episode_0029

When Number 13 covered Club’s mouth with a handkerchief. It was the moment he was about to brainwash Club and make her his minion. Spade, who had been helping Number 13 hold Club still, felt a strange ripple stir in her mind.

Club’s expression. A grimace. A look begging for help. As Spade saw that face, her gaze began to waver.

A comrade. Her comrade was suffering. Her own comrade was in grave danger. That fact sent ripples through Spade, igniting a strange fire in the mind that had been dominated by Number 13.

* * *

“Just endure it. It’s time to give up!”

With Spade’s help, Club was subdued and made to inhale the brainwashing drug. Club had struggled, refusing to breathe in the scent of the drug, but her resistance noticeably weakened with time.

With this, Club was finished. That was what Number 13 had been so sure of.

“Ah…”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

Thuddddddddddddddddddddddddddd!!!

Suddenly. Spade, who had been holding Club by the collar, keeping her immobilized. With a powerful yell that resonated from her gut, she threw her head back sharply, then slammed it straight forward into something.

“Huh…?”

Number 13, startled by the sudden turn of events, stepped back. The handkerchief covering Club’s mouth fell, and Club also broke free from Spade’s grasp, collapsing onto the floor. She coughed, gasping for air from outside.

What had suddenly happened? Why was Spade suddenly slamming her head into the pillar?

Thump! Thump! Thud!

Spade continued to repeatedly slam her head into the pillar. It seemed she was striking with magic infused, as visible cracks spread across the pillar.

What was this? Had she gone mad? Was it a side effect of the brainwashing drug? Number 13 took a few more steps back, watching the scene with tension.

A moment later, Spade ceased her bizarre actions and stood motionless. Club, who had slumped at her feet, tears flowing as she regained her breath, looked up at Spade with hazy eyes.

“Senior-nim…? Ah…”

Spade’s gaze fell upon Club, who was sitting on the floor. Blood streamed down her torn forehead as she looked at Club with a gaze filled with guilt.

Then her gaze shifted backward, to Number 13 standing behind her.

“…………………Spade?”

This time, Number 13 called her name. Spade, her head lifted from the pillar, swayed as she exhaled ragged breaths.

Her eyes glowed red. Seeing those eyes, Number 13 felt something chilling. He hastily shouted the phrase he had used moments ago, the brainwashing keyword that subjugated Spade.

“Sp…『Spade Jack is hanged on the gallows』!”

Surely the brainwashing keyword he had shouted wasn’t wrong. Yet, there was no particular reaction from Spade. She merely glared at him, as if the brainwashing was useless.

“……!”

Between her wildly disheveled bangs, her ominously glowing red eyes peeked out. Those red eyes, filled with ferocious murderous intent like a wild beast, felt as if they were piercing his heart.

Dangerous. Instinctively, he thought so.

“I’ll… kill… you…!”

At Spade’s declaration, at that terrifying murderous aura that made the air feel heavy. Every hair on Number 13’s body stood on end.

* * *

“Club, are you okay? I’m sorry… are you hurt anywhere?”

“It hurt so, so much! It really, really, really hurt!”

“Ah, I know… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Really… What have I done… I’m truly sorry…”

Spade tended to Club with eyes full of remorse. The strange feeling from before was no longer present. Club let out a sigh of relief, as if the possessing spirit had left.

Although she said she would tend to her, honestly, there wasn’t much Spade could do. The only noticeable injuries on Club’s body were minor cuts from shattered glass, and long, deep scratches sustained while rushing towards Number 13. Rather than Club skillfully avoiding attacks, it was thanks to Spade who, even while being controlled, still resisted and unconsciously refrained from delivering deeply wounding attacks.

“This is unbelievable… To lay a hand on a comrade, I really am the worst…!”

Spade said, blaming herself, but it was already done. Club didn’t particularly feel like blaming Spade for this incident either. More than that, the blood profusely flowing from Spade’s forehead looked painful.

“Ouch~ It hurts. It hurts so, so much.”

Even so, as Club feigned pain and threw a tantrum, Spade hung her head glumly like a sinner. Anyway, whatever had happened, that wasn’t what was important right now.

“Get up for now, Club. I’ll definitely make it up to you later.”

“…Promise?”

“……I will. Really. I promise.”

“Hehe.”

After applying the special ointment provided by the Hero Association to the deep laceration on her thigh and bandaging it, Club grasped Spade’s outstretched hand and stood up. There were only two of them on this floor now.

Number 13 had already fled like an arrow when Spade regained her senses and threatened him. Should one say his judgment was quick? Or should one say it was pathetic that he only thought of running without considering anything else? It wasn’t that they couldn’t chase him, but Spade let him go for now, worried about Club. Most importantly, she also judged it dangerous to chase Number 13 without knowing the reason or cause for her being controlled.

So, what should they do now? Should they pursue the fleeing Number 13 directly, or wait for additional forces to arrive later? For some reason, communication with Apple was currently cut off, and Number 13’s location couldn’t be tracked. In the worst case, he might have already used his previous escape method to get out of the department store.

And perhaps, if they were to chase Number 13, she might end up being controlled again. Losing Number 13 again would be painful, but considering unforeseen circumstances, for now—

“Let’s go after him, Senior-nim.”

Club suggested from beside her. In her resolute gaze, a flicker of stubbornness, different from her earlier tantrum, shimmered.

“No, Club.”

“I said let’s go after him, Senior-nim!”

“I said no. We don’t know what’s going on. For now, let’s prioritize safety.”

“But…!”

Club was clearly being swayed by her emotions right now. She had lost Number 13 right before her eyes last time, and to be thoroughly beaten and lose him again this time was simply unacceptable to her. However, even though she was emotional, she wasn’t completely thoughtless.

“Senior-nim was controlled, but you overcame it! There won won’t be any problems now! And if not, it seems he controls Senior-nim with some kind of words… So if worse comes to worst, you can just cover your ears!”

Aside from that, there were the conditions for control. It seemed that Number 13’s actions a moment ago… his deliberate approach to Club with a handkerchief soaked in some kind of chemical, suggested that making someone inhale a certain chemical was the condition. It might not even be a special ability to begin with. The details wouldn’t be known until they captured and interrogated him. In any case, they just needed to avoid getting close. For Club, who could perform long-range attacks, it was possible.

“I don’t think we’ll get another chance like this. He’s such a cowardly villain, so if we lose him this time, he’ll never show his face again until he has a definite chance of winning. We don’t know what kind of trickery he pulled on Spade Senior-nim, so we can’t let him get away here!”

Even after hearing Club’s opinion, Spade showed a displeased expression.

“You saw that guy doesn’t die no matter how many attacks we unleash on him. We still don’t know the conditions for that, nor what other abilities he might be hiding. It’s dangerous to keep chasing him in this situation where we lack information.”

“If he thought he could handle us, he wouldn’t have run away. And he wouldn’t have used Spade Senior-nim either. Senior-nim! We definitely have a chance now!”

“Club! I’m speaking as your Senior-nim! I don’t know what it was like on the island, but Unit 7’s principle is to prioritize safety!”

“I don’t care about that! I was taught to bite the enemy’s throat and kill them even if my limbs are torn off, and never let them get away!”

“This is Unit 7!”

In their surging emotions, their gazes clashed. Spade’s red eyes and Club’s black eyes intertwined.

“……Then I’ll chase him by myself.”

“Club!”

“You said you’d make it up to me, didn’t you! This is my compensation, please let me do what I want!”

Club faced Spade with eyes that seemed to blaze. Her surging emotions, unable to be contained, spilled out completely.

“I cannot forgive that guy! Number 13, who did such suspicious things to Senior-nim!”

“I don’t want to see a villain dare to escape two, or even three times, right before a hero’s eyes!”

“Heroes always win, don’t they! I was taught that a hero who cannot win, a hero who cannot apprehend a villain, has no meaning!”

“Even if it costs me my life, I don’t want to let a villain like that… get away!”

“Because we are heroes, if we are heroes, there is no other outcome than victory! There shouldn’t be!”

A desperate cry filled with emotion. It was hard to say that Club’s words were wrong. But by the same token, Spade’s own argument wasn’t wrong either. Club’s mindset was clearly precarious but could also be seen as admirable. If they, as heroes, were to let a villain who had carried out such a large-scale terror attack escape, Unit 7 might not become a laughingstock… but at the very least, their reputation would inevitably suffer.

But at the same time, Spade, with more experience and somewhat better judgment than Club, knew that sometimes giving up was necessary. She strived to choose the best possible option, but she knew well that things didn’t always work out 100% as desired. The unavoidable gap between Spade, who had experienced failure many times, and Club, who had been praised for her excellence and rarely experienced failure, was now evident in their differing opinions.

In this current situation, there was no time to bridge that gap.

“……Alright. So, you’re saying you’re going no matter what.”

After a moment of thought, Spade finally muttered with a sigh of resignation. It seemed she couldn’t sway this stubborn junior’s opinion. Apart from making amends, it was also a senior’s duty to educate and look out for their junior.

“Fine… I understand. Let’s do this then. I’ll help too, so pay as much attention to safety as possible.”

“Senior-nim…!”

“That is, if Number 13 is still in this building. First, we’ll search, confirm his presence, and if I judge there are any uncertain factors… then you will follow my orders without complaint. This is an order from your senior and your superior. Disobey, and you’ll be disciplined according to the rules.”

“Yes! Understood!”

And so, in a form that finally satisfied both of them, Spade immediately instructed Club on a strategy to safely pursue Number 13.

…Even in this situation, communication with the outside remained disconnected.