"The Little Sister Faction?"
Hearing Shirou's words, Ikki almost choked on his saliva.
The little sister faction? Was he treating himself as the male protagonist of a harem anime?
"Are you serious, Shirou?"
"Of course, I never lie!" Shirou's answer to Ikki's doubt was so firm.
"Speaking of which, I'm also part of the little sister faction!" Seeing the two discussing the little sister faction, Arisu Nagi quickly interjected. Hearing their statements, Ikki's face turned ashen. Did he have no allies around him?
All enemy spies!
Looking at Ikki, who was somewhat unable to accept the situation, Shirou patted his shoulder and said, "As an older brother, you shouldn't do anything that makes your little sister cry!"
"I know that, but that kind of relationship, I..."
Looking at the speechless Ikki, Shirou and Arisu Nagi exchanged glances, their eyes full of amusement. They had confirmed their intentions, they were both instigators of fun.
Just as the two were exchanging glances about how to find more amusement, Arisu's expression suddenly froze.
"Shirou, Ikki, come over here!"
Grabbing both of their shoulders, Arisu led them towards a wall. And just as the three figures disappeared from this space, a booming sound, mixed with the shattering of glass, echoed throughout the entire restroom. What followed were gunshots and screams.
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Two men, dressed in black combat uniforms and wearing gas masks, rushed into the men's restroom where Shirou and the other two were, their footsteps panicked.
"Good, only this men's restroom hasn't been checked. I'll check cubicle by cubicle, you keep watch outside for me."
"No need to go through the trouble of checking them one by one."
"Hey, hey!"
The man with a flippant tone disregarded his partner's obstruction and raised his M4 assault rifle, firing a horizontal burst of bullets, emptying the entire magazine into the restroom cubicle doors. When the gunshots echoing in the cramped restroom ceased, the cubicle doors had been riddled with holes. If anyone had been inside, they would definitely not have been unharmed.
However, no blood flowed from the half-destroyed restroom.
"Good, not a single person."
"Don't act on your own! Orders from above are to capture all customers as hostages!"
"I just wanted to vent properly. It doesn't matter, if there's no blood, it means no one's inside, hehehe."
"If Mr. Smile kills you, I'm not taking responsibility."
The man laughed crudely, and the two then left the restroom.
Only a scent of burning and the wreckage destroyed by bullets remained in the restroom. And under the fluorescent light of the ceiling, a shadow appeared, as Arisu, Shirou, and Ikki slowly emerged as if surfacing from a pool of water.
"Phew, looks like they're gone."
Arisu confirmed the enemies had left and rose from the pool of water, which was the shadow. In his hand, he held a silver-grey dagger.
"How is it? My Dark Hermit? Isn't this ability pretty good?"
"So, this is the ability to manipulate 'shadows.' It's quite
convenient indeed."
"However, the drawback is that if the entire area is lit, and there are no obstacles, I can't create shadows, so it's useless."
Shirou's lips curved into a smile as he examined the silver-grey dagger in Arisu's hand. "An assassination dagger, huh? I'll take it!"
Hearing Shirou's words, Arisu's face immediately drooped. He was truly careless; showing off his ability in front of Shirou was like handing it over on a silver platter.
"By the way, won't there be trouble if we use our Blazers without permission?"
"If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who's going to know? Are you going to snitch?"
Hearing Shirou's teasing, Ikki said helplessly, "Of course not!"
"But who are these guys? Why are they holding the mall hostage?"
Hearing Ikki's question, Arisu said seriously, "They should be Rebellion!"
"Rebellion!?"
Hearing Arisu's words, Ikki gasped.
Rebellion, a notorious criminal organization worldwide.
They believe that Blazer are humans chosen by God, and they classify ordinary people as inferior humans, intending to destroy the current social structure where Blazers must protect the helpless. Everything is for the purpose of building their paradise: a new world ruled by the new humans chosen by God Blazers over inferior humans.
"I didn't expect to encounter terrorists renowned worldwide in a place like this. But how do you know they're Rebellion?"
"The place I used to live in was once caught up in an incident similar to today's. The people I saw then had the same equipment as they're wearing now. More importantly, I'm worried about Shizuku and the others."
"Hmm, but before that, there's something we absolutely must do."
Ikki pulled out his student handbook and dialed the built-in emergency contact number. The call was quickly answered, and a familiar face appeared on the screen.
It was the Hagun Academy Chairman, Kurono Shinguuji.
"I already understand what's happening."
Kurono's first words saved Ikki from having to explain anything. It seemed that similar developments had occurred outside the shopping mall.
"That's great. Then please allow Ikki, Shirou, Stella Vermillion, Shizuku, and Arisu Nagi to use their abilities outside the school."
"I understand. I permit the five students mentioned above to use their abilities outside the school."
"That completes the necessary procedures."
"Chairman, can you tell me all the information you currently have?"
"The culprits are Rebellion, numbering about twenty to thirty people. All are armed with firearms, and their objective is ransom for hostages and the shopping center's assets."
"Simply put, this is their usual method to regularly obtain funds."
"Are there any casualties?"
"Only a few minor injuries from people who stumbled while escaping too hastily during the initial attack. There are no fatalities or serious injuries reported so far."
"According to surveillance footage released by the security company, the Liberation Army is holding about fifty customers hostage and has gathered them in the food court."
"The food court, that's where we ate crepes, right?"
"Yes, that open plaza."
"In that case, it's still within the range of my Shadow-Weave Pathway. We can go directly from here."
"Then let's first move to a more hidden place and observe the situation!"
"Shizuku and the others must be there too."
The three then discussed and finalized their plan. They knew very well that those two would never abandon the hostages and escape alone. They would definitely hide their magic and blend in with the hostages.
"I assume you all understand that the safety of ordinary citizens is the top priority, so don't be too reckless."
Ikki nodded and then turned off his student handbook to avoid making any sound during their stealth operation.
"Since everything is arranged, let's go!"
Following Shirou's command, the three of them used Arisu's Blazer ability, Shadow-Weave Pathway, to arrive at a corner on the third floor directly above the open plaza.
"They're there!"
Shirou's keen eyes instantly spotted Shizuku and Stella hidden among the crowd. Following Shirou's finger, Ikki and Arisu also saw Shizuku and Stella's positions.
"Looks like they're hiding pretty well!"
Hearing Ikki's praise, Shirou shook his head. "They won't be able to hide for long, especially the princess, who's got a strong sense of justice and is a bit reckless!"
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--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter