Chapter 312 - The Power Sought
(1)
We were chasing them at full speed.
We manipulated the signals to slow them down while closing the distance.
Makoto was monitoring their destination.
Inside the car, it was silent.
An awkward atmosphere flowed.
It wasn't the atmosphere of us, who had the advantage.
Should I put on a CD?
A J-POP song that was far too anticlimactic for heading to a battlefield started playing.
I hope it lightens the mood a little, at least...
"Katagiri-kun, please stop the BGM."
Emi-san said that, so I obediently stopped it.
"Airi-chan, shouldn't you say something too!? You noticed, right?"
"Ugh... well, yeah, but. Toya-kun says he's fine."
"He's not fine at all! Katagiri-kun, what are you hesitating about? Even I can tell that much!"
Emi-san cut straight to the chase.
"No matter how skilled you are, if you have hesitation, an opening will appear. That opening can be fatal."
When Ishihara-kun says it, it carries weight.
Maybe I should ask now, after all?
"Ishihara-kun, when you fight, do you have the resolve to kill your opponent?"
"Huh?"
"Unlike me, your weapon is what it is. If you miss your mark, they'll die easily."
"I don't intend to kill. But, if unavoidable, I will kill. In order not to sadden the person I least want to sadden."
That was something the master had also told me.
Don't avert your eyes from the fact that your own life is also the life of a single human being.
The will to live is indispensable.
Even if you sacrifice yourself with the Buddha's compassion for those you love or the weak, sadness will remain within them, and true happiness will not come.
The will to live is stronger than anything... never forget that.
"The will to live... huh."
"Please live not for yourself, but for Tosaka-san. That's a separate matter from killing or not killing."
Ishihara-kun said that and laughed.
"Toya-kun, you try to shoulder too much. Don't brood alone, consult me more. What kind of wife would I be?"
"Yeah, you're right, Airi."
"Because I absolutely don't want Toya-kun to die, you know."
"I got it."
I patted Airi's head.
"Katagiri-kun, what exactly did they say to make you think that?"
Emi-san asked.
"They said if you can't finish them off when you have the chance, you're not a 'warrior'."
"I see... It's fine if you're not a warrior. You're a 'samurai', aren't you?"
"?"
I didn't understand what Emi-san meant.
"Should I put it as a knight who protects only Airi-chan? Leave the other battles to the rest of them. There are plenty of soldiers."
"Yeah, but I'll settle things with that guy myself."
Jack the Ripper.
That man is dangerous.
"But there are even more troublesome ones, you know."
Ishihara-kun said that and laughed.
"Hey, I can see it. The kindergarten shuttle bus."
Emi-san pointed ahead.
It seemed we had caught up.
"What do we do!? Katagiri-kun!?"
What do we do!?
The children's lives are the priority.
Since Jackal is driving on their side, they probably won't attack.
Should we just keep tailing them!?
"Emi-san! What about the enemy helicopter!?"
"Makoto-kun is tracking it!? Also, I'm sending an attack helicopter, an AH-64D."
"We can't have a firefight in the middle of the city!"
"Their target is the docks anyway, right!?"
Saying that, Emi-san grinned.
I don't think it's a matter of location, though.
"Makoto, turn all the signals green in the direction we're going! Even turning them red would just cause accidents!"
"Got it!"
If this is the road, the destination is the Ozai Container Terminal...!
Unlike last time, the opponent is a medium-sized bus carrying children.
There's no need to force the chase.
"Tell the Sakai squad to head for Ozai!"
I sent instructions to Makoto.
"But how did you know it was the sea!?"
"I thought the only place to take both the children and Sora was overseas."
I answered Emi-san's question.
"Why overseas?"
Airi asked.
"To flee the country. They're probably planning to kidnap the children and raise them as mercenaries."
"What you're saying is insane!?"
"These guys are the ones who do insane things, right? They're planning to skip the country themselves."
"So that's why you cast a net over the sea!?"
Emi-san asked.
"Yeah."
"Toya, bingo! The helicopter is trying to land on a ship!"
A message came in from Makoto.
"Emi-san, stop tracking the attack helicopter. We have an attack helicopter. It wouldn't be strange for the enemy to have anti-air missiles or something."
It would be strange, but it's better to assume that much.
"Akira-san, prepare the destroyer's bombardment! We'll be there soon too. Sink it before they can load the children!"
"Got it! It's an easy job, just putting a hole in the bottom of the ship."
This is starting to look like a situation where fighter jets might show up.
Though a gunship has already appeared.
When we arrived at the port, there were a lot of enemy soldiers too.
The battle had already started.
Haruto, Shiratori-san, and Sakai-kun were each facing their own enemies.
"Hedgehog, I've been waiting for you!"
Azrael came charging at us.
"Katagiri-kun, I'll leave the rest to you!"
When I stopped the car, Ishihara-kun jumped out.
We started the car again.
After stopping the car on the quay, I left the car to Airi and the others and boarded the ship.
On the ship were Allen, Viper, and Sora.
Viper was restraining Sora, and Allen was pointing a gun at her.
"The fun is over. Will you stop resisting?"
Allen said.
"Bluffing is useless. You can't kill Sora!"
"Oh? What's your basis for thinking that?"
"What you're after is the truth of IRIS. If you kill Sora, you'll never get it."
"I see, your intuition is certainly sharp... But."
A murderous intent approaching from the land.
Is this murderous intent from that guy!?
I leaped aside to dodge the attack.
"I thought I said I have no business with children?"
Jack said.
"Then I'd appreciate it if you'd stay quiet."
"If you interfere with adults, I won't go easy on you."
Jack came at me.
I took my stance.
Jack thrust his sword forward.
I dodged it with a half-turn, then spun around and drove a roundhouse kick into the back of Jack's neck.
Jack fell to the spot and dodged the attack.
At that moment, he threw something.
A throwing knife.
I used the momentum of my spin to dodge it.
Jack did a forward roll, got up, and readied his sword.
Allen and Viper were watching the situation unfold.
Airi and the others had also transformed and were dealing with the small fry.
Akira-san's unit surrounded the shuttle bus.
Three against one. And two of them are professional mercenaries with pistols.
The odds are bad.
But I just need to buy time.
The exchange of attacks with Jack continued.
Something leaped out from the sea. My back was exposed.
Crap.
A man's knife-hand strike closed in on my back.
The one who blocked it was Haruto.
"Your opponent is me! I won't let you interfere with the boss's one-on-one!"
Haruto said that, then dragged the man off the ship and threw him away.
While I was distracted by that, Jack slashed at me.
I dodged it by a hair's breadth.
He relentlessly launched the next attack.
As expected, I can't block it.
"That's what I told you. You should have prepared better tools."
I didn't miss the moment Jack said that, showing his composure.
I immediately closed the distance between us and drove a knee strike into his solar plexus.
I drove my fist into the back of Jack's head as he staggered for a moment.
I sidestepped and kicked the staggering Jack's rear.
Jack flew over the railing and fell into the sea.
I faced Allen and the others.
The situation was back to square one.
"To push Jack that far, you do have the qualities of a warrior. Want to come with us?"
"Sorry, but I don't have time to stick with a sinking ship. My final exams are coming up."
"A sinking ship?"
It was just as Allen said that.
An explosion sound came from the sea.
The waves rose violently, and the ship tilted.
It seemed a torpedo fired from Akira-san's submarine had scored a direct hit.
The ship began to sink.
A boat came.
The one piloting the boat was Jackal.
"I see now... We are your barrier."
Allen said.
Allen, along with Sora and Viper, jumped from the ship onto the boat.
The boat sped away in an instant.
I also jumped from the ship onto the quay.
A murderous intent closing in from behind.
He still intends to fight.
I drew my sword, turned around, and blocked a slashing attack.
Behind me was a car; in front of me was Jack.
Jack thrust his sword at me.
I also charged forward.
I ducked to avoid the thrust and kicked Jack in the abdomen.
I sent Jack flying.
Jack got up and grinned.
What's so funny?
"Could it be you still... think you're not going to die?"
"?"
"What you're lacking right now is a sense of crisis."
I didn't understand what Jack was saying.
So I also didn't know what Jack was aiming for.
Jack immediately acted on that.
He charged towards Airi, who was near the car.
"Airi, run!!"
But because it was so sudden, Airi couldn't move from the spot.
Airi was caught by Jack.
"Airi!!"
"Airi-chan!!"
"If you lose the one you love right before your eyes, you might get a little bet...!?"
Jack didn't finish his sentence because my attack had hit him.
A kind of special ability awakened through training.
But that didn't matter.
Jack, who was blown away, spun in the air and landed.
"That's it, that's it. That last blow was good. Looks like you've finally woken up, huh?"
I don't care about your opinions.
"I don't have time for chit-chat. I'm going to kill you, so come at me."
The words I coldly spat out.
I hadn't even noticed it myself.
I was so angry I lost myself.
Jack moved away from Airi and took his stance.
I also took my stance.
Jack held his sword overhead, gauging the timing of his attack.
"What's wrong? Not coming?"
"Nice, it gives me chills. I can't get enough of this tension."
"I don't have time to satisfy you. If you're not coming, I'll come to you."
The distance between me and Jack was greater than the reach of Jack's sword.
Nevertheless, I raised my leg.
Jack must have noticed.
He took a defensive stance to block it.
The opponent blocked it, but I sent his sword flying.
"Heh, you've got some pretty dangerous weapons there."
"If you're scared, then get lost."
"It's a job."
"...Alright, fine. Die."
I raised my arm and swung it down with all my might.
Before Jack could try to block it with his arm, it was driven into the top of his head.
I approached Jack, who couldn't get up, and looked down at him with cold eyes.
"What's wrong? Not going to kill me? Looks like you're still soft."
"...This is where the match ends."
I was grasping something in the air.
"With this, I'll stop your breath and your life will be over... Die."
Just as I was about to drive it down onto Jack's head.
Ponk
"What do you think you're doing!! You can't kill people!"
"Airi..."
"Toya-kun does reckless things when he's angry, so I have to stop him! If you go any further, Toya-kun, you won't be able to come back!"
When I noticed Airi hugging me, I came back to myself.
What was I about to do?
"Hahaha, you're whipped by your girlfriend, huh? You're a softie through and through."
I landed a blow on the back of Jack's neck as he said that.
Jack lost consciousness.
At least we managed to secure one of them.
Relief and fatigue hit me all at once.
"Toya-kun, are you okay?"
Airi called out to me.
"Barely..."
"Thank goodness..."
A tremendous sound rang out. The ship was sinking right before our eyes.
"No time to be spacing out! Pull back before the police catch wind of it!"
Akira-san said. We got into the car.
"Katagiri-kun, I'll drive!"
I handed the keys to Ishihara-kun and collapsed into the back seat.
I used Airi's lap as a pillow and went to sleep.
We left the burning terminal behind.
(2)
Late that night, a call came from my husband.
All the hostages were safe.
He said he'd be home soon.
Tears of joy overflowed from me.
God hadn't abandoned us.
I waited for Hikari and Akari to come home.
The kindergarten shuttle bus arrived late at night.
"Hikari, Akari!!"
"Mommy~"
I hugged the two of them.
Thank you, God.
Apparently, they were rescued at the Ozai Container Terminal and in the mountains.
The ship docked at the container terminal was of North Korean nationality and seemed to have been intended for training mercenaries and agents.
The ship apparently caught fire mysteriously, exploded, and sank.
If we had been just a step later, these children's futures would have been...
It sends chills down my spine.
But God didn't abandon us.
These children's futures were protected.
I don't know.
That there was the activity of united comrades behind it.
That there was a union of angels bringing a ray of hope.
That there was a battle beyond imagination.
It wasn't God who saved us.
That it was brought about by God's messengers.
I pray that a ray of hope may also shine upon those brave warriors.
That night, my husband also came home.
There were still unresolved cases, but apparently, his boss was considerate enough to tell him to stay by his wife's side at least tonight.
My husband looked at the sleeping faces of his two beloved daughters, who were exhausted, and felt relieved.
"Dear, thank you for your hard work."
"Mayumi, you're the one who had a worrying time."
I listened to my husband's explanation.
It probably won't be officially announced, but behind the hostage rescue was the effort of Unity.
Unity was truly God's messenger.
I am grateful.
Their battle is said to continue.
I pray that light shines on their path.
With feelings of gratitude and thanks, we went to sleep.
In the morning, my husband would go back to the scene.
He said there was a mountain of unfinished cleanup work.
My two children and I saw my husband off with smiles.
My husband is also a warrior who takes on battles.
May he be enveloped in the light of good fortune.
(3)
"Good work, everyone!"
Watanabe-kun said.
We had a simple after-party at a family restaurant.
"Everyone did well. This is a victory we all won together. Let's all celebrate."
Watanabe-kun said.
Yes, in the end, we all fought together.
The fierce battle at the container terminal lasted over thirty minutes.
After Toya-kun boarded the ship alone, I and Emi protected the car.
Ishihara-kun was fighting Azrael.
Sakai-kun was also fighting Steal Lady.
Shiratori-san was fighting Sariel.
Haruto-kun was also fighting Kamui.
What was the Nine-Tailed Fox, who didn't appear in this battle, doing?
I asked Papa, but apparently, the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't at the facility the Sakai squad raided.
Did they escape?
"In our hands, the Nine-Tailed Fox is no big deal!"
Mika-san said that.
Is that really true?
At the very least, Toya-kun was injured.
Toya-kun's wounds aren't just physical; he's also wounded in his heart.
I can heal that later.
For now, he's eating as if trying to shake off his hesitation.
"Still, Toya-senpai was seriously cool. That kind of movement is normally impossible."
Haruto praised Toya-kun's battle to the skies.
The moment Jack-san's blade was pointed at me, I couldn't explain what Toya-kun did.
Before I knew it, he had landed a blow on Jack-san's face.
"I'm going to kill you, so come at me."
The Toya-kun who coldly said that wasn't the usual Toya-kun.
Usually, he's Toya-kun, but when he gets angry, you never know what he'll do.
Controlling that is my role.
"We can't all be carried away. In the end, we didn't capture a single member of the Nine-Tailed Fox."
Kosei-kun said.
I think that's right.
Jack-san was also handed over to the police, but he escaped from a nearby hospital he was taken to, claiming he was injured.
Mika-san and the others were furious about that, but the police played dumb.
As Papa said, this seems to be a case that can't be left to the police.
That's proof that danger still lurks in our lives.
And...
"Our attacks haven't reached the Sudo Group yet. Dragon-san, Hierophant-san, and Hermit-san. If we don't stop them, they'll attack again and again."
I said.
"We'll fight back every time! Total war! We'll do it until we stop their breath!"
"How are you going to stop their breath? We haven't caught their leaders, you know?"
When I said that to Mika-san, she struggled to answer.
Toya-kun answered instead.
"Makoto, did the plan work?"
"Yeah, I got it perfectly. I'll analyze it tomorrow or something."
What did Toya-kun do?
Attention turned to Makoto-kun.
"Makoto? What did you do?"
When Kanna asked, Makoto-kun proudly explained.
"Actually, Toya proposed it to me before the operation. I just succeeded at it."
"So what exactly succeeded?"
"We didn't know the IPs of Jackal and X's smartphones and laptops. So I tracked Toya's smartphone."
"And what does that tell you?"
"In modern society, everyone carries a cell phone, smartphone, or laptop. Especially if the opponent is X. Toya was tracking Jackal and the others. I tracked where he was tracking."
Makoto-kun tracked the smartphones and laptops of the two who were probably in the vehicle we were chasing. Since they were heading to the same place, identification was easy. And he infiltrated them.
He did all that while manipulating signals and also being in charge of operating the UAV?
"I had Kosei's help too, though. As expected, I couldn't break through the firewall."
"Once I had the IP, I could break through the firewall. Identifying X was tough, though."
Makoto-kun and Kosei said.
"So, information on the Nine-Tailed Fox too?"
Ai said.
"Yeah, I got it perfectly. I know the general scale. This should complete all the cards."
"Information on the Hierophant and the Dragon?"
"It was just as Toya said. They're the heads of the Sudo Group."
"Got it, thanks."
Toya-kun and Makoto-kun were talking.
Is it my imagination? Unlike everyone else, he seems a bit down. As I thought, he's still worried about it, isn't he? I'll properly comfort him later.
That's a wife's duty too, right?
"Well then, let's party until morning!"
As Mika-san said, everyone partied at the family restaurant until morning.
(4)
It was a sudden event.
Kenshin Takahashi's discharge from the hospital.
Certainly, the police's attention is currently focused on the Sudo Group and the Nine-Tailed Fox.
But even that attention is limited due to pressure from above.
As for the Nine-Tailed Fox, their very existence is being denied.
However, young police officers are desperately investigating their true identity, undeterred by the pressure.
The more desperate they become, the more their footing weakens.
It's probably the perfect timing for the Takahashi Group to make a comeback.
A black luxury car stopped in front of the hospital.
A line of greeters stood in a row.
He straightened his back, which was surprisingly straight for his age, and got into the car with dignity.
The car started moving quietly.
I contacted everyone in Unity.
No response came back.
Everyone was probably tired and sleeping.
I knew about their activities last night.
It can't be made public, but it seems everyone fought hard.
As a doctor, my feeling is just, "I'm glad no one was hurt."
The news of the hostage rescue was being reported on TV since morning.
At the same time, the news of the simultaneous bombings at 23 locations was also reported.
The culprit was reported as missing.
What was common to all locations was the message "Do not touch" written there.
Meaning "don't lay a hand on it."
That was Unity's warning message.
For the first time, Unity expressed its will.
"You know what happens if you touch it, right?"
They expressed this silent pressure for the first time.
I don't know how the Red Society will move from now on.
But now that the Takahashi Group has started moving again, we are moving to the next phase.
(5)
"Phew... the plan is back to square one... We have no way to escape overseas."
"I never thought they'd sink the ship too."
"It means we underestimated them."
Viper, X, and Allen were talking.
I was listening while driving the car.
We were heading towards Kunisaki City.
Inside the large trailer were the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox, as well as PC equipment that X was tinkering with.
"What are you planning to do, Boss?"
I spoke to Allen via Bluetooth communication.
"For now, we lie low. Leave the cleanup to the Sun Knights."
"What are you going to do with that man in the meantime?"
"That man" referred to Sora Takahashi.
"That's no problem. Preparations are done."
Saying that, X gave up his seat to Sora Takahashi.
"Petty tricks won't work. Will you begin?"
When Allen said that, Sora Takahashi started working on the PC.
"What are you making him do?"
"Extracting information on IRIS."
Allen answered.
"IRIS?"
"It's the Sun Knights' weak point. We're going to steal it all."
"Couldn't you have just had X do it?"
"Currently, only Unity, the police and related parties, and a few top people in the media know about IRIS's existence. The media and police can be handled. Even if Unity has it, they have no use for it. That leaves only Sora Takahashi."
"Who do you give it to, without giving it to anyone else?"
"Our true client."
"...The Moon?"
Allen said nothing.
"If we move now, they'll sense it. Let's lie low for a while. We must also avoid being sensed by the Sun Knights."
Viper answered.
"...It's done."
Sora Takahashi answered.
X swapped seats and checked the contents.
"I see... No wonder they're desperate to cover it up."
"We'll erase it for them. X, do it."
When Viper said that, X operated the computer.
The message "Deleted" appeared on the monitor.
"But even if you delete that, Unity has copied the file..."
Sora Takahashi said.
"We know. You should worry about yourself instead."
Allen said.
"What are you thinking?"
Sora Takahashi said.
"It's business. We need a lot of money too."
"Is your goal money?"
"Revenge on our homeland..."
Allen said.
Homeland?
That word bothered me.
I felt a sense of incongruity at him saying "homeland" instead of "motherland."
What are they plotting?
But for now, I was promised rest.
I don't know how long that will last.
Birdman's treatment will probably require some rest too.
"Still, we might need to provide some support to the Sudo Group... Don't overdo it."
Allen said.
Meaning, those who can fight, fight.
But the real show isn't here.
A big job awaits after this.
I had that feeling.
(6)
When I got home, I just took a shower and got into bed.
I don't want to do anything else today.
Still, there's school.
Maybe I'll just sleep a little.
Airi also got out of the shower and was drying her hair.
Oh, I have to tell her.
"Airi... hey..."
"I know~. You want to skip today's routine, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay~. Toya-kun is tired today, after all~."
Airi finished drying her hair and started up a game.
It was a game where you go on stealth missions.
Some people use it for other purposes, though.
Is Airi trying to learn CQC from that game?
I watched Airi play the game for a while.
Seeing Airi struggling, I couldn't help but want to lend a hand.
"Let me see?"
I took the controller from Airi and cleared the mission.
Airi stared intently at the screen.
This game is characterized by long dialogues and a lot of preachy events.
Airi was watching it intently, but whether she got impatient or that was her goal from the start, she leaned against me.
"Can't you tell me already?"
"Tell you what?"
"Ugh..."
Ponk
"Even I, your wife, can see that Toya-kun is worried about something. Tell me, I'll listen."
I see, so that was her goal from the start.
"Well, you see..."
Just as I was about to talk, Airi, as if she had thought of something, started reading a manga.
Weren't you going to listen to my worries?
"Oh, this manga~. Um..."
What Airi was looking at was a manga about a swordsman that was previously made into a live-action movie.
What is she looking for?
"Staking my sword and heart, I will complete this life of battle!!"
It's rare for Airi to quote a line from a manga.
"Toya-kun said it once: 'The goddess never smiles upon those who do not fight.'"
I don't understand Airi's true intention.
"Toya-kun has been fighting all this time. Many things have happened. The soccer incident, the basketball incident, and my incident and the Unity incident."
"Yeah..."
"Toya-kun has always fought without running away. He's lived his life his own way. That's how he's done it until now. Isn't that fine from now on too!"
Airi hugged me from behind.
"Turning your back on soccer, desperately trying to run from basketball, trying to escape from the essence of combat... Toya-kun's life is just running away. But, you know, you've always faced me properly."
That's because I didn't want to let go of Airi, of all people.
"I'm happy just with that. So, let's run away together? Let's run until we're satisfied? I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."
"...Thank you."
"I'm sorry I couldn't say it well. But I didn't know how to express it."
"I understood your feelings perfectly, Airi."
"I'm glad~."
I patted Airi's head.
I feel like I could run away to the ends of the earth with Airi. But, knowing I can always run away makes me feel like I can try a little harder.
Even if people say the path I'm taking is running away, as long as Airi allows it, I can carve my own path to the ends of the earth.
"Toya-kun is fighting desperately too. I, who watches by your side, can guarantee it."
"Yeah..."
If I have a place called Airi to return to. Then I will fight. I will face my own beliefs. If I'm wrong, I can just turn back.
I'm sure Airi will be waiting for me.