Absurd Demands

"Listen carefully Shiraishi. I'm not going to repeat. We want 10 billion ¥. In cash. And we want it in 1 hour."

The demands of the terrorists were heard clearly, yet all on the receiving end could not believe their ears.

'Did I hear that correctly?'

Those thoughts mostly occupied the shocked populace's mind. Not 1 million, not 100 million, not even 1 billion.

But 10 billion ¥!!!!

Even though Japan prospered a lot more due to the Hero Ryouma, this money still has a major significance in Japan's budget.

"We are being generous with the money and time. So be sure to bring that amount before it is too late."

The loudspeaker stayed still near Shiraishi's slight agape mouth. He stared at the terrorist on the roof with a bit of astonishment. 10 billion ¥ and they were being very serious about it, despite the terrorist's joking attitude.

Shiraishi darted a look at the dead body of an innocent civilian, lying face down on the asphalt. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth before regaining his sight on the masked terrorist.

"10 billion ¥ is too much to arrange in 1 hour. I'm sorry but we need more time."

"More time?"

The terrorist sounded surprised at Shiraishi's proposal. Shiraishi thought about multiple solutions that could resolve this delicate matter but none was going to be having a good ending.

Right now, Shiraishi was trying biding time, not knowing it will be successful or not. But it was all he could at the moment.

"Okay then. More time it is. Your request has been granted."

The refusal to his proposition was not given but instead, he heeded to Shiraishi. Shiraishi himself was a tad bit happy and a tad bit shocked at the terrorist's rapid response.

"Thank you. We will surely bring you exactly what you want. I guarantee that."

"Okay Okay Shiraishi. No need to be so happy."

He threw a thumbs up at the middle-aged man enthusiastically. The government officials and the onlookers were looking at a rather uncommon scene that was unfolding.

"But!"

The man on the roof raised his voice high enough, that the loudspeaker translated it loudly accompanied with a lingering screech noise at the end. It was piercing for the ears of some civilians so they blocked them with their hands.

"You cannot expect us to be so generous now. We already showed our generosity with the time and the money."

Shiraishi did not like where it was going. Sweats formed on his nape as he listened carefully to the terrorist's words.

"As impatient as we are, we want you guys to be punctual to the time we gave you. Additional time is not free you know. As they say, time is money."

".....So what do you need so that we get that additional times."

"Oh don't worry about all of that Shiraishi. We already have what we need. Do you know what that might be?"

Shiraishi made a confused face as he stared at the man on top of the mall. Pondering on his words, he got a bad feeling instantly. The trembling of his hands made the loudspeaker shake a bit but he stabilised it after a few moments. He shuddered at the thought he envisaged.

"Is it....the hostages' lives?"

"Oh? Everyone clap for Mr Shiraishi who has guessed the answer right!"

The terrorist clapped energetically for the whole audience below him to hear. As expected, no one followed after the terrorist's action. Only the clap sound and the sirens of the vehicles were combined to fill this silent space.

Seeing how silent and awkward the atmosphere was getting, the terrorist continued with a disappointing tone.

"You guys are no fun."

"Mister. You don't have to do this. We are going to do everything we can on our side. So please, do not involve those innocent people's lives in this."

The priority was and still is the hostages' lives. So gambling that in exchange for more time would be beyond unreasonable. Calling off the request for additional time is the best choice to take here.

But the terrorist had other ideas now since Shiraishi suggested for more allocated period of time.

"It is too late now Shiraishi. All these talkings that we have done, the proposal to have more time, all of it are a waste of time. You have been squandering time ever since you started to even negotiate with me."

The hour that the terrorist gave started since he announced it the first time. Now Shiraishi felt guilty about wasting a minute on his failed request. Even worse, the masked man declared something more shocking than the time given.

"Now. After 1 hour. If, I said if, the exact amount of money has not yet been prepared and handed over to us, well, your suggested additional time will start."

He equipped an excited tone as he raised his voice.

"Congratulations again Shiraishi!! You got what you wanted."

"You uncivilized monkey!!"

Atsui, a young police officer was taken aback from Shiraishi's outburst. He always saw Shiraishi as an image of a cool-headed officer in the department. Yet what he saw right now was rare to him.

Rare to Atsui. Rare to all the colleagues from the police department. This level of absurdity perhaps was a first to him.

"I do not want this!! I did not support this ludicrous act and I will not do it in the future. So let those civilians out of this!"

After a short moment, a sigh could be transmitted from the terrorist's loudspeaker.

"Shiraishi..." The terrorist put one of his hand on his head as though he was tired of this exchange.

"What makes you think that I will obediently heed to your orders? Are you even in a position to act like this?"

Shiraishi gritted his teeth from all the facts that the masked man was spouting as the coldness from the terrorist was not suppressed anymore.

"What I say is final here. You said you need more times, I gave it to you, but in the expanse of the lives of our hostage. Now it is your job to save those innocent people right?"

The middle-aged officer gripped the loudspeaker with more force but he held in his insults. Further ruining that man's mood would not be ideal. So the only thing that Shiraishi could possibly do is to do as the terrorist said.

Save those innocent people inside.

"...Okay. We are trying our best..."

"That's good to hear. And as for the additional time, it is going to be 5 minutes per person."

"What?! That's too short!"

"Is it?"

".....No, it is not. We will definitely fulfil your objective."

Shiraishi succumbed to the intimidating tone that carried the weight of the lives of those hostages. He is not someone that they should be messing carelessly with.

"Well everyone!!"

The masked man addressed to everyone he could see. From atop of the two-storey building, he looked down to the mass that surrounded the mall.

"It is good to know you all. Especially you Shiraishi."

Shiraishi twitched his cheeks upon the masked man's comment. He was obviously not happy with that.

"We all hope that the police will do their job and nobody will get hurt.....Well except for that guy."

He pointed on the asphalt below him where a body lying face down in a pool of blood could be seen.

What a poor soul. Even this lifeless body had dreams and responsibility that are yet to be fulfilled. Families and friends, all of it were lost in just an instant.

"Let bygones be bygones. I'll see you all in 1 hour again. Bye bye."

He waved at the crowd below him, then he turned his back to walk away from the edge and disappear from their sight. The urge to fire a bullet through that dangerous man had to be repressed.

Shiraishi knew it would be beyond foolish if he ordered his men to shoot at the man. First of all, those types of guns on the hands of those officers were not good in terms of range. And even if by some chance the police did kill the man on the roof, then the hostages' lives would not be guaranteed safe. Either way, Shiraishi did well.

But he blamed himself for the death of that one male civilian who did not have to die. Shiraishi thinks that if he had acted along with that terrorists' annoying behaviour, then that would not have happened.

"Shiraishi-san, the reinforcements are here."

Atsui informed the now perturbed Shiraishi. More and more police cars came driving and lined up to close the mall completely. Even soldiers of the Japan Special Defence Force could be seen exiting from an armoured van. They were from the Special Group Forces that deals with terrorists.

A few of them carried heavy sniper rifles and went on their own ways. They were seemingly finding some vantage points that they could take positions from where they had a good view of the mall.

Shiraishi discussed with the head of the Japan Special Defence Force, the JSDF. Every detail he could know, he confessed to the head. In doing so, the head of this branch of JSDF understands the gravity of the situation.

And it is pretty heavy.

The terrorists are extremely dangerous and pretty serious about the money.

The head of this operation was also informed that Shiraishi asked help from the Special Magus Force, they should be arriving here in any minute. He did not dislike the idea of having the aid of someone who are more stronger than the normal soldiers of the JSDF terrorist branch, so he approved of Shiraishi's action.

Nevertheless, that did not alleviate Shiraishi's foul mood. Atsui approached Shiraishi who was staring intently at the lifeless body that was carried away by the paramedics. A blanket covered the dead body of that innocent male hostage.

"Shiraishi-san. It is not your fault."

With a low voice, Atsui tried to make him break eye contact with that lifeless body. But he failed to do so.

Senior Inspector Shiraishi is someone that blames himself if something goes south. And in this case, he strongly feels guilty. He guaranteed himself that he caused this murder.

Atsui saw him silently getting distraught over this matter. He let Shiraishi alone as he understands what he is going through.

The electronic cigarette was still in Shiraishi's pocket. Slowly, he took it out and used it as he observed the mall.

At least, he hoped something good would happen. Something that could make him forget about that poor soul.

....

Inside the shopping mall, a masked man walked through a spacious pathway. With clothes being displayed so cleanly either side, this shows that the explosion did not affect this part of the mall.

In this intact part of the mall, the terrorist strolled while whistling a tune. He looked either to the left and to the right from time to time, to check on the outfits that were selling...Before it was invaded.

As he walked closer to where he was supposed to go, the surrounding around him was occupied by not only his whistling, but by also the whimperings of at least a 100 people.

"Yo Boss. The negotiation is a success."

The masked man walked near a group of other masked men who were surveilling the hostages. All the masked men simultaneously turned towards the one who just came to join them. Except for one individual.

It was presumably the 'Boss' that the masked man mentioned.

He did not wear a mask to begin with. His brown messy hair did not move when his subordinate announced the success of the deal with them.

Instead, he concentrated on what was in front of him.

He was grabbing ahold of a man's head and cornered him against a concrete pillar. The terrified man was clearly fearing for his life.

"Boss? What did he do?"

To that question, he returned it with a furious tone as he blatantly showed his displeasure to that man.

"This bastard just wouldn't shut up about being killed and being dead! He was becoming more and more irritating."

He turned his head back to his subordinate. His anger contradicted the face that he was making. The 'Boss' was maliciously grinning widely as he stared at the masked man.

"So here I am. Making him shut the fuck up."

Without turning his sight back to the hostage, the corners of his lips raised a bit higher and the sound of a something cracking could be heard.

Blood splattered on the cheeks of the 'Boss'. The terror in the hostages could not be suppressed. All of them had cold sweats. Screams of fear filled the area as the body of the male hostage lifelessly slowly fell down.

Some in the crowds vomited from the sight they beheld, especially the ones who had the best seat for that scenery.

"Boss. You did not have to go so far."

Even though the masked man said that, he did not seem to care about his Boss' action.

The head of that dead man was completely destroyed, all because of that Boss' hand. It seemed like a little explosion was set off inside his head. The scene could definitely be described as that.

"Now we have one less hostage."

*Coughs*

"....."

The masked man and the 'Boss' first noticed where the cough sound they heard were coming from. The masked man approached near a pile of rubbles

He searched everywhere but could not determine exactly where.

*Coughs* *Coughs*

The sound of coughing twice. Now that pinpointed the exact location of where the origin of that sound was. The masked man went around the rubble and saw a figure lying face down.

Judging by the attire the figure was wearing, the masked man deduced him to be a boy. He kicked the body lightly which received a little response of pain. He then turned the body over to be able to see that boy's face.

But he was a little surprised.

"A girl?"

A girl with that kind of attire. The terrorist looked at the cute face that she had. The blood from her head was drooling to her cheeks. Her eyes were closed but she definitely was conscious.

He checked if she breathed and the result was positive.

He could not help but wonder why this girl would wear such a boyish outfit.

'Maybe it's the trend right now?'

He thought of such a possibility but did not quite support it. These days, he had not seen one with such fashion abundantly. The only solution that he could think about after that was quite understandable.

'Is she a tomboy?'