episode_0012

Handover

“Huk! Huk! Huk!”

Inside the conference room, about ten officials were lying in pools of blood, and only one official remained standing.

“I won! I won!!”

The lone official laughed triumphantly.

“I will dedicate my loyalty!”

“It seems a bit early to say that.”

“Huh?”

(Thud!!)

As if to dispel the official’s doubts, a chair came down on the back of his head.

“Crack!”

The struck official collapsed. Another official, who had been pretending to be dead from the beginning, continued to feign death until only one person was left.

(Thump)

The ambushing official grabbed the fallen official’s knife.

(Swish!!)

And then, he plunged the knife into the remaining official’s throat.

“Phew~~”

(Swoosh)

The truly last remaining official leaned back and exhaled.

“I won’t say anything you can’t believe about dedicating my loyalty.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll speak through my performance.”

“Approved.”

(Pshoo! Pshoo! Pshoo!)

At Arthur’s command, his subordinates, armed with silenced pistols, shot the fallen officials in the head for confirmation kills.

“What is your name?”

“Ryota Hashimoto.”

“Well, shall we have a little chat? Oh, can I speak freely? Are you uncomfortable by any chance?”

“No, please feel free to speak.”

Arthur left the conference room shoulder to shoulder with Ryota Hashimoto. Of course, as Ryota Hashimoto left the conference room, he could see Arthur’s subordinates piling up bodies in body bags and still putting bodies into the bags.

* * * * * * * *

Police Station

“They’re all dead, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Detective Layton responded to Vivian Choi, the youngest daughter of the CEO of Union Bank, who seemed unsure why she had come.

“Snow Flower caught Mad Hatter’s subordinates, and they all died. And it happened right here inside the police station.”

“…Can I see the bodies?”

“Well, I’d rather give you the autopsy reports.”

(Slide!)

Detective Layton opened a drawer and handed over a file.

“Senior!”

“What is it?”

“We have a visitor.”

“We already have a guest.”

“But this person is also a distinguished guest, isn’t she?”

“Who is it?”

(Tap tap)

A woman in a sky-blue suit was approaching under Detective Layton’s gaze.

As the woman approached, the ambient temperature seemed to drop slightly.

“It’s been a while, Snow Flower.”

“Yes, who is this?”

Hero Snow Flower asked, looking at Vivian Choi.

“Oh, Vivian Choi. She’s the youngest daughter of the president of Union Bank.”

“Instead, please call me a director of Union Bank.”

“Pardon?”

“Not as the bank president’s youngest daughter.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“So, Director?”

“Just call me by my name.”

“Yes, then why is Vivian here?”

“Probably for the same reason.”

“…”

Snow Flower, she also came here because of the villain Mad Hatter.

“They’re all dead?”

And she heard from Detective Layton that all the henchmen he had captured were dead.

“In the process of the crime, the henchmen of Mad Hatter showed a very organized and highly trained appearance.”

Inside the conference room, Detective Layton sat down and projected photos of the Mad Hatter’s crime scene to Snow Flower and Vivian Choi.

“And here, you can see a person with a bag over their head and bound being taken into the bank.”

“Oh, I see.”

“This person is the hostage that Mad Hatter killed.”

“…They brought a hostage into the bank to kill?”

“Yes. And it was confirmed that the identity of the hostage was the brother of the villain Monkey Spanner.”

“!!”

“You both know the developments after occupying the bank. After the third call, Mad Hatter demanded the disclosure of Snow Flower’s identity, and we deployed the special forces. However, the special forces were subdued, and the latest sleeping gas was stolen. Then Snow Flower tried to post something, but she couldn’t due to interference from Mad Hatter’s SNS upload.”

“I see.”

Vivian Choi, who didn’t know the detailed story, nodded as she listened to Detective Layton’s explanation.

“And then Mad Hatter kills the hostage, that is, the brother of the villain Monkey Spanner. At the same time, he fires tear gas, smoke bombs, and sleeping gas outside the bank to create confusion.”

“After that, did he release the hostage?”

“Yes, he dressed his henchmen in the same attire and released the hostages forward. And they all had money bags in their hands.”

“Money bags?”

“The hostages were told to run, given money bags, and warned that if caught by the police, their money would be taken. Witnessing the hostage being killed was terrifying, so we fled in fear.”

“We ran in the opposite direction of where we were.”

“Yes, our special forces used the sleep gas they had deployed into the bank against them. We dispersed the encirclement by spraying sleep gas in the opposite direction of where I, the special forces, and Snow Flower were located, and then escaped.”

“I pursued and encountered Monkey Spanner.”

“Yes, you encountered Monkey Spanner and subdued him.”

Snow Flower and Vivian Choi learned the whole story of the Mad Hatter bank robbery incident.

“…So there were no civilians killed in the end?”

“Yes, the deceased were just the villain Monkey Spanner and his brother. Also, some of Mad Hatter’s subordinates.”

“…Monkey Spanner’s eyes weren’t normal. It seemed like not only his eyes but also his mind had gone awry. Perhaps he became enraged upon realizing his brother was going to die?”

“That makes sense.”

“What kind of person was the human known as Monkey Spanner’s brother?”

“Oh, he was serving as the second-in-command of the organization created by his brother, the Monkey Spanner Family.”

“……”

“Thank you for letting us know.”

“Here’s the case summary file. Take your time reading it, and call me if you need anything.”

Detective Layton placed the case file on the table and left the room.

“…”

“…”

After Detective Layton left, Snow Flower and Vivian Choi quietly began reading the file.

“Why are you interested in this?”

Snow Flower asked Vivian Choi, who was engrossed in reading the file.

“Just curious. What about you?”

“Because I’m a hero.”

“Hmm…”

Vivian Choi nodded, convinced, and continued reading the material.

“Ability unknown. Did you happen to see them use their ability?”

“No, I didn’t. When we fought, it was just Monkey Spanner. Did they use their ability inside the bank?”

“No, they didn’t… Maybe they’re powerless?”

“Hard to say. I think they might be hiding their ability.”

(Ringing tone!)

“Well, I should go now.”

Vivian Choi stood up as her phone rang.

“See you later.”

Vivian Choi received a phone call and left the conference room.

“…”

[Villain Mad Hatter]

Age – Unknown (estimated to be in 20s to 30s)

Gender – Male (estimated)

Ability – Unknown

Special Notes

1. Use of cognition-inhibiting magic tools

2. Suspected tendency to avoid killing civilians

“Is this all?”

The personal information about Mad Hatter was simple.

[“I don’t know who he is, what he’s doing, or what kind of person he is.”]

(Murmuring!)

From Snow Flower’s ear, leaning on her arm, the loud sound of the police station could be heard.

“They’re all dead?”

“Not all, but it seems like most of them are dead.”

“Crazy, that fast?”

“What about the remaining guys? Is Devil Colosseum coming in?”

“I don’t know. It’s said that the surviving guy is currently consolidating the organization.”

“Hey! What about your informant?”

“I don’t know, I can’t reach them right now.”

“You too? I can’t either.”

“What the heck is going on?”

“……”

The bodies of the Monkey Wrench Family’s executives were found in large numbers.

According to the enhanced information from Snow Flower’s reinforced body, it was said that a garbage truck was stolen by the culprits, and a few hours later, the bodies of the Monkey Wrench Family’s executives were found in the stolen garbage truck. Apart from the bodies, it was reported that there was a teacup with tea in the driver’s seat and a silk hat.

“Mad Hatter!”

Upon hearing the police’s words, Snow Flower knew who had done it.

“But the cause of death wasn’t the gunshot to the head.”

“What?”

“When you look at the bodies, there are signs of a fierce fight. They died from excessive bleeding due to that, the gunshot wound came after they were already dead.”

“…”

“But they have other guys’ skin tissue and similar traces on their hands.”

“So, did they fight among themselves and die?”

“That’s how it looks.”

“Crazy.”

“At least some of them are gone, so they’ll be consolidating as a group.”

“Can we catch them now?”

“…”

“No.”

Detective Layton said to his colleagues around him.

“Let’s think logically. Suddenly, all the executives are dead, and the remaining people have gathered. Then who would they gather under?”

“…Mad Hatter.”

Hearing Detective Layton’s words, Snow Flower muttered softly.

“Under the Mad Hatter’s area, it seems like the subject has just changed. It feels like we shouldn’t touch it.”

“Tsk.”

“Rotten villains.”

Villains are confronted by heroes. That’s the unwritten rule of this world.

The reason is simple. Because when ordinary police officers, who make up the majority, confront superpowered villains, the damage is too great. Therefore, the government strictly prohibits police from dealing with villains. The government is so averse to police and military confronting villains that there are even rumors of bills being proposed.

This world was still on the brink of destruction and lurking danger, so unnecessary consumption of resources had to be avoided.

“…”

(Creak)

“I’m sorry. Miss Snow Flower…?”

John Layton opened the conference room door, but no one was there before him.

(Swoosh)

Instead of Snow Flower, there was an open window. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the window was frozen.

“Hmm~~~♪”

Asra entered the building at the center of the Monkey Spanner organization.

“A casino?”

Hector asked as he looked at the blackjack and poker tables inside the building.

“Yes, it was our main business.”

Ryota Hashimoto answered Hector’s question.

“…Let’s start with remodeling.”

The building seemed old, with peeling wallpaper and fading paint. Even if you wanted to lose money, you’d feel reluctant in a place like this.

“I’ll open the safe inside and bring out the emergency funds for the organization.”

“Okay.”

(Swish)

Asra pulled out a nearby chair and sat down.

“Am I a small business owner now?”

Then, he looked around.

“We could set up a theater over there, and maybe a bar over here.”

(Thud)

“Huh?”

While contemplating how to remodel the casino, the ground shook slightly.

(Thump)

As the ground shook, dust fell on Asra.

“Ah.”

(Tap, tap)

As the dust fell, Asra brushed off his hat.

(Swipe, swipe, swipe)

Then, he took off his monocle and wiped off the dust.

“First, cleaning is necessary.”

(Bang!!)

As he put his monocle back on, the front door flew off with a breaking sound.

“Mad Hatter!”

Snow Flower appeared after breaking the front door, pointing at herself.

“…”

Why are you coming out from there?

“…Hello?”

Arthur waved his hand in confusion.

“Surrender peacefully!”

(Zzzztt!)

As Snow Flower spoke, Arthur regained his senses and pulled out a handgun from his embrace, aiming it at Snow Flower.

(Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!)

However, Snow Flower immediately created an ice barrier.

“How did you find my location?”

“…I searched everywhere.”

“Yes?”

“I thoroughly searched every inch!”

“Hmm.”

Looks like trouble.

The A-rank hero was determined to capture me.