Chapter 29: This Great Me Is a Villain Right Now
The moment Gojo Satoru finished his sentence, the system notification rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Impression value from plot character Akai Shuichi increases by 800 points!]
[Impression composition... Cruelty.]
Akai Shuichi didn't answer right away.
His gaze passed over Gojo Satoru's shoulder, falling onto that warm small table nearby.
The father was placing the last piece of chashu pork from his bowl into his daughter's bowl. The little girl said something unknown, making both parents burst into laughter together.
That kind of smile had also appeared in his own memories, a long, long time ago.
"Kill them?"
The moment this thought crossed his mind, a bone-chilling coldness crawled up from the depths of his spine.
They were merely strangers met by chance on the street—ordinary, plain, holding zero connection to any conspiracy.
Yet their lives had turned into a weightless chip in Caesar's hand at this moment, an entry ticket leading to the Organization's front door.
"To you, are human lives truly such worthless things?"
As expected, this man...
Was probably far more ruthless and bloodthirsty than he had imagined.
Akai Shuichi could tell that Caesar's evil wasn't a superficial show of wildness, but something rooted deep within his blood and bones long ago, acting like an instinct as natural as breathing.
Seeing this, he could completely confirm instead that this guy and Satoru were absolutely not the same person.
One was a kind youth passing by to save people without asking for anything in return, while the other was an Organization executive using death as a bargaining chip, holding zero respect for human life.
Such a massive difference... How could they possibly be the same person?
The very last trace of dazed association in his mind was finally washed completely clean by that bone-chilling coldness.
Compared to that, another question was far more pressing right now.
Faced with Caesar's demand, how should he respond?
To be honest, from the moment he resolved to step into the Organization, Akai Shuichi had prepared himself to dirty his hands to gain trust. At the same time, he would comfort himself—most of the Organization's targets held ties to the dark world, so acting against those people would dilute his guilt more or less.
However, the situation with this family of three was entirely different.
This kind of meaningless slaughter was simply way too far removed from everything he had strictly adhered to for over twenty years.
Yet, the person standing here right now wasn't "Akai Shuichi," but "Moroboshi Dai."
As an underground hitman roaming the American black market, "Moroboshi Dai" should have long been used to blood-soaked deals like this.
Trading a few strangers' lives for reliable protection and a steady stream of income seemed like something containing nothing worth hesitating over.
"..."
Silence stretched between the two men. The noise inside the ramen shop felt isolated in another dimension, leaving only the second hand of the old-fashioned wall clock ticking away.
Once, twice, thrice.
"A minor thing like this shouldn't prove too hard for you, right?"
Gojo Satoru leaned back, the arc on his lips still hanging there, yet carrying a bit more of a probing edge.
"Since Moroboshi-kun accepted my invitation, I'll take it as default that you've completely given up on those unrealistic ideas from before, deciding to return to the world where you truly belong..."
"I'm serious, of course."
Akai Shuichi finally lifted his head, his dark green eyes staring straight at that black blindfold: "Faced with the Organization's olive branch, I genuinely want to strive for it."
He paused for a short second, then spat out a few more words.
"...However, please allow me to decline."
"I cannot agree to your request, Mr. Eshima."
The white-haired youth's expression didn't change, nor did his relaxed posture, yet an indescribable, terrifying murderous intent oozed out from him, like a deep-sea undercurrent that looked calm on the surface yet was enough to swallow everything whole.
"What's your reason?"
He opened his thin lips slightly, locking his gaze with pinpoint accuracy on Akai Shuichi's face.
"Could it be that what you said earlier about 'if something must be sacrificed to achieve the goal, then sacrifice it'... was all just to fool me?"
Facing that invisible pressure, Akai Shuichi felt his throat tighten a bit, yet he had to bite the bullet and ask.
"I want to confirm with you whether those people have blocked the Organization's plans, or if they are completely unrelated to the Organization."
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, looking as if he were pondering whether this question was worth answering.
A few seconds later, he spoke up lazily: "It's the latter."
"Then..." Akai Shuichi followed up: "I believe this is an action that is completely unnecessary."
"In fact, besides the parts I mentioned earlier, I hold another principle: never act outside of a mission."
He intentionally placed extra weight on the word "mission."
"If I were already a part of the Organization right now, and clearing them out was a task handed down by the Organization... or if they saw something they shouldn't have seen, I would act immediately without condition. At this moment, though, I don't hold that identity yet."
"Even if I've fallen to this state, there are still some principles I don't plan on giving up."
"..."
Akai Shuichi waited for a short while. Seeing Gojo Satoru remain silent for a long time, he let out a sigh, laying out all those words lingering in his throat.
"When all is said and done, I really can't bring myself to trust anyone from the bottom of my heart, even if it's you, who provided me with a job opportunity—"
"If I take on the risk of killing them, yet you fail to fulfill your promise, the loss would far outweigh the gain for me, wouldn't it?"
This time, the silence didn't last too long.
"Heh... To have this level of honesty is actually worth praising."
A few low chuckles bubbled out of Gojo Satoru's throat, his white hair swaying gently along with them: "That's true as well. Without seeing concrete benefits, anyone would hold reservations."
"Still, if I hadn't looked into your past thoroughly, I would have almost thought... you were letting them off out of mercy, you know?"
Akai Shuichi shuddered all over, yet his expression didn't shift a bit.
He even pulled at the corner of his mouth, looking as if he had heard something absurd beyond measure: "You're joking, sir."
Gojo Satoru didn't cling onto this question any further, instead waving his hand as the dangerous pressure radiating from his body receded slowly like a tide.
"Since you're unwilling, then forget it. It's not like I have any interest in forcing people to do things."
Right after, he added another line.
"Once you formally enter the Organization, show me your determination again then—of course, the prerequisite is that you can pass my other test first."
His tone sounded so relaxed, just like casually bringing up "killing a few people" earlier. As if those weren't three living human lives, but merely a rejected appetizer.
Perhaps this was the fortunate twist within a misfortune.
Akai Shuichi knew full well that his words earlier contained plenty of loopholes. If Caesar had made up his mind to force him to compromise, he really wouldn't have known how to wrap things up.
He lowered his eyes, pressing that sense of relief deep down into his heart, adding a touch of cautious respect into his tone.
"That goes without saying... Thank you for your generosity."
What he didn't know was that Gojo Satoru was letting out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
"Phew—Seriously."
"Finally don't have to keep acting like an evil, cold-blooded big villain!"
On the surface, the white-haired youth still carried an unfathomable composure, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his lips, looking every bit like a high-and-mighty figure holding everything in check.
In reality, if it weren't for performing the pleasure-seeking criminal persona of "Caesar" in front of Shuichi, he would have long slouched his entire body into the chair back like usual, tearing up while letting out a big yawn.
That's right, everything from start to finish was pure acting.
Lines had to be thought through, expressions had to be controlled, and movements couldn't be too large for fear of ruining his aura.
That long silence lasting over ten seconds wasn't meant to build up pressure on purpose; he was purely taking the chance to space his brain out, while casually figuring out what to eat for dinner.
The system caught this in its eyes and couldn't resist complaining in his head: [Hey hey, is this some new type of idol baggage? I remember you didn't hold yourself so stiffly even during meetings back at the Gojo residence, right?]
[Can those two even compare? This great me is a villain right now, a villain! This is called an actor's professional discipline, you don't get it.]
Besides, who made Shuichi suddenly flash that familiar glance earlier, as if looking at an old friend or something? He had very likely seen the shadow belonging to "Satoru" on him.
That was definitely not a good sign.
Gojo Satoru held absolute confidence in the power of the "Villain Aura," but Shuichi held high intelligence. If he kept doubting like this, his identity mask might get exposed clearly one day.
Still, even if his distillery identity got exposed, it wasn't any major issue... At the very least, it couldn't compare to the crisis level of dropping his police academy identity mask.
Hmm, should he just strip off his blindfold directly and give Shuichi a good scare?
...No, no, at least now wasn't the time yet. Playing two roles by himself—something so entertaining—how could it be wrapped up so easily?
Gojo Satoru found a legitimate reason for himself in his heart with utmost righteousness.
He wasn't hiding his identity purely for fun, definitely not!
He was clearly doing it to... maintain the suspense of the plot! To guarantee the multi-faceted nature of the character! To harvest even more impression values at the moment the truth got revealed down the road!
[So, to make the two identity masks show an obvious contrast, and to make Shuichi give up those dangerous associations completely, I can only put effort into acting.]
Hearing his explanation, the system replied with relief: [Not bad at all, you already possess the awareness to consciously separate your identity masks now. This point deserves recognition.]
[However, have you thought about what would happen if Akai Shuichi actually agreed to your demand just now, killing innocent people just to enter the Organization?]
[I only offered that condition because I held total certainty he would refuse.] Gojo Satoru answered in his mind: [If he really agreed like a complete psycho, I could also just casually say 'Ah, I was joking just now, you actually took it seriously, hahahaha' to brush it off, you know.]
[...So, Lord Caesar's credibility value in front of his future subordinate was just thrown away so casually by you?]
[Huh?]
[I'm saying, going back on your word and breaking promises—doesn't this count as a form of persona breakdown?]
[It's not a breakdown at all.] Gojo Satoru declared with total righteousness: [This is a cute trait!]
The system went offline for 0.3 seconds.
[Where on earth is that cute! You clearly didn't think of an emergency backup plan at all, didn't you! You're completely doing an ad-lib performance!!]
Gojo Satoru ignored the system, instead stealing a glance at that family sitting nearby without leaving a trace.
Although he knew Shuichi wouldn't agree to a condition like that, it was an undeniable fact that he had placed an innocent family of three under the risk of death without permission.
"Sorry about that, my words from earlier don't count, okay? I actually hope you all live long, happy, and healthy lives."
Right at that moment, the staff walked over from the kitchen holding a tray, setting two large bowls of steaming hot ramen firmly onto the table.
"Sorry for the wait, please enjoy!"
The soup was rich and milky white, the chashu pork gave off a mouth-watering aroma, seaweed floated halfway at the soup's edge, and the soft-boiled egg was cut in half, the golden yolk flowing gently, looking extremely tempting.
Akai Shuichi could sense that Caesar's mood seemed to brighten up visibly.
Was it because of the presence of delicious food?
"Even a guy who treats human life like grass can't resist the craving for good food... Perhaps this can count as a weakness worth exploiting."
"Well then, I'm digging in~"
Gojo Satoru picked up a bunch of noodles, blew on the heat gently, and popped them into his mouth to chew.
His hand holding the chopsticks looked quite handsome, and his dining posture was pleasing to the eye. Even if it was just an ordinary bowl of tonkotsu ramen, he managed to eat it with the refined feel of Kaiseki cuisine. If only that emotionless mechanical voice inside his mind weren't buzzing.
[Keep acting, go ahead and keep acting.]
[Back when the police academy cafeteria ran an event, you competed with Matsuda Jinpei in a ramen-eating contest, sucking down a whole bowl in three bites. The soup splashed onto your bangs and you didn't even bother wiping it, and in the end, you even swiped the chashu pork from his bowl!]
The system kept nagging without end: [That scene was so wild I can't even forget it...]
Gojo Satoru acted as if he heard nothing, popping the second bite of noodles into his mouth without changing his face, his posture remaining exceptionally elegant.
He didn't forget to remind Akai Shuichi along the way.
"Right, Moroboshi-kun, remember to eat your fill."
"...I will."
Akai Shuichi felt a bit clueless, yet nodded along obediently.
"That's good then~" Gojo Satoru explained with a smile: "Because the upcoming test requires quite a bit of physical stamina, you see."
He paused for a second, unsure of what crossed his mind, then added another line with utmost solemnity.
"—It's a proper test, okay."
Akai Shuichi: "..."
"Why specifically emphasize 'proper'? Shouldn't it be proper to begin with?"
Could it originally be improper??