Chapter 46 : Returned Hometown

“Guh…”

The chained man spat blood.

A twin-tailed girl sneered at his terrified eyes.

“Calm down. You’re just gonna die anyway.”

“You demonic b*tch…!”

“Think what you want. We’ll never understand each other.”

Ruby opened and closed her revolver’s cylinder, speaking casually.

“So, here’s the thing. Why not just accept it? Dying’s not a big deal. Nobody lives forever, right?”

“D-Don’t screw with me! Nobody wants to die…!”

“Eh, I disagree. Since my sister vanished, every moment of living’s been torture. Sometimes I’d rather be dead.”

The man was as good as a corpse, so Ruby spilled her grim story like talking to a wall.

“But I’m still alive for one reason. Guess what?”

“S-Save me. Please. I don’t wanna die. I’ll do anything…!!”

Not getting the answer she wanted, Ruby’s interest faded, her gaze dropping.

“Wrong.”

Bang!!

The revolver’s bullet pierced his shoe, crushing his toes.

“Aaagh!!”

“Scream all you want. Nobody’s coming. Rat Town’s where kids sleep to screams like lullabies. Your corporations’ masterpiece.”

“Urgh…”

“Don’t feel too wronged. Your death’s a step toward my life’s purpose. Your life had some meaning. Sweet dreams.”

Even with the barrel at his forehead, he only drooled in agony. Ruby didn’t flinch, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

Staring briefly at the limp corpse, she began checking the brain chip’s data.

Skimming through heaps of files, searching for what she needed. Finally finding it, her eyes gleamed.

“Finally…!”

A slight smirk curved her lips as she called her waiting deputy.

“Found the hunting dogs’ den. Ready?”

[All on standby.]

“Good. We move before they notice.”

Ending the call, Ruby left the corpse with a hole in its forehead and vanished into the alley’s shadows.

Not long after, a silver-haired woman passed the alley’s entrance.

Rat Town, after five years, looked exactly as I remembered.

‘A body…’

Spotting a corpse slumped in a narrow alley, I frowned. The bullet hole in its forehead, oozing red, showed it hadn’t been dead long.

This place hasn’t changed a bit. Marco’s death in the market square flashed to mind. That day’s tragedy started it all. A memory that still haunts like a nightmare.

This isn’t a place to live with Ruby. I’ve thought of many alternatives over the past five years. Traveling slowly, picking a new home together, wouldn’t be bad.

First, I need to find Ruby. Eager for our reunion, I hurried toward Red Dog’s hideout with light steps.

As familiar streets came into view, some punks blocked my path.

“Hey, new face. Better not go further.”

“Yeah, past here’s Red Dog turf. A rookie like you might catch that crazy b*tch’s eye and vanish.”

What’s that supposed to mean? I pulled off my disguise hood. Seeing my face, their eyes glinted with ugly desire.

Unfazed, I asked.

“Care to explain what you just said?”

“Wow… What’s this? How much did you sink into cosmetic implants? Gotta be near-zaibatsu money for that.”

“No clue why you’re in this shithole, but we can’t let a chick like you pass. Come quietly while we’re nice.”

“Sigh.”

How do they all have the same tired lines? No one tries to stand out, even a little crazy? Not that I’d care if they did.

I recalled the delinquents who tormented me back then. They were part of the tragedy’s seeds. Killing them gave Rusty a reason to come after us.

Thinking about it soured my mood. I wanted to avoid trouble, but not anymore.

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and blew smoke in their faces.

“Ugh! Cough! Cough!!”

“What’s that smell…!!”

Tch. Whining over this is pathetic.

“You guys need a beating.”

Using a Stone on lowlife thugs felt wasteful. I won’t spend my precious life on this.

Clenching my right fist, I felt the leather gauntlet’s texture. Two straight punches.

Thud! Thud!!

One hit to the face each, and they were down.

What weaklings. Knocked out in one blow. I considered waking them to demand more details but shook my head.

With their teeth smashed, they’d barely talk. The hideout’s close anyway. I’ll check myself.

Hurrying on, a faint unease began to stir.

My memory of Red Dog wasn’t a terror like they described. In Rat Town’s filth, they were the only ones with honor and loyalty.

And “crazy b*tch”? Karen’s dead, and Mary doesn’t fit. Maybe for certain women, but still.

Did they recruit someone new in five years?

Pushing away wild thoughts, I reached the hideout.

“…”

Though the same building, it felt vastly different, stirring complex emotions.

The hideout I remembered glowed softly, the only warm spot in this cesspool.

Now, it was a neglected ruin, exuding a bleak, eerie chill.

No rowdy drunks’ snores. The silent building seemed abandoned.

Biting my lip, I hesitated, then stepped forward.

Creak—.

The unoiled door groaned. Inside, it was dark, unheated, a cold draft brushing past.

Then, a voice came from the shadows.

“Someone’s brave enough to waltz in here.”

Startled by the familiar voice, I cautiously called his name.

“…Franklin?”

“Hm? You know me?”

Creaking floorboards, and Franklin emerged. Older, wearier than I remembered, but unmistakably him.

Seeing his longed-for face, I couldn’t hide my excitement and threw off my hood.

“It’s me. Lapis.”

“Lapis…?”

His puzzled question wasn’t the reaction I expected. Stunned, he tilted his head, muttering something unbelievable.

“Never heard that name.”

“…What? That joke’s not funny. …You really don’t remember?”

My trembling voice pleaded, and he sighed deeply. Gulping from a liquor bottle, his flushed face bore a bitter smile.

“From your reaction, you really know me. Sorry ‘bout that. My brain’s a bit shot. …hic.”

What does that mean…

Then, something he once said hit me.

‘I tend to forget things when I drink.’

His words about hesitating to kill stayed with me, even after countless murders as Ikazuchi’s hunting dog.

How much did Franklin hesitate? How much did he drink to escape memories of killing?

Did that alcohol finally destroy his brain?

What was Mary, the doctor, doing to let him get this bad? And where’s Lycan, the leader? Why is Franklin the only one here?

Amid a dizzying flood of questions, I asked the most crucial one.

“Ruby… Where’s Ruby?”