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“So.. What exactly am I getting out of this guy?” Sero asked, staring down at the document in confusion. He was tasked with another torture, as that was his usual job of course, but the description on this specific one had been rather vague. Obviously, he could handle practically anything. He was amazing at his job! It never bored him.. But something about this case just gave him a sense of unease.
All it stated was that they needed to know if he was the culprit or not. Sero seriously had no idea what he was even a culprit of.
Shiu glanced over at him and sighed, “I was told that he supposedly killed his whole family.” He lit the cigarette in his hand with a lighter, “The person, according to Hela, sounded very urgent. He said he was a part of the police and gave proof, but I guess he had a lying tone in his voice.”
Sero put a finger to his chin, “A tone…” he shrugged, “I guess I’ll be careful with this one then. As much as pulling out his fingernails would make me excited, I can’t be reckless with that lack of information.”
“Knowing you, you’ll just be reckless anyway.”
“Huh?!” Sero said in defense, “It’s like you don’t know me at all…” Shiu simply rolled his eyes and blew through the cigarette. Sero grabbed the report and smiled, “Alright, I’ll head out now.”
Shiu waved, almost as if he were ignoring him. Sero didn’t mind much as that was his typical behavior. He seemed careless and unbothered by everything, but deep down it was clear he really did care for his coworkers.
When Sero reached the room, having everything he needed with him, the first thing he noticed about the man in the chair was that he was extremely nervous. There was visible sweat rolling down his face and despite the restraints around his legs, there was a slight bounce within the muscle.
Huh, that’s weird.. Sero thought to himself, walking up to the person. Usually they’re a lot more calm than this until the actual pain starts.. Most of the criminals just sit there and come up with ways to lie. They never panic before everything..
Sero crossed his arms, raising a brow. He stared down at the blindfolded individual, “Oi, what’s your problem?” he said.
The man gasped, “Wh-Who are you–?” he cried.
Sero twirled the hammer in his hand around his fingers with ease, “My name isn’t relevant.” From what Sero could tell, the man seemed to furrow his eyebrows. Perhaps it was from his nervousness. “Alright, let’s start off simple. Maybe you can get outta’ this if you’re smart enough,” he said, “Did you kill them?”
Normally, they never would answer the question and try to get around it. Typically with a quick denial.. The man lunged forward as much as he could and spat out a stammer of words, “I would never kill anyone–! I- I don’t even know who you’re talking about!”
For a moment, the man caught Sero off guard. Not because of what he said, of course his words were the usual thing people would say.. But because of his voice. He wasn’t sure why, but something about his voice sounded familiar. It bugged him. He quickly brushed it off. He shouldn’t allow speculation to get in the way of his work.
Sero grabbed a pair of pliers off of the small roller-table beside him. He set the hammer down and then proceeded toward the man. “Hmm.. Tell me then, why do you think you’re here?” he tapped the edge of the pliers against the man’s finger nails, sending a chill down the man’s spine.
“I- I’m telling you, I don’t know! I woke up here! I- I had a regular night last night!”
“You expect me to believe that?” Sero laughed, “Geez..”
The man hesitated, almost as if he were thinking closely about something. He gently gulped before speaking again. What he said, was nothing that the torturer expected:
“Sero..? Is that you..?”
…
Sero’s eyes widened, confused by the fact he knew his name. Did he know this guy? Is that why his voice sounded familiar? Sero stared at him, trying to make out every detail he could, but the lack of exposure made him unsure. He could only let out a slight breath, clamping his teeth together to make sure the man didn’t find out that he was affected by his words. He hadn’t been in such a predicament before. What exactly was he meant to do here? He can’t just expose his identity straight up, but then again if it’s someone he knows the guilt will practically eat away at him later if they’re close.
He set the pliers down and quickly made his way to the door, leaving behind the man.
He pushed himself against the wall, placing a hand against his forehead. He took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling from his mouth. “Maybe I should ask Shiu-san..” he froze, “Ah.. But that might result in him punching me…..” A dribble of sweat ran down his face at the thought, “Agh, I should just do it myself. Maybe it’s an old co-worker or something?”
Sero walked back into the room, looking at the individual as he made his way toward him. When he reached him, he crouched down and flicked him in the forehead, “What’s your name?” he asked.
The man swallowed hard, “L..Luke..”
“HUH!?” Sero immediately shouted, jumping back like a cat that just saw a cucumber, “N-No way–” An immense sense of fear shrouded over him. If it was Luke, it was obvious he had been framed since Sero was very much still alive and he hadn’t gotten news of anyone in his family dying.
He certainly sounded like Luke, and just from the small details he could make out, he looked like him too. It was risky, but he couldn’t deny that he definitely wanted to find out. Carefully, he walked back over and removed the equipment refraining from him seeing the individuals full appearance. When it was gone, it was exactly who he thought it was.
Luke, his younger brother.
“How the hell did you end up like this?” Sero asked, dropping the mask and beginning to undo the restraints.
Luke looked to the side nervously, “I don’t know.. I- I only remember waking up like this.”
“And nobody recognized that it was you?”
“I was asleep, I can’t answer that question.”
Sero rubbed the section between his eyes, “I’m glad you spoke up, that could’ve been bad..” he said, immediately forcing his brother into a hug, “Hela is usually careful with who they accept and all.. Agh, I don’t get how this could’ve happened..”
“Are you going to talk to them..?” Luke asked, staring up at him.
Sero nodded, “Of course I am.. Go to the break room and talk to Shiu-san about the situation.”
Luke’s expression became one of disgust, “I have to talk to that guy..?” he complained.
“Yes, quit whining..” he said gently, “I’ll be there with you soon.”
Once Luke was sent off to the break room, Sero made his way to Hela’s office. He quickly opened the door, catching the president by surprise. “Ah, Sero. What brings you here?” they asked.
“I want to figure out why my younger brother was brought here as someone to torture. One specifically assigned to me.” He told them.
Hela’s eyes widened, “Ehh? I don’t recall getting anyone who had your last name..” they turn toward a list and read it over, “Mm.. It was the guy who supposedly killed his family, right?”
He nodded, “Yes. However, it’s clear that my brother didn’t do anything like that.” he explained, “He finds that sort of thing terrifying as far as I know.”
“Huh.. I got as much verification as I could out of the people who called in, so this mishap is a bit confusing.” They hummed for a moment, then let out a small gasp when coming to a realization, “I wonder if–”
Sero titled his head, “You wonder what?”
Hela sighed, “Recently, many torture departments have been fooled into hurting an innocent person due to members in cults or gangs wanting revenge on the company for killing or torturing their leader or valued member. There’s a chance that may be the case here.” They frowned, “I’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.. Though, you didn’t hurt your brother, right?”
“I didn’t. I started off with a few questions since I didn’t have much information to go off of. I’m thankful that I did.” He told her, “..I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if I had.”
“Well, that’s good.. How about you go join him for now? I’ll deal with everything~”
Sero nodded, “Alright, thank you.” He smiled and soon exited the room.
As soon as he walked into the break room, he found Mike talking to Luke enthusiastically. Alongside that, Hugh was listening in on the conversation meanwhile Shiu was sitting there smoking a cigarette just as he did earlier.
Mike looked in his direction and grinned, “Sero-san!” he exclaimed.
He waved as he made his way over, “Sorry for the delay, I had to take care of something.”
“About Luke, right?” Hugh said.
Sero sat down in front of them, “Yeah.. I guess there’s been cults and gangs going around trying to get revenge on people who either killed or tortured someone they knew.”
“Ehh?! Doesn’t that mean you’re being targeted?!” Mike gasped, slamming his hands onto the table and standing.
“Targeted…” Sero repeated, “Yeah, I guess so.”
Mike reached over the table, his knees being placed right on the wood, and stared right at him, “What if they try to kill you?! I don’t want Sero-san to die..!” He cried out.
Hugh nodded, “I’d hate that too.”
Sero laughed, “I’m not going to die, don’t worry. Worst case scenario, I have to fight them myself.” he replied teasefully, “I gotta at least outlive Shiu-san over here~” he placed a hand against the older’s shoulder.
Shiu stared at him for a moment before shoving him away. “Not gonna happen.” he said.
Sero sighed, “Ahh, worth a shot.” With a soft smile, he turned to Luke and spoke quietly to him once Mike returned to his seat and the others began rambling to one another. “Sorry if I scared you. I didn’t really think something like that would happen if I’m honest.”
Luke stared down to the side, “I.. It’s fine.. Though, you are really creepy when you’re doing your job..” he said.
“Creepy’s a good thing when it comes to my job. I kinda have to scare the information outta them,” he claimed, “But, I am happy you’re okay. I swear, I’ll never let anything like that happen ever again to you.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Luke muttered, giving him a smile.