[Episode 31] #7 Department store terror attack (6)

Huh... Huh... Huh... .

"wow… This one is really... "My stomach has become cold."

Number 13, who was sitting somewhere on the emergency stairs on the ■■ floor, stroked his hair while trying to calm his pounding heart from sprinting.

I never thought that she would be able to shake off the brainwashing in that situation.

Although I had predicted a few patterns with my staff that the brainwashing might not work on Spade, I never expected the brainwashing to come off at that moment.

no… According to Dorothy's words, she was told to be careful because the brainwashing may be broken in case of 『acting greatly against one's will』.

I was relieved that everything worked, but it seems that the order to "attack your comrades" was still given too early.

Crackling…

[No. 13, are you okay★?]

Apple's voice came from the communication terminal plugged into my ear.

Even in this situation, the joyful voice doesn't change.

Currently, all communication waves in this area are blocked, but thanks to Apple's manipulation, only the radio waves connected to this terminal are alive.

When I answered that it was okay and asked about the current situation,

[It seems that Mr. Spade and Mr. Club are planning to continue the chase★]

That's the answer I heard.

They probably think that No. 13 has no way of contacting the outside world.

Therefore, it seemed like the staff had noticed something and were planning to find and arrest No. 13 first, rather than letting him escape.

'Just running away is possible, but... .'

This terminal is also connected to the staff.

If you try to run away, you can run away at any time.

All of my magical energy was used up to repair the wounds I received from the club attack a while ago.

Now, even if you are mortally wounded, it is impossible to continue.

While I was thinking about what to do, a crackling sound came from the terminal, and this time, another voice was heard.

He was a staff member.

[No. 13, I will warp you to the base right now. It would be best to return first and prepare for the next operation!]

"Staff, please wait a moment."

[What are you talking about! I watched the whole thing, and two fatal wounds would have used up all of my magic power! Please be honest!]

What the staff said is true, and to be honest, considering safety, it is right to go back immediately.

From the beginning, the existing plan also said, "At the point when magical power is exhausted, all plans will be discarded and escape will be the top priority."

But if there is a problem.

If you run away in this situation, your future work will inevitably become difficult.

Moreover, the club witnessed No. 13 control the spade right before his eyes.

If you can remember the spade later in a place where there is no club, there is nothing you can do with the club.

The same plan will not work in the future, and the 7th Division will become more alert.

then.

"It's not good."

[No. 13. Now is the time to step away. I'll reinstate you right away. If you give me 3 minutes――]

"Wait a minute, Chief of Staff. Apple, can you hear me there?"

[Yes~★]

"Where are the spades and clubs now? let me know."

[No. 13!]

[Yes~★ Let's see where the two are~★]

A sound similar to a scream was heard from the staff, but it was ignored.

Since I have given an order, I will not reinstate it on my own.

Apple just cheerfully answered No. 13's questions as if it didn't matter what No. 13 chose.

Where the two people are now, what strategy they are planning, what means they will use in the current situation, etc.

"I'll go with Plan ■. Apple, you can do it, right?"

[Yes~ I will try my best~★]

[No. 13!]

Ignoring the staff's dissuasion, No. 13 stood up and opened the door to the emergency staircase.

Inside a shopping mall where the villain terror countermeasures barrier has been lowered, all the lights are turned off and the only lighting is a dark space with emergency lights.

At that moment, I was able to spot a cat toddling along the floor in front of the emergency staircase door.

There is still one more trump card left.

* * *

Step by step… Step by step…

Shake! Good profit…

Spade opened the emergency staircase door and looked inside.

Tododo and two cats ran through the open door.

"Okay, I let them in here too."

『Thank you, senior. Next, I would like to ask you for an emergency staircase in the ■ area. I'll show you the map now.』

A voice that seems to ring in my head.

Then, a new vision suddenly appeared before my eyes.

The club's vision was directly conveyed to the spade.

[Sense tuning] or [Sense sharing].

They used that ability to share their vision. The voice that resonates in your head is also an application of that ability.

Communication devices cannot be used in this building right now, but there is no way to prevent remote communication using the ability.

There is no need to worry about eavesdropping, and it is easier to understand than verbal instructions.

"The barrier is down, so we can't take the shortest route. "I'll go downstairs first?"

"all right. Please take the two there with you.』

"okay."

Spade easily jumped over the railing and came downstairs, holding in his arms the white and spotted cat that was struggling and unable to do anything because it was blocked by the barrier.

As instructed by the club, I found the door to another emergency staircase and opened it.

――Now the two people are still continuing to track No. 13.

Since there are only two people who can track them, they inevitably have no choice but to use the club's cats.

However, in the case of passageways for people to enter and exit, such as emergency stairs, cats cannot open them no matter what, so a spade steps in to open the door.

Since the club requires handling numerous cats at the same time, they are separated for the sake of concentration.

And if there is distance, there are ways to fight back, even if Spades are dominated as before.

――To begin with, the club is a sniper.

It can be said that her job is to wait in a safe place, and when she pinpoints the opponent's location, she kills them with a sniper shot right on the spot.

The location of the club is surrounded by barriers and walls on three sides, and there are cats waiting in all the passageways, so if No. 13 approaches, they will know right away.

If you move around to the spade hole in that state and expand the range of vision of the club in this way...

I thought that someday I would find No. 13 without difficulty.

It was the safest, most solid, and surest plan that the two could come up with in the current situation.

『Thank you for listening to my stubbornness, senior.』

"That's right. "It's really dangerous to be unreasonable in the field."

『Ehehe... .』

"Do not laugh. Ugh."

『Still, I'm really happy to be able to work with you. Do you know why I joined the 7th division?』

"Wasn't it randomly assigned?"

『Because I have some achievements. Thank you for your convenience.』

In addition, since it has quite a useful ability, it seems that the higher-ups hoped to deploy it in the metropolitan area, where there are many possible accidents.

『I came here because I admired Spade senior. Ah, I also respect Captain Rahe and Captain Check.』

"… … "Do we really have to talk about that now?"

No, when I hear things like longing and such directly like this... Should I say I don't know how to react?

Koreans are not used to praise.

I feel embarrassed.

『Senior Spade, you've been working as a hero since high school, right? As a special case. I've read the article several times.』

"eww… ."

The club's voice echoing in my head sounded slightly excited.

How did Club, who was a middle school student at the time, feel when he saw the article about Spades, and what kind of yearning did it form in his young heart?

『The reason I applied for enlistment as soon as I graduated without hesitation was because of you.』

"Please, stop… ."

This time there was a mix of giggles and laughter.

Even if the admiration itself is not false, Club is essentially a troublesome woman who enjoys tormenting others.

But at some point, the club's voice in my head suddenly cut off.

"club?"

There is no answer.

For a moment, a feeling of anxiety passed by. Let Spades call the club's name several times.

『… … … … Ah, I was dazed for a moment.』

The voice of the club returned again.

"You were surprised by how quiet it suddenly became. are you okay?"

"that is… Magical power... I feel like it's not enough. I guess I'm continuing the 'link'... .』

"okay? So should you cut off the link with me for now? "It doesn't take a lot of magic to link with cats, does it?"

"yes. Doing it with people consumes a lot of magical power.』

The club used [Share Vision] to indicate the location where Spade's help was needed immediately.

Afterwards, the 'link' was abruptly cut off with the message that further instructions would be given later.

The silence that came all of a sudden made me feel lonely for some reason.

The cat that was following at his feet meowed, as if letting Spade know that he was there.

'Okay, then… .'

Still, Spade just continues his search.

But even after going this far, I haven't found it yet.

As expected, No. 13 may have already run away...

I actually think it won't matter though.

The essence of a hero in Spade's opinion is to protect the "citizens' safety."

The arrest of the villain is secondary. Additionally, No. 13 is not a heinous villain who commits serious, irreversible crimes.

'No, thinking about what I'm going to do today...' .'

Maybe I should change my thoughts like that.

While thinking like that in a daze, I tried to resume my search.

Just in case, I heard a crackling mechanical sound from the 7th Division's dedicated communication terminal that I still had in my ear.

[Mr. Spades, Mr. Spades. Can you hear me? Can you hear me?]

The welcome voice of Apple I had been waiting for came to my ears.