POINT OF VIEW: KOIHIME

Fizz

“What is it?” –Aki.

Fizz

“I got the reading of magic activation from about 1 kilometer from west.” –Kano.

Fizz

“How about its power?” –Aki.

Fizz

“Not vast… but it’s very tiny… And it’s PIERCING!” –Kano.

“Get down!” Aki warned, pushing Meister away.

I heard a loud screeching noise passing through where Meister was standing. Seen, a tiny scorch landed on the floor right behind us. From the look of it, it was probably aimed at Meister’s heart.

That’s so dangerous…!

What was that…?

It looked like a microscopic sniping magic, professionally used to kill people at a distance without leaving any physical trace. It is how it sounds, being able to penetrate any matter of obstacle to reach out for its target. However, in order to cast it at perfect accuracy, the user needs the target’s coordinate.

That means…. One of them is the broker.

“Inaros, you bastard! You’ve never intended to do a trade in the first place eh?” said Aki.

Clueless, Inaros replied,

“What are you talking about? I know nothing of sort.”

Being a little bit pissed, he glared at the masked guy.

“….”

The guy refused to make any motion regardless of being the singular suspect here.

“I think the trade is over.” Said Aki, and Meister had confirmed it with a nod.

From a ‘little’ to ‘totally’, Inaros’s eyes widened in anger.

“WE ARE DOING THE TRADE RIGHT NOW!”

“We refuse.”

Fizz.

“Aki, short notice, another one coming in few seconds!” –Kano

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A rampant explosion burst the rooftop.

KKkkrrcckkkk –The dribbles were falling apart.

As reluctant as Inaros was, such dangerous and unexpected situation did not bother him the slightest. His indignant eyes, remained locked onto us.

Looking around calmly, Aki affirmed,

“Just how it is, we aren’t going to do anything tonight.”

Finally snapped, Inaros yelled, resonating a bizarre pitch,

“KILL ALL OF THEM! ‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’”

Tensed by Inaros’s command to his subordinates, Aki immediately swayed his hand freely in the air and a physical barricade of about 1 meter tall materialized, protecting the whole group.

How did he do that…?

FRRRKKKKK.

Gunfire started, hitting the barricade but not us.

“Let’s retreat while we have the chance.” said Aki.

We nodded and headed towards the exit but we were stalled by two men with rifle from the outside.

Despite the blockage, Aki cued to rush through without worries. Seeing him and Meister without the fervor to counterattack had me some real doubt. Yet, I still put the trust on him and proceeded.

Splattered one and two, the stallers got sniped consecutively and it was bloody shattered to pieces right from their very skull.

Huh….?

What…?

My legs kept running but my mind was devastated watching the gruesome outcome. I ran…. Ran, until at a point I felt that I couldn’t continue running, but current conflict asserted me not to stop.

“…..”

I gulped deep and halted momentarily, as I saw the ride I supposed to get in, but didn’t see Kano anywhere.

Fizz.

“I know this sounds crazy, Hime. You should take the Mustang and drive it on your own.” –Kano.

What?!

Fizz.

“WHAT?! Where are you?!” –Aki.

Fizz.

“I’m supporting from distance. Where do you think I am? There’s no other choice, I have to keep delaying them.” –Kano.

I pushed the communication button for the first time.

Fizz.

“But I don’t have a license….! I don’t even know how to drive!” –Me

Fizz.

“HUH?! That’s even worse, you get back here Kano!” –Aki.

Fizz.

“Don’t ask the impossible, you stupid brother. Or there’s other option, leave your ‘baby’ behind.” –Kano.

Fizz.

“HELL FUCKING NO! HIME, I trust you with this! You’d better not scratch it!” –Aki.

Fizz.

“That is impossible, you silly!” –Me.

“THEY’RE HERE! GET THEM!”

Those pursuers were already on us.

Fizz.

“There’s not much time, I’ll brief you on how to operate it.” –Kano.

I’m doomed…!

It’s so chaotic and I had no choice, Aki’s ignorance to choose between leaving his treasure behind or leave it in my care… which is not better, urged me nothing but to follow their plan.

So I got into Mustang, on the driver seat.

By this time, Aki and Meister were already in the Corolla, drifting semi-circularly to leave the factory in haste.

Fizz.

“I’ll cover you.” –Yuki.

Yuki descended from the sky, violently slaughtering every person exiting the factory using her bare hands. There was also occasional fire support from afar which forced Inaros’ men to take cover from both of them.

Fizz.

“Hime, right pedal is for throttling and the middle pedal is for braking, press either of it to control the vehicle. Start the engine by pushing the red button near the steering while pressing the brake pedal.”

“Ahh…. Red button…. Red button….!”

I struggled to search this particularly important button yet when found, the engine hadn’t cranked at all.

Fizz.

“Kano senpai….! It isn’t running…!” –Me.

Fizz.

“Calm down, press the brake pedal at the same time.” –Kano.

B-brake p-pe-pedal..?

Right, it’s the middle one!

I did as she said and the engine eventually managed to run.

Fizz.

“Good, now shift the gearstick to D and pushed the P button behind it, the P light in odometer panel turns off. The car will start moving and control its direction using the steering.” –Kano.

“Aaah…. Ermmm….. ummmmmm…..! The gearstick…”

Shifted, the car jerked, and “Uwaahh..!” it startled me. The car still wasn’t moving.

Oh right…! The P!

As I pushed it, the car accelerated at slow pace.

“Ouh... ah…! It’s moving…!”

Frightened but thrilled, I gripped the steering wheel firmly and tried to get used to its control.

While I was busy learning the driving process, I couldn’t help but to watch Yuki slaughtering the enemies. The throat she sliced, the guts she crushed, and the blood she splashed were very…. brutal… dancing, like a wild animal on hunts….

Is that really Yuki…?

BOOOOOOOOM!

The facility’s entrance was blasted out of nowhere by physical means.

“Ahh…!”

The shock got me to accidently press the throttle pedal and caused the car to accelerate rapidly. Instead of worrying about Yuki, I steered the wheel under my control.

Fizz.

“You’re doing great. For now, follow Aki.” –Kano.

Fizz.

“Roger that!” –Me.

TANG!

During a certain sharp corner, the Mustang was slightly astray from the lane and it hit a pole.

Oh… no….

I’m definitely getting scolded…

As of now, I was carefully following Aki from meters behind. Left side he turned, the left I steered, and acceleration he performed, the throttle pedal I stepped on. The small convoy continued smoothly as there were hardly any other traffics.

Until… four vehicles showed up in the rear-view mirror.

We’re not escaping in peace….

Fizz.

“Aki…! What do we do?! We got company!” –Me.

Fizz.

“I see that. Make sure your hands are on the wheel, we’ll shake them off!” –Aki

Fizz.

“Wha….?! Don’t joke around with me….! I’m still amateur at driving!” –Me.

Fizz.

“Do it or die!” –Aki.

Fizz.

“No…! I just can’t….! I even hit something back then!” –Me.

Fizz.

“WHAT?!!!!! WHAT DID YOU HIT?!!!”

His anger added an explosion in the earpiece.

BOM!

Another mediocre explosion burst nearby and briefly distorted the car’s balance.

Fizz.

“Ahhhhhh…! I don’t think this is time for that!!!” –Me.

Fizz.

“No choice, I will personally kill you later. Just follow me!” –Aki.

What now?!

It’s a simple case whether to die now or to die later!

What did I do to deserve such predicament?!

Argghhhhhhh…..!

Aki and I began driving aggressively. Every possible intersection we encountered, we took turns at the very last moment. However, we still failed to lose them as they persisted on assaulting us. Time had come, we entered a highway and we found ourselves some traffics here especially truckers.

During all these masses, I had somehow adapted to driving very neatly.

We owned the road condescendingly, overtaking and slipping between trucks. Those pursuers were undoubtedly having hard time doing their job, as I could see them in the mirror. They had no chance on having a clear shot at us due to these truckers being reliable obstacles.

We’re doing it….!

I never know driving is so much fun!

Shrieeeeekkkkkkks

Aki abruptly went to the opposite road and drove through a ramp heading away from me.

“….”

“Ah….”

Yep, I missed that.

Observing the rear, one car was still chasing me while the other three vanished. And I started panicking, pressing the pedal even harder.

Fizz.

“A-A-Aki! I missed the turn…!” –Me

Fizz.

“You have only one pursuer on you, do something out of it! I’m going to be busy for a while!” –Aki

After that, I could never talk with him.

Fizz.

“Don’t worry, Hime. Just drive straight.” –Kano

Assured by Kano’s supportive order, I held my two hands steadily on the steering and continued driving at high speed.

VRRROOOOOOMMMM!

I could only hear the engine roaring as well as my heart beating. And every mile I took, I gradually lost sight of them.

Yosh, I might shake them off at this rate….

Not long after that, I saw a pole was wiggling from as far as my eyes could recognize. Getting closer, and closer….

“Yuki?!”

I passed her.

Looking at the mirror, she swung the pole like a baseball bat and knocked them away, literally…. Then, she jumped skywards after throwing the pole away.

PAP! Something landed on the roof.

What’s that…?

Her head suddenly popped out from the windshield with minor bleeding.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaahh………!!!!” It scared the hell out of me.

Her lips silently cued something ended with ‘dow’

Huh…?

“Oh…! Window.”

I rolled down the passenger window as per requested and Yuki nimbly hopped in through it. Exhaling a breath, she said,

“Thank you.”

Few seconds after she had taken a seat, I smelt something unpleasant…. Thus, I took a careful look at Yuki and my eyes were immediately enlarged.

“….!”

“—Yuki, you’re bleeding!”

There was a substantial wound in her right ribs yet she answered me very calmly,

“It’s nothing serious, it’ll heal over time.”

Not only the concerned wound, her whole body was covered in blood. There might be another fatal wound but I just couldn’t properly perceive them. It really made me worried.

“…”

Nevertheless, she insisted on carving a faint smile as to say, ‘it’s really not a big deal’. Afterwards, she took a more relaxing posture and concentrated on her breath.

The cabin became quieter, leaving only the engine vrooming.

For me, Yuki is a weirdly wonderful woman. She acts nicely to me, and complete opposite to enemies. Her capability to switch between hostility and kindness is staggering. I can’t help but to be reconciled around her.

Almost like a loyal pet…

“……”

I released some pressure from the pedal and the car decelerated to moderate speed.

I’ve settled the job here…. And…

Right…. I have no idea where am I….

After looking at the signboard leading to ‘Kasugai’, I believed I had strayed too far.

“Haa….” A simple sigh of mixed feelings.

Before I knew it, Yuki was already asleep and her wound was progressively healing at noticeable rate.

And I realized something even though I should have done it sooner….

These guys are nuts!

Forcing me to drive like a maniac….?!

Slaying people like it was nothing…….?!!

And how the hell is Yuki being so calm with this blood splashed all over her body?!?!

“….”

But something is off….

Albeit all these commotions, I have not seen a single police comes chasing us….

“……”

After taking minutes of leisure cruising on the empty highway, Aki finally opened a channel.

Fizz.

“Hime, are you okay?” –Aki

Fizz.

“Y-Yeah…. I’m totally fine… Somehow Yuki is also with me.” –Me

Fizz.

“I see…--“

POINT OF VIEW: HIROAKI KUZNETSOV

After Hime and Aki went separate road.

I looked at the rear-view mirror and my lovely Mustang wasn’t there.

Damn it…!

Where the hell did she go?

To make things less feasible, three of the pursuers were still chasing us.

Fizz.

““A-A-Aki!! I missed the turn…!” –Hime

Our surrounding was bombed back and forth without rest.

I dodged every explosion by steering the car as fast as I could.

Fizz.

“You have only one pursuer on you, do something out of it! I’m going to be busy for a while!” –Me

Looks like they’ve begun making aggressive move.

Fizz.

“Don’t worry, Hime. Just drive straight.” –Kano

“We can’t lose them at this rate, I’ll cover you.” Said Meister, taking a shotgun from the back seat and rolled down the window.

Popping his half body out of the window, he fired a few loud shots.

While Meister was busy counterattacking, I took every sharp corner, slipped through valleys and even sped up at full throttle. Regardless of these difficulties, one peculiar pursuer still persisted on taking us down.

“Oy…Oy… Iykos… Is that…?”

Staring properly with his enhanced vision, he replied,

“Yeah…. It’s Inaros.”

“He really wants the prototype so badly…”

“Guess so.”

Inaros chasing us means that Yuki has been defeated…

I hope she’s okay…

“Hang on tight! I’m going to-----“

-Time stopped-

SSSSSSssssssssssssssSsssssSSSSSSSSss

I heard a strange noise in my head and my vision was grayed as I observed myself driving to the right after an intersection then into certain paths, leading to a coastal area.

A... Precognition…?

-Time resumed-

Nearing the said intersection, I turned right by mistake.

What was that…?

I did that without thinking…

This might be a trap. There’s no way I can see future out of the blue, unless…. Someone is forcing a spell on me. Is that so… I should contradict to what have been told,

Wait….

If he knew I would not follow him, I’m just falling deeper into his trap….

There’s no way I can solve this, let’s just see what the precognition has to offer…

“What’s wrong?” asked Meister when seeing me in deep thought.

“…Nah…. Nothing, we’ll make a run!”

I increased the velocity, heading towards the foretold future.

“….”

Eventually, we arrived the coastal area and it was nothing there, no one, only a serene scenery.

“I don’t see Inaros.” Said Meister.

Did he stop chasing?

Impossible…

Definitely….

….?!

“EVADE KUZNETSOZ!” yelled Meister.

It was too late.

By the time I tried to react, airbag had been deployed as well as a raucous crash had beaten my right eardrum. I blinked once, then I saw the sky was rolling upside down so quickly and my whole body, rotated along with the car.

Smashed the ground, the car continued to roll over, denting and crashing the frames. Until it finally stopped once the momentum was no longer in effect.

“Ughh…..”

“Uhhh…………..”

“….”

“Are you okay….?” I asked, as my head still hurting.

“Ha…”

We both slammed our respective door and crawled out. After I got to see the full view of the crash, I noticed the damages came not only from the collision but also from Excalibur which I put at the backseat.

Thank god that gigantic piece of metal didn’t hit any of us…

I pulled out Excalibur by the hilt, the result had further torn the car apart.

“Hmph.” I heard a dire hum from the upper ground. At the same time, I sensed a powerful existence near a dock.

On the upper ground, Inaros was scowling while holding the prototype suitcase and at the dock, an Elf was carefully observing us.

“How did he get the suitcase…?” asked Meister in worries.

“Perhaps it fell out during the crash…”

Meister was having heavy injury in his ankle and by the look of it, he wouldn’t be able to initiate a fight. I had to choose, either to steal the suitcase or confront the Elf. Both were an important matter to me.

I stroke the Excalibur and drove a shockwave to Inaros. However, the shockwave dissipated almost instantly once it touched him.

I guess his ability is still troublesome….

Annoyed by the feeble threat, Inaros raised his voice,

“ARE you MAKING fun of ME?”

“Nah… not really, I was just testing the water since I don’t quite remember how I killed you… To be honest, it was too easy to be remembered.”

Inaros’s blood started to boil and a violent twister emerged around him. As he was ready to return fire, the Elf spoke,

“We’d better stop it right here, Inaros. Further agitation is unnecessary.”

The swirling wind had calmed down. Clicking his dead tongue, he retreated and vanished from our sight along with the suitcase.

My eyes were immediately altered towards the Elf who was about to take his own leave.

“Wait!”

He stopped half-way and glared at me, without the intention to speak.

“—What are you doing here in Japan?” I asked, knowing he would not open his lips for me.

His reticent expression remained unanswered. Soon, he disappeared.

The reason I didn’t put up a fight was because, I kind of knew the Elf. Insane undead aside, he would be a formidable opponent if he decided to join force with Inaros. Not to mention, Meister wasn’t in the state to do so. All in all, two versus one wasn’t my cup of tea.

What even not my cup of tea is… it’s so quiet…

No police no authorities?

I should better check on that stupid girl…

I pushed the communication button.

Fizz.

“Hime, are you okay?” –Me.

Fizz.

“Y-Yeah…. I’m totally fine… Somehow Yuki is also with me.” –Hime

Fizz.

“I see… How about you Kano, any news during the scout?” –Me

Fizz.

“Not something pleasant to tell here though.” –Kano

Fizz.

“Okay. By the way guys, mission failed. Let’s go back for now.” –Me

Fizz.

“Roger that.” –Kano

“Eh…huh…? Ha…. But I’m lost!” –Hime

That girl….

I exhaled a breath.

Fizz.

“Kano send the coordinate of our home.” –Me

Fizz.

“Got that. Hime, a map will show up in the screen at the middle. Just follow the navigation until you reach the destination.” –Kano

Fizz.

“Understood…. I got the image and I’m on the way….” –Hime

Fizz.

“One more thing, just make sure you’re not encountering any police.” –Kano

Fizz.

“P-po-police…?! Why?!” –Hime

Fizz.

“Obviously because you don’t have license, and Yuki is drenched in blood, right?” –Kano

Fizz.

“Ah….! Aahhh….! I forgot about that!” –Hime

Fizz.

“Oy! Don’t you crash anything out there!” –Me

Fizz.

“Sorry!” –Hime

O..oy…!

After the sudden apologize, I tried to scold Hime through the channel but her voice could not be heard anymore.

I’m really worried about my car….

She should be able to use her skill to imitate my driving skill. It should be okay…

Well, if not…

I’ll just have to punish her later…