NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 11
The Fujimoto Heavy Industries’ warehouse number 5 was completely empty.
They hastily remodeled the area connected to the underground storage into a research facility, using the excuse of repairs to strictly control the entrance, allowing only a handful of personnel and security.
“I’m here for the shift change.”
“Oh, nothing unusual.”
“Yes!”
In the massive space that used to load heavy equipment or ships, members of Fujimoto Security, responsible for tasks that couldn’t be shown to the public, were gathered near the passage leading to the underground warehouse, maintaining tight security.
Flashing
Flashing
“……”
Before long, the evening sunset faded, and it was pitch dark since they had cut off the connection to the central power plant due to the repairs. Only makeshift lights were on inside the warehouse.
“Is it flickering because of the wind?”
“Probably.”
Flashing
Flashing
Since it was a hastily remodeled facility, there were quite a few defective pieces of equipment brought in secretly to avoid external routes.
“It’s completely out.”
“Headquarters, this is SP-3. The lights went out due to the wind. Replacing them.”
[Receive, hold position.]
“Received.”
The security member tucked the radio back into his belt and turned on a flashlight issued to the special security unit.
A silver-haired girl with a mask appeared the moment the flashlight lit up.
“What?!”
The security member quickly drew his gun and fired.
Bang Bang!
＊
Bang Bang—
“Ugh…!”
“Whoa! Isn’t that gunfire?”
The gunfight right at the entrance could be vaguely heard all the way to the girls’ dormitory, located in the far corner of the underground research facility.
“Kyoko, let’s head out slowly now.”
“Got it, Captain!”
As the girls inside the room suddenly stood up, their voices flowed from the speakers installed on the dorm ceiling.
[Stop! What are you doing! Sit down immediately!]
[One person? Only one intruder?]
[Find out which company they belong to!]
Due to the earlier gunfight, it seemed like the situation control room was in disarray as shouts and various noises mixed in the control officer’s broadcast echoing throughout the dorm.
“Don’t eat this!”
Kyoko waved her fist towards the four dorm cameras. Finally feeling good about going out, she grinned, showing her buck teeth.
“Kyoko! Stop messing around and come out!”
“Yes, sir…”
“I’ll help you all. Let’s go quickly!”
“Yes! Captain!”
“Th-Thank you, Captain.”
Just as Kyoko, who was smiling earlier, regained her sense of reality upon Ichika’s words, tension began to rise.
Swallow
After shaking off her anxiety.
She dashed outside.
＊
As soon as I confirmed that the girls, who were test subjects, were moving, I detached my consciousness and shifted it back to the main gate, where my clone was fighting.
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
The flashes illuminating the dark warehouse blinked at the muzzle’s tip with each gunfire.
With the lights passing by, I could hear the urgent footsteps of the security members.
‘I don’t want to kill an ordinary person just following orders.’
Even with the flames going out and launching the attack, besides knocking out the first guard with my fist, I had no other achievements. I hesitated to use my psychic powers on regular folks, fearing it would pop their heads off like corks. Ultimately, I tried close combat but…
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
…Upon confirming that one was attacked, the remaining 5 members spread out and started shooting.
‘Even if I tried to drive them away with illusions, it seemed I couldn’t control the variables, making me hesitate.’
It seemed more like an error on my end. I thought as I expanded a colorful light like a shield widely and firmly.
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
Clatter
Bullets squished and fell as they were blocked by the barrier. I dashed towards the closest security member while blocking bullets with the barrier.
Thud
I lightly kicked off the ground, quickly narrowing the distance between the security member and me.
Panic breathing.
Shaking eyes.
“Ugh!”
As the now prismatic light blocked bullets, the guard, realizing it was futile, charged in, attempting to tackle me.
“Waaah!”
Amidst the highly trained behemoth tackling me, my sharpened mind presented the current situation like I was watching it in slow motion.
Whoosh
I could even hear the air shaking from the bulk flying to grab me.
With weapons pointed around, they were watching me closely through the limbs of the incoming giant.
“It’s useless!”
“Ugh!”
I slipped past the guard with minimal steps. The surroundings became clear once more.
Guards passing by awkwardly.
Beyond that, other guarded members seeking cover.
Before they could shoot, I placed an illusionary barrier over one of the guards’ faces as if donning a fishbowl. Dressed like astronauts in a spherical barrier, they struggled to remove it.
“Yikes! What is this!”
“It won’t come off!”
“Contain them! Contain them!”
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
As their sight was blocked by some unknown force, the temporarily panicked guards unleashed bullets in a wild firing spree.
Clatter
In the invisible field of view.
Yet still, one bullet miraculously hit.
But those were squashed into lead fragments as they were blocked by the barrier.
Tick Tick Tick!
As the sound of all bullets dropping rang out, I instinctively approached the guards, trying to reload despite losing vision.
“Ugh?!”
“Damn it!!”
As they struggled to regain their footing and fumbled, a guard lost the magazine in a frantic display of flailing arms.
Clatter!
The guards, who initially tried to pick up the hefty magazine stuffed with live rounds, quickly abandoned firing and rushed in, relying on sounds instead.
“Whoa?! The magazine!!”
“Bullets aren’t useful! Rush!”
“Block it!”
“Block it!”
The guards, who had given up shooting, charged in like detectives trying to apprehend a suspect.
I blinked at them.
Vroom!
In an instant, the distance closed again.
As I barely slipped beneath the guards while they fell one by one, I playfully slapped them all lightly.
Slap!
“Ugh?!”
“What the heck!”
“Gah….”
…Perhaps I just failed to control my strength a little, leaving them shuddering in pain and unable to move.
Even though I could confuse the enemies with my irregular skills and illusions, it took longer than expected to subdue them non-lethally, even with the 3-Star Magical Girl’s extraordinary physical abilities and reflexes.
Even attempting to lure them with illusions wouldn’t budge the guards at the exit.
I dashed in a hurry thinking about how I couldn’t come up with something to make them move all at once. This would only turn out to be a worse blunder.
‘No, the real problem is my immaturity at executing methods to subdue enemies effectively…’
While I had resolved to kill since the day I arrived in this world…
When it came to indiscriminately slaughtering what barely posed a threat, I felt a strong aversion, which extended this pointless skirmish longer than expected.
‘Besides, controlling 7 clones simultaneously is driving me insane. I’m struggling to even pay attention to the surveillance cameras.’
Even when sitting upright and focused wasn’t enough, trying to grasp the situation while managing 6 volatile stock charts felt exceedingly wickedly difficult.
Taking advantage of a moment of brief calm in the fight, I detached my consciousness again to check the situation of my clones.
Ichika’s group was bewildered when a guard blocking the stairs fired their gun.
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
Clatter
However, one of my clones intercepted the gunfire with a barrier, and then Ichika bravely cast her psychic ability towards the guard, sending the staggering guard tumbling down the stairs.
Every time Ichika encountered security guards in the corridor, one of my clones spread a barrier, enabling Ichika to subdue them.
Sometimes through moves that borrowed martial arts skills.
Sometimes by kicking off the wall and jumping up to distract them.
They advanced while repelling their foes like that.
‘She’s fighting well.’
To her, the security members were opponents she had to face desperately, hence her responses were brave and swift. Because of her boldness, they wrapped things up quickly, thereby reducing potential casualties.
“……”
Decisive actions are better than hesitating awkwardly.
That was the lesson I learned from my first fight.
As I lamented my own immaturity, I shifted my consciousness elsewhere.
Once outside the warehouse with everyone, my attention went towards luring them away.
In the distance, dozens of armed security members with submachine guns were boarding vehicles and speeding towards a location presumed to be the security headquarters, hundreds of meters away.
‘It’s about time to leave.’
I seized the handguns from the fallen guards and discarded them while waiting for Ichika’s group to come up the stairs.
Tap tap tap—
“Whew… whew…”
“Come on!”
“Whew. Where is this?”
“It’s Tokyo Port. I’ll explain the details later. We have to get out quick.”
“Okay. Let’s get out!”
＊
It was the first time Ichika had run in full speed for minutes without stopping.
A massive port where no end was in sight, no matter how much she ran.
Huge cranes towering all around.
The dazzling Tokyo night view far away.
Crossing in front of the logistics warehouse, it was only when she saw the sign reading “Fujimoto” that she finally understood who had imprisoned her and her friends.
‘Fujimoto…!’
Though only roughly ten days had passed, the memories of squeezing 11 girls to their limits while starving them would be burned into her mind forever.
Now, they only had to escape with her comrades.
Just as Ichika thought that.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Boom!
“Ugh?!”
“Whoa!”
“Ahhh!”
A flash.
The blinding light of searchlights made her vision go white hot.
All searchlights that had been dark moments ago surrounding warehouse number 5 blazed to life, swinging around and targeting Ichika’s group with their beams.
Ringing!
A chilling high-pitched alarm that pierced the ears.
Every searchlight made it so that they could keep track of Ichika’s group’s every movement. At the same time, local guards who had failed to find Ichika’s team in the shadows rushed towards them.
Screech!
“Support team from headquarters!”
“Capture them!”
“Subdue them!!”
“Shooting permitted!!”
Bang bang bang bang!
From 100 meters away, over a dozen armored guards from Fujimoto Security with marks on their vehicles began to slowly surround Ichika’s group, charging forward.
“Hey! What are we going to do now?!”
“It’s bad news!!”
Ichika, feeling despair, thought that the fox-eyed girl who proposed an escape might have a plan.
Certainly, she believed that someone with the ability to find out the location of a research facility she hadn’t even known herself and who wielded powers beyond her own would surely find a way.
“Using that might just do it… No need for fireworks now. They won’t see the clones because of the light…”
In the midst of the noise from those eager to apprehend them.
The fox-eyed girl shouted at Ichika.
“I’m going to deactivate the clones now, so trust me and keep running! Just keep looking at the ground!”
“What?!”
Swish
The clones that had been disguised as the fox-eyed girl and her comrades vanished like a dream. She had asked Ichika to trust her, but an immediate sense of unease washed over her.
“W-What should we do, Captain?!”
“Run! There’s no other choice! Run!!”
Ichika dashed out just like that.
Light.
Noise.
Shouting.
Everything tangled chaotically.
When the guards’ expressions finally became visible as they were closing in on them.
[Deception] Magical Girl Unique Skill
Dream World 夢幻世界
In the sky, enormous prism orbs floated.
A power to distort reality.
A grand illusion.
“What, what the heck?!”
“What is that?!”
Giant orbs over 5 meters in diameter slowly descended from the sky. They began to scatter colorful lights while refracting the beams of the searchlights.
Light.
Light filling the field of vision.
“AAAHH!!! My eyes!!!”
“I can’t see!!”
“Shoot! Shoot! Just shoot!!”
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!
Vroom!
Shapes danced.
Flames sang.
People screamed.
On a midnight port.
Different colors each exhibiting their uniqueness confused human cognition.
And the silver-haired girl was laughing.
“Headquarters! Headquarters! Cut the power! No excuses, cut it now!!!”
Darkness.
The colorful lights that had been there just moments ago vanished all at once.
The world sank into darkness.
“What a waste it would be for fireworks!”
The girl shouted.
And the light rose again.
Stars made of flames.
The prison of light restarted.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The night sea adorned with hot stars.
Lights spreading through glass beads.
People dancing amid dizzying lights.
The girl deceived everyone’s vision.
Ichika felt that she would never forget this scene for the rest of her life.