57 Ambush
From there, the path was comparatively easy.
We used the guys we had just defeated as shields and beat the ambushers who jumped out at us one-sidedly. It seemed that the enemy couldn’t hit their comrades, so they fell for our strategy in an amusing way.
“T-this is too much…”
Makoto said, looking away from the boy who was being used as a shield.
Even though the enemy couldn’t hit their comrades, when they met face-to-face in the dark, they would sometimes hit them by mistake. As a result, the boy who had become a shield had been beaten so badly that his face was deformed. His clothes were also covered in Bl00d, and he looked pitiful.
“…Isn’t he about to die?”
“Let’s pray that the enemy will hold back enough so that he doesn’t die.”
“Aren’t you going to stop…?”
“You were prepared for this when you picked a fight with me, right?”
“What if I’m the type who’s being threatened like me?”
“Well, I’d be in trouble if you didn’t tell me. Hey, are you being threatened?”
I asked him, but he seemed to have passed out and was groaning with his eyes rolled back in his head.
“It doesn’t look like he is.”
“He didn’t say anything, did he!?”
And then, it happened.
Bang
At the same time as a slight popping sound, something hit the head of the boy who was being used as a shield at high speed.
With a dull thud, Bl00d spurted from his head. I reacted belatedly as he collapsed without even trying to break his fall.
“…This is bad!”
I hurriedly hid behind the steel frame and watched the situation.
“W-what was that just now!?”
Ryugo answered Enka’s question.
“Judging from the power, I think it was probably a model gun. And it’s been modified. It would be incredibly painful if it hit you.”
“–That’s right! If it hit you at close range, it could break your bones.”
The voice echoed through the factory.
I carefully looked around with eyes that were gradually getting used to the darkness.
It was a desolate, open space. It was similar to the space where Enka and I had fought before. I could see a staircase leading to the second floor in the back.
At the same time, I could faintly make out the figures of several people.
“Aira!?”
“You’re fast.”
“They say that a guy who keeps a girl waiting isn’t popular.”
“I’ve been running all day, but I still have enough energy to make jokes. Or rather, were you that worried about her?”
“If you’ve already done something to her, I’ll kill you.”
“…Ahahahaha. Seriously? You would do that, Ryu.”
Aira laughed softly, though she seemed more excited than amused.
“But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Answer my question.”
“I haven’t done anything yet. I just stripped her and paraded her in front of the slaves.”
An irresistible torrent surged through his mind, as if scalding hot mud were gushing out from the depths of his brain, engulfing his reason.
A scar that would never fade was etched into Misato’s heart.
There was hardly a girl who could remain unfazed after having her body seen by strange men.
Rage seared through his veins, giving him the illusion that they were boiling.
“…”
“Next time, I’ll take a picture and post it online.”
“…”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Come on. Come and kill me. Come up to the second floor.”
Along with the provocative words, the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs could be heard.
He had to hurry, quickly…
“Tanuki, calm down.”
Koki placed a hand on Ryogo’s shoulder.
“He’s trying to provoke you. He probably still thinks Tanuki is the one with the app.”
He felt his anger subside. Koki’s words had always calmed Ryogo down. He knew he could trust his judgment.
But what should they do now?
“I think we should go for a quick assault. We’re already exhausted as it is. We can’t afford to fight them head-on.”
“I agree. The stairs aren’t that far, but we can’t just walk past them. We’d be riddled with BBs.”
“Makoto and I will take the brunt of it. There are probably shooters on both sides. We’ll take care of them. Tanuki and Enka, you go ahead while we’re distracting them.”
“That’s asking a lot, in more ways than one.”
“Then prove that it was worth asking.”
The plan was set. Well, it wasn’t much of a plan. It was just a simple assault.
But that was fine.
As long as the main idea was clear, they could improvise as much as they needed.
Makoto and Enka didn’t seem to have any objections either. They had come this far. There was no time to be afraid.
“Let’s go. Run straight for the stairs.”
They charged forward at Koki’s signal.
Immediately, deafening explosions rang in their ears. BBs hit the floor, walls, and metal beams, creating a cacophony of irritating clanging.
If they were hit, they would be in excruciating pain.
If they were hit in the wrong place… A chilling thought crossed his mind.
It was enough to make him want to stop.
“Go!”
Makoto inspired as he charged into the darkness where the bullets were flying.
He could hear bullets whistling through the air right next to him, sending shivers down his spine.
Before he could see what had happened to the other two, he jumped onto the stairs and ran up them with all his might.
“Do you think those two will be okay!?”
He asked Enka.
“I don’t know! But we have to stop Aira!”
She must have interpreted it as a question of whether they should go back and help.
That’s right. He couldn’t worry about them. If the man had said he would do something, he had to trust him and move forward.
He pushed through the pain in his exhausted legs and stepped onto the second-floor landing.
There’s no roof. The moonlight shines pale, illuminating the empty room. The rusty smell from before has almost vanished.
“Gotcha!”
A cheerful voice resounds.
Aira’s figure shone in the dazzling light. At first glance, she’s so beautiful it feels out of place.
Oddly enough, there’s no one else.
In this situation, the only thing you can think of is the worst-case scenario.
“Why the heck is Enka here, too?”
“Don’t you like it better with a bonus?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Did you and Ryu read a joke book together? It’s so unfunny it makes me want to puke.”
“I’m glad Aira’s still lively, even after I beat the crap out of her so bad she puked.”
“You’re going to pretend you did it yourself, even though you had Misato do it? Which book did you read about being that shameless? Tell me, will you?”
If we leave these two alone, they’ll keep bickering forever.
“That’s enough.”
Ryugo’s raised voice shuts the two of them up.
“Aira. It looks like you’re alone.”
“Huh? Aren’t you going to ask where Misato is first?”
“She has no intention of telling you honestly.”
“Of course I do? Look, she’s right here.”
As she said that, Aira pointed to her right.
A figure emerges from the darkness in that direction, slinking out.
It’s Misato.
“…?”
Why?
Ryugo’s question was answered by her expression.
Empty.
“Aira, did you hypnotize her with the app?”
“That’s right~”
Aira made peace signs with both hands and wiggled her fingers like a crab.
With Double Suits starting a new game, all the wearers other than Aira disappeared. And of course, that includes Misato.
“Using Misato to attack me…”
“No, that’s insurance. Well, it’s not really necessary, though.”
Then, she took out her smartphone.
Is she planning on using the app? Who on?
“Ryugo, Double Suits called this a game, right?”
“…huh?”
What is she talking about all of a sudden?
“But games aren’t any fun if they’re not fair, right? Like, in tag, if the runner is a child and the tagger is a track star, it’s obviously not going to be fun.”
“So, what are you trying to――”
“Kick.”
“――gugh!?
Out of nowhere, a sharp pain shot through his side.
He had been kicked.
That was his first thought as his whole body hit the floor.
“Gah… W-what the hell are you doing!?”
Ryugo glared at her, clutching his aching stomach.
“Enka…!!”
“W-what… Huh?”
The perpetrator of the attack remained frozen in the position she had kicked him from, her expression one of shock.
“Why… Am I…”
This was not right.
Why was something impossible happening?
Why was she doing something like this?
Why, why, why…
The confusion clogging his thought processes slowly began to clear, and he finally reached an answer.
“No way…”
From Noble mtl dot com
It wasn’t just Ryugo. Enka must have also realized the reason for her strange behavior.
After all, she had been the one doing it all along.
But it was something that could never be.
“Ahahahaha!”
Aira let out a hearty laugh.
“hahahahaha… That’s right. Of course, you guys took precautions, didn’t you? It’s over if you get hypnotized. That’s why you’re so surprised, right?”
“…You…”
“Too bad. This game is rigged. I’m going to win. It’s just a one-sided beatdown. Not even a little bit fun.”
“Cut it out…”
Just as Ryugo tried to stand up,
“Get on your hands and knees.”
“Ugh!?”
His body involuntarily fell to the ground.
He couldn’t disobey. He felt compelled to do as he was told, overcome with an overwhelming, irresistible fear.
“Wh… Ah…!!”
“Aira’s app is special.”
“U, guh, oooooh…”
“It’s a cheat that lets the user hypnotize anyone, even other hypnotists. This isn’t a game anymore.”
Anyone can be hypnotized, she said…?
“That’s… That’s…”
There was no way to win…!