Leave a comment

Side: Kunoichi

Gathering information at Ran’s request, I poked around and couldn’t believe that they planned such a large scale event. While they’re just riding on the coat tails of Koto-chan’s rampage, who in their right mind thought to pick a fight with a security firm.

“That’s in character for the rogues, though.”

We can actually overhear Koto-chan’s instructions. Information is necessary to grasp who is being cornered where. Our information network was made by bossman engineer after Ran negotiated with him. It’s impressive considering that there wasn’t any prior preparation.

“I know full well that I can’t afford to get caught, though~”

It will be useless if our targets realize that our suppression team is taking action against them. So we make sure they don’t suspect it and take them out by complete surprise. With neither Satoru nor Souji this time, the methods we can take are limited.

“Oh, there they come.”
“They’re getting hit by rotten eggs, why the hell don’t they even flinch!?”

The fool’s screaming about some weird stuff while running away. The pursuers are impressive, too. Though they seem to be driven by something else other than their professionalism. Perhaps failing here might be detrimental to them.

“It’s good for me either way, though~”

I armed my bazooka and pulled the trigger as the runaway entered my sights. With an anticlimactic pop, a large net was fired at my target. It’s a riot control tool, so it won’t be easy to get out of it.

“Nin-nin. Mission accomplished.”

Now to run off before I get discovered. There’s plenty of difficulties in my stealth-dependent mission this time. If the idiots see us, the information will immediately circulate among them. And it’ll be an issue if they don’t mistake our interference as Koto-chan’s doing.

“I’m pretty confident with my running speed, though~”

I quickly skittered out of the place. While I might not be as good as Ruru, I do have my own art of staying off people’s sights. The bazooka really stands out, so I do need to hide it. Large weapons are really inconvenient.

“Score one. More New Year’s money for me.”

The reason I’m cooperating with Ran is partly because of the rewards for this event. For each idiot we take out, we’ll get 10,000 yen. The one with the most points will get an extra 50,000 yen as MVP, so even the caretakers are motivated this time.

“Most importantly, Nako isn’t joining this time~”

Had the empress joined our side, she’d have complete domination. However, she’s occupied with another matter right now, and is acting independently of us. So there’s no telling who will have the most points this time. In short, even I have a chance to be MVP.

“There’s weapons to use everywhere. It’s telling of how serious Ran is this time~”

I return the empty bazooka at one of the storage boxes hidden here and there, and pick up a new weapon. The guys working behind the scenes to prepare all these in such a short notice really pulled no punches this time. Once again, I’m reminded of how crazy talented the rogues’ den people are.

“Gotta earn cash while still haven’t been found out~”

And to gain information as well. I can smell a scoop, so I have to investigate as much as I can. Koto-chan in particular is full of mysteries, so something should pop up if I poke around hard enough. Keeping our knowledge of her a secret until we meet her has become an unspoken rule among the rogues, but a certain idiot does have a tendency to message about her.

Side: Empress

I incapacitate every rogues’ den fool I cross paths with while chasing down my target, but I can’t quite catch up to her. Since my current status is complicated, it’ll be bad if I get seen by Kotone’s bodyguard team.

“I still can’t believe Satoru allowed me to participate.”

He may have needed more manpower, but he should know what would happen if I’m on their side. My goal is to secure Ruru, to capture the idiot who suddenly vanished the first thing on New Year’s day, and it just happened that cooperating with Satoru is the fastest way to do so.

“Did he trust my nonsense?”

I told Satoru that I would help in exchange for Ruru, but I fully intend to betray them. I already received a cooperation request from Ran, and I have no reason to stay with these fools. Rather, I plan on getting in their way as much as possible. Go to hell, damned fools.

“Ah, c’mon, out of the way!”

Why do these idiots keep on appearing right in front of me? If I had known this, I would’ve joined Ran’s side instead. I would’ve earned so much money at this point. Maybe Ruru is guiding me around so I encounter more people?

“For what reason?”

For now, I should contact Kotone. It’s nice that I can leave the collection to her group, but if I carelessly get found out, I’ll have to fight with her bodyguards. It’s such a bother. I already fought off several groups, but it’ll be troublesome if they deploy more against me.

“Empress betrayed us!”
“Stop blabbering the obvious!”

As I was musing to myself, I hit a guy with a lariat and continued running. Am I the only one working with different rules here?

“Finally caught up to her.”

However, there were two familiar people right in front of Ruru. Akira and Kyousuke, if I remember. It must be tough for them to be Kotone’s personal bodyguards. Still, I don’t understand why Ruru appeared before them.

“Time for a revenge match!”

It sounds like they still hold a grudge for the Kyoto incident. I was just going with Kotone’s plan, though. It was a pretty enjoyable riot, so I personally found it to be a nice way to de-stress. Though it was probably a misfortune from their point of view.

“Ruru. Don’t tell me you showed yourself for this?”
“Reference material for battle scenes, yes. Naturally, I’ll help out.”
“Then it’s unavoidable. Become sustenance for Ruru.”

I move forward and Ruru takes a step back. This is our usual combat style. I charge at the enemy and take their attention, while Ruru does surprise attacks from behind. And expected, Ruru’s attacks made them lose focus and that’s when I landed a direct hit.

“I knew you were monsters…”
“You just had a bad match-up.”

Akira is already down. The remaining Kyousuke uttered those last words before collapsing as well. Yeah, he was actually strong. After all, the battle actually dragged out a bit, and now we’re surrounded by the other security people. Now then, what to do next?

“Can you let go of me?”
“Don’t be stupid. We’re partners on the same boat of life.”

I carry Ruru under my arm and consider my next move. Alright, I’ll just get captured and inform Kotone that I’ll cooperate with her. I’m sure she’ll appreciate my help. Now, time to eliminate all the rogues’ den fools.