He hadn’t expected this and was clearly confused. What we were doing looked like just another performance, and we’d already convinced the audience.
“Demonic Middle Manager! You’re an old man now. Don’t you think you’re getting carried away with those flashy moves of yours? You’ll throw out your hip if you’re not careful! Give up and submit to me before you startle yourself to death!”
“Now, now, Masked Sailor. An ally of justice who uses her youth to assert dominance will be abandoned by viewers the moment they grow up. Nobody has lower back pain because they want it. Humans are not made to live sitting down!”
As we said our lines, the tune playing onstage changed to a fierce, up-tempo number. The VTubers, initially confused, began to sing along. We probably had Type Twelve to thank for this little bonus. On the giant screen, the 3D models started to dance energetically.
We, too, used the entire stage for our action scene.
“And yet, fiend, a job that keeps you on your feet is no more enjoyable!” shouted Ms. Futarishizuka as she struck a cool pose.
In response, a hologram appeared onstage. Reminiscent of a magic circle from the otherworld, it materialized before her palm as she held it out toward the Demonic Middle Manager. Light began to converge at its center, and a moment later, it fired something that looked just like a magical girl’s Magical Beam.
We were combining our blocking with stage effects created from the mechanical life-form’s midair displays. Just as the beam hit, another effect created a huge explosion with me right at the center.
The audience cheered. The whole thing must have looked great.
“Graaahhh!”
The Demonic Middle Manager shrieked and backed up, staggering toward the edge of the stage. I was completely unharmed, of course.
I moved to a spot behind the curtain at the side of the stage where the audience couldn’t see me, right beside the gun-toting terrorist. I was able to get up close to the target, just as we’d planned.
The terrorist still seemed confused by what was going on. He couldn’t seem to decide if this was part of the program, or if I was coming for him, or if I was some kind of unforeseen intruder. In the meantime, I got close enough to exchange words with him.
“The mechanical life-form is quite attached to this event,” I said. “If you interfere with it, there will be no room for negotiation. Any further contact will only be disadvantageous for us both. Would you mind leaving the venue?”
I removed the gun from my pocket and leveled it at the psychic. I’d borrowed it from Miss Hoshizaki.
“If you do as I ask, I can guarantee your safety.”
“……”
He thought about this. I could hear him muttering. He probably had a transmitter and was communicating with some other party. I tried to listen in, but the booming speakers drowned out his voice.
My own lines had stopped being transmitted to the speakers. Type Twelve was managing the situation so anything I said offstage couldn’t be heard by the audience. Having a mechanical life-form around sure was handy.
The terrorist only hesitated for a moment. Then he dropped his gun, raised his hands above his head, and took a step forward, as if to follow my advice. Not only was an A-rank psychic waiting nearby, but several other bureau employees were also in the facility. I assumed he’d decided escape was impossible.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the man’s psychic power. But there was no point in using that as an excuse to hesitate. We didn’t have the time to mull things over.
Having secured the terrorist, the Demonic Middle Manager took this chance to shift his attention back to the stage. The Masked Sailor was out in the middle, looking toward the wings. I gave her a small nod and got another in reply. Seeing that, the Demonic Middle Manager headed back out.
“Masked Sailor! If you value this man’s life, then you will do as I say.”
“Taking a hostage after all that?! What a tired plot point!”
I’d brought the terrorist along, and I made a show of pointing my gun at his head.
By now, we had this in the bag. The Masked Sailor would defeat the conceited Demonic Middle Manager. The fallen demon would exit the stage. Ms. Futarishizuka would recover the hostage, then take him away with her incredible physical abilities. That was how I saw things going.
But as I was thinking about how to proceed, I noticed my coworker acting strange. No sooner had she whipped out her animated comeback than she appeared to shudder.
“Indeed. Very, very dull. Things like this should be put to a stop quickly.”
And then, suddenly, the intonation was gone from her voice.
Her face was hidden behind her helmet. I couldn’t see anything past the mirrored visor. But I got the impression her voice wasn’t the only thing that had suddenly changed.
“Sacrifices can be tolerated for the sake of justice. Destroying the false believers takes priority over all else.”
“……”
What she was saying sounded oddly like her, and yet also not. Either way, her words concerned me.
I didn’t want to consider it, but if my guess was correct, our lives were in danger.
Just to be sure, I fired my gun. The bullet struck her in the leg.
She ignored it, and with a ghastly expression, closed in on me. She moved more slowly than usual, dragging her injured leg. And yet her superhuman physical abilities were intact, and a moment later, her fist was right in front of me.
“Ngh!” I immediately bent backward, putting up a barrier spell. Her fist brushed the tip of my nose, and I heard a whoosh of air. “Masked Sailor, don’t you see the hostage in my possession?!”
“Death to heretics. Justice will be executed.”
“Justice? Don’t you care if all these good people die?!”
“They are not victims. Not sacrifices. You must understand; they are offerings to our god.”
Now what? The Masked Sailor’s personality had just taken a dangerous turn.
With the Demonic Middle Manager in a daze, my gun no longer trained on the hostage, the terrorist took a few steps away from me. The Masked Sailor didn’t react at all.
Was Ms. Futarishizuka’s change related to his psychic power?
I’d previously met psychics capable of influencing other people’s minds. One had targeted a bunch of bystanders in Miss Hoshizaki’s neighborhood and caused a riot. Compared to that, this power seemed a lot more polished. Ms. Futarishizuka was still talking, after all.
For the time being, I assumed his power could hijack the mind of his target and bend them to his will.
But just then, I sensed danger from somewhere else—a sudden bang went off behind the stage.
Argh. Now what?