Chapter 15: Chris and Gomburza 2

[2023-November 20]

Tskk... That guy is sleeping soundly. It seems like they think I can't do anything about my situation. They're underestimating me because I'm just a kid to them...

As I looked around, trying to come up with a plan, something caught my attention. Aren't they supposed to be professionals or something? Then why didn't they thoroughly search me? Are they that confident that they don't even need to be cautious? Though I don't have much on me, I do have a taser... How the hell did I even end up with a taser?

You see, after what happened at school, where I was outnumbered and beaten, I realized the importance of self-defense. Carrying something like a taser became a precautionary measure for me. Maybe they didn't think much of me because I'm just a kid in their eyes. They didn't expect me to have anything on me. Whatever the reason, it works in my favor. If I can just free myself from these ropes, I can take them by surprise. But how can I get rid of these ropes?

If only I can get rid of the... I looked over my shoulder to see my hands tied together.

"Huh?" My jaw dropped in wonder as I noticed my ID laces dangling slightly out of my pocket, near my hands.

And in that moment, a solution formed in my mind. "Heh?" A smirk appeared on my face. I clenched my feet, which were also tied to the chair's legs, in excitement as I thought it through.

If this all works out, then I'll be able to escape from this situation. I just need to execute it correctly.

"Hey, you," I whispered. "I know you've been pretending to be unconscious."

Yeah, I had noticed that he had been listening to our conversation ever since Chris left the room.

"If you want to get out of here, then listen to me. Can you crawl near me?"

"What is it?" He turned his head in my direction, making his face visible to me.

"Crawl over here behind my back."

"What?" He crouched abruptly, causing the chair he was tied to to make a cracking sound.

"Just be quiet and follow my lead if you want to escape."

"Huh?... Tskk... okay." Without asking any more questions, he quickly maneuvered himself behind my back.

I glanced over at Gomburza's direction and saw that he was still asleep. Thank goodness the cracking sound didn't wake him up.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Can you bite the ropes off?"

"Huh? Of course not," he objected.

Yeah, I figured that wouldn't work.

"Then, can you see my ID laces? Pull it out and get my ID card."

"Hey, are you serious? My hands are tied, and what difference does it make if I pull out your ID laces? Is it some kind of handle to pull, and you'll magically escape from the ropes?" He chuckled.

"You idiot, now's not the time for jokes. Save those for an entertainment stage and just do it. Use your mouth to pull it out. That's a much better use for your mouth than talking."

"Tskk... You're too serious. Fine, I got it. I'll do it now." He reluctantly used his mouth to pull out the laces.

"Hey, is what you're planning the same as what I'm thinking?" He looked me in the eye as the laces with my ID fell to the ground. "Can we really cut these ropes using this ID card?"

"No way, that would take too long. Get my ID card first."

"Oh, okay."

"Can you see the small ball near my picture?"

"Yeah, you look pretty handsome here. Did you put a filter on this?"

"You!" This guy... He's doing it on purpose, I swear.

"...Press that button with whatever method you can."

"Just don't rush it..."

"A small knife?"

This idiot, I told him to take it slow, but he almost cut his nose when he used it to press the small button.

"I don't know why you have this kind of knife in your ID card, but... It's awesome. With this, we can get rid of these ropes."

"Hey, I told you, now is not the time for that kind of thing. Cut it now, hurry, or they may wake up," I admonished, speaking in a low tone, even though I was getting annoyed.

"O-okay, I'll try using it with my mouth."

He grabbed the card with his teeth, holding it tightly, while the small knife attached to the card swung against the ropes. It worked just as I had planned.

The ropes were cut in no time. To think that the card knife would come in handy like this. The manager had given me this card, along with Toka. He said we could use it to protect ourselves if a customer with a bad temper entered the shop. I never imagined I would be using it in a situation like this.

Toka handed this out to me, I should thank her later.

Hahaha... A sinister smile formed on my face as I took the card knife out of the guy mouth and continued to free myself by cutting the ropes on my feet as well.

I stood up from the chair after freeing myself and inspected the area to see if Gomburza or the guy called Chris had noticed us. I sighed in relief when I saw that everything was clear. Now was the time to make my next move.

"Hey, you," he whispered. "What about me? Get these things off me too!" He demanded as he crawled towards me.

Well, I guess I have to return the favor. So, I bent down and kneeled, positioning myself to reach him and prepare to use the knife to free him. But...

"Ohh," *yawned, "I just took... a nap and now..." Suddenly, a quavering, shaky, and slightly unclear voice came from behind.

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine. I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice to confirm it and saw Gomburza, trying to stand up with unsteady movements.

Shit! He finally woke up. We hadn't been making too much noise, but it seemed like he sensed something. Whatever, for now, I had to deal with him.

"Eeek! T-that monster has woken up... Hurry, get away from m--"

I stood up and immediately reached for my taser, making sure it was still on me and keeping it hidden. Then I assumed a defensive stance to prepare myself.

"...""

"Just wait for now. I'll take care of this guy first..."