By the ti they boarded the limousine for the return trip, heavy night had already fallen.
Perhaps due to whatever she had been up to the previous night, Enju, who had been dozing during the day, was now fast asleep on his lap again.
Not a hint of a bodyguard's deanor.
In contrast, little Asaka remained dutiful, still clutching her longsword as she sat by the car door, her eyes constantly scanning the scenery outside the window to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Seitenshi, who should have been relieved after the eting, instead wore a troubled expression.
The so-called talks had been nothing more than Sogen Saitake's unilateral declaration of war.
He stated his intention to beco Japan's sole ruler, and that no one would stand in his way.
When the idealistic Seitenshi clashed with the selfish, ambitious Sogen Saitake, the talks naturally couldn't continue, ending in discord.
Even now, on the return journey, Seitenshi maintained her elegant posture—hands folded on her knees—as she gazed lancholically into the darkness outside the window.
"Don't be so down. All things considered, you won this eting."
Seitenshi reacted to his consolation, slowly shifting her gaze.
"I'm not sad..."
She paused before continuing, "Well, perhaps a little... It might be because I've always quietly believed that sincerity would be t with understanding. That's why the disappointnt cuts deeper."
"But I am glad, especially to hear that you refused President Saitake's invitation, Mr. Mahiro."
"Hah, what's there to be glad about? Do I look like so fool who'd sit at the sa table as that delusional madman?" Mahiro stared out the window and scoffed disdainfully. "Sogen Saitake's fate is nothing but self-destruction."
"I know."
Seitenshi lowered her head slightly and opened the car's mini-fridge, taking out three glasses and pouring peach juice into them before handing them out.
Holding her champagne flute, she said softly, "It's just... I've noticed that you harbor excessive disdain, even hostility, toward the citizens of Tokyo Area."
"I don't quite understand why you hold such deep prejudice against the people here. In your eyes, are the residents of Tokyo Area truly so unforgivable?"
"Please don't ask such dark questions, Lady Seitenshi," Mahiro stated bluntly.
".....?"
Hearing this unvarnished response, Seitenshi froze.
How was her question dark?
"Gang rapes, assaults, humiliations, abuse, torture killings—do you have any idea how many such incidents I've witnessed during my year in Tokyo Area? Dozens at least, all targeting those children."
Mahiro recounted them thodically, like listing familiar items.
"And these are just the ones I've personally seen."
"In other words, how many more are happening in corners beyond my sight? One could say they occur every single day without exaggeration!"
"Do you think such a place, inhabited by these human-skinned pieces of shit, still holds any value deserving forgiveness?"
Little Asaka, who was standing guard nearby, tightened her grip around the great sword in her arms upon hearing his words.
Mahiro-sama wasn't wrong at all. She had been one of those beaten and bullied daily. Had she not t Mahiro-sama, she might have already died in so forgotten alleyway.
Yet Seitenshi, who constantly claid to champion their human rights, had turned a deaf ear to all this!
Hypocrite!
"How could this be... The police headquarters never reported so many incidents. Even I've never heard of such things."
Seitenshi seed to sense Asaka's hostile gaze, but she was more shocked by Mahiro's words.
Police Commissioner Hitsuma Atsurou's regular reports never ntioned these incidents—only that many people had gone missing in Tokyo Area this year...
"Lady Seitenshi, your inner self truly matches your appearance—spotlessly pure white," Mahiro remarked with feeling. "My first suggestion when you return would be to fire all these people. Or better yet, crush them outright."
Though he knew full well Seitenshi wouldn't do this.
Just as he predicted, Seitenshi fell silent.
However, the silence was brief. Soon she raised her head and looked over with determined eyes.
"I understand. Mr. Mahiro, I will thoroughly investigate the situation you've described once I return. If things are truly as you say, I won't let any wrongdoers escape!"
She declared resolutely.
"Then I'll be waiting to see?"
Mahiro had no intention of discouraging her.
The final outco was already predictable—under Tendo Kikunojou's interference, Seitenshi would never succeed.
This was rely a casual conversation.
Nothing would change, neither for him nor for the future of Tokyo Area.
The car approached an intersection, slowing to a stop at a red light.
At so point, a light drizzle had begun outside, blurring the scenery beyond the window.
Just then, Mahiro's gaze toward the distance froze slightly, and a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"They're here..."
"Mr. Mahiro, what's here?"
Seitenshi couldn't help but ask, but the next mont, she saw Mahiro pull out that oddly shaped pistol from his coat and aim it at the car window—
No, not the window—but beyond it!
At the far end stood a pitch-black building.
"Don't drive."
Mahiro ordered.
As the sole bodyguard for this trip, he had naturally been granted the authority to plan the route and command the driver.
And in that instant, a flash of light flickered near the rooftop of the building—gone in the blink of an eye.
Clearly, it was the muzzle flash of a gun!
At the sa ti, a bullet—no, more accurately, a sniper grenade—was flying toward them at supersonic speed!
"That's quite the exaggeration..."
Mahiro muttered under his breath, yet his lips curled into a smile as he pulled the trigger.
Just as the grenade was less than ten ters from the car, it suddenly and eerily halted midair before disintegrating into dust the next second.
"Mahiro-sama?!"
Asaka reacted imdiately—this was an assassination attempt!
Enju, who had been asleep, also woke up, her expression grave as she followed the direction of Mahiro's gun.
"Asaka, Enju, take Seitenshi and get out of the car. Find cover nearby and stay alert."
The vehicle was too large a target for effective defense.
Asaka and Enju didn't hesitate for a second—one kicked the car door open while the other grabbed Seitenshi's hand and pulled her out.
But then, muzzle flashes flickered again.
Not just once—five tis in succession!
The assailant seed to have emptied the magazine in one go, sending five sniper grenades hurtling toward them.
Mahiro instantly deployed a "Linked Barrier Array," shielding Seitenshi and the others.
The grenades collided with the square barriers and exploded, the blast dispersing the rain. Seitenshi hurriedly pressed down on her hat as scorching air rushed past her cheeks.
Her face pale and trembling, she clenched the hem of her dress tightly.
She never imagined the attacker would use explosives.
Had she not hired Mahiro, she and the driver would likely already be dead.
Not only that—nearby pedestrians would have been caught in the blast!
President Saitake, why would you go this far?!
Seitenshi bit her lower lip hard, screaming inwardly.
anwhile, Mahiro had already stepped out of the car, his gaze fixed on the distance as he locked eyes with the sniper hidden in the darkness.
"Nearly three kiloters... That's a bit much, Tina."
As if hearing his whisper, the assailant launched another attack.
But this ti, it wasn't a sniper grenade—it was an armor-piercing anti-tank round!
Even more terrifying, the muzzle flash had been suppressed with a flash hider in that short span of ti, leaving no trace of light.
"Mahiro-sama, let handle this!!!"
Before he could activate his ability, little Asaka suddenly stepped in front of Seitenshi, unleashing the power of a Cursed Child. Her thumb pressed lightly against the tsuba as her right hand tightened around the hilt.
"Tendo-ryu Battoujutsu, First Form—"
"Freezing Drop!!!"
Shing—
The blade left its sheath with a tallic ring, slicing through the air like lightning, its edge flashing white against the night sky.
The incoming anti-tank round was instantly cleaved into several pieces, scattering across the asphalt and embedding themselves into nearby buildings.
But another shot followed imdiately.
"Enju-chan!" Asaka shouted.
"Haaa—!!!"
Enju's eyes burned crimson as she leaped into the air, intercepting the bullet mid-flight.
Clang—
A burst of sparks erupted in the air, followed by the delayed, sharp sound of impact.
The girl skidded across the ground upon landing, barely managing to steady herself after sliding a considerable distance.
These kids are insane...
Even Mahiro couldn't help but twitch at the sight. This kind of fighting style—he doubted even he could replicate it.
Kicking bullets out of the air? Not even The Matrix would dare to pull sothing like that.
Perhaps because of their absurd display, the sniper lurking in the darkness ceased their assault.
The next mont, however, his phone rang.
Seeing the number, Mahiro smirked slightly and answered.
"...Hello, is this Mahiro-san?"
"Yeah, it's ."
"...This is Tina. May I ask where you are right now? I'd like to et you."
"Miss ?" His voice carried a teasing lilt.
Silence.
"No answer? I'll take that as a yes."
"..."
Tina stood on the balcony of a mid-level high-rise, her crimson gaze fixed on the neon-lit streets below. Rain gradually soaked her dress, dampening her platinum-blonde shoulder-length hair.
Even the anti-materiel sniper rifle resting on the balcony hissed under the downpour.
Yet she remained oblivious, waiting only for the voice on the other end of the line.
Until, finally, that familiar tone spoke again.
"As for where I am... you should know, right, Tina? That little gadget of yours must've given you a clear view."
The mont those words reached her, Tina's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened slightly.
An inexplicable ache spread through her chest.
Suppressing it, she replied shakily, "You... already knew it was ?"
"Mhm. Tina Sprout, IP Rank 97, codena 'Silent Killer.' Am I wrong?"
"...Then... then you must be IP Rank 134, codena 'Zodiac Killer,' Yotsuba Mahiro-san... right?"
"'Zodiac Killer'? Who ca up with that? So la." Mahiro sighed dramatically.
"...I knew it."
Ignoring his remark, Tina lowered her head slightly, shoulders trembling.
Her world froze over.
Even after seeing the footage transmitted, she still held onto a sliver of hope in her heart. After all, the rain had blurred the appearance, making only the outline sowhat similar...
But n around big brother's age all have roughly the sa silhouette.
Until now, that hope was completely shattered.
She felt as if her brain was short-circuiting, her rational logic utterly destroyed and collapsing, her heart instantly thrown into disarray.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, and she hastily suppressed the sob that nearly escaped her lips.
"Why... If you had already discovered , why did you help that day..."
"Why, you ask... Let think... Because a drowsy little Tina is just too adorable."
This ti, the voice didn't co from the phone—it was right beside her!
"Hello again, we et once more, little Tina."
Mahiro, sitting on the edge of the balcony, waved at her cheerfully. "As expected, while nightti Tina might not be as adorably drowsy as during the day, you beco even more beautiful when you're alert."
Tina jolted awake, stumbling back several steps in fright, instinctively pulling out the dagger hidden beneath her skirt.
But upon seeing that handso, gentle face, she slowly loosened her grip, letting the dagger clatter to the ground.
"I can't do it..."
Logically, while she ranked within the top hundred, she knew she stood no chance against a Zodiac-class killer in direct combat.
Emotionally, she couldn't bring herself to strike the big brother who had treated her kindly, even lending his lap for her to sleep on.
Not to ntion, her vision was now blurred by tears...
No, it must be the rain. How could she be crying? She'd long since run out of tears.
Though she had accepted that Mahiro was the target her master had ordered her to kill, her hands wouldn't stop trembling, clutching tightly at her skirt.
And Mahiro simply watched silently, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
I really am a twisted bastard, aren't I...
After what felt like an eternity, Tina finally stilled her trembling and raised her head again.
"Mr. Mahiro... no, Yotsuba Mahiro. I am Tina Sprout, the assassin sent to kill Seitenshi and you. Now... please kill ."
The girl bit her lip hard, her face twisting into an expression caught between crying and laughing. She pressed both hands against her chest, struggling to keep her voice as steady as possible as she spoke.
Yet Mahiro simply tilted his head, studying her.
"Won't you struggle a bit more? I can give you a chance, you know."
Truth be told, revealing an assassin's identity like this rendered all covert operations aningless.
Especially against soone like Mahiro, whose power was beyond Tina's comprehension.
Not only did he possess that strange ability to disassemble objects, but he also had super-long-range vision—capable of spotting her from such a distance—and what seed like instantaneous movent to appear before her.
Faced with such an existence, any struggle would be futile.
Tina understood this all too well, so she could only smile bitterly. "Mr. Mahiro, you really are a twisted lolicon."
"I've been hearing that a lot lately, so I'll take it as a complint for now."
Mahiro responded with a faint smile.
That being said, Tina still wanted to give it another try, so they agreed to have another match the next day.
A fight to the death.
Except...
The next day.
Yesterday's rain had stopped, and the sky was clear as usual.
"...Mahiro, big brother... I want to eat that..."
Tina, sitting on a bench, pointed at a takoyaki stall not far away, clearly expressing her desire.
Her appearance was almost no different from the past couple of days—still dazed and half-asleep, yet she was wearing the sa erald-green dress from last night.
Her slender arms were covered in silk sleeves, and she even wore high heels that didn't suit her age.
It seed she had dressed up carefully, but the ribbon on her forehead was crooked, making her look even more adorably clueless.
"Yeah, yeah."
After admiring her for a mont, Mahiro got up, bought a serving of takoyaki from the stall, and handed it to her.
"Miss Tina, do you rember we're enemies?"
"...I rember."
"Do you rember the life-or-death match we agreed on tonight?"
"...I rember."
"And yet you're begging your mortal enemy for food? Aren't you afraid I'd poison it?"
"...What does it matter... Right now, Tina is just Tina, and big brother Mahiro wouldn't do sothing like that. Besides, this is precious food I got from you, so I'll cherish it and eat it all... Ah, it fell."
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Tina had happily squinted at the takoyaki—only for one to slip off the skewer and fall to the ground before she could even finish speaking.
So much for cherishing it.
Mahiro couldn't even be bothered to comnt anymore.
Tina stared longingly at the dirtied takoyaki. "...What a waste..."
She looked like she was about to crouch down and pick it up to eat.
Mahiro quickly stopped her.
"Forget it. If it fell, it fell. I'll buy you another box later if you want. No need to eat off the ground."
"But... Ugh... It's not my fault. The takoyaki ran away from my mouth. The octopus inside must still be alive."
"Yeah, yeah, the octopus was chopped into pieces, fried at high heat, and is sohow still alive... But big brother here is an expert at catching octopus, so let feed you instead."
Though his tone was almost sarcastically flat, Tina was still moved, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"See... Big brother Mahiro really is a heroic savior. So kind..."
Even as she said this, she had already handed the takoyaki box to him and opened her mouth wide, waiting to be fed.
"Heh."
Mahiro couldn't help but chuckle, skewering a piece with a bamboo stick and popping it into Tina's mouth.
She chewed happily.
Looking at her now, it was impossible to connect her to that cold-blooded assassin.
Then again, she was only forced into it. In truth, she was just a ten-year-old child.
"Big brother Mahiro, give another one! I want more!"
Like a baby bird waiting to be fed, Tina closed her eyes, leaned slightly toward him, and opened her mouth.
"Yes, yes."
Mahiro fed her the remaining pieces from the box, and with each bite, Tina let out soft, contented sounds that seed capable of healing the human heart.
She really was an adorable child.
"Had enough? If not, I can buy you another box." He found the act of feeding her oddly enjoyable.
"No..." Tina shook her head, wearing a faint smile. "This is already enough."
"Alright."
Mahiro took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Tina's mouth clean.
She lifted her gaze to et his, her clear pupils reflecting his image.
"I... really like Mahiro-nii."
"Like? As a sister likes a brother?"
"No. The way a girl likes a boy."
Faced with Mahiro's skepticism, Tina shook her head again, clasping her hands slightly in front of her chest as if in prayer.
"This is the first ti in my life I've been treated so kindly and helped so many tis. So even if you were an enemy... I would still like you, Mahiro-san."
"Don't be silly. You're only ten. What do you know about a girl liking a boy?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mahiro suddenly felt a soft, warm touch on his cheek.
Tina had sohow stood up from the bench, her hands lightly behind her back, mustering all her courage to say:
"...Of course I know. This is proof."
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