Chapter 306 - The End of the Rest
(1)
"Toya!!"
"Kanna!!"
He catches Kanna as she leaps at him.
"Makoto... Makoto..."
Kanna's eyes are red and swollen.
After a while, Miyuki‑san comes from the treatment room.
"How is Makoto's condition!?"
"No problem. Just a surface cut. No damage to the brain or skull."
Kanna breathes a sigh of relief at Miyuki‑san's words.
"I'll have him stay in the hospital for the day just in case. Don't worry, he'll be in time for tomorrow's New Year's party."
Saying that, Miyuki‑san smiles.
But Kanna didn't seem to have that kind of composure.
She clings to Airi and cries.
What happened to make her tremble so much?
"Can I talk to Makoto?"
"The anesthesia is still in effect, so he's sleeping. I think he'll recover by noon today, so could you come back then?"
"Understood. Thank you. Kanna... shall we go?"
"Toya‑kun... can I stay with Makoto?"
"Well, that would be for the best."
But then I can't just leave, can I?
"I'll stay too. There's a possibility the enemy might strike again."
Sakai‑kun says.
"...Airi."
"Papa‑san!"
Airi's father arrives.
This should be under the jurisdiction of the East Police Station, is it okay?
"...I'm also in charge of you all, so they arranged it so I could act across jurisdictions. ...I'm glad Makoto‑kun is safe."
"Glad he's safe?"
Kanna reacts.
"There's no way that's good! He almost got killed, Makoto did!"
Kanna shouts.
"Kanna, calm down! This is a hospital!"
Airi pacifies Kanna.
Airi's father bows to Kanna.
"The police had actually noticed. But I couldn't move until after the New Year. We fell for the enemy's diversion. It's our negligence. I'm sorry."
"The police are always like that! You never move until something happens!"
"That's not true, Kanna‑san."
Watanabe and the others arrive.
"This incident is retaliation for what we've done. The responsibility lies with me."
Watanabe says and bows.
"Watanabe‑kun doesn't need to apologize. It's my misjudgment. The responsibility is mine..."
"Katagiri‑kun doesn't need to apologize. In fact, Katagiri‑kun sensed that Tada‑kun would be targeted. If we hadn't rushed here, Tada‑kun's life would have been in danger."
"Could we hear the story including that at the station?"
The rookie detective from before arrives.
"And you are?"
Watanabe asks.
"I've become Assistant Inspector Tosaka's aide. I'm Shinjiro Watase from the Central Police Station. Nice to meet you."
Saying that, Watase‑san shows his badge.
"...Watase is a reliable subordinate of mine. Feel free to consult him about anything."
Airi's father says.
"Unfortunately, we can't come to the station. If you have something to say, we'd like to do it here."
"...Watase, follow their lead."
"Understood. Then tell me the situation one by one."
We explained in order.
The interrogation continued until morning.
Finally, when Watanabe finished his explanation, a nurse came out of Makoto's hospital room.
"The patient has regained consciousness!"
We enter the hospital room.
"Yo!"
Makoto looks energetic.
"Don't 'yo' me!! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"
Kanna hugs him.
"Whoa, Kanna hugging me... Sorry, can you lend me this bed?"
"If you can make jokes like that, you must be fine, right?"
Miyuki‑san says and laughs.
I think he's probably serious, though.
And he's sure to get scolded by Kanna.
"You're Makoto‑kun, right? Sorry to ask right after you regained consciousness, but can you tell us about last night's situation?"
"Yeah, I caused trouble for everyone... I think it's better if you hear it."
Then Makoto's story began.
(2)
A visitor late at night?
After discussing with Kanna, I decided to go.
"Who is it?"
"Delivery. I've come for a scheduled delivery."
I had no idea what this was about.
I unlocked the door, and a man in a black hooded bench coat was standing there.
"Found you."
The man raises something.
A silver blade glinting in the night.
Crap!
I jump back instinctively.
The blade swings down.
My foot catches on the door frame, and I stumble.
Damn it!
But it didn't come down.
It got stuck in the upper frame of the door, a ridiculous situation where he couldn't pull it out.
I quickly stood up and struck the sword with a trophy that was displayed in the entrance.
The sword broke.
As he tried to stab me with the broken piece, I dodged with a body shift and smacked his hand with the trophy.
The man drops the sword.
I throw away the trophy and drive him outside.
"Kanna, close the door!"
Kanna does as told, closes the door, and locks it.
I punch the man, send him flying, and grab him by the collar as he falls.
"Who the hell are you!?"
But the man smirks.
What's so funny?
At that moment, a dull pain hits the back of my head.
There were two men.
I stumble.
"You let your guard down too much, Makoto‑chan."
The man says and pulls out a knife from his pocket.
I try to dodge, but my body won't move.
"Bye‑bye, Makoto‑chan."
As he says that and tries to stab me in the chest, the door opens, and a transformed Kanna swiftly kicks the man's arm.
The man's arm bends in a strange direction.
The man writhes in pain, clutching his arm.
When the second man draws a gun, Kanna hits him with a flying kick.
Kanna's kick breaks the second man's arm too.
"Makoto! Are you okay... You're bleeding from the head!! I'll call an ambulance right away, so hold on!..."
That's when I lost consciousness.
(3)
"Good thing Kanna‑chan was there."
Akira‑san says.
"I never thought I'd be saved by Kanna."
Makoto says.
"I heard a strange dull sound, so I thought something was wrong and acted on instinct."
Kanna says.
Assistant Inspector Watase takes notes diligently.
"But that was close, Makoto. If Kanna hadn't been there, you wouldn't be laughing now."
"I know. I thought it was seriously bad."
"You don't get it! You're trying to make it into a joke. I was genuinely worried, you know!?"
Kanna is yelling.
She was really worried too.
"But how did you, Toya, know that Makoto would be targeted?"
When Watanabe asks, I bow to Kanna.
"It was my misjudgment. It all started from the first time we sent Mako‑chan in."
"What do you mean?"
"The enemy couldn't figure out who was launching the cyber attacks. So they laid bait."
"That was the Urbanity list..."
"Mako‑chan activated properly. But they probably prepared a PC completely disconnected from the network, right? They used that to act, making us think our files hadn't been deleted."
Everyone nods at my explanation.
"As a result, Makoto rushed to check and entered their server, not knowing it was a trap..."
"So they found out Makoto‑kun's identity?"
"Probably."
"I see... So we can't just connect to the network carelessly from now on?"
Watanabe asks.
"I'm sorry to Kanna, but Makoto's cover is blown now. First of all, we need him to defend our servers..."
"Kanna‑san, I'm asking too. If Makoto quits now, we'll end up without even a clue for a counterattack."
When I say that, Watanabe also asks Kanna.
"...Are you guys misunderstanding something?"
Kanna says.
"I don't remember marrying a coward who would tuck tail and run. I just meant to tell you to be more careful from now on. If his legs get taken out, his future is ruined."
"Don't worry, I'll increase security at Kanna‑chan's house. She's Unity's brains, after all."
"That might be a good idea."
When Akira‑san says that, I agree with her.
"I'll arrange for the police to patrol as well. I'll also provide you with information on those two men."
Assistant Inspector Watase says.
"Is it okay to do that?"
I ask Assistant Inspector Watase.
"I've been told to cooperate with you. But I'll need your information in return. The police will handle what we can."
"Understood."
"Well then, I'll take my leave. Discuss the rest among yourselves. Contact me if anything comes up."
We exchange contact information with Assistant Inspector Watase.
Assistant Inspector Watase leaves.
"Can we trust him?"
Watanabe asks.
He said he's directly under Airi's father. Let's trust Airi's father.
"More importantly, we should watch out for the next target."
I say.
"The next target?"
When Akira‑san asks, I point at her?
"The enemy first tried to blind us. Next, they'll go for the arms and legs. The two members of the execution squad."
"So Emi and I will be targeted?"
"I think that's a reasonable assumption."
"Impossible. We have SPs assigned to us, Zen‑kun and Ishihara‑kun. There's no way they can target us."
I hope so.
"You should avoid acting alone as much as possible."
"...Got it."
Airi informs Emi‑san about that as well.
"Well then, shall we head back?"
Saying that, Airi and I leave the room.
Watanabe and the Sakais also exit.
"Don't be overconfident, Watanabe‑kun, Akira‑san."
"Understood..."
When I say that, Watanabe nods.
At that moment, I notice a strange presence approaching Makoto's room.
Strange hairstyle, a bandana wrapped around his head. Despite it being December, he's wearing a tank top and cargo pants. He has gauntlets on both hands and a sturdy build.
The man smirks and tries to enter Makoto's room.
"Stop!! Who are you!?"
The man stops.
"Me? ...My name is Kamui! I'm the one who reaps your lives!"
The man does a backflip and circles behind us. He raises both hands and charges.
"I was told to target Makoto first, but if you're all together, you'll do just as well!?"
The man charges, but stops midway.
"Oh? You're surprisingly calm. I thought you'd be the reckless type."
"Is this trick your doing? Death God."
"I have some complaints about that name."
Sakai‑kun had circled around behind the man calling himself Kamui.
In Sakai‑kun's hand is a very thin wire.
It was tied around Kamui's wrists, and if Kamui had charged any further, both his arms would have been severed.
But the man tightens his wrists and snaps the wire.
"Ridiculous! You think such a trick can stop me!"
Kamui charges again, but that split second gave us the upper hand.
Everyone except Sakai‑kun stands in his path.
Watanabe steps forward.
Kamui raises one arm for a lariat, but Watanabe grabs that arm and attempts a shoulder throw.
However, Kamui spins in midair and instead lifts Watanabe up, trying for a back drop.
Watanabe rotates during the throw, lands, and instead grabs Kamui by the waist and throws him.
Kamui's body crashes through the door into Makoto's room.
Kanna notices Kamui and steps between him and Makoto.
Kamui puts both hands on the ground and tries to trap Watanabe's head between his legs for a head scissors whip.
Kanna sweeps Kamui's arms with her feet, causing him to lose balance and fall. Kanna catches the falling Watanabe.
"I see, this guy is interesting! The boss was right! Looks like the odds are against me today. I'll come again."
The reason Kamui didn't charge further was because Sakai‑kun's wire was around his neck.
Kamui snaps that wire too. Then he leaves the room.
Outside the room, countless police officers are waiting with guns drawn.
"Don't move! We'll shoot!"
Assistant Inspector Watase says, but Kamui cracks his neck and walks on without a care.
They fire a warning shot into the air, but Kamui ignores it and approaches the police.
"Fire!!"
When Assistant Inspector Watase gives the order, all the police officers fire at once.
But Kamui deflects everything with the gauntlets on his arms.
There were many things to comment on, but the one who charged in was Kamui.
He kicks aside the police officers who were on one knee in shooting stance and escapes.
They try to shoot him in the back, but Miyuki‑san stops them.
"This is a hospital! Think about where you are! This isn't the place to create more injured!"
Miyuki‑san says and checks on the scattered police officers.
Some had broken arms.
Some had fractured ribs.
Is this what they mean by his whole body being a weapon?
"We've picked a troublesome opponent."
Watanabe says.
"There are even more troublesome ones, though."
Sakai‑kun sighs.
Our rest was over.
I realized that a relentless battle had begun.
(4)
The next day, we gathered at a certain izakaya.
The party began with the entire floor reserved.
"Before everyone gets drunk, I have something to tell you! First, about Makoto being attacked."
When Watanabe says that, everyone looks shaken.
"The enemy's information gathering was temporarily halted, but it's back online now. We're gradually uncovering the full picture."
"Does that mean we're also in danger? They have our info too, right?"
Ai‑san says.
"Akira‑san and Emi‑san have arranged SPs, but we can't guarantee safety. Please avoid going out alone as much as possible."
"My husband is working! That's impossible."
Kana‑san says.
"Me too—I'm away from Haruki, so..."
The women express their anxieties one after another.
"For those people, I'll increase the number of SPs! Everyone, don't worry."
"Is the enemy the kind that can be handled with SPs? They're the ones who injured police officers, right?"
Ichinose‑san says.
"It's nothing for everyone to worry about. It'll be fine. I have a pretty good idea of the enemy's moves."
When I say that, everyone turns to me.
"How can you be so sure!? They've already reached the edges of Urbanity."
"That was a diversion. They just wanted to confirm Makoto's existence."
"So Tada‑kun is the only one being targeted?"
"The main targets are Makoto, Emi‑san, Akira‑san... and me and Airi."
When I say that, everyone falls silent.
"Of course, there's also a chance others will be targeted as bait, so don't let your guard down."
"You're being targeted too, so how can you be so calm?"
Ichinose‑san says.
"I'm not calm. It's just that if I don't stay cool‑headed, I won't know what to do."
In truth, I'm not even sure if I'm staying calm right now.
"Want to try chewing on this?"
Shiratori‑san offers me a candy.
"It helps organize your thoughts. Don't lick it. Bite it."
As instructed, I put the candy in my mouth and bite it.
First, finding out the enemy's true identity is a priority. I think it's likely the Sudo Group's active unit.
"Makoto, you found out who the enemy is, right?"
"I was about to explain that."
Watanabe grins.
"The enemy is the Red Society, the true face behind the Sudo Group. And there's an even more troublesome group. Their name is the 'Nine‑Tailed Fox' — a professional mercenary unit of ten people. The one we encountered at the hospital was one of them. They were originally called the Death Gods of Urbanity."
"So the enemy has finally shown their true colors..."
"What's the relationship between the Sudo Group and the Solar Knights?"
"To be precise, it's a relationship between the Solar Knights and the Red Society. The Red Society operates as their shadow unit."
"Which one is in charge?"
"The Solar Knights. It's complicated, but think of the Sudo Group as the public face of the Red Society."
Watanabe explains. I see...
I move on to the next question.
"Is the skilled hacker from the Red Society? Or the Nine‑Tailed Fox?"
Makoto answers.
"He's from the Nine‑Tailed Fox. The tenth member of the Nine‑Tailed Fox, code name 'X'."
Then Makoto begins explaining the members of the Nine‑Tailed Fox.
As everyone listens, anxiety appears on their faces.
"We're fighting such inhuman opponents!?"
Well, that's how it is, I guess? I listen silently to Ai‑san's words.
Everyone is murmuring.
Amidst that, I quietly eat my food alone.
Airi says nothing.
Because she knows. She knows that I'm trying to stay calm like this.
"Everyone should have already made up their minds! It's useless to complain now!"
"I didn't sign up to fight monsters like that! If I'd known, I would have stopped it!"
"Are you abandoning your comrades!? I've lost respect for you, Ai!"
"We're not all as strong as Mika! Don't you ever fear your comrades getting hurt!?"
Bang!!
"Everyone, you should calm down. ...Knowing the enemy's identity and trembling won't change anything."
When Sakura‑san says that, everyone quiets down.
"What's going to happen to us?"
Kana‑san says in a tearful voice.
"The police can't handle this enemy. Only we can fight. So we have no choice but to do it."
Shiratori‑san says.
"Any form of fighting is fine. Fighting isn't just about direct combat. Standing up to fear while trusting your comrades is also a battle."
Shiratori‑san says.
"I‑I'll do it. I resolved myself back then. My destiny is with Unity. So I have to fight."
Saki‑san says.
"I'll do it too. I feel the same as Saki‑san. Miyuki and I entrusted our future to Unity."
Nishimatsu‑kun says.
"It can't be helped... Now that we've come this far, 'no getting off halfway'..."
Sakai‑kun gives a wry smile.
No getting off halfway.
Everyone falls silent.
They all seem to be firming their resolve.
"It's okay. I don't intend to drag this out. I'll settle it in a short decisive battle."
But that doesn't mean we should rush.
The key is for Makoto to gather information first.
A force this large is bound to surface if we smoke them out.
We mustn't get the procedure wrong.
We need to find an efficient shortcut that is also careful and unhurried.
"Hey, everyone, can I have a moment...?"
Makoto says. What's up?
"Toya says he wants to know about the enemy, but... I actually already have it."
Huh?
Everyone looks at Makoto.
"I told you before I planted the virus, right? 'The information is already captured.'"
"Was there anything useful in it for a breakthrough?"
Watanabe asks.
"Well, I wasn't sure if I could submit it to the police, but I saw it."
"Saw what?"
"Uh... can I say it here?"
"Makoto, stop beating around the bush and just say it!"
Kanna seems impatient.
"Just to be clear, it's not my personal hobby! I want to make that clear first."
I have a bad feeling about this.
"Naru‑chan and Kosei‑kun, you two should go eat something for a bit."
Airi seems to have noticed too. And so do Kosei and Naru.
"Is it something we shouldn't see?"
"We're not that young."
"Ugh... Toya‑kun..."
Airi can't do anything about it, apparently.
"Makoto, continue your explanation."
I say to Makoto.
"So in the end, the Solar Knights and Urbanity were connected, right?"
Well, that's how it seems.
"There was this strange site on Urbanity's members‑only site. Like, a site where men pay huge sums to have sex with women?"
"That site did exist."
Kamenashi‑kun says.
"And inside that, there was an even more exclusive VIP site. Well, to put it simply, it's a hidden camera site."
"I don't know about that... Ah!?"
Kamenashi‑kun seems to have realized something.
"What is it, Kamenashi‑kun?"
Watanabe asks?
"Within Urbanity's circles, there was a guest room where they'd let in special clients. Even we weren't told who they were."
"That's probably them. Well, the men's faces were masked or blurred, but when something's hidden, you want to peek, right? So I saw it."
Saw what?
"It's faster if you actually see it from here."
Saying that, Makoto starts up a video player.
The file name shows the date.
20200102... yesterday's date.
Makoto plays it.
It's a video of an ordinary old man and a young woman having sex.
Uncensored.
"Ah!"
Hiyama‑senpai gasps.
"That's the president of our bank."
We're stunned by Hiyama‑senpai's words.
"This person is the director of the steelworks!"
Emi‑san says.
"This guy, Sudo Taiga... the president of the Sudo Group."
Akira‑san says.
"I thought so. I remembered seeing their faces in newspapers."
Makoto says.
"If we make an expose site out of this, it'll hurt them, won't it!?"
"It could also be used as bargaining material."
Ai‑san and Watanabe say.
Everyone's faces brighten.
We've found a foothold for a counterattack.
Everyone gets excited.
"Makoto, do you know the Red Society's new base?"
"Of course. I already sent it to Assistant Inspector Tosaka as of today."
"Toya, that means..."
Watanabe says.
"They might just rebuild, but we can paralyze them temporarily."
The problem after that is the Nine‑Tailed Fox, though.
"First, let's paralyze the Sudo Group's movements, even temporarily. The Takahashi Group is already stuck. Am I right, Miyuki‑san?"
"Seeing that they're still hospitalized, that seems to be the case."
Then the Solar Knights will be left completely exposed.
We'll decide the timing after consulting with Airi's father.
Strike back when struck. That's Unity's way.
"They don't seem to have learned their lesson, and I want to make a big spectacle as an example."
When I say that, everyone cheers.
"The rest is up to you, Watanabe‑kun."
"...Let's teach them a thorough lesson. No, maybe that's not enough?"
That's how it'll turn out... I'd really like to crush them all at once, but I want to minimize our losses.
"First, we blind them, then tear off their arms and legs..."
Emi‑san's character is changing.
"If we're going to wound them, let's wound their hearts... Let's instill absolute fear in them."
Akira‑san says.
"I agree. Even if we can't completely destroy them, it's important to make them think it's not worth messing with Unity. That'll also lower their morale."
Kosei says that nothing is more useless than soldiers with low morale.
"So, Katagiri‑san, what's the plan?"
Shiratori‑san asks.
I explain the plan to everyone.
"W‑wait, seriously!?"
Haruto asks.
"I told you, if we do it, we do it thoroughly..."
I say and grin fearlessly.
It feels out of character, but as a commander, showing this kind of attitude probably boosts morale.
And it is actually getting them excited.
"Then, let's get excited, everyone."
Saying that we'll decide the details later, the night is filled with excitement.
The party changes venues and continues until dawn.
I take a taxi home and get into bed.
"Toya‑kun, do you think it'll go well?"
Airi asks.
"If it were a plan with no chance of winning, I'd rather not do it at all."
I say to Airi, and she smiles gently.
"Let's do our best!"
Saying that, Airi clings to me and falls asleep.
I hold Airi too.
But the situation develops faster than I expected, and I am forced to make even more decisive choices.