Chapter 92: Grudge (1)

“The movie was fun~”

“Ugh… my shoulder hurts… It was a bit childish for me.”

“The more childish it is, the more fun it is~”

Today was a day where I had to get dragged away by some strange Trinity girl and talk for a long time at a cafe.

Well, should I say I got swept up in the mood? I don’t know why I got involved with that girl, but anyway, after talking about various things, I almost missed the movie time we were supposed to watch today…

Fortunately, Manaka put the brakes on properly, so I didn’t miss the movie.

She was a really strange girl… suddenly asking me to tell her about the types of love… If I hadn’t been grabbed by the wrist and half-forced to the cafe, wouldn’t I have mistaken her for some kind of cult? I wonder…

….

Why did I obediently let myself be dragged away…?

“…Sa~yaka?”

“Ah? What is it?”

“Spacing out alone is cute~”

“Uaaaargh!!”

Well, what does it matter?

Although some of our time together was taken, the promise wasn’t broken, and it was a reasonably fun experience, and… I got free coffee too, so it’s okay.

“Alright, shall we go get some lunch?”

“Okay~”

Nearby… correction, actually, there’s a restaurant I’ve had my eye on for today.

“Where are we going~?”

“I heard there’s a good place nearby. You won’t regret it?”

I actually know the place, and I even scouted it out for today.

So we slowly made our way towards that restaurant.

Chatting casually, fooling around, talking about pointless things like usual, talking about the Helmet Gang days… talking about those things, we headed to the restaurant.

No… we were supposed to head there.

“Hey… Leader, long time no see? Huh?”

“…Right… long time no see…?”

“…”

-Thud thud thud thud-

I was just thinking of finally settling down from the Helmet Gang days, living a normal… relaxed and reasonably diligent school life with Manaka… but it seems the karma from the Helmet Gang days hasn’t let us go.

Subordinates from the Guragura Helmet Gang days… a group consisting only of the relatively skilled ones surrounded me and Manaka from front and back, forming an encirclement.

Valkyrie… no use… I don’t know who’s behind this, but to prepare an ambush like this on a street cleverly chosen for its lack of CCTV and few passersby, they must be quite smart…

“…”

“Hee~ What could be the matter~”

“Ha, well, it’s nothing special, just come with us for a bit?”

My body has stiffened after spending months in detention, but these guys… open ground is impossible, but if it’s just a narrow terrain, I can take them down.

And usually, when guys like this have business with passersby, the place they resolve that business is a narrow alley.

Above all, I was involved in that world, and I taught these guys, so it’s certain.

Let’s think about following obediently first, and then counterattacking when a suitable alley appears…

….

Déjà vu, I should have run.

“Leader, new accessories, even makeup… looks like you’re living well? Huh? We had to go through all sorts of rough stuff from other Helmet Gang guys and Sukeban after that, you know? Huh?”

“Huh? Did I teach you that way?”

“No, right, Leader definitely said it’s because you’re weak that you get beaten, right? Huh.”

The guy took the lead, didn’t even look back, and started spouting nonsense to me and Manaka, blaming us for what happened to them.

Huh, it’s not something I, who quit the Helmet Gang, should say, but I never taught them that way.

I don’t like it, and we’ve entered a narrow alley, so I provoke them, inducing them to attack first.

However… yeah, I didn’t think things would turn out like this…

“Fufufu… those are pleasing words? However…”

“Ugh?!”

“You are far too inadequate to uphold those words?”

“Manaka…?!”

An unfamiliar voice and Manaka’s pained groan came from behind.

Even though I’m rusty from long imprisonment, I’m not so dulled that I can’t block an ambush, nor fail to react immediately after being ambushed.

I quickly pull out both the red and black MP7s from my pockets, aim them forward and backward respectively, and place my fingers on the triggers.

“Oh my… weren’t you… lovers? Would you be alright if your loved one’s face got a knife scar? Fufu…”

“…You son of a b*tch… Ugh?!”

-Crack!-

“Sayaka…!”

Turning around, the scene that unfolded was a woman in a gorgeous black kimono… a fox mask… carrying a Type 99 rifle on her back, holding a small tantō to Manaka’s face.

My brain stops rotating for a moment, and my mind goes blank.

Anger, that emotion instantly fills my head, and my actions stop.

Unfortunately, the guys I taught didn’t miss that gap.

A stinging pain hits the back of my head, and I stagger from the impact.

“You f*cking bas…”

-Ratatatata!-

In the end… without even a proper counterattack, my consciousness sank below the surface with the sound of gunfire flying from front and back simultaneously.

-Thud!-

“Kuhk?!”

“Sayaka?!”

“Stay still, won’t you? Deputy Leader?”

My consciousness, which had sunk below the surface, resurfaces due to the impact on my abdomen and the unbearable pain.

Due to the sudden violence, I can’t breathe properly, and my awakened mind becomes hazy, yet the pain keeps me awake.

“Fufu… you’re a sleepyhead, aren’t you?”

“…Sons of biches… where… is this…”

Barely regaining consciousness, I look around.

An unknown place… probably a warehouse in a factory district, such scenery unfolds.

Huh, ridiculously, the scenery looks similar to the hideout I used during my Helmet Gang days…

-Slap!-

“Ha, Leader… no… Mimoto Sayaka… still haven’t grasped the situation? Huh?”

“F*ck…”

Far away… her crying face… like black tears flowing because of the smeared makeup, she comes into view.

…Unforgivable… but… there’s nothing I can do right now.

“Fufu… I’ll give you two choices… Cooperate with me… or receive a scar here that will never fade. Whichever you choose is your freedom, but… well? Which choice is better for you… I believe you know well? Fufufu…”

“…Fox of Calamity…”

I… damn it, ended up being forced into a deal… with one of the seven people who could be called the most dangerous in this Kivotos.

…Damn it….

“Hmph~”

“Is it that good?”

“Of course! Do you know how frustrated I was? Ugh!! My life tied to a wheelchair is finally over~”

About a week… that’s how long I was bound to a wheelchair.

My body might be strong, but generally, students in Kivotos recover quickly… unless it’s a severe injury like aftereffects, burns, or disintegration… they heal quickly.

…Actually, I’m still not fully recovered, but if I endure a little pain, I can move almost perfectly.

“Fufu, then I’ll be able to see you in the office from tomorrow…”

“Yes! Of course!”

“…I was joking… workaholic…”

“Eh? It was a joke?”

No… my work environment, honestly, if it were my past life, wouldn’t I deserve to be called out for work-life balance or being a salary thief?

Hmm… flirting with lovers… compared to my sisters, the paperwork difficulty is infinitely lower…

Anyway, setting that aside… the cast is off, and I’m completely free from wheelchairs and crutches, so now it’s time to finally do the things I couldn’t do because it was uncomfortable, the things I wanted to do.

“Ssssp…”

“…Sora…? This is a public place…”

“Haa… it’s just us because of the time anyway…?”

I immediately hug Seia-senpai and recharge my Seia component.

Honestly… I held back quite a bit… Seia-senpai is… hmm… it sounds like something a messed-up person would say… but she’s fluffy… and feels pleasant in various ways…

“…Well… do as you please…”

Seia-senpai seems to have given up too, quietly entrusting her body to me…

-Boom!-

Reflexively, I spread my left wing wide to defend against the incoming projectile, protecting Seia-senpai from the impact of the explosion.

This impact force… is familiar.

An impact force I’ve felt sometime before… yes… Kaiser Industries Anti-Tank Cannon…

It’s rare to see this used… but Kaiser Industries also sells it for civilian use, so it’s possible.

But in this case… yeah, well… it was enough to feel déjà vu.

“Long time no see… Trinity goody-two-shoes… You even seem… tougher… And you were part of the Tea Party? Huh…”

“Huh, I didn’t think you’d come back after getting beaten so badly back then…”

…An incident that happened not long after I was recruited into the Tea Party… the mastermind of the Sanctus Faction Leader kidnapping incident appeared before my eyes.

Still, she’s not incapable of learning, as 15 people presumed to be Helmet Gang members appeared around her, drawing their respective weapons.

Among them, there’s also one loading an anti-tank cannon… huh… looks like they came prepared to fight this time too…

“…Sora…”

“Sister, wait just a moment… this time… it’ll be much faster.”

I reassure Seia-senpai and gently place her on the ground.

Still, I don’t forget to maintain a position behind me where I can protect her if possible.

I don’t know what these guys are aiming for with this act… but the possibility that they intend to kidnap Seia-senpai again exists… so I don’t let down my guard and bring my hand to the holster on my waist.

“…All units… concentrate fire…!”

The red-haired woman in the middle glares at me and gives instructions to the 15 Helmet Gang members.

One anti-tank cannon, four multi-purpose machine guns, eight using submachine guns or assault rifles, the remaining two seem to be shotguns loaded with slugs…

Unfortunately for them, the current me has no reason to modify tactics or change behavior patterns according to the enemies’ armament.

“Huh, how absurd… after getting beaten so badly back then…”

There’s no need to continue talking… I concentrate Mystery into my nerves, eyes, and both arms.

The world slows down, and within the slowed world, only I can move at my original speed.

A motion repeated countless times, drawing the revolver with my right hand, bringing my left hand to the revolver’s hammer.

Modify the amount of Mystery applied… there’s no need to concentrate this much Mystery into my eyes to deal with them.

Reduce half the Mystery concentrated in the eyes and focus it on the revolver…

Immediately expend all 5 rounds by fanning.

My arms, enhanced by Mystery, ignore the recoil of the Mystery-imbued revolver and allow me to fire 5 shots consecutively without recoil.

It doesn’t end here; still within the slowed time for everyone else, I pull out a speed reloader, reload, and repeat the fanning two more times.

The first fanning takes down the Helmet Gang members with the multi-purpose machine guns and the anti-tank cannon.

The second fanning takes down five using shotguns and submachine guns.

The final fanning lays low five using assault rifles.

This process happened simultaneously as they began to unleash their barrage, and their barrage disintegrated before it could even properly form.

“…Still the same…”

“Hmph… so, any last words before you pass out?”

Unfortunately for them, a gap that refuses comparison existed between the me of that time and the me of now… and 15 mere Sukeban were not enough to stop me.

Whatever purpose they had can be heard later in the Justice Realization Committee’s detention center.

My body isn’t even fully recovered, yet I pushed my Mystery usage to the limit.

Even if it was brief, my body screams from using it to the limit… so I need to quickly knock that one out too and hand her over to the Justice Realization Committee…

-Clatter, clatter-

“…Help me…”

“…Yes?”

However… the words that came out of her mouth… were far beyond my expectations.

She drops the MP7s in both hands to the ground… raises her empty hands to signal surrender.

“With this… it won’t be enough… yeah… I know… I know… I… know…!”

She… didn’t stop there, knelt down, slammed her head onto the ground, and pleaded for help… from me… from us.

“Please… I’ll do anything… huh? If you tell me to go to the Correction Bureau, I’ll even go to the Correction Bureau… please… help me… please…”

A tear-filled voice echoed as she broke down.

What on earth made her like this… I don’t know, but… huh… I just got out of the wheelchair… and it seems I’ve gotten involved in something troublesome again…