I’m Not That Villain

32 – Newcomer (3)

Renata Lyudmila.

She eventually agreed to the side job offer. Her rather dull income played a big part.

“…Except for Mr. Lee Seo-jun, I had almost no income… Sigh. I’m relieved. At least I can breathe a little now. Since it’s just a simple delivery…”

“I didn’t say it was simple.”

“What?”

After seeing the stamp firmly pressed on the document, I changed my attitude completely.

“The Black Mirror has a lot of enemies, you know? And just as many adversaries.”

“Oh… Oh…”

“From now on, Ms. Renata, you will have to take on all those risks.”

“But, I’m just an ordinary person?”

“But you’re an excellent driver, aren’t you? I saw it last time.”

“With just that one thing…”

“Hey. It’s okay. There hasn’t been any retaliation so far. Right? Ms. Lily?”

“So far, yes.”

“Please, give me back my contract!”

“Well, I could give it back… but it’s 30%, you know? You could use that money to decorate this room even more beautifully.”

“…….”

“If you don’t want to, then forget it.”

“But… if I die, it’s all useless…”

“Sharp. Yes, you’re right. If you die, it’s useless. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to throw you into the jaws of death.”

“What?”

“I told you. I’ll take care of the security. If I lose my business partner, it would be troublesome for me too. I have no intention of choosing another supplier. A side job shouldn’t overshadow the main job. Therefore…”

I tapped the organized contract.

“‘As long as safety is guaranteed, isn’t it a win-win situation for both of us?'”

“…….?”

“I’ll modify it for you. The vehicle you drive. I can’t make it overwhelm most ability users… No, how could it overwhelm those human weapons? But I’ll make sure you can escape.”

I smiled brightly.

“And additionally, I’m thinking of assigning one more bodyguard.”

“…Me?”

“Lily, you need to stay by my side. The one I’ll assign as your bodyguard this time is… an AI I developed myself.”

“……?”

Renata blinked.

I rubbed my hands together.

“Since we’re at it, I need to teach it about the outside world… There’s a limit to what it can learn from online information.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Just think of it as having a reliable bodyguard.”

“I don’t understand at all! Learning?! What does that mean?!”

“It’s like a child I’ve raised… Please take good care of it.”

“What?!”

I put the contract into the bag I brought.

“First, can I see the truck you came in?”

“I-I can show it to you, but…”

“Lily, can you drive?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll take it.”

“W-wait?!”

“Oh, do you want to come with me? Since you’ve already visited our workshop… It’s fine, we’re in the same boat now.”

“Everything is happening so fast…!”

I firmly pressed Renata into her material transport vehicle.

“Let’s go for the modification.”

“W-wait… wait a moment…!”

“Goodbye to the truck so far. Hello.”

“aaah! My truck! синяя птица!”

Wow. Isn’t that fluent Russian? What does it mean?

But once a car starts running, no words can stop it. That’s right…

. . .

When you study machines,

you inevitably learn something about cars as well.

If you were to name humanity’s greatest means of transportation, wouldn’t cars naturally be on that list?

I slowly moved it into the expanding warehouse. I turned on the lights in the previously dark warehouse and called out the AI ‘Scarlett.’

“Scarlett.”

“Yes, Master.”

The facility started operating. I watched as the car was slowly lifted into the air by the machine.

I raised my hand while sitting at the workbench. Now, the numerous facilities that were beginning to be systematically arranged moved according to my will.

First, I grasped the overall design. Well, it’s a regular transport truck. A 4-ton truck.

Before proceeding with the modification, I casually asked Renata.

“Do you have a preferred color?”

“Yes, yes?”

“I mean, if you have any preferences, I’d like to accommodate them.”

Renata was still trying to make sense of the situation before her eyes. Well, it’s understandable. She had stacked materials in the underground warehouse before, but it was her first time actually entering this workshop.

“Um… before that…”

She looked around curiously.

“Where is this place?”

“This is my workshop. It has an unusable name… The White Anvil Workshop.”

“I’ve never seen a workshop like this. Those long, thin moving things… what are they?”

“They’re mechanical arms. They move based on the settings I’ve input. I just need to think here or slightly assist with what’s lacking, so the work speed has become very fast. I can also perform ultra-precise processing on multiple items simultaneously.”

“…Where did you get these things?”

“I made them.”

“Made them? These… processing machines?”

“I didn’t think it was possible either.”

I snapped my fingers. The truck mounted on the machine began to slowly rotate in place.

“But as I kept working, it became possible.”

“…Mr. Seo-Jun Lee… what exactly do you do?”

“Master craftsman.”

Lily agreed from the side.

“Mr. Lee Seo-jun is the real deal. In terms of ability, he’s almost perfect. You can trust him.”

“Like a maid’s ability?”

“Not to that extent.”

Is it just a bit lacking from a perfect score? I clicked my tongue and instructed the AI Scarlett.

“Can you understand the internal design and display the truck’s status in midair?”

“It is possible.”

Slowly, several dangling cameras crawled into the truck’s interior. Wow. It feels like looking at something alien. I made it, but it’s somewhat strange.

Renata’s expression hardened.

“My, my truck… is being violated…”

“Vi… what?”

“Ah… How could I, how could I have raised it… How could I have managed it day and night…”

“What’s the big deal about a camera going into the bonnet…”

This woman isn’t normal either.

But I proceeded with the work without hesitation. Considering she would be riding the car in the future, this had to be done.

As the number of antis increased, there might be people who would attack. For her safety, this was a necessary measure.

“First of all… the condition is really good?”

“Because it’s my partner…! I managed it diligently every day…!”

“I see… So? Do you have a desired design?”

“It’s the prettiest right now…”

“Ah. So you want to maintain the current form while modifying it?”

“Is modification really necessary?”

“Of course. For safety, I think we need to replace everything with bulletproof materials. For minimum safety, I also plan to add other security equipment.”

“……”

Renata’s face hardened.

Hesitating, she eventually ran out in front of the truck, blocking the small moving cameras, and shouted with all her might.

“No, I can’t do it! Don’t touch my baby!”

Oh dear.

Well, then I’ll just have to persuade her.

“Ms. Renata. If you think about it differently, isn’t this actually an opportunity?”

“…What?”

“They’re offering to modify your vehicle for free. Better than before. We’ll replace everything from the engine to the internal equipment cleanly. This is a service you can’t get even if you pay for it. Modifying a vehicle that would cost billions, I’m offering to do it for you out of goodwill. The materials used are also very expensive.”

“…….”

“It means you can modify your current truck into the dream vehicle you want. Are you really going to just leave it like this? Your bluebird?”

“…….”

Renata’s eyes wavered. The sound of her swallowing slightly.

“A job that would cost billions…for free?”

“Yes. For free.”

“But with this level of technology…couldn’t you just create the desired vehicle without modifying mine?”

“Having the chassis saves more time. And what I’m doing is ‘modification’. Enhancing what already exists. Think of it as an overlay. It saves much more time than creating something new, doesn’t it? I’m in a hurry for money. I don’t have that much leisure. When the water comes in, you have to row, but can I be making cars when orders are flooding in?”

“…….”

“Ms. Renata. Think about it.”

I put my arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“When you first came here, you probably didn’t have ample business funds. You almost started barefoot, right?”

“…Th-that’s true…”

“You saved up penny by penny to buy this dream truck. To transport materials. When you bought that truck, you must have been really…really happy. It must have felt like you got the partner you dreamed of. Isn’t that right?”

“Y-yes…so I cherished it even more…”

“But did you really think you would spend your whole life with this truck? Haven’t you ever dreamed of something more?”

“…….!”

Renata’s eyes shook violently.

To suppress the ensuing opposition, I whispered in an even lower voice.

“You probably saw a truck more splendid than what you could afford. But what could you do? The money you had was limited, so you had to compromise with reality.”

“…….”

“But now you can meet that ideal you let go of in vain here again. You can do it now. The last chance to modify your dream bluebird into the shape you want…is right in front of you.”

“…….”

“After all, the essence isn’t changing, right? Just slightly changing the appearance. It’s like plastic surgery. It’s common to touch up your face these days, isn’t it?”

“Th-that’s true, but…”

“So leave it to me. Ms. Renata. You and I, together, will modify this baby into the best one.”

I gently cupped her cheek with my outstretched hand. She let out a melted voice, hiccuping.

I lowered my voice further to seduce her definitively. I looked into her eyes.

Steadily.

“A child fitting for Ms. Renata, a child of Ms. Renata and myself. I will take responsibility and clean it up thoroughly. Slowly, from the inside. Even the shameful parts that cannot be shown to others… until it’s smooth and satisfying for Ms. Renata.”

“…Hmm…”

“You can pour it all out. The desires you couldn’t fully express then. Don’t hold back. Everything to me. Until it’s all resolved.”

“…Ah…”

“I will take responsibility and move gently, according to Ms. Renata’s every word. Now, what will you do?”

Finally, her trembling eyes slightly nodded. Her pupils, filled with tears and empty, eventually closed weakly.

“If… if you say so… then… you must… take responsibility…?”

Good. I’ve persuaded her.

Lilly looked at us with cold, sharp eyes.

“The conversation is strange.”

Strange, my foot.

It’s business.