Chapter 7: The Hunter

Hajime wasn't stupid; he knew that Kohaku was going to make him do something drastic.

Just as the teenager had imagined, the hacker's request was to carry out a kidnapping.

"This is your target, Kamijo-san: Alberich Hackmesser, a German businessman who arrived on our island today."

Hajime looked at the photo of the man he had to kidnap with an impassive face. He was tall, blonde, with glasses and blue eyes, and had a well-toned physique.

"He is not a [mage] or an [esper], but he has many [magical weapons] at his disposal. Kuro will accompany you to ensure that things don't go wrong."

"Can I know what he did?"

"I can't tell you here. But trust me when I say he is not a person who deserves pity."

Goto's stepson could understand Kohaku's concerns; they were still at school, in a secluded corner, with Cloe and Kuro acting as sentinels, but still at school.

It was risky to talk about such things.

"I will send you the details of the plan when we are sure of his movements; until then, you will have to wait."

(P.O.V. Hajime in the past)

In the end, I was left with those words.

I sighed to myself. I was nervous and a bit scared, even though a small part of me was happy and excited at the idea of what I was about to do.

A kidnapping.

As my actions were being recorded, Kohaku-san could hold a weapon to use against me. It was a great idea; this way, he could also see how far I would go to achieve my goal: to free myself from Goto.

That same evening, I received a call from Kohaku-san.

"I hacked our target's phone, changing the time and place where he should meet one of his clients. It's an isolated spot with no cameras or security; even the [White Corps] don't often go there. It will be ideal." (Kohaku)

"Okay." (Hajime)

"I will send you the location of our meeting point; from there, you will go with Kuro. Good luck, Kamijo-san."

(End P.O.V.)

Hajime had to come up with an excuse for staying out late that evening.

Fortunately for him, Kaori and his mother didn't have many doubts about his going for a run; it was something the teenager often did, even at night; especially of late, it had become almost a routine.

It took him 2 hours to reach the meeting point that Kohaku had mentioned.

It was a sewer, literally.

A metal fence blocked the entrance to the island's sewer system; the river of waste and human and other excrement flowed endlessly. The smell was almost impossible to bear. Thankfully, Hajime didn't have to wait long.

"You're late... never mind, put these on!"

Kuro emerged from the shadows as if fused with them; the boy wore a white skull mask and a tattered black cloak; his belt was equipped with several daggers and knives.

In one hand, the boy carried a briefcase while in the other a katana and its sheath.

"What's in there?!" (Hajime)

"Just do it!" (Kuro)

"Forget it!" (Hajime)

The two boys were about to go for each other's throats until a small drone intervened between them. From it came a familiar voice.

"Inside is your gear, Kamijo-san. Did you really think we would send you out unprepared without the right tools? The katana is for you as well."

Goto's stepson wondered how Kohaku knew his size and prepared all this stuff in just a few days. His outfit was similar to that of Kuro, except for the mask; his was red and represented an oni instead of a skull.

"The mask blocks visual recognition from cameras, even next-gen ones, and from scanners; unless you have the right frequency to get past the jammer, which is underground." (Kohaku)

"I understand... so your drones can record me as if I were unmasked, right?" (Hajime)

"You make it sound so terrible when you say it like that. This is just a precaution."

Hajime put on the earpiece that would allow him to speak with Kohaku and began to follow Kuro. It was time to take their target.

*****

Alberich Hackmesser was a businessman who illegally sold [magical weapons]. For him, it was normal to meet his buyers in strange and isolated places; thus, the German was not worried when he arrived at the meeting point.

"(Something's not right...)"

Years of arms smuggling of all kinds had given the man a keen sense of danger. Many times, thanks to it, Alberich had managed to escape traps and ambushes. This time was no different.

From behind the German, Hajime approached, ready to strike him on the head with the sheath of his katana. Unfortunately for him, the man blocked the blow with the briefcase he was holding.

"(Damn! I should have used my powers!)" (Hajime)

With a swift and precise movement, Alberich opened his briefcase and pulled out a butcher's cleaver. The weapon radiated a dangerous sense of death now that it was wielded by the man; the silver-haired boy wasn't stupid; he knew what he was dealing with.

"([Magical weapon]! I need to be careful!)"

Green energy surged from Goto's stepson. Drawing his katana, the boy launched an attack.

"I don't know who you are, but you've made a grave mistake!" (Alberich)

The German's weapon began to glow as Hajime closed in. The muscles of his opponent bulged one or two sizes as he swung his cleaver.

"(Is he powerful!? No! His weapon is giving him a physical boost!? Damn, he's even stronger than me; he's about to throw me off!)" (Hajime)

The boy wearing the oni mask jumped back to avoid the momentum. Alberich didn't give him time to recover; Hajime had mere nanoseconds to decide what to do: fight or flee.

"(I can't take him head-on!)"

Utilizing his superior speed, the silver-haired boy barely dodged the lethal blade of the [magical weapon].

From there began a deadly game, with Hajime evading or deflecting blows while Alberich sought desperately to tear him apart.

This lasted many minutes, but in the end, the longer it dragged on, the clearer it became who was really winning this fight. While the German was exhausted, panting with sweat soaking his clothes, Goto's stepson was still in his prime.

"(It's time to counterattack!)"

Hajime delivered a well-placed kick to the side of his opponent; Alberich grimaced in pain as the sounds of broken ribs filled the air.

"Damn it!"

With an agile backward leap, the injured and fatigued man pulled out a vial containing an unknown substance from his clothes.

"Tsk! Wasting it on a parasite like you! I'll make you pay dearly!"

The boy in the oni mask had no idea what the German held in his hand, but a strange feeling of unease gripped his soul. Hajime had to stop him, or he wouldn't make it out alive—of that he was sure.

"No!" (Hajime)

"Too late!" (Alberich)

" how noisy you are!" (Kuro)

Kuro appeared behind Alberich; the man, sensing the acute murderous intent radiating from the boy wearing the skull mask, froze in surprise. That moment of hesitation was his undoing.

"E-eh...? AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!?"

In an instant, Kuro had precisely severed the legs of his target with his scythe. The German fell face-first into the ground while screaming. His cleaver fell along with him, along with the vial, which shattered upon impact with the ground.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!! MY LEGS!?"

"Will you shut up?"

The man's piercing screams were silenced by a powerful kick to the jaw from Kuro. The boy then took two hemostatic ties from his belt and ensured he stopped the bleeding.

"We're done; let's get out of here!" (Kuro)

"Don't talk to me like you're my boss! It's because you didn't help me earlier!?" (Hajime)

"*Huffs* take this, idiot, and let's leave!"

"Stop giving me orders!"

As the two argued, Kohaku and Cloe observed and listened, thanks to the drones and transmitters, to the two boys squabbling like children.

"Well, at least they get along!" (Kohaku)

"If you say so... at least you recorded what he did?" (Cloe)

"Of course, look...!"

Kohaku's conversation was interrupted by a beep from his computer. The girl quickly shifted from an amused expression to a serious one as she began typing codes on her keyboard.

"What's going on, Kohaku-chan!?"

"Someone or something broke through my formation!?"

By formation, the hacker meant the numerous drones she had placed in a hundred-meter perimeter around Hajime and Kuro's location. The fact that someone had approached so closely without being detected was extremely concerning.

"Kamijo-san! Kuro! Take the target and go to the meeting point! Someone is coming toward your direction!"

The girl's worried tone jolted the two boys into action; they both sprinted at full speed toward the entrance of the sewers. Meanwhile, just a little further back, someone began to follow them.

The figure, accompanied by what seemed to be hunting dogs, smiled amusedly.

"Smart prey? Good, this will be more fun!"