Chapter 48: Three on Three
Ouzakura Girls' Academy—the famous "Super Ojousama (Rich Girl) School." Its security was, naturally, not just for show.
But the three foreign men in suits were clearly prepared, their actions cautious and calculated.
The alleyway where they cornered their targets happened to be in the blind spot of the school gate security. The area was deserted; even if someone screamed, no one would notice.
The only "accident" was the sudden intrusion of another high school girl.
But that didn't matter. They only had one target—
Hongo Hina.
Although all the high school girls wore uniforms, the three men were confident they wouldn't mistake their target. Hongo Hina's "eyes" were extremely distinctive.
Her eyeballs were normal, but on her deep blue irises—her pupils were shaped like two five-pointed stars.
Coupled with her light pink hair, long locks cascading over her shoulders, and beautiful face... she was easy to lock onto.
"..."
The three men pressed forward, forcing Hina and Arisa into the alley. Their intentions were clearly hostile.
However, Hina seemed oblivious to the tension, still smiling brightly.
She pointed at the three men and turned to Arisa. "Sakurai-san, you said your brother was looking for me. Is one of these three your brother?"
Arisa shook her head.
Hina understood. She looked back at the three men. "You said you work for 'IDEAL'? That doesn't sound like a police department..."
"Too much talk."
Seeing no one around, the scar-faced leader pulled out his dagger. "After the Army of God fell, a batch of highly lethal chemical weapons went missing. Our intel says you took them."
"Little girl, are you going to confess? Or do you want to play with uncle?"
"..."
"Are you sure? Uncle, you might die..."
Hina tilted her head, observing and deducing. "IDEAL... a foreign criminal organization? You're after the chemical weapons made by the Army of God, so you came for me?"
"My adopted parents' house has security, so you couldn't infiltrate. You could only corner me on my way home from school."
"Hmm... you probably don't have guns, right? Otherwise, there'd be no need for daggers. Is it because the police have been active lately, so smuggling guns carry isn't convenient?"
"..."
Her deductions drained the three foreigners' patience.
The scar-faced man waved his dagger, his voice cold. "Enough detective games. Do you understand your situation?"
Hina looked sideways. "Hmm, so mean—"
Before she could say three words, the scar-faced man, hearing an answer he didn't like, emotionlessly thrust his dagger at Arisa.
"Wrong answer."
Swish!
The dagger aimed for Arisa's throat. A killing blow.
The other girl was useless anyway. Killing her would intimidate Hongo Hina into revealing the chemical weapons' location!
The next instant—
Swish!
Hina stepped forward, planning to knock the man's arm away with her forearm before Arisa was stabbed.
At the same time, one of the other men on lookout sensed someone approaching from behind and shouted a warning. "Look out—"
Before he could finish, a figure exploded onto the scene.
SWOOSH!
Shiraki Kei charged into the alley, leaped into the air, and unleashed a spinning kick at the two men in front.
BANG! BANG!
The two men couldn't dodge in time and were forced to retreat defensively, leaving an opening.
Kei lunged forward, driving a mid-level straight punch into the scar-faced man's back, forcing him to turn and defend.
[Aura Burst • Shockwave]!
THUD!
The heavy punch was blocked by the scar-faced man's palm, but the force numbed his arm, making his forearm tremble uncontrollably.
"SHIT!"
The scar-faced man cursed, wasting no words, and slashed his dagger in a reverse grip.
Kei ducked, his right fist clenching as he drove upward, his left foot stomping the ground.
BOOM!
[Ryu • Shoryuken]!
The punch, carrying immense force and incredible speed, rocketed upward.
Seeing the danger, the scar-faced man tried to block with his left hand, but the punch drove through his palm, slamming both fist and hand into his chin.
CRASH!
The scar-faced man was launched into the air, falling backward. He tried to use the momentum to retreat, but another heavy fist came flying at his face.
Kei stepped in and swung, eyes wide with rage, putting his whole body into the blow.
SMASH!
The scar-faced man flew backward, rolling several times on the ground before managing to crouch, gasping for breath.
Half his teeth were gone, his jawbone likely cracked, blood pouring from his mouth.
In his ear, the punching man roared: "What the FUCK—are you doing!"
"Bro!"
Not far away, Arisa shouted. Not for help, but a direct warning. "I-D-E-A-L! They said they work for IDEAL!"
Kei nodded slightly, shaking the blood from his fist.
Seeing this, Hina was a little surprised. She tilted her head and asked Arisa, "Eh? Sakurai-san, aren't you scared at all?"
Arisa nodded confidently. "Of course! Luck is on my side! Otherwise, why would my brother show up here today?"
"...Haha!"
Hina heard an interesting answer and grew more interested.
The guy fighting... that was Sakurai-san's brother? He looked like the "fast" type. Interacting with him shouldn't be boring.
Compared to him, the three foreigners weren't much fun.
"..."
Hearing the name "IDEAL," Kei re-evaluated the scar-faced man.
Unlike Q-Taro's mercenaries, or even [Nioh] Komada, the intense pain hadn't angered the scar-faced man. His expression remained icy cold, terrifyingly calm.
Undoubtedly, these three foreigners were "professional" assassins. They had likely killed countless people. Their killing intent might not match Kure Fusu's, but the scent of blood on them was thicker. The scar-faced man was the worst of them!
"Good!"
The scar-faced man stood slowly, spitting out broken teeth, resetting his stance.
"I don't know who you are, but let's see... if you can keep your lives until the police arrive."
"...You're wrong."
Kei clenched his fists, stepping closer, his voice grinding through his teeth. "What I should be testing is—how badly can I beat you before the police arrive?"
"Wow!" The scar-faced man was surprised, taunting him. "One against three?"
As he spoke, his two partners circled behind Kei, drawing daggers from their coats.
Seeing this, Kei suddenly roared, "Maruko!"
Swish!
Another figure burst from behind, launching a flying kick at a foreigner's arm, kicking the dagger out of his hand and embedding it deep into the wall.
"Bad guys!"
Maruko rushed to Kei's back, facing off against the other two foreigners, furious. "You are bad guys who kill people! Baku-bro and Akagi-bro said, when dealing with bad guys, kick hard!"
The situation was two against three...
No, three against three!
Hongo Hina walked up to Maruko, picking an opponent for herself. "Hmm, looks fun. Let me play too!"
"..."
This sudden shift stunned the scar-faced man.
Even more shocking, in the next second—Maruko kicked first, shattering his colleague's jaw before the man could even react!
"This..."
What kind of monster is that?!
The scar-faced man exclaimed instinctively, but then realized Kei was already upon him. He gasped, "Wha—"
Before he could finish the word "what," Kei had opened his arms and bear-hugged him.
"You—are good at killing, but bad at 'fighting,' aren't you?"
Kei locked the man's arms, aiming for the wall. "If you're in a fight, how dare you space out?"
Scar-faced man: "...Eh?"
Before he could make a sound, the world spun. Kei lifted him and side-slammed him into the brick wall.
CRASH!
The man's head shattered the bricks. Kei grabbed him by the collar, lifting him briefly into the air.
"HAAH—!"
Kei's fingers, locked together and straight, aimed at the man's face, chopping down with full force, smashing him into the ground.
[Zangief • Banishing Flat] (Machine Gun Chops)!
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK...
Chop after chop rained down until the scar-faced man stopped moving entirely. His face was caved in, a concave depression filled with thick blood.
"..."
Only then did Kei stand up, checking the other two fights.
Maruko's opponent was weaker, so he had finished early, kicking the guy a dozen times. He was now sitting on the "bad guy," sulking because he felt he had put Arisa-neesan in danger.
As for Hongo Hina, although she was a high school girl, her opponent was even unluckier.
Whatever move Hina used, the professional assassin's head was smashed into the wall. His face was caved in, blood bursting out, completely unrecognizable.
"Just as I thought, this guy was 'slow.' Only knows how to kill?"
Hina shook the blood off her fist and looked at Kei, radiating intense curiosity.
"Hmm, hmm. I wasn't wrong. You're a 'fast' person, right? Want to play with me too?"
"..."
She had protected Arisa, and this wasn't a good place to spar. Kei was about to politely decline when he saw Maruko suddenly spring to his feet, staring death at Hina.
The intense, alien killing intent radiating from Hina caused the simple-minded Maruko to hallucinate. He thought he saw his "Father," Q-Taro!
"Ah... AAGH...!"
Maruko had been happy lately. He didn't want to be controlled by "Q-Taro" anymore. He clenched his fist and instinctively swung at Hina.