Kobayashi advanced through the facility, repeating his systematic routine of launching steel balls with psychokinesis.
Following the same pattern, he cleared four successive waves of research staff en route to their objective. Had he not consciously retrieved some of the steel balls with his power, he might have already faced the awkward predicament of "running out of ammo."
Tōumi Torahachi, meanwhile, took her role as bodyguard seriously, sticking close to Kobayashi. Unfortunately, that meant she hadn't drawn her weapon even once. Every enemy they encountered was neutralized by Kobayashi before they could get nearby.
"Tch!" The girl swung her rapier through the air in frustration, itching to stab the enemies already lying on the floor.
"Tōumi, they're already dealt with," Kobayashi said calmly. "Don't waste your energy on them."
In truth, the enemies he struck were still alive. He deliberately restrained his power; he couldn't go around blasting people with the same force as his earlier Psychokinetic Acceleration Shot.
As Tōumi had observed, that move had the destructive power of an anti-tank missile.
Instead, Kobayashi accelerated the steel balls to ordinary speeds. Their impact was no stronger than a conventional black powder flintlock. Even direct hits to chest areas would only fracture ribs or bruise internally, thanks to the guards' bulletproof vests.
For the researchers in white coats, he aimed for limbs and other non-lethal areas. They would survive.
Kobayashi wasn't some bloodthirsty monster. He still wanted a normal life in Academy City. If he had a choice, he would never choose slaughter. He even restrained Tōumi to prevent her from starting a massacre.
Violence was a drain on the soul. If the toll became too high, there was a very real risk he could never return to a normal life.
Tōumi didn't strike,e but a strange gleam flickered in her emerald eyes. "Mercy on the battlefield is foolishness," she whispered.
"This isn't really a battlefield," Kobayashi corrected. "And they aren't exactly 'enemies'… Fine,ne they are enemies, but they aren't worth killing. Tō,umi, don't waste your energy on them."
"…You still don't fully get it, do you?" she murmured.
As if to taunt him, her rapier lashed out, lightning-fast. In the blink of an eye, she'd left a dozen bloody punctures in the enemies at her feet.
Not a single strike touched a vital organ.
Kobayashi winced. He could almost feel the phantom pain from the seven scars on his body, remnants from when this same girl had used this technique on him before. The wounds were long healed, but the memory remained.
As they moved forward, Tōumi continued to brandish her rapier, leaving seven bloody punctures in every enemy they passed. The pattern had become instinctual, a rhythm she followed without slowing her pace.
Kobayashi drove his wheelchair, hurrying to keep up.
"You didn't stop me, Kobayashi," she said once the corridor ahead was clear.
"Because you didn't kill anyone," he replied.
"Hmph. Hypocrite," she spat.
"I just want an ordinary, peaceful life."
"Ha. Naive!"
"I prefer to call it idealism…" Kobayashi began—but then his voice snapped sharply. "Who's there?!"
Ten steel balls instantly formed a defensive ring around his head, hovering tensely.
"The 'Hero,' Kobayashi?" A girl's voice drifted from above.
He looked up instinctively. The ceiling was smooth and empty—no one in sight.
"Over there, Nana-Kun!" Tōumi pointed to a corner.
Behind a decorative potted plant, shadows writhed. A figure emerged, cleverly camouflaged in green leaves, tucked into the foliage.
Kobayashi and Tōumi had walked past her without noticing.
If Kobayashi hadn't habitually used his psychokinesis to "scan" his surroundings like radar, they might never have discovered her. But he had sensed an anomaly, and the voice had momentarily tricked him into looking up.
Impressive. He knew this wasn't an esper ability—it was pure technique, the craft of a ninja.
"Tsuzuri Tessou," he said aloud.
Among Ega Kawaraisu's companions, the only one capable of such a feat was the Koga ninja, Tsuzuri Tessou.
"Ega-san told you about me?" Tsuzuri looked surprised. "You arrived earlier than expected."
By her plan, she was supposed to eliminate the facility's forces, burn the database, and escape with her companions before coincidentally running into the "Hero" sent to back them up. In matters of life and death, she trusted no one fully.
She hadn't expected Kobayashi to arrive so swiftly, nor to act so decisively.
…Though he hadn't killed anyone.
Tsuzuri had been observing them from the shadows and noticed that Kobayashi only incapacitated his foes.
In that regard, the ninja Tsuzuri and warrior Tōumi shared a mindset: an enemy is an enemy, and the only good enemy is a dead one.
So, trailing behind them, Tsuzuri quietly "finished off" each guard Kobayashi had incapacitated, leaving no survivors.
Kobayashi, of course, had no idea. His knowledge of her came entirely from the original story; he thought of her as a mentally unstable, "yandere" girl who wanted to die at her master's hands. To him, she was just a highly skilled fighter and a test subject to be rescued.
"Where are the others?" he asked. "Where are they hiding? Is anyone hurt?"
"Don't worry. Everyone's safe, no injuries," Tsuzuri said, leading the way. "Once we realized you had broken in, we adjusted our plan,n found a safe place to lay low, and wait for extraction."
Moments later, in a small storage room, Kobayashi finally saw the other three girls.
Disheveled and covered in dust, but perfectly unharmed.
Even Shirakinmu Honoka—who was supposed to have died—stood there, completely intact.
(End of Chapter)
Special Thanks to:
• Sapnil
• Kratos2015
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