Chapter 17 - Half the Burden
Several years ago, when the Flower Sword Sarame Akame was still living a normal life.
At that time, Akame was living a truly enviable happy life.
She could freely use the power she possessed, and she also had the excellent reputation of being one of the Three Great Sword Saints.
She wasn’t lacking in money, and she had never received inadequate treatment anywhere. The name of Flower Sword carried that much weight.
And, although it wasn’t widely known, she also had a lover whom she truly loved.
Unlike herself who was S-rank, he was B-rank, but he was a superhuman who always strived to improve himself. A man who lived each day diligently.
The two, who had become acquainted while running dungeons together, slowly became close and eventually became a couple, and they had continued their relationship until then.
And in the third year of dating him, on her birthday, the incident occurred.
“Oh my, oppa, what’s this? To rent out an entire restaurant like this? It must not have been easy!”
“Hahaha… Today is a special day. I worked hard for Akame!”
“Thank you, oppa! This is really touching?!”
How could she not be moved by her lover who even rented out an entire high-class restaurant and prepared several events to celebrate her birthday?
Akame was immersed in deep happiness.
“Akame, it’s already been three years since we met, hasn’t it?”
“Heeh~. Has that much time already passed? Time really flies, Fujio oppa!”
…Perhaps that’s why she didn’t notice the dark shadow gradually approaching her.
“It’s a long time if you say it’s long, and a short time if you say it’s short. But it was long enough for me, Akame. Long enough for you to plunge me into despair.”
“…What? What are you saying, oppa?”
The moment those words were uttered, Akame felt a shock as if her insides were being violently churned and staggered.
“Th-this is… what…”
“As expected of the Flower Sword… To only now show a reaction after eating so much poison bought from the ‘Poison Demon’.”
“Damn it… I’m asking what the hell all this is about, Fujio oppa!!”
Akame shouted while suppressing the blood that was trying to surge up, with a completely pale face.
“You’re still calling me oppa even in that state? You really are amazing. That’s why I hated you more.”
As Inui Fujio spoke nonsense with a completely hardened face, Akame, who was gritting her teeth, suddenly realized that it wasn’t just herself and Fujio who were here.
Unlike before when she had completely let her guard down while spending a happy time, now that tension had set in her body and her nerves were sharpened due to the poison, she finally realized that those surrounding the restaurant and the staff inside the restaurant were not ordinary people.
…Or perhaps she had been deliberately ignoring it.
“Do you know how it feels to have an impossibly huge mountain right next to you that you can never hope to grasp even a hair of no matter how hard you try? The longer I spent time with you, the more hellish it became. You planted an inferiority complex deep in my heart.”
“What… nonsense is this…!! I… I…!!”
Currently, Fujio is considered one of the top B-rank superhumans, and half the credit for that belongs to Akame.
Because she liked the always-striving Fujio, she taught him in hopes that he would reach the realm he desired, wishing to be of help on that path, and they also sparred together.
If there were elixirs or artifacts suitable for Fujio, she would provide them for him.
Fujio always smiled and expressed gratitude for her efforts for her lover, and always did his best. Akame thought they had a relationship that couldn’t be better.
But Fujio had been harboring such feelings inside?
“Kugh… I always did my best… I did it for you, oppa…!!”
“Even that pathetic help was disgusting!! Are you pitying me?! Did you feel satisfaction by condescendingly associating with me?! You, who always dared to look down on me…!!”
At those words, Akame, instead of exchanging more words with him, twisted her face in anger and gritted her teeth.
As someone who had lived thinking that while resentment would return as resentment, kindness would also return as kindness, Fujio’s words now stabbed her heart even more deeply.
“Inui Fujiooooo!!!!”
Chwakak!!!
Therefore, Akame could no longer hold back and swung her sword,
Kuwung! Kaang!!!
But that strike was blocked by the arm of a giant who broke through the wall and entered.
“You…?!”
“Hey! It’s been a while, Sarame Akame?”
A giant with a fierce appearance, his entire body covered in tattoos.
One of Japan’s S-rank superhumans who also had bad blood with Akame herself, and one of the two pillars of Japan’s underworld, the ‘Great Boss’ Toyoda Yamatake.
“Looking at your state, it seems you haven’t been doing well, which is quite fortunate? I still feel a stinging pain in the scar you left on my chest whenever it rains!!”
He was also a superhuman who had fought with Akame in the past after getting into an argument and was defeated.
Kwang!!
Toyoda Yamatake charged like a bull, showing destructive power befitting his large build.
“No matter how I tried, I couldn’t do it alone, but fortunately, such a good helper appeared at the right time. I was also promised a good position.”
“I always disliked how you acted so high and mighty, so this worked out well!! Today will be your memorial day!!”
The betrayal of a lover she truly loved, and the attack of a returned bad blood.
“Uwaaaaaaaaa-!!!!”
Akame, who unleashed her anger more fiercely than ever before, wailed miserably and rushed at them without even thinking of retreat or the aftermath-
After a fierce battle that half-destroyed the city, Akame, living up to her fame as the Flower Sword, managed to deal with all the henchmen Yamatake had brought, take one of Yamatake’s legs and one of Fujio’s eyes, and escape alive with her body, but due to fighting an S-rank powerhouse and his subordinates while heavily poisoned, she ended up half-crippled like now-
“Well, if it weren’t for that heavy snowfall a few days ago, I would still be holed up in my hideout, spending each day just waiting for the day I die. Hahaha!”
“……”
-After hearing Sarame Akame’s story, I was dripping with cold sweat.
‘Wow… This seems like I’ve gotten tangled up in an extremely troublesome matter…?’
I don’t know who it is, but an S-rank superhuman who’s a big shot in Japan’s underworld is involved. Moreover, the person in front of me is also an S-rank superhuman!
This was a situation where I couldn’t help but feel burdened.
“By now, you’ve probably guessed, Teacher… I want revenge. Against the lover who betrayed me and that bastard Toyoda Yamatake who helped him.”
Akame was still smiling as she spoke, but whether it was unconsciously leaking out or not, she couldn’t hide the sticky and chilling killing intent that was oozing out.
It even seemed like a black light was flowing from her lost eyes. Anyway, it was disgustingly scary.
And I, who was facing this scary thing head-on… was completely stiff and cowering.
“Teacher… Can you tell me a way for me to succeed in my revenge? I don’t mind even if it’s a method that will shave off my entire life.”
…No, what am I supposed to do when you’re leaking such killing intent while smiling and looking at me saying such things!
“Of course, I know well that this is a difficult and dangerous matter. That’s why I’ve prepared sufficient payment for the Teacher this time?”
When Akame chuckled, I felt something ominous.
Damn it, what on earth could this payment be…!!
“I sold my beloved sword as an introduction fee, and I don’t have much left. So I thought. What’s the most precious thing I can give now? So there was only one answer? Me, an S-rank superhuman and the ‘Flower Sword’. I, Sarame Akame, am the greatest payment I can offer.”
Ah, it’s chilling. It feels like a rock is falling on my chest.
“If I succeed in my revenge after hearing your fortune… I will serve you loyally for the rest of my life, serving you. In case I don’t survive even if I succeed in my revenge or if I fail… I’ll give you all my remaining assets as an advance payment!”
No, that’s too extreme, damn it!!
“Of course… Since it’s a dangerous and difficult matter… I’ll understand if you don’t help me, Teacher…”
And when I’m already overwhelmed with what I have, an S-rank superhuman who’s one of the Three Great Sword Saints suddenly says she’ll come under me?! And she’s a foreigner who doesn’t even speak the same language!!
Isn’t this just like a disaster rolling in with its whole vine! Everyone seems to be misunderstanding something, but I was just an ordinary unemployed person until recently!!
…But, I can’t refuse when she’s saying this much… There’s the scary atmosphere and Akame’s determination who came to find me, and even though she’s injured, she’s still S-rank, so my life might be in danger if I refuse.
However, more than those things, the biggest reason why I feel like I can’t refuse this matter is… because I’ve unconsciously started to feel sorry for Akame after hearing her story and want to help her.
Haaa…
Closing my eyes tightly and sighing deeply, I steeled my heart with great resolve and spoke to Akame, who was looking at me silently with an expectant expression in front of me.
“Um… First of all, I don’t need any of that payment, so please come over here and sit comfortably…”
Haah… Although it seems 100% likely that I’ll regret this matter later, and it seems like my burden will just increase enormously… what can I do?
Whether it’s out of sympathy or fear, it seems like I can’t just send away the person in front of me now…
“D-does that mean…?!”
“I’ll read your fortune. So sit comfortably.”
“Th-thank you, Teacher!!!”
Well, anyway, won’t my future self have to deal with the burden or problems? Haha.
At this point, I have no choice but to pass everything on to my future self…!!
Good luck! Future me!! I’m always cheering for you!!