Chapter 10 – This Is Basically a Date, Right?

◇《POV: Renma (Miyama)》

“…Well, obviously.”

The factory facility in northern H Prefecture was already an empty shell, and anything related to Minegi Workshop, Ltd. had been wiped out down to the last piece.

“Abandoning a facility at this scale completely—what is their budget even like?”

“The ‘massive evil organization’ title isn’t just for show.”

It’s probably trespassing, but there’s no one here to call us out on it.

Keeping an eye out for traps, I slap up barricade tape wherever, nice and sloppy.

“There’s a lot of cursed energy lingering around here. Help me seal it off so ordinary people don’t wander in.”

“Okaaay.”

-Do we really even need to do that?

-No one’s gonna come here anyway

-He’s weirdly serious about the strangest stuff

-Serious? That’s gotta be a hallucination

-HYAAHHA!!

-Let’s hold a review hearing first

“What the hell is a ‘review hearing’?”

“Miyama-kun! I’m done over here!”

“Then do that area next.”

“Roger!”

Honestly, we’ve got time to kill until Yuuri gets back to us.

From the enemy’s point of view, it probably looks like we’re just standing around—that’s the downside—but it’s better than running around pointlessly. Saves stamina and cursed energy.

“Miyama-kun! I found something weird!”

In Shinano’s hand is something like a seed.

“Hey, hey…”

It looks like a green pea, and even a genius like me can barely sense it—just a faint leak of cursed energy.

“That’s a cursed tool.”

“Huh!? It is!?”

“It’s harmless for now, but we don’t know what it’ll do. Ideally, I want to hold onto it myself.”

Worst-case, even if it goes berserk, there’s a good chance I can handle it.

“No, I think we shouldn’t.”

“Why? You like the shape?”

“It’s a gut feeling, but… it’s like our cursed energy is getting drained…”

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

If we keep holding it, it’ll siphon cursed energy from both of us.

But leaving it inside a factory with high cursed-energy density is also bad.

A convenient place to stash it would be…

“Shinano, can you store it in the drone?”

“Mmm, probably not! Can I put it in Sero’s pocket instead?”

“Fine. Do that.”

“…Ugh, he had this in here too? That’s disgusting.”

Shinano pulls out something like an egg-shaped remote.

A cord runs from the remote into Sero’s pants, and—

-Ah (I get it)

-This is bad

-Yep, that’s a wrap

-Disgusting

-HYAAHHA!!

-Ooh

“…Shinano. Turn it on.”

“Okaaay.”

With dead fish eyes, Shinano stares down at Sero.

Hard to believe she was into him just a little while ago.

“Mmm…”

“Huh? Miyama-kun, what’s wrong…?”

Hey, don’t look at me like that!

You can tell just by looking that it’s not attached to me, right!?

“It’s Yuuri. Sounds like she found him.”

Minegi Shirou is currently moving by car.

And on the roof, Yuuri was clinging on like the protagonist of an action movie.

“So you can tell Yuuri-san’s location, right?”

“Yeah. Contractors can share each other’s position. If we move around in a figure-eight dance pattern, we can even send light messages.”

That said, Minegi Shirou’s car got caught in traffic of all things.

If we make a move carelessly, we’ll draw attention.

So we’re stuck watching from a distance away from the car.

“After we took out most of the assassins, it’s kinda boring now.”

“And who do you think took them out?”

“Mmm, Miyama-kun, I guess? Thanks!”

“NGH!!”

Stop! Don’t smile at me at a time like this!

You’re too cute—I’m gonna fall for you!!

-Somebody call a bomber

-Yeah! Delete her!

-Why are you flirting right now

-Go attack Minegi Shirou already

-HYAAHHA!!

-Streamer’s the one who gets attacked, as always

“Hah, hah…”

“Huh? Was it really that high output!?”

“Of course it was!!”

I already have a soul that’s weak to cute girls, and on top of that, my restriction turned me into a validation-craving monster!?

If my efforts make a beautiful girl happy, how could I not be happy about that!!

“Drop dead, you normie couples!! The mission doesn’t even mat—” “Outta the way!!”

Sorry, random assassin.

But just for today, I’m gonna stand here as your enemy!!

-Assassiiiin!!

-What are you doiiing!!

-I’m honestly grossed out. I’m quitting as a serious-crush fan of the streamer.

-Assassin, I’ll never forget your heroic figure

-HYAAHHA!!

-Wait, the streamer had serious-crush fans…?

While we were messing around, Minegi Shirou arrived at the second factory deep in the mountains.

We messed around too much, you say?

After that, for some reason, lone assassins kept attacking one after another, so we got held up.

Well, the café break was also a factor, but it’s still better than having an accident inside the factory.

“Master, want me to tell you about the time I almost got blown off by wind pressure?”

“What’s someone who isn’t even incarnated talking about?”

Now that I think about it, that whole stuntman act earlier was just her messing around.

Turns out we were both enjoying the chase.

“This place… isn’t it bigger than the last factory…?”

Unlike the underground facility we were at earlier, this cluster of factories was built on a plain carved out of the forest.

“With a maze-like layout like this, it’s probably a facility designed to eliminate outsiders like us.”

“Even for me, acting alone looks tough. We’ll have to clear this the straightforward way.”

Yeah, sure—“straightforward,” in reality.

We beat back the oncoming assassins and reach the deepest part of the factory.

“If the development is too repetitive, even the viewers will get bored. Let’s end this fast.”

I open the heavy door and face the shelter towering directly ahead.

“Huh… what is that supposed to be!?”

“Don’t tell me he thinks that’ll protect him?”

In fact, the shelter looks incredibly sturdy—like it won’t break unless you pour in a ridiculous amount of cursed energy.

—Vwooom.

When I turn toward the sound, a dapper man’s face fills the monitor.

“…Minegi Shirou.”

“Indeed. Let’s skip the preamble and begin your execution.”

Behind us, the door slams shut.

The path we came through vanishes, and following that trace, a single girl approaches.

With blue hair and green eyes, something about her resemblance makes me think of Minegi Shirou.

“That girl… isn’t she Minegi Chieno!? Shirou’s daughter!?”

Shinano walks toward her.

The girl keeps her mouth shut, and in the gaze she turns on us—

Hatred lived there.

“Yuuri!!”

“Even if you didn’t say it!!”

In the dim factory, Yuuri shifts into Shinano’s shadow and stretches out a black arm.

The moment it grabs her, it gets flung off, and Shinano’s body is blown away in an instant.

“Now then—do it. Hurl your grudge at them.”

…The fight with her began in the worst possible way.