(T/N: Powerstone goal reach!
Enjoy.)
------------
Too much time had been wasted at the Chiba Police Department. Now, it was too late to cook dinner. He would probably have to order takeout.
Haruto hailed a taxi by the roadside.
Even though he was faster than a car himself.
But in a world filled with surveillance cameras, it was best not to expose anything abnormal.
Protect cognition!
Just as Haruto was waiting for a cab by the roadside, he heard panting and hurried footsteps coming from a nearby alley.
The sound came from deep within the alley.
If not for his keen senses, he wouldn't have heard it at all.
Haruto frowned and opened his system panel.
No reaction from the anomaly monitor.
Clearly, it wasn't an anomaly.
Since that was the case...
Just as Haruto was about to ignore it, he suddenly felt that the panting sounded rather familiar. So, carrying his bags, he swiftly headed into the alley.
Once out of the surveillance cameras' range, he stepped onto the wall and moved silently above the alleyways.
Following the sound, turning left and right, he finally found the source of the panting.
It was a blonde girl.
No wonder it sounded familiar.
Haruto revealed an "I see" expression.
Below, in the alley, two girls were running fast.
Leading the way was the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, Shinomiya Kaguya. Behind her, wielding a dagger to cover their retreat, was the ever-reliable maid, Hayasaka Ai.
It was a rare sight.
After all, it was uncommon to see the Shinomiya heiress fleeing in such a disheveled state.
With the new school term approaching, Kaguya had attended a gathering of Japan's aristocrats. The attendees were all crucial pieces of Japan's future.
A banker's son would become a banker.
A politician's son would become a politician.
And as the eldest daughter of one of the four great financial conglomerates, Kaguya's role at the party was to gather useful allies.
Most of these aristocratic heirs were set to enroll in Shuchiin Academy. Her attendance allowed them to recognize her and understand their place in the school hierarchy.
However, the location of the banquet and Kaguya's departure route seemed to have been leaked.
As she was leaving the party, Kaguya's vehicle was attacked by snipers. While the car windows and doors were bulletproof, the tires were not.
Ultimately, with the help of Shinomiya family bodyguards, Kaguya and her personal maid, Hayasaka Ai, began their escape. As they ran, Hayasaka Ai attentively listened to the footsteps behind them.
Unfortunately, they hadn't managed to gain enough distance from their pursuers.
And now, the gap was closing.
"Miss, keep running ahead! Shinomiya family reinforcements will arrive soon!"
Hayasaka Ai suddenly spoke.
Kaguya froze for a moment, then immediately replied coldly,
"You're coming with me. I forbid you from staying behind, Hayasaka! That's an order!"
Kaguya instantly understood Hayasaka Ai's intentions.
However, while Kaguya was usually cold and rational, when it came to Hayasaka Ai, she couldn't act purely on logic.
"Miss, please don't be stubborn at a time like this. My purpose is to act in moments like these."
Hayasaka Ai spoke coldly.
Though Kaguya had excellent physical ability, she was still no match for professionally trained attackers.
If they kept running together, they would be caught before reinforcements arrived.
Hayasaka Ai stopped, dagger in hand, ready to fight to the death.
"Hayasaka!" Kaguya shouted as she saw Hayasaka halt.
But Hayasaka ignored her.
Kaguya was filled with anxiety. With a desperate mindset, she shouted,
"Hayasaka Ai, don't you want to see Haruto again?!"
In Kaguya's mind, Hayasaka Ai would defy her orders for Haruto's sake. So, maybe bringing him up would make Hayasaka keep running.
Hayasaka Ai: ?
Hearing her lady's nonsense, Hayasaka Ai was dumbfounded.
What do you mean, "Don't you want to see Haruto again?"
That sounded like they had some kind of relationship!
Why would she want to see that black-hearted president again?
To throw herself into exploitation?
Did her lady bathe last night and let water get into her brain?!
Even someone as highly trained as Hayasaka Ai was mentally shaken. At that moment, a voice came from behind them,
"Eh? So, Hayasaka actually really wants to see me?"
Hayasaka Ai's body trembled.
In that instant, her heart rode a rollercoaster of emotions.
First, relief and relaxation.
That was Haruto's voice. And she knew just how terrifyingly powerful this black-hearted president was.
Even if the enemies had RPGs, they were just delivering themselves to death. Then, intense worry and tension.
Her lady had been fixated on this inhuman, black-hearted president for a while now. And he, too, had shown interest in the Four Great Financial Conglomerates.
Hayasaka Ai didn't care about the Shinomiya family.
But she did care about Shinomiya Kaguya.
So, she had always kept the two of them apart. Yet now, they had met face to face. And in the end, it was pure social death.
Hayasaka Ai wanted to cry but had no tears.
What kind of nonsense had her lady just spouted?
Now, Hayasaka Ai was utterly socially dead! At this moment, she had absolutely no desire to turn around.
She had a strong sense of not wanting to face reality. She could already imagine the expression on that black-hearted, scummy president's face.
Meanwhile, Kaguya immediately turned her head warily. She saw a handsome young man standing in the alley behind them.
He was holding several large shopping bags, seemingly filled with clothes.
And that face… Kaguya found it familiar. It was the very person she had investigated for so long without any results—Takamine Haruto.
Kaguya's mind worked rapidly before she grabbed Hayasaka Ai's hand, leaned in, and whispered,
"Let's keep running and let him block these people for us."
Hayasaka Ai, being pulled by her lady, turned back with a hopeless expression. Sure enough, past her lady, she saw Haruto's amused expression.
It was as if his face was saying: So Miss Hayasaka Ai wanted to see me this badly, huh?
"…My lady, I don't think we need to run anymore."
Hayasaka Ai said helplessly.
Although she didn't want her lady to encounter that scummy president, Hayasaka Ai had to admit that, at this moment, being next to Haruto was the safest place to be.
Leaving rashly now might lead to encountering even more attackers.
Kaguya's eyes widened at her words.
"Hayasaka! You love him so much that you're willing to face death together with him?!"
Hayasaka Ai: !?
Hayasaka Ai reached out and covered her lady's mouth. At this moment, she really wanted to die.
What on earth was her lady saying?!
Why did she have such an absurd misunderstanding?!
Hayasaka Ai carefully reviewed her words, actions, and expressions. She found nothing that could have misled her lady.
So… her lady must have gone crazy.
Yes, that must be it.
Haruto, listening from the side, could barely hold it in.
In Hayasaka Ai's memory, Kaguya was supposed to be highly intelligent and ruthlessly efficient. But now, seeing her like this… why did she seem so goofy?
(T/N: That fcking gap moe bro, I'M FUCKING COM-, overloads me with cuteness!)
There must be something wrong with the way this situation unfolded. At that moment, a dense wave of footsteps echoed from the other end of the alley.
A group of men in black rushed toward them.
"Mmm! Mmm mmm mmm mmm!"
Kaguya, her mouth still covered, struggled and made muffled noises, trying to get Hayasaka Ai to run with her.
But Hayasaka Ai simply tightened her grip over her lady's mouth.
After thinking for a moment, she used her other hand to cover her lady's eyes as well.
Kaguya: ?
Seeing this, Haruto put down the bags in his hands and slowly stepped forward.
"Miss Hayasaka, do you think these people belong to any of the other four major financial conglomerates?"
Haruto asked curiously.
He really hoped these people were from one of the other three conglomerates.
If he could extract some memories and uncover information, he might dig up a high-ranking figure from one of the four financial giants.
Then, he could just storm in, take over the conglomerate, and be done with it.
Thinking of this, Haruto excitedly rubbed his hands together. Hayasaka Ai, knowing exactly what he was thinking, shook her head.
"Not sure."
The Shinomiya family was too massive.
And a big tree attracts the wind.
Countless people and organizations wanted to take down the Shinomiya family. Who knew if these guys were from one of the other four conglomerates?
Hearing this, Haruto shrugged helplessly.
"Oh well."
By now, the group of men in black had already closed in.
"Kid, there's a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it. Instead, you barge into hell!"
(T/N: Yea, I aint editing that, that shits funny XD.
I cant really get enough with NPC's spouting nonsense.)
The leader, wielding a machete, sneered coldly. Hearing this, Haruto instantly lost interest. These weren't trained assassins at all. Compared to Hayasaka Ai, they were worlds apart.
His expectations were completely dashed.
--------------
(T/N: So, we got 2 Ai's.....
To avoid confusion into the further future; Me, Myself, and I have decided to just write the full name during narration.)