Mito, the silver-haired beauty in a maid outfit, looked at Takeo Samejima, who had been slammed violently against the wall and knocked unconscious.
Gouts of blood spilled from his mouth; the massive internal hemorrhaging from his ruptured organs was obvious. It was clear he would die soon even if left alone.
However, her opponent was the holder of the Pleasure Killer title. She needed to be absolutely certain.
"Obito-sama, he still appears to be alive. Please, deliver the finishing blow."
"……"
"Obito-sama?"
Mito turned back toward her silent, motionless partner and called his name again.
Obito—the man with the intimidating face better known as the Headshot Yakuza—hadn't moved an inch from where he had delivered the kick. He remained fixed in place, staring at Takeo by the wall.
Is he being cautious? she wondered, but that didn't seem to be the case. Then what was weighing on his mind? Even for Mito, reading the thoughts of a partner whose expression rarely changed was no easy task. At this moment, she had no idea what he was thinking.
"Obito-sama, the finishing blow."
"……"
The only thing she knew for sure was that, for some reason, Obito didn't look like he was going to move.
Mito let out a heavy sigh at her partner's whim and exercised her Spatial Magic to retrieve a weapon she had stored in her Sub-space.
It was a slender rapier adorned with intricate engravings.
"It can't be helped. Very well, I shall finish him myself."
"——!"
She felt someone gasp behind her. It wasn't Obito. It was the survivor who had luckily remained alive—Mashiro Hinata.
However, Mito didn't care about Hinata’s reaction.
She began walking toward the unconscious Takeo—
"Wait."
"……Obito-sama? What is the meaning of this?"
She was forced to stop just as she took a step.
When she looked back, Obito was holding a silver handgun he had pulled out at some point, its muzzle pointed directly at Mito's head.
If this were an ordinary handgun, it would pose no threat to Mito given her Status. With the HP barrier constructed based on Mito's Endurance value, a bullet fired from point-blank range wouldn't even reach her skin.
However, the handgun Obito held was no ordinary pistol. What emerged from that muzzle were not lead slugs, but rounds of pure magic. Furthermore, the one constructing those magical bullets was one of the top-level mage-type Explorers in Japan.
Mito possessed combat capabilities far beyond that of a general Explorer, but even to her, Obito's true strength was in an entirely different league.
If she took a hit from Obito, even Mito wouldn't escape unscathed.
"Don't kill him," Obito stated bluntly.
"Oh my? Obito-sama, what is this all of a sudden? The request is to ensure the young man is disposed of, is it not?"
"I never accepted any request. You just brought me along on your own."
"You didn't object, either.…Besides, if you say you aren't accepting the request, then I should be free to kill him myself."
"I won't allow you to kill him."
"…Surely, you aren't feeling sympathy for him?"
A cold and ruthless intellectual yakuza—Obito appeared to be nothing else. A man like him couldn't possibly feel sympathy for another person—especially one he had met only once just the other day.
Therefore, the question was merely a confirmation. A way to find out what he was actually thinking.
But Obito's response exceeded Mito's expectations.
"I am."
"…What!?"
An unexpected affirmation.
Mito couldn't judge whether he was being truthful or lying, but since he had confirmed it, she had no choice but to proceed with the conversation assuming that was his stance.
"…Do you understand? He is a holder of the Pleasure Killer title. His Status functions are currently suspended, so he won't go on a rampage, but once his Status reboots, he will immediately start killing again. This is regardless of his own will. Killing him here would be for his own sake as well, you know?"
"You guys should be able to do something about it."
"I do not possess such an ability."
"I didn't say 'you.' I said 'you guys.'"
"Us…? No, it is still impossible. Even Sister doesn't have such an ability… Wait!? Are you talking about the Master!?"
"……"
"You want us to take the Pleasure Killer to the Master!? That is out of the question!! What if the Master is put in danger!?"
"There is no danger. I'll go with you."
"That isn't the point!! I am saying that bringing an unqualified person to the Master is the problem!!"
"Carry him while he’s unconscious and treat him. That’s all."
"No!! First of all, we have no obligation or benefit in doing such a thing! What is the point of going through all that trouble to save him!?"
"He might become a collaborator for you guys."
"I will agree that he could acquire sufficient strength. However, he is not the only special one! There is no need to fixate on him!"
"……Then I will no longer cooperate with you all."
"—What!? Are you serious, Obito-sama!?"
"If you're going to finish him, then I am your enemy."
"~~~~!!?"
Obito was different from the other "collaborators." He was a person of such skill that he might eventually become an existence on par with Mito's Master.
This was not a matter Mito could decide on her own authority. The title Pleasure Killer had that much of an impact on society. For her lord’s plan, he was an existence that had to be deleted before he became widely known.
That said, Obito defecting here would also have too great an impact. He was already an indispensable piece for her lord.
Unable to reach a conclusion, Mito agonized. Obito urged her to answer quickly.
"Give me an answer before he dies. One more minute. I won't wait any longer."
"!!?"
Mito couldn't answer—but then—
"!? Sister!?"
She suddenly gasped and looked up into the void, her unfocused eyes directed somewhere else as she began to converse with someone who wasn't there.
"Yes… Yes… That is correct. But… Eh!? The Master!? However, in that case… Yes… Yes… I understand."
As she finished the conversation, she turned back toward Obito.
With a look of great reluctance, Mito spoke.
"It seems the Master has accepted Obito-sama's proposal.…I will now teleport him and Obito-sama to the Master."
"I see."
Obito nodded, lowered his Magic Gun, and tucked it into the shoulder holster beneath his jacket.
"However… what shall we do with her?"
Next, Mito turned her gaze toward Hinata, who was sitting nearby, trembling under the influence of Obito's Intimidation.
"She has overheard our conversation; we cannot simply leave her be."
"…I'll make her keep quiet later.…Hey. Don't leave this room until we get back. Just sit there and wait."
"…………"
"Got it?"
"…………!"
Trembling with fear, Hinata could only nod desperately.