Guide to tamming vilanesses-Chapter 58: Choosing sides

Shin’s kick sent Yumemi’s glass flying. The entire private karaoke room froze. Yumemi stared at her empty hand, mouth half-open in shock.

"What the actual fuck, Shin?!"

Her voice cracked high with disbelief and embarrassment. The other girls flinched, but no one dared to drink more.

Shin didn’t spare a glance at Yumemi, as his gaze was locked on the waiter. He had frozen mid-step with the tray still balanced on one palm. The man’s professional smile had cracked at the edges.

"I saw you. You poured something on the girls’ drink."

Without breaking eye contact, he reached across the table and snatched the untouched glass from the girl’s hand right before she could drink.

Yumemi shot to her feet. "Are you insane? You just kicked my drink out of my hand. Stop acting like some paranoid psycho, brother! Apologize!"

Shin ignored her completely.

He stretched his arm straight toward the waiter, the glass extended like a loaded gun.

"If everything’s fine with the drinks," he said, "then take a sip. Right now. Prove it to everyone here that you’re innocent." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The waiter’s throat worked visibly. Sweat beaded along his hairline despite the air-conditioned chill.

"I... I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir. I just pour what the bar gives me..."

"Then drink. Take it all with a single gulp."

The drug was made to be consumed by women. Shin didn’t really know how it worked, but if a man drank a good amount of it, the effect would be immediate brain failure.

The room had gone deathly quiet. Even the background karaoke track stopped.

"Dude, you’re embarrassing yourself," John said, stepping in.

John could not let things keep going like that. The man shot an angry glance at Yumemi, then turned his attention back to Shin.

"Of course, the waiter won’t want to drink it when you are acting crazy. Sit down before you ruin the vibe for everyone. Besides, I paid for these drinks. "

Shin didn’t flinch.

"So money is the problem?" Shin smiled as he heard John. He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a card.

He made a point of showing it off, making sure everyone saw the sapphire HEAVEN card in his hand. But to most people in that room, it meant nothing.

To everyone except one person: John.

The man shivered as soon as he recognized it. If someone with that high a rank in HEAVEN was here, it probably meant they’d discovered everything.

"I’ll pay for the drinks, and..." Shin smiled, calm and confident. "I’ll pay you ten million yen if you drink what’s in the cup."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"That’s bullshit. You won’t actually pay, dude. Stop lying!" one of John’s henchmen said.

John, however, stayed quiet, his body trembling as he considered his situation. If HEAVEN was really coming, there was nothing he could do.

And it was at that moment that Lilel arrived. Shin quickly instructed her to check whether any of the men there had drugs or weapons.

"I will definitely pay," Shin said calmly. He turned to the man in charge. "You know very well this card proves I can pay, right?"

"Eh..." John hesitated. He still needed to find a way out of this.

"Let’s be clear. There’s no escaping at this point," Shin said aloud, though only John fully understood what he meant. "Besides, you have nothing to do with it, so why don’t you sit down and help me?"

John thought for a few seconds.

"Don’t worry. If you’re cooperative, everything will be fine. I promise. After all, you know a lot of things. I can’t say I’m not tempted to follow a path similar to yours."

At that moment, no one but John had the slightest idea what the conversation really meant.

"Wait... are you..."

"Your timing was idiotic," Shin cut in. "So let’s solve this the best way possible."

John lowered his head and said nothing more. Of course, he chose to betray The Cartel to save his own life.

If HEAVEN had arrived, there was no escape. Cooperation might reduce his punishment. And if what he understood about Shin’s world was true, maybe they could even become allies.

"So, will you take a sip?" Shin asked, turning back to the waiter.

"I... I won’t..." the waiter finally said, glancing nervously at John.

No one made a move to fight. John gave a subtle signal for his men to wait.

"You heard him, girls," Shin said. "I strongly recommend you all throw those drinks away."

The women hesitated, then did as he said. If the waiter didn’t dare drink it himself, why would they?

"I’ll call the police, and you’re coming with me," Shin told the waiter.

Then he looked at John’s four henchmen. At that moment, Lilel informed him quietly that one of them had extra drugs, but she had already taken them. Aside from John, only one man was carrying a gun: the one with spiked green hair.

"I’m afraid he might try to run if it’s just me," Shin said casually. "You. Spike hair. Come help me."

It was the perfect excuse to separate the most dangerous one from the group.

The spiked-hair man smirked. He believed this was the perfect chance to kill Shin and fix everything. He and the waiter followed Shin out of the private room. They walked down the corridor until they were far enough from the others.

Suddenly, the waiter lunged, trying to tackle Shin.

Shin moved effortlessly. He sidestepped, grabbed the man’s arm, and threw him hard against the wall.

At the same time, the spiked-hair man drew his gun and fired.

But Lilel appeared between Shin and the bullet, smiling brazenly.

A translucent force field around her shimmered as the bullet struck it, and for a second, it looked like it might break.

Instead, the barrier held, just barely, cracking as it reflected the shot. Then, the bullet flew back toward the shooter, far slower than before.

It didn’t pierce him, but the impact knocked the gun from his hand and sent him stumbling backward.

That moment was enough.

Shin closed the distance instantly. One precise strike to the wrist disarmed him completely. A second blow to the stomach forced the air out of his lungs. The waiter tried to get up, but Shin dropped him again with a sharp kick to the shoulder.

Within seconds, both men were on the ground, unable to fight.

"So, where’s the girl you want me to save?" Shin asked Lilel as he picked up the gun that had skidded across the floor.

He also took the knife the waiter had hidden in his pocket, and, just to be sure, he slit both men’s throats.

Shin still had the pistol he’d brought for the last group date, but having more weapons was never a bad thing.

"Are you going to head into their base?" Lilel asked, surprised.

"As long as we don’t stumble into Sakuraba, it should be fine," Shin murmured.

He remembered the layout of the place well from the game. Between that and the details Lilel had given him about enemy positions, he could roughly predict where most of them would be stationed.

If they were following their usual routine, their patrol routes wouldn’t have changed much. The only unpredictable variable was...

"Oh? What’s the problem with stumbling into me?"

The voice came from right behind him.

Shin’s stomach dropped. He moved instantly, stepping to the side and putting distance between them.

Damn it. Why is he here?

Sakuraba stood there with an easy smile, hands in his pockets, like they’d run into each other by accident on a quiet street.

’Lilel, go save the girl. Kill as many as you can on the way,’ Shin said through their telepathic link.

’Wait. Don’t you want my help?’ she replied.

’No. I need you to cause chaos down there. If it’s just me against him, I can hold out for a while. But if reinforcements show up, I’m done.’

There was a brief pause.

’...Understood.’

Shin didn’t waste another second. He drew and fired.

The shots rang through the corridor. Bullets slammed into Sakuraba’s chest. However, they flattened on impact.

Shin already knew they would. Sakuraba’s special ability hardened his skin to near impenetrability. Conventional weapons were little more than an annoyance.

The first shot that hit him didn’t even make him flinch. The deformed bullets clattered uselessly to the floor.

Sakuraba tilted his head. "That’s not very polite."

But the gunfire wasn’t meant to hurt him.

Shin adjusted his aim mid-burst. The next round struck the red cylinder mounted on the wall behind Sakuraba.

The fire extinguisher exploded as the pressurized gas inside was quickly released.

A dense white cloud burst outward as CO₂ flooded the hallway. In seconds, the air turned into a choking fog. Visibility dropped to almost nothing.

Sakuraba clicked his tongue. "Playing tricks?"

The corridor filled with swirling vapor, cold and blinding. Shin held his breath and moved immediately, already sprinting in the opposite direction. He’d memorized the path earlier. Three steps forward. Left at the corner. Eight more steps to the stairwell.

Behind him, he heard Sakuraba take a step, slower this time.

Sakuraba had a bad habit of underestimating his opponents. To make matters worse, he lacked any long-range offensive or mobility skills. His only real means of attack was his overwhelming physical strength. After all, defense was his true specialty.

By the time the white mist began to thin, Shin was gone.