Mischievous Acts Always Catch Up

"Ah, right, right, right!"

Scout wasn't interested in debating what constitutes an assassination—he just laid back and started slacking off.

Seeing him like that, Kanna clearly realized he didn't believe her claims, and she grew quite angry.

Stepping up to the edge of the rooftop, she declared,

"I know you probably don't believe a word I say, but I can prove it. Connor once said that all things are illusory and everything is permissible—high-end assassins, even if unprotected, can survive a fall from great heights as long as there's a haystack to cushion them. Now, let me show you what an assassin really is!"

With that, Kanna leaped off the edge in one bound.

By the time Scout recovered and dashed to the edge, all he saw was Kanna's diminishing silhouette… and a pile of garbage on the ground.

The drop was roughly a hundred meters. If one prepared for impact, given the physical strength Kanna had displayed in training, it shouldn't be a major issue. However, Kanna jumped with her arms crossed over her chest and her back facing the ground—a posture that looked as if she were prepared to hit the ground headfirst, which sent Scout's heart racing in terror.

Disregarding his own safety, Scout flipped head over heels and jumped after Kanna.

When Scout landed, Kanna cheerfully shouted, "I JUMP, YOU JUMP!" completely unconcerned about whether her landing might injure her.

Down by the garbage pile, Fen wiped the sweat from her brow, looking fresh and alert. Her team had spent the entire morning cleaning the deck until it was spotless; all the scattered trash had finally accumulated into one neat pile, just waiting for the cleaning cart to come and haul it away.

At that moment, a dark silhouette descended from the sky with a tremendous thud, kicking up dust several meters high—and everyone froze.

"Ha ha ha! See, I told you so! As long as there's a haystack below, even if an assassin falls from the highest place, they'll be unscathed!"

A familiar voice boomed from amid the garbage pile. Before anyone could react, there came another resounding "thud" as something crashed down.

"Cough, cough, cough! At least give me a moment to prepare—jumping like that is enough to scare me to death!" another voice, equally familiar (usually heard only on the training grounds), piped up.

As the dust finally began to settle, two figures emerged from the debris—a large one and a small one, both covered in grime.

"You… you…" Fen looked at the scattered trash—almost a quarter of a deck in disarray—and her blood pressure shot up.

The larger and the smaller figures, upon seeing the encroaching A1 Squad, immediately sensed that something was amiss.

But Kanna was always one step ahead. Taking advantage of her small stature, she suddenly grabbed a handful of dust from the ground and lobbed it at Scout's head. While Scout was momentarily blinded by the dust, Kanna swiftly slipped away through an opening in the encircling formation, then darted into a nearby passage leading to the observation deck.

Scout hadn't expected Kanna to be so brazen—ambushing an old man like him. By the time he realized what had happened, he found himself surrounded by the A1 Squad.

Unlike Kanna, Scout wasn't shameless enough to resist; once caught, he stopped struggling.

Yet he couldn't help but think that, since his fall was caused by Kanna's reckless jump, descending so rapidly without any protection had left him dizzy—thus, Kanna had really pulled a fast one on him.

That infuriated him, for as an elite operator he could not tolerate such behavior. Wiping the dust from his mouth, he said, "I admit it delayed your cleaning, but the real culprit is Kanna. That little brat barely negotiated a word before she jumped from the tower top—I did it all for her. If we were to catch her, given your skills, it might be tricky. Why not work together to apprehend her? That way, when Kal'tsit asks, none of you can claim you neglected your cleaning duties."

Scout added, "You're callous, and I won't stand for it. Since Kanna is trying to set me up, don't blame me if I turn coat and side with the light!"

The members of the A1 Squad knew that Scout wasn't the type to do something so inexplicable—most likely, as he said, it was all because of that little troublemaker Kanna.

They exchanged nods in agreement and formed an impromptu team—with Scout leading and the A1 Squad as support—officially establishing the "Kanna Capture Squad," tasked with apprehending the delinquent operator Kanna, who had jeopardized the A1 Squad's mission.

Since they already knew the direction in which Kanna had fled, Scout took the lead and marched toward the observation deck.

"Two of you, come with me inside; the rest, take positions around the tower to prevent her from making a desperate leap!"

After a brief discussion, the most agile members, Fen and Chloe, followed Scout upstairs, while the remaining three formed a triangular perimeter around the tower's base.

Meanwhile, Kanna remained unaware that she'd been "betrayed" by a "traitor," who, while acting as her guide, had also completely blocked her escape route.

She happily bounced up to the tower top, even taking a moment to wash the dust off her face at the observation deck's sink.

Just as she was about to resume enjoying the view, her ears perked up.

Some activity was coming from below—light footsteps of three people.

Turning toward the entrance at the top, she saw Scout leading the charge, with Fen and Chloe closely following him as they jumped up.

At that moment, Kanna realized that Scout—those thick brows and bright eyes—had betrayed her.

As she prepared to pull off her old trick and jump off again to escape, Scout's voice resounded,

"Give up! The rest of your team is waiting below, and your actions have been reported to Kal'tsit. A warrant for your arrest has been issued. There are operators everywhere—you won't escape!"

Seeing Scout's grim, dusty face—which, though stern, carried a hint of cheeky sarcasm—Kanna could only gracefully give him the finger.

Before Kanna could focus entirely on Scout, a pair of hands landed on her shoulder.

"Kanna-chan, why are you doing this? Why?"

A voice, as if emerging from the depths of the netherworld and tinged with a sickly sweetness, came from behind Kanna.

"Eh!" Kanna slowly turned her head, only to see Fen's eyes, red as blood.

…

Ten minutes later, beside the garbage pile, Amiya looked on helplessly at Kanna—who was fidgeting, looking down at the ground in a contrite manner, as if willing to confess.

"Cough, cough! Due to your dangerous methods, Operator Kanna, you've disrupted the A1 Squad's mission and terrified them severely. As compensation, you must complete the unfinished tasks of the A1 Squad on your own, submit a written self-criticism of no less than 10,000 words, and announce it via broadcast in the control room. Additionally, you will be stripped of your right to access the bridge alone until the Management Committee unanimously agrees to reinstate it."

Kanna had anticipated some punishment, but she never expected to be banned from accessing the bridge on her own—a devastating blow to her joy as a lover of scenery.

Fortunately, Outcast's departure from the ship was scheduled for soon; otherwise, lingering inside the ship day after day—even for a little dragon—would eventually drive one mad.