Chapter 1 : You Can't Leave Me Alone, Can You?

The smell of gunpowder and perfume mixed together in the narrow bathroom, creating an atmosphere so suffocating that even breathing felt heavy.

Nobody spoke loudly.

Nobody dared to.

The luxurious shopping mall that had been filled with music, laughter, and expensive brands nearly thirty minutes ago had now turned into a cage.

And somewhere outside this washroom...

People were screaming.

I leaned silently against the cold marble wall while staring at the locked entrance. My black suit had already become wrinkled from sitting on the dirty floor for too long, though honestly, that was the least of my concerns right now.

A woman nearby quietly cried while covering her mouth.

The two children sitting beside her were trying not to make any sound, but their trembling shoulders exposed everything. One of them looked barely six years old.

The other was even younger.

Meanwhile, near the sink area, a silver-haired foreign girl stood silently with her back against the mirror. Pale skin. Small body. Beautiful enough to stand out even in a situation like this.

Yet her expression remained unusually calm.

Or perhaps...

Empty was a better word.

To be honest, I had no idea where she came from. Europe maybe. Her appearance alone made it impossible to tell exactly.

At the same time, the others inside the bathroom couldn't stop panicking.

"What do we do now...?"

"They're going to kill us..."

"Someone must've called the police already, right?"

"Please... please God..."

Their whispers overlapped one another until it started becoming unbearable.

I slowly lifted my head before speaking in the lowest voice possible.

"Can you all stay quiet?"

Immediately, the room fell silent.

My eyes moved toward them calmly.

"If they hear us, we die."

Simple.

Direct.

Reality didn't need comforting words right now.

Some of them looked offended by my tone, but none of them argued back. Because deep down, they already understood it themselves.

Outside the washroom, distant footsteps echoed across the mall floor.

Heavy.

Slow.

Armed.

The sound alone made one of the children almost cry out loud before his mother quickly covered his mouth.

Then—

A gunshot echoed.

BAANG!

The entire bathroom froze.

Somebody outside screamed for help before another gunshot silenced them completely.

And just like that...

Silence returned again.

One of the men inside nearly collapsed from fear.

"D-Did they shoot someone...?"

No one answered him.

Because everyone already knew the answer.

I closed my eyes for a moment before exhaling slowly.

This situation was bad.

Far worse than a normal robbery.

From the little information we managed to gather earlier, around fifteen to twenty armed men had taken over the entire mall floor. They gathered the civilians in the central hall while searching every shop one by one.

Which meant eventually...

They would come here too.

The silver-haired girl suddenly looked toward me.

Her crimson-colored eyes narrowed slightly.

"...You're surprisingly calm."

Her voice was soft.

Cold too.

I looked back at her lazily.

"Panicking won't help."

"...Most people would still panic."

"Most people aren't me."

The atmosphere became awkward after that.

Still, strangely enough, she kept staring at me as if trying to figure something out.

Meanwhile, another loud explosion echoed from somewhere downstairs.

The entire floor shook violently.

Dust fell lightly from the ceiling.

One of the women screamed quietly in fear.

And at that exact moment—

The sound of footsteps stopped right outside the bathroom door.

Everyone froze instantly.

My expression hardened.

The children stopped breathing.

The armed footsteps remained there for several seconds.

Then came the metallic sound of a rifle being adjusted.

Click.

A man's voice echoed from outside.

"I know someone's in there."

Nobody moved.

Nobody even breathed properly.

The terrorist laughed softly outside the door.

"Come out quietly... and maybe I'll let you live."

Sweat rolled down someone's forehead beside me.

Another person silently started praying.

And there I was...

Staring directly at the locked bathroom door while a single thought crossed my mind.

...Why the hell did I come back here?

The footsteps outside the bathroom remained there for several long seconds.

Everyone inside held their breath so hard that the silence itself became painful.

But eventually—

"Tch."

The terrorist clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Nobody's here."

Another voice echoed from farther away.

"Stop wasting time and move already! The boss said to gather everyone from the second floor!"

The man outside the bathroom hesitated briefly before his footsteps slowly disappeared into the distance.

And only after the sounds completely vanished...

Everyone inside finally breathed again.

Some nearly collapsed from relief.

One of the women quietly started crying while hugging the children tightly.

Meanwhile, I simply leaned against the wall again.

Still alive.

For now.

At the same time, I glanced toward the silver-haired girl beside the mirror.

"You’re pretty calm too."

She looked at me silently for a moment before answering in the same emotionless tone as before.

"...Same reason as yours."

I gave a small shrug.

Fair enough.

Then suddenly—

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

My phone vibrated inside my pocket.

The sound itself was low since the device was already on silent mode, but inside this dead-quiet bathroom, even that tiny vibration sounded loud enough to kill us all.

The reaction was immediate.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

One of the men nearly snapped at me in a whisper.

"If you have a phone then call the police instead of—"

"Shut up."

My cold response instantly stopped him.

The man's face twitched in anger.

"What—"

"If you want to die," I interrupted while staring directly into his eyes, "then go outside and scream. Don't do it here."

The atmosphere froze again.

The man clenched his fists but couldn't say anything back.

And then—

The silver-haired girl suddenly spoke calmly from beside the mirror.

"Didn't anyone teach you manners?"

Everyone looked at her.

Her expression remained completely normal.

"If someone is talking on the phone, you should stay quiet."

The way she said it...

It sounded so casual that it almost felt disconnected from reality itself.

As if armed terrorists taking over an entire mall wasn't even important enough to affect her emotions.

The angry man immediately shut his mouth after the others glared at him.

Meanwhile, I casually accepted the call.

"...Hello?"

A familiar male voice answered almost instantly.

"Yo, PS. Been a while."

The moment I heard that voice, my expression darkened slightly.

"...So the head of Republic of Ind Intelligence Agency knows my number now?"

The man laughed awkwardly from the other side.

"Don't underestimate me that much."

"Yeah, yeah."

I rubbed my forehead lightly.

"I know who you are."

The silver-haired girl quietly watched me from the side the entire time.

The man on the phone spoke again.

"So what are you doing right now?"

I glanced toward the silver-haired girl before speaking lazily.

"Nothing much. Just trying to flirt with someone."

The room instantly became awkward.

"She's beautiful, so I might ask her out after this whole mess is over."

Several people inside the bathroom stared at me like I was insane.

Meanwhile, the girl herself didn't react at all.

Not even slightly.

Her crimson eyes simply continued staring at me calmly.

The RIIA chief coughed awkwardly on the phone.

"...Right. Anyway—"

"So why'd you call me?"

My tone instantly became colder.

The playful atmosphere disappeared immediately.

The man on the other side fell silent for a brief moment before speaking carefully.

"We need your help."

"...Didn't they tell you I retired?"

"PS—"

"I don't work for you people anymore."

My voice remained low, but the sharpness behind it became obvious.

"This time I refuse to become your puppet again."

Nobody inside the bathroom dared to interrupt anymore.

"You people use others when needed and throw them away afterward."

"..."

"So don't call me for this crap again."

The RIIA chief sighed heavily.

"Don't be like that. You're basically RIIA James Bond."

I almost laughed hearing that.

"Maybe you're forgetting something."

My eyes slowly narrowed.

"I'm not an Republic of Ind citizen anymore."

The atmosphere inside the bathroom became even heavier after hearing that.

"II'm a citizen of the JP Federation now."

"And I'm not some fictional spy hero."

The RIIA chief immediately answered back.

"This isn't the time for that and you know it."

"Then I'm hanging up."

"WAIT WAIT WAIT—!"

His panicked voice almost echoed through the phone.

"Please don't cut the call yet."

I stayed silent.

The man quickly continued speaking.

"Our forces already surrounded the mall. Police, special units, even military support arrived."

"And?"

"They aren't surrendering."

"...Obviously."

I closed my eyes briefly.

"Did you seriously expect terrorists to peacefully walk out?"

"...Please listen fully first."

I remained silent again.

After a few seconds, I finally answered.

"...Fine. Talk."

The RIIA chief took a deep breath.

"The terrorists gave us a condition."

A bad feeling immediately crawled down my spine.

"They agreed to release the hostages only if we free one man from military custody."

"...Who?"

Silence.

Then—

The chief spoke the name slowly.

"...Kael Veyron."

The moment those words reached my ears—

My expression froze completely.

The atmosphere around me changed instantly.

Even the silver-haired girl's eyes narrowed slightly after noticing it.

Kael Veyron.

The monster responsible for the incident three years ago.

The man whose operation led to the deaths of dozens of children.

The same operation...

That forced me into retirement.

The RIIA chief continued speaking quietly.

"If you don't help us..."

His voice grew heavier.

"...then accepting their demand will become our only remaining option."

I slowly lowered my head.

"...How many hostages?"

"One hundred seventy-two civilians inside the mall."

Silence filled the bathroom once again.

And somewhere deep inside me—

Something old began waking up again.

I stayed silent for several seconds after hearing the number.

One hundred seventy-two hostages.

Children included.

Meanwhile, the RIIA chief waited patiently on the other side of the call.

Then eventually, I spoke again.

"...So you want me to handle this?"

"Yes."

I let out a dry laugh.

"Do you seriously think I can deal with that many terrorists alone?"

The man answered immediately.

"You already did worse when you were eight."

The bathroom instantly became silent again after hearing that sentence.

"And now you're nineteen."

"I know you can do it."

I slowly closed my eyes.

The memories I had buried long ago started surfacing again.

Blood.

Gunfire.

Cold laboratories.

Screaming.

I clicked my tongue lightly.

"You really have a lot of confidence in me."

"Because I've seen what you're capable of."

"Don't be overconfident."

My voice lowered slightly.

"I don't even know myself anymore."

I looked at my own hand quietly.

"It's been four years since I stopped."

Four years since retirement.

Four years since I abandoned that world.

Four years since I tried becoming normal.

And yet...

The RIIA chief continued calmly.

"Even if a lion stops hunting because it already has food..."

"...that doesn't mean it forgot how to kill."

I stared blankly at the bathroom floor.

"A lion will always remain a lion."

For a moment, silence filled the call.

Then I suddenly laughed quietly.

"You know that sounded like some cheap movie dialogue, right?"

The RIIA chief laughed awkwardly too.

"Maybe."

"...But it's still true."

"Hah."

I rubbed the back of my neck before finally speaking again.

"...Fine."

The chief immediately became serious.

"So you'll do it?!"

"I said I'll think about it."

I slowly raised one finger while speaking calmly.

"But there are conditions."

"Speak."

"Condition one."

My expression became emotionless again.

"No public involvement."

"My name doesn't exist in this operation."

"Understood."

"Second."

I glanced toward the silver-haired girl again for a brief moment before continuing.

"You contact the JP Federation  intelligence division."

The RIIA chief went silent.

"This entire operation will officially be handled under JP Federation authority."

"...You're serious?"

"Very."

My voice remained calm.

"You people lost the right to command me a long time ago."

The man sighed heavily from the other side.

"...Fine. And the third condition?"

This time—

The atmosphere around me changed completely.

Even the people inside the bathroom subconsciously became nervous without understanding why.

I slowly spoke.

"...No one asks questions afterward."

"...What?"

"There will be no investigation about how I handle things."

My eyes darkened slightly.

"No moral lectures."

"No political nonsense."

"No pretending afterward that you care about methods."

The RIIA chief stayed silent.

And then I delivered the final condition.

"...None of the terrorists are surviving this."

The air itself felt colder.

One of the civilians inside the bathroom looked horrified after hearing that.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl simply kept staring at me silently.

I continued calmly.

"Every single one of them dies."

"If you're expecting arrests or negotiations, then find someone else."

"...PS."

"And afterward..."

I lowered my voice even further.

"You don't get to ask me why or how I killed them."

The RIIA chief didn't answer immediately this time.

Several seconds passed.

Then finally—

"...Understood."

No hesitation.

No argument.

Just acceptance.

Because he already knew what kind of person he was calling.

I leaned my head back against the wall.

"Good."

"And when you contact JP Federation..."

My expression remained emotionless.

"Tell them Intelligence Report Agency operative number PS is taking command of the situation."

The moment I said that—

The silver-haired girl's eyes widened slightly for the very first time since this entire incident started.

A tiny reaction.

But I noticed it.

"...Interesting," she whispered quietly.

I slowly moved my hand toward my neck.

The moment my fingers touched the skin just below my collar—

The silver-haired girl suddenly spoke.

"You know..."

Her crimson eyes locked onto mine calmly.

"You're kind of weird."

I raised an eyebrow.

"...Are you seriously saying that to me?"

I looked at her carefully again.

"Honestly, you don't exactly look normal yourself."

"...I know."

Her answer came without hesitation.

That alone made me narrow my eyes slightly.

Meanwhile, the people inside the bathroom looked completely confused after hearing my conversation with the RIIA chief earlier.

Especially the part about killing every terrorist.

Some looked nervous.

Others looked scared of me now instead of the terrorists outside.

Honestly...

Fair enough.

I ignored their reactions before speaking quietly.

"You all stay here."

My eyes moved across the civilians.

"And stay silent until I return."

Nobody argued.

At this point, they probably understood I wasn't exactly asking.

Then I looked back toward the silver-haired girl.

"And miss..."

I adjusted my suit slightly.

"I still don't understand what you meant earlier, but whatever it is, save it for later."

I turned toward the bathroom door.

"Right now, I have work to do."

But before I could move—

"Stop there."

I paused slightly before glancing back over my shoulder.

"...What now?"

The silver-haired girl sighed softly.

Honestly, it sounded more like disappointment than annoyance.

"You're kind of an idiot, you know that?"

"...Excuse me?"

"You literally revealed your operative number during a live call."

She crossed her arms while staring at me.

"For someone connected to intelligence agencies, that's incredibly careless."

For the first time since meeting her—

My expression changed slightly.

"...How do you know that?"

The girl ignored my question completely.

"I'll let it slide this once."

Her voice remained calm.

"But next time, be more careful."

The atmosphere inside the bathroom shifted instantly.

My eyes narrowed.

The civilians looked even more confused than before.

Meanwhile, the girl simply tilted her head slightly.

Then—

She asked the question calmly.

"Who exactly do you think I am?"

Silence.

I stared at her for several seconds.

"...What?"

The silver-haired girl placed one hand gently against her neck.

"Myself?"

A faint smile appeared on her face for the first time.

"I'm your senior, idiot."

"...Wait."

Before I could process her words—

She lightly touched the side of her neck.

Beep.

A faint electronic sound echoed quietly.

And immediately—

A transparent digital code projection appeared briefly near her collarbone before disappearing again.

CODE 305
ID: 148297

"The Commander-in-Chief of JP Federation Defense Intelligence Unit."

My eyes widened slightly.

"And from this moment onward..."

She stepped closer toward me.

"I'm taking operational lead alongside you."

The civilians inside the bathroom stared at her blankly, clearly unable to understand what was happening anymore.

Meanwhile, she extended her hand casually.

"It's nice meeting you properly."

"...Aoi Aizawa."

For the first time in years—

I was genuinely speechless.

This woman...

No.

This monster.

Why the hell was someone like her here?

Aoi looked at my stunned expression before smirking faintly.

"What?"

"You thought you were the only abnormal person in this mall?"

"...You've got to be kidding me."

"Hm?"

I let out a tired sigh before rubbing my forehead.

"You know, normal people introduce themselves before a hostage situation."

"Normal people also don't flirt during terrorist attacks."

"...Fair point."

Aoi gave a tiny shrug before casually walking toward the bathroom door.

"Anyway."

She looked back at me.

"When you're done standing there dramatically..."

A faint dangerous smile appeared on her face.

"...let's go kill some terrorists."

I stared at her for a moment.

Then eventually—

A small laugh escaped my mouth.

"...You know what?"

I adjusted my tie calmly.

"After this is over, I might actually consider going out with you."

Aoi opened the bathroom door slightly before glancing back at me again.

"...Try surviving first."

And somewhere outside the bathroom—

Another gunshot echoed through the mall.

"I still don't understand something."

I moved carefully beside the hallway wall while keeping my voice low.

"Why exactly are you coming with me, ma'am?"

Beside me, Aoi immediately glanced sideways.

"Oh?"

A faint teasing smile appeared on her face.

"So now you're calling me ma'am after learning my rank?"

I clicked my tongue quietly.

"I didn't know before."

"So naturally I treated you casually."

"Hm."

Aoi looked forward again.

"Honestly, I preferred that more."

The destroyed shopping floor remained eerily quiet around us.

Broken glass covered the ground.

Smoke drifted lightly through the air.

Somewhere farther away, terrified crying and distant shouting could still be heard.

Meanwhile, both of us moved silently between pillars and abandoned stores.

Then—

Aoi suddenly raised one hand slightly.

I stopped instantly.

Voices.

Right ahead.

We slowly peeked from behind a large marble pillar.

And the scene in front of us immediately darkened my expression.

A terrorist had grabbed a small girl by the arm.

She looked barely five years old.

The child desperately clung to a nearby pillar while crying in fear.

Meanwhile, her mother was on the floor, tightly holding the terrorist's leg with both hands.

"P-Please...!"

The woman cried desperately.

"Leave my daughter alone!!"

The terrorist kicked her violently.

"LET GO!"

But the mother refused.

Even while being beaten, she still held onto him desperately to protect her child.

The little girl screamed while trying not to lose grip of the pillar.

At the same time—

The terrorist completely focused on the mother beneath him.

Which meant...

His attention left the surroundings.

Slowly—

I stepped out from behind the pillar.

Silent.

Careful.

The child suddenly noticed me first.

Her teary eyes widened.

I quietly placed one finger over my lips.

Then gently motioned toward her eyes.

Close them.

The little girl froze briefly before tightly shutting her eyes immediately.

Good.

Meanwhile, the terrorist suddenly frowned slightly.

Maybe instinct.

Maybe experience.

Because he turned his head halfway as if sensing something behind him.

But by then—

I had already disappeared behind the next pillar.

His suspicion faded.

"Tch."

He looked back toward the mother again before trying to pull his leg free violently.

And at that exact moment—

I quietly grabbed the emergency axe attached beside the fire extinguisher cabinet nearby.

The cold metal settled into my hand naturally.

Almost nostalgically.

My footsteps remained silent as I slowly approached from behind.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The terrorist still hadn't noticed me.

His focus remained entirely on the struggling mother and child.

Then finally—

I moved.

In one swift motion, I stepped forward and drove the axe straight through his back.

THUD.

The blade pierced completely through him.

The terrorist's body froze instantly.

No scream.

No final words.

Not even enough time to react.

Just one clean strike.

Blood spread slowly across his uniform before dripping onto the polished mall floor.

The rifle slipped from his hand.

And a second later—

His body collapsed heavily beside the crying mother.

Silence.

Complete silence.

I slowly pulled the axe free without changing expression.

Meanwhile, the little girl carefully opened her eyes again.

And the first thing she saw...

Was me standing beside the dead body while blood quietly dripped from the axe in my hand.