Chapter 182: In a World without God or Buddha

There are no God or Buddha in this world.

I thought so.

After all, the weak are oppressed and devoured by the strong.

And with that thinking, those without strength, once misfortune has grabbed them by the ankles, have no choice but to fall.

On the way back from Kirihito’s room. That was the day I made up my mind to tell the police everything.

But I was suddenly strangled from behind and knocked unconscious.

When I woke up, I was thrown into a dimly lit container.

The floor of the container was filthy with red rust. On the ceiling, there was a hanging cantera casting a pale light.

There, besides me, were five other women.

They are sniffling and sobbing.

With the smell of the tide and a slight tremor which I could only feel when I was lying on the floor, made me think that I was on a ship docked in the harbor.

I could immediately imagine what had happened to me.

After all, as soon as I told him I was going to the police. Kirihito must have reported it to the President, and the President must have arranged it.

And I also had been threatened by the President several times, “I’m going to sell you to Southeast Asia!” . With that though, I immediately realized that this was the case.

What a terrible life, I thought.

But at the same time, I gave up.

I had tried to die once anyway. All I had to do was take my life. That would be the end of my misery.

I thought about biting my tongue, but I’ve heard that’s just painful and hard to die from.

So, I would wait for them to let me out of here and then I would jump into the sea, that’s what I thought.

About two hours after I woke up, another girl was thrown inside.

A young girl in uniform. And she is beautiful girl.

I didn’t know her name, but I knew right away that I had seen her in the magazine “CUTIE☆CUTIE”.

I suppose she is my junior, but I didn’t want to talk to her because I was going to die soon anyway.

But something unexpected happened.

A few hours after the girl from “CUTIE☆CUTIE” came in, a boy suddenly slipped through the wall of the container and appeared.

I know it sounds strange, but I was astonished. That’s all I can say.

He was not, by any means, a good-looking boy.

He was the kind of guy who stands in the front row of a swimsuit event, holding a camera. No, not that kind. Rather, the kind of boy who doesn’t have the courage to do so and glances at their breasts and crotch with a fake look of disinterest.

His body shape is unbalanced, his eyes are bad. His hair is shaggy. If Kirihito were a hundred, he would be about thirty in terms of handsomeness.

If he loses some weight, works out at the gym, and gets his eyebrows and hair done, he could somehow become a slightly creepy-looking guy… if he works hard enough, he could somehow become that ….

That was my impression of him.

However, despite his appearance, he was a prince on a white horse.

Not for me, of course.

I am just another person who is rescued by others.

「If you want to escape, follow me!」

The girl from “CUTIE☆CUTIE” shouted and jumped into the door that appeared on the wall of the container.

I exchanged a look with the girl next to me, who looked like a cabaret girl, then followed her and ran into the door.

Beyond the door was a stone room about the size of a six-mat room.

「I’ll open the door in front of the station or somewhere in the morning, so you’ll have to stay here for now」

As the boy said this, the room began to change and six beds appeared. To be honest, I didn’t know what was going on. I just felt scared.

When the boy left with the girl from “CUTIE☆CUTIE”, we each lay down on a bed and talked.

The topic was, of course, that boy.

Like this room, our conversation was too confusing.

In the first place, we are strangers crammed into the same container, we don’t even know each other’s name.

We didn’t have much time to talk, and in the end, I was envious that her boyfriend could come to her rescue like this.

However, the conversation converged on the fact that the boy’s appearance was not good enough for a potential partner.

When all the other girls had fallen asleep, I sat in my room with the lights out, staring into the darkness, thinking idly.

What am I going to do after I get out of here?

I’ve already lost everything.

My parents had disowned me when they found out about my AV films, and my dream of becoming a top model was now in vain. Kirihito was supposed to be all I had left, but now that he has betrayed me, there is no reason for me to live.

In the room with the lights out, I let out an involuntary sigh, and at that moment, I heard a voice in my ear.

「If you want revenge, I can help you, Devi. In return, you will give me everything you have, Devi」

I opened my eyes to see a red-haired girl floating in the darkness. The double teeth peeking out from the edge of her mouth like fangs were quite striking.

It was true that there was no God or Buddha in this world.

But there was the devil.

And now, all revenge was over.

If you ask me how I feel, I can’t honestly answer.

Emptiness is probably the closest. Ever since I met the devil Lili, what has sustained me has been revenge.

Now that that was accomplished, there was nothing left for me to do.

All that was left for me to do was to repay him, to allow him to touch me once, and to take my life.

In my luxurious bedroom, I’m waiting for his visit.

Fumio Kijima–he’s called “Confinement King” here.

He is Misuzu Kurosawa-san’s white horse prince.

Not mine.

However, this place was strange.

Many girls came and went, all eager to have an affair with Fumio Kijima. Even the maids who worked in the dining room, when they saw him, their eyes would go wild.

Even Kyoko-san, who seemed to dislike Kijima, though she was disgusted by him, would smile slightly when the topic of her affair with him came up.

This was his kingdom.

What he was doing was criminal, devilish, and inhumane, but he himself looked like a good man, and the girls I talked to all adored him.

…Well, what does it matter?

The only reason I’m still alive right now is because of a contract that requires me to give up everything in exchange for revenge.

But I’m not going to fulfill that contract.

As a thank you, I will let him hold me once and after that, I will say goodbye to the world.

I waited for a moment and then the door opened.

「Hello there」

He walked into the room.

“You don’t look happy”, he asks, and I smile back, “That’s not true”

Now that revenge has been taken, I’m in a good mood. Or so I thought.

He sits down on the couch across from me, gives me a little thought, and says int the air, “Lili, are you there?”.

Then the devil girl appeared in the air.

「Yes, Devi?」

「Give me a pen and paper. And I need you to be my witness」

Instantly, the devil girl looked at him suspiciously and pulled out a wad of paper and a grease marker from the air.

「What are you doing, Devi?」

「Well, just wait and see. Don’t interrupt me」

With that, he darts his pen across the paper.

When he finished writing, he held it out to me and spoke.

「Well, Kaneko-san, can you sign here for now?」

On it, in a very peculiar handwriting on the right, was written the following.

――――――――――――――――――

Slave Contract

Kaneko Chihiro shall be the First Party and Fumio Kijima shall be the Second Party.

The First Party shall be the property of the Second Party.

The First Party shall devote her entire life to the Second Party.

The First Party will not disobey any of the orders of the Second Party.

The First Party will carry out the orders of the Second Party to the best of its ability.

――――――――――――――――――

「What the hell… Devi… that has no binding power, Devi」

He chuckled as the devil girl gave him a dumbfounded look.

「Well, you’re right, it’s just a piece of paper. I know there’s no compulsion to do anything with it」

I picked up the paper and chuckled.

This is really childish.

It’s like watching a small child playing shopping with his own money.

「Just sign my name, right?」

I wrote my name on a piece of paper and held it out to him, and he smiled and opened his mouth.

「You’re mine now, Kaneko-san. I’ll call you Chihiro from now on. Is that okay?」

「Yes, but you’re doing something very strange. I feel like you’re going around in circles. I thought you were going to force me into your arms and make me yours even if I didn’t want to…」

「Well… yes. It’s a bit of a long story. But if I had to say, I’d say it’s for me」

「For you?」

「Yeah, I just don’t think I want to hold a woman who looks unhappy, depressed, or exhausted」

I chuckle.

I see, I’ve lost enough charm that made this ugly guy won’t hold me. He thought I looked that terrible.

「Don’t get me wrong, Chihiro is beautiful and any man would want to hold her. Of course I do, I want to hold you」

「Then why don’t you do that? Just like you made Akira Mizuki obey you」

「Well, I’m not opposed to pushing a strong, snobbish girl to the point of despair. Kyoko is just like that. But, Chihiro. I didn’t give you a despair」

「And so?」

「You know. I like to take care of what I own. That’s why. I want you to be happy」

「Happy? Huh…」

I couldn’t help but snicker.

I might offend him.

I thought about it, but I didn’t care if he killed me.

I was going to die anyway. It would save me the trouble.

But he didn’t get angry, he just stared me in the eyes and spoke.

「That’s why I don’t want you to die」

I widened my eyes.

He sees right through me. That’s what I thought.

「Haha, I guess that reaction was right on the money. But no. Chihiro is mine now and I can’t let you die without permission. My duty to Chihiro is to make you happy. I want all my girls to smile」

「That’s… impossible」

「Well, you would think so. When I was bullied, I thought how unhappy I was too. I guess it’s nothing compared to Chihiro’s misery」

He stands up and leans over the table, reaching for my head.

「Chihiro. It’s only recently that I’ve come to understand that misfortune will fall on its own if I let it. But you know what? Happiness is something I have to grab on my own, I think. That’s why. I want you to be happy now that you’re mine. I want you to be happy first. I think it’s my duty as your master to make sure that happens」

「Although, you’re younger… you’re so cocky」

It was somewhat embarrassing to be patted on the head, as one would do to a small child. But it didn’t make me feel bad.

「When the time comes for Chihiro to smile with happiness, I will hold you. Until then, this piece of paper is the only connection between me and Chihiro」

I chuckle involuntarily.

「Fine, I’m yours. I promise I won’t die on my own」

There was no God or Buddha in this world.

But there were devils and kind bad guys.

I looked up at him with narrowed eyes, and the floating Lili-chan opened her mouth, looking like a mother seeing her son grow up.

「Fumi Fumi… I’ve told you many times, Devi, being cool doesn’t make you good-looking, Devi」

「Shut up」

The exchange was funny.

「Pfft, ahahaha..」

I couldn’t help but erupt.

As she watched me, Lili-chan shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth.

「Well, if Fumi Fumi says so, I’ll help you out, Devi. I’ll give the AV girl a new job, Devi. Whether she’ll be happy or not depends on her, Devi…」