Two days of Kaijin trouble in a row. Excuse me—Pseudo-Kaijin trouble. They say these things happen in threes, but fortunately, I didn't run into the same Pseudo-Kaijin for a third time.
It had been a week since the hotel incident. I spent those days working a few ordinary part-time jobs that Masao Shimogaki had introduced to me.
Unlike the hotel gig, it was perfectly normal labor, and I spent the rest of my time at home. It was the very definition of a peaceful daily life.
In contrast to those two tumultuous days, it was a very ordinary week. Today, as usual, I was spending my free time relaxing and watching TV when a certain news report caught my attention.
"Regarding the bombing that occurred at a Tokyo hotel last week, the perpetrators are reportedly still refusing to speak. With very little evidence found at the scene, the investigation has yet to reach a full conclusion."
It was the incident I’d been caught up in. It was only natural, but it was still being treated as a major news story.
"Hey, am I maybe in a bit of trouble-ssu?"
"Hah? About what?"
"I fought them head-on, so I'm worried my identity might get leaked-ssu."
At the time, the adrenaline and the heat of the moment had made me go a bit too far. I had faced the perpetrators directly, all while wearing my workplace uniform.
"You'll be fine. If a Pseudo-Kaijin claims they weren't beaten by a Hero but by some random security guard, do you think anyone would actually believe them?"
"Well, I guess that’s true-ssu."
They were strong enough to beat a Hero but lost to some unknown security guard who showed up late to the party. I didn't think such a claim would hold much water either.
"Besides, do you really think we, who were once members of the Syndicate, would spill our guts that easily?"
"That's some admirable loyalty-ssu."
"Of course it is. It's because the Syndicate chose us."
This was it. This was the source of the loyalty they held toward the organization.
The evil Syndicate Dark Matter was built on an ideology of ultimate elitism. They sought to rule the world using only those they deemed worthy. The membership consisted solely of those personally selected by the Syndicate, and every member received the benefits of physical modification.
Their loyalty, born from a fierce pride in being part of the "chosen," must have been a nightmare for the Heroes who opposed them.
Though it seemed there were people like me who had been kidnapped from somewhere and forcibly modified against their will.
No matter how forced the methods were, if you have no memories, you can't feel resentment or hatred. Just like me right now.
"By the way, I’ll totally rat you out if it comes to it, so keep that in mind."
"Huh?"
"Well, obviously. You're stronger than I am."
"What happened to that loyalty-ssu?"
"I swore loyalty to the Syndicate, not to you."
"...Man, you really are a villain after all-ssu."
"Well, I am a combatant of the Syndicate, after all."
I had started to respect him just a little bit, so I felt like I’d wasted my sentiment.
"Then why are you looking after me-ssu? I’m just a burden."
If he were truly a villain through and through, he should have just left me to rot. In reality, he had looked after me for nearly two years.
For someone like me, who had no memories, no family registry, and no status, he had provided a home and even jobs. I had received too much help from him to simply dismiss him as a villain.
"Who knows? Maybe it's sympathy or a sense of duty as a fellow member of the Syndicate. Or maybe it's just a whim. Or perhaps I was the one who kidnapped you, and I'm just doing this for atonement."
"That's not a very funny joke-ssu."
"Is that so? My bad for the boring joke, then."
Or perhaps it wasn't a joke at all.
The Syndicate had reportedly kidnapped many people back in the day. It wouldn't be strange if Shimogaki had a hand in it. There was a real possibility that one of those people had been me.
Even if that were the case, I had no way to confirm it, nor did I feel any anger welling up. I simply didn't remember.
It really was a bad joke.
"Right, I'm gonna head out for a bit."
"What's the rush-ssu?"
"I told you before, didn't I? I’m going to do some digging on my end."
He had mentioned looking into the community of former Syndicate members regarding last week's incident.
"Apparently there’s something they want to talk about urgently. I'm heading out."
"Is that really okay-ssu? Things have been feeling a bit fishy lately."
The incident last week was one thing, but there was a strange atmosphere lingering in the air.
No matter how much Kaijin Genome was being traded underground, for three of the same kind of Kaijin to appear two days in a row made me think there had to be something deeper going on.
"I’ll be fine. In case of an emergency, I've got this."
Shimogaki held up a black mechanical terminal about the size of a smartphone. It was the device used to deploy the Battle Suit for combatants.
"With this, I can crush concrete with a single punch. Even if a Hero shows up, I can at least make a getaway."
The device, distributed directly by the Syndicate, was Shimogaki's most prized possession. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was his pride as a combatant.
However, in a world now overflowing with diverse supernatural abilities, I didn't know how much it could actually be trusted.
"Are you sure you'll be okay-ssu?"
"I told you, you're worrying too much. I'll be back by evening. We're going for ramen again tonight."
Shimogaki finished his preparations and headed for the door.
"Ah, that's right."
Shimogaki, who had left me feeling uneasy, suddenly stuck his head back inside as if he’d forgotten something.
"Cover my part-time shift this afternoon. Thanks!"
"............Huh?"
Before I could process it, Shimogaki was gone. A message containing the location and time popped up on my smartphone.
He had dumped his work on me at the very last second.
As I thought—Shimogaki was the lowest, worst kind of villain.
With a sigh, I surrendered my peaceful afternoon and headed to the job site Shimogaki had forced on me.
"So you're Shimogaki's sub! Glad to have you on board!!"
The transition was so smooth it almost brought tears to my eyes.
The job was at a construction site in a residential area that had been leveled during a large-scale battle. My task was simple: haul massive amounts of materials. There was a mountain of supplies to move, but I actually preferred straightforward physical labor.
My body was literally inhuman, so this level of exertion hardly registered as a burden. I could work indefinitely without feeling fatigue.
One hour, two hours, three hours—I silently hauled materials that showed no sign of decreasing.
The sun that had been blazing overhead eventually sank low, and the blue sky began to bleed into the deep oranges and reds of dusk.
"Alright, everyone! That's a wrap for today!"
The foreman's shout finally signaled the end of the shift.
"You were a huge help today. Everywhere is short-staffed lately."
Due to the recent surge in supernatural crimes, the scale of destruction across the city was increasing. As a result, the construction industry was desperate for hands.
No wonder there was so much work to do. Consequently, a massive workload had landed squarely on my shoulders.
"Give my regards to Shimogaki."
"Ussu."
I had confidence in my stamina, but even I felt the weight of such prolonged labor. All I wanted was to go home and wash off the grime.
"Come to think of it, he did say we were having ramen-ssu."
Replenishing the salt I'd sweated out with a hot bowl of ramen. The mere thought was heavenly.
I’d get gyoza and fried rice too. Of course, it would be on Shimogaki’s dime. Since he’d shoved his job onto me, he owed me that much.
"I'm home~"
With dinner on my mind, the walk back went by in a flash. I climbed the creaking, rusted stairs and entered our cramped, old apartment.
"Wait, he's not back yet-ssu?"
The room was pitch black. Shimogaki hadn't returned. He said he’d be back by evening, but the sun had already vanished completely.
Ping!
While I was debating whether to shower first, a notification chimed from my phone.
I checked the screen. It was a message from Shimogaki. It read:
'run'
A single word. Blunt, clipped, and screaming of an emergency.
"!?"
Something had happened to him. Faster than my conscious mind could even process a response, my body reacted, and I vaulted out of the house.
"Factor Release...! Machine Kaijin Androbod!!"
Activating my latent ability, I projected a portion of my consciousness into the digital network via the surrounding electrical signals.
Tracing the source of the message, I locked onto the location coordinates and began to run at full speed.
I had only one destination: the place where Shimogaki was.