episode_0018

Gulp…

A heavy gulp passed down my throat.

Whoa, surely I wasn’t caught, right?

“……Th-Thirteen…? I think our eyes just met for a second…”

“Dorothy, you haven’t sold your face yet, so you should be fine. …Don’t be too nervous. If you’re nervous, hold my hand… No, hold it. Let’s pretend to be a couple…”

What appeared in the shop where Number 13 and Dorothy were was none other than Club, the hero of the 7th Squad.

Even if she’s a hero, she probably doesn’t know every villain. And if she came to a dessert shop like this, it means she’s off duty, so her guard must be down… Number 13 tried to convince herself as much as possible.

The two immediately exited the dessert shop to avoid being caught by Club.

Because the entrance was narrow, they couldn’t help but brush past her, but they judged it better than encountering her inside.

Thump, thump…

‘This isn’t good for my heart…’

They proceeded across the mall floor, feigning a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, trying to appear as normal as possible.

They naturally pulled out their smartphone, trying not to arouse suspicion, to quickly contact their chief of staff…

“Number 13? Number 13…”

“It’s okay, Dorothy. It’s okay――Duck!”

Whoosh―――!

Throwing aside the smartphone, he forcefully pulled Dorothy’s head down, practically hugging her.

Above them, something shimmering sliced through the air with a tearing sound.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

His heart was pounding even more wildly than before.

Looking back, he saw the ribbon-haired hero glaring at them with wide, owl-like eyes.

The ribbon-haired hero――Club――had clearly spotted the two.

The glittering 500-won coin in her hand was placed precisely on her tightly gripping thumb, aimed directly at the two of them.

That was Club’s “load” stance.

The coin was a bullet.

Her outstretched hand was both gun and hammer.

“Why…”

Club, her eyes sharply wide, gritted her teeth and tensed her finger.

And, she fired.

“Why are villains in a place like this?!”

Whoooooooooooosh――!

Her finger flicked. From it, a silver streak shot out towards Number 13,

More precisely, it shot towards Dorothy, who was embraced in his arms.

“Dorothy!!”

“Huh, whoa?!”

He hugged Dorothy tight and leaped over the railing, throwing himself into the open space in the center of the mall.

The silver coin-bullet barely grazed the back of his head.

‘That was dangerous!’

He avoided the coin. But the danger remained.

“Kyaaaaaaah?!”

Dorothy, clutched at his side, screamed.

It was understandable, given that she had suddenly been thrown into the air.

Even as an Awakened, Dorothy’s physical abilities were ordinary, so she wouldn’t be used to acrobatics like this.

People on the escalator, and those on the same floor who noticed the commotion, were staring blankly at them.

They were attracting attention in many ways, but they had no time to worry about that.

Dorothy, an Awakened with ordinary physical abilities, and Number 13, an Awakened who had lost his power and was no different from an ordinary person.

For two such people, normally, they would fall and die from the impact, or at best, break a few bones and tumble awkwardly on the floor.

Normally, that’s what should have happened.

“Be careful not to bite your tongue, Dorothy!”

And so, he pulled out his treasured ‘trump card’.

“【Come forth】!”

Near Number 13, by his right hand that wasn’t holding Dorothy, ripples spread as if on the surface of water.

Chwaaaaaa!

Then, in the empty air, something sprang forth from the rippling space.

What appeared was a heavy chain, somehow ancient and worn.

Or rather, not just a chain.

Looking at the ornament attached to its end, it was undeniably an “anchor,” the kind used to moor ships, though strangely small. Anyone who saw it would probably think so.

Clatter clatter clatter clatter!!

Clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter!!!

The chain-anchor gracefully swung through the air, dragging its tail.

The anchor, flying with a heavy metallic clang, wrapped itself heavily around a pillar on the opposite side, securing itself. Number 13, with the other end wrapped around his arm,

leaned into the chain, letting his body swing as if pulling it.

‘Downward…!’

“Huuuugh…!”

Clatter clatter clatter clatter!!

Like a pendulum.

Clinging tightly to the chain-anchor fixed to the opposite pillar, Number 13 and Dorothy, held in his arms, flew in an arc.

Their target was the children’s play area, several floors below.

Towards the soft cushions placed safely beneath the slide, where children could fall without injury,

Thuddddd!!!

they safely threw themselves down and landed.

“Ah, oh dear…”

“Hah, hah…! Dorothy, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“My stomach’s churning… I’m dizzy…”

“No injuries! Good!”

It was fortunate that there were few children in this play area at the moment.

They hadn’t involved anyone else, but two young children playing directly opposite the cushions were staring at them blankly, seemingly startled.

Oh, I’m sorry to have startled you.

“So co-cool…”

“Ta-Tarzan…”

“Dorothy? Did you hear that? They said I’m cool.”

“Quiet! Now’s not the time for that… They’re coming!!!”

Dorothy urgently smacked Number 13 and pointed behind them.

The direction Dorothy’s finger pointed.

There, half-leaning over the railing of the top floor where the two had been moments ago, was the hero, glaring fiercely down at them.

A clang, clang sound could be heard.

Something glittering was flung from her swinging hand, flying through the air.

Each and every one was a 500-won coin.

Club’s preferred instant bullets.

‘Oh…’

A shower of coins flew indiscriminately through the air, falling like a rain of stars.

The coins, falling haphazardly through the air, suddenly stopped in unison as if caught by something.

And then, all the coins simultaneously shot towards the two of them.

“Kyahhhhhhhhh?!”

He swung the chain-anchor still wrapped around his arm, coiling it, and leaped into the corridor.

Several coins struck the long, heavy chain, deflecting their trajectory and flying off, but the coin barrage they couldn’t entirely block came flying towards Number 13 and Dorothy with piercing force.

Crack! Clang!

Smash! Shatter!

A coin aimed at his leg embedded itself in the floor, cracking it, and another aimed at his head narrowly grazed Number 13’s ear before slamming into a nearby glass wall.

He dodged several coins, dodged, dodged, dodged…!

Thwack!

“Ugh…!!!”

In the end, he couldn’t dodge them all and took a hit.

With a face flushed red from tension, he let out a pained gasp.

“Number 13?!”

“I’m… fine…!!”

Carrying Dorothy in a princess carry while running, Number 13 replied, enduring the pain.

His side. It wasn’t a direct hit, but he’d been struck squarely.

Even though it was a coin, if it had hit him properly, it had enough force to rupture organs or break bones, but he endured it with sheer will, telling himself he was a man.

At any rate, only one coin had hit him.

He had dodged all the rest, and the hero would likely find it difficult to pursue them any further,

and the nearby people who noticed the commotion weren’t deliberately approaching Number 13 and Dorothy.

So, now they just needed to hurry and escape before they were caught.

“Hah… Dorothy, help me open the door. I don’t have a free hand.”

“Okay…!”

Click! Bang!

Thus, barely.

Evading Club’s sniping and barrages, the two managed to open the door leading to the emergency stairs and plunged inside.

***

‘Did I miss them…!’

“Fucking shit…!”

Club, leaning out from the railing so far it wouldn’t be strange if she fell, frowned with displeasure.

Spraying multiple coins indiscriminately naturally lowered her accuracy.

But if she shot them one by one, there would be a delay until the next shot…

No, more importantly.

‘It was Number 13 after all…’

The two people from a moment ago… one of them was definitely Number 13 of the villain organization 【Abyss】.

She didn’t easily forget faces she’d seen, and due to the nature of her ability, she had a habit of naturally observing even ordinary passersby in detail.

She had recognized him immediately, even just passing by.

The woman with him was not in her memory, but if she was with a villain, she had to be considered one.

Even if they were ordinary civilians, they were to be treated as villains until properly identified…

That was the policy the Hero Association generally advocated.

Even so…

‘Why on earth are villains here…?’

Villains appeared in a dessert shop in a regular shopping mall.

What on earth was the meaning, what plan could they have?

Were they preparing to carry out some villainous terror attack?

Surely, a villain who was even on the wanted list wouldn’t leisurely come to a place like this just to eat dessert…

For now, there was no way to know the villain’s intentions.

Moreover, she couldn’t just leave the escaped villain alone.

“I am a hero! Please calm down and listen!”

Club, as expected of a hero, skillfully shouted to the surrounding people to inform them of the situation and gave simple instructions.

Likewise, she reported the situation to the 7th Squad, requesting support from Apple, who happened to be in the office.

Club herself also moved quickly to pursue Number 13.

But she didn’t know where Number 13 had escaped to, or which floor he was on now.

If she tried to check the surveillance cameras, she’d lose him in the meantime.

And in the first place, for Club, whose specialty wasn’t physical enhancement like Spade’s, it was obvious she couldn’t catch up by simply chasing after him.

If she continued like this, she would lose him.

She would lose him otherwise, but Club still had a trump card left.

Using it would exhaust her and she disliked it, but this was an emergency, so she had no choice.

…Ah, I really don’t want to.

‘More importantly, that Number 13… according to Senior Spade’s report, he shouldn’t be able to use any power… so what was that just now…?’

There were many things bothering her, and many things she didn’t understand.

But everything could wait until she caught Number 13.

“Tsk………!”

Club clicked her tongue and gathered her magic.