Top floor of a high-end hotel. Incredibly, the entire floor had been made into one massive room. One of the four walls was a full glass pane. It was as if they were saying, 'please snipe me,' but I heard that the ultra-hard glass was further reinforced with magic.
In the center of this extraordinary room were two chairs. A large man stood facing the Holy Sovereign.
He was impeccably dressed in an expensive suit and wore a monocle. This man was Sogen Saibu.
"…Is the person next to you a bodyguard?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmm… You are Sho Yozuki, aren't you?"
Am I that famous? He just knew my name out of the blue.
"You work fast, Holy Sovereign. To have him on your side so quickly."
"…I don't understand what you're implying?"
"You get a head start on promising talent. It's a basic principle, isn't it?"
"I did not request a bodyguard with that intention."
Ah, I see. Saibu must have also read the case files on the Detective Killer.
Naturally, assault-class Butei have a higher casualty rate than police officers. No matter how talented a person is, they are quickly consumed.
Therefore, securing personnel is always a must. It's not that there's an endless supply of talented people. In Saibu's case, maybe he meant talented soldiers.
"Oh, really? Well, then I can say whatever I want, can't I? Sho Yozuki, come work for me."
"Huh?"
Just as I was trying to make sense of things, I found myself being headhunted.
"You and I are the same; we aren't the type to forgive criminals. If you stay on that side, you'll eventually destroy yourself."
"I don't understand what you're saying…"
This old man, is he deliberately trying to confuse me? Just like with the Holy Sovereign a moment ago. The Holy Sovereign didn't mean it that way… did she?
"Hehehe, I see, you're not aware of it. Oh well. Then, Holy Sovereign, shall we begin?"
"…Yes."
With a smirking Saibu and a somber Holy Sovereign, the meeting between the two opposites proceeded entirely at Saibu's pace.
--------
"…Well, I don't think you need to worry about it."
"…Yes."
It was pitch black outside, and on top of that, it was raining. The limousine carrying Kuro, the Holy Sovereign, and me was sandwiched between two escort cars, heading to the Holy Sovereign's residence. Yasuwaki was in the car at the very front.
With the sun having set, the only light illuminating the cars came from the streetlights. Kuro stared out the window, not looking at me.
The meeting concluded, though not without incident. A follow-up meeting was forcefully scheduled with Kikunojo Tendo before he returned.
"Well, that old man seemed to only talk about what he wanted to. Creating another opportunity is probably just a way for him to repeat his ideas and brainwash you, don't you think?"
Kuro, still looking out the window, offered a difficult-to-understand form of support.
The meeting's contents ranged from things covered on the TV news to what only a select few important people would know. It seemed we might have gotten ourselves mixed up in something nasty again.
What particularly stuck in my mind was:
"A system that uses satellites to monitor the entire world and instantly incinerates criminals with a high-power lens and a precision laser the moment a crime occurs..."
It was like Project Insight from Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
"He's an absolutely insane person to come up with that."
Whether it's feasible or not, the fact that he's serious about it shows he's truly out of his mind. It's also insane that such a person told me, 'you and I are the same side.'
"No, what I'm trying to say is..."
"Are you talking about how he wanted to recruit us?"
"…Yes."
So that's what was bothering her. She seemed absent-minded during the meeting, so I figured she was concerned, but not to this extent.
"I had no such intention. I simply trusted you, and that's why I asked you to be my bodyguards."
"…Maybe you should be a little more cunning. I have the right to choose, after all. It's normal to have a few hidden motives, isn't it?"
I have too many secrets myself. It's a pain that there are so many things I can't tell anyone.
"You need to balance ideals and reality carefully, or you'll be in for a rough time."
"…Thank you. Will you continue to be my bodyguard?"
"Of course! Guh!"
Kuro kicked me in the stomach. I would've puked if I had just eaten.
"Here they come, Big Brother!"
But it wasn't a kick of jealousy. It was an alert that the enemy was approaching.
--------
"That girl we just met is the enemy."
"Huh?!"
After finishing our shopping, I said that to Kuro, who was walking beside me on our way home.
As expected, Kuro reacted with quite a bit of exaggeration.
"…You know about this incident, Big Brother?"
Kuro is incredibly quick on the uptake, and I'm grateful for it. She understood from my words that this was a plot from some other work.
"She's a sniper trying to assassinate the Holy Sovereign. That's why I brought you."
When everyone told me to take someone with me for this request, I didn't hesitate to nominate Kuro.
The reason was simple: the best way to counter a sniper is with another sniper.
I decided that with my close-combat abilities and weapons, it would be extremely difficult for me to handle it alone.
"When and where will she strike?"
"During our trip back from the meeting is the most likely time, but I don't know where she'll be sniping from."
But once we figure out how she's attacking, we can handle it.
And when it comes to sniping, Kuro has a unique advantage. I don't think even Tina could easily get past Kuro, who can fire magical arrows in rapid succession.
As for the mana issue, I have that new item that should take care of it.
"I understand. Leave it to me, Big Brother!"
--------
I immediately shoved the Holy Sovereign to the floor, so her head wouldn't be visible from the window. However, several seconds passed, and no bullets came flying through the glass.
Could it be Kuro's mistake---?
"What… what is this…?!"
Kuro's voice was panicked. It was a rare sound for the usually composed Kuro.
And then, the sound of shattering glass echoed in the car. But it wasn't the side window. It was the windshield.
A small human figure had entered through the windshield.
"Waaaaahhh!"
The driver, his body cut by the shattering glass, screamed. His hands flew to cover his wounds, and he lost control of the steering wheel.
The car started to slip. My body was pulled by the centrifugal force, but I forcefully pulled out my Super Cosmic Holy Sword Space Caliber and swung it.
The blade, enveloped in a pale blue light, cut a vertical line into the sturdy, diplomat-grade limousine.
But the figure was no longer there.
The car, which had started spinning, now moved erratically after further damage, and for a moment, I couldn't tell left from right.
It stopped when it hit a utility pole, but this was no time to be relieved that we were alive. The attack was still ongoing.
"Are you okay, Holy Sovereign!"
"Ngh… Sho, san…?"
Good, she's conscious. She's just confused from the shock.
My relief was short-lived as a building far in the distance flashed for a second.
Muzzle flash---!!
"Trace, On!"
Four great swords, looking as if they were carved directly from stone, materialized in front of me. Taller than me, they completely shielded us from the direction of the flash.
The bullets hit, adding more cracks to the already shattered asphalt. Is she using tank rounds?!
"Fang Task!"
Two enemies closed in from behind.
I used their shadows to launch an invisible attack. I aimed for a non-lethal, but incapacitating spot, utilizing Kinji's gun-kata.
It was impossible for them to dodge.
In reality, the bullet-claws hit their mark.
But then a third enemy appeared from behind them.
"What?!"
"Get out of the way, Big Brother!"
Kuro's arrow hit the third enemy. In addition to her usual combat uniform, she wore a simple bandana on her head.
This bandana was the new item I had acquired.
--------
Infinite Bandana
An item from the Metal Gear series. When equipped, it makes the ammunition for your ranged weapons infinite.
--------
I got this item the other day. After an experiment, I found that it made the mana consumption of Kuro's projected arrows zero (even though I thought it was strange for Archer to specialize in bows). So this time, I gave it to Kuro as a countermeasure against the sniper.
The result was the current situation, but…
"Transform!"
PERFECT PUZZLE
Dual up!
Get the glory in the chain! PERFECT PUZZLE!
I transformed into Paradox. I was on high alert for the three figures approaching from the shadows behind the three fallen enemies.
But this was Kuro's distance. She performed a difficult feat, simultaneously firing and hitting all three with three arrows.
Perhaps intimidated, they didn't pursue, and all that remained was the sound of the rain.
"…Big Brother, what's going on?"
"I wish I knew."
I carried the Holy Sovereign, who was on the verge of collapsing, on my back and took her to the undamaged escort vehicle.
Yasuwaki's face was flushed with anger, but his yelling didn't register in my ears as I contemplated the assassination attempt that had just happened.
--------
On the rooftop of a certain building, a girl stood alone.
At her feet lay an anti-material rifle more than twice her height. Nearby, spent casings from the large bullets that would have been loaded into the gun were scattered.
The girl took a deep breath and quietly chanted.
"Install Fantasm, release."
The girl's clothes changed into a blue dress. In her hand, she held a single card.
She took out her phone and called the only number registered.
"I'm sorry, Master, I failed. I was stopped by the bodyguards. I judged it to be a disadvantageous situation and temporarily withdrew to standby."
"…What? The bodyguards were able to block your surprise attack? Who are they? There was no information on them…"
"There were two. One was a male. Midway through, he wore a strange powered suit. The other was a girl about my age. It was dark, and they each hid their faces with a mask and a bandana, so I couldn't identify them."
"…Very well. I will look into those two. You've done well, Tina Sprout."
"…Yes."
After she hung up, the girl—Tina—vanished.
--------
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! That insufferable man! The Holy Sovereign is being targeted because of that incompetent bodyguard! No, maybe he's the one leaking the information? That must be it. The moment he became her bodyguard, she was targeted. There's no other way to explain it!!"
Yasuwaki nervously bit his nails in his room. His thumbnail was becoming distorted.
"At this rate, the Holy Sovereign's life is in danger… I must get rid of him no matter what, but he was personally selected by the Holy Sovereign. For now, I can't voice my opinion to the Holy Sovereign… How can I eliminate that insolent brat who is only after money…"
Assassination.
A twisted smile appeared on Yasuwaki's face.
"That's right, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and an assassination for an assassination. He's complicit in the Holy Sovereign's assassination attempt. That's the way to go!!"
Killing is forbidden for Butei, but some countries do not have such laws. Although they are a minority, there are those who specialize in killing. Even so, this island's underworld is deep. If you look hard enough, you'll find countless researchers who want to showcase the results of their illegal research.
(Please wait, Holy Sovereign. I will save you.)
The brilliant Yasuwaki had his own connections. He'd proceed with caution so as not to leave a trace. If things went well, he could not only stop the assassination but also arrest the culprits, and once he's served his purpose, he could even handcuff the assassin he sent after Sho as well.
Furthermore, if this incident proved his capabilities, the distance between him and the Holy Sovereign would shorten, and maybe even...
Ugly plans formed in his mind.
"Hehehe."
He couldn't help but grin as he imagined the future that would soon arrive.
As Yasuwaki suppressed his uncontrollable laughter, he was pierced from behind by an "arrow."
--------------------------------------------
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