Turmoil

I have no memory of being born.

That’s only natural; if one could remember what happened at the moment of birth, they wouldn’t be a “child” but a “demon baby.” Yet, I can still learn about the events of my birth through other means.

That includes my mother’s words…

“It would have been better if I never gave birth to you.”

Splash— Splash—

Lilo, half-reclined in a chair, had his face covered by a towel. A woman in black beside him continuously ladled cold water from a bucket over his face, over and over again.

Waterboarding.

Among the punishments that leave no physical scars on the body, it is the most notorious.

The sensation of suffocation and drowning shatters the victim’s psychological defenses; both mind and body are gradually dismantled.

It was hard to imagine that in this prosperous, civilized city, a minor—a student—was being punished in such a manner. It seemed that the so-called “rule of law” and “order” were merely scrap paper and a joke in the eyes of these high-ranking elites who toyed with others at their whim.

“…”

Qi Huang Mutina witnessed every moment of Lilo’s ordeal. Her eyes held not a shred of pity or sympathy, nor even the twisted pleasure that usually comes with holding absolute power over another’s life.

There was only coldness…

An indifference as absolute as that of an inanimate object.

“Miss.”

Hecate, standing behind Mutina, spoke in a low, cautionary whisper. “It’s about time to stop.”

“Are you pleading for him, Hecate?”

“I wouldn’t dare. It’s just… Miss, he is, after all, the person chosen by President Livia and Miss Nair. I worry that if we accidentally break him, it will be difficult to settle the matter later.”

In response, Mutina simply turned her head. Within her wide-open sockets, her orange-red pupils constricted to pinpricks.

In an instant, a wave of horror and a piercing chill surged up Hecate’s spine, spreading through her limbs. Her body locked into a rigid state, unable to move.

“Hecate…” Mutina spoke, measuring each word.

“If I were stalked and followed by a strange man—no, by a piece of filth—on a weekend while I was trying to enjoy a rare moment of happiness… if he hid in corners I never noticed, peeping at my every move, even digging through my household trash to study the minutiae of my life, gradually learning everything about me while I remained oblivious to him…”

“How utterly nauseating would that be?”

It was a loathing beyond comparison.

Hecate had not started working for Mutina yesterday; she knew the source of that bone-chilling malice well. But… Hecate looked at the suffering Lilo.

Whether it was facing a gun pointed at his head, his stalking behavior a few days ago, or his nonsensical logic just now, everything pointed to the fact that he was an “anomaly”—an existence fundamentally different from normal people.

But why? Why is it that I can’t bring myself to hate him?

Before working for Mutina, Hecate had dealt with things many times more cruel than this elementary waterboarding. She had seen all kinds: the scum of the earth and the most revered saints. But someone like Lilo… she was seeing him for the first time.

He didn’t belong to any category.

Because his interior was “empty.”

This boy was like a hollow shell.

“…Ninth round. Still don’t intend to speak?”

The woman in black in charge of the torture ordered the chair to be righted. She pulled the towel off Lilo’s face to interrogate him again.

“This… is… a misunderstanding…”

Perhaps from the prolonged suffocation, Lilo’s lips were pale. His body, already ravaged by perpetual late nights and poor health, left his voice weak and airy.

“You still insist you’re just a stalker?”

“Strictly speaking, I’m young. A juvenile offender.”

“So you followed the Miss?”

“I’m no longer interested in her now.”

“…”

「Continue.」

Mutina’s cold voice rang out again.

She didn’t care about Lilo’s feelings. Everything was too coincidental. Shishi was not a patient man; in other words, the moment he acted would be the moment of a final showdown—a move to topple her from her current position and doom her.

She could not lose.

From the day she was born, she was destined to never lose.

Even though she was physically and mentally exhausted—even though she sometimes thought about ending it all to let the name “Mutina” vanish from the long history of the Qi Huang family—she still felt no lingering attachment to this world.

Just like her mother said…

“It would have been better if I were never born.”

But she couldn’t die yet. At least, not like this—meaningless and empty.

Even if just once… I want to experience “that” again. Only “that” is my final thought before I head toward destruction. Other than that, money, power, even the entirety of “Qi Huang”—I can discard them all.

I ask for nothing else…

“Miss…”

Only Hecate noticed the darkness flowing through Mutina’s eyes at that moment. In those vacant pupils, there was only loneliness and nothingness.

It was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. If this continued, the Miss would surely…

「Your sweet smile is the fatal poison that captures me~」

Suddenly.

A melodious, cheerful song echoed through the room.

Reacting even faster than the subordinates was Lilo, weakened by the drowning sensation.

He was familiar with this sound. Because he had been investigating Mutina, he had looked into her beloved idol, Clara. To Lilo, who was encountering idol music for the first time, the impression was vivid.

It feels… pretty terrible.

“…”

Mutina took the ringing phone from her pocket. Upon seeing the name on the screen, her expression darkened instantly.

“Is there something you need, President Livia?”

“…”

“Even if he’s a mole colluding with outsiders?”

“…”

“For a person like this, is it worth it?”

“…”

After receiving the final answer, Mutina’s grip on the phone tightened. Had her physique been any stronger, the screen would have shattered. She bit her lip and hung up, looking at Lilo in the chair.

“You really found yourself a good Master.”

At her look, the women in black untied Lilo. Clearly, he was saved.

“Take your things and leave. There’s a car downstairs to take you home. Someone has requested leave for you at school.”

Mutina clearly didn’t want to waste any more time. She turned to leave.

Since Lilo wouldn’t be the breakthrough, she would have to use her own methods to counter Shishi. In the coming days, this city would likely be swept into a storm of turmoil due to the internal strife of “Qi Huang.”

“I apologize for my previous behavior.”

“Student Mutina.”

Lilo took back his bag and the dagger, speaking to Mutina’s retreating back. From beneath his wet bangs, his lifeless black eyes stared at her.

“But, I cannot accept your use of extrajudicial punishment.”

“One day, I will make you pay it back…”

Mutina ignored Lilo’s nonsensical statement. She simply felt that the barking of this domesticated, drenched stray was too grating on the ears. As the group followed Mutina out, Lilo was left alone in the room.

“Extrajudicial punishment…”

He looked down at the dagger tucked in his bag and murmured.

“I can’t accept it. This kind… is not it.”

“It’s completely wrong.”

「It’s not an equal exchange at all.」

After Lilo returned to his rental room, he thought of the slip of paper with “Qi Huang” written on it. On the back, the nun had left her contact information, seemingly thinking that one day she might be able to help him again.

“Hello, it’s me. Lilo.”

While the landlord was fast asleep in the bedroom, Lilo swiped her phone and used her number to call the nun. He hadn’t intended to get involved again.

“I want to ask you for one more favor. Afterwards, I can fulfill any condition you have.”

“The person you mentioned last time who can track numbers—I want him to track another one for me.”

“No, this time is the same as that time. There is a person…”

「Who needs to pay the price.」