I'll Be Villain to Everyone! Except for my Cat...

Chapter 117: One Step Away from Darkness

The sound of a foot tapping against the floor filled the cabin.

"..." Noir turned his head, but Mr. Nobody sat completely still. The echoes of music from his headphones blended with the hum of the AVI.

Only when he looked down did Noir realize that it was his own foot tapping the floor.

He clenched his left fist, but the sensation spread across nearly his entire left side. An unpleasant feeling.

"H-haah..." He tried to breathe, but realized that even his throat trembled.

The suit hid his face, but he was stunned by the realization.

Noir unconsciously raised his hand to the left side of his head... but stopped short of touching the cold metal.

Then he jerked his hand back sharply.

"..." The girl across from him was looking at him.

He let out something like a forced chuckle, then nudged his neighbor’s shoulder.

"Hey, bro, why are you listening to music through this old thing?"

Mr. Nobody took off one of his earbuds.

"Classical deserves proper respect."

"Classical...? Let me hear it."

The left side of Noir’s helmet slid open slightly, revealing his ear.

Mr. Nobody noticed a scar running further down... But he said nothing and handed one earbud to Noir.

Together, they began listening to his player.

Seeing Noir’s reaction, Kuronuma eagerly clutched the cat’s fur and tried to catch the sound.

"W-what is this even?" Noir felt his breath catch. It hit him like a wall of sound. "W-what kind of classical music is this? This is madness!"

"Think of it as modern classical." He shrugged, showing no sign of shock. "Dubstep."

"...It sounds like a soundtrack for a massacre."

Noir calmed his breathing but didn’t take out his earbud.

His foot stopped tapping.

...

A few minutes later, their AVI came to a hover.

The rear section opened, and gusts of wind swept inside. Knowing her part of the job, Kuronuma took off her cap and stood facing the open sky, still holding the cat in her arms.

For five minutes, the girl frowned and grimaced, her horn flickering crimson.

Mr. Nobody thought this might not end very well... But, surprisingly, she pulled it off. The only consequences were shortness of breath, her aura of terror was slightly strained, and the instability of her horn.

It seemed too smooth, almost suspiciously smooth.

Was it because Kuronuma was good at handling this? Or had the Fool Baals deliberately allowed her to sense them?

Or... was there something else at play?

"...Well done. You handled that well." He patted her on the shoulder without making a big deal of it and handed her the player. "Keep this for now."

Kuronuma transmitted what she sensed to Sofien via the link, and she was apparently already working on organizing and analyzing it. A hologram identical to the one that appeared from Mr. Nobody’s bracelet during calls projected from her gray bracelet.

It would be easy to explain it away as transferring the communication channel from the Neodeck to this bracelet for visual purposes. It seemed even Sofien hadn’t noticed that Kuronuma didn’t have a Neodeck... So Noir hadn’t figured it out either?

What if he had?

"Ah... T-thank you." A sweet smile blossomed on the girl’s face. It seemed she had been eagerly awaiting the chance to use the player.

"..."

Only now did he realize how suspicious he had become in the lead-up to the mission. It seemed his nervousness was this was how it manifested.

He reactivated his helmet and, turning to Noir, nodded. Noir handed him a bomb in an armored capsule, then secured the other two in a position without affecting his balance.

The wind buffeted their massive suits.

Together, they approached the edge and prepared to jump.

"S-señor!" Kuronuma suddenly exclaimed. She stepped closer, the wind ruffling her dull white hair. "I’ve been meaning to tell you...!"

"Yes?" He turned around.

"One of the reasons I joined this mission is you! I wanted to repay you and help you in some way!" The girl’s pale cheeks flushed pink. "A-and also, one of the reasons I decided to stay in Concord is you as well!"

"...I see."

Noir, standing at the edge, could barely hold back his laughter.

"Hey, maybe you could save your family drama for later? Sofien is already starting to yell in my ear."

"P-please, come back safe...!" the girl exclaimed at the end.

"...Don’t worry."

He took a couple of steps back until he felt that the metal surface of the AVI was no longer touching his heels. He balanced on the edge, heels hanging off, locking eyes with the predatory blue gaze.

"..."

"Don’t get lonely, kitty." He gave a quick salute from his temple and let himself fall backward. "I’ll be back soon."

"Show-off..." Noir smirked and jumped after him.

The two figures in suits vanished. Kuronuma didn’t watch them fall.

Instead, she held the cat even tighter.

"And also... Please forgive me, Señor." She whispered into the void.

"..." Only the black cat witnessed her words.

...

Falling from a height of more than a kilometer was no small ordeal for the human body. But at the same time, it was strangely exhilarating.

He had never experienced such sensations before; he had never even dreamed of it... But now he couldn’t fully enjoy them.

Just around his heels and on the sides of his back, four small generators activated on the suit. Apparently, they functioned like jet engines and slowed his descent without the need for a parachute.

Paymax had already linked with the suit and was controlling them, guiding him into a smooth landing.

*Tap...* He landed on the grass so smoothly, as if he hadn’t just fallen from over a kilometer, but had merely continued the step he’d started inside the AVI cabin.

*Thud!* Noir landed a moment later with a loud crash. His left fist and knee, mimicking a superhero’s landing, slammed into the ground, sending dirt flying in all directions.

"Damn, brother, are you a cat?! How can you land on your feet so easily?"

"Shhh..." He raised his index finger to his lips.

Noir fell silent.

A faint breeze rippled the green grass at their feet.

He listened closely, but all that could be heard was the quiet of the night and the occasional chirp of insects. No birds.

They had landed on an ordinary patch of grass, and a gloomy forest began ahead. In the darkness, it looked black...

No, it was completely black. It was a forest consisting entirely of burnt-out trees.

The sense of horror emanating from it was not merely an atmosphere. It was very real, almost alive.

’Just like the good old days...’ he thought, letting out a tense breath.

Signaling to Noir with a gesture, he rested his hand on the revolver, hidden in his suit.

Then he stepped forward, straight into the burnt-out forest.

Hoping that this time he wouldn’t have to play the sacrificial lamb.