Chapter 162: Holy Crap, Ribbit!
Shiro finally understood why Edelweiss had been willing to reveal herself just to lure him away.
He had already thought Misogi Utakata's ability was absurdly unfair.
He never expected there to be something even more ridiculous.
If Shiro had known Amane's ability earlier, he would have already cut him down.
What kind of joke was this?
It was literally wish fulfillment.
How could such a disgusting ability exist?
What if Amane suddenly went insane and wished for someone to die?
Who would the victim even complain to after they were dead?
As a Desperado, Shiro could temporarily make the people around him immune to Amane's causal interference.
But he could not stay beside Touka and the others every single day.
Besides, there was only so long someone could guard against a thief.
In the words Shiro remembered—
'This child is far too terrifying. He absolutely cannot be allowed to remain.'
"Wait. Come back first."
Seeing Shiro turn around, Edelweiss immediately grabbed his hand and dragged him back beside her.
"You're not seriously asking me to spare him, are you?"
"You should know better than anyone how dangerous that ability is."
Just as Shiro expected Edelweiss to give him some elaborate argument—That shameless woman suddenly stared at him with the eyes of a puppy soaked by the rain.
'Come on! You're supposed to be the world's most evil criminal!'
'That expression doesn't suit your reputation at all!'
Still, he had to admit it.
A girl who appeared cold and untouchable before outsiders, yet was actually incredibly gentle inside, had devastating power when she made that expression.
"You really are overflowing with sympathy..."
Unable to withstand her gaze any longer, Shiro sighed helplessly.
Edelweiss's eyes wandered away after being exposed.
Just as some people could never resist bringing stray cats and dogs home, Edelweiss was fundamentally an extremely kind person.
To her, Shionomiya Amane was probably another kind of "stray cat."
Even if she knew years of bad habits might make him scratch someone—Until she actually witnessed him hurting another person, some hope would always remain.
'What if he really changed?'
With that thought, Edelweiss had introduced Amane to Rebellion, hoping he might grow after joining them.
Since Shiro had already seen through her, Edelweiss stopped hiding it and honestly explained what she thought.
"I don't particularly like Rebellion as an organization either..."
"But many people there joined because, like Amane, they had genuinely run out of places to go..."
Even someone as powerful as Edelweiss had been branded the [World's Most Evil Criminal] by the League and eventually forced to live alone atop the sword peak.
Then what about weaker people?
Those oppressed by everyone around them until they were forced down the path of crime also needed somewhere to go.
And in this world, the only organization willing to accept criminals like them was Rebellion.
"Fine. If you want me to spare Shionomiya Amane, I can."
"But I have one condition."
After considering it repeatedly, Shiro eventually agreed to temporarily leave Amane alone.
What else could he do?
The person asking was Edelweiss.
He could only indulge her.
"Tell me."
"Until I leave this world, or until Shionomiya Amane becomes normal, you have to help me watch over Stella and the others."
Making the world's strongest swordswoman serve as a bodyguard—Shiro was probably the only person bold enough to make such a request.
And worse, he was asking one girl to protect several other girls.
As expected, Edelweiss immediately glared fiercely at him.
"Jealous?"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph yourself. You started it."
"When did I ever make you—"
Edelweiss suddenly stopped halfway through.
Because she realized she really had done something that could make him jealous.
Shionomiya Amane.
Even if Edelweiss thought of Amane as no different from a stray cat, he was still male.
And now she had deliberately come all this way to stop Shiro because of him...
Once she understood the complicated relationship involved, Edelweiss finally realized why Shiro had asked her to watch Stella and the others instead of simply watching Amane.
This was revenge because he was jealous.
'Damn it. I haven't even become his girlfriend yet, and he's already leading me around by the nose.'
Edelweiss thought unwillingly.
Seeing her expression, Shiro knew the matter was basically settled.
He immediately changed the subject.
"Didn't you say you were going traveling? Why did you end up staying with Rebellion?"
"I'm only borrowing a place to stay while traveling."
"They're one of the few places willing to let me stay, after all."
"..."
Shiro had not expected the reason to be so simple.
But when he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
With Edelweiss carrying the title of [World's Most Evil Criminal], there probably was not a hotel anywhere in the world willing to accept her.
Her portrait and appearance were also widely known.
Unless a hotel owner spent every day like Shiro had as a child, doing anything except watching the news, there was no chance they would fail to recognize her.
She could not even secretly stay in illegal inns that required no identification.
If one of those owners saw Edelweiss, they might immediately kneel twice, hand over "protection money," and politely beg her to leave.
Of course, Edelweiss could simply force her way into any hotel she wanted.
But with her personality, she would probably feel too embarrassed to do something like that.
"By the way, you appeared before me on your own this time."
"Does that mean I passed the test you gave me before?"
Shiro suddenly brought up the condition Edelweiss had given him when he confessed.
That was the true reason he had come all this way.
Find her.
Defeat her.
Then Edelweiss would become his girlfriend.
Shiro suspected she had proposed that condition because she was simply tired of everyone fearing her.
The title of world's strongest swordswoman had buried the ordinary girl inside Edelweiss.
It forced her to become decisive and merciless, eventually turning her into the world's most evil criminal.
Who could have guessed that Edelweiss had originally started practicing swordsmanship simply to lose weight?
Her extraordinary talent in swordsmanship carried her farther and farther from the path she had originally imagined.
Until eventually, everyone feared her.
Exhausted in both body and mind, she chose to live alone atop the isolated sword peak.
It was partly to avoid hurting others.
And partly to prevent others from hurting her.
Perhaps only someone who could genuinely defeat her and tear away the disguise known as the world's strongest swordswoman could make Edelweiss reveal the most genuine, girlish side of herself.
"Can I say it doesn't count?"
"Of course not."
"You don't seriously think I'm letting you escape again this time, do you?"
The two smiled at each other.
And in the very next instant—
Boom——!!!
A deafening explosion shook the deserted mountain range.
…
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