It was evening, and Keita was sitting in front of his computer like usual. This was his daily routine—every night he’d scroll through online news sites to read about all the grisly crimes that had been committed.
Unbelievable. There’s always so many new incidents.
Sighing to himself, Keita clicked on another headline.
The world’s way too soft on criminals. People who do bad stuff should get the death penalty.
He often found himself thinking that.
Evildoers should just disappear. People who couldn’t obey society’s rules didn’t deserve to live. Their lives had no value, no meaning; they were just a burden on everyone else.
If only I could do something about it… If only I had some special power to punish criminals without anyone knowing, like those antihero types you see in comics.
It was a fun idea. He began to fantasize about it.
Criminals should be punished. Evildoers ought to be removed from the world. Keita couldn’t be the only one who thought that way. Wasn’t that what all good, upstanding citizens wanted? There were so many criminals out there, and the world would be better off without them. If only he himself had the power to pass judgment on them…
If I could do that, everyone would call me a hero.
If only…
But he knew that was impossible. Of course he did. To be an antihero and punish criminals like in comic books, you needed something special. Knowledge, technology, connections…or maybe even superpowers. Keita didn’t have any of those things, and he had no way of obtaining them, either. He was just a totally average guy. He’d never be able to become a hero or give evildoers the punishment they deserved.
He heaved a sigh and turned his attention back to the computer.
Just then a little jingle played, and a pop-up ad appeared on the screen. It was bright pink, so bright it almost hurt to look at. The black text read:
✦ ✦ ✦
What in the world was that? Probably just some kind of joke. Or a scam. Or clickbait.
He was curious, of course—he couldn’t help it—but this looked way too sketchy to even consider. He decided to ignore it and moved the cursor over the headline of another news article.
But right as he went to click on it, the neon-pink pop-up ad moved itself directly under the cursor. Before Keita could stop himself, he pressed his finger on the mouse.
Click!
The screen changed, and the browser opened a new website.
“Oh shoot, I clicked it. This better not be malware or something…”
Shaken but still curious, Keita glanced at the page he’d been taken to. It looked like some kind of mail-order site.
✦ ✦ ✦
Execution Kit: Product Details
Ever wish you had the power to punish the evildoers of the world? Then the Execution Kit is for you! We have painstakingly assembled a comprehensive kit containing everything you need to perform an execution in the comfort of your own home.
With this set, anyone can be an executioner!
✦ ✦ ✦
※The execution tools in this kit were developed using specialized technology that reduces the victim to a pile of ash. The resulting ash is nonsticky and can be swept up and disposed of for quick and easy cleanup! ♪
He read through the product description and once again found himself dumbfounded.
“What the…? Is it okay for them to sell this stuff?”
If he thought about it rationally, there was no way this could be legal. No matter how bad a criminal was, the law would never allow people to buy a product that executed them.
But then again…
Keita couldn’t help wondering. What if this was an open secret? What if this was how things really were, and he just didn’t know about it until now? Maybe this kind of product was more common than he realized. Maybe the police and the government simply ignored this stuff.
Getting rid of criminals benefited society, after all. And from that point of view, the more executions that could be performed, the better. If one person could execute, say, three criminals, then ten could execute thirty, and a hundred could eliminate three hundred evildoers. Executing criminals would make the world a better place. And products like this would help increase the number of potential executioners. It all made sense.
With one of these kits, even I could do it…
The product description did say that “anyone” could become an executioner. This might just be that “something special” that would let Keita become more like the antiheroes he so admired.
But if it’s that easy to use, it’d be easy to abuse, too…
He wondered about that but put those doubts out of his mind almost right away.
Eh, I’m sure it’s fine. I bet they’ve got special measures in place for that.
The Execution Kit might have allowed anyone to dispose of criminals, but just buying it probably didn’t mean you could kill whoever you wanted. There had to be limitations or conditions involved before using it.
How much is it anyway? I bet it’s really expensive…
Keita had already pretty much made up his mind to buy the kit. But realistically, if he couldn’t afford the price, it wasn’t going to happen. Plus, there was a chance this whole thing was a trick.
Still doubtful, he scrolled down the page toward the price.
✦ ✦ ✦
Pay just ¥1,000, and we’ll send you the product.
If you’re not satisfied, return your unused kit, and we will cancel your purchase.
Well, that was a relief. This way, he could see if the product was real before paying the full price.
“In that case…”
Even if it was a scam, for just one thousand yen, it was worth trying out. If the marketing was true and someone as average as him could make a difference, it was worth the risk.
Keita nodded to himself and clicked the PROCEED TO PURCHASE button.