kscans

Chapter 154 - Curry Rice with Extra Extra Toppings

"We’re going to make the first move?"

I could not help but ask Yanagi over the phone. I had left him in charge of dealing with Kyoto, but...

"But wait, the Chairman was concerned about me getting involved in the conflict."
"I’m aware of those concerns. Rather, I'm aware of all the various concerns that might arise from your intervention."

You think I had not noticed? When he put it like that, I had no reply. A man as sharp as Yanagi. It was no surprise he shared the same worries as the Chairman without needing to be told.

"This judgment was made with all of that in mind. The best way to resolve this with the least amount of trouble is for you to act."

"Well, I don't mind launching an attack."
"Just hear me out. Simply attacking them won’t dispel those concerns."

And that, Yanagi said, was why they would create a pretext.

"The West is planning to pick a fight with the Mutual Aid Society to restore their power, and the honey trap for you is nothing more than one part of that operation."

I agreed with Yanagi’s statement that the main objective was the conflict with the Mutual Aid Society.

"We are going to overturn that premise."

"Specifically?"
"We’ll reframe it as a personal grudge between you and the West."

Mine and the West’s? As I asked for clarification, Yanagi began to explain the details.

"At this stage, very few people know about the West’s foolish scheme."

"I’d imagine so."

Besides the higher-ups in the West who planned it and their pawns, the only others were the people I had shared the information with. The general public likely had no idea such a thing was even happening. No, it was a problem even before the scheme itself. Until Dr. Kawasaki told me, even I had no idea the people in Kyoto were burning with ambition to restore their power behind the scenes. Who in the world would know about a concrete invasion plan. That is what I am saying.

"That’s precisely why we’ll get ahead of them with a different rumor. The cover story goes like this. The bigwigs in Kyoto, plotting to restore the West’s power, came up with the idea of securing Satou Hideo’s genes to ensure they had future military strength. They sent in a honey trap agent to secure those genes, but through some chance event, the woman’s deception was revealed. Satou Hideo, who had gotten pretty serious about her, naturally flew into a massive rage. He is now moving to take revenge on the West… something like that."

I see.

"So you’re taking advantage of the West’s secrecy."

It would make me look like a fool who fell for a honey trap… but well, that much of a smear was within my acceptable limits. If I could crush their ambitions without it developing into a more troublesome situation, I was willing to take a little mud on my face.

"That’s right. You will crush Kyoto’s movements under the guise of personal revenge, not to protect the interests of the Mutual Aid Society."

"Don’t you think some people will see through it?"
"Probably. But those who do will also consider why we went to such lengths."

To avoid making waves. To show that the person I am does not get involved in power struggles. That was the message we would hide behind the cover story.

"Appearances are important. Regardless of the truth. You’ve been a working adult for a long time. You understand at least that much, don’t you?"

"Yeah."

Appearances are a kind of preventative measure. Drawing a line is essential for smooth communication, so that both sides can avoid stepping into awkward territory.

"This action was the personal retribution of Satou Hideo. With that pretext, it will be easier to deal with any problems that arise later."

"Got it. I’ll leave the details to you, but do you have any specific requests for me?"
"When you carry out your revenge, target the leaders of the West. And then there’s the content of the revenge itself."

"What should I do?"
"No violence, including killing. I’d like you to socially kill them, just enough. You’re good at that sort of thing, aren’t you?"

That is about as bad as it gets, you know. And "socially kill them, just enough" is a pretty powerful phrase. But still, I understood the order.

"Alright, I’ll go with that one thing."
"That was too fast. And you have the nerve to say my words sound bad."

"That is not true. I am not good at it. I just downsized the idea I already had for a Ura-Kyoto red-light district."
"...Just for reference, what do you plan on doing?"

"The big shots in the West are all a bunch of withered old men and women, right? In both looks and spirit."
"...Ah, yes, that’s right. For better or worse, their regime is rock solid, and they’ve been in their positions for a very long time."

He said that even the youngest of them was probably over a hundred. Achieving agelessness is not impossible for humans, but the hurdles are high. There are ways to create a pseudo-ageless state, like transferring bodies, but that comes with its own risks. The soul and body are separate, so rejection can occur, accelerating aging, or one might not be able to wield their full power because it is not their original body. Even maintaining a youthful state in one's own body is difficult. The soul ages while the body remains young, creating a discrepancy. So if a human wants to live for several hundred years, the best balance is to halt the body’s deterioration at around one hundred. If the people in Kyoto are no exception… well now. There is an interesting way to do this.

"I call it Operation Geezer and Granny Sex Symbol."
"...Could you be more specific?"

"I’ll change their bodies to the opposite sex and make them young again, while their withered minds remain as their original gender. Of course, I’ll make sure there are no defects."

Their libidos have likely shriveled up long ago, but there is always the possibility that some are still vigorous despite their age. I have to change their sex to make sure it is "effective" on those types too.

"I’ll alter their appearances as well. To make them beautiful men and women. Then I’ll add four curses."

A curse that subjects them to constant, extraordinary frustration which only temporarily subsides upon release, and a curse that causes onlookers to feel lust toward them. A curse that strengthens the first curse if they are not seen by a certain number of people three times a day. And a curse that prevents their sexual urges from being satisfied unless their partner’s body is of the opposite sex.

"It’s hell no matter what they do, right?"

For those old geezers and grannies whose minds are all dried up, it must be painful to feel lust themselves and to be the target of it from others. Even for those with strong libidos, it must be tough to have to embrace or be embraced by someone who is, in spirit, the same sex as them.

"...No, wait. They’re from the old days, so there’s a chance some of them might have a taste for pederasty or something?"

Maybe I should add another curse. A curse that causes a wave of revulsion to wash over them when they embrace or are embraced by a partner who is mentally the same sex. To satisfy their physical frustrations, they have to get it on with someone who is mentally the same sex, but it will be spiritually stressful. ...You know, this combo might actually be good. The fact that they lose no matter what they choose makes it a rather high quality piece of harassment, I think.

"Oh, wait. I just thought of another one! How about they have to beg for it like in an ero-manga before they can do the deed!?"

A pathetic, yet for that very reason, erotic way of begging!

"…"

"No wait. That alone is a bit lonely."

If the first four are the rice, curry roux, pickled scallions, and fukujinzuke, then the fifth is the pork cutlet and the sixth is the croquette. If you are adding more toppings to a katsu curry, a single croquette feels lonely, right? Once you have come this far, it is only human to want to make it even more deluxe, isn’t it?

"A curse where the amount of horniness they can release decreases if they keep doing it with the same partner. In other words, a fried shrimp!!"
"...Well, do as you like. I’m hanging up now."

"Hey, hey, this is where it gets interesting!"
"Stop it. You’re opening old wounds. Do you have any idea how many of my subordinates suffered horribly because of you?"

"That’s your responsibility."

Ah, did that guy just hang up on me!? ...Oh, well. I am in a very good mood right now. I shall forgive such rudeness. Oops, looks like they are ready.

"Department Head, the stream’s about to start, so please stand by."

"You got it!"

Doumoto-kun came out onto the balcony, so I replied cheerfully.

"Huh? You seem to be in a good mood."

"After you brought up the idea, I did a little research on TRPGs. So I’ve been getting secretly excited about it."

"Oh? Well, that’s great to hear."

There is one other reason for my good mood, but I cannot tell him that… I really cannot… kekeke.