Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Everything within sight was pitch black.

The surrounding darkness was so thick she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, as if immersed in the depth of night.

Several hours ago, although she had managed to escape from that SUV in time, she couldn’t avoid being caught in the explosion, her back burning with searing pain.

“Uu…”

The girl bit her lip.

Blood from where her teeth had broken the skin had long since dried.

Her mouth was so dry.

She struggled to stay conscious.

She wanted to cry.

But she had to desperately hold it back.

“Mom…”

She called out silently in her heart.

To draw away those people outside, Mom had made her hide here before leaving; and until now, hadn’t returned.

She hadn’t eaten for a long time, and more importantly, hadn’t had any water. Her mouth and tongue were parched, and inside her body felt like a flame was burning, experiencing with stark clarity for the first time what it meant to be “consumed by the five aggregates.”

Yet her skin’s surface kept raising cold sensations, as if she were lying naked in an icy snowfield.

Am I… going to die?

Even though such shocking thoughts occasionally surfaced in her mind, her mood remained surprisingly calm. She had no intention of moving her body. The girl lay silently in this narrow, dim world.

“…”

There seemed to be voices speaking, and footsteps.

“Who… is it?”

The girl struggled to open her eyes wide.

The only remaining light source was the faint glow filtering through the gaps in the metal grating before her.

“That brat should be nearby, right?”

The one speaking gruffly was a man nearly two meters tall, his face as hard and frightening as granite with a ferocious scar running from his temple to his chin, his powerful muscular frame stuffed into a cheap suit.

His companion was a tall, alluring woman wearing tight red leather and high heels, with crimson lips, purple eyeshadow, and wavy hair falling to her shoulders.

Just from their striking appearances, this dangerous-looking pair created a vacuum around them. Passersby gave them a wide berth.

The man and woman walked forward. The security guard at the building’s entrance lay quietly beside the monitors. Ignoring the blood flowing from his head, he looked as if he were merely sleeping. They leisurely walked through the unguarded entrance.

Inside the mall was bustling with shadowy figures; outside on the street, pedestrians walked hurriedly past as if unaware.

The boundary between ordinary and extraordinary lay separated by just a line. This stark contrast seemed somewhat incredible. But for professionals, with sufficient intelligence support, they could easily handle their targets right under people’s noses without anyone noticing.

…

“Ah, right. That’s what the intelligence said.”

The woman answered lazily. Her fingers held a cigarette, exhaling smoke that veiled her sharp gaze.

The assassins’ current location was the underground parking garage of the building that housed the main shopping mall.

Their task was to capture a disabled high school girl. Meanwhile, everyone else was lying in ambush, fighting, pursuing, and fleeing in various hidden corners of the high-rise. Their enemy was just one person.

What had started as a joint operation to hunt down a mother and daughter had escalated into full-scale warfare—something none of the participants had anticipated.

“…Another one dead. Even with all the executives in the Kanto region pursuing them, they can still turn around and counterattack. That woman we saw earlier, is she really human?”

The woman’s gaze fell on the radar. Without notice, another green dot had vanished from it. How unsettling… On the other hand, not having to face that one directly was truly fortunate.

“We need to find that brat.”

“A hostage, huh? Would such methods for dealing with humans work against a monster wearing human skin?”

“No, it’s not just that.”

The muscular man answered hoarsely.

“The brat has some use, considered our secondary target. That’s what Takei-san ordered.”

“Takei… wonder if he can keep his position as supervisor after this incident. Is there any need to listen to that bastard who doesn’t even see his subordinates as human?”

The leather-clad woman’s lips twisted into a sharp, mocking smile.

“Money for nothing is good if we can get it; after that, prepare an escape route. Make sure no one notices.”

Her companion said in a deep voice.

Contrary to the impression given by their appearances, among this male-female pair, the huge, frightening muscular man was actually the more calm and rational one.

“Aah.”

The woman carelessly tossed away her cigarette butt, impatiently crushing it with her heel.

…

The killers were approaching.

Though the two appeared casual, their search was extremely thorough, not missing any corner where someone might hide.

Although she couldn’t hear their conversation, their target was clear—they were coming for her. Misao’s heart sank to the bottom.

No good… at this rate, I’ll definitely be found! These people are experts in this field; there is no chance of getting lucky.

What should I do?

Should I run?

But with my current weakened body, needing a crutch just to walk, where can I run to… or rather, I’ll be discovered the moment I crawl out from my hiding place.

Direct confrontation would only lead to death. Just from their presence and appearance, that pair couldn’t be opponents a high school girl could face; moreover, those people had deadly weapons.

The more she thought about it, the stronger the feeling of despair welling up inside became—

What should I do?

What do I want to do?

Should I run?

Do nothing?

What would Mom do?

Where is she?

Will I die?

What… should I do?

Countless chaotic thoughts flooded her mind at once. Like white foam churned up by waves, they burst in an instant, leaving nothing behind.

As her brain’s thoughts reached an embarrassing dead end, her body gradually grew cold, bit by bit, like a corpse being buried.

—”You wanna die, bastard!”

The muscular man’s rough roar startled her, snapping her out of her nightmarish situation. The girl instinctively covered her mouth and looked outside—

The assassins hadn’t discovered her. Instead, they were being interrupted by an “unexpected” situation.

Their gazes were fixed in the same direction. There was a hooded young person, being cornered step by step by the dangerous individuals into a dimly lit corner.

“Pretty gutsy…”

Because of the distance, she couldn’t hear what they were saying. It looked like they were threatening the other person.

The muscular man grabbed the camcorder from the young person’s hands and smashed it to pieces on the ground.