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Nako’s also weird, having the confidence to challenge professionals in close combat and win. It’s not like she learned how to fight and yet she can overwhelm other people. I heard it before, but Isami’s old man once tried scouting them. They immediately refused, though.

「That’s reassuring to hear. Now then, let’s head to the next location. Ruru, stay alert on the lookout. Nako, keep a good distance from us.」
「「Roger.」」

Exiting the store, I nonchalantly checked the surroundings. I don’t see anyone who could be a bodyguard around the area. However, even if I can’t see that, that doesn’t mean that they can’t see me. I pay attention to walk like I normally would to avoid raising suspicion.

「I should send Akira a picture. ‘Near miss, bye’.」

I can easily imagine her probably enraged look. I see people pass by me that seem to be in a hurry, so it’s probably the bodyguards. I know that even just changing one’s hairstyle can change the impression you give off. More so since I always wore the same casual attire. Image manipulation is useful for these sorts of situations.

「There are people it won’t work against, though.」

Akira, Kyousuke, Mizuki, and Gojima, we’ll have to watch for them. They’ll easily see through a simple change of hairstyle and outfit. They’ve been watching over me for a long time, after all. However, it should be difficult for just the four of them to search for me.

「Found her!」

Or at least it should be, but I was easily found. It’s been 40 minutes since the start. That’s earlier than expected. Judging from the voice, the first to find me is Mizuki. As I thought, she’s got a ridiculous sense of smell. Still, I don’t intend to get caught so easily.

「Run!」

I said, with the assumption that it’ll be heard. Of course, not by Mizuki. Something touched my left hand and immediately slipped away. It’s a signal. Ruru will be running parallel to me. As long as Ruru is nearby, Nako can find her. It’s the strength of their bond.

「Hey! Stop running!」
「Follow me.」

No idiot would just obediently stop on their tracks when they’re told to stop. I follow after Ruru while making sure not to lose sight of her. It’s only a matter of time for Mizuki’s message to circulate and this place to get surrounded. We’re overwhelmingly lacking in numbers, after all.

「Still, it’ll take time.」

It’s unlikely that everyone is nearby. It’s the exact reason I sent them misinformation, after all. With my objective vague, it’s to our advantage if they station their people all over the place. That solves our lack of people, while only for a limited time.

「There should be someone else nearby. If we get blocked, handle it the usual way.」
「Roger that.」

If Mizuki’s here, then Gojima should be close by. I probably shouldn’t assume that the four individually spread out to search for me. They wouldn’t be an efficient pair if they can’t coordinate, and with the lack of information right now, a small difference in speed makes a huge difference.

「Target, ten metres ahead. Middle aged man with a stern face and short hair.」
「I’m going ahead.」

Ruru’s legs are faster than mine. Finding me, Gojima stares intently so I can’t shake him off. It would’ve been more convenient if he hastily came charging towards me, evading him when he’s waiting for me is difficult. All the more when there’s no side road.

「Your game ends here.」
「Too bad. I’m still itching to continue.」
「As long as I capture you here, it’ll end.」

Carelessness is your worst enemy. Gojima focused too much on me, so his back was wide open. Ruru, who went ahead, went around behind him and kicked the back of his knees. Using her momentum, Ruru can easily break someone’s posture even with her small figure. While this happened, I ran past Gojima.

「Thanks, Ruru.」
「I desire Kotone material later.」
「When I feel like it.」
「Hmmph…」

That’s another card gone from my hand. It’ll be best to assume that the same thing won’t work again. We have to just run as far away as possible before we get surrounded. If I carelessly try outwitting them and it fails, it’ll just bite me in the a̲s̲s̲.

「Let’s pick up the pace.」
「Rightfully acknowledged!」

And so Ruru runs ahead of me again and I follow her. Just a thought, it’s a mystery why an author has this much physicality. At first I thought she exercises like me, but imagining her daily life, this question was answered. She probably runs around in search of story material. Nako is probably also well-forged from chasing after her.

「I think it’s fine now.」
「Then let’s take a break. We’ll have to meet up with Nako too.」

We should have ran far enough. We even went through pretty tight and convoluted paths, so I have not a single clue where we are right now. Ruru continues to be on the lookout, I wonder if she knows this place.

「Do you know where we are?」
「I’ve done the complete prep work for data collection. it’s a secret to Nako, but I’ve went around lots of places.」
「You never change.」

Her wanderlust hasn’t been cured. Some of my old classmates haven’t changed even after employment. Though as a prerequisite, they have a stopper near them. In Ayaka’s case, it’s Ran. In Ruru’s, it’s Nako. I don’t think there’s many of us who formed pairs.

「Where do we head to next?」
「Returning to the previous place is impossible. And they’re probably monitoring the tourist spots, so scratch that. In this case, it’d be best to go at places completely unrelated to that.」

Considering the current situation, I’ve judged that doing a sightseeing tour is impossible. I feel bad about it, but it’s the consequence of my own actions. At the very least, I want to buy some souvenirs, but what should I actually buy? After that, I guess I’ll have something to eat at some random place again.

「I’m thinking of buying something for everyday use for mother and snacks with a long shelf life for the twins. Do you know any good stuff?」
「Hmm, if it’s everyday use, then a hand towel. For the ones with long shelf life, maybe candy?」
「Lead me the way.」
「By your orders.」

Avoiding capture gradually became more and more difficult, but it’s not really an issue if I’m caught. That just means the end of the game. After that, I need to reflect on it and think of countermeasures. After all, it really is just a rehearsal practice. It’s probably more than that for the bodyguards involved, though.