Chapter 49: Amateur Kidnappers
After causing the ground to be covered in red and white matter, Hachishaku's expression remained calm. Even though she had just taken a human life with her own hands, her eyes didn't flicker in the slightest.
An evil spirit was an evil spirit after all.
Yoru wouldn't change his view of Hachishaku just because of their relationship.
However, the function of a tool depended on the user.
Killing people... well, it depended on who was being killed.
"Disguise yourself and lure them out."
Hearing Yoru's command, Hachishaku nodded slightly and turned to enter an empty activity room.
This spacious room was originally used for the kindergarten children's performances.
But now, the activity room, usually filled with a warm atmosphere, was filled with the sobbing of children, the trembling voices of teachers comforting them, and the footsteps of kidnappers pacing back and forth. The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
As a famous evil spirit, Hachishaku naturally wouldn't act solely on instinct like her lesser kin.
She first peeked into the room. After confirming there were no traces of other evil spirits, she squeezed a call out of her throat.
"Help... someone come help me..."
Although it was Hachishaku speaking, the voice she produced was identical to that of the kidnapper whose head had just been crushed—completely flawless.
After all, this was her old trade. Although she had now gained a "government job" with Yoru, she couldn't lose her craft.
"Hmm?"
Hearing the faint call of their companion from the corridor outside, the kidnappers looked at each other.
One of them, a tall, burly man with a beard holding a semi-automatic rifle, frowned and said in a deep voice.
"Take two men and go check the situation."
Hearing his order, two of the kidnappers, holding pistols, walked carefully out of the room.
What they found strange was:
The voice, which initially sounded very close, just a few meters away, became more distant as they walked. Yet it didn't disappear completely, leading the two of them all the way to the end of the corridor.
Even an idiot would realize something was wrong by now.
"Hey, I say..."
Just as one of them opened his mouth to say something, a bundle of jet-black long hair suddenly extended from the side and wrapped around their necks.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
The two kidnappers were lifted off the ground. They grabbed the black hair around their necks with both hands, tearing at it with all their strength.
But apart from causing blood to seep from their own hands, it had no effect whatsoever.
"Just ordinary humans?"
Yoru walked slowly out from behind Hachishaku. Looking at the two kidnappers whose faces had turned deep purple, he waved his hand.
"Kill them."
Hachishaku nodded slightly and directly pierced the necks of the two men with her hardened black hair.
Watching the two kidnappers fall to the ground, dying with their eyes wide open, Yoru squatted down. He first picked up the pistol dropped by one of them and examined it carefully.
The quality was very poor, with signs of wear everywhere.
These two pistols were like an RTX 5090 that had been used for mining, a pair of Air Jordan 1s worn in a basketball match, a donkey that had pulled a millstone its whole life, or a Saintess who had spent three days in a Goblin's nest.
In short, just like a cream puff, they couldn't even close properly. (Loose/Worn out).
"Seems like they aren't a professional team."
To confirm his guess, Yoru checked the palms and bodies of the two kidnappers.
As expected, no calluses from years of gun use.
There were quite a few scars on their bodies, but they were all from cold weapons; no gunshot wounds or scars from bullets.
From these details, Yoru could roughly judge the identity of this group of kidnappers.
High probability: Yakuza members.
Then the question arose.
Why would Yakuza members hijack a kindergarten?
If they wanted money, robbing a bank or a jewelry store would be better.
Even if they wanted ransom, hijacking all the students directly was just seeking death, wasn't it?
There was only one explanation.
The actions of this group were being manipulated by an evil spirit hidden in the shadows, leading them to commit such outrageous acts.
The key was that they themselves didn't seem to realize this.
They were like puppets being played with, completely unaware.
People manipulated by evil spirits were different from those possessed by them. As long as they could be awakened in time with external intervention, their lives could still be saved.
Of course, Yoru didn't plan to do that.
It wasn't about concepts of good and evil.
Simply because facing armed enemies, even the slightest hesitation or mercy could lead to him getting injured, instantly plunging him into a situation of no return.
Can save, but not necessary.
....
Meanwhile, in the activity room from before.
"Why have they been gone for so long and still haven't come back?"
A kidnapper holding a gun pressed the muzzle against a female teacher's temple. His expression looked completely unlike a normal person; it could even be described as hideous.
"So troublesome. How about we kill a few first just for kicks?"
The leader of the kidnappers shook his head, a grotesque smile appearing on his lips.
"Don't rush. Wait a bit longer. Wait until those guys from the Metropolitan Police Department can't hold back and rush in. When that time comes..."
Speaking up to here, he raised the detonator in his left hand. His expression bordered on madness, like a fanatical cultist.
"We will present a surprise gift to Kyoto, and even the entire Sakura Prefecture!"
Listening to the kidnapper leader's words, the kindergarten teachers looked terrified.
Because the children were too young and the incident happened so suddenly, some hadn't yet realized what the situation was.
But the teachers, as adults, had already realized.
This group of kidnappers didn't come for money at all.
Dragging it out until now without making a move... they just wanted to use these hostages. Once the police launched a raid, they would detonate the bombs planted in the building.
This was simply not something a normal person would do!
Meanwhile, outside the classroom.
Yoru observed the situation in the activity room through the window and thought this is a bit tricky.
The muzzles of several kidnappers were inadvertently aimed at the hostages.
If they were professionals, it might be easier to handle.
The problem was that these guys were amateurs. Although their actions and thoughts were guided by an evil spirit, many of them were probably holding a gun for the first time.
If he suddenly burst in, wouldn't he startle them?
If they got startled, wouldn't they pull the trigger subconsciously?
Actually, even if a few hostages died, it wouldn't be a loss for Yoru.
But as the saying goes:
Every gamer wants to achieve a 'Perfect Clear' with all achievements unlocked. Yoru was no exception.
After pondering carefully, he looked at the Pale Ghost Hand floating in mid-air behind him.
"I'll leave it to you. Go steal all the bullets from their guns."