Chapter 17 : Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After moving far away from the building that had already been turned into sand, Kiyohara Jun paused. He stopped, raised both hands, and stared blankly at the hands that had just used his ability on the building.

Why exactly had he suddenly lost his head just now and used his ability in front of a crowd of ordinary people?

Kiyohara Jun stared dazedly at his own hands. For a moment, even he did not know what he had been thinking just now.

【Why is Jun looking at his own hands?】

【I feel like Jun is showing an expression that makes my heart ache, sob sob sob】

【Jun-baby, come into Mama’s arms. Mama will cherish you!】

【Jun must have been moved by the bond between Matsuda and Hagiwara. And because that kind of bond is something he does not have, he saved people. If not for the Adjutant, Jun would be all alone】

【The current Kiyohara Jun is like an isolated island. Aside from the Adjutant, no one dares approach him】

【Sob sob sob sob, it suddenly feels so heavy. My heart aches so much for Jun】

Who is all alone? What do they mean, he is an isolated island?!

Aside from Takuto, he and the newly acquainted Dazai should count as friends too, all right? These bullet comments always assumed the worst about him. He was not lonely at all!

Damned bullet comments!

Kiyohara Jun stopped thinking about the reason he had saved people. In any case, he had saved them because he wanted to. How could there possibly be all those messy reasons they were talking about?

Kiyohara Jun, who had originally been staring blankly at his hands, grew angrier the more he thought about it. Unable to hold back, he no longer concealed the fact that he could see the bullet comments and directly said, “I am not alone.”

However, the bullet comments did not take his rebuttal as something directed at them. Instead, they treated it as him talking to himself.

【Sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob】

【Jun, you are not alone! I love you too!】

【My heart aches so much, seriously so much】

【The way Jun talked to his own hands and quietly said, “I am not alone,” really hit me】

【After being moved by the bond between Matsuda and Hagiwara, did he suddenly think of himself?】

【Jun, you still have the Adjutant! Although you only have the Adjutant, sob sob sob sob sob sob】

Kiyohara Jun: …

He truly had not expected that his rebuttal toward the bullet comments would be mistaken by them as him talking to himself.

And after his anger passed, Kiyohara Jun also realized that he had misspoken just now. Exposing to the bullet comments that he could see them was not a smart decision.

Kiyohara Jun stopped thinking about why he had exposed his ability to save people. Instead, after the residence that had been arranged for him had already turned into sand, he began considering where he should go next.

Meanwhile.

“Big brother, are we still going to keep waiting?” Vodka looked at Gin, whose face was full of killing intent, and asked cautiously.

“Wait. Why would we not wait?” After finishing a cigarette, Gin stubbed out the cigarette butt and said coldly, “Keep waiting. Kiyohara Jun will definitely come.”

“Gin could not have been angered into losing his mind, could he?” Chianti continued whispering with Bourbon.

However, after a thoughtful hum, Bourbon shook his head.

“No.” A faint smile appeared on Bourbon’s face. “Gin is right. We should wait.”

“Not only should we wait, we should wait fully armed and with our full attention focused.”

Chianti: ?

After pressing him for a while and getting nothing out of him, Chianti glared viciously at Bourbon, then set up her sniper rifle again.

Rye, who had remained silent all along, also quietly rose and prepared to return to his own sniper position to continue waiting for Kiyohara Jun to appear.

【? Why is Gin still waiting?】

【What did Tooru-kun understand? Why do I not understand anything at all?】

【I get it! Gin saw that Kiyohara Jun was planning to appear while they were letting their guard down and catch them off guard, so he decided not to leave and to stay on alert instead】

【Holy crap!】

【I am not surprised that Kiyohara Jun could think of coming while Gin and the others were relaxing. What surprises me is that Gin could guess Kiyohara Jun’s thoughts】

【Gin, you thick-browed, big-eyed guy. How do you understand all these twists and turns too?!】

【Gin is actually very formidable】

【It is over. I am starting to worry about Kiyohara Jun】

【Do not worry, do not worry. You can always trust Kiyohara Jun. After all, when the Dao rises one foot, the demon rises ten】

【What if Gin guessed wrong? I do not think Kiyohara Jun will go】

【Then keep watching and you will know】

After thinking for a while about where he should go later, Kiyohara Jun finally remembered the stronghold where the people from the Tokyo branch who had not betrayed them were located. He had left them hanging all this time and had not even informed them that he would not be able to arrive tonight.

Kiyohara Jun thought about it, then decided not to find another place to spend the night. Instead, he would head straight to the stronghold.

With that thought, Kiyohara Jun casually hailed a taxi. After getting in, he expressionlessly gave the place name.

What he could not understand was that the simple act of stating a place name actually made the bullet comments explode.

Kiyohara Jun: ?

【Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap】

【Gin actually guessed right!】

【Aaaaaaaa, Jun, do not go! There is an ambush there! They are not as relaxed as you think. They are fully on guard and waiting for you!】

【Kiyohara Jun—】

【No matter how high your martial arts are, you still fear the kitchen knife. No matter how strong your ability is, if it gets suppressed, it will be useless!】

【There is no need to panic. Why are you panicking? Trust Kiyohara Jun】

【If Gin can guess it, then Kiyohara Jun, as part of the Scriptwriter Group, can definitely guess it too】

【If Jun really guessed it, why would he stubbornly charge in head-on? Would it not be better to outsmart them directly?!】

Kiyohara Jun stared in utter bewilderment at the densely packed bullet comments before him, which made it seem as though he was not heading to the stronghold, but to his death.

Trying hard to make out the text on the bullet comments, Kiyohara Jun finally realized what exactly had felt wrong to him before.

So the people at that stronghold were traitors too. Not only that, they had cooperated with an operations team led by someone from the Black Organization called Gin, and they had prepared something that could suppress abilities so they could capture him?

Ah…

Logically speaking, retreating would be the best choice at a time like this. However, Kiyohara Jun did not do that. Instead, he allowed the taxi to continue driving toward the warehouse where the stronghold was located.

This was Kiyohara Jun’s confidence in himself. He believed that even if the other side possessed something capable of suppressing abilities, he could still withdraw unharmed and annihilate the enemy.

And that confidence came from Kiyohara Jun’s powerful ability, as well as the physical combat he had not neglected because of his ability.

Even without the bullet comments’ warning, Kiyohara Jun believed that he could get through this.

“Stop here.” Before they officially entered the warehouse’s perimeter, Kiyohara Jun had the taxi stop. After taking out his wallet to pay, he said quietly to the taxi driver, “Leave quickly.”

The taxi driver looked at Kiyohara Jun in some surprise, then drove away in complete confusion.

Gin, who had been using his sniper rifle to observe the area near the stronghold, saw the figure appear within his sniping range. The corner of his mouth split into a savage arc.

“He is here,” Gin said into his headset. His eyes held astonishing killing intent, yet he suppressed that killing intent and said hoarsely, “Pay attention. Each person only has three bullets. We need him alive.”

“Understood.” Chianti and Korn, whom Gin had sent to another sniper position, answered at the same time. Rye also gave a delayed “Mm” a moment later.

Meanwhile, Bourbon and Vodka, who temporarily had no use, were observing Kiyohara Jun through binoculars off to the side while chatting idly.

“What a pity. Because he is an ability user, someone like me, who specializes in intelligence and close combat, has no room to act,” Bourbon said in a seemingly casual manner.

“No, there will be a time for you to act.” Vodka grinned. He lowered his voice and said to Bourbon, “This counts as classified information. I will tell you in secret so you can be mentally prepared.”

“Oh? What is it?” Bourbon asked curiously while observing Kiyohara Jun.

“Other than the information that has leaked outside, we also learned from an informant inside the Port Mafia that the target is also skilled in physical combat.” Vodka secretly glanced at Gin.

“So after the drug effect of the bullets takes hold, you will have to go in together with big brother and Rye.”

The fingers of one of Bourbon’s hands, which hung at his side, moved slightly. On the surface, he remained perfectly composed and merely said in sudden understanding, “So that is how it is.”

【Aaaaaaaa, I really feel like Kiyohara Jun is in danger】

【Three sniper positions, four snipers, twelve bullets that can suppress abilities, and three close-combat fighters. I also feel like Kiyohara Jun is in danger】

【Jun cannot be leaving the stage already, right? Sob sob sob sob sob】

【Nooo, I am not listening, I am not listening】

【You just need to believe in Kiyohara Jun. Although he is part of the Scriptwriter Group, his ability and physical combat are also incredible】

【Since Kiyohara Jun dares to walk alone into the enemy’s banquet, he must have something to rely on. He is part of the Scriptwriter Group, not some fool】

“Kiyohara Jun.” Gin looked at the boy who had already entered his sniping range, and excitement that was difficult to conceal filled his voice. “Let me see it for myself, this so-called ability user.”

As soon as Gin’s words fell, one specialized bullet and three ordinary bullets were fired simultaneously from four directions. After the three ordinary bullets successfully sealed off every angle Kiyohara Jun could use to dodge, the specialized bullet flew straight toward the tendons of Kiyohara Jun’s wrist.

The instant the bullets were fired, Kiyohara Jun sensed them and instinctively tried to dodge, but one bullet grazed past his face, leaving a bloody mark there. Before the other three bullets could strike Kiyohara Jun, they were blocked by an earthen wall that rose into the air.

“Tsk, what a pity. It was not the specialized bullet.” Chianti, who had fired that bullet, said in dissatisfaction. Then she swiftly switched to a specialized bullet and began searching for an opening in the earthen walls surrounding Kiyohara Jun.

After the bullet grazed past his face, Kiyohara Jun instinctively raised his hand and touched the wound that had appeared on the side of his face.

He had underestimated them.

Kiyohara Jun understood that clearly.

After sensing the ability within his body for a moment, although he did not feel that his ability had weakened, Kiyohara Jun still decided to end this quickly, just in case.

But before ending this quickly—

Kiyohara Jun paused. Wave after wave of earthen walls rose from the ground, and under the cover of those earthen walls, Kiyohara Jun successfully recovered four bullets.

【Holy crap!】

【Kiyohara Jun is seriously always in the stratosphere】

【So Kiyohara Jun actually came for the bullets that can suppress abilities???】