episode_0019
by fnovelpiaThe ‘trump card’ that 13 used.
That was the chain-anchor he had pulled out of thin air just moments ago, a part of the ability he had received from the Constellation.
It wasn’t that his ability, or his mana, had specifically returned. No matter how much he called out in his heart or prayed, the Constellation remained silent and unresponsive. There was no mana supplied from the Constellation either.
Nevertheless, the fact that he could use that ability was thanks to Spade. After his previous encounter with Spade, some of her mana had flowed into 13.
‘I’m not sure of the cause, though.’
As far as he knew, 13 was the only male Awakener, so there couldn’t have been any precedents like him. Likewise, 13 had never been intimate with an Awakener before. His previous encounter with Spade was the first.
The exact reason would require a bit more research, but regardless.
That was how he was barely able to use a part of his original ability. Even so, the mana he received from Spade was an extremely small amount, and even that was almost completely used up just a moment ago.
He had returned to being the incompetent villain, 13… How sad….
* * *
Haa… haa… haa…!
“Th-thirteen… Ju-just… *gasp*… *gasp*…!” “Dorothy, I told you to get some exercise.” “Ugh… Ughhhh~~~~~…!”
He somehow supported and led Dorothy, who was staggering and struggling just from running down, not even climbing up, the stairs. The two of them barely managed to reach the underground parking lot, avoiding the heroes. This large shopping mall had five floors of underground parking alone, so even if they realized they had fled to the parking lot, they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint their exact location immediately. This bought them a little time.
“*Gasp*… *Hoo*… What are we going to do now?” “What to do? First, I should contact the strategist, right?” “That’s all we can do. Just a moment.”
13’s smartphone had been dropped during Club’s initial sniper attack. That smartphone did contain confidential data belonging to [Abyss], but… He’d have to think about that later. For now, escaping this situation was the priority. Once he contacted the strategist, they should be able to escape… he thought. Dorothy, who pulled out her smartphone from her pocket, frowned as if something was wrong. He saw her smartphone, held out toward him; its pitch-black screen was riddled with cracks right in the center. Even when she pressed the power button, only a shattered screen appeared, making it impossible to tell what was what.
“It must have been hit through my clothes without me realizing. Or maybe it hit something when I landed.” “We’re screwed.” “I only planned on eating dessert and coming back, so I didn’t bring any other tools…” “Hey, even if you’re a villain, you should at least carry self-defense tools. Without tools, Dorothy is just an ordinary cute and smart woman, that’s all that’s left.” “You can say such things even in this situation? Just like earlier, do you have some kind of disease where you die if you get serious?”
With a sigh, Dorothy rummaged through her pocket, then subtly lifted her skirt. Under her skirt, at a dangerously high position where her underwear was visible, a small pistol was attached to a belt. It was fortunate to have even this, but facing a hero with just one pistol would still be impossible. Each of them was like a tank of a woman.
“The only weapons are this and a makeshift flashbang… Other than that, a simple hacking tool…” “What can a simple tool do?” “I can steal a car, at least.” “…Good, let’s snatch one.” “Do you have a driver’s license?” “What villain has a driver’s license?” “……” “…I know how to put it in gear. And how to turn the steering wheel.”
When asked what was the accelerator and what was the brake, 13 stammered his answer. “No, it’s fine. I’m kidding. I can drive. I have a license. Though it’s an old, unused one.” Even with his excuse, Dorothy still wore a displeased expression. Nevertheless, she tossed the pistol to 13 and immediately began searching for a car that could be hacked. Even though they had escaped to the parking lot, if the heroes reacted quickly and the mall was sealed off, there would be no way out. So what they needed now was, above all, speed. They had to steal a car and get out of here as quickly as possible.
* * *
“Hey…! This is pretty amazing, isn’t it? As expected of an imported car? There’s a reason why people drive expensive cars!” Dorothy’s work didn’t take long; in just a few minutes, she had completely hijacked a luxurious-looking imported car. As he opened the door and got inside, he could feel that something was distinctly different about the interior, as expected of an expensive car. He felt sorry for the car’s owner, but… they got caught by a villain, so it was just bad luck for them, he supposed.
“What are you doing? Let’s go, quickly!” “Alright, alright. You, buckle your seatbelt tight.” He shifted the gears with a clunking sound, and turned the steering wheel, getting a feel for it. Thanks to Dorothy’s hacking, the engine was on even without a key inserted. Let’s see… this seems to be the brake… so this must be the accelerator… “Alright, then, let’s go!” “I feel uneasy…”
13 encouraged the uneasy Dorothy, gripping the steering wheel with a confident attitude. He then pressed the accelerator all the way down.
Vrooooom
As expected, it was a luxurious imported car. Even with 13’s reckless driving, the car smoothly picked up speed and started moving. “Huh……………?” “Hey, hey, hey, Thirteeeeeeeeeen?!”
Screeeeeeeech!! Craaaaaaash!!!
Driving straight into a pillar directly in front of them. They crashed into it with full force.
* * *
As the front hood crumpled, the airbags instantly deployed, and the two of them struggled and barely managed to crawl out. The wrecked car seemed unusable now, so 13 could only send his deepest condolences to its unknown owner with a heavy heart.
“Please, cut it out, 13!!! You said you knew how to drive!!!” “It’s just that it’s been so, so long. And I got too excited because it was an expensive car…. Ha, just one more time and it’ll be fine! I’ve got it now! Really! I swear!” “There won’t be a next time, you idiot!!!!”
Dorothy erupted, pounding on the side of the wrecked car. I’m sorry. I said I’m sorry. I know, alright.
“Forget the car! Let’s just run and escape!” “With your terrible stamina?” “That’s 100 times better than dying in a traffic accident because I trusted your driving!” “Alright, alright. Still, let’s try just one more time. Huh? They say everything’s a third time’s the charm in life. I’ve got the hang of it now, really.” “You can try as many times as you want, but you only have one life, you know?”
More importantly, they had wasted too much time. Even though they had half-wrecked a car, it was fortunate that no one else came and no commotion arose, probably because it was the lowest level of the parking lot. …It looks like the car is starting to catch fire…? Is it going to explode…?
As he nervously shuffled backward, he suddenly heard a sound at his feet. Meow~~~ “……A cat?”
What he saw at his feet was a black cat that looked remarkably intelligent. Its twitching ears, and its wide-eyed gaze at the imported car 13 had crashed, which was now emitting smoke and starting to burn, were all incredibly lovely and cute. Why is there a cat in the parking lot? It’s dangerous here with all the cars.
“13, what are you doing? We need to think of a way to escape quickly. Since we can’t run, let’s look for another car. This time, don’t make a mistake!” Dorothy called out, urging him. Though the cat concerned him, he didn’t have the luxury to take care of it in the current situation, so he decided to ignore it for now. Even though there was nothing specific to give it, the cat just sat quietly at his feet, looking up at him.
“Right… Since it’s come to this, maybe we shouldn’t just run?” “What?” “On the contrary, by now the heroes might think we’ve already escaped. …If we hide somewhere, or among the crowds.” “……Indeed. I understand. That might actually be safer.”
And if it came to it, he could act separately from Dorothy and send her off first. Dorothy wasn’t even on a wanted list, and Club was the only one who knew her face. Club alone wouldn’t be able to scrutinize every single person in this department store, so if Dorothy was alone, she might be able to break through surveillance and escape, even if it was sealed off. The fact that they came down to the underground parking lot would have been caught on surveillance cameras, so it would probably be possible to make them think that they escaped in a car…
“In that case, first――”
Anyway, time was running out. They were short on time, and they needed to avoid surveillance cameras and go back up to the upper floors where people were gathered. Just as he was about to discuss their next move with Dorothy. Suddenly, Dorothy’s eyes widened.
“13!” Piiiing――! Dorothy’s cry and the familiar whistling sound of the projectile were almost simultaneous. What flew toward them was a familiar silver bullet. Shot at a terrifying speed, no different from a real gun. Thwack! The next moment, 13 was struck precisely on the temple. And with a painful groan, he collapsed weakly.
* * *
Stomp… stomp… stomp… “…Oh, so you didn’t escape alone. For a villain, you can’t abandon your comrades, can you?”
The underground parking lot, located on the lowest floor of the shopping mall. The wreckage caused by 13 moments ago was still left abandoned, and the hero who had been chasing the two of them was now approaching with stomping footsteps toward the fallen 13 and Dorothy, who was embracing and supporting him. C-Rank Hero Club of the 7th Squad. She had discovered and intercepted the two of them just moments ago, and though 13’s quick thinking had forced her to let them go. Nevertheless, she hadn’t given up and had quickly pursued them, arriving just now. At the arrival point, near Dorothy who was embracing 13 and slumped to the ground, the same cat from earlier was still meowing, looking as if it found something curious.
“…Hero.” “Judging by your demeanor, you’re a villain too, aren’t you? You don’t seem like just an ordinary person who got caught up in this. Am I right? If you’re an ordinary person, it gets a bit inconvenient to lay hands on you. Just say you’re a villain.”
Don’t be ridiculous. At Club’s brazen attitude, Dorothy ground her teeth. It was clear from the start that Club had no intention of caring whether Dorothy was an ordinary person or a villain. Both when she first sniped them, and with the coin shot just moments ago. Everything… had been aimed specifically at Dorothy. The fallen 13, who was now unconscious, had merely embraced Dorothy to protect her and taken the coin bullet, which had been aimed at her from his blind spot, in her place. Club probably didn’t care whether Dorothy was an ordinary person or not. She likely just considered her to have value as a hostage, someone 13 would try to protect, and deliberately aimed for her. As a result, 13, who would have easily dodged the bullet if he were alone, was struck and collapsed here, so in a way, it could be said that it went according to Club’s intentions. Even from a villain’s perspective, it was an utterly wicked method.
“You trashy woman…!” As Dorothy snarled with a fierce expression. Club, who met that murderous gaze, instead grinned as if pleased.
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