[9] Strategy
The political assassination association, Abousha. Morozumi Kuruma holds the company’s top position of president, whilst Yuki has no role and is a member of the actual workforce, that is to say she is an ‘employee’, the two people are direct supervisor and subordinate.
Although there are subordinates with titles such as managing director and executive director, their roles are supporting the company president by supervising the support division. Though the managing director and executive director may have some say in the style of the actual workforce, Morozumi has control of any commands regarding the professional killers. Morozumi is particular about having direct control of the professional killers of the actual workforce.
Within the company there are also professional killers who work as a team. Such company employees when they raise a report will submit it by way of a designated team leader, in the case of solo professional killers like Yuki he will always read the reports himself and, if necessary, speak to them directly.
Be that as it may, the number of professional killers employed by Abousha exceeds thirty people. Thirty-six to be exact. Today, one has fallen by the wayside so maybe thirty-five.
The company president’s job is not just to scold subordinates. Business activities are also important. The support division also cannot only be entrusted to another person. Therefore, most result reports come through as documents. Morozumi summoning one of his professional killers is frankly not that rare.
Nevertheless, this was the fourth time Yuki was summoned by the company president over the aforementioned Shiba Tatsuya. Four times within a week. Her failure given the circumstances was becoming a visible problem, Yuki did not need reminding of the sense of impending crisis.
As Yuki gave a report on today’s details while resisting anxiety, Morozumi looked up at a light from behind his desk.
Morozumi’s appearance agitated the anxiety plaguing Yuki, making a mockery of her makeshift technique.
“Hashibami-kun, I highly value your ability. It’s undeniable you lack experience, but in addition to your physical boost extraordinary ability, your sword techniques, unarmed techniques, and concealment techniques have no shortcomings at any rate. Therefore, until now I’ve never said anything about the way you work.”
Morozumi put both elbows on the desk, leaning his body forwards lightly.
In proportion to how closer he got to Yuki’s eyes; she was assailed by the optical illusion of the pressure of his gaze growing in size.
As her body tried to bend back on its own, Yuki resisted by putting power into the base of her abdomen.
“However, if this apparent ineptitude continues any longer, you are going to have to do some very unpleasant tasks. For example, work that makes use of your body and figure. Do you understand the meaning of what I’m saying?”
“……Yes.”
Regrettably, Yuki was able to understand what Morozumi was saying.
Making use of her face and figure. A woman’s appearance that looks younger than her age, in of itself has charm.
Yuki does not make use of seduction techniques to get her way without a pretext. Or rather, for the sake of approaching a target, for the sake of making the target negligent, playing the part of a naïve and helpless young girl is a modus operandi Yuki regularly uses.
But Morozumi’s implication is making use of seduction techniques in their original form.
Killing a man upon a bed. —— With the literal meaning.
Moreover, she would not be wearing a single thread. And depending on the target’s preferences, she may have to attach to her body products she does not desire to. That is not restricted to clothing.
Employed by Abousha are also professional killers who do work like that. The female members of the actual work division, or rather, many of the ladies do their work in that way.
Within the company, there exist voices that have presumed that Yuki also works in that field. Yuki’s face and abilities are orientated towards it. With physical strength enhancement, the neck of large man can be broken. You can also escape by jumping from building to building with only the clothes one happens to be wearing. Small builds and slender limbs, there is certainly a constant demand for them due to men who are hard to please with normal seduction techniques……
The reason Yuki has been escaping the work using methods that invoke the mental image of a ‘Kunoichi’, is because she had continuously been assessed as being suited to the type of work relying entirely on strength. However, should the company president order it, she will not be able to say she is reluctant. Refusing orders leads directly to a purge. Without a doubt, there will be many co-workers who would be delighted to teach her techniques that are lacking in that area.
With just a little imagination, Yuki’s whole body was covered with goose bumps.
—— Could I gather the resolution to be hunted, to leave?
Even such a thought crossed her mind.
“Unforeseen situations arise, I also understand that. As of yet, we’ve not been able to clarify
Shiba Tatsuya’s background. That girl called Yami cannot be left alone either.”
“—— Yes.”
“Hashibami-san. I am not saying you need to clean things up alone.”
A question floated across Yuki’s eyes. Before it could be expressed, Morozumi’s speech continued.
“The next dispatch, I will direct. It will probably be the day after tomorrow. The girl called Yami will be dealt with by a different team. You will concentrate on Shiba Tatsuya.”
The thought ‘I don’t believe it’ crosses Yuki’s consciousness. The entire company will be covering for Yuki’s blunder.
Yuki has no memory of receiving special treatment from the company president. What is behind this discrepancy, Yuki cannot even guess.
“……I understand.”
For the time being, her head was certainly still connected. Yuki decided to shallow her doubts.
After Yuki left, Morozumi leaned into the back of his chair.
And from that position, pointed his face upwards. There was nothing hanging from the ceiling. He called to mind the face of the company employee who was used when no other hands from amongst the other professional killers were available.
“……This isn’t a situation where we can be stingy.”
As Morozumi muttered the thought, he decided to throw in everybody not presently engaged in work.
The number of ‘ninja without ninjutsu’ employed by has Abousha decreased by one to thirtyfive due to today’s failure.
From within them, the present number of available people whose hands are free, and excluding those not suited to direct combat, numbered exactly ten professional killers, excluding Yuki. Excluding the assassination unit, within the reconnaissance personnel there are also people with the skills to stand, but this time he decided to select only from people who usually engaged in the work of killing.
“……Ten people will be plenty. Even if she’s not an ordinary girl, the opponent is just one person. Even if she happens to be a well-seasoned magician, we can’t let them escape.”
Morozumi muttered with a voice which you feel was implacability bitter.
“Kokonoe Yakumo…… It’ll be good for you to see the spirit of ninja that cannot use the magic of Ninjutsu.”
This was what was in Morozumi’s heart that Yuki was not able to understand.
Morozumi is completely convinced that Shiba Tatsuya and ‘Yami’ were two of Kokonoe Yakumo’s followers.
◇ ◇ ◇
Fumiya, who had been misunderstood without his knowledge, was in a deep slump in an apartment with a one-week temporary contract.
“Young Master, you mustn’t so depressed.”
“……Why are you here?”
Fumiya asked in a dull tone of voice whilst holding his head.
“Because I’m on duty today.”
In contrast, Kurokawa replied in a nonchalant tone.
“No need for concern. I will leave before you rest.”
“……Such a thing doesn’t worry me.”
Fumiya has since removed his disguise; his outward appearance is completely that of a man.
He does not mind staying in a room with a subordinate of the same sex, and thought it was the same for the other person. Therefore, he should not have taken such a curt attitude when Kurokawa’s speech toward Fumiya was being sympathetic, in the way one would treat a girl. Being like this was no different than him having a calm attitude.
“Oh, is that so?”
Kurokawa muttered with a face that had missed its objective. Kurokawa gave Fumiya the ‘Ojou-sama treatment’ to deliberately get him angry and make him forget his self-hate. Fumiya was calmer than expected, so Kurokawa’s tactic ended in failure.
“……Young Master, what is it that’s bothering you so much? Certainly, Hashibami Yuki escaped, but you were able to deal with the dangerous bomber, so I think it was a good start.”
“I don’t care about something like that……”
Fumiya is still holding his head.
After removing his disguise and getting out of the bath, he was supposed to write today’s report at the desk when he abruptly became like this. Given the timing there is no doubt it is related to work, but he did not know what he was lamenting specifically.
Kurokawa merely shrugged his shoulders and took no other measure.
However, he could not leave the situation alone. Though it could again not amount to much, Kurokawa tried to talk to Fumiya again.
“My negligence caused me to suffer a wound, Tatsuya-niisan was forced to……”
But fortunately, Fumiya began confessing as he could no longer bare his feelings of selfcondemnation.
“Tatsuya-sama healed it with magic, right? I understand that you feel sorry for taking up his time, but I believe it was fine for you to obediently take advantage of what he’s said to possess.”
While that may be true, it was not a situation where Kurokawa was able to understand Fumiya’s self-hate.
“I’m not talking about something of that level!”
“Sigh……”
The magic structure that Tatsuya uses to heal the injuries of other people is not well known within the Yotsuba Family. In almost every case, those who are acquainted with his ‘Regrowth’, which perfectly restores any kind of serious injury in an instant, only understand that it is essentially different to normal healing magic.
“Does Tatsuya-sama have to pay compensation for the sake of healing the injuries of others?” In order to gain something, you have to part with something.
Results require compensation. This general principle can be said to hold true in this world, but it is not something you are particularly conscious of in regard to the use of magic.
Excessive magic use can produce serious disadvantages such as shortening the lifespan of the magician themselves, or possibly damaging their magic abilities. However, compensation like that will not be seen when using magic at a normal level.
Within the magic used in modern times, techniques have appeared which are not bound by the law of conservation of energy, but they are not able to disregard the law of conservation of mass. If Tatsuya’s ‘healing magic’ requires distinct compensation, then it may result in an opportunity to revisit modern magic theory. It was only natural that Kurokawa was unable to conceal his curiosity.
“……There is a price.”
Fumiya nodded, after displaying a facial expression that said, ‘damn!’
“But what it is, is something I cannot tell you.”
“I understand. I won’t ask.”
Reading the atmosphere, Kurokawa declares he will not enquire any further.
Fumiya, who has turned a little, regains his composure. No, it is better to say that he has ‘become calm’ as he is not holding his head a second time.
“The problem isn’t the compensation that Tatsuya-niisan had to pay.”
“The problem is the cause……is it?”
Fumiya nods at Kurokawa’s words.
“I can’t trouble Tatsuya-niisan any more than this. As yet, there is still time left until the honourable head of the family’s deadline…… but the other party tried to use a bomb. The resulting large disturbance would be regarded as undesirable by the Yotsuba Family. We need to bring this matter to an end quickly.”
“I have to ask, should we set a trap for the professional killer aiming at Tatsuya-sama? Or their organisation?”
“Rendering an individual professional killer powerless isn’t going to end things.”
“Abousha then?”
“That’s right. This problem, we’ll cut it off at the source.”
As Fumiya said that with confidence, Kurokawa turned to see something dangerous.
“Why don’t you request support? Even if you say the assassination association is a private company, its members are well seasoned ninja.”
“Even though they aren’t ninjutsu bearers?”
“Fumiya wasn’t conscious of it, but what he said spontaneously showed he viewed a nonmagician’s combat strength as lower than that of a magician.
“You don’t need magic to kill people. There are many strong opponents who cannot use magic. Not to mention, it has been confirmed that amongst Abousha’s professional killers there are at least ten BS magicians even if there aren’t any magicians in the normal sense.”
Fumiya did not disregard Kurokawa’s warning.
“Inherent unique ability users……”
BS magicians, innate unique ability users, or inborn singular magic ability users. Or they are often simply called ‘extraordinary ability users.’ Those people, or possibly themselves, who do not wish to categorise them as magicians, prefer the name extraordinary ability users.
The strict definition of a Born Specialized magician is a superpower user who specialises in an extraordinary ability which is difficult to technicalise as magic. But even special abilities that can be reproduced by magic have a tendency to be categorised as BS magicians in a case where it is of an especially high-level.
To tell the truth, Hashibami Yuki’s physical boost is also included in ‘extraordinary abilities which are difficult to technicalise with magic.’ Physical strength enhancement, reaction speed acceleration, elevating flexibility and the duration it can be endured, and the sharpening of the five senses. All of these can be implemented by magic one at a time, but at present they cannot be implemented all at once.
Self-acceleration magic to accelerate one’s movements, body hardening magic to invalidate the influence of friction and impacts inflicted externally, neither is as convenient as a physical boost special ability. Other than magic, physical boosts can also be achieved with drugs and mechanical implants that send stimuli via electrical impulses to the nerves and brain. ——Additionally, human physical ability enhancement can be done with genetic manipulation, though only a lower level can be achieved when compared to enhancement with drugs.
“Physically, we magicians are no different to non-magicians.”
“I understand that.”
Fumiya responded as his face stiffened as he reconsidered his intentions.
“Because the opponents are not ninjutsu bearers, I was being careless. However, if I’m calling for reinforcements, who should I request? The family head won’t send reinforcements if I ask. This task was appointed to me.”
“Isn’t it okay to make the request of Mitsugu-sama? It may appear to contradict your previous statement, but in all seriousness, can we attain appropriate results without acquiring assistance from the head of the family?”
Kurokawa says ‘we,’ meaning the Kuroba family. If that line we heard by an outsider, heard by a magician from any of the Ten Master Clans apart from the Yotsuba Family for example, it would without exception have resulted in a sense of discomfort and bragging.
However, though it may or may not have been exaggerated, there was no bragging.
In an incident that happened thirty years ago, the Yotsuba Family lost approximately half of its combat level magicians at that time. Even now they have not recovered from that serious blow. —— Yotsuba magicians are powerful, but few.
However, that does not mean that there are only a few magicians the Yotsuba Family can mobilise.
The Yotsuba Family has seven branch families. The seven families are the Shiiba, Mashiba, Shibata, Kuroba, Mugura, Tsukuba, and the Shizuka. The Yotsuba consist of the main family and the seven branch families.
Amongst those called ‘Yotsuba magicians’ are only those who are blood related to the main family, as well as those magicians blood related to the branch families under its direct supervision. Magicians hired by the branch families will not be called a ‘Yotsuba magician’ even if they are a protégé. Even when saying ‘Yotsuba magicians are the powerful few,’ there will not be a situation where they are included within in the ‘few.’
The Yotsuba Family’s war potential is by no means few, and they are not fixated on them possessing roots from within the Fours. Moreover, in terms of quality, neither the magicians brought in from outside by the branch families, nor the magicians they have trained themselves, are in anyway inferior to those of the other Ten Master Clans. When compared to those of the Hundred Families of the Numbers, far from not being inferior, they can be said to have completely surpassed them.
Each of the Yotsuba Family’s branch families individually has the equivalent combat strength of one of the Ten Master Clans. If one of these branch families was to summon its full fighting strength, then no matter how experienced the group of ninja that gathers, they will not be able to oppose them without being led by a master such as Kokonoe Yakumo.
“It’s impossible.”
However, Fumiya’s reply was pessimistic.
“Father doesn’t want me to be concerned with Tatsuya-niisan. If I voiced a complaint, he’d decide to tell me to pull out.”
The possibility of acquiring reinforcement from the Kuroba family’s forces was non-existent.
“It’s going to be a request for the sake of ensuring victory, I think that’s a little different from making a complaint.”
“I think so to. But my father won’t think that.”
Kurokawa stopped his rebuttal here.
“……For the time being, let’s take two days to prepare.”
“……I understand. We’ll start in three days from now.”
Fumiya nodded immediately, while holding down the feelings he wanted to say.
At present, there are eleven Kuroba magicians working to support Fumiya. A total of twelve people to crush an assassination association which exceeds over one hundred members. Not all of the organisation’s members will be combat personnel, but even if you estimate only a few the opposing side will still have more than twice as many people. Fumiya understood that thorough preparations were necessary, including the provision of weapons, without needing to have it explained again.
“……Ah, there is one thing I’d like to ask for.”
Having been reminded by the thought of preparing equipment, Fumiya recalled that he wanted to test something out with regards to his CAD.
“What is it?”
“Can we make some small modifications to my specialised CAD? I want to build into the glove a shortcut button for Direct Pain.”
“If it’s only to that extent I should be able to do it immediately…… Very well, where in the glove do you want it installing?”
“Can you install it so it’s easy to use the switch while I’m clenching my fist?”
“……In that case, I’ll install the button between the first and second joints on the index finger.
“That’s right. That’s what I’m requesting.”
“Yes…… However, why do you want it?”
“I received a hint. I think it will be beneficial to do it in a similar way to boxing.”
“Huh…...?”
Kurokawa was not able to understand the short remark Fumiya gave as an explanation.
But for the sake of remodelling the CAD a little, cross-examining the details was not necessary.
“I’ll get it done. It will be ready in the morning the day after tomorrow.”
Considering the situation, Kurokawa wondered what situation Fumiya was anticipating.
◇ ◇ ◇
Thursday. The night two days after the attempted infiltration of the middle school attended by the targeted boy.
The Yuki and Wanizuka duo are tailing the robot car Shiba Tatsuya is riding in.
He had escorted his little sister to her etiquette school. And like on the Saturday of the week before, went to a western style café nearby. Not being restricted into going to the same café, but still going to a café to kill time the same as before. Yuki, or rather the organisation predicted this.
“The target has entered a café.”
After confirming Shiba Tatsuya entered a different store from the other day, Wanizuka spoke into his transmitter. A report to the company. Today differed from usual as they were moving according to the strategy planned by the company president himself. They will not be allowed to rush for their own convenience.
“As planned, park the car in the car park and Croco will enter the establishment. Nuts will standby in the car.”
“Roger.”
As instructed, Wanizuka takes the station wagon into the parking lot.
“Croco, be careful.”
From the rear seat, Yuki called out as Wanizuka placed his hand on the door handle.
“My face is going to be smashed, so I can’t be careful.”
Wanizuka responded in a bitter and resigned tone and disembarked the box wagon.
◇ ◇ ◇
The planned date for the counterattack on Abousha is tomorrow, but the opponent was not going to simply wait while the preparations were made.
Both yesterday and today, Fumiya had been watching the movements of the professional assassins aiming at Tatsuya. ——But by no means should this be viewed as stalking Tatsuya.
You could call it luck, but it was not in vain.
“Ojou-sama, that girl has appeared near Tatsuya-sama.”
From the driver’s seat, Kurokawa, who had become Fumiya’s ’honourable sidekick’ for the current mission, made eye contact through the rear-view mirror with Fumiya in the back seat as he informed him of the professional killer’s movements.
“Is it Hashibami Yuki?”
“Yes, she appears to be lurking in the parking lot.”
“Is it the same as last time……?”
The comment made by Fumiya, disguised as Yami, oozed with an unexpressed nuance of ‘no artistry.’
“It’s not necessary to go along with them recreating the situation.”
Without sparing any time to think on the matter, Fumiya conveys his plan to Kurokawa.
“Let’s set up from here and capture them.”
“How do you want to use your support?”
“Can you call them immediately?”
At Fumiya’s rebuttal, a sour expression floated across Kurokawa’s face.
“Just give me five minutes……”
“That will be fine.”
Fumiya’s reply struck Kurokawa with surprise.
“Attach two people to me. Have the others blockade the escape routes. Kurokawa, keep tracking them in case of an emergency.”
“Understood.”
Kurokawa, who had expected him to reply that he could not wait, did not contest the allotment of roles Fumiya had assigned.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Nuts, can you hear me?”
It was one of the head office’s female staff officers, not Wanizuka, who spoke through a portable communications device, different to the one in the car.
“I’m listening, please—.”
A hint of a snigger leaked through from the other side of the communication device at Yuki’s ‘please’ getting caught in her throat. It was not necessary to say ‘please’ for the company’s internal communications, Yuki has been advised of this many times, and had said it unconsciously without intending to.
Yuki is trying to fix it, but it was habitual, so she was not aware she was saying it.
As she was conscious of it, she felt embarrassed when she said it unconsciously and another party pointed it out. She pretended to be composed this time, but her lips twitched slightly.
“The enemy has started to move.”
However, the brief comment in the transmission after that she meant had lost any margin to worry about such things.
“Enemy? Is it ‘Yami’s’ crew!?”
“We haven’t gotten confirmation yet, but it is highly likely. They are encircling the parking lot where you are.”
Just as Fumiya was surveying Yuki’s movements, Abousha was surveying the movements of the Kuroba, albeit cautiously as they did not know their true identity. Yuki had gone ahead to act as a decoy, and they were keeping a watchful eye from a separate location for the group attempting to interfere with her.
“Switch over to the second strategy.”
“I understand what to do. You need to inform Croco too.”
“Yes. Nuts, good luck.”
Simultaneously with the communication ending, Yuki disembarked from the station wagon. Unlike the parking lot where Yuki failed her attack last Saturday, here the parking lot was level and without a roof. In exchange for Yuki’s form being visible from the road, Yuki could also grasp the situation outside the parking lot.
A few seconds after Yuki exited the car, a large sedan suddenly stopped next to the parking lot.
A young girl with a bob cut and goggles covering half of her face got out from the back seat.
(You’ve appeared, Yami!)
Tonight, Yami is not wearing a sailor suit. She is wearing an indigo-blue high-necked sweater and a skirt the same colour as her sweater.
Wearing a skirt even at a time like this, it is a joke in Yuki’s mind. She herself is wearing a denim jacket made from the same fabric as her blade-proof pants that imitate jeans. Unlike Yuki’s attire which takes ease of movement into serious consideration, ‘Yami’s’ clothing Is certainly not orientated towards combat.
Naturally, Yuki was not as concerned for her opponent ‘Yami’, rather her jealousy towards how cute her appearance was in comparison to her own was crystallising in the form of antipathy.
Though having thoughts with such a carefree meaning, she did not become emotionally attached to the idle thoughts with no bearing on the time and place, and so Yuki’s body moved without hesitation.
And retreated towards the exit on the other side of the parking lot.
Assailed by a sense of impending danger of unknown origin, Yuki curved at a right angle without dropping speed.
Weaved her way through the gaps between the parked cars and jumped.
She then ran up a concrete wall and stood on top of it.
She then ran along the top of the wall besides the car park before jumping over to the roof of a private house.
◇ ◇ ◇
When Yuki started to move just before Fumiya’s encirclement was completed.
“Did she realise!?”
“You don’t say!?”
Kurokawa returns a response reflexively at Fumiya’s voice.
But even Kurokawa had intuitively realised that Hashibami Yuki had gotten out of the car, not to attack Tatsuya, but for the sake of escaping from the encirclement.
“Bring the car next to the parking lot!”
“Understood.”
The sedan Fumiya was riding in was circling around the block where the coffeeshop is. Just as it got out onto the street that leads to the front of the store, they had witnessed Yuki getting out of the car.
The moment the car stopped, Fumiya jumped out from the back seat. His large goggles work to further conceal his disguised face while simultaneously providing an AR Display that shows information send by datalink and sensor response. However, even without mechanical assistance, Fumiya was able to clearly see Yuki with only the light from the sparce lighting.
He could not use the armament device as the parked cars were in the way.
Fumiya uses his newly modelled CAD to release Direct Pain.
But——,
(Damn, the timing is slightly off!)
After taking aim, Yuki suddenly curved to the right.
She should not be a magician, is she intuitively sensing an urgent crisis?
Due to the unfavourable conditions caused by the gaps in the lighting, Fumiya had lost sight of Yuki.
But his consciousness had grasped her course.
He pushed the CAD’s switch.
However, the one second time lag to invoke the magic from expanding the activation sequence had caused Fumiya to miss his aim.
(It wasn’t successful, such is the extent of my skill when jumping in without preparation.)
It was already evening when he had received the remodelled CAD, half a day behind schedule.
Because of that, he was not able to practice and become accustomed to using the CAD after its remodelling.
Presently, he is trying to fire Direct Pain with the sensation of driving a jab into the opponent who is avoiding a punch to the head.
Timing the throwing of the punch with the pressing of the switch on the CAD.
But the process requires time to unfold the activation sequence, read it, construct the magic formula, and then invoke the magic, so it takes a little longer than throwing a jab.
Until now, Fumiya had never worried about his magic activation speed. He had never failed to invoke magic due to the time lag required to invoke it.
Using the concept of the sensation of boxing might have been correct. However, it was naïve to test its performance abruptly in the middle of a mission, as he himself had thought.
“Ojou-sama!”
Kurokawa shouted as he opened the passenger seat’s window.
“You need to follow by car! Tell the others to trace my signal!”
Even at a such a time, Fumiya did not forget to act in a manner suitable to his disguise as he gave Kurokawa instructions.
——It might be that case that he is doing it completely unconsciously.
And then by himself, Fumiya kicked of the road’s surface and soared into the nights sky.
Combining the magics ‘Jump’ and ‘Self-Acceleration’, he commenced the pursuit of Yuki alone.
◇ ◇ ◇
As planned, Yuki escaped while matching the pace of the opponents pursuing her. This is the second strategy from the company president, and as such ‘Yami’ should not be shaken off to escape.
In accordance with the plan, Yuki is being pursued by the young girl from the opposition. But Yuki was not moderating her escape on foot.
She is running at her fastest, with her physical boost on full throttle.
If she did not, they would catch up.
At first, she had intended to escape while showing herself intermittently; but that was abandoned immediately. The moment she showed herself, she would be assailed by the despair of a sense of impending crisis.
The entire time she was moving to avoid Yami’s line of sight. Confident she must not be seen. Supposing she had been confirmed by sight, even for just a few seconds, she had a premonition she would already be defeated.
Despite this, Yami had been remained on Yuki’s tail without losing track of her.
And little by little, she was closing the distance.
Enduring the ominous pressure, Yuki earnestly dashed towards the building designated by the strategy.
◇ ◇ ◇
From the onset, Fumiya had intended to snipe Yuki with Direct Pain during the pursuit.
But Yuki had skilfully used obstacles scattered around the neighbourhood, stopping Fumiya from confirming her by sight.
Tracking her residual trail in the Idea —— likely a consequence of her physical boost —— was sufficient to pursue her, without ever losing sight of her whereabouts. But with the literal meaning, Fumiya had lost sight of Yuki from the beginning.
For the sake of widening his field of vision, the idea of removing the goggles had flashed across his mind. However, the goggles Fumiya is wearing are also fulfilling the role of pinning down his wig and concealing his face. The reason being that the wig’s clasps have been shorted this evening due to the goggle’s straps. Removing the goggles would be risking the wig falling off in a moment of furious movement.
To begin with, Fumiya had decided to give Yuki’s capture his undivided attention. The attack has been postponed, and in any case, he was approaching a distance where he could perceive her with the naked eye. He had decided to neutralise her.
In simple speed, Yuki is able to run faster using her ‘physical boost’ than Fumiya is using a combination of ‘Jump’ and ‘Self-Acceleration’. Yuki’s Physical Boost is at a high level of that degree.
But Yuki is escaping while concealing herself.
Not running in a straight line.
Because of that, Fumiya is on Yuki’s tail, and reliably closing in.
And now finally, Fumiya has tracked Yuki down to a trade building with no signs of life.
On the fence surrounding the site, there is a sign saying it is scheduled for construction work. It is not in a state to accommodate tenants, whose departure was likely settled by means of a payment.
As Fumiya entered the building he came to a stop. He was in two minds as whether to wait for support to arrive.
However, since taking refuge inside the building, the had been no sign of Yuki. The residual trail in the Idea ended at the building’s entrance. She seems to have deactivated her physical boost and is using a concealment technique.
She was rushing and then abruptly came to a halt here. Aiming for this building and not running away. If that’s the case, we can consider that there must have been arrangements made here as a means for her to successfully escape.
Or so Fumiya inferred to overcome his hesitation.
Taking hold of the pocket pistol armament device, which he produced from a weapons belt under his skirt, in his right hand and preparing in his left hand a knife with a knuckle guard, Fumiya began his invasion into the as yet undamaged abandoned building.
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