Chapter 263 – Kill Me If You Can

“…U-Uhh… What…?” (Saniwa)
Riwa’s puzzled voice hinted that she was also confused by Ryoji’s sudden change.

Then, Ryoji began to explain while holding his sides with laughter.

“My mother hating me…? Just saying something like that makes me laugh. Ah, damn, that’s hilarious! Of course that’s a lie!” (Oshikura)
“A l-lie?” (Saniwa)
“That’s right, Riwa. A lie. You’re too kind, Riwa. You still show sympathy for the man who hurt her best friend.” (Oshikura)
“You’re horrible… Why would you lie about something like that?!” (Saniwa)
“…No reason, really. There’s no meaning behind it.” (Oshikura)
“Eh?” (Saniwa)
“There’s no meaning behind my lies. I’ve always been like this. I made myself look perfect from the outside because I thought it was funny. Most people actually believed me. I enjoyed deceiving people like that. So it wasn’t really a pain in the ass.” (Oshikura)
“You’ve always been like that…? …Since when?” (Riwa)
“Let’s see… Since elementary school, I guess.” (Oshikura)
…Then…

“Then what about the kind, gentle Ryoji-kun that we knew? The Ryoji-kun that always helped me and Kei-chan out whenever we were in trouble… Was that all fake?” (Riwa)
“Oi, oi, calling it fake is going too far. I was just putting on an act, you know? Acting like the kind, gentle childhood friend that you two wished me to be.” (Oshikura)
I couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come out. It also seemed to be that way for Riwa, who had asked the question.

Who could have thought that the Ryoji that we had been seeing all this time was just a persona he put on?

I thought he had done something that terrible to me because he had gone crazy when he was in high school and had gotten involved with the wrong people.

After all, since we were kids, Ryoji had always been a kind and well-behaved boy. He was liked by everyone. That was one of the reasons I’d been attracted to him.

But as it turned out, he was just acting well-behaved from the very beginning. In other words, it wasn’t someone else’s influence that had messed him up. He was crazy from the very beginning.

No… That… That’s too sad…!

“Kei-chan….” (Shakuhara)
I was trembling with pity, anger, and fear, but I still tried to call out to Riwa out of concern.

Riwa was clearly shocked, unable to even put words together. Founder-sama and Aoyama were taken aback by the sheer degeneracy of this man’s character.

In the midst of all this, there was one person who remained calm as he watched on.

“…Hm, I see. In other words, you’re a rotten human completely beyond saving.”
It was Torimoto.

“Hah? Right, who the hell are you? I thought there were no men in the Maiden’s Rebirth Order?” (Oshikura)
“Yeah. I suppose that’s a lack of research on your part. I am Torimoto Kentaro—a Restorer.”
“Restore…? What do you mean?” (Oshikura)
“I don’t expect you to understand. But then again, with a head as rotten as yours, I doubt you’d ever understand even in your entire lifetime.” (Torimoto)
“…I see. So you want to die, then.” (Oshikura)
This time, Ryoji pointed his gun at Torimoto and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

But Torimoto sidestepped it deftly, dodging the shot.

“Tch… Hey, bastard. If you dodge again, I’ll shoot the others first.” (Oshikura)
Oshikura pointed the gun at Founder-sama. He was complete scum. I couldn’t fathom how he could just shoot at people without even batting an eye. He must have killed a lot of people in his lifetime.

When Ryoji threatened to shoot Founder-sama, Torimoto let out a big sigh.

“Good grief… It seems that you are the type of human my master hates.” (Torimoto)

…Master?

I didn’t understand what he meant. By master, that must mean that he was working for someone. But after all this time interacting with Torimoto, I hadn’t heard anything of that sort from him before.

After all, he had been traveling for a long time. That was why I found it strange.

At that moment, Ryoji pointed his gun at Torimoto again. The guns of the other men too.

“Don’t move, alright? Well… If you beg for your life, I might consider letting you go.” (Oshikura)
“…You must feel happy making other people listen to you, huh? You’re a pathetic man.” (Torimoto)
“…Hah?” (Oshikura)
“You must have deceived and hurt so many people with violence and power. That’s how you were able to get things done the way you wanted. But… not everyone will yield to such corrupt power.” (Torimoto)
“What did you say?” (Oshikura)
“Come on, go ahead and shoot.” (Torimoto)
Torimoto smiled, spreading both of his arms.

As I watched him, for some reason, my trembling stopped.

“T-Torimoto! What are you saying?! Stop!” (Shakuhara)

Why am I even concerned for Torimoto, a man? Even I was surprised when the words left my mouth.

But Torimoto remained still, showing no signs of fear.

“…That’s not even a threat, you know?” (Oshikura)
“So, what’ll it be?” (Torimoto)
“Why aren’t you scared? Why won’t you beg for your life? Do you really wanna die that badly?” (Oshikura)
“Go ahead. Kill me if you can.” (Torimoto)
“What?” (Oshikura)
What in the world was Torimoto saying? Ryoji could hurt someone or kill them without even batting an eyelid, and yet Torimoto was telling him to kill him if he could. Ryoji’s eyes were the same as mine… The eyes of a murderer.

Despite that, why isn’t he scared?

“…I don’t like this. I don’t know why you’re so confident, but… you shouldn’t look down on the yakuza, you know?” (Oshikura)
Ryoji’s finger tightened around the trigger. Of course, no one could stop him.

“Torimoto, ru—” (Shakuhara)
I immediately cried out, but before I could finish, a gunshot rang out, hitting Torimoto square in the chest.