The night was dim, and Mugino Shizuri casually smoothed her hair as she stood at the desolate entrance of the research institute, listening to the howling wind.
The latest mission for the group "Item" was to capture Haruue Erii and the experimental subjects of the Ability Body Crystal project, like Edasaki Banri and others. The difficulty wasn't particularly high, but the reward was unexpectedly generous.
"If you don't want anything to happen to your teacher, come along quietly."
Saiai Kinuhata let out a yawn, standing beside a languid-looking Rikou Takitsubo. The two were escorting their targets downstairs. Nearby, Kiyama Harumi lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Uiharu had blended in among Banri and the others, nervously staying with the group while secretly activating her phone's location tracker.
Between the two, Rikou Takitsubo looked somewhat pale, as if she were in some pain.
"You okay, Rikou?"
Saiai Kinuhata gazed at her with concern.
"I'm fine—just pulled the wound from last time's gunshot." Rikou shook her head.
"But this mission's gone pretty smoothly. Who'd have thought that just coming to capture Haruue Erii would lead us straight to this research institute?"
Saiai's face brightened with satisfaction. The sooner the mission wrapped up, the sooner she could head back to enjoy a hot spring and catch a movie.
"That's good. Once we deliver them to the designated spot, our job's done, right?" Rikou nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Frenda was holding a few dolls, about to set some bombs around the institute to erase any trace of their presence—but Mugino Shizuri stopped her immediately.
"Frenda, you'd better not. The owner of this institute seems well-connected. We're only here to grab the targets. What happens after we hand them over isn't our problem—let the higher-ups deal with it." Mugino shot Frenda an impassive glance.
Mugino wasn't afraid of any so-called "higher-ups." Their dark-side organization, "Item," existed precisely to prevent fools in Academy City's upper echelons—including the General Board—from doing anything stupid.
They were a sort of corrective force, wielding considerable authority in certain ways. Not that she cared much about that; she was mostly in it for the money.
But this doctor known as Heaven Canceller was different—exceptionally mysterious, with top-level clearance, and rumored to have ties to the Academy City director.
'We'll have to demand more pay after this. Getting involved with someone like him for free would be a total loss,' Mugino thought, gritting her teeth.
Whether it was Therestina or those faceless elites, they'd have to cough up more.
As for what Therestina wanted these people for—that was none of her concern.
Ability Body Crystal experiments, some far-fetched Level 6 shift project…
If Therestina ended up triggering a "clustering of abilities" crisis severe enough to destroy Academy City, all the better. When that happened, their group could step in and claim an even bigger payday.
Lost in thought, Mugino shot an impatient look at Banri and the others, who were moving too slowly for her liking.
"Mugino, we don't have enough room in the car," Saiai said helplessly, eyeing the unexpectedly large group. They'd thought they were only capturing one person, but things had escalated, nearly completing the mission in one go.
"Damn it. Rikou, go commandeer a passenger van nearby," Mugino said impatiently.
"Mugino, guess what I found?" Just as Mugino's irritation was mounting, Frenda's overly dramatic voice rang out.
"What is it?" No sooner had Mugino spoken than she saw Frenda hurrying downstairs.
Up on the second floor, Frenda hadn't bothered wrecking the institute's security system. Instead, she'd used Kiyama Harumi's ID card to open the doors to various labs.
While wandering around, she'd stumbled upon a massive cylindrical glass tank filled with green liquid—and floating inside was a bizarre, shadowy figure.
"Good work, Frenda." Mugino's pupils dilated instantly, a faint, peculiar flush coloring her cheeks.
"Frenda, blow the tank—wait, I'll do it myself." Mugino abandoned all concern for the mission outside, completely absorbed by the enormous humanoid creature before her.
"Mugino, what about that well-connected guy?" Frenda piped up, rather inopportunely.
Ignoring her, Mugino summoned dozens of pale-white energy beams behind her—sharp as the finest blades—carving deep grooves into the glass.
"What kind of glass is this? It's incredibly tough." Surprised, Mugino ramped up her output, and in the blink of an eye, the glass shattered into pieces.
As the glass fractured, the remaining Meltdowner beams sliced the humanoid monster into dozens of fragments. The lab bore the brunt too, the floor now riddled with gaping holes.
Before Mugino could catch her breath, a heavy pressure slammed into her. Several tentacles sprouting from the monster's remains wrapped around her, hurling her violently against the wall.
The wall material was high-quality, but it couldn't withstand the impact—a large section shattered, leaving a hollow, gaping cavity.
Since the wall was internal, Mugino merely crashed from one lab into another.
By now, Kiyama Harumi had slowly risen to her feet, her eyes burning crimson, as if dripping with blood.
Though she'd never developed any abilities herself, she still possessed means to fight back.
The only catch was that the humanoid creature had been sealed inside the glass tank, submerged in liquid and unable to break free—and she hadn't been able to open the tank to release it.
The one downside was that the fight had erupted inside Heaven Canceller's research institute. The equipment and instruments here were extremely valuable—enough to make someone covet them intensely. But Kiyama had no choice; she couldn't let her students be taken away just as the program was nearing completion.
The blast of an explosion echoed from the second floor, thick dust clouding the central area. Who knew how many precious instruments had just been destroyed.
"Something's happened—hurry upstairs and check it out."
Rikou and Saiai exchanged a glance. Rikou stayed behind to guard the targets while Saiai rushed up to assess the situation.
"No need—they're coming down," Rikou said. She could sense the AIM diffusion fields of those nearby and detected two familiar ones approaching.
Mugino had fallen from the window, looking somewhat disheveled, but she landed steadily using the recoil from her Meltdowner. Frenda, on the other hand, was covered in dust, her clothes filthy—she'd been caught in the blast of her own bombs.
"Mugino, what happened?" Saiai asked.
"Found a major target. Rikou, Saiai—you two deliver the targets for the handoff, then come back to support us," Mugino's tone brooked no argument.
"Understood," Saiai nodded.
"I want to go too," Frenda pleaded, her eyes wide and pitiful.
"Frenda, are you testing my patience?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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