Here is the edited version of the chapter. I have smoothed out the dialogue to sound more natural and enhanced the psychological tension in Kamiki's scenes.
"Ah... I failed, didn't I? Well, nothing to be done about it now. Perhaps I should be satisfied just witnessing the sincerity between the two of you this time."
Kamiki Hikaru muttered to himself while watching a video playing on a TV in an abandoned building. The stars of the footage were Hoshino Ai, collapsed on the floor, and Hoshino Yume, bleeding profusely from his abdomen.
However, what truly captivated Kamiki's gaze was the sight of Hoshino Yume bleeding.
Watching it, Kamiki's face gradually flushed, and he let out a heated, shuddering sigh.
"Haa... At first, I thought I'd be interested in Hoshino Ai. But compared to you? I probably don't have the spare attention to waste a glance on someone like her anymore, do I?"
The moment he was first threatened by Hoshino Yume, adrenaline had exploded in Kamiki's brain. Only one thought kept rising in his mind.
'Hoshino Yume, what kind of face would you make if you were about to die?'
'Would you desperately beg for your life?'
'Or would you continue to resist death?'
'Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Because this way, you'll rise to even greater heights.'
'When you reach the peak, perhaps I'll visit you again at that moment.'
'Ah, of course. Just so you won't be lonely... it would be an unavoidable accident if something happened to Ai-chan as well, right?'
"So please... fly to even greater heights."
Kamiki, seemingly in a good mood, hummed a tune and turned off the TV screen. Then, sensing a presence behind him, he turned around.
"Have you come?"
"Yes."
There stood a figure covered from head to toe, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female. The person tossed an envelope toward him and spoke.
"It's the information you wanted. From now on, you won't be able to get anything else. After an incident like this, the 'Company' will lock down its intelligence even tighter."
"No matter. Just delivering this is enough for me."
Kamiki opened the envelope and checked each item one by one.
"Indeed, the executives of the company you belong to aren't exactly normal, are they?"
"Normal? Ha!"
At Kamiki's words, the person laughed as if finding the idea absurd.
"Out of the ten executives, only four are legitimate. The other six came from the underground. They were recruited by Director Kuma solely because their abilities were recognized."
"Haha, you're not jealous, are you?"
Kamiki thought to himself, 'How pathetic.'
"Jealous? Don't make me laugh! I'm different from them—I'm an elite!! Do you have any idea what kind of training I've received since I was a child!? Do you understand how it feels to be pushed aside by mere thugs like them!? That position should have been mine originally!!!"
The traitor's voice rose to a scream.
"Especially that Hoshino Yume!! Rumors call him the 'youngest executive,' but they gave a top spot to someone who just came in from the outside?! Does that make any sense to you?! That position was supposed to be mine!!!!"
The person shouted desperately, but no matter what he said, Kamiki just read through the documents, letting the complaints go in one ear and out the other.
After reading all the information about the ten executives, Kamiki burned the papers.
The person seemed flustered.
"Wh...what are you doing!? Do you know how much I struggled to steal that information!?"
"I've already memorized it all."
"What?"
Kamiki Hikaru possessed an exceptionally sharp mind; all the information he had just read was already stored in his head.
"I thank you for that. Thanks to you, I now know how to move forward."
"Th...then, have you dealt with Hoshino Yume?"
The person's goal had always been Hoshino Yume's death. He had volunteered to be Kamiki's accomplice solely for that purpose.
"No, unfortunately, killing him was impossible. After all, his physical abilities are such that it's hard to believe he's a human like me, right?"
Kamiki spoke as if he had witnessed a miracle. Yume had evaded a fatal strike by instinct alone, shifting so the knife hit his abdomen instead of a vital organ. Despite the failure, Kamiki's face remained wreathed in a smile.
"What!? You... you said you'd kill him!! Don't you know that if you don't kill him this time, there won't be another chance!?"
The person, now panicking, approached Kamiki while shouting. Kamiki watched him approach calmly.
"Are you watching your step?"
"Huh? What does that mean!? You're not even keeping your promise, and you made me do such a dangerous thing!? I'll kill you!!!"
Confused by the cryptic question but blinded by rage, the person pulled a knife from his pocket and lunged at Kamiki.
However, Kamiki remained entirely too relaxed. Feeling a sudden unease, the person remembered Kamiki's warning and looked down at his feet.
"Ah?"
"See? Didn't I warn you to watch your step?"
"Yo...youuuuuu!!!!!!!!"
He saw the floor crumbling away beneath him and tried to retreat immediately, but it was too late.
"If there's a next time, I recommend checking your footing thoroughly. If there is a next time... that is."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!? Kamiki Hikaruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The last thing the person saw was Kamiki smiling a smile more chilling than anything on earth, black stars visible in eyes that no one else could see.
And then...
A small news report stated that an unidentified person had died from a fall due to structural failure at an abandoned hospital.
"Ah... Although you weren't a valuable person, you're making me—the one who took your worthless life—bear the weight of that sin."
"But still, the death of the truly talented and valuable person I desire most has not yet been achieved."
"For now, perhaps I should take it easy?"
"Since surveillance will likely become thorough from now on, I'll have to live a 'normal' life for the time being."
"Ah... How boring."
Thus, Kamiki Hikaru, having ended one person's life as easily as breathing, returned to his daily routine and eventually rose to the position of Representative Director of Kamiki Production.