Himeji – [4] Shiori – 「 I’m not a stalker! Eh, I’ve been looking at that guy for a long time. No. This is a misunderstanding! So please! Don’t drag my hand! Please, don’t take me away!」

第4話、詩織「私はストーカーではありません！え、ずっとあの男を見てたから、いえ誤解なんです！だからお願いします！手を引っ張らないで！お願いだから連れて行こうとしないで！」

Chapter 4 – Shiori –  I’m not a stalker! Eh, I’ve been looking at that guy for a long time. No. This is a misunderstanding! So please! Don’t drag my hand! Please, don’t take me away!

Himeji Shiori, a combat studies student, is currently at the First Bank of Japan. Right now, she is carrying out the mission that was assigned to her. The 『Combat Studies』 school that she attends is a special organization separate from the Police and Self-Defense Forces. It was created to train talented elites and enable them to contribute to Japan.

The curriculum at the Combat Academy is to have students with 『combat skills』 carry out work that has been approved by the government, corporations, and municipalities.

Although the school is an integrated junior high, high school, and university, most students enter the school in junior high, and only a few transfer in.

She had the talent 『Combat skills』. A test conducted when she was in elementary school revealed that she had combat power. After graduating from elementary school, she enrolled in the Combat Academy and developed her strength to the point where she was called a child prodigy.

Now in her first year of high school, she has been recognized as one of the top ten students in the combat school.

The mission she was given this time was to guard a bank. The government had obtained information that an organisation was planning to attack the First Bank of Japan and the scheduled date for the attack is today.

The government thought of having the police and Self-Defense Forces waiting inside the bank in disguise, but decided against it due to the possibility of alarming them. If the criminals slipped away this time, If they miss today, the Japanese government doesn’t know when they will obtain the next set of information.

As a result, it was decided that students from combat studies will be dispatched to capture them.

They are students… kids… But they are humans who have far more enhanced physical abilities compared to a normal adult. Therefore, they aren’t suspicious and Shiroi, along with two other students from combat studies, have infiltrated the bank.

The police, the Self-Defense Forces, and the Combat Studies faculty are standing by in buildings, stores, and trucks located a hundred meters away from the bank building.
They were as well-prepared as possible.
But then the biggest irregularity occurred.
It all started with the discovery of that conspicuous man.

(That guy has been suspicious …… for a while now, and that’s weird.)
Shiori thought as she spotted the man.

(Should I be on the lookout? But there’s no way that someone that suspicious is a member of a criminal organization……, right?)

If he was a criminal, he wouldn’t be doing anything conspicuous, but being upstairs, she couldn’t understand the situation from a distance.

There was no one around the man. No, they’re moving away. The reason was simple. It was the atmosphere the man was giving off. The suit and sunglasses. It’s like the clothes of a spy in some movie.

「I don’t understand……」

Then she became surprised

(What the hell is going on?!)

Two security guards approached him. She had hoped that by them contacting him, they would be able to get him out or otherwise contain the situation.
His mere presence at this place Shiori was hoping that he would leave as soon as possible.

But when the security guard stopped beside him and was about to speak to him, he stood up and started walking to the counter, as if by chance his number had been called.

And to my surprise, it was the two security guards who were staring at him while sweating and shivering.

(What the hell is that look on the guard’s face?!)

It looked like they were afraid of something and couldn’t move.

(What the hell happened to them?)

Could it be…

Is it him? According to my information, they are experienced guards. So why are they so afraid of him?

He just stood up. That’s all Shiori could see.
Something invisible is happening ……?
Shiori was convinced. That’s not good. ……

As he approached, the face of the woman sitting at the counter had fear written all over it.

I can tell.

Shiori and her companions had gone on many rugged and terrifying missions. And there were many times when she was ready to die.

The face that the counter lady is showing now is exactly the face of her companions at that time.

The face she shows now is not the face of an ordinary person.It’s an expression while facing the death reaper.

(What the hell? ! What the hell is going on?)

I don’t know! He just walked up to her, so why is she so terrified?

From the side, he looks like an idiot. So why is she so afraid of him?

「No way!」

Shiori raised her voice. The hypothesis that she had come up with.
（Accidental discharge of ability……）

Yesterday, a new student arrived at the combat school. He had coincidentally displayed an ability at his old school, so the committee re-examined him. As a result, he was concluded to have an ability, and he was admitted to the combat school. However, such cases are rarely discovered by retesting. If it were true, it would have been confirmed by a test when he was in elementary school.

Then I realized.

(How could this be a coincidence? In this bank! On this day! At this time! A man who accidentally activated his ability appeared! There’s no such coincidence!)

And I drew one conclusion.

(He’s from the enemy organization!)

Shiori hurriedly contacted two of her friends.
「I have concluded that the man at the counter is an enemy. The subject possesses combat power and ability. Please make preparations to secure him as soon as possible.」

『Understood. I have grasped the current situation. I will try to neutralize the enemy on your mark.』
『Likewise, we will activate our abilities anytime.』
「The enemy’s capabilities are unknown. Please do not be distracted.」

The two people that Shiori contacted have combat abilities. At the same time, they have the ability 『To see through』 and 『Manipulate Gravity』 respectively.

The plan was to have my comrades hide above the ceiling, use their clairvoyance to get the location of the enemy, use gravity manipulation to block the enemy’s movement, and then Shiori would capture them.

It was determined that it would be enough to capture one person from the enemy organization for this mission.

With Shiori’s ability, this number is irrelevant. All that mattered is that there was a single living person.

By any chance when the target is captured, even if the members of the enemy organization start to move, my teammate can block them with gravity control and reap their consciousness. But in some cases, this may take their lives. Hence, we are aiming to capture the first member that comes out

Then he did something terrifying.

（What’s in his pocket?! No way, he’s even carrying a weapon! ）

Even though he had both combat power and ability, he even possessed a weapon. My alert level for him went up even higher.

「Commence operation!」

I hurriedly gave the order. The ceiling above him began to warp in space.

That’s a phenomenon that appears when gravity is manipulated. He was going to be hit by a powerful gravitational force and his body would be pressed against the ground.
However…

（It disappeared?! ）

The warping of space that had been created on the ceiling suddenly disappeared.
What the hell is going on?
In that instant when Shiori was trying to radio in, she looked at him and realized the situation. Right now, he is looking at the ceiling.

What?! No way!

As Shiori thought that it was impossible, she was trying to grasp the current situation. At that moment, a call came in from the radio.

『Shiori-san, ……, the subject seems to be aware of our presence. He …. looked directly at my clairvoyant eyes 』
『I have also deactivated the ability… It was as if …… he had been aware of it all along. If I activated the ability now, he could have taken some action 』

That’s right. This operation cannot continue without capturing the first enemy member you find.

And now he has the location of two of her friends. Possibly even me.

What the hell is his ability?
Brainwashing to terrify the opponent.
A restraint system that stops the opponent’s movement.
Sensory ability to find out where the other person is.
An encroachment system that causes harm to the opponent’s body

From what I had seen of him, it was possible that he possessed all of these powers. But something was wrong. There should only be one type of ability that can be acquired along with combat power.

There is currently no record of any confirmed combat studies student having more than one ability. None have been discovered.

Currently, the subject’s power is unknown.
They recognized who Shiori and the others were when he sensed their location.
There are many ordinary people in the bank building, including bank officials.
It was possible that the abilities of her two friends were discovered.
The whereabouts of the other enemy members are unknown.

We are at an overwhelming disadvantage.
This is the result of whatever information Shiroi has for now.
However, there’s something he doesn’t know yet.

It’s Shiori’s ability.
I have no choice but to go.

Shiori made up her mind and turned on her radio.

「I will contact the subject and capture him before he can harm any civilians.」

And relayed her intentions to take action.

「If there’s an opening, don’t worry about me. Activate gravity to the limit. Worst case scenario, it is fine not to guarantee my life and the subject.」

『But. What then?! 』
「Do not let him go unchecked. He may be a single target, but he may have more power than me alone.」
『What?!』
「There is no time. Let’s start the operation..」

It was a painful decision.
He’s probably a strong man.
But, I had to go head-to-head with him.

I might lose.
This is an enemy I’ve never felt before.
An enemy with a power I’ve never felt before.
Her instincts were telling her that she might lose.
But then, Shiori had a thought about him.
If he were on my side, ……

Shiori got up from her seat and started walking to where he was.