Chapter 259 Parents
“The truth about the attack?”
The question posed by the young girl caused Kurokawa Iori to pause in his actions. After all, he thought her questions would be more about the organization’s tasks or rewards, or at worst, methods for improving abilities. He hadn’t expected her to be concerned about that previous incident.
His gaze met Kazumi’s cold yet determined eyes, and Kurokawa Iori smiled. His right hand, resting on the table, suddenly transformed into slender tentacles. Grotesque flesh surged inward for a moment, and then a dark capsule was pushed from within to the center of his palm.
“You recognize this, don’t you?”
“Is this the capsule Master gave me before?”
Seeing his actions, a flash of insight crossed Kazumi’s pupils as if recalling a place, and she nodded in response.
“ATX—2000, or as we like to call it, [Darkness]. Its purpose is to awaken the darkness deep within a person, using the negative emotions from the depths of human feelings to unlock one’s abilities.”
“However, if someone with insufficient aptitude takes this capsule, the only outcome is death.”
Kurokawa Iori gently toyed with the capsule between his thumb and forefinger, then shook his head as if remembering something. A hint of madness inexplicably crept into his calmly spoken words.
[Is it really aptitude…]
The information Kurokawa Iori provided didn’t deviate much from Kazumi’s prior deductions. It involved using abilities that control people’s minds to pull those already leaning towards the evil side into their fold, then using special medication to awaken abilities fueled by negative emotions, and finally selecting those with excellent abilities to join the organization.
However, the girl’s inner questions remained unanswered. Why was she chosen? The abilities of her past self, Kazumi Shimizu, couldn’t have been known to others, and she also had the protection of her uncle, Fukada Akihiko. Was it merely a random selection of introverted people from school to become potential candidates?
She nodded gently, indicating she understood what he was talking about. After all, on the surface, her current ability, [Black Coffin], was the product of taking this very potion. Such a disguise could also avoid some trouble to a certain extent.
“Then why me?”
Kazumi reveled in her current situation. The sense of control that came with having the power to arbitrarily decide the fate of others was intoxicating. This organization, which disregarded rules and order, felt like an environment tailor-made for her.
But more than these things, the young girl was more concerned about their true purpose.
There was no causeless good or evil in this world; all human connections were built upon needs. For the other party to decide to recruit her, even if the initial purpose was just as a backup member, it must have had its own objective. Knowing the reason for being needed was precisely what a cautious person should strive for in their interactions.
“Heh.”
The girl’s serious demeanor interspersed with coldness couldn’t help but elicit a dry chuckle from Kurokawa Iori. With a flick of his fingers, the entirely black capsule was tossed onto the smooth tabletop, spinning irregularly with the momentum.
“Did that Fukada fellow never tell you about your connection to [Darkness]?”
“My connection to [Darkness]? Uncle Fukada?”
Kurokawa Iori’s response brought a hint of confusion to Kazumi’s previously calm expression. Did she have a connection to this potion? And he even mentioned Fukada Akihiko. Did Uncle Fukada and Kurokawa Iori have some sort of interaction?
Seeing the girl’s expression finally shift from its usual indifference, Kurokawa Iori displayed a smile of accomplishment, which then widened, until the exaggerated grin seemed to tear his entire face apart, revealing small tentacles surging from the fissures.
His formerly gentle demeanor had long since been replaced by bloodthirsty madness. A strange, violent emotion flickered in his eyes, and his mellow voice had vanished, replaced by a hoarse, deep, terrifying tone.
“Yes, it seems he didn’t tell you anything. The main developer of the [Darkness] capsule was your biological father, Masato Shimizu.”
“And you, Kazumi Shimizu, are destined to belong to this boundless darkness!”
The bloody, frenzied gibberish resounded in the girl’s ears. Her previously tranquil pupils suddenly contracted, and her slender body trembled instinctively, as if startled by his actions.
Being scared by Kurokawa Iori’s appearance wasn’t quite accurate. After all, Kazumi already knew her leader was a tentacle monster in her heart. In fact, she secretly found his true tentacle form more pleasing to the eye than his current human-like state.
However, understanding the subtle rules of workplace interactions, Kazumi naturally wouldn’t point out her superior’s personal quirks. But she had to admit, the information Kurokawa Iori was revealing now genuinely surprised her.
Her father was the developer of this drug that could create psychics, and her mother, who worked with her father, must have been involved as well. Her assumption of them being minor researchers was instantly overturned. Being able to develop a drug of this caliber suggested her parents’ status within the [Dark] Organization was likely far greater than she had imagined.
But thinking back, it made sense. They had the authority to visit young Kazumi Shimizu, their child, within such an organization. Although their visits were always brief, their status was certainly not that of ordinary researchers.
“Sorry, I lost myself for a moment.”
Kurokawa Iori, who had inadvertently gotten carried away, immediately reacted upon noticing Kazumi’s actions. The bloodthirsty emotion gradually subsided, and the torn skin on his mouth was swiftly repaired by tiny tentacles, quickly returning him to the appearance of the gentle, refined, and elegant young man he was before.
“No, it’s just that this news is quite stunning.”
Kazumi lowered her head slightly, her lips pressed together as she replied.
“The reason your abilities have grown far beyond those of all other users is likely due to a contingency left by your parents in the potion. After all, with their capabilities, it would be easy for them to integrate compatibility-enhancing measures with your genes into the potion.”
Sensing the girl’s sudden low mood, Kurokawa Iori tapped his fingers on the cup, attempting to steer the conversation in another direction.
The girl’s abilities were indeed extraordinary, with both her growth rate and overall energy levels being exceptionally exaggerated. However, if one considered that the inventors of this potion were her parents, the problem was easily solved. After all, in this organization where no one trusted anyone, having one’s own trump card was a perfectly normal thing.
“Mhm.”
Kazumi responded with a muffled sound, her head bowed. While playing the role of a shocked and withdrawn sixteen-year-old girl due to the news about her parents, she was constantly analyzing the information revealed by Kurokawa Iori in her mind.
Seeing Kazumi suddenly lower her head, Kurokawa Iori realized his attempt to change the subject had failed and felt a bit troubled.
He had lost emotional control for a moment due to the shared perspective of being “one of them,” revealing things that shouldn’t have been said at this time.
After all, no matter how deep the darkness within her, she was essentially just an inexperienced young girl, and it concerned her parents. It was understandable for her to become dejected for a moment.
He searched his mind for techniques to cheer her up, but to no avail. Finally, as if remembering something, his flesh and blood churned again on his hand, and an object the size of a palm was placed on the table.
“Ah, right. This is what you wanted to ask about, isn’t it?”
The gentle voice sounded in her ears again, followed by the sound of a heavy object being placed on the table. The girl subconsciously lifted her head, her gaze hastily sweeping over.
What she saw was something that felt strangely familiar – a bizarre puppet?
