Ch.18Chapter 4. Restraint (3)

“So what?”

My single comment made the atmosphere incredibly awkward.

The homeroom teacher standing behind me turned pale.

I felt relieved after saying it, but I still had the feeling I’d made a mistake.

At this rate, I’d only be suspected of being the perpetrator.

But I didn’t want to put the Earthaboo guy in a difficult situation either.

I don’t want to argue about whether his method was right or wrong. It’s just… he jumped in to help me.

Hmm, does that reason sound a bit cringeworthy?

Besides, he works at the same place as me. If he quits, we’ll be short-staffed and I’ll have to work harder. Yeah, that’s a better reason.

Anyway, that’s how it was.

The atmosphere had become awkward, and I thought I’d made a mistake, but I didn’t look away from that woman.

I don’t want to lose.

Even when I’m in situations where I can only lose, my personality is always like this. Even if I lose, I want to land at least one hit.

“You, you…”

The woman grabbed the back of her neck as if she was getting a headache.

“Ma’am!”

The homeroom teacher quickly rushed over to support her from behind, but failed.

Thud!

The two of them fell down like something out of a cartoon. The woman seemed to think the teacher would catch her properly, so she just fell backward, but the teacher didn’t have the strength at all.

Watching the two of them roll backward, the students looked a bit shocked.

“…”

At least this wasn’t my fault. She just fell over because she couldn’t handle herself.

By the way, someone in the back was still recording video.

At this point, they should probably give it a different title. The woman fell so ridiculously that even if she’s portrayed as the victim, she’ll definitely be mocked. People who criticize others online don’t really care about reasons anyway.

I sat back down.

And rummaged through my desk to prepare for class.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward, but well, that wasn’t my problem.

“You, you…!”

The woman struggled to get up and shouted at me, while the homeroom teacher desperately tried to hold her back. After falling once, she didn’t seem inclined to try something similar again.

“You, I won’t let this slide!”

Eventually, the homeroom teacher pleaded with her and managed to take her out of the classroom.

The woman kept shouting loudly even as she left.

Judging by the look the homeroom teacher gave me on the way out, I’ll probably be called in at least once during break time.

I let out a light sigh.

“Jieun.”

Hayun spoke to me as I was preparing for class.

“What is it?”

“…It’s not something to worry too much about.”

I don’t want to lose. But I don’t want to sacrifice the Earthaboo either. And I don’t want to make Hayun worry.

Am I being too greedy?

Despite what I said, Hayun’s face was full of concern.

“Really, don’t worry too much.”

I spoke with a bit more force in my voice.

“I have ways to resolve this.”

Actually, I didn’t.

“…”

Hayun stared at me with her lips tightly sealed, and I eventually had to look away.

*

In the end, I was called out during break time.

I got scolded by the teacher, but I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything. The delinquent’s mother next to me looked like she might have a stroke from high blood pressure, but I kept my mouth shut. Half of me actually hoped she would collapse from a stroke, but she stubbornly remained standing.

What a shame. If this woman had collapsed, that troublemaker girl lying in the hospital would have jumped right out of bed.

“…Do you think things will just resolve themselves if you keep your mouth shut like that?”

That’s what the homeroom teacher said.

They probably won’t be resolved.

I’m thinking about finding a way to solve this. Honestly, I don’t have any plan at all.

In the end, the homeroom teacher let me go.

At least it won’t be settled today.

It will probably blow up in a few days, or maybe tomorrow.

I didn’t expect things to go this far.

When I returned to the classroom, Hayun was looking at me with a worried expression.

I didn’t say anything.

*

Still, nothing else happened until classes ended.

The homeroom teacher looked like she didn’t want to pay any more attention to me, and that woman had gone home or something because she wasn’t around. I tried to think about what preparations she might be making, but I couldn’t come up with any answers, so I ended up with this ambiguous, unsettled feeling that was neither completely carefree nor properly worried.

I guess I’ll feel this way until it’s all over. I was already getting annoyed.

“Jieun.”

“Yeah.”

“Is everything really okay?”

“Yeah.”

I was just answering, but somehow I found myself looking directly at Hayun.

Oh.

Ah, Hayun had grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

I thought I’d developed some strength from fighting magical girls and monsters, but Hayun, a real magical girl, seemed even stronger than me.

Every time she touched me, I couldn’t feel any particularly hard parts. Where were her muscles hiding?

“…Really?”

Hayun looked straight into my eyes.

Looking into those honest, sparkling eyes, I couldn’t even think about lying.

Hayun knows what she’s doing. Just as I know Hayun well from spending a long time with her, she knows me well too.

I looked away.

“Jieun.”

“…I want to solve this myself.”

“…”

At my words, Hayun let out a small sigh.

“…Is there nothing I can do to help?”

If Hayun helped, everything would probably be resolved neatly. The woman probably wants something from Hayun. It probably wouldn’t be anything too illegal. Just asking her to connect her husband with someone from the Galactic Federation or something like that.

And Hayun would just need to be friendly with that troublemaker girl. Then everything would be resolved cleanly.

But I didn’t like the idea of Hayun doing something like that.

Jealousy, pride, and… my selfishness. Things are getting more complicated because of my strange obsession with not wanting to see Hayun getting involved with such weird people.

I know it. I know, but my heart won’t listen to reason.

“Later.”

In the end, I couldn’t bear Hayun’s gaze and blurted that out.

“Later, if I really can’t handle it, I’ll tell you then.”

Hayun continued to stare at me for a long time after that.

And slowly removed her hand from my shoulder.

I glanced up slightly to look at Hayun.

Her expression was complicated. But the most visible emotion was disappointment.

Whether that disappointment was directed at me, our relationship, or just the situation, I wasn’t sure.

“Okay.”

Just as I had eventually said to Hayun, Hayun eventually said the same to me.

“But if it really gets tough, you have to tell me.”

Saying that, Hayun held out her pinky finger to me.

I stared at that pinky finger for a moment, then hooked my finger with hers.

We’d made pinky promises countless times since we were young. Even as teenagers, Hayun often did this when making promises with me.

I’ve always kept promises made this way.

And I could never refuse such promises.

That’s how scary it is to be close friends with someone.

“If it really gets tough, I’ll tell you.”

But this might be the first promise I’ll ever break.

*

On my way home after parting with Hayun, I received a group text from the company.

I felt somewhat relieved that the message had finally come, but also a bit annoyed. Still, the feeling of relief was stronger. At least it meant I hadn’t been fired.

Besides, when your head is complicated, sometimes it’s better to have something to focus on. It was the middle of the night, but moving vigorously might help clear my head a bit.

I went to the orphanage as quickly as possible to get my combat uniform, then snuck out again when no one was looking, took a bus, and headed to the company.

I put on my combat uniform, shouted the slogan, and got into the van.

Then we headed to some unknown operation area.

But I do remember the incident itself.

“Today’s combat area is here,” said the officer, James.

“Yes, it looks like a house at first glance. And it actually is a house.”

James spoke as he looked at the confused combatants.

The place where we gathered was near where I lived.

Well, “near” isn’t quite right. It was across the street, and even after crossing, you had to climb quite a hill.

But it was definitely within walking distance.

It was a bit disappointing. After all that riding in cars, the destination turned out to be so close to home.

They probably never tell us the combat location in advance because they’re worried about information leaks, but at times like this, I feel like complaining a bit.

“But some rather illegal activities are taking place in that mansion. We’ve received intelligence that one of the key figures of the Galactic Federation is hiding in that mansion’s facilities.”

James spoke as he walked in front of us.

“That’s why we’ve rented this mansion.”

The mansion right in front of our target mansion.

Even so, it seemed a bit awkward to just sit in a car in front of the house while discussing such things.

Besides, the walls were so high that it didn’t seem easy to get in.

The place we had entered in our van had walls slightly higher than that house.

“We’ll infiltrate using zip lines. Try not to harm people who appear to be civilians too much. They probably wouldn’t dare report to the government, but if there are casualties when the police arrive, it becomes a bigger problem.”

“…”

No one answered.

Everyone looked visibly flustered at the mention of police.

“There’s no need to worry too much. It’s a one-in-a-million chance. Our company has everything under control.”

Noir Corporation openly sided with the government.

And the government, when it comes to keeping the Galactic Federation in check, turns a blind eye to some illegal activities.

…The Galactic Federation boldly using extraterritorial rights. And the company using similar rights by exploiting that.

Both sides are truly villainous to an unbearable degree.

“Our mission is to find evidence that the Galactic Federation figure is in the facility under that mansion. Yes, a smartphone photo would be enough. It would be even better if we could bring the person out, though I don’t expect much. But I should give you information about the inside. There are originally four people living in the house.”

James explained with a somewhat serious voice.

“A middle-aged couple, their teenage daughter, and a housekeeper. Among them, the daughter is hospitalized so she’s not at home, and we have intelligence that the husband is too busy with work to come home today. Both the housekeeper and the wife should be asleep at this hour, so the mission shouldn’t be too difficult. Oh, by the way, the daughter’s bedroom is on the second floor, and the master bedroom is on the first floor. The housekeeper’s bedroom is also on the first floor. The rest of the rooms are either empty or used as storage.”

…Hospitalized daughter?

I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

James looked around at us, gave a slight smile, and then put on his mask.

“Well then—”

James took out a small device from his pocket and pressed a button.

Pshh. Pshh. Pshh.

With somewhat underwhelming sounds, guns near the wall fired.

Despite the sound, the projectiles flew quite accurately and forcefully, embedding themselves deep in the ground beyond the opposite wall.

“—let’s go.”

The first person to move was the team leader.

The way he glanced at me suggested he might have some competitive spirit toward me.

Following him was the Earthaboo who had been standing next to me.

There were three zip lines in total. With about twenty combatants including myself, we needed to be quick if everyone was to be deployed.

I sighed softly and took my turn on the zip line after those three.

Beep beep beep.

Circuit status: 70 percent.

That was enough to support my weight with just my hands on the zip line.

Honestly, the zip line itself was quite fun. Rolling on the ground afterward wasn’t fun. Proper zip lines set up for enjoyment naturally have space for people to land properly, but this zip line was hastily made and embedded directly into the ground.

And it was dark, making it hard to gauge distances.

Still, I didn’t just roll; I used a falling technique to spring up and look somewhat natural.

“Good. Everyone move quietly.”

We all hunched down and moved slowly.

There didn’t seem to be any security guards here. Even for a large house, there probably wouldn’t be guards at the entrance.

This time, the team leader didn’t assign me the task of opening the door.

Befitting a large, nice house, the windows were extremely wide. It looked just like a house from a movie I saw before. That movie where people secretly live underground.

Thinking that damaging the front door directly would be too risky, the team leader used his blade to make a circular hole in the glass door.

He skillfully caught the glass to prevent it from falling and breaking, carefully laid it down outside, and rolled a smoke grenade that emitted fine particles inside.

“Ha.”

Then we could see dense red lasers around the glass.

This didn’t seem like normal home security.

Even for a company like this, their intelligence is highly reliable.

How much must they hate the Galactic Federation to be this persistent?

There were lasers, but they weren’t really threatening. The company doesn’t care about the lives or safety of combatants, but they provide decent support until the operation is about to succeed.

The team leader took out another object that looked like a grenade.

He pulled the pin, rolled it inside, and with another underwhelming “pshh” sound, something like smoke spread out.

After a few seconds, the red lasers turned off. I’m not sure how it works. EMP? Well, as long as it’s effective, it doesn’t matter.

We moved quickly and entered.

Apart from the secret facility supposedly in the basement, this was just a regular home, so there probably wouldn’t be any extraordinary devices in the actual living areas. It would be too troublesome to trigger security systems just trying to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The team leader seemed to share my thoughts and made a light gesture.

We quickly dispersed.

Even if we’re just minions of an evil force, we’re people who have consistently fought together with our team members.

Of course we have this level of coordination. We might even be better than magical girls in that regard.

The problem is that we collapse too easily once the fighting starts.

The team leader, intending to investigate the first floor, pointed to the second floor while looking at me.

What a jerk.

Since it’s a “basement” facility, the entrance is likely on the first floor for easy access. The device to open it would naturally be on the first floor too.

It’s more dangerous, but even a semblance of success reflects well on performance evaluations.

Well, fine.

I made achievements last time, so I’ll let it go this time. My goal is just not to get fired.

I took the lead, with the Earthaboo and other team members following behind me.

They said only the daughter’s bedroom was on the second floor.

If so, I can relax a bit. Since the daughter is hospitalized, no one should be on the second floor.

Let’s move slowly, minimizing footsteps, and look around.

With that in mind, I went up to the second floor and pointed at each door with my finger, looking back at the Earthaboo and other team members.

A straight corridor with two rooms on each side. There weren’t many places to hide, but it wasn’t a problematic area.

The corridor wasn’t as wide as I’d imagined. With only one window at the end of the corridor, it wasn’t that open. But judging from what I saw outside, the windows in the rooms were quite spacious.

Since there probably won’t be much to find anyway, let’s each take a room, quickly look around, and go back down.

That’s what I was thinking when it happened.

Creak.

A door opened.

The people who were opening doors to enter rooms, and I, all froze in surprise.

Making groaning sounds, a girl about my age came out.

Rubbing one eye while yawning widely, she looked quite disheveled.

There was nowhere to hide in the corridor, and naturally, the first thing she saw was a combatant opening the door to the room opposite hers.

A combatant wearing a black helmet on their head and a black bodysuit.

“Huh?”

As soon as she made that sound, I rushed at her.

I forcibly covered her mouth with my hand to prevent her from screaming.

Her eyes widened.

Though her hands and feet were free, she didn’t seem to think of resisting.

This situation was probably a first for her.

Yes.

It must be her first time.

“…”

The girl I had pinned down was the daughter of the woman who had come looking for me today and made such a fuss.

Wait, why is she here?

I frowned.

“Mmph!”

Belatedly realizing the situation, the girl struggled.

When she tried to grab my helmet with both hands, I quickly pulled my head back.

Other combatants rushed over and grabbed her arms and legs.

We carefully flipped her over.

And used the multipurpose cable ties we always carry to bind her thumbs and wrists, and put tape over her mouth.

“…”

This feels like… we’ve really become villains.

After restraining her like that, we looked at each other.

What now?

Looking at their faces, my teammates just shrugged or shook their heads.

“…”

I guess… we should take her downstairs?

It would be troublesome if we left her alone and she escaped.

I let out a deep sigh.

And I thought of the team leader who had told me to go upstairs.

Surely he didn’t know about this?