Chapter 61&62

Chapter 61: Plan Success (Second Update)

Since Plan A didn't work, it was time to try Plan B.

Regardless of whether Sakaguchi Ango believed that Eye Patch Three had no ill intentions, she had to seize the opportunity to join the Ability Special Agents.

If brute force didn't work, she would have to try a different approach.

"Sakaguchi-san, the appearance of Nightmare must be a headache for you, right?" Eye Patch Three suddenly asked.

Although Nightmare had yet to personally appear before the Ability Special Agents, her existence was certainly known. Whether the Ability Special Agents learned about her through their own channels or from the Armed Detective Agency, they must have some understanding of the danger Nightmare posed.

As the official ability organization tasked with maintaining social stability, it was the Ability Special Agents' job to quickly gather intelligence on Nightmare and prevent any irreversible situations from occurring in the future.

Eye Patch Three was right. At this point, Sakaguchi Ango had already set his sights on Nightmare. That was why he rushed over when his informant in the Port Mafia mentioned having information about Nightmare.

"You know something about Nightmare?" Sakaguchi Ango's expression shifted slightly, his voice filled with curiosity as he asked, "This Nightmare, an unknown ability user, has indeed caused me quite a bit of trouble. She may cause even more in the future. Why bring her up?"

"Because we share a common enemy," Eye Patch Three replied.

"You're enemies with Nightmare?" Sakaguchi Ango raised an eyebrow.

"That's right."

"But Nightmare is a member of the Port Mafia, and you admit to having some connection with them. Yet you say you're enemies with Nightmare?" Sakaguchi Ango sighed. "Miss, do you think I'm easy to fool?"

"Have you never heard the term 'infighting'?" Eye Patch Three smiled and asked.

Sakaguchi Ango's eyes glinted with interest. If the strange girl wasn't lying, what she said was indeed intriguing.

The Port Mafia was typically a unified organization, especially when dealing with external matters. But just like most interest groups, when certain people's interests were harmed, conflicts would inevitably arise.

Having spent years as an undercover agent in the Port Mafia, Sakaguchi Ango was well aware of this. Could it be that Nightmare's arrival in the Port Mafia had caused a significant divide within the organization, splitting them into two factions one supporting Nightmare and one opposing her? And now, this girl sitting in his back seat was from the opposing faction, sent to negotiate a deal?

Sakaguchi Ango pondered this, trying to deduce the truth from the limited and unreliable information he had. But it wasn't easy to reach a solid conclusion.

Seeing that Sakaguchi Ango was still hesitating, Eye Patch Three pulled out a document from the shadows and waved it in front of him.

"What's this?" Sakaguchi Ango asked.

"Nightmare's ability," Eye Patch Three said, teasing him. "This is information even the Port Mafia doesn't know. Do you want it?"

Sakaguchi Ango's pupils contracted. He struggled to suppress the urge to grab the document, licking his dry lips before calmly asking, "How did you obtain this information? Even the Port Mafia doesn't know about it."

"I've already told you. My relationship with the Port Mafia is limited," Eye Patch Three said with a light laugh. "But my relationship with Nightmare is... quite deep."

"I'd like to review this information first," Sakaguchi Ango said, his tone cautious.

"Sure, it's no problem," Eye Patch Three replied, unconcerned.

Sakaguchi Ango slowly removed his hand from the steering wheel, taking the document and reviewing it carefully while trying to calm his racing thoughts.

It took him about three minutes to finish reading the information. Combining the rumors he had heard from the Port Mafia, the reports submitted by the Armed Detective Agency, and the documents he had briefly gone over earlier, he felt there was a 50% chance the document was legitimate.

The remaining 50% was divided between his inherent suspicion and sheer shock.

Yes, shock.

In this world, every ability user who saw Nightmare's ability would likely be stunned to some degree.

"If this document is real, it will be classified as a high-level government secret," Sakaguchi Ango said. "Thank you for your selfless contribution. This will be a significant help in maintaining peace in Yokohama."

"Don't be so quick to call it selfless," Eye Patch Three said with a grin. "I'm telling you about Nightmare's ability because I want something in return."

"If you're referring to joining the Ability Special Agents, I'll say it again it's impossible," Sakaguchi Ango immediately rejected. "I have to be responsible to my colleagues and to this city. Letting someone with an unknown background join the Ability Special Agents would be a betrayal of this job."

"Actually, you don't need to be so nervous," Eye Patch Three said. "I don't need to work with you. All I need is for you to verbally acknowledge that I am one of you and add my name to the Ability Special Agents personnel roster."

"Just verbal acknowledgment and adding your name to the list?" Sakaguchi Ango frowned in confusion. "If that's really all you want, it's not impossible."

What Eye Patch Three was asking for was essentially just a name on the roster, without any rights or privileges of a full member. After being acknowledged and added to the roster, she could claim to be part of the Ability Special Agents, but without a badge or employee card, she couldn't actually use her membership to do anything. It was like an empty promise.

For Sakaguchi Ango, adding her name to the list for the sake of obtaining information on Nightmare's abilities was a no-brainer. He didn't even have to report it to his superiors.

"Exactly. All I need is that," Eye Patch Three said, her voice calm but her excitement apparent.

Seeing that her goal was nearly achieved, she suppressed her joy and said flatly, "Then please, Sakaguchi-san, acknowledge me as a member of the Ability Special Agents."

"Fine..." Sakaguchi Ango replied, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "I acknowledge that, from today on, Eye Patch Three is a member of the Ability Special Agents."

He paused for a moment and added, "Now, are you satisfied?"

"Yes, I'm very satisfied," Eye Patch Three nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation. I hope our next collaboration will be as pleasant as this one."

"I don't think having a gun pointed at me is a particularly pleasant experience," Sakaguchi Ango muttered.

"I promise, next time I won't do this," Eye Patch Three said as she tossed a modified phone onto the front seat. "I'm sure we'll have many things to discuss when it comes to dealing with Nightmare. If I find you valuable, I'll use this phone to inform you of the time and place for our next meeting."

"You want me, an official, to cooperate with you, a criminal, for the long term?" Sakaguchi Ango asked, incredulity in his voice.

"It's just like the relationship between the government and the Port Mafia, isn't it?" Eye Patch Three smiled. "Apologies for the disturbance, Sakaguchi-san. This is where we part ways for today."

"Wait, I still have something to say to you," Sakaguchi Ango called out.

However, after he spoke, no one responded.

Even the cold sensation against the back of his head had disappeared.

Sakaguchi Ango waited for about five seconds before carefully turning his head around.

But the back seat was empty. Only the residual warmth of the seat remained, a faint proof that the girl had been there.

Chapter 62: A Step Away (Third Update)

A living person just disappeared all of a sudden.

When Sakaguchi Ango saw that the back seat was empty, he thought for a moment that he had encountered a ghost.

Though this world had abilities, whether ghosts existed was still unknown. So, this thought only lingered for a few seconds before he dismissed it.

The girl must have disappeared using her ability.

Teleportation? Astral projection? Illusion creation?

Sakaguchi Ango, who was used to seeing many things, speculated about what type of ability user the girl might be, as he reached for the spot where she had been sitting.

The leather seat still retained a faint warmth, and as his hand touched it, fragments of memories that didn't belong to him suddenly filled his mind.

The fragments of memory had the perspective of the leather seat, and in those memories, he saw what had happened within the past two hours, while he wasn't in the car.

[The Theory of Corruption]

This ability could be described as a weakened version of Tokisaki Kurumi's Tenth Bullet, except it could be used infinitely and didn't require time to charge.

With this ability, Sakaguchi Ango had secretly stolen numerous confidential documents during his time as an undercover agent in the Port Mafia. These documents became a stepping stone for his promotion and a life-saving asset.

When The Theory of Corruption was activated, memories were extracted from the leather seat, allowing him to "see" what happened in the car while he was away.

In the extracted memories, he saw a girl dressed in a black, pleated dress, with long black hair flowing down her back, looking both cold and elegant, emerging from the shadows of the car's interior.

However, due to the perspective, he could only see her profile and couldn't make out her full face.

"This is the girl who just spoke to me, calling herself Tokisaki Kurumi?" Sakaguchi Ango's doubts were now resolved. "Her ability is to infiltrate shadows to achieve movement? What a deceptive ability, it seems tailor-made for assassination and infiltration."

Wait a minute…

Infiltrating shadows?

Sakaguchi Ango's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly grabbed the document that Tokisaki Kurumi had given him, quickly scanning the information.

[Nightmare has the ability to control shadows. She can store objects inside shadows and even conceal living beings. By infiltrating shadows, Nightmare can move using other shadows as conduits.]

The information about Nightmare contained an ability eerily similar to the girl's!

"Tokisaki Kurumi is Nightmare? If that's the case, why did she say her goal is to destroy Nightmare?"

Sakaguchi Ango's mind seemed to short-circuit, unable to continue making sense of the conflicting information.

He furrowed his brow, his thoughts clashing like fireworks as he tried to find a logical explanation.

If she were Nightmare, why did she claim to be her enemy?

If she weren't Nightmare, why did she have abilities so similar to Nightmare's?

"I need to find out the truth immediately. If I remain in the dark, the Ability Special Agents could become tools she manipulates!"

Sakaguchi Ango opened the phone that Tokisaki Kurumi had given him. It had no apps, only a contact list.

In the contact list, there was only one phone number.

Without hesitation, he immediately dialed the number.

Three seconds later, the phone was answered.

"Sakaguchi-san, being too persistent isn't very gentlemanly," came a familiar female voice on the other end.

Sakaguchi Ango didn't engage in any pleasantries. He went straight to the point: "Who exactly are you? What is your connection to Nightmare?"

"You already know my name, and I've clearly stated that I'm an enemy of Nightmare," came the reply.

"Then why do you have an ability so similar to Nightmare?" Sakaguchi Ango pressed.

"..."

There was a long pause on the other end, before Tokisaki Kurumi finally responded, "I have no reason to tell you."

"If you want the Ability Special Agents to be your ally, I need you to tell me the truth."

"No, Sakaguchi-san, I don't need the Ability Special Agents to be my ally, but the Ability Special Agents need me," Tokisaki Kurumi said coolly. "Our meeting today was to establish a foundation for future cooperation. If one day we're forced to eliminate Nightmare, trust me, you'll need me."

"Or perhaps before that, I'll find you, who's playing tricks, and we can have a 'frank conversation' in the interrogation room?"

"Oh my, what a terrifying threat, perhaps I'll have trouble sleeping tonight," Tokisaki Kurumi teased, but there was no fear in her voice. "If you don't want to see me walking around at night when you're sleeping, you should avoid making threats like that, Sakaguchi-san."

Though her words had a playful tone, Sakaguchi Ango felt no excitement. Instead, a heavy weight settled on him.

He had been too hasty.

With her ability to infiltrate shadows, Tokisaki Kurumi could easily sneak into his home tonight and assassinate him in his sleep.

Although he didn't want to admit it, he realized that he wouldn't be able to deal with Tokisaki Kurumi and might instead fall victim to her.

A deep sense of frustration overwhelmed him, so he opened the window and took in some fresh air to try to clear his head.

However, when he looked at the street corner not far away, his breath stopped.

At the corner, a girl in a black pleated dress, holding the same black phone as him, was walking down the street.

She hadn't gone far!

Since it was daytime, there weren't many shadows for her to move through!

Sakaguchi Ango felt a surge of excitement. The sense of frustration vanished, and he immediately opened the car door, running toward the street corner.

"I need more information about Nightmare, about her past. Can you get it for me?"

"If things go as I expect, I'll tell you all the information you need when we meet again."

"Why not now?"

"Just as you can't trust me, I can't trust you either."

Sakaguchi Ango maintained the call to prevent Tokisaki Kurumi from realizing he was getting closer, running through the street as pedestrians watched in confusion.

He was getting closer and closer to Tokisaki Kurumi.

But by the time he reached the corner, she had already passed and disappeared to the other side of the street.

Sakaguchi Ango gritted his teeth and accelerated again, reaching the corner in just three seconds.

He turned sharply, looking to the other side of the street, reaching out to grab Tokisaki Kurumi's shoulder.

But among the crowd, the girl with the unique aura had already vanished.

"Damn it."

Sakaguchi Ango slammed his fist into the wall, his face showing an expression of frustration.

As a desk worker, that speed was already the best he could muster.

But still, it wasn't enough.

"I already told you, Sakaguchi-san," came Tokisaki Kurumi's voice over the phone.

"The time and place for our next meeting, I'll decide."