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Plan to Assassinate Tatsuya Shiba - Volume 1 - The Girl Assassin - Chapter 3




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[3] Interference

Tokyo, in a residential area some distance from the city centre.

There two ghost lights were burning.

No curse, no screams, no time to beg for one’s life.

Two human bodies were destroyed by fire, no, they ‘vanished’.

◇ ◇ ◇

A professional killer’s employment means varied and significantly unsteady. One month you can have no time to rest, conversely you can go two, three months without a drop of work. Severing the head of a sleeping person in the middle of the night, boldly faking an accident in the middle of the day to settle things. Making use of the continental expression it’s the work of ‘The Black Society’. You can also say black work is work where you have no say.

However, make no mistake there is a tendency for a lot of night work. On top of that it’s necessary to approach each case differently, so usual life tends to become nocturnal. Codename ‘Nuts’, real name Hashibami Yuki, she also, has a living pattern of leaving bed after noon has passed on days she doesn’t have to work.

Today, she also intended to stay in bed until just past noon. Yesterday she had to rise early to match going to school at the same time as a middle school student, that job was necessary for the gathering of information, moreover for the end result she found herself standing at the batter’s box and missing. So, she decided not to get up early today, with the nuance of staying in bed out of spite.

“……What, too loud……”

However, her telephone was ringing, calling for her to wake not less than an hour earlier than she planned to get out of bed.

“Hello?”

Yuki put a handset dedicated to voice-only communications to her ear. Never give your name or stand before a camera, this is basic knowledge of a professional killer.

“Good morning.”

As a fresh greeting poured out of the receiver’s speaker, Yuki’s face sprouted a frown.

“Croco……what time do you think it is. It’s not even eleven o’clock yet.”

Her poor mood exposed, Yuki’s remark attaches a complaint with her partner Croco, also known as Wanizuka.

“Nuts, in society people say ‘already’ not ‘not even’.”

“What would you know about respectable society?”

At Yuki’s remarks sent forth with abandon in a casual tone, Wanizuka let out a strained laugh with no objection.

“Tsk.”

Taking such an attitude, it may appear Yuki’s being treated like a child when nothing can be done when she becomes irritated. But were the position exchanged, she herself recognises she’s acting like a child.

“……So, what is it?”

As a result, since Yuki’s bad mood cannot be cancelled as it is, she changes the subject.

“The aforementioned situation with the middle school student. At least we think it’s probably related.”

“What!? You’re not being clear.”

Yuki’s partner, you can’t say he has a very serious nature. But it’s not in his character to bring practical jokes into work. This roundabout way of talking has been caused by the influence of his bewilderment.

“This morning, two men from the company were sounding out the target’s movements.”

“This morning?”

“Some company employees were watching the targets house last night. The last contact was at six o’clock local time, their current whereabouts are unknown.”

“……Did the target get rid of them?”

Yuki’s voice couldn’t contain her sense of surprise as she asked. The middle school student witness, Shiba Tatsuya, is definitely skilled enough. When looking at the scene of an actual murder, he wasn’t perturbed at all. He’s definitely somebody who engages in some kind of illegal activity behind the scenes, Yuki surmised.

But Yuki, couldn’t understand how you could kill someone in the middle of a residential district in the early morning when you didn’t know who could be said to be watching, and getting out of there without having been seen.

“I don’t know, no corpses have been found.”

“No bodies? The police?”

Even if you can’t buy a police officer, you are able to collect information using reporters coming and going from the police. The police have a give and take relationship with the mass media on the surface, though they are not in a position to deny a tendency for communications to become half-hearted compared to that of civilians from other industries.

“That information doesn’t exist.”

“Back to Shiba Tatsuya, do you think he might be connected with a big-shot beyond what we’ve anticipated?”

The occurrence of a murder cannot be established if you don’t leave a body. The only exception for the prosecution to build a case is with the testimony of the murderer or an otherwise related individual. But normally dead bodies will be discovered, beginning an investigation into the murder. Or possibly, a disappearance case will convert into a murder case.

Not just pro hitmen, that’s also when amateur killers killing people over grudges or on impulse get discovered.

Nevertheless, the truth is every year many murder cases come to light, indicated by the difficulty in disposing of the dead bodies.

Even though a number of hours have passed since the company associates ceased communicating, during the day in an average neighbourhood two of the organisations people’s whereabouts are unknown, it’s not a simple matter that something took place.

“The target is not necessarily involved.”

“What do you mean?”

Due to his poor manner of enunciation, Yuki closely questioned her partner.

“To tell you the truth, the neighbourhood the two disappeared is the territory of Kyuuchou Temple……”

“Huh!?”

From Yuki’s mouth, an unintentionally out of tune voice escapes.

“Kyuuchou Temple, that Kyuuchou Temple? I mean the one that Kokonoe Yakumo is the head priest of?”

She wasn’t consciously aware she’d done it, but Yuki repeated ‘that’ twice. Not because of its importance, no, it was the consequences of receiving that big of a shock.

“That Kokonoe Temple.”

“Are they idiots!?”

Yuki unintentionally started shouting. If it wasn’t for the rooms reliable soundproofing, then the neighbours in the neighbourhood would likely have been dropping in complaints.

Even the girl also thought it appeared unpleasant, restraining the volume of her speech.

“Those guys, you’re not saying they were carrying pistols, are you?”

“It looks that way.”

“Are they idiots!? No, they are idiots! Kokonoe Yakumo’s dislike of guns is famous isn’t it!? Or else, didn’t they understand they were in that priest’s territory?”

“Well I guess they didn’t know.”

Yuki let out a big sigh as she scratched her head. You could say as she lives alone there’s no one who will see, yet her manner is unsuitable for a girl of her apparent age.

“……Say. Is it ok to assume that the information the organisation possesses is reliable?”

“It’s safe to trust my information.”

“Ah, I had to ask……”

For the second time, Yuki let out a sigh.

“However, since it’s in Kokonoe’s Temples territory, it’ll be difficult to set up near the home.

“It hasn’t been decided that Kokonoe Yakumo is the cause of the employee’s whereabouts being unknown, to begin with we don’t really know if the target of Kokonoe Yakumo are involved at all……”

“How much of the cause can we be certain of, one middle school student and the modern era’s strongest ninja, it simply doesn’t seem likely there is a link binding them…… Sigh, does it seems like the hurdles are steadily rising, or is it just me that feels that way?”

Yuki grumbled.

Regrettably, her partner Wanizuka didn’t offer any words to overturn the girl’s remarks.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

It’s just past three o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday April 10th when Kuroba Fumiya arrives at Tokyo station.

At present he is currently a second-year middle school student, with both public and private middle schools having six-day weeks, Saturdays being half-holidays (half classes).

His parents wouldn’t allow him time off school even if it was for the purpose of a directive from the head of the Yotsuba family, so Fumiya immediately grabbed his luggage on coming home from school, and going, proceeded by express linear train from Toyohashi to the capital via Nagoya City. —— Furthermore, his parent’s zeal wasn’t the only reason he wasn’t taking time off school, Fumiya’s father Mitsugu is displeased with the duty bestowed upon him this time.

The Yotsuba family are more feared by those connected to magic than the mafia, but internally the head of the family’s rule is not absolute. Even if none will oppose the family head face to face, passive sabotage cannot be entirely purged. The Yotsuba family, put nicely the powerful few, put badly there is a shortage of hands.

This time, the one most angry at Kuroba Mitsugu’s resistance was not the family head Maya, but rather his son Fumiya. He wanted to begin the investigation he was ordered to do as quickly as possible. He considered is reasonable to be absent for about half a day of middle school for that purpose.

He was in high spirits, but not because he’d been given a mission by the family head. It’s not possible that that factor hadn’t been an influence, but it’s not the main reason.

It was because he wanted to become Tatsuya’s support.

Kuroba Fumiya is Shiba Tatsuya’s second cousin. Magicians have a tendency to prize consanguinity, the bonds between kin are stronger than those between members of the general public (meaning non-magicians).

An elder cousin of the same generation, a second cousin he views as the elder brother he adores, not uncommon perhaps but it doesn’t go without saying. Still Fumiya admires Tatsuya no less than his true sibling. That deep and profound affection, were gender discarded, could even be called love.

On hearing a professional killer was aiming for Tatsuya, Fumiya’s anger flared up. An insolent person was aiming at Tatsuya’s life, it could be said Fumiya’s real motive was that he wanted to personally exterminate them by his own hand.

But no matter what you say about the Yotsuba family, they aren’t able to murder as they like just because they feel like it. The opponent is also from a criminal organisation. Be that as it may completely erasing a person and leaving not a single trace, at Fumiya’s level he will need to borrow the aid of other people to clean up afterwards.

It is beneficial to be able to keep the destruction of evidence entirely within the Yotsuba family, still the cases when external collaboration must be depended on is not a few. At least without Maya’s support and instructions, he wouldn’t be able to take the plunge and exterminate them.

This time, the order handed down to Fumiya was to investigate. It wasn’t what he had hoped for, but it was still several steps better than not doing anything. Or so Fumiya told himself, as his fighting spirit was filled to the brim.

Nevertheless, he was dispirited abruptly at the start by his henchmen.

“Young Master.”

“Idiot! Shhh.”

The man in a black suit that spoke to him, Fumiya scolded harshly in a low voice.

“Don’t address me like that in this crowd! What will you do if we stand out strangely!?”

“Sorry.”

A black suit of one of the Yotsuba branch families, a retainer of the Kuroba family, Fumiya’s father’s subordinate. The man more or less had enough common sense and appeared to understand, and took off his sunglasses, immediately understanding the pretext causing Fumiya to be cautious.

“For the time being, lets proceed to the office.”

Fumiya didn’t want to hand around and tediously scold him further, instructing him to move. If they hung around the station platform without moving, he thought it would be considered suspicious.

“I will guide you. Shall I carry your luggage?”

“Unnecessary.”

Fumiya ended the dialogue and began walking.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

Yuki left her room in the apartment building; it was evening and sunset was approaching. The sky would have been tainted red were there no clouds in the sky, but because of the heavy clouds it was already becoming dark outside.

Five hours have passed since talking to her partner Wanizuka on the telephone, and in that time, twice she had laid down but was unable to indulge in inactivity. Finishing the cleaning and laundry, that was what she was able to do in this time.

Her home was in a cheap apartment building as arranged by the organisation. For work, just close the doors and the soundproofing was reliable, and it was furnished with only the truly minimal home automation. Even so the burden of domestic chores has been greatly reduced compared to one hundred years ago, you normally wouldn’t make the effort to do cleaning and laundry yourself, so that was all the time it took to tidy up after only one person.

“……Ready right on time.”

Exiting outside she pulled the doorknob, and confirming she’d locked the door, Yuki let out such a murmur. It was true it was the planned time but were a third party she knew to hear of today’s actions they would sense the explanation was suspicious.

In the street in front of the apartment building, a familiar type of box-wagon quickly pulled ahead of her and stopped. It’s been repainted from grey to light brown, it’s the car her partner uses for business.

Yuki quickly runs up to the station wagon and pulls passenger seat door by hand. The door isn’t locked. She gets into the car’s passenger seat as is.

As one might expect, the driver was her partner Wanizuka.

“Let’s take them out.”

“Understood.”

Wanizuka flipped the driving stick and put it on automatic. This neighbourhood was within the domain of the traffic control system. The destination had already been input. The box wagon made no noise as it departed.

“On that note, where are we going?”

This question of Yuki’s could be considered comical. It wasn’t Wanizuka that invited Yuki on this outing, it’s the reverse, Yuki was the person who called out Wanizuka.

“The plan is to stand watch over the targets house.”

But given the circumstances Wanizuka didn’t appear bewildered or show amazement on his face as he replied to Yuki’s question. Wanizuka had a good understanding that given her current mental state his partner could not sit idly.

“Will it be all right? Isn’t it Kokonoe Yakumo’s territory?”

“It would be foolish to start anything in that area. However, we can’t go in without getting our hands on some information.”

“We also can’t go in and set up at our leisure.”

It’s not rare to have to work hastily even if there is not a mouth to silence. It may sound detestable when you hear it said abruptly, but one criminal technique is to shadow and strike when there is an opportunity.

Saying nothing further, Yuki nimbly lowered the seat and leaned back.

 

Currently, concerning the witness Shiba Tatsuya, only his full name, address and the school he is attending is known. In other words, we’ve confirmed the location of his home.

The station wagon carrying Yuki and Wanizuka, slowly passes in front of the targets home and stops two blocks away.

Yuki got out of the car using the rear seat’s door rather than the passenger seat’s door. She was wearing tsunagi work clothes and a baseball cap low over her eyes to disguise herself. Her long hair is concealed inside the tsunagi. It was a very simple disguise, but it was better than not wearing one.

Besides, Yuki didn’t think she needed to be concerned about being recognised. In relation to that murder, there’s no evidence that the witness passed on the criminal’s information. Shiba Tatsuya hasn’t spoken to the police about Yuki.

He shouldn’t have failed to recognise that Yuki is a criminal in that situation, even if it wouldn’t be clear from her looks and physique.

This middle school student, there’s some reason he can’t talk to the police.

Yuki has reasoned as much.

Therefore, if she were seen, she needn’t worry about being reported. Rather, she’s be able to put pressure on the target. That’s what she thought.

Although, it would be better not to be discovered and put him on guard. Yuki doesn’t have a suitable place to conceal herself, she looked left and right trying not to appear conspicuous.

Even if the driver is aboard, they can’t stop the car on the road for a long time. If Yuki can’t locate a place to conceal herself, then after a certain time has passed it will be necessary to move. In that situation, Yuki will have to be left behind for the moment, but in this case the goddess of fate smiled upon Yuki and Wanizuka.

From the targets house, a sedan type self-driving car emerged.

In the passenger’s seat was an exceedingly beautiful girl.

In the driver’s seat was the target middle school student, with a glance Yuki confirms that it was Shiba Tatsuya aboard.

“Croco, that sedan!”

Yuki hurriedly jumped into the passenger seat as she instructed her partner.

At that time Croco, Wanizuka, had already begun preparing to turn.

The station wagon rotated around on the spot. The driving force of four wheels, this spinning turn was brought about by means of the wheels on the left and right turning and spinning in opposite directions. Four wheels with independent motors is the driving force behind this behaviour of modern electric self-driving cars.

“Nuts! Was there a driver aboard that car?”

“No, not that I could see.”

As far as Yuki could see, aboard the sedan were only Shiba Tatsuya and his little sister.

“I see, it’s an automobile.”

Previously when someone called a car an automobile it meant a vehicle that could move under its own power, now you’d call one a ‘self-running car’. The use of the term ‘automobile’ has come to mean ‘self-driving vehicle’.

However, here Wanizuka’s use of the word ‘automobile’ didn’t merely mean ‘self-driving vehicle’ but rather ‘self-driving personal car’.

In the case where you want to drive automatically in the middle of a traffic control area, as a general rule the driver sitting in the driving seat must possess a driving licence. But with a restricted private self-driving car which doesn’t possess a manual operation mechanism, riding with a possessor of a driving licence isn’t necessary.

Though these robot taxi ‘commuters’ have become the representative means of transport for citizens, it can’t be said that it’s the rare case to own a personal robot car. Those not wealthy enough to employ a human driver, a household like those reasonably said to belong to the upper classes, will make use of a custom-made robot car.

“They’re rich.”

Yuki’s thoughts towards owning a private ‘automobile’, typical of the masses, was that of the common person.

These thoughts became all the more powerful on reaching the destination.

“What! That building?”

Yuki muttered in the driving seat, gazing at an extremely stylish western style house in the distance.

“An etiquette school. Coaching for daughters of high-class families.”

Yuki’s remark was a monologue, which Wanizuka mistook for a question and so turned his head to return an answer.


“Coaching school? What do they teach?”

“Various things. Piano and also tea ceremonies, flower arrangement, social dances and table manners…… What it means is that it’s a place for ‘developing daughters of high-class families’ to consolidate their family’s ‘lessons’.”

“Huh? Is she a celebrity?”

“Real celebrities wouldn’t attend places like this, I believe they have home tutors.”

Yuki laughed through her nose as Wanizuka replied in a sarcastic tone. A criminal organisations execution unit was liable to do the same, these two clearly didn’t appear to have any good will for rich people.

“Eh? Finished already?”

Agreeable to her preference —— you could say Yuki affected it —— a sedan appeared and passed through the gate, exposing Yuki’s surprise to Croco.

“No, that can’t be right. Ah! Young men are prohibited from that place. At the end of the lesson, he’ll come back again to retrieve her.”

Wanizuka repudiated with a smile, having noticed Shiba Tatsuya was the only person aboard the robot car.

“Young men are prohibited?”

“It’s not just the students, the lecturers, office workers and security guards are also female. Excluding special occasions even the father would only be allowed entry into the lobby.”

“Seriously?......The twenty first century is almost over isn’t it?

Extreme anachronism. It was written on Yuki’s face.

“Having status is like that. It’s pointless thinking about it, but it’s convenient for us.”

Wanizuka pushed the driving lever forwards.

The two people aboard the station wagon, began to pursue the sedan type robot car.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

Around that time, Kuroba Fumiya was running a little late as he headed towards the etiquette school Miyuki was attending.

Fumiya was given a mission by the head of the Yotsuba family, to investigate the professional killer prowling after Shiba Tatsuya, Fumiya’s second cousin and Maya’s nephew. And was prohibited from doing more than that.

However, Fumiya was unable to silently watch on as Tatsuya plunged into a place where he knew assassins were lying in wait.

As mentioned earlier, Fumiya strongly adores Tatsuya. Not just as his older second cousin, but maybe equally with his twin sister, or possibly more than that.

Distance, his sister was closer.

But the strength of the affection, was difficult to discern.

Devotion. Aspiration. Adoration. Worship.

Every word seemed to apply, but only a little, none seem quite appropriate.

Knowing that they were aiming for Tatsuya, who he had such strong feeling for, Fumiya couldn’t be expected to remain motionless.

Even knowing they couldn’t harm Tatsuya.

“Ojou-sama.”

The black suited employee wearing white gloves and sitting in the driving seat of the large sedan, turned his head and to the rear seat and raised his voice.

A young girl with a bob cut was sitting alone on the rear seat, an annoyed expression was turned towards the driving seat.

This girl is Kuroba Fumiya wearing a disguise. Wearing female clothing, that was absolutely not his hobby. He dressed obediently as he understood the effective benefits of hiding his identity, but Fumiya was reluctant to be treated as a female.

In truth he wanted to immediately stop him calling him ‘Ojou-sama’, but they don’t know when his true identity could be exposed and so have to speak and behave in accordance with his outward appearance. Only discomfort showed on Fumiya’s face as he swallowed down the stress.

“What?”

Low for a girl but, Fumiya asked back in a tone of voice that couldn’t be said to anything but that of a girl. His voice and movements matched his outward appearance without him consciously doing it, Fumiya had been trained thoroughly. —— It can’t be said to be perfect as the tone and speech wasn’t ‘girlish or ladylike’, but there are many cases of genuine middle school girls not using feminine speech. If it’s to this extent, then it’s within the permissible range.

“Tatsuya-sama appears to have left the etiquette school.”

The magician subordinates of the Kuroba family, they attach ‘-sama’ to Tatsuya’s name when before Fumiya. They know they’ll sour his mood if they don’t do so.

The magic Fumiya uses doesn’t harm the flesh but rather bestows pain. And freely controls the level of pain. As it leaves no injury behind when struck in anger it’s better not to get on his bad side.

“Too late?......Can we follow to the destination?”

“We can trance him through the traffic control system.”

The robot car Tatsuya is aboard is controlled wirelessly by the traffic control system. Calculating their current location using just an ID is a service that’s offered, it’s not illegal hacking unless you obtained the ID illegally.

The automobile Tatsuya is using to drop off and collect Miyuki has a privately configured ID, that information is shared within the Yotsuba family. If the radio waves are obstructed, as long as Tatsuya doesn’t completely switch his location information to private, then Fumiya won’t lose sight of his whereabouts.

But all that can be discovered from the system, is just the location of the car transmitting the ID to drive autonomously. The existence of a manually driven car won’t be discovered. Within the domain for the traffic control system, for the time being, you’re obligated to travel by means of automated driving equipment. Travelling manually however, won’t be cracked down upon unless you are in violation of other traffic laws.

That the professional killer’s car is following Tatsuya, is unknown to Fumiya at the present time. It’d be a different story if you hacked the street cameras, the quick and easy method is to close the distance until you’re in visual range if you’re close by.

Fumiya shakes his wigs hair as he looks into the map data provided by the control system.

Tatsuya’s sedan is still on the road up head, not very far away from them. Travelling according to the rules under the systems control and not exceeding the legal speed limit.

Travelling manually, they should catch up quickly.

“Shorten the distance. I don’t care if we’re discovered by Tatsuya-nii-san.”

Following Fumiya’s instructions, the driver pushes down the large driving lever.

Fumiya presses his back against his seat, watching the flow of the scenery accelerate outside the window.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

The robot car being pursued by Yuki and Wanizuka, entered the carpark of a restaurant not far from the manners school.

It’s a casual restaurant chain that expanded from the Kantou region, with an adjacent self-run two story parking lot. Ensuring there is space to accommodate several dozen cars.

The targeted boy parked his car at the end of the first floor. The target then disembarked the robot car and, whilst not appearing to show his surroundings and particular vigilance, entered the restaurant.

“Nuts, what do you want to do?”

Wanizuka asks Yuki, parking the station wagon a short distance from the restaurant.

“There are too many people inside the store……”

The inside of the store can’t be seen from inside the box wagon, but the number inside an be guessed from the number of cars in the parking lot, there are no less than ten people visiting the store.

Assassinating the witness at this scene, there are too many people to witness it to take the risk. In this situation it’s be getting the priorities backwards.

Besides, they can’t proceed with the intention to involve unrelated people.

Yuki is a professional killer, and she belongs to the Abousha crime association.

But Abousha isn’t the sort of organisation that will accept killing anyone as long as there is money.

Contractors of political murders. To remove from society ‘bad people’ based on ‘social justice’. That was the ‘ideology’ of the organisation Yuki was attached to.

That perhaps, is a bad quality since a criminal association’s only goal is making money. Even Yuki who is still in her teens understands this for one reason or another.

However, a villain that preys upon the virtuous citizens, requires the acquisition of a surplus of resistance to killing. That sort of aspect certainly exists. The previous young men who were killed, were circumventing the law by getting teenage girls addicted to drugs, the garbage then coerces them into what’s in reality prostitution.

The girl didn’t request money, without demanding, the girl would accompany the man on a ‘date’, and another would pass her the drug to circumvent the law. Moreover, by not clearly informing them ‘going on a date and you’ll receive drugs’, appearing to introduce them to a man who possesses the drug is the trick to circumvent the law, making it difficult for the judiciary to build a case.

Therefore, the girl is judged.

For that reason, it was decided it was a job for the organisation —— for Abousha.

In fact, the task ordered of her was to erase various people whose nature was nothing but garbage.

However, Yuki doesn’t swallow that official stance. No matter how much things are glossed over she is being dispatched to commit crimes which goes against people’s morals, it’s also understandable that the organisation won’t be able to persevere just glossing things over.

Besides, after all —— in this way, they are going to kill a person for their sake of self-preservation.

Afterall, she herself is a murder.

Afterall, she herself is a serious criminal.

Yuki tells herself that, to deceive her doubts.

“Enter the parking lot. The second floor.”

“I understand.”

Wanizuka without asking the reason, followed Yuki’s instructions.

In the driver’s seat of the parked station wagon, Wanizuka turned his head to Yuki with an expression that said, ‘what are we doing next?’.

“Go inside Croco, keep an eye on that guy.”

“Ready to notify you when he leaves the store?

“That’s right, talk fast.”

“I’m to be your accomplice. Thereupon you’ll ambush the target here Nuts?”

“Yes. I’ll commence depending on the situation.”

At that moment, the public’s gaze was non-existent in this attached parking lot. Yuki decided looking around.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

“It’s that store.”

Not listening to the subordinate (of his father) dressed in a black suit, Fumiya had already grasped the location of Tatsuya’s robot car from the display installed on the back of the front seat.

“Enter the parking lot.”

“……However, you’ve been prohibited from interfering.”

Prompting caution is another black suit sitting in the passenger seat.

“I won’t make contact.”

But Fumiya didn’t lend an ear to the voice restraining him, and without waiting disembarked the car on the first floor of the parking lot.

Entering the restaurant without changing.

Fumiya gathered gazes.

That may not be obvious, but it might be natural.

Fumiya right now, is wearing makeup for the sake of wearing a reliable disguise. Put worse, it’s heavy makeup.

The result attained isn’t just affect his gender, it also makes him appear three, four years older.

But still just a high school student, maybe a college student that has only just entered school at most.

The time might only be 7 o’clock in the afternoon, but its already completely dark outside. It’s not a time for a young girl of her apparent age to be visiting a café restaurant alone.

That made Fumiya look all the more like a beautiful girl.

Even Wanizuka (code name Croco) who had entered the shop previously was no exception.

And now Tatsuya turned his eyes towards Fumiya.

A boy his age catching sight of a beautiful girl, would ordinarily look.

Tatsuya turned his eyes towards Fumiya for a moment. The so called ‘glancing look.’ —— Or possibly, the movement appears to be a ‘glancing look’ to other people. Averting his eyes away from the form of a beautiful girl Fumiya had taken, turning them to the coffee cup on his table. Earphones buried in both ears. It’s a gesture that makes it appear his consciousness has turned to the music he is listening to.

That’s what Wanizuka thought as he stealthily observed Tatsuya.

At the moment of that subtle gaze, Fumiya was casually observing as he sat down at a table seat.

(……That guy?)

A suspicious man who made no attempt to see Fumiya’s charming figure.

The visage of a man who didn’t cautiously turn towards a beautiful girl.

(—— At any rate he’s watching excessively!)

The man not giving Fumiya ‘glancing looks’, is Wanizuka who is just watching Tatsuya. So that Tatsuya won’t suspect, sometimes he turns to glance at Fumiya.

It goes without saying, the situation is not what Fumiya would hope for. However, he can’t behave in a way that would expose his true identity. The feeling of sinful gazes of the same sex on him —— except for Tatsuya’s gaze —— he must endure with a clear face.

Enduring the situation for two hours as it is.

Fumiya’s mortification, the time for it to end finally approached.

Tatsuya got up from his seat.

Simultaneously Fumiya saw the man, Wanizuka, appear to send an email.

Fumiya finishes settling the account on the table terminal, heads for the bathroom before swinging around and leaving the store through the back door.

Not the professional killer’s companion nor the employees, nobody, noticed that Fumiya had erased his presence.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

It had been two hours since she’d sent her partner Wanizuka into the restaurant. Yuki was in the rear seat of the station wagon, concealing herself and keeping her breath low. —— No, it’d be more accurate to say she’s trying not to make any sound while she conceals herself eating strawberry macarons.

So as to not be seen from outside, with the exception of the driving seat and passenger seat all the windows are in opaque mode. When travelling inside a vehicle you are only allowed to have it in semi-permeable mode, parked in a parking lot you won’t be challenged.

But seeing someone secluding themselves inside a car in a restaurant parking lot, will without a doubt raise a sense of suspicion. Depending on the other party it is possible she could be reported. For passers-by and the shops people, it was better she wasn’t noticed as time passed.

Yuki has a small build for a woman, the inside of the box wagon is spacious compared to that of a sedan or coupe. It doesn’t feel cramped inside the car, but she is becoming anxious and irritated at being kept waiting longer than anticipated. She’s putting strawberry crème filled macaroons into her mouth, according to the person herself the sugar content is for the sake of preventing her insecurities affecting her mental condition. —— Perhaps, it’s no more than an excuse.

Then finally, the signal email arrives.

Swallowing the macaroon inside her mouth, Yuki got out of the station wagon.

The floor of the second storey was made of steel plates, but she stood up without a sound. Quiet as a cat, she rushed to the stairs.

She descended to the first floor continuing to conceal her footsteps.

Immediately after she placed herself in the shadow of a pillar, the targeted boy appeared in the parking lot.

The boy went directly towards his robot car.

—— Without noticing.

Yuki thought so.

She raised the scarf coiled around her neck too just below her eyes, lowered her baseball cap over her eyes to conceal her appearance.

Focusing her consciousness on her extraordinary ability, increasing her body’s abilities.

—— Jumping out from the shadow of the pillar while killing the sound, boldly taking three steps.

—— Jumping low as to avoid the ceiling, swinging the knife through the air.

That was the mental simulation inside her head, preparing her backhanded grip on the knife, Yuki started by taking the first step.

At that moment,

the boy, he looked over his shoulder.

The powerful glint in his eye, pierced Yuki’s eyes.

She was reflexively paralysed.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!”

Tearing the darkness, a young lady’s scream.

Naturally, it didn’t surge out from Yuki’s throat.

Yuki reflexively turned her head.

There was a figure with a small build wearing a knee length dress.

Her face couldn’t be seen due to the light behind her, from the silhouette of the clothes and hairdo you could judge her to be a middle or high school girl.

She’s screaming, so she must have seen the knife in Yuki’s hand.

Yuki abandoned the strike on her target, did a full spin and quickly walked away from the scene.



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