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

Chapter 79: The Guy with a Single Strand

"Try not to get lonely, kitty. It’s time for vengeance. And it never waits."

With those words, the figure in the jacket disappeared behind the door.

"..." The cat stood silently in front of the closed door, as if waiting for something.

Several seconds passed like this, until...

"Ahh...! "How am I supposed to leave you when you’re looking at me like that?!"

The man returned, took the cat into his arms, and buried his face in her dark fur.

"..." Her gaze remained just as indifferent.

After a few minutes of this, the man finally left, promising to bring her something tasty.

"..." When the door finally closed, the cat’s gaze fell on the shelf. It lingered on a certain object.

There lay the cigarette case Mr. Nobody had left behind.

...

After walking through the building, he spoke with the downstairs neighbor and checked the sensors and traps at the entrance.

Stepping outside, he was met by bright sunlight and the smell of trash and drugs.

"Ah, what a beautiful day..." he said with a smile. "How do I get to that nightclub, Paymax?"

"The best route would be to take the red subway line and get off one stop early."

"I like the sound of that."

Having received the directions, he was ready to go... But before that, he glanced back at the window of his apartment.

"... " A pair of deep blue eyes watched him from the thirteenth floor.

Any normal person would have been scared. The cat was like a ghost, watching his every move.

"Ooo, just look at that. She’s watching me leave... How sweet."

A wave of warm feelings washed over him. He turned around and started waving at the cat with both hands.

"...Mr. Nobody, if you’re interested in my opinion, it looks like she’s not watching you leave, but waiting for you to finally leave so she can..."

"Shut up," he said without hesitation.

...

Mr. Nobody was riding in a subway car surrounded by two drifters. From the bracelet on his left wrist came a hologram of his broker, Marcel.

"Did you even read the terms of the gig, kid? How are you planning to handle this?"

"Old man... A long time ago, I knew a guy who handled this kind of thing with just a pencil. The question is, how am I any worse?"

"A pencil?!" I’d love to see that lunatic’s face... What was his name?

"Baba Yaga."

"...

"Fine, forget it... Did you find out what I asked for?"

"Mmm..." Marcel lowered his voice to a whisper. "...You mean what it takes to reach the First Step?"

"Yep."

"Haah... I’ll never understand how someone this curious is still alive." Marcel pressed his hand to his face. "I asked, and Schrodinger is indeed willing to talk to you about it. Only face-to-face, you understand why."

"No problem."

"But kid... It’s hardly something you’ll be able to use. After all, if the old man knows something like that, it surely applies to... something that no longer exists."

"To a Path that no longer exists..." Mr. Nobody said thoughtfully. "That’s not a problem. Think of it as me expanding my horizons, just like I want information on achieving the First Steps on other Paths."

"You want to know the conditions for the First Step on every Path?!"

"It’s hardly possible, but I’ll try to find out about at least a couple. Perhaps it will lead me to certain thoughts."

"You’re gonna get yourself killed, kid..."

The darkness of the subway tunnel gave way to bright sunlight. A beautiful view of Como’s skyscrapers came into view through the windows.

"Oh, looks like my stop is coming up soon... Talk to you later, Marcel."

Pushing aside two sleeping vagrants, he climbed onto the seat and opened the train window.

"Wait a second, kid! I’ve been meaning to ask you something..."

"What’s up, old man? I’ve gotta get off."

The train began to slow down.

"Is something going on with you? You haven’t shown up in a while, and also... It seems like you’ve been smiling more often?"

This made Mr. Nobody chuckle.

"Love does that to people, old man. You should know that."

"Seriously?! Did you find yourself a girl?"

"Better than that, Marcel... Better..."

Leaving that comment with a smile, he jumped out of the train window.

...

Once he was on the roof of one of the skyscrapers, he had a perfect view of the nightclub building.

The party

was set to start after sunset, so he still had a couple of hours to spare.

He spent part of that time rereading the files on each of the five band members. According to Paymax, their sins were no better than those of the waitress from Marcel’s bar...

And he would have to kill every single one of them.

"Hah... Now that’s a challenge. Who on earth is capable of killing a bunch of scoundrels with a single strand of hair?"

"In that context, I suppose no one," replied the advanced intelligence.

"That’s the point, Paymax. This stunt will put Mr. Nobody above that damn pencil guy once and for all."

Soon, long, tinted limousines began pulling up to the nightclub building.

The wealthiest guests arrived in private aerial transports and parked them right on the roof.

"It’s starting already... Time to come up with a plan."

Sighing, he turned his gaze to the sky and looked up at the stars.

"..." Paymax fell silent.

"The stars..." He exhaled and spoke. "I hope you’ll be with me today, too."

Closing his eyes, he formed the symbol of a six-pointed star over his chest.

"I pray... become my light once more."

One of the stars in the sky began to shine much brighter. Its light fell directly onto him.

"Haa...!" The warmth growing in his chest transformed into an intense celestial radiance.

Soon, the little star pressed itself against his cheek again, and he couldn’t hold back an embarrassed smile.

...

"Hah... Ha-ha..." Barely holding back a laugh, he walked down the red carpet behind the other people in suits.

That laughter seemed rather ominous... especially considering what it foreshadowed.

’I can’t believe she suggested that... Looks like I’m a bad influence on this little star.’ He shook his head as he approached two burly security guards in dark sunglasses.

"Sir, this is a private party... Do you have an invitation?"

"Of course. Don’t you recognize who I am?"

"We apologize. Please state your name, and we’ll check it against the guest list."

"No problem... John Wick. Today, you may know me as John Wick."