Inside the town's public hall, the so-called Cursed Piano sat quietly under the dim lights.
Narumi Asai took a deep breath, placed her hands on the keys, and began to play Moonlight Sonata.
Her slender fingers danced over the black and white keys, each note resonating with aching sadness.
Ren Kuroda wasn't exactly a connoisseur of classical music, but even he could hear the sorrow woven into her playing — the grief of someone who'd already said goodbye to life.
He leaned casually against a nearby pillar and said, "From your playing… I can tell you're planning to kill yourself."
Narumi let out a faint laugh. "You're sharper than you look. You caught that right away."
She kept playing as she spoke, her voice soft but steady. "My revenge is complete. I don't have any regrets left. Ever since I began down this path, I knew I'd end it myself."
Ren shrugged. "Don't be in such a rush to die. Do me a favor first — then you can go ahead."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuroda," Narumi replied gently. "I don't think I could be of much help to you."
Her tone was polite but firm. She was grateful for his help, but she had no interest in becoming an accomplice to more bloodshed. She'd seen enough death.
Ren raised a hand. "Just hear me out."
"My partner hid the gold we recovered — dumped it into the sea to keep it safe. Once things calm down, we'll come back to fish it out. You're a local; having you help would make things a lot easier."
He paused, then added dryly, "You can still die whenever you want. A few more days won't make much difference, right?"
Narumi hesitated. The piano notes faltered for the first time.
After a moment of thought, she gave a small nod. "You're right… A few more days won't change anything. I'll help you."
"Good." Ren gave her a satisfied smile and turned toward the exit. "I'll come find you when it's time."
He stepped out of the hall — and immediately noticed a bright orange glow lighting up the night sky in the distance.
Fire.
That direction… wasn't that the vacation villa?
As he frowned in thought, a familiar voice called out, breathless: "Mr. Kuroda!"
He turned. Akemi was hurrying toward him, wearing her fox mask and carrying a travel bag over one shoulder.
"You set that fire?" he asked.
"Hah… y-yeah," she panted, tugging the mask up a bit to breathe easier.
Ren grinned. "Nice work! One fire can erase more evidence than hours of cleanup. Much faster."
Akemi blinked, a little surprised by the praise. "I… I actually learned that from a movie," she said with an embarrassed laugh.
Ren chuckled and took the heavy bag from her. "Come on. We're done here. If we head back now, we can still get a couple hours of sleep. I'll stash the gold at your place for now."
"Okay!" Akemi said brightly, following him down the dimly lit road toward town.
After a few minutes, she'd caught her breath and tilted her head curiously. "Weird… after all that noise, how come nobody's come to check it out?"
Ren couldn't help but laugh. "With explosions like that? Anyone smart's staying far away. Only idiots walk toward the gunfire."
"Haha! True enough!" Akemi giggled, realizing how silly her question sounded.
Maybe it was the relief, or maybe the adrenaline had finally worn off, but she looked almost cheerful — bouncing slightly with each step.
"Finally! We've got enough money!" she said happily. "Now my sister and I can leave the Organization for good!"
Ren smiled faintly but said nothing. No point ruining her mood — he could wait a few days before reality caught up to her.
"Then congratulations," he said instead.
"It's all thanks to you, Mr. Kuroda!" Akemi stopped suddenly and bowed deeply — a perfect ninety degrees. "Really, thank you!"
Then she bowed again. And again.
Ren waved his hands quickly. "Hey, hey — that's enough. We helped each other, that's all." He reached out to pull her upright.
"Um… Mr. Kuroda," Akemi said softly, "can I ask you one thing?"
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. Has she figured something out?
"What is it?"
She smiled — shy, hesitant, almost childlike. "Can I see your face? Just once?"
Ren blinked, then frowned. That was a bold request. The face under this mask isn't something you just show people.
"No," he said flatly.
"Please? Just one peek!" Akemi tugged on his sleeve, rocking his arm playfully.
"Absolutely not."
"So stingy!" she pouted. "We've worked together so many times! You can't even let me see what you look like?"
"No."
"Fine…" she sighed dramatically. Then her expression brightened. "Then how about a drink together? Just one — to celebrate!"
"That, I can do," Ren replied. He didn't mind. The System's enhancements made him immune to alcohol anyway.
"Yay! Come on, then!" Akemi cheered, grabbing his hand and pulling him along like an excited child.
Her rented room was a small seaside inn — isolated, quiet, perfect for lying low.
As soon as they got inside, she hurried to the fridge and pulled out two cans of beer.
Pop! Hiss!
She handed one to him, grinning. Ren accepted it, but a faint unease flickered in his mind. She's awfully eager tonight…
"Cheers!" she said brightly, clinking her can against his and taking a huge gulp.
Ren raised his to his lips but only pretended to drink, pressing his mouth against the opening and letting the liquid barely touch his tongue.
"Ahh… that hits the spot!" Akemi sighed happily. "A beer after finishing a job — nothing better!"
"Yeah," Ren agreed lightly, watching her carefully.
After a few quiet moments, his expression hardened. "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?" Akemi tilted her head.
"There's a weird scent in the air," he said. "I noticed it after we left the hall. It's getting stronger."
Akemi sniffed, then giggled. "Oh, that! I smelled it too!"
She waved a hand toward the window. "Probably from the villa fire. Burning buildings make all sorts of smells, right?"
Ren frowned. "Maybe… but I've burned plenty of places, and this doesn't smell like normal smoke."
"Oh!" Akemi snapped her fingers, proud of herself. "That's the smell of drugs burning! I've smelled it before at the club I used to work at."
Ren froze. "Wait— what did you say?"
Akemi nodded enthusiastically. "There were tons of drugs in that warehouse! Like—" she stretched her arms wide "—that big! The whole thing was packed with them!"
"I bet there were hundreds of tons!"
Ren's blood ran cold. "The town mayor… you think he smuggled all that alone?"
"No way," Akemi said. "There's definitely someone bigger behind him. I didn't trust the cops to handle it, so I burned everything myself!"
She beamed, clearly proud of herself.
Ren just stared at her, eyes wide, pointing a trembling finger. "You… you… you—"
He was so stunned he couldn't even finish.
Hundreds of tons of narcotics. All burned.
Which meant the entire island was now blanketed in drug-laced smoke.
That explains it… he realized with horror.
Akemi wasn't acting weird because she was scheming — she was high as a kite.
And probably everyone else on the island was too.
By morning, the rehab clinics were going to be very busy.
"Wha… what's wrong?" Akemi asked sweetly, tilting her head. "Did I do something bad?"
She smiled shyly. "If it weren't for you, I never would've earned ten billion yen so fast. I want to thank you properly."
Then — blushing — she slipped off her jacket, exposing her bare shoulders. Her fingers toyed with the buttons of her blouse.
Ren froze.
Part of him screamed that this was wrong. Another part muttered, She's just expressing gratitude… rejecting her would be rude.
And besides — she'd gone through all that trouble, mustering every bit of courage she had.
If anyone asked later, he could always say—
It was her idea.