Chapter 33
Actually, there are rumors that they are secretly connected to the "United Kingdom" and are also doing business with Ruri... ?
I was walking through the nightlife district, quite far from the centre of the imperial capital.
On the street, the calls of street vendors selling dubious magical tools, the shouts of male prostitutes from the entertainment district, and the voices of drunken women fighting echo through the air.
(Ugh, this whole street smells bad.)
The smell of food wafting from the tavern, the strong perfume of the male prostitute, and the stench of vomit and sweat from the drunken woman.
Various smelly substances are mixed together, and a terrible odor that makes the stomach feel sour is wafting throughout the area.
Well, this isn't the time to be dawdling around.
I shifted my mindset and focused my consciousness again on the magical probe emitted by the low-level spirit I had attached t Hanaya during the day.
(Is the source here?)
At the end of the crowd, there was a building emitting a suspicious light.
A large sign reading "Devil's Playground" made of neon ore was prominently displayed on the building.
(Devil's Playground, huh?) What a fitting name for a store.
In front of the store, a few girls with glazed eyes are loitering.
If you look closely, it seems they have sharp blades tucked at their waists. They look like bodyguards of this nightclub.
Somehow, I've always been bad at places where these rough-looking types gather, even in my past life.
Well, I can't really say that right now.
According to Erika (and the Jougasaki family), Ruri is suspected of betraying the secret police and the "Empire" along with Hanaya, and of colluding with the "United Kingdom."
Not only that, but Erika suspected that the reason I often fell asleep or lost my memory when I met with Ruri was because Ruri was using
"I'll be taken back home at the beginning of next week. Before that, I'll kill Washimine."
Recalling the resolute expression on Erika's face when she said that during the recent field trip made me shudder.
It's the kind of girl who suddenly locked me up. If I get involved, she might really commit murder.
Feeling a sense of crisis, I blurted out, "I have proof that Ruri-nee isn't betraying us. I'll show you the proof after the celebration at the 'Teito Radio Tower' this weekend," and somehow managed to keep Erika at bay for the moment.
(Sigh, if Ruri-nee really is making under-the-table deals with Hanaya and connecting with the "United Kingdom"... what should I do...)
I sighed and hid myself using the optical camouflage I had learned by watching others, through the
To get past the bodyguard, I will sneak in at the same time as other customers.
Inside the club, there was quite loud music playing.
If I were to describe it as a song with an EDM-like rhythm from the world of my previous life, would that convey the idea?
In this world... there are also such intense dance music, I thought, somewhat escapist, as I looked inside the store.
Women who look like they belong to the underworld are downing drinks.
On the woman's side, male prostitutes dressed as bunny girls (or rather, in this world... bunny boys?) were flocking around, performing oral sex.
Hmm, it definitely feels like a reversed world scene, but the creepiness outweighs the eroticism here.
I felt a slight discomfort in my chest, but I pushed through the nightclub, following Hanaya's trail.
It seems that this store has floors not only above ground but also underground, and the VIP seats where Hanaya is located seem to be on the underground side.
(There she is... Hanaya!)
In my line of sight, there is a middle-aged woman of average build with a defiant expression, downing her drink.
However, when viewed through eyes imbued with magical power, the veil of her appearance crumbled away, revealing her true form a woman with a sturdy body like a bear, Hanaya's figure.
"You two were late. We already started without you."
As Hanaya leaned against the sofa and said that, two women appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by their attendants.
One of them had a face like a Shigaraki ware tanuki statue. With her beer belly, she really looked like a tanuki.
The other woman in the dark suit is... Ruri-nee?!
Even when viewed through the
When I recognized her figure, I could feel the blood drain from my face, so much so that I could tell myself.
Through Erika, I heard that Ruri had contacted Hanaya.
However, despite that, my desire to believe in her, Ruri, prevailed, and when I looked through the
While feeling a lead-like heaviness in my chest, I carefully used my magical powers to enhance my hearing, trying to catch what those guys were saying amidst the club's booming BGM.
"Still looking as gloomy as ever, Phyrus."
"Haah, so, Mr. X, haven't I told you many times to stop mentioning your real name in public?"
The woman called Phyllis furrows her brow in protest.
However, Hanaya (apparently known as "X" outside) seems unconcerned.
"D... still has that nauseating face as always."
Code named "D", Ruri, even when spoken to harshly, remains unresponsive, arms crossed.
When Hanaya started to show irritation at her attitude, Phyllis hurriedly shifted the conversation to the "main topic" to change the atmosphere.
"Alright, both of you. This is the final meeting, the last confirmation before tomorrow's uprising... D, are the towers ready?"
Phyllis said that and began to spread something like a map on the desk.
However, I can't see well because of the entourages surrounding the VIP seats where those guys are sitting.
"It's ready to be activated at any time. We've already conducted small-scale experiments."
"Lord X..."
"The curtains... and the attendees... are all perfect. Phyllis, we've checked everything more than enough, so it should be fine. Let's drink heartily today in celebration of our victory."
(Insurrection, tower, curtain, and attendees... What on earth is this about?)
The words coming out of their mouths one after another confuse my head.
I want to organize my thoughts, but I can't help but be distracted by the presence of the woman called D, Ruri.
I concentrated my magical power even more into my eyes and continued to watch D.
However, no matter how much I concentrate, his face remains Ruri's face. Ruri-nee, you really...
Perhaps influenced by the turmoil in my heart, the
I quickly calm my magical wavelength.
The wavelength disturbance is very slight.
Besides, in such a crowded environment, I figured no one would notice.
However, it seems that was too naive of a thought when it came to Ruri.
Ruri's gaze, which had been fixed on the scroll spread out on the low table, suddenly lifted and turned towards me.
"It seems like a mouse has snuck in."
She said that and then unleashed a barrage of
The protective membrane covering my body shatters with a glass-like deafening sound.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I turned my back and decided to run away.
As I moved my feet towards the exit in a daze, a storm of screams and cries began to erupt inside the store.
The explosive flames unleashed by Ruri engulf the entire club in hellish fire, while Hanaya's entourage recklessly unleashes their "Wind Blade Magic," wreaking havoc on chandeliers and tables.
Amid the screams of the customers and male prostitutes hit by stray bullets, I occasionally hear Hanaya shouting to his attendants, "A rat got in! Catch it!"
Those guys really have no sense of decency!
Ignoring the mafia-looking customer writhing in agony after being hit by the
The stairs leading to the ground floor are like an atrium.
I threw several bolts of
However, just as I thought I could spread my wings and soar up the stairs in one go... the next moment, I was slammed hard against the ground by the
Damn it, the shock from the fall is making it hard to breathe, so my magic isn't stabilizing...
I stand up, gasping for breath, my legs trembling like a newborn fawn.
I can see Ruri approaching from the other side with a leisurely gait.
The transformation into a swallow has been undone, and my true form is fully revealed, yet there is no trace of surprise in her eyes.
Having received Ruri's
I woke up inside a birdcage that was rattling.
It seems my body has been transformed into a swallow again by the
Whether it's because of the
I want to change my position to alleviate the pain, but my wings are tightly bound by chains formed from magical power, making it impossible to move.
If I really put my mind to it, it seems like I could easily burn it with magic, but for now, it seems better to just observe.
Peeking through the gaps in the mesh, I caught a glimpse of Ruri's face holding a basket and the surroundings given the building's atmosphere, it seemed to be the headquarters of the armed secret police. I started to think about when I could escape from this place.
"Hey, Deputy Chief Washimo. Didn't you say you wouldn't be coming to the office today?"
"The schedule has changed a bit. After doing some paperwork in the room, I plan to return right away."
"Ah, I see."
Ruri responded to her subordinate in the hallway with a magnanimous demeanor and then headed to her office.
On the door of the room, a talisman inscribed with magical patterns is displayed.
When Ruri stood in front of the door, the pattern of the protective talisman gradually changed, forming a pair of bulging eyes with a creepy stare and a mouth smeared with red lipstick.
"Magic wavelength authentication complete. Welcome back, Lord Washimine."
The eye of the talisman peered into Ruri's eye, performed an iris recognition, and unlocked the lock.
When Ruri entered the room, she took me, who was in the form of a small bird, out of the cage and tossed me onto the chair.
At the same time, as the
Ruri completely ignored my call and was rummaging through the desk chaotically.
"Ah, there it is, there it is. Oh, it's already time. As expected, the effect of the Transformation Potion doesn't last more than half a day."
"Huh?! Ruri... you have a beard on your face... who on earth are you?!"
Peeking out from behind the desk, Ruri's face was covered in stubble, and his features were transforming into those of a rugged man.
Her large watermelon-sized breasts rapidly deflated like a water balloon bursting, transforming into a solid, muscular physique.
The man cast a spell of contraction on his oversized shirt, adjusted its size, and then placed a chair facing backward in front of him and sat down.
"Not just the spirit, but even through the 'Evil Eye,' I can't see through it..."
"It seems like you're quite genuinely surprised."
The man in a suit twisted his handsome bearded face with satisfaction.
"Hmph, what I'm using isn't 'Transformation Magic.' We, the 'People's Federation,' have the latest magical technology that those monkeys from the 'Empire' don't have."
In this world where beauty and ugliness are reversed, my potato face is considered more handsome than his... but that handsome guy's smile is still infuriating.
Ignoring my irritation, the man in the dark suit, with a lewd grin on his face, began inserting the black disk he must have pulled from the desk earlier into the projector in the room, saying, "There's something even more surprising for you."
In front of Hanaya and the others, he had a stiff demeanor, but judging by his cocky way of speaking, this might be his true nature.
If it's someone as frivolous as this, I might be able to extract various pieces of information.
"Wow, I didn't notice at all. As expected of an agent from the 'People's Federation.' What terrible things are you planning in the 'Empire' from now on?"
"Hehehe, are you trying to flatter me to extract information? You don't need to think about that; I'll tell you everything in detail later. But first, take a look at this."
He dismissed my awkward forced smile with a snort and started the projector.
I had a puzzled expression on my face, but I was so shocked by the flowing images that my mouth fell open and wouldn't close.
"W-What is this? What on earth is going on...?"
The footage transitions from the past to the future, switching scenes one after another.
A few years ago, when I visited Ruri's family home, her private room, the armed secret interrogation room, Ruri's instructor's room, and so on.
However, there were two people, a man and a woman, who appeared unchanged in the shifting scenes. It was me and Ruri, our vacant eyes exposed and stripped bare.
In the video, Ruri would every time tease my body sexually with an entranced expression.
"Kai, I love you."
Saying that, Ruri was initially satisfied with just touching my body and making me say "I like you," but gradually her actions escalated.
Fellatio, nipple licking, and drinking from each other's mouths, ending with tears in the instructor's room... the video concluded with these perverse acts.
"Hey, no way you transformed and are doing this with me..."
When I sensed the worst possibility and checked just in case, he, in a suit, made a grimaced like he was about to vomit and waved his hand, saying, "I don't have such a habit."
"What do you mean by this? Is this also an image created by your magic?"
"Hehehe, that's not it. This actually happened. You were played by that woman Washimine with her
No good. Too many things have happened today, and my head feels like it's going to explode.
That always calm and gentle Ruri... even doing things like that and this to me...
I can't help but look up at the sky in disbelief.
The man in the dark suit, seeing that, probably thought I was in quite a shock. He started talking to me in a soothing voice.
"Hehehe, it's shocking, isn't it? Being sexually tormented by such an ugly woman and being forced to say you like her..."
'It's absolutely not true that Ruri is ugly, but still, it doesn't change the fact that it's shocking, just as he said.'
Ahh, geez! The beautiful girls around me, whenever they get involved with me, why do they always end up becoming such twisted disappointments?
When I fell silent, he, misunderstanding something, continued speaking in a gentle tone.
"It's unreasonable, isn't it? Being embraced by a woman you don't even like, and even if you want to complain, it's against some high-ranking official of the Armed Secret. Besides, I heard you were forced to become the son-in-law of a great noble because of your debt."
I wanted to ask where that story was going, but sensing that the conversation was getting closer to the core, I fell silent.
"Why don't you join us and help us destroy this country?"
"Destroying the country?"
"Ah, tomorrow evening, the moment the power is turned on at the 'Teito Radio Tower,' this country will come to an end."
He said that and grinned smugly.