this case, damage also comes to her subordinates.
『I like it, I like it, I like it No. 13――』
Spade’s confession was shocking.
If it were her, she would not fall completely into the clutches of Villain No. 13, and after her resistance, she might be able to save everyone.
But over time, she realized that it was impossible.
This is because Spade, the hero, was slowly developing feelings of favor towards him, the villain.
Such goodwill and such changes were taking place within Spade that even Rahe could see them.
What turned Rahe’s doubts into certainty was something I heard a while ago… It was a confession that I overheard through the door and ignored.
Now that things were like this, it was hard to think that Spade would put an end to Villain No. 13 or liberate the 7th Division.
‘I guess it can’t be helped.’
‘That’s possible. I understand. On the contrary, it was really mean of me to try to make her subordinate responsible for something important.’
‘It doesn’t matter as long as Spade finishes off Villain No. 13.’
‘In response to Mer’s question this time, even if Spade blows up everything about me and the 7th Division… That can’t be helped either.’
‘But.’
As for that fact.
Hero Spade defeats Villain No. 13… Just the fact that I love you.
I just wish that wasn’t known.
Unlike other subordinates who were forced to follow the villain’s orders due to his mean means.
The existence of Spade, who sincerely interacts with the villain… Maybe it will cause a big uproar.
Especially for Spade himself, it will definitely come back in a bad way…
“… If you worry like this, there’s nothing you can do.”
“I hope you’re safe, Spade.”
“I don’t care what happens, Spade, just you… I hope you’re safe…”
Rahe squeaked, turning in her chair to look out the window behind her, inside her solitary captain’s room.
She thought of her spade playing alone with Mer somewhere beyond the window, and she muttered…
* * *
『Would you like to come to Division 3?』
To Mer’s question, Spade immediately refused, as if there was no need to think about it.
It’s not that I didn’t like the 3rd Division, but I had no intention of leaving the 7th Division.
Mer made an exaggerated expression of regret or got upset as if she was acting, but she seemed more drunk than serious, so Spade just laughed it off.
“Okay, okay, I was only half joking. Rahe seems to really care about me, but she can’t take a kid like that away.”
“Eh, no… A person who deserves that level of evaluation… There are many people in Division 3 who are better than I.”
“That’s because Spade doesn’t know his talent yet. If it were Spades, it wouldn’t take long to become a candidate for captain, right? I’m sure.”
Spade became even more unaware of Mer’s excessive praise.
However, Mer’s words of praise continued even when she was told not to overestimate it.
So the conversation continued, and the topic shifted here and there.
About the mission, about colleagues, about villains… They also asked me about my love life, etc.
Things like dating have nothing to do with me――
『No, no. I don’t like it.』
『It’s pretty, Spade.』
『Ugly, ugly, ugly. Ugly spade.』
『Me too…
Me too――
』
“… !”
“Huh? “What’s wrong, Spade?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing. Little… Yes, it’s nothing.”
‘… ? Have I ever heard something like this?’
‘Why did this come to mind now… ? That guy… No. 13’s voice…’
Although the conversation was interrupted for a moment.
However, Spade quickly changed the subject and continued the conversation.
A conversation of such content continues that it is difficult to think of it as an exploration, and it is also difficult to think that there is something up to it.
In fact, as the conversation continued to become more enjoyable, Spade felt more and more familiar with Mer.
The time between two people, like an intimate date, continued with that feeling for a while… It is finished.
* * *
“Then, see you again~.”
In front of the entrance from the bar.
There, Mer waved her hand and sent Spade off.
From here, Mer takes a taxi and Spade goes back on foot.
Mer’s face was bright red, as if she had drank too much.
‘… ‘You drink well.’
While looking at the back of Spade leaving, Mer suddenly thought so.
Although she said she didn’t drink as much as Mer, she did drink several cocktails that were quite strong.
However, she looked just as she did when she left, and she is still completely undisturbed.
She deliberately recommended something with a high alcohol content to a girl who doesn’t know much about alcohol, but it seems she’s stronger than expected.
-I was planning to get you drunk and get the story out more.
It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do.
Mer took out her pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lit one, and put it in her mouth.
After lightly sucking on it, she put a lit cigarette in her mouth and this time took out her smartphone from her bag.
What was launched as is been a notepad application.
Among the contents of the memo, find an item and circle it.
“7th division member Spade…
Guilty.”
Mer thinks about her conversation with Spade today, and thinks about her attitude.
She then declared that
―Spade is clearly the culprit of evil.
―Spade is clearly in cahoots with the villain.
―Furthermore, judging by his attitude, there is a possibility that he may have something like special favor towards the villain.
This should not happen.
This is something that can never be tolerated.
Mer was quite drunk a little while ago and looked quite relaxed.
However, as she looked down at her notepad app with her cigarette in her mouth, her eyes looked so cool and cool that I could not feel the slightest trace of her drunkenness.
“All the 7th Division, including Spade… Guilty.”
“And, Rahedo――”
I mutter the words of the sentence and circle them one by one on a notepad.
I marked it like that a few times and mumbled a few sentences.
Soon after… And a long puff of cigarette smoke blew out.
