The Evil of This "World" Will Eventually Be Found

"I warn you, the Doma family has for generations been... bah, for generations been a prestigious clan!" Seemingly having let something slip, Keiryu Doma quickly corrected himself: "Since it is a foregone conclusion that you have run off with Umaru, if any rumors were to arise between the two of you, I would rather destroy the Doma family than let you live!"

"So, that's impossible!" Sogo Doma felt a bit irritable.

"Heh," a cold laugh came from the phone: "Do you remember what you said while holding Umaru at the end of that piano recital?"

"Hm?" Feeling slightly unsettled, Sogo Doma frowned: "Even Umaru couldn't have heard that, right!"

"It wasn't heard, it was seen!" At this, Keiryu Doma sounded slightly smug.

Sogo Doma: "..."

After a long silence, He said sheepishly: "Old man, you can read lips?"

Damn it! He had been so careful, and he was still caught? Were these people using cheats? As expected, China is the only safe place.

"Seven lip-reading experts studied it overnight, comparing it repeatedly. Do you think they wouldn't be able to tell?" A sigh came from the phone.

Sogo Doma twitched his mouth. He'd forgotten about the cameras. Truly, pay-to-win is the way to go; those with 'money power' are invincible!

"From this life on, I will be the one to protect you. That isn't something a brother should say..."

"Eh heh?" Sogo Doma continued to play dumb.

The phone was silent for another moment before the voice said: "The others..."

"The others?" Sogo Doma narrowed his eyes: "Are you talking about the other Doma clansmen who died in the capital markets without my help? Or those subsidiary families that swarmed in like sharks smelling blood?"

"Cough, cough..." The blunt words made Keiryu Doma cough incessantly: "Sogo, why must you be so sharp? Like a weapon that cannot find a box to hide in. A genius like you should know that old Chinese saying: the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

If it weren't for this, if you were willing to hide your edge, even if you were a monster, why would I constantly study your footage? After all, we are father and son.

Keiryu Doma kept these words in his heart, never speaking them aloud.

"Perhaps because hiding one's talent isn't fun at all, or perhaps because it brings me pleasure?" The smile on Sogo Doma's face grew wider.

Although he was surrounded by light, and although his memories were suppressed.

He had, after all, experienced the baptism of Cthulhu.

Sogo Doma was entirely a chaotic neutral, slightly leaning toward a righteous stance.

"Cough, cough!" After two dry coughs, Keiryu Doma spoke again: "In any case, the Doma family believes that your act of taking Umaru away privately..."

Sogo Doma understood without being told; it was another long list of grievances. What era was this? Still playing these games?

He was very blunt:

"Just say it, what do you want to do?"

Keiryu Doma: "..."

After a long pause, he spoke hesitantly.

"First, living expenses. The Doma family will no longer provide living expenses for you and Umaru."

"So stingy?" Sogo Doma laughed dismissively: "But the stock dividends are enough for me to get by."

"The next part is the real business. In view of your attack on &...& (the voice was too low to hear clearly) and your private removal of the Doma family's 'gem,' the board of directors has decided to revoke your equity earnings..."

"Hm?" Sogo Doma's expression changed: "Old man, we had an agreement. I helped those guys, and you gave me a share of the profits. This has nothing to do with the board..."

"That's true, but the equity has always been in my hands!" At this, the voice on the other end laughed triumphantly: "So-called earnings are only yours if I choose to give them to you. If I don't, you can't take them!"

"Heh..." Sogo Doma chuckled softly.

"Then, let me see how a genius like you, once outside the protective shell of the Doma family, will manage to live with your sister while remaining so sharp." The voice on the phone sounded quite pleased.

"Is that so?" Sogo Doma put on a smile again: "Old man, I feel like playing a game again."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

However, the call had already been disconnected.

On the other end, Keiryu Doma closed his eyes.

"Living a life of your own? It sounds just like something a grade-schooler would say. Back then, I think I said the same thing to someone, but life is..."

After a long while, he muttered to himself again.

"Sogo, if you really are a monster, then shatter this bullshit life and create something. Create a beautiful world that belongs to Umaru, because, it wasn't just that piano recital—Umaru, she protected your entire childhood!"

On the other side.

Looking at the disconnected phone.

"I already knew that kind of thing would happen!" Sogo Doma muttered as he put the phone away, rambling about killing the donkey after the millstone is used, burning bridges, and discarding the bow once the birds are gone...

If there were a few people around to offer commentary, the air would surely be filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Turning around.

Sogo Doma watched Umaru, who was shaped like a dumpling, "hehehe-ing" while waving a toy gun around, and he couldn't help but cover his forehead.

The legendary "gem" of the Doma family...

This is it?

There's no need to even taste it; this is clearly a blatant attempt to confiscate his earnings!

Shaking his head, Sogo Doma stepped into the house.

"Onii-chan, are you done with your call? Hurry up and come over, this Akasaka Fireworks game is so cool!"

Looking at the innocent-faced Umaru, Sogo Doma's mouth twitched, but he still took the other game controller and stepped onto the sensor platform.

"Onii-chan, watch your cover!"

"Hey, Umaru, you might need to restrain your spending a bit from now on. That fifty-thousand-yen daily limit for microtransactions is going to have to be dialed back a little."

"What?"

Umaru was already in a killing frenzy; what was reality? That didn't matter!

"Haa!" Exhaling softly, Sogo Doma said, "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything."

Having said that, he decisively began hunting down the surviving players.

Stop!

The memory ends here.

"Heh, hehe..." Sogo Doma chuckled foolishly. Right, I've found the point to correct!

What do you mean, "pretend I didn't say anything"?

Why, why is his mouth so damn loose? How could he just brush something like that off?

But!

What about that Hamster Umaru who was just a dried-fish little sister? Why add this spendthrift trait? It must be Taihei Doma; it had to be Taihei Doma who, seeing he couldn't compete with his brother's position, taught Hamster Umaru to be this kind of spendthrift.

As expected.

Just like Hijikata, a cancer on this world. For the sake of the planet, couldn't they just go and die already?

"Un-hun!" Watching the vacant-eyed Sogo Doma, Umaru launched another charge. "Onii-chan, Umaru was a bit impulsive today, but I promise, I'll never spend recklessly again, and besides..."

"Didn't Onii-chan always say? If a little sister doesn't spend money, how can she show off her brother's ability to earn it? Besides, my witty and cute (stupid) little sister, can you get stronger without spending money? No! So, go ahead and spend, spend... Umaru has always followed Onii-chan's instructions."

Hearing these words, Sogo Doma suffered a critical hit once again.

Yeah.

The evil of this world has been found once more.

Brother Taihei, you'd better keep on living.