Chapter 159 | Garbage, Thrown From The Rooftop

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[Imoko's Point of View]

Shinji’s ex-girlfriend, Nakatsugawa Imoko, was cornered.

She had believed that Shinji still liked her, but his heart had long since drifted away.

She planned to use his feelings for her to make Kaida Kogen rescind everything that had happened until now. She thought that if she pleaded with him, he would surely help her—after all, he was such a soft-hearted person. But that expectation had been betrayed.

There was no way out anymore.

She had anticipated the worst-case scenario and set some delinquents on standby…

“Don't run away!”

Suddenly, a giant in a suit appeared.

He effortlessly lifted one of the delinquents off the ground.

“L-Let go! Let me go!”

“Kogen-sama told me to take care of you thoroughly. Sorry about this!”

The delinquent struggled to escape from the suited man's grasp. But after holding him with both hands…

“Here we go!”

“Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!”

Incredibly, he threw the delinquent off the rooftop.

Imoko froze in terror.

…This man in a suit had just easily tossed someone off the roof!

“H-H-He’s a killer!!!”

She was terrified.

With an ordinary expression on his face, he discarded someone as if they were nothing more than trash.

The rooftop was now smeared with blood.

From outside, someone was sniping at them.

And the man in front of her…

“Oh look, just throwing out garbage here.”

With a nonchalant attitude akin to tossing out rubbish, he continued capturing delinquents and discarding them without a second thought.

“Ughhhhhhh! Higiiyyy! M-Mommmmmmm!”

The delinquents vanished into the darkness of night as they were thrown off the rooftop.

Imoko didn't want to see what became of them once they hit the ground… she didn’t want to know.

Squash! Squash!

Sounds of something being crushed echoed as more delinquents fell lifelessly downwards.

Their faces—and indeed everywhere on the rooftop—were covered in blood.

“Onee-san, where are you?”

“They’re sniping from that tower over there.”

“A sniper… huh?”

But… what frightened her most wasn't the man in a suit. It was Shinji.

He seemed familiar with both this suited man and the sniper—perhaps even their employer?

This suited man was probably an assassin. After all, he looked just like one!

Moreover, he casually hurled people off rooftops as if it were no big deal at all.

“No way… an assassin…”

“Huh? Me? Noooo way! You flatter me!”

He didn't deny it!

Indeed, this man and whoever this “Ichika” sniper was—they were assassins too. And Shinji employed such killers who dispatched these thugs so easily…

“I-I can't believe it… an assassin…”

“Hey? What's up?”

Shinji seemed relaxed while talking with this assassin. It terrified Imoko beyond measure.

(H-H-How could he be so calm about people dying?! Why is he chatting so casually when… when people are getting killed!!)

The fear consumed her; she couldn’t stand how terrifying Shinji had become—the fact that he could command assassins and remained unfazed even as lives were taken… made him seem like an unspeakably horrifying presence.

“Heh… just cleaning up,”

Saber—the figure known as Saburo—had thrown every last delinquent off the rooftop.

Now it lay soaked in blood—a hellish pool of crimson…

The sniper shot down thugs while Saburo disposed of their bodies without hesitation,

“Well then, only that garbage over there remains.”  

“Higi…!!!!”  

As Saburo and Shinji approached closer,

They stepped heavily upon what lay beneath them with squelching sounds.  

What exactly were they stepping on? It wasn’t clear—but it certainly looked red enough to be human flesh…

“N-No… nooooooo….”

Crying desperately now, Imoko crawled backward frantically but soon found herself cornered against the fence’s edge.

“I beg you… please Shinji-sama… I'm so sorry… please forgive me…”  

Overwhelmed by fear now shaking uncontrollably—it felt like tears and mucus flowed endlessly from her body.  

“I'm begging you… I'm sorry… please forgive me for hurting Matsumoto Rika-sama…I sincerely apologize…”

For once she spoke from her heart—genuinely regretting something…

But—

That regret wasn't for hurting Rika at all!

It dated back to December 24th last year—when she recklessly discarded Shinji without reason or understanding how valuable he truly was!

If only she'd realized back then that Shinji came from wealth—a grandchild of immense fortune—

If only she’d kept him around even as merely someone ‘to hold onto'…

Then perhaps none of this horrible fate would have unfolded: being cast out from home or facing death at an assassin's hands wouldn't have happened…

“Oh no… this is bad.”  

Shinji glanced into Imoko's eyes with disappointment reflecting within them,

“That's enough; it’s clear you haven’t really reflected upon your actions at all…” He gestured toward Saburo,

“Saber-san.”   

“Yes sir!”   

Imoko's shallow regret seemed transparent under Shinji’s gaze—all too easy for him to see through it clearly

Saburo effortlessly lifted Imoko up by one hand,

And experiencing lightness turned into sheer horror when she realized what awaited next.

“Noooooo! Stop! Don't throw me! Let go!!”

Saburo said nothing but reared back just like he’d done before with those other thugs…   

“Shinji-samaaahhhhhh!!! Please!! I swear I won't do anything ever again!! I'll never hurt anyone again! So please!!!! PLEASE!!!!”

“It's too late,”

Saburo released his grip on her completely—

Her body floated through air like leaves scattered in autumn winds…

And then—

Headfirst towards hard unforgiving ground…

“Uggghhhhhh!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”    

No time left nor energy remained for retrospection:  

Grounds rushed forward closing in fast…

“N-Nooo!! I don't want to die!!! Help-meeee-eeeeee!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

Fear severed consciousness completely—

At last mere thoughts manifested reflections upon life lived:  

How did everything get so twisted? What led things here?

Gratitude towards Shinji remained unvoiced; repentance towards hurting Rika faded far behind…

Ultimately—even at life’s end—genuine sincerity never truly emerged within grasping heartstrings…

*Crack!*

★

“To all units from GG…”

“Jirouta: Bring that woman here; handle everyone else according to plan.”

“Nakatsugawa Imoko—did you think falling off a rooftop would grant you mercy?”

“Wasting your final chance given by our grandson—you truly are foolish.”

“I will ensure you understand precisely what injuring Kaida Kogen's grandson means until your very last breath.”

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