What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 855: The Delivery Was A Setup?
Previously on What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company?...
The man made a gesture, and the armed guards then lowered their weapons before they departed, leaving behind only the secretary girls and the man named Matsumoto.
He then turned back towards me, "I am terribly sorry for this incident. It was all just a dreadful misunderstanding."
"Mmm... May I ask you a few questions?"
"Certainly," He motioned for me to proceed, leaning forward slightly.
"Well... Firstly, who was your intended target? And what was the reason for it?"
He nodded, "A perfectly reasonable question... Hmm... Where to begin? Ah, I suppose it would be incredibly rude to have this conversation while standing here. Please, follow me."
He turned and began walking towards the door he'd initially appeared from. The secretary girls promptly moved to surround me, creating an unobstructed path only towards him.
The implicit threat was quite evident as they deliberately blocked any potential escape routes.
However, since I had no intention of leaving anyway, it made no difference.
I followed him through the door, and he led me down a short corridor that concluded at an elevator, which then took us upward.
The elevator was spacious enough to accommodate all of us with considerable room to spare.
The elevator halted, and we disembarked into what was unmistakably this man's office.
The room was already larger than the entrance hall we had previously been in, yet it contained fewer furnishings. A large study desk served as the centerpiece in the middle of the space.
Behind the desk, several floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the station below. Currently, however, the windows were tinted, causing the exterior view to appear distorted and hazy.
The man, Matsumoto, then took a seat behind the desk, while one of the secretary girls produced a chair for me to sit opposite him.
He introduced himself, "I am Kaito Matsumoto, CEO of Kaito Business Holdings. You may simply call me Kaito."
"I see... And I am--"
"Tera, no family name. Captain of the Iridescence and leader of the Teran Mercenary Company. A Platinum-ranked Merc. She successfully completed a subjugation request where she allegedly engaged and defeated a Pirate Lord in one-on-one close combat. Her record shows no failed endeavors thus far," one of the secretary-like girls behind Kaito reported, reading from her personal terminal.
Kaito turned back and sighed, "Oh Ariam... You shouldn't interrupt someone who is just about to introduce themselves, you know? I'm going to have to punish you later for that."
The girl bowed deeply, "Please forgive me, Master."
The visible blush on her cheeks was enough indication of the nature of the punishment she could expect from him.
He turned back to me and offered a smile, "Forgive me, it appears my subordinates have been quite rude to you. You were saying?"
He intends to simply act as though that girl hadn't just revealed everything about me to him.
In that case...
"Tera. Mercenary," I stated, offering nothing more.
"I see, I see," he nodded, making no comment on my deliberate omission of further details. "I suppose at this juncture, we should be candid with one another, shouldn't we?"
He raised an eyebrow at me, but I chose not to reply. There was no incentive for me to give him what he desired. Currently, the position of advantage in this discussion wasn't theirs, and I was quite certain they recognized that.
Undeterred, he continued, "Very well... Let us commence with your initial inquiry... You asked who we were targeting originally and why, correct?"
My sole response was a simple nod.
He gestured towards me, "No offense intended, but... you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Miss Tera."
I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you implying?"
He steepled his fingers before him, "We are aware you possess it, Miss Tera. The tracker is functioning flawlessly. Somewhere aboard your ship is the very creature you are attempting to smuggle into this station."
I maintained a neutral expression and remained silent once more.
He gestured again, "As you may have surmised, you were not the intended individual to be caught in that snare. I shall venture an assumption that you encountered the original smuggler and subsequently took over the task of transporting that creature from him, isn't that correct?"
Again, I kept my silence. For all I knew, he could be recording this entire exchange and might later use it as evidence to incriminate me.
At the very least... I just needed to wait for Renata to confirm the absence of any recording devices.
“Allow me to apologize once more, as it was impossible for you to foresee this scheme,” he continued, seemingly unbothered by his lengthy monologue. “Furthermore, I understand that as a mercenary, you would naturally accept jobs that offer payment, so there’s no plausible reason for you to refuse such an offer. I comprehend that much. As a gesture of goodwill, and since you find yourself entangled in this matter whether you desire it or not, allow me to elucidate everything.” He then gestured with his hand above the table, causing a screen to materialize before me. On it, an alluring woman with vibrant aqua-colored hair was displayed. “This is Yuki Nakamura, the CEO of Nakamura Security,” he explained, pointing to the screen. “As you’ve likely deduced, we are business adversaries; my own company also provides armed security and protection services for our clientele. Currently, both Ms. Nakamura and I are vying for a crucial security contract with the proprietor of this Pleasure Station. She has been employing rather… questionable tactics to force my withdrawal. Her latest stratagem involved unleashing a swarm of alien creatures upon the station, intending to frame me for the incident while claiming credit for its resolution.” One of the secretaries then presented a rectangular device, similar to the one I'd observed the police officer holding earlier, to Kaito. He subsequently directed it towards me. “Fortunately, my subordinates managed to uncover her plot. Our intention was to turn her own plan against her by intercepting the creatures beforehand. This device is calibrated to track a specific type of creature, one implanted with a unique tracking mechanism, and its signal is originating directly from your vessel. I find it highly improbable that it could be erroneous.” At that precise moment, I detected Renata’s voice whispering near my ear, “Daddy~ As you suspected… there are recording devices present in this room. Would you like me to neutralize them?” I subtly shook my head, feigning a neck crack. I must exercise caution regarding the information I divulge here. “As you may have heard, they discovered nothing aboard my ship. Therefore, I am unsure what you expect me to say in response to these unsubstantiated allegations?” I inquired. He smirked. “As I stated, there’s no longer any need for concealment. You accepted this task for remuneration, yet this particular job was structured such that the courier would never receive payment and would, in fact, be implicated in a crime. You have managed to evade the initial implication by some means, presumably by concealing that creature. However, this also means you have no recipient for the creature, and thus no means to collect your payment, as there is no one designated to receive it.” “Let us hypothetically accept your assertion as fact… So what?” “Hear my proposal. If you cooperate with me, I will ensure you are handsomely compensated for your assistance. Concurrently, I will secure the contract and thoroughly expose that wretched Yuki. It’s a win-win scenario, wouldn’t you agree that this outcome would be more favorable for you as well?” “I am listening.” “The initial piece of information I require… what became of the original smugglers tasked with transporting the creatures?” I raised an eyebrow. “Creatures? As in, plural?” “Come now… I am aware there was more than one. One was intended to be a creature capable of rapid propagation, overwhelming the station’s security through sheer numbers, while the other was designed to be nearly invincible. I presume the smugglers encountered some unforeseen complication during their transit, leading to your intervention. What transpired with them?” My eyes narrowed at his words. He seemed to realize I suspected he was recording our conversation, as he waved his hand over his table once more. An audible click emanated from the device. “I have deactivated all recording devices in this chamber. As I’ve stated, I am your ally in this matter.” Renata also confirmed his statement’s veracity to me. Taking a deep breath, I commenced recounting the events that had led to the current situation.