Tonight’s target only ever left his house once or twice a year. Their home was heavily guarded, and investigating its internal structure had been impossible. Did the target live alone? Even finding out how many security personnel there were hadn’t been doable.
In the end, Sousei’s sister had decided that their only chance would be on one of the rare occasions the target left the house.
…Not that I have any objections.
His sister had come up with a plan.
Sousei would jump from the building he was currently on and enter through the ninth floor of the opposite building. Then he’d neutralize the target along with his bodyguards.
His sister had also considered having him infiltrate the target building ahead of time. However, thorough safety checks had been conducted prior to the target’s arrival. Even if Sousei hid, there was a possibility that he’d be found. The target was extremely cautious. The outing would undoubtedly be canceled if the security detail discovered any suspicious people.
Lying in wait for the target wouldn’t work. Their only feasible option was a surprise attack.
Still, isn’t there a better a better way to go about this…?
“Sousei?”
“Yes, Sis?”
“It’s almost time.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass.”
His sister’s tone was soft rather than accusatory, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she wasn’t angry. Sousei felt a choking sensation in his chest.
“…Sorry, Sis.”
“It’s all good, Sousei.”
Did his sister really accept his apology? Sousei couldn’t tell.
…I have no idea what my sister is thinking… Speaking of things I have no idea about, there’s also Shiramori…
She had suddenly asked him to go out with her. That caught him completely off guard, and he had said yes without thinking.
…I still don’t really get it. Does this mean I’m Shiramori’s boyfriend? Wait. Does that mean Shiramori is my girlfriend? Whoa…
Sousei pressed a hand to his chest and wet his suddenly dry lips.
…This is weird. That’s absurd. I mean…me and Shiramori— Oh, that’s right, I’m supposed to call her Asumi. A-Asumi? No, no, no, no. It’s impossible. I can’t. It’s inconceivable, I tell you! And why, out of everyone, would she pick me in the first place…? Wait…does that mean that Shiramori might…like…me? Whaaaaaaaaaat? No…that’d be weird. It would, right? Yeah, definitely weird…
“Sousei?”
“Yeah?”
“Were you spacing out just now?”
“…Nooooooo?”
“Really?” His sister let out a small sigh and then asked again in an extremely low voice, “Are you sure?”
Sousei couldn’t answer. He’d probably incur his sister’s wrath regardless of whether he said yes or no. The only option was to stay silent.
“Focus. Prepare for entry,” his sister said.
“Roger.”
Sousei looked at the ninth floor of the building opposite and then stepped back from the edge of the roof.
For a long jump, he’d need at least 130 feet for a running start. But this rooftop barely gave him 65.
“I’m ready.”
His sister gave the order. “Get inside.”
Sousei started running. It wasn’t that he felt fear, exactly, but it wasn’t enjoyable, either. If he had to describe it, he’d say it was unpleasant. Really unpleasant.
It doesn’t matter how used to it I am; it never stops being unpleasant…
Sousei pushed off the edge of the roof and vaulted from the building.
Apparently, I have a girlfriend now…
The opposite building was rapidly approaching.
That’s not really something I should be thinking about while I’m flying through the air…
He saw the tenth floor first.
Then came the ninth.
Sousei was spot-on, just like in the simulations based on his sister’s calculations.
He used both of his arms to protect his head as he crashed into the ninth floor’s thick windows. It was one hell of an impact. The sound was horrible. Sousei tumbled onto the shiny polished floor along with shards of glass, getting covered head to toe in blood. His body wasn’t listening to what he was telling it to do.
“Are you in?”
“…Yes,” Sousei said weakly.
He was already starting to pass out. It didn’t seem like he’d be able to stand up, so he had no choice but to crawl forward. He had glass shards sticking out of him from head to toe, but he couldn’t feel any pain at all.
…I’m…pretty much…at death’s door…
The ninth and tenth floors of this building housed special facilities. The regular elevator only went up to the eighth floor, and then there was a private elevator that connected the ground floor to the ninth. Half of the ninth floor served as the entrance hall for these facilities, and another elevator or the stairs provided access to the tenth floor.
Guests who walked past the lines of glass display cases containing splendid armor and helmets, expensive sculptures, and beautiful flower arrangements would eventually come across a certain hallway. To the left of the hallway was the entrance to the private elevator, and to the right were the stairs and elevator that led to the tenth floor.
According to his sister’s predictions, the target should have taken the private elevator up to the ninth floor and would be passing through that hallway to head to the tenth floor any moment now.
Ahhh…
Sousei had failed to reach the hallway.
I guess it’s not possible…
He could hear the sound of footsteps.
His vision wasn’t simply blurry—it was almost pitch-black. He couldn’t see a thing.
“Who the hell is this?!” someone shouted. It was probably the target’s bodyguard.
An instant later, Sousei was shot by a handgun.
Security personnel often chose to carry semiautomatic handguns, which were also popular for self-defense, but their accuracy in actual combat conditions was relatively low, even when being used by a trained marksman. The bodyguard knew from a glance that Sousei was seriously wounded and barely breathing. He had approached and shot him from about ten feet away. Ultra-close range. There was no way he could’ve missed. He nailed Sousei right in the head.
The bodyguard didn’t just fire once. He made sure to put three rounds in Sousei’s head. It was pretty much instant death.
…Someone once said that death was like a sleep that you never wake up from…
Even after he started breathing again, Sousei remained motionless.
But that’s not exactly right. It might just be me, but…I’d say it’s more like suddenly winding up in a very small place and not being able to move. Ah, and I can somehow tell that I’ve died…
“It’s all right now, Mr. Sakayanagi,” the bodyguard said.
Sakayanagi was the name of the target. The bodyguard left Sousei and returned to his ward.
The length of the hallway was about fifty feet between the private elevator and the elevator that went up to the tenth floor. Sousei had entered just as Sakayanagi and his bodyguards had gotten off the elevator and walked about sixteen feet. There were four bodyguards wearing suits. One of them, Bodyguard A, had shot Sousei. Bodyguard B had been covering Bodyguard A. The other two, Bodyguards C and D, were focusing on guarding Sakayanagi.