“Then, it’s my turn.”

My sister raised her hand smoothly and gazed straight ahead. She didn’t seem as scared as she usually was… but her left hand was gripping me under the table.

She squeezed tightly on the hand that was holding hers.

“Why did you create that zombie called ‘Modoki’? Please tell me what your purpose was.”

“Well, that’s not exactly one question, but that’s okay. The reason I spread Modoki around this world is because… I was a dropout.”

We exchanged puzzled looks at the unexpected answer. While watching our reactions, Mikishima continued his story.

“Do you know what they called the people who didn’t have any powers among those who awakened their abilities in that village and referred to those with bloodlines of awakened abilities as the mainstream? Jin-kun, Yae-kun.”

It seemed like an unrelated question to my sister’s inquiry, but let’s keep up with the conversation.

When I lived in the village, before I even had any precognitive dreams, the adults called me “trash” or “useless” because I didn’t have any powers. However, if we talked about bloodlines, I would still belong to the mainstream.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly since I had never heard of it before.

“Is it the Dakuryu (Muddy stream)?” My sister spoke up a bit later.

“Correct. As expected of the honor student from the mainstream, you knew it. Yes, not a derivative or a tributary, but a muddy stream. It seems our blood flows in a murky manner,” Mikishima said calmly without showing any anger or amusement, just stating the facts.

“That village is the descendants of a clan that was serious about gaining the six divine powers. Originally, the ultimate goal was to reach enlightenment through training, but no one had reached such heights, and they became desperate, resorting to any means necessary,” Mikishima said, interrupting the conversation, and took a sip of cold tea from the table.

I had heard a rough version of this related story from the former mayor.

“We called upon people with mysterious abilities such as psychics, curse masters, onmyouji, and itako from various regions, and if they were genuine, we accepted them and allowed them to breed. As a result, rare individuals who awakened their abilities began to be born.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt the story, but what happened to those who were not genuine?”

“We disposed of them. We couldn’t afford to let anyone know that we were gathering people with abilities.”

Did our ancestors really go that far? It sounded like a fanciful story, one that could be dismissed as mere fantasy even if it existed.

“At first, it was only in Japan, but gradually the search expanded to the world. Magic, sorcery, curses, foreign religions, they gathered people who seemed to be able to use such abilities and sorted them in a similar way.”

“How did the people in the village get the information to call and gather such people?”

This time it was a question from my sister.

As far as I knew, the population of the village was not that large.

There was a festival once a year where all the residents participated, and I remembered seeing maybe more than a hundred people at that time.

“Good question. Many of the abilities produced in that village served the ruling powers of their time. In every era, those who could wield supernatural powers were rare, so they were valued in the arenas of war and politics. Thus, they had ample funding and many collaborators. Do you understand, Yae-kun?”

“At least somewhat.”

It’s an endlessly fascinating story, but there’s something more important to ask about now than the past.

“At first, everything they did was in pursuit of obtaining the six supernatural powers, but over time, their goals shifted with the changing times. While they maintained the outward appearance of pursuing the six powers, their main focus became creating superhumans. This became the rough secret of the Nanakagami clan.”

“I’ve learned about the clan, but we still haven’t gotten to the main point. Why are they creating zombies and trying to spread them?”

“The people without abilities, called “muddy stream,” had no place in the village and were treated as slaves. By the way, all the villagers that Mr. Jingūichi- visited were from the Dakuryu (Muddy stream).”

It seems like they helped with tasks such as guarding and hunting in the mountains because they had no place in the village as they were regarded as useless and treated as slaves. It now makes sense why the villagers followed Mikado.

“They were even forced to do dirty work. Disposing of the so-called ability users brought in from various places was also a job for the Dakuryu (Muddy stream).”

It’s unnecessary to ask about the details of their disposal. Though they originally disliked the people of the village, they now feel nothing but disgust.

“That disposal wasn’t just about killing them, they were used for various experiments. One of those experiments was the zombie powder that turns people into zombies… and it was my responsibility.”

As if recalling the past, for the first time, I felt a glimpse of emotion from him. His expression briefly showed a complex mix of emotions, which could be interpreted as both a smile and a cry.

A villain trying to throw the world into chaos.

An enemy that would have been easy to hate if I knew nothing about them.

However, no matter what painful past Mikishima had, his past actions could never be forgiven.

“One day, while carrying out orders with indifference, Nanakagami Tsu, who had become the new leader of the village, disapproved of the village’s behavior and prohibited all inhumane acts such as abduction, confinement, and human experimentation.”

“My father…”

My sister seemed to be hearing about this for the first time and let out a surprised voice.

She had been worried that our father might have been involved as he held the position of the village leader, but it turned out that he was a decent person.

The kind and reliable back that he showed them was not a false image. This fact made her truly happy.

“As a result, a tragedy occurred. Following the orders of the villagers, I was the one who had to take care of it. It was made to look like a traffic accident.”

I gripped my legs so hard that my fingers dug into them, almost making me jump.

I could have imagined this outcome.

So I need to hold back my anger, endure it.

My sister beside me was also gritting her teeth and enduring it, right?

“I see. Are you not going to hit me?”

“I have no intention of taking your bait. Please continue your story.”

Although she tried to keep her expression blank, her eyebrows twitched slightly at his unexpected response.

“Very well, I shall continue. I spread the Modoki all over the world because I hate this world. I want to destroy everything in this filthy world… That’s just grandiose nonsense. The truth is, I just enjoy seeing people suffer.”

After telling his story, he showed the strongest emotion of the day.

He raised the corners of his mouth to the limit and smiled with genuine happiness.

“You’re foolish! Don’t lie! You want revenge on the world that made you unhappy, don’t you?”

Jinguichi couldn’t believe what he was hearing and shouted while spitting.

Mikishima calmly faced the anger head-on without changing his cool expression.

“I’m not lying. It’s true that I resented the world when I was young. However, as I continued doing dirty work, I came to know my true self without any falsehood. Or rather, I should say I realized it. I like seeing people suffer. I’ve learned that I get the greatest excitement from watching people abandon their dignity and cry out in pain. The sight of those whom I had looked down on begging for help was the best!”

“Kouetsu.”

There are no words more appropriate to describe Mikishima’s expression.

“My father was involved with such a villain…”

“Come on, don’t be ridiculous! You’re going to destroy the world for such a stupid reason?”

My sister weeps with tears of regret.

Shinguichi, does not try to hide his anger.

While, I am too overwhelmed with emotion to even speak.

“After all, who decided that there must be a noble purpose to destroy the world? Just because someone had a difficult past and hated the world, does that mean there’s no point in doing it? Did you want me to say something like ‘humans are the biggest menace to the Earth, so we should destroy them’? No, no. Unfortunately, destroying the world is the whim and desire of those who have power.”

This guy is a dangerous existence that can’t be left alive.

I am now convinced of that.

I stand up where I am and take out the baton I had hidden on my back, swinging it strongly. The expandable baton extended to three times its length.

It seems that Jinguichi has the same idea, holding a stun gun in his hand next to me.

“Using force, huh? It’s understandable, but it seems you’ve forgotten one thing in your anger. Iwaro-kun is here with us, you know?”

“Are you trying to negotiate with me? There’s no way I’m letting scum like you live.”

After witnessing such abnormal behavior, I am not confused by those words.

“You’ll regret it if you don’t listen to the end. We produced the Modoki drug and in the process, we also created a vaccine. I don’t want to get sick and miss out on the thrill of watching people suffer until the end.”

The police baton stops just before it hits Mikishima’s forehead.

I had speculated that something like a vaccine might exist.

Therefore, I cannot definitively conclude that his words are a lie.

“The zombie powder contains a toxic plant with ingredients similar to stimulants or truth serums. Using cutting-edge technology, my subordinates extracted, concentrated, and blended the ingredients to create the drug. Therefore, it’s natural to prepare a vaccine in the process.”

“So what if that’s true! What are you going to do about it? Are you going to give us that vaccine?”

That’s right. There’s no point in it existing if we can’t get our hands on it. The most likely method is to use this guy as a hostage for negotiation.

“I’ve already instructed my subordinates to expedite the plan if anything happens to me. You should be careful,” he said, as if he could read my thoughts that were showing on my face.

“You seem to be in trouble, so let’s make a bet. How about this: starting from 8am on March 29th, four days from now, until 8pm that night… if you can survive for twelve hours, I’ll give you not only enough vaccine for everyone here, but also an additional dose for Iwaro-kun.”

“Survive for twelve hours, you say?”

“I couldn’t wait for the remaining week. I really want to see the Modoki rampage. It’s not a bad proposal, is it? You guys also have a chance to test the defense of this fortress-like home.”

If they reject this negotiation, there is a high possibility that they will be attacked without question.

Bringing up a challenge seems like a capricious move. However, there is also a possibility that there is another intention behind it and they are being deceived.

But no matter how you think about it, Mikishima doesn’t seem to have any benefits…

“Jin, you can decide. You are the head of this household.” Jinguji said.  Entrusting me with the power to decide.

This decision could greatly change the future.

What should I do? What is the right thing to do?

Until now, I had only carried the weight of my sister and my own lives. But now, three more lives are on my shoulders.

I tried to speak, but my voice won’t come out. I can’t hesitate to make a decision at this crucial moment.

“Jin, leave it to me.”

“Yae-nee?”

My sister sat on the table and smiled, saying “Excuse me,” before giving Mikishima a slap.

Everyone, including Mikishima himself, was taken aback by this unexpected action and froze in place.

Even Mikishima, who had been so calm and collected, was visibly surprised, his eyes widening as he stared at her.

“I’ll accept your challenge.”

My sister’s voice echoed throughout the silent room.