193: Pure Glass Mirror
In the underground interrogation room of the Kita-Chiba branch of Hero Headquarters, Rintaro was undergoing intense questioning that could barely even be called an interrogation.
「So, are you ready to tell us where your friends are?」
「……Ha, didn’t your mama teach you to kneel down and turn your ass to them when you ask someone for something?」
「I see, then let me show my gratitude… Hey, do it again!」
「Guwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!」
Screams that could never be uttered by human vocal cords echoed in the windowless room. It was inhumane torture, which would never be tolerated being done against a human being.
Several hours had already passed since the interrogation began. But even though Rintaro was in a daze, he never spoke.
「Any more than this would be too much. It’s time to puke and feel better, Death Green.」
「I’ve decided to puke in the toilet. But are you able keep it clean? I don’t want to see a toilet bowl covered in your shit.」
「……Guh, this bastard……!」
The interrogation officer was rather scared by the sight of Rintaro, who was still making jokes even though he had both his arms in shackles and was hanging from a chain from the ceiling.
However, when a woman entered the interrogation room, the antagonistic atmosphere changed completely.
「I’m going to swap in for the questioning. All others please leave the room.」
「You are…?! Please wait, this is that heinous mysterious being. It’s dangerous to be alone with him in a closed room.」
「I have ordered everyone to leave the room. Please do so immediately.」
「……Yes! Understood, Chief of Staff!」
The woman called the Chief of Staff, who had dismissed the other Hero staffs from the room, looked Rintaro in the face from the front.
「……Heeh, you’ve become Chief of Staff! You’ve risen quite a bit! I’d love to have you treat me to some sushi in Ginza next time.」
The woman, Samejima Asaka, ignored Rintaro’s obvious provocation and adjusted her glasses. Her face, which Rintaro had seen many times before, was as icy cold as ever.
「Then, let’s get started」
「Before that, can you remove these shackles? I’d love to respect your hobby, but with both hands full, I can’t even stroke your hair.」
「I have time, so let’s try them out one by one.」
Asaka didn’t listen to what Rintaro was saying at all and operated the remote control for the device. At the same time, a roar-like scream accompanied by bubbles came from Rintaro’s mouth.
「Uuuuugh!! Gunuaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!」
「Do you remember anything? What do you want to tell us?」
「……Haa, haa. Well, I wonder what it was… Maybe I’ll remember if you kiss me on the cheek.」
「Let’s continue.」
…………
The gruesome details of the incident were transmitted to his associates via wiretap.
『Gaaaaaaaahhhhh! Aaaaahhh!!! Guooooooooooooh!!!』
Screams of pain and despair echoed from the speakers again.
Perhaps hot lead was being pumped into every nerve in his body, or perhaps his internal organs were being burned by high voltage electricity. The details were unclear, but there was no such thing as torture strong enough to make Rintaro groan.
The sound was so loud that the wiretap was barely able to function. However, the voice of someone conversing with Rintaro, who was being interrogated, could be heard, albeit faintly.
The owner of the voice was an old acquaintance of both Samecchi and Kirika.
「……This voice, it can’t be wrong, ssu! It’s onee-chan, ssu!」
「Could it be… Commander Samejima…? If so, then Senpai has already……」
「Kirika, do you know something?」
「Well… a little bit.」
While Samecchi was surprised, it was Kirika who took the situation more seriously. She was vague about what she said because she didn’t want Samecchi, her younger sister, to hear that information.
The only reason Kirika used to follow the instructions of the Hero Headquarters as Victor Ranger was because Samejima Asaka was serving as her commander. The Hero Headquarters also understood this and placed Asaka in the position of Victor Ranger commander.
Kirika had been a member of the research and development office at Hero HQ under the direction of Tanba for a long time, so she knew a lot about Asaka’s “active days.” This is because the research and development office, located close to the heart of Hero Headquarters, often handled information that even active heroes did not know.
Among the many confidential information, the matter concerning Samejima Asaka required special care.
It goes without saying that most of the 50,000 employees of the Hero Headquarters nationwide are heroes or former heroes. However, there is a good reason why Asaka was selected as the assistant to the living legend, former Director General Morikuni Ittetsu, and as the commander of the elite Victory Sentai Victor Ranger, which reports directly to the Tokyo Headquarters.
Asaka, for example, was given a number of nicknames during her working years.
One of them was “Torture House”.
『Ugyaaaaaa!! Ngiiiiiiiiiii!!!』
「Onee-chan, stop it, ssu! aniki will die, ssuyoo!」
Of course, the younger sister’s pleas will not reach her older sister through the one-way eavesdropping app.
It was the face of her own sister, that Samechi did not know.
Asaka rarely talked about her “work,” even to her only family member, Samecchi.
However, her biological sister Samecchi had separated from her about three years ago, when she was eight years old. Even if she had told her, it’s unlikely she would have been able to understand much.
「Senpai…… Aah, What is this…… It’s so cruel……」
「Kuh… I’m sorry, Rintaro. It’s all my fault……！」
Knowing even a little more about Rintaro’s situation would directly affect the success rate of the rescue operation. However, it only brought his subordinates to a reality that was too painful to face.
A desperate atmosphere filled the room as the horrific torture drama that must be taking place in a distant land filled the room. All that was certain is that Kuriyama Rintaro was being destroyed by Asaka’s hands.
「Kirikaa! aniki… aniki is really going to die, ssuuuuu!!」
「Yes, there is no time to waste. Let’s go to the rescue now.」
「I’ll accompany you. I’ve arranged transportation, zoi.」
With a bitter look on her face, Kirika reached out to turn off the speaker on her phone, which was still dripping with Rintaro’s screams. Immediately afterwards, a woman’s scream rang out, overlapping with Rintaro’s scream.
『PeeeーーーーーーRoooーーーーーー!!!』
……………………
………………
…………
In the dimly lit basement, Rintaro’s gutter-like eyes were illuminated by the light from the monitor.
『Aaa～～～Bee～～～Mari～～～ii～a～～～♪』
「Higiiiiiii! ! Ngigigigigiiiiiii! ! ! !」
「 “20.000 Dozen Dogs” wouldn’t open your mouth? Let’s play “Grave of the Water Strider” next.」
As she said this, Asaka replaced the contents of the DVD player. Immediately, a world in all its natural colors, revived by HD remastering, appeared on the monitor.
The interrogation room was also stocked with DVDs such as “Let’s Play with Cats” “Honwaka Daifamily,” “Burabura Local Train Travelogue,” “Close 108 Hours of TV: Behind the Scenes – Love is Peace,” and “Okachan Issyo”.
What they all had in common is that they are all heartwarming and moving stories and visual works that remind us to be kind to others. They are all full of the world’s most horrific torture devices that would make GHQ and international human rights groups swoon if they saw them.
It was clear from the outset that the Japanese judiciary would be subjected to intense criticism from the rest of the world if the incident were to come to light.
『Why do water striders fly away so quickly?』
「Uwarabaaaaaa! ! ! Hongyagyagyaaaaaa! ! ! ! !」
For Rintaro, who has an unclean soul, a beautiful scene that strikes the heart is so painful that it drives a stake through his heart.
It was as if a rusty knife had been thrust directly into his soul, a one-sided abuse by the state power that could no longer be called an interrogation. As a result of the prolonged and inhumane torture, Rintaro’s entire body was covered with an abnormal amount of greasy sweat, which must have amounted to several liters.
As a side note, when Rintaro was in hero school, he once went to see “Hojaemon the Movie” with Retto at his request, but on the way home he came down with a fever.
「Hah… hah… hah…」
「Oh my, you’re already having trouble breathing. We are still in the mild phase though.」
「…… I was about to yawn. What’s next, are you planning to bring out a Pure Glass Mirror or something?」
It was hard to believe, but Asaka’s words suggested that there was an even worse hell than this. In hell, the mirror in which King Enma reflects sinners and reveals their hidden sins is called the Pure Glass Mirror.
The image of Kuriyama Rintaro, reflected on the Pure Glass Mirror, must have been unbearable to behold. The agony of the pain stirred Rintaro’s sludge-like spirit and tore his black heart out with holy nails.
As a side note, when Rintaro was in elementary school, he vomited after watching the educational program “Sukoyaka 4-gumi” in his moral education class, and was nicknamed “Gerorin” until graduation.
「Now let’s move to the next stage.」
Asaka performed her work in a matter-of-fact manner with a clerical tone.
It was as if she had no feelings or conscience. Or it seemed as if sshe was intentionally stifling her emotions.
「Before I play this, there’s something I need to tell you.」
Asaka took out a commercially available SD card used to take pictures for digital cameras. Rintaro had no idea what it was, but it must cause him more pain than the torture he had just endured.
Asaka took a breath, then lowered her voice to speak to Rintaro.
「As you know, mysterious beings are not subject to any Japanese domestic laws or the Geneva Convention.」
「……Yeah, I know. You have no right to a lawyer, and you can’t even stand in court before you testify against yourself, right? What about it…」
「Did you learn that in the hero school? It’s recorded that you were ranked second in your grades.」
At that one word, Rintaro raised his sweat-soaked face. Asaka, in front of him, continued speaking without moving a single eyebrow.
「To the mysterious beings, I say」
For the first time, Rintaro’s face lost the color of composure. Worn out from repeated torture, Rintaro could not afford to hide his emotional turmoil.
Asaka let out a small breath of relief when she saw his agitation, it was proof that she had hit the crux of the matter.
「The evil mysterious being Death Green. No, formerly a member of the Victory Sentai Victor Rangers. The fifth warrior, Victor Green, also known as Kuriyama Rintaro. I have a few questions for you.」
「Well, I wonder who that is……」
「I’m talking about the man you lied about killing with your own hands.」
Asaka unfolded a red file as if to say, “Look at this”. It was the same report by Komorado Utako, former Chief of Staff, that Samecchi had brought back and that had led Minato to realize Rintaro’s true identity.
Although poorly written, like an elementary school student’s essay, the report listed circumstantial evidence that Rintaro was a human being without mysterious being cells.
「My predecessor, Komorado, had neither the aptitude nor the popularity to serve as Chief of Staff. For this reason, few staff members at Hero Headquarters read her reports. Even if they did, they would dismiss them as delusional. It is impossible for the prestigious Hero Headquarters to be driven to this level by a mere human being.」
How much of Asaka’s words, spoken calmly and monotonously, did Rintaro manage to understand? His evil mind, which was coming up with countless nasty plans, was turning white, as if it had gotten lost in a blizzard.
The only thing that was certain was that Samejima Asaka in front of him was speaking with conviction.
「Her report is poorly presented, but extremely logical. And now it has been proven to be true. Komorado must be very proud. I heard she went back to her parents’ house in Osaka.」
Now that she knew the truth, he could not just let Asaka go on her merry way. Rintaro’s brain, which was eroding into a blank slate, was now fully occupied.
How much does this woman know? Does the majority of the people in Hero HQ have this information?
I can tell from the way she speaks that she is the only one who has the information. If I take care of this woman now, will I be able to keep the secret?
But once I’ve accomplished that, is there any way to escape? No, no, I can’t take Samecchi’s older sister’s life!
How about making her unable to speak and kidnapping her to the secret underground base? Or could we use an electric current to the brain to erase memories?
Anyway, who is Komorado in the first place!
「………………………………」
The conclusion drawn by Rintaro was to remain silent.
For him, giving up his most powerful weapon, sophistry, would be the same as giving up the fight. But under these circumstances, there is no future beyond the lies, or beyond the truth.
Asaka stared at Rintaro, who remained silent, with cold, emotionless eyes. Then, she slowly inserted the SD card in his hand into the laptop.
「Well, it’s a little early, but let’s get to the heavy stuff.」
After a moment of silence, a video that looked like a home video appeared on the monitor.
「A……Aa…………! Aaaa…………!」
The scream no longer produced voice, but merely a sound that escaped from between Rintaro’s lips.
The images were so gruesome that he hesitate to even speak of them, and they gouged Rintaro’s brain, heart, and soul with an unprecedented sharpness.
The pain had long passed the point of being painful, and the sound of life itself being directly chipped away echoed in his brain.
『I want to be a doctor in the future. My reason is because I want to help as many injured people as possible.』
It was a video taken more than 20 years ago, showing an essay presentation at a kindergarten. The content was a young boy with brightly shining eyes reading out his dreams for the future in an eloquent manner.
『I want to eliminate all injuries and diseases in the world. I want to bring smiles to all the sad people in the world.』
The boy’s soul radiated a “peace-loving green light”.
After finishing his presentation, the boy read out his name.
『Nencho group, Kuriyama Rintaro.』
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