My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 275: Ch 275: Acting Weird

"Rin, are you ready to head out? What time did we decide to leave?"

Kyle asked, and Rin tried to think of a time they had agreed on. But he could not recall one.

"Sorry, but did we agree on a time? I don’t think I remember that happening."

His words made the others look at him with concerned expressions. But Rin made sure to keep his own expression neutral.

"Hey, did you forget the agreed time? What if you ended up being late or something? Ugh, have better situational awareness. Or maybe you’re sick."

Mira took one look at him and came to that conclusion. Her words made the others look at him with alarm.

Rin made sure to mask his feelings well, but Collin stepped closer with a worried look on his face, indicating that he had failed.

"Young Master, should I call Miss Reina? She should be able to figure out what is wrong with you. There...seems to be something wrong with you."

"No."

The answer escaped Rin’s mouth almost instinctively. He frowned immediately afterward because it had come out before he had even thought about it.

"...Maybe. But not right now."

Even he sounded uncertain now.

He rubbed his forehead and tried to organize his thoughts, but they felt strangely sluggish, almost as though his mind had become wrapped in a layer of fog.

Normally, deciding whether or not to ask Reina for help would have taken him only a second. Now he found himself unable to reach a conclusion.

"Anyway, we should discuss when we are leaving."

Those words surprised everyone in the room.

Collin’s expression immediately became more serious. Rin was someone who always made decisions confidently.

Even when he hesitated, he would quickly arrive at an answer after thinking things through. Seeing him struggle over such a simple question felt...wrong.

"Young Master, perhaps we really should ask Miss Reina to examine you. Even if there is nothing physically wrong with your body, having her look you over would put everyone’s mind at ease."

Rin wanted to refuse again.

The words rose to the tip of his tongue before he forcibly swallowed them back down.

"...Let’s do that when we come back. For now, we should focus on the task at hand."

He finally answered after a long silence.

"I don’t think this is something Reina will be able to solve. If it gets any worse, then I’ll ask her for help myself."

No one looked convinced by that answer, but they also understood that Rin had already made up his mind.

Since he was unwilling to see Reina right now, there was little they could do besides keep an eye on him and hope his condition did not deteriorate any further.

Thinking back on it, Rin should have found his reluctance to go to Reina unnatural. But he was not fully in control of himself, so he was unable to concentrate on the situation at hand.

__________

"Everyone, please present your thoughts on the matter. Now that Miss Karina’s position is open, we will need someone else to fill it. Does anyone have a candidate in mind?"

The higher-ups asked during the meeting, but no one seemed interested in providing a real solution.

Miss Karina was a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy. There was no one else who could replace her, and anyone who tried would come across as talentless by comparison.

So no one wanted to risk suggesting a name.

"Tsk, really? No one wants to take her place? Then we have no choice but to distribute her responsibilities among ourselves. Mr. and Mrs. Kalos have given us their permission to do what is necessary."

The higher-ups declared, and Molly let out a sigh.

Honestly, these meetings were boring and of no use. The higher-ups just liked to hold them because it showed off their authority in front of the others.

Not that it was of any importance to Molly.

But Mrs. Audit looked serious today, and she even raised her hand to show that she was willing to speak.

"I would like to take over Miss Karina’s research and merge it with my own. I have a feeling I have found a way to control the system and make it bend to humanity’s will."

That was a ridiculous claim, and Molly instantly wanted to point out the flaws in it. But Mrs. Audit did not give any more details, making everyone intrigued by her words.

Even the higher-ups looked interested in her claim, and after exchanging looks with each other, they decided to give her the go-ahead.

"We have discussed this issue among ourselves and decided that the idea has merit. Miss Audit, we will give you full authority over this case. So make sure you are able to deliver results."

Miss Audit nodded, and with her hunched back, she started to walk out.

Molly followed her out as well, wanting to know what she was planning. But so far, Miss Audit did not show any signs of doing anything unusual.

So Molly decided to poke at her a little more.

"Miss Audit, won’t you share your plan with me? I am sure having two minds working on your project would be better than having one."

She pointed out, only for Miss Audit to let out a chuckle.

"I see. That does sound like it would be useful. However, I don’t trust you, Molly. I know you were involved in Karina’s death, and I have no desire to die a meaningless death as well. So I would like to take my leave now."

With that said, Miss Audit headed back to her lab, and Molly stood there with an almost stunned look on her face.

She waited for a few seconds before letting out a chuckle.

"Now this is awkward. I did not expect Miss Audit to catch on and play a card like this. But since she wants to help, I might as well make it easy for her. She is the last obstacle in my path before I can take control of this project."

And once Molly had control, she would make sure this project was completed and the system was reborn.