11 — Sorry, Mom. Your Son Became a Terrorist (06)

As Minami-san and I headed toward the next point, it felt like she was even angrier than before. I knew I'd touched a sensitive topic, but I wasn't expecting her to take it that seriously.

Not that I thought we needed to 'make up' or anything, but this atmosphere was starting to get on my nerves.

For a moment, I considered saying something and ending this once and for all, but… after thinking it over, I decided to let it go.

After all, after tonight, we'd never see each other again.

"A-ah… you're welcome."

"Hm? Did you say something, Minami-san?"

"Nothing. Eyes forward."

"O-okay."

Just like she suggested, I kept my eyes ahead.

According to the plan, our next task was to provide cover for Ichika-san and Ken, who would infiltrate through the rooftop and access the main computer using Lakas's credentials.

If everything went well, the two would take the elevator up to the restricted area and complete their objective. However, precisely because we didn't know what the security would be like, we couldn't let our guard down.

"…You're welcome."

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"I already told you I didn't."

…This was the fourth time she'd done that.

"Minami-san, just out of curiosity… do you have something to say? Ever since we left that room, you won't stop muttering. I'm not the best person for this kind of thing, but if you need to talk, you can tell me."

"Am I forbidden from muttering?"

"No. But it feels like you're doing it just to provoke me."

Actually, it didn't just feel like it, it was painfully obvious. Still, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Kobami Haruki. Don't overthink it. Focus on your own nose."

"I'm trying, but this is distracting."

"Do you have some kind of concentration problem or something?"

"Concentration problem?"

"Yes. What was it again? Attention deficit?"

"I… I don't know, but regardless of my diagnosis, what I'm asking is why you're repeating the last thing I said."

"You're delusional."

"…"

At that point, it was undeniable we had some sort of communication issue, and dragging this conversation out wasn't going to get us anywhere.

I figured that was my cue to let it drop, so silently, we moved on toward the fire door.

As soon as we passed through it, we found another set of stairs. From bottom to top, the building was divided into seven sections, from G to A, each with five subdivisions.

We climbed a bit, and soon we saw the white sign marking F5. A few minutes later, Ichika-san's voice came through the communicator:

"Bzt. Irumi, we're inside."

"Copy that. What section are you in?"

"A3. At this pace, we should reach section B1 in ten minutes."

"Okay. I synced your locations. Haruki and Minami are now in section F5. If you all stay on that path, you'll meet in front of the elevator in area B1."

That is: if we didn't run into anything along the way.

(Not that I'd say that out loud. My luck was bad enough already; I wasn't about to tempt fate.)

"Minami-san… can you continue? If you need to, don't hesitate to go back to the base and recover, alright?"

"It's fine, Ichika-senpai. I can keep going without any problem."

Ichika-san's concern sounded genuine, which probably meant Minami-san's condition was something the whole group was already aware of. So apparently, the relationships within this terrorist group were more complicated than I expected.

"Hmm… Haruki, sorry to ask this of you, but take care of Minami for me. I know she's a bit stiff, but she's a good girl. If she starts pushing herself too hard, let me know, okay? I'll buy you a drink after this mission."

"O-okay, Irumi-kun."

Great.

On top of being a criminal, I was now a babysitter.

"Keep walking, Kobami Haruki."

Minami-san's voice came right after she bumped her shoulder into mine.

"…"

'A little stiff,' he said.

Yeah. That was one way to put it.

◈ ━━━━━━━ ◆ ━━━━━━━ ◈

F5, E1, E2, E3…

We passed through section after section as fast as we could without compromising our safety. And, considering how unnervingly quiet the entire institute was, it ended up being a relatively fast pace. As suspicious as it was that no one was on guard duty, I couldn't help but feel relieved things were going so well. 

...Even though I knew thinking that alone was enough to jinx the entire operation.

"I think I can understand your character a little better now, Kobami Haruki," Minami-san said suddenly.

Her tone of disdain didn't exactly inspire me to keep talking, but even so, I asked:

"Character? What do you mean?"

"I was thinking about what would lead someone with no ties to us to join the group. Besides having no idea what our objective is, you don't care about finding out."

She continued:

"Of course, as you said before: we have no obligation toward each other, so I don't care what you do or don't do. But I can't get that thought out of my head."

For someone who 'didn't care,' that sounded… unusually invested.

"I think you're mistaken, Minami-san."

"In which part, specifically?"

"Completely."

"Huh?"

"I mean, everything you said is a misunderstanding. But if I had to pick one part, it'd be the claim that I 'don't care about finding out.' If I'm not mistaken, I tried asking you about that not too long ago."

"You did? It sounded to me like you were just looking for a reason to belittle us."

Before I realized it, the misunderstanding had escalated to ungodly proportions.

"I'm sorry if it sounded that way. That wasn't my intent…"

"I really don't care."

I was beginning to doubt if that was true, but I had no way of confirming it. The black mask she wore hid most of her expressions (which were few to begin with.)

"What conclusion did you come to?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Conclusion?"

"About why I joined. What did you conclude?"

"I won't tell you."

"Ugh."

If she wasn't going to tell me, why bring it up?

Wait.

Is this what normal people call 'playing hard to get'?

…No way. Probably not.

Either way, I had zero intention of getting dragged into this game.

"You're cruel. Not finishing what you start is a terrible habit."

Correction: I had no intention, but I was starting to get scared.

As confident as I was in keeping my lie intact, this girl had spent the most time with me since I arrived.

Naturally, if anyone were to notice something, it'd be her.

"It's actually pretty obvious."

"!"

Obvious?

Her words hit way too precisely.

Just like earlier at the train station.

My suspicions grew even more.

Could this cursed girl really not read my mind?

"W-what's obvious, Minami-san?"

"I had my doubts, but after your last line, I confirmed it."

What is this?

My heart was about to burst out of my chest.

"Minami-san, let's not jump to conclusions, okay? I think whatever you're imagining is a big misunderstanding. How about we talk about this after the mission?"

"After? I don't mind that, but now that you're desperately trying to run away, I have even more reason to unmask you."

KABEDON!

"Aagh!"

The distance between our faces closed slowly, to the point where there was almost none. If I moved even one millimeter, our foreheads would smash together.

"I know what you are."

Oi, oi! What kind of situation was this?!

Was I really exposed?

No way. Why now?!

No.

Calm down.

Maybe this was a good thing.

It was only her here. No one else around.

If it was just the two of us, then—

"M-Minami-san…"

I gulped.

My mind went completely blank. The words left my mouth instinctively before I could think.

"I didn't mean to lie. Everything happened so suddenly. I was drunk. I didn't know where it would lead, I just—"

"You're a womanizer."

"Please don't— eh? What did you say?"

"You heard me perfectly. Don't play dumb."

"Haaa?!"

W–what? Out of all the things she could have said…

A womanizer?

A womanizer?!

"Pft! Hahaha…"

Oh, for fuck's sake.

"What? Did you lose your mind after getting exposed?"

That was close.

One more minute and I would've confessed everything.

"Haha… No, it's not that, Minami-san. I just found it funny how seriously you said something like that. Was that your attempt at making a joke? I wasn't ready for it."

"Joke? You think I'm joking?"

"You're not?"

"Of course not. I realized what kind of man you are the moment you answered Ichika-senpai. I suspected your recruitment was weird. You're just an idiot like Ken."

"Hey. What do you mean, 'what kind of man I am'? This is getting weird."

"I'm reporting you once the mission ends. What we're doing is serious. We don't need another imbecile on the team. This isn't a place for you to come flirt."

How did things end up like this?

"Don't judge me without knowing me… I'm not here to flirt."

(Though, thinking back to my behavior at the bar, I couldn't deny that entirely.)

"Say what you want. I know people like you very well."

"Yes. Yes. I'm sure you do."

Even though I kept smiling, she'd scared the life out of me.

Minami-san was way more perceptive than I thought.

Still, even on the verge of a heart attack, I couldn't say this happening now was entirely bad.

It was a good lesson.

Now I was absolutely sure I couldn't stay with these lunatics for even one more secon—

"MINAMI-SAN! GET DOWN!"

"What?!"

Piiiiii———

The piercing tone hit my ear before my brain could register anything.

A beam of fire cut past the side of my head.

And then… the entire world went silent.