Spy's Protection

 The four sit down in a café in the amusement park.

“Is something the matter, Hachiko-kun?” asked Nana.

“No, none of your concern,” Juusaki replies.

“Yes, yes! Absolutely none!” Denji adds in abruptly and nervously laughs.

“That’s suspicious," Nana narrows her eyes to Denji, ”something happened, didn’t it?“

“No, no! None at all, right Juusaki?” Denji nervously faces Juusaki, but Juusaki doesn’t answer. “W—well, nothing did happen, that’s why he isn’t replying, you see?”

“Denji, you had better tell me now,” Nana leans to Denji.

“Ey! I will get our orders now, aha!” Denji quickly leaves the table and gets the four drinks then returns. “Here you go,” Denji says as he hands them each their drink.

“Excuse me for a bit,” Juusaki says while carrying his hot drink.

“Where are you off to?” Denji asks.

“To the restroom,” Juusaki replies.

“But with the drink?”

“Yes, I have something to take with it.”

Juusaki heads in the direction of the café's restroom but slips into the café's kitchen, and no one notices. He takes a cold bottle of water from the kitchen’s refrigerator and exits through the kitchen’s fire exit which leads to an alleyway in between the café's building and another. Juusaki leans to the wall of the café building, and a man wearing a top hat and a suit approaches him.

“So, it’s you who has been causing trouble,” the man speaks to Juusaki, but Juusaki pays no attention to him. “I will kindly ask you to step aside from our way, and let us have ours, will you?”

“What way do you speak of?” Juusaki replies while he nonchalantly takes a sip of his hot coffee.

“Of course, our way with Denji Kurosaki. Let us have him, and we will leave you alone.”

“And whose ‘we’? I see no one besides you.”

“They will come to appear if you want.”

“I do.”

“I see. You won’t let us have our target, huh?” The man snaps his finger in the air, and four men wearing similar top hats go in front of their boss.

“Wait,” Juusaki pleads.

“Now, you ask me to wait? How demanding of you. Don’t you see your situation here? You are powerless.” The four men pull out their knives from their suits and point them at Juusaki. “Fine, I’ll give you one last chance to surrender.”

“No, I mean wait for me to add my sugar.” Juusaki pulls out a sachet the size of coffee creamer and adds it into his hot drink. At the same time, he throws the drink to the four men.

“Wha— It’s hot!!” One man shouts.

“Woah, woah! My clothes! It’s burning!”

“Ow! Quickly!”

The men get thrown into panic as they attempt to extinguish the flames by removing their suits and fanning them into the ground.

“You! What do you think you are doing!” The man who called his comrades gets in front and challenges Juusaki with his knife. “Do you think I brought only four men?”

The two fire exits at either side of the alleyway open, and four men from each door come out intimidatingly. Juusaki then brings out a cold bottle of water and takes out another sachet. Opening the sachet, Juusaki pours the contents of the sachet and throws it at the fire exit of the adjacent building. Small cracking explosions appear from the bottle as it lands in front of the group of four men.

“What the—!”

“It’s a grenade!”

But the “grenade” doesn’t blow up but only provides a small fireworks show. Juusaki fights the next four men as they swing their knives in panic, making them unsynchronized in their choreography. Juusaki, after taking down the four remaining men enters the café through its fire exit, and the man who commanded his henchmen chases after him.

“Stop right there!” The man shouts, and a gunshot whizzes by Juusaki’s head. Juusaki turns around and sees the man holding his gun to his head. Juusaki will be unable to disarm him from the distance they are in. Having no choice, he decides to listen. “What you did to my men is unforgivable,” the man walks slowly towards Juusaki, “and you have caused trouble enough for you to deserve to die. You have been in our way today. I shall take you out of the picture.”

Juusaki walks backward to the wall and bumps into something. His fingers touch a metal handle. He then slowly latches the object free. The man’s gun touches Juusaki’s forehead. “But if you want to live, I’ll offer you a proposal. A high school boy like you is too young to die—”

Juusaki hurls the object which is revealed as a fire extinguisher at the man’s gun successfully disarming him.

“You missed!” The man shouts as he falters backward from the shock of the ambush

“I did not,” Juusaki replies and sprays the fire extinguisher at the man’s face causing him to fall to the ground. Juusaki walks over to the gun and picks it up. “A blank, just like I have figured.” Juusaki then smacks the gun at the man’s head and confirms him unconscious. Juusaki returns the fire extinguisher into its place with a note written on it. “Used. Please replace ASAP.” Juusaki returns to the group’s table.

“Where have you been?” Nana asks, “What took you so long? Do you have a problem with your stomach?”

But Juusaki doesn’t answer and nonchalantly sits at the table.

“Hey!” Nana nudges Juusaki.

“Guys, I think Juusaki’s tired,” Denji looks at Juusaki in concern, “should we end it off with a Ferris wheel ride?”

“Sure!” Misaki excitedly answers, and the group goes for their last ride.

The group, except for Juusaki, make an idle talk as their cab reaches the top of the Ferris wheel.

“Look! We are on top of the world!” Denji states.

“Not so much, but it’s close enough!” Misaki replies.

“Don’t stay too close to the windows!” Nana warns.

“You sound like a mom, and I can’t fall off!” Denji replies.

“Such a troublesome master,” Nana mumbles.

“Denji, look over here!” Misaki pulls Denji by the arm and leads him to the other side of the Ferris wheel cab.

Juusaki’s eyes shine with light, and his expressions turn into shock.

“Laplace Auto-protocol!” The AI warns, and Juusaki sees a sniper on the roof overseeing the park. The reflection of the light on the lens was from it. Juusaki then forcefully pulls Denji down and covers Denji’s head with his own body. “Get down!” Juusaki shouts.

But before the two girls could react, the two adjacent glass panes break, and their shards fall to the ground. The operator alarmed by this pushes the emergency stop button. The PA system in the cab announces and apologizes for the inconvenience caused.

“What’s wrong!? What’s happening!?” Nana asks in a panic.

“Ah!! The glass broke!! Help! Help!!” Misaki shouts and moves frantically.

“Get down, now!” Juusaki shouts.

Flares caused by the bullet scraping off the metal cabs appear, and the girls hurriedly duck in panic.

“A—are we being shot at!?” Nana asks Juusaki.

“Give me your face powder case,” Juusaki commands.

“W—what!? How did you know that I—”

“Your face has make-up on, right?”

“Wha—”

“Just give it to me!”

Nana promptly gives Juusaki her face powder case, and Juusaki raises the mirror above his head while avoiding his hand from being seen by the sniper. A bullet hole appears in the mirror, and its shards rain on Juusaki’s head.

“Juusaki! Are you alright!?” Denji asks in a loud voice, and his head slightly rises.

“Denji, stay down!” Juusaki pushes Denji’s head downwards.

“What do we do?” Misaki asks.

“Perception Protocol,” Juusaki says in a low voice. Juusaki’s consciousness sees the sniper’s vision in his scope. Although this is only a calculation and prediction of Juusaki’s AI, it is very accurate which enables Juusaki to generate a plan. But the scope’s vision moves and aims at the hinges that hold the cab from falling. Juusaki’s eyes go wide. An impact of the bullet on the metal is heard above the cab, and metal bits are seen falling from the window. The metal hinges creak as the cab wobbles.

Misaki screams. “What is happening!?”

“Guys, get ready to fall!” Juusaki says.

“What!?” Nana asks in confusion.

“The cab is going to fall!” Juusaki shouts. “Stay low, and bend your knees to your body!” Another shot is heard, and the cab freefalls to the ground. Before the cab crashes to the ground, Juusaki hugs Denji’s head tightly.

A crash is heard as metal and glass bits scatter from the crash site. The people nearby gasp in shock, and the staff of the amusement park rushes to rescue the fallen group.

“J—juusaki?” Nana stands up slowly and looks for Juusaki among the debris. “Juusaki?”

“Nnn…na?” Misaki’s weak voice transmits into the air.

“Misaki!” Nana rushes to her side, “Are you hurt? Are you alright?”

“Y—yeah… where is Denji?”

“I—I don’t know. Help me find them!”

“We are here!” A staff arrives on the scene. “Anybody hurt? We have called the ambulance so don’t worry.”

“W—we are okay,” Nana replies, “but I can’t find the two boys.” Nana rushes to dig into the rubble.

“Stop! Be careful! You might get hurt further!” The staff pulls Nana’s hands from the wreckage.

“B—but… but!”

“We will find them, don’t worry!” The staff assures.

“The ambulances are here!” Another person shouts.

“Please take them to the ambulance! Let’s push away the rubble. There are two people in there!”

The two girls are accompanied to an ambulance, and Nana looks back as she hears someone shout, “I found one— no, two!” Nana then flees from her companion.

“W—wait! We must get to the hospital!” The companion shouts.

“Juusaki!” Nana pushes the people surrounding him away and kneels beside Juusaki. “Juusaki! Are you alright!?”

“Miss, please calm down and let us take him to the hospital!”

Nana’s eyes scan Juusaki’s body as it’s full of scratches and cuts. Her hands get stained with blood as Nana finds a spot where a metal fragment is sticking out of his side. Nana screams as she sees this. “Juusaki!!”