Chapter 124: The One Who Appeared in the Moment of Crisis… "Our role is to standby at D4 and blockade Zone D."
Having returned from the briefing, Akito explained the mission to his teammates.
Bluebird.
They were an organization that had recently been expanding its influence by distributing drugs created through illegal alchemy.
The drugs they peddled didn't just provide an extreme high; they paralyzed the user's reason and spiked their libido, earning them the notorious label of "rape drugs."
If Yeon-woo had heard this, he would have clapped his hands, thinking it was typical for an eroge, but Akito was incensed by the existence of such a heinous substance.
"Drugs like these only bring misery to innocent people. They must be eradicated."
"That's so like you, Brother."
"But blockading Zone D? It sounds fancy, but in the end, it just means we're supposed to hunt the small fry that flee while the main force does the actual sweeping."
Kurumi spoke up, clearly dissatisfied with the assignment, as it wasn't a particularly prominent role.
"I'm sorry. I guess they don't fully trust us yet."
"Ah… I wasn't trying to blame you, Akito-dono."
"I know. But personally, I think our role is important too. It might not be a flashy job, but if this operation succeeds and the criminals distributing these drugs disappear, the citizens will be safer. If I can help achieve that, I'll take on any role."
The girls stared at Akito, looking utterly entranced.
His eyes, soft yet filled with conviction, sparkled with a charm that made it impossible not to trust and follow him.
"So, I'm sorry. Because of my stubbornness, you all have to lose out."
"Lose out? Not at all. I believe your words are right, Brother."
"Yeah, yeah! I agree with Akito too!"
"It seems my own discipline is still lacking. Akito-dono always provides me with such enlightenment."
While everyone was agreeing with Akito and creating a heartwarming atmosphere, two people remained quiet, unable to join in.
Chika and Angelica.
Angelica was naturally timid, so it wasn't strange for her to stay silent in a group setting. However, when the usually energetic Chika remained quiet, Shiori glanced at her before subtly changing the subject.
'How can I become stronger?'
Coincidentally, Chika and Angelica were thinking the exact same thing.
Though their motivations differed—Angelica wanted to get stronger to stand by Yeon-woo's side, while Chika felt a sense of urgency because she felt she was falling behind—their ultimate goal was the same.
"By the way, I heard from the operation commander that Yeon-woo was the one who found this lead."
At the mention of Yeon-woo's name, the two lost in thought looked up at Akito simultaneously.
"That man pops up everywhere like a cockroach."
"Why? I think Yeon-woo is cool. I don't get why you hate him so much, Shiori."
"I think Akito-dono is the strange one for actually liking that man."
As Shiori and Kurumi expressed their distaste, Akito laughed awkwardly and continued what he was saying.
"Miss Lynette said she went on an intelligence mission with Yeon-woo a few months ago. He apparently played a huge role there, which led to this operation. Isn't that amazing?"
"A few months… ago? He wouldn't even have had a license back then."
"Ah—Derek-sensei gave him permission for that."
Akito spoke nonchalantly, but his followers were appalled.
They didn't like the idea of a man who seemed so frivolous and flippant receiving such high praise.
However, Chika and Angelica's reactions were different.
Angelica was happy that Yeon-woo was doing so well, yet she felt anxious, as if he were moving to a height she could never reach.
Chika pictured Yeon-woo in her mind.
At first, she had wondered what kind of piece of shit he was, but as time passed, she began to observe him more objectively. From what she saw, he worked harder than anyone and was producing results.
Unlike herself, who couldn't even get a temporary license and couldn't even take on missions unless Akito brought her along using his authority as team leader.
Thinking about her situation made her stomach churn again, and Chika grit her teeth.
'Get it together. I'm on a mission right now.'
Chika focused on the task at hand, steadying her heart.
*
The operation began, and Akito's group waited at their designated location.
Since Chika lacked wide-range search abilities, she had nothing to do while waiting, unlike Shiori and Akito, who were constantly focusing on their detection magic. She just watched the time pass.
She wished there was at least something to focus on.
The infiltration team hadn't started their move yet, so the dark landscape felt empty.
Because Akito's team was guarding a wide area, the members were scattered, making Chika feel even more lonely.
She kept scanning the surroundings from her high vantage point, but as time passed and the scenery remained unchanged, intrusive thoughts began to seep back into her mind.
'Still, isn't a girl cuter when she's a bit on the weaker side?'
Akito hadn't said that to look down on her.
Given his personality, he had likely said it to comfort her with something that sounded nice.
She understood that intellectually, but the more she chewed on his words, the more her emotions wavered.
"I wish he'd at least lied and said I was strong…"
No, if he had lied, she would have been depressed because he felt the need to lie to her.
Looking at herself objectively, Chika let out a bitter laugh.
She hated how petty she was, and she hated how she wasn't strong like Akito.
Just as she was swallowing her resentment, something caught her eye.
At first, she thought she had misseen because she was dazed, but there was definitely a shadow moving near a narrow passage.
After staring intently at a distant container for a moment, Chika radioed Shiori.
"I saw someone in Zone D-8. Did you detect anything?"
— No. Is it a person?
"I only saw a shadow, so I'm not sure, but it looked human."
If Shiori's search hadn't picked it up, they either had a magical tool that interfered with detection or they were highly skilled.
Zone D was expected to be an escape route for the organization members defeated by the infiltration team, so it should have been deserted.
"I'll go check it out."
— Chika, should I go with you?
As always, Akito asked kindly.
But to Chika, it sounded like he was saying she couldn't even handle a small task like this alone. She shook her head and replied over the radio.
"No, you need to keep up the detection. I'm here to do things like this."
— Be careful. Contact me immediately if anything goes wrong.
Never had she disliked his concern as much as she did today. Chika gave a short reply and stealthily approached the building.
Hearing the radio message that Kurumi was moving to a position where she could provide backup, Chika tried to sense any presence before peering inside.
There were no lights, so she couldn't see clearly.
After waiting and sensing no presence, Chika stepped inside and looked around.
A steel door leading to a basement caught her eye.
Perhaps they were in the middle of moving goods, as the door was wide open with no one guarding it. It hadn't been in the briefing materials provided before the mission.
"Akito, contact headquarters. There's a basement here that wasn't in the intel."
She waited for a response, but nothing came.
Chika tried the radio again, realized there was a signal jamming device inside the building, and turned to leave.
Boom—!
It was a sudden ambush, but Chika quickly transformed her stick into a gauntlet and blocked it.
Her quick reflexes allowed her to defend successfully, but she couldn't get into a proper stance, so she failed to absorb all the impact. Chika was pushed back and tumbled down through the open steel door.
Screeeech— Clang!
The moment her back hit the ground, Chika sprang up into a combat stance. A man who had closed the steel door descended toward her.
"Where did this bitch crawl out from? You think this is a playground? Which organization are you with?"
Despite the rough-looking man's words, Chika ignored him and scanned her surroundings.
Whether they had already noticed her or not, other men were waiting in the large basement, radiating a murderous aura.
"Did you shove a cock in your mouth? Answer me, you bitch."
"Pfft."
Chika let out a small laugh.
Blocking Shiori and Akito's detection was impressive, but that was just the power of the magical tool enveloping the entire building.
The fact that she had blocked a surprise attack from behind without much trouble told her everything she needed to know about the gap in their skills. Looking at the energy leaking from their bodies, she could take on a hundred of them alone.
However, she wasn't laughing because they were weak.
She burst into laughter because she found herself pathetic for feeling relieved that she was still stronger than them.
"This fucking bitch is laughing?"
"Ah—sorry. I wasn't laughing at you guys. But you are Bluebird, right?"
The men shouted something, but Chika didn't care and assessed the situation.
Seeing as they asked which organization she was from, they hadn't realized the government's operation was underway yet.
But the situation wasn't exactly good.
Since the radio was cut, her teammates on standby should have moved in, but there was no sign of them.
There was no way Akito would abandon her, which meant something had happened outside.
She had to return as quickly as possible.
With her goal set, Chika moved without hesitation.
The man who had first attacked her still hadn't realized the tide had turned. The last thing he saw was Chika's fist filling his vision.
Crack—!
A loud sound echoed as the man's head snapped back. Before he could be sent flying by the impact, Chika followed up with another attack, slamming him into the floor.
The man, whose mana barrier shattered from the second blow, took the full impact of hitting the ground and coughed up blood. Chika stepped on his head without a moment's delay.
"Wh-what the fuck?!"
"Call for backup!"
As Chika began to tear through them like a wolf among sheep, the organization members scrambled in a panic.
Amidst the screams and blood, someone fell every time Chika swung her fist, and people defied gravity, soaring into the air every time she kicked.
"Aaaargh!"
Defeating the enemies with her overwhelming skill wasn't difficult, but it took some time because the members scattered randomly.
If anyone escaped, it would jeopardize the mission, so she had to take them all out right here.
Furthermore, since she didn't know the situation outside, the urgency to return quickly made Chika deactivate several defensive spells combat mages usually kept active and switch them to reinforcement magic specialized for offense.
She never imagined that would be her downfall.
While chasing one man who kept running away, Chika swatted aside an object he had blindly thrown. The bag burst, and a cloud of white dust rose near her face.
"Cough, cough—"
Chika inhaled the powder and panicked, quickly reapplying a purification spell, but it was already too late.
"You… you inhaled it, didn't you?"
"So what? Don't you know combat mages always have purification spells active?"
"..."
However, the drug she inhaled was far more potent than she had anticipated. Chika's legs lost their strength, and she stumbled.
Seeing Chika struggle to regain her stance in a panic, the man flashed a vile smirk.
"It's working perfectly."
"Cut the crap."
Before the drug could fully take effect, Chika moved quickly and swung her fist.
No matter how drugged she was, the skill gap was clear. The man, struck in the abdomen by her fist, was lifted off the ground.
Confirming his mana barrier had shattered in a single blow, Chika prepared to attack again.
But a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Her fist swung through empty air, and the man flew back, crashing into some wooden crates.
"Urgh…"
She hurriedly tried to cast other spells to block the drug's effects, but such magic wasn't her specialty to begin with.
As the drug's effects spread through her body, Chika felt goosebumps from sensations she had never experienced before.
Her body felt weak and so itchy she could hardly stand it.
In particular, she felt an overwhelming urge to touch her breasts or her crotch. Chika forced her hands to stop as they moved instinctively.
"Hehehe… you bitch. In the end, I won."
The man who had been sent flying crawled back toward the slumped Chika.
He was limping from his injuries, but his face was full of the certainty of victory.
Since he had no mana barrier left, all she had to do was swing her fist once… but Chika could do nothing, staring at the man with a grimace.
Feeling the urge to pounce on the man before her and satisfy her lust, Chika felt a deep sense of shame and struggled to suppress her emotions.
But the more she suppressed it, the more her desire for pleasure grew. Realizing her thoughts were starting to fragment, Chika felt a surge of fear.
"You whore, you won't die easily. I'm going to cut off your arms and legs and use you as a human dildo."
Fighting her own libido, Chika didn't even have the luxury to retort. She kept her head bowed, unable to answer.
She had a premonition that the moment the approaching man's hand touched her, she wouldn't be able to hold back her lust.
Even as she thought she had to stop him, her body wouldn't move, trembling as if it craved those filthy hands.
No… I can't…
"Sir, that's enough. You've worked hard. You can clock out now."
"What?"
The man turned around at the sudden voice from behind.
But what greeted him was a baseball bat studded with large nuts.
CRACK—!
The man, killed instantly, was sent sliding sideways, crashing back into the wooden crates.
With blurred vision, Chika managed to lift her head and look at the man who had saved her.
"What the hell is that guy doing that he hasn't shown up yet? Did I pick the wrong choice? Yo—you look like you're having a rough time."
The man looked down at her arrogantly, a bat resting on his shoulder.
The moment she saw that familiar face, Chika felt a wave of relief and let go of the resistance she had been maintaining.
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