The fruits of victory that are within easy reach always make people unable to help themselves.
(…It went really well.)
The man in casual clothes leaning against the corner of the alley snorted, his relaxed expression mixed with sarcastic pleasure.
Although a fool seemed to be exposed, the 'impediment' was smaller than expected.
The 'work' is coming to an end.
(Is this the only level of the so-called cutting-edge technological city...)
The man raised his chin wordlessly.
He, or they, are typical employees. As long as someone is willing to pay, even preparing large-scale "fireworks" in crowded places is within the acceptable range.
As for the employer's purpose, that doesn't matter at all, does it?
The man let go of the corner of his eye.
Not far from him, there were still groups of people gathered in twos and threes.
Although the security guards set up a cordon around the area, many customers and employees who were dispersed did not leave and stayed outside to wait for the incident to end.
There are also some good people who happened to be attracted and want to know what happened inside, but obviously no one can answer their questions.
Curiosity is human nature and also our natural enemy.
The man who came to his inner conclusion slowly put his hand into his pocket.
Inside, there is a switch that can 'surprise' everyone present.
(Now, all the ‘targets’ should be in place.)
He smiled like a tourist looking forward to the opening of a fireworks show.
Next…
Yes.
Just press lightly...
"………………"
at this time.
His thinking was interrupted for several seconds.
The reason is that the hand he put into his pocket squeezed out the empty feeling.
"……Um?"
The moment this question came to mind, some imaginable surprise that was enough to suffocate was constantly infecting the man's breath.
……Gone.
‘That thing’ is missing?
How can this be?!
His body covered in cold sweat began to turn rapidly, but his hands still couldn't find the answer.
The man can be sure that he will never make a mistake in this matter.
Just a few minutes ago, he personally confirmed the existence of 'that'.
But.
There is no doubt that the status quo is moving in an uncertain direction.
No.
possible.
"I said, that gentleman over there, you are looking for..."
Someone seemed to raise his hand slightly behind his back.
"'It'?"
"——!"
This moment.
Rather than pondering over why things disappeared with doubts and uneasiness, the man's long years of professional experience allowed him to make a decisive judgment immediately and reach for the weapon in his arms.
Unfortunately.
——[Stand there.]
Just a word.
Everything a man does loses its meaning under 'her' 'order'.
The sudden footsteps began to get closer, until the figure completely passed over him and stood in front of him.
She is a slender blonde girl.
But the brain that is still active is trying its best to erase the common sense impression.
"Don't put on such an expression. You are in the secret business after all, so you should be mentally prepared, right? Rather, you can still stand here with all your limbs intact, thanks to 'me'
oh?"
The good-looking girl speaks words that understand the world as a matter of course.
"...Tsk."
The man smacked his tongue and asked as if he was giving up with his mouth that could barely move.
"How did you discover me? You should at least let me know."
"Ah, you mean this."
After looking in a certain direction, the girl answered as if she was going to kill time.
"You are from outside Academy City, right? Even so, you must have heard of "Metal Detector", right?"
certainly.
The man secretly thought.
The fact that the security team had no way of finding out about the bomb was just an unrealistic outcome at best, and he had never counted on it.
"In this case, isn't there a way to solve the problem?"
Taking the man's acquiescence as an answer, the girl continued.
"After locking the location, even if it's a blind spot, just 'screen' all the people passing through that area."
"After excluding ordinary students, tourists and staff, how many suspicious elements are left?"
She added easily.
"not to mention."
"You have a lot of loopholes in your fake identity, Mr. Criminal."
The girl who motioned to the surveillance camera beside the two of them smiled and calmly put away the remote control that the man had "voluntarily" handed over when they first met.
If he could pay attention, he would actually find out from the subtle changes in his surroundings that he was missing part of his memory.
But at this moment, this one-sided listener focused all his attention on the girl's explanation.
"Are you serious? In such a short time? From so many people?"
There must be a limit to joking.
The man twisted his eyes, feeling that he had definitely been fooled.
but.
"Do I need to lie to you?"
The girl who easily controlled herself asked back.
Then, under the man's unbearable and incomprehensible gaze.
She gracefully raised her index finger to her mouth.
"If you underestimate the flowers in the greenhouse, you will be injured."
…
…
The police vehicle escorting the bomb convict slowly drove away.
When the alert was lifted, the family restaurant's billboard also happened to be replaced with recommendations for the evening market.
Just as agreed, the security guards were responsible for dismantling the bombs. As a former 'Discipline Committee member' and now a 'enthusiastic citizen (Lv5)', Flanda, under the guidance of Chuchun, took the shortcut and took the lead.
The prisoner was captured.
Everything is going smooth.
The only pity is.
Now, it's time to enjoy afternoon tea leisurely.
The girl sighed helplessly.
and.
If it's just 'this level of participation', and it becomes a symbol of 'appearance', no one will be 'satisfied'.
This is something Flanda didn't expect.
Perhaps, Uiharu's ability and potential may be stronger than she expected.
The girl put her chin in thought and then looked at the junior member of the Discipline Committee who was sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree to soothe her nerves and kept saying, 'Ha, my parfait...'.
To be precise, she was the major contributor to solving this incident.
so.
"Here, thank you for your hard work."
"Ah...thank you!"
Uiharu took the crepe and thanked her hurriedly.
This is also a relatively common popular delicacy in Academy City, at least it is quite popular among students.
Taking her share, Flanders also sat down next to her.
The afternoon, filled with people coming and going, finally ushered in the peace we deserved.
"...I always feel...it's very similar to that time..."
Looking calmly at the rejuvenated street, the girl with the wreath holding the dessert in her hands whispered softly to herself unconsciously.
Almost all the things the two experienced together during the Daihasei Festival last year are still before their eyes.
"Yes."
Another person involved also recalled it with a happy face.
"You were indeed a little panicked at that time, and you were teased by children because of your physical problems. You even sent the report to the wrong place."
"Hey...hehe..."
The shy school girl, who buried half of her face under the snack, was obviously still a little embarrassed.
He was obviously listening to his past embarrassing stories, but he felt relaxed for some reason.
The slightly pursed lips moved slightly, as if Chuchun wanted to talk about something.
"but."
However, the phrase that rang in her ears made her swallow all her questions for the time being.
There was the warmth of being patted on the back.
"From now on, you can hold your head high and chest high."
"...!"
(ah……)
The world that was pushed seemed to take on a new look.
The words I want to convey.
And this longing is all here, at this moment, receiving the best encouragement and support.
Already, there is no need to ask anything more.
She knows it very well.
(Even if... I don’t serve as the disciplinary committee member anymore, seniors will definitely continue to help others in places I don’t know about.)
This is the only thing that Chuchun is extremely sure of.
The younger girl's eyes gradually softened, and she nodded firmly.
"……Um!"
Even if the sun comes to exchange with the night.
But somewhere, it seems that the flowers will continue to grow.