Chapter 7: Those with Different Abilities

As dusk deepened and the streets became less crowded, I arrived at a certain location.

It was a place with dilapidated, abandoned warehouses, yet to be demolished.

This place seemed to be used as a location for trading kidnapped children, a spot frequently used by the so-called “Ziryuu” and the organization behind the kidnapping incidents.

And the reason I had come to this place was that I intended to lure out the unique ability user “Ziryuu” and neutralize him as quickly as possible.

Using the mobile phone I had secretly borrowed from the man who was assaulting my classmate in the back alley, I called “Ziryuu,” using my unique ability to ensure my voice wouldn't sound suspicious, and told him I had something to discuss, luring him out.

After that, my plan was to simply beat the crap out of the “Ziryuu” guy who came out alone from behind, and my plan would be accomplished.

The “Serial Child Kidnapping Incident,” which had been causing a stir in society for so long, would also be resolved without a hitch—that was the calculation.

(A flawless plan…! It also serves as stress relief, and it’s been a while since I went all-out, let’s blow off some steam…!)

Chuckling to myself, I called “Ziryuu” again.

I would pinpoint his location within the warehouse and unleash my unique ability at full power right from the start—the only foolproof method of victory for my non-combat-type unique ability.

I told the man who answered my call without any suspicion that I would be arriving soon and was about to ask for his exact location when—an anomaly occurred.

"---? Ah, oh, what's this all of a sudden!?"

“Huh? What happened?”

Something seemed off about “Ziryuu” on the other end of the phone.

He seemed to be talking to someone else, but I couldn't hear the other person's voice.

I called out to him several times, but the call was cut off without a response.

"…Eh? This doesn't seem like I've been found out, though…"

If he had found out and intentionally lured me here, he should have kept the call connected until the end.

However, the man on the other end reacted as if something unexpected had happened, and it didn't seem like he was plotting any scheme.

(An unforeseen situation has arisen, which I can't overlook. Should I postpone it to another day…? No, no, but this is my only chance to lure out “Ziryuu” by pretending to be calling from that man…)

"Just a peek at the situation…" I thought, approaching the warehouse when, crash, a loud noise came from near the warehouse entrance.

Even though there were few people around, if such a loud noise was made, people in the vicinity might come to check, or the police might be called.

It was no good, I thought, abandoning my plan, which should have been perfect, and was about to turn around and flee when it was already too late.

I made eye contact with a weary-looking man who came tumbling out.

Or rather, it was Police Officer Kagurazaka.

"O-o-officer, is that you!?"

"Wh-why, are you, here—!?"

Still shaken, Police Officer Kagurazaka quickly jumped towards me, tucked me under his arm, and swiftly leaped aside.

In that instant, a piece of iron material pierced through the spot where we had been just moments before.

"----!?"

"Sorry, you got caught up in this!! We're getting out of here for now, hold on tight!!"

"I-i-iron, is, piercing the ground, i-i-iron…"

"Ah yes, in your case, I feel more at ease when you properly panic like this!"

Saying so, Police Officer Kagurazaka, still holding me, rushed into a nearby container yard at an alarming speed.

This is bad, definitely bad.

Though I couldn't see him, the unique ability user called “Ziryuu” was in battle stance, unleashing his unique ability at full power, trying to kill both me and Police Officer Kagurazaka.

Even if I tried to counter with my unique ability, the opponent had clearly spotted me, and more importantly, while subtle thought guidance might be okay, if I used my unique ability conspicuously, Police Officer Kagurazaka right next to me would completely realize my power.

If that happened, I might end up spending my life as a research subject as a human with superpowers.

That, that alone, I absolutely didn't want.

"A-a-awawa, b-but, at this rate, we'll die… we're going to dieee…"

"Somehow, you're quite different from when we were in the bus hijacking. Anyway, relax, just trust me and hang on."

It's only natural that I'm panicking.

After all, this is my first time actually fighting another unique ability user like this.

However, Police Officer Kagurazaka's attitude, full of confidence, in stark contrast to my flustered self, calmed my agitated feelings down a little.

That's right, it'll be alright.

Because I know how capable this police officer is, and he's showing such a reassuring attitude.

It wouldn't be strange if he had some kind of breakthrough strategy.

(Although I say that, there's no effective measure against that man who transformed into smoke itself. At least I have to get this girl to safety.)

No, that's not good.

I despaired at Police Officer Kagurazaka's thoughts, which I had inadvertently read, and as I started composing my farewell poem, Police Officer Kagurazaka shifted his hold on me as if carrying a sack of rice and continued to run, trying to escape from the thin smoke that had spread over the area.

Chasing after us, scrap iron, broken home appliances, and even road signs installed on the road came flying, trying to crush us, but Police Officer Kagurazaka ran around with speed that made me think he was an athlete, easily evading them.

Even though he doesn't have a countermeasure, this police officer's physical ability is monstrous.

Even if he can't defeat him, I reconsidered, maybe escaping isn't that difficult.

"Phew… good, we've gotten quite far from the smoke."

"Wow, you're amazing, Officer…! L-let's escape in a different direction from the warehouse, quickly!"

"…I'm sorry, but that's not an option."

Police Officer Kagurazaka, taking a breather while hiding in the shadow of a container, refused my suggestion and fixed his sharp gaze on the smoke drifting in the sky.

"I'm sure you haven't grasped the whole picture of what's happening right now. But, the one over there is a criminal I have to catch, and he's the 'supernatural' I've been chasing for years. If it's just you, you can escape from here on. While I'm fighting him, get away from this place."

"Eh… you're kidding, right? Y-you're going to fight someone like that in hand-to-hand combat…?"

"Yeah. Originally, I wasn't planning to run like this either, but… because you were here. I definitely wanted to avoid you getting caught up in this."

Placing me on the ground, Police Officer Kagurazaka, catching his breath, pressed something into my hand.

Looking, it was his police badge and something that looked like a recording device.

"I won't ask why you were in a place like this, we don't have time for that. Just, this… please deliver this machine to the police after you get home. If you show them my badge that I gave you with it, the police will have no choice but to act."

"Does that mean… Officer, are you planning to die?"

"I want to say I don't intend to, but I'm prepared for it. Whatever the reason, you came here, so I thought if I could entrust it to someone, I should just entrust it."

You're a very smart kid, you know, he said, and ruffled my head roughly.

The recording device Police Officer Kagurazaka handed me was brand new, as if bought for this very day, and his badge was tattered, as if it had been used extensively—I could clearly see that.

He was putting on a smile to avoid making me worry, but such a superficial thing meant nothing to me.

"…O-officer, I—"

Overhead, directly above, I sensed the activation of a unique ability.

"----Officer!!"

"!? "

Grabbing Police Officer Kagurazaka, who widened his eyes at my voice, I pushed him away with all my strength.

A mountain of home appliances rained down, grazing my toes, crashing into the ground, and broken parts assaulted me and Police Officer Kagurazaka.

Screws, glass shards, and various weapons struck my body, and a throbbing pain followed.

Moreover, because I had pushed him down, I ended up taking most of the attack.

It hurt like hell.

"Ugh!? Are you alright!? Are you injured—"

"Hey, you’re dodging that? Are you really just an ordinary person?"

Overlapping Police Officer Kagurazaka's words, which were concerned about my safety, an unfamiliar man's voice called out from behind.

It was a tall, slender middle-aged man with an unhealthy complexion and sloping shoulders—his appearance was that of a foul-mouthed, listless ordinary person.

He wasn't dressed in a way that suggested he was a professional or in clothes that prioritized mobility, and the aura he exuded didn't feel charismatic enough to intimidate others, let alone someone involved in a heinous criminal incident—truly just Passerby A.

Such a man appeared from within the smoke, nonchalantly holding a cigarette in his mouth.

He looked like he was unrelated to rough stuff or crime, but I could clearly sense that a strong force of unique ability, unique to those who use unique abilities, was emanating from this man.

The smoke contained a high concentration of unique ability power, he was creating it from the cigarette in his mouth, and the faint sweet scent—everything matched the information I had obtained.

No mistake, this man was the perpetrator of the 'Serial Child Kidnapping Incident' that was currently causing a stir in society.

The transporter, “Ziryuu.”

"…But, I don't sense the same kind of power from you. Just lucky, huh?"

I felt relieved at “Ziryuu’s” judgment, who looked down at me as if assessing my worth.

This was my first time directly encountering another unique ability user, but apparently, in this man's eyes, I appeared to be an ordinary person without unique abilities.

…Don't screw with me.

Thanks to my throbbing back, my mind cooled down and calmed down.

I really wanted to whine and complain while crying, but I'll do that after I get home.

Right now, I'll think about a way to break through this situation.

"You bastard…! You didn't hesitate to involve a child…!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? It's your fault, isn't it? If you hadn't carried that brat and brought her out, I wouldn't have had to chase after you. If you hadn't given that evidence to that brat, I wouldn't have had to target her. You're the one who got her involved in all this, aren't you?"

"…!"

"How pitiful, getting caught up in danger because of a piece of trash like this police officer. I don't even want to think about what will happen to you in the future, you know? It's all that damn bastard's fault, see? Come on, don't you have something to say? Go on, say it."

"…"

Police Officer Kagurazaka gritted his teeth at the man's glib talk.

As if acknowledging that there might have been a "future where that might have happened," Police Officer Kagurazaka fell silent.

But.

"What are you talking about? Before Officer carried me, you were already throwing iron material at me, weren't you? From the moment you saw this scene, you had no intention of letting me go home safely, and yet, please stop with the delusions of pretending to be a good person."

"…You’re not a cute kid, are you."

The smile vanished from the man's face.

His glib smile was unpleasant, so that's all for the better.

The man pinched the cigarette he was holding with his fingers, removed it from his mouth, and exhaled a large plume of white smoke with his breath.

White, sweet, large—a mass of smoke writhing in the air like a living thing.

He manipulated the smoke drifting around him, gradually making it denser and expanding it over a wider area.

"A perverted police officer who likes children kidnaps a high school girl and she disappears—that kind of scenario should be good enough, right?"

Police Officer Kagurazaka, his face tense, exposed himself in front of me as if to shield me.

As if mocking him, the man flicked the cigarette he was holding between his fingers.

"What happens when incompetents who only have their positions to boast about, with no real talent, defy a true genius? I'll engrave it into your very being."

The cigarette dancing in the air vanished into the smoke.

Instead, what appeared from the smoke was a huge barbed wire net, filling my vision.

The widely spread iron net flew towards us, trying to capture me and Police Officer Kagurazaka, but Police Officer Kagurazaka kicked away the net that appeared right in front of us with astonishing reflexes and closed the distance to “Ziryuu” in one step.

Police Officer Kagurazaka’s counterattack was too perfect.

The series of counterattacks was executed at such high speed that it was as if it were one single technique, but Police Officer Kagurazaka's punch, aimed at “Ziryuu’s” abdomen, was evaded as “Ziryuu” himself vanished into smoke.

On the contrary, Police Officer Kagurazaka's figure, who had thrown a punch at “Ziryuu,” was also swallowed up by the smoke drifting in the area and disappeared, leaving only dense, fog-like smoke behind.

"O-officer disappeared…"

--- I sensed it.

Overhead, to the lower right, and directly in front—"Ziryuu’s" unique ability was about to activate.

(Evasion… no, more than that, if things continue like this, Officer who's been taken into the smoke will be in danger…)

What “Ziryuu” was trying to do was just carry Police Officer Kagurazaka, taken into the smoke, up into the sky and release him.

However, just carrying him six meters into the sky, a human would sustain fatal injuries if they fell.

Attacks are ineffective against him in smoke form, you can't resist being taken into the smoke, and before you know it, you receive an instantly fatal attack—the "power of smoke" is the epitome of a first-encounter kill.

I took three steps back and moved two steps to the left.

I slipped through the attacks aimed at me, making sure not to get hit.

Then, reading the thoughts of “Ziryuu,” who was concealed within the smoke, I quickly rewrote his thought of dropping Police Officer Kagurazaka from a height of six meters to about four meters.

Barely, my unique ability was in time for “Ziryuu’s” action.

"----What, why am I in the air—!?"

As expected, a height of four meters wasn't a significant height for Police Officer Kagurazaka, who, after being thrown into the air, adjusted his posture mid-air and landed near me with a roll.

Well, a height of two stories is fatal for me, but… well, I'll ignore that part.

"Huh? …What? Why are you unharmed…?"

"You bastard…! I see, so that's how you've been abducting the children! If you're smoke, you can get into any house, and if you can store people in smoke, you can transport as many children as you want, huh!!"

"Shut up. I'm the one asking the questions right now. More importantly, you, why are you unharmed? I'm sure I carried you to a considerable height. To get through that unscathed, what kind of—"

Naturally, I wouldn't say, "It's because I did it," to “Ziryuu,” who looked suspicious.

Police Officer Kagurazaka was wary of “Ziryuu’s” movements, who had revealed himself, but I compared the density of the smoke drifting around us and the smoke that had spewed out Officer overhead.

"Officer. I don't understand the principle, but it seems the density of smoke required differs depending on the object being taken in. When you were taken in, there was a considerable amount of dense smoke around. Please avoid places where the smoke is dense. Next time, if you're taken into the smoke, you should consider it as instant death."

"…I see."

"Huh? Hey, what are you calmly analyzing? Do you really think you can overturn the difference in talent between me and you guys with just one analysis that may or may not be accurate?"

"Whether I can or not, I'll decide after seeing the result. Or… are you afraid of your unscientific nature being解明 (kaimei - elucidated/explained)?"

"…You brat."

“Ziryuu’s” gaze fixed on me at my provocation.

I also have the recording device that will serve as evidence.

With this, my priority for him is me, not Police Officer Kagurazaka.

"…We'll split up. No hard feelings whoever he comes after."

"Wh-what!? N-no, but, I have to catch him—"

"He's not an opponent we can handle here, with just the two of us. We should retreat for now."

If Police Officer Kagurazaka isn't here, I can use my unique ability a bit more conspicuously.

I don't want to use a unique ability with very high output if possible, but “Ziryuu” is a criminal, a bad guy.

I don't care if there are aftereffects.

I took out a water bottle from my pocket and threw it at “Ziryuu.”

“Ziryuu” tried to evade it by turning into smoke, but he was enveloped in powder that burst out of the water bottle and took a direct hit from the water bottle and powder.

"Ugh!? "

He seemed surprised and aghast that he couldn't turn into smoke, but it's nothing special.

What was in the water bottle wasn't water, but wheat flour.

I had obtained information about the unique ability user “Ziryuu” from those men beforehand.

Smoke-type unique ability, unique ability that uses smoke as a starting point.

The wheat flour in the water bottle was something I had prepared as a countermeasure, thinking it might be useful based on that information.

I wasn't absolutely certain it would be effective, but actually facing “Ziryuu,” he was creating smoke using cigarettes every time, so I thought he could only handle smoke he created himself or smoke from cigarettes, and apparently, that prediction was correct.

If it's not smoke created by unique ability, defying science, then common sense applies.

Smoke is essentially moisture, and it's only natural that handling smoke wouldn't go well if surrounded by wheat flour, which absorbs moisture.

In fact, right now, he is being hindered by the wheat flour dust surrounding him and can no longer hide in the smoke.

And the difference in prior preparation creates leeway.

"Now’s our chance, we’re escaping!"

"----Tch, damn it!"

I had only brought a small amount of wheat flour because I was half-doubtful of its effectiveness, but the effect of the wheat flour was confirmed.

Even if we can't finish him off here, if I prepare a larger amount of dust, I can quasi-seal “Ziryuu’s” unique ability.

There's several times more chance of winning than fighting him in this place while he's restricted.

Confirming that Police Officer Kagurazaka had started running in the opposite direction from me, my lips loosened into a smile as things were proceeding as calculated.

(I thought, "What's going to happen?" at first, but if he chases after me here, it'll be a one-on-one fight as initially planned. And I've made preparations, if I can use my unique ability at full power, I won't lose. Even if he gives up on chasing us, I also understand the countermeasure against “Ziryuu’s” unique ability, so next time I fight him, I can create an even more advantageous situation.)

I checked back to see “Ziryuu” flailing his hands around to shake off the dust drifting around him, gauging how long it would be effective.

We had created quite a distance, by now, we wouldn't be caught by “Ziryuu’s” unique ability output from before.

The moment I was certain of victory, “Ziryuu,” having finished shaking off the dust, looked at me with eyes filled with hatred.

"You, you little brat—!!"

“Ziryuu” roared in anger and took out something like a stone from his pocket.

I couldn't see the details because of the distance, but even in the darkness of night, the stone that “Ziryuu” took out was exceptionally dark, and only that spot looked hollow, as if there was a void.

And “Ziryuu,” of all things, brought that stone to his mouth and swallowed it.

"Little brat, I won't let you get away unscathed…"

"!? "

The unique ability power that “Ziryuu” was exuding increased, and the output jumped to an extraordinary level.

With unheard-of cracking and creaking sounds, the smoke around “Ziryuu” writhed.

It was transforming.

Something fluffy and formless was turning into something hard and heavy.

The smoke that began to drift around “Ziryuu,” mixed with leaden color, was smoke and yet not smoke.

Smoke mixed with accumulated iron—a ‘supernatural’ entity that would never exist in nature, possessing the properties of both smoke and iron.

And that distorted transformation closed the distance between me and “Ziryuu,” which should have been unreachable, in just an instant.

The distorted smoke, having transformed, changed into the shape of spears, and were shot out at high speed, flying towards my back, which was turned away as I tried to escape.

It was a death blow, pregnant with destructive power like a cannonball, aimed with sniper-like precision.

A unique ability weapon targeting only me.

"----What the heck is that…!? Th-this—!!"

Swallowing my surprise and aghast, I responded to the situation. I barely managed to dodge the spear of death, which was trying to pierce my body with pinpoint accuracy, by leaping sideways, but as if to add insult to injury, “Ziryuu” appeared, rising up from the spear of smoke that had pierced the ground.

"You said you'd decide whether you can or can't, right? Then go ahead and try, brat."

Along with words filled with fury, a large amount of thin smoke, transformed into chains and flying around like a swarm, cut off my escape routes.

The leaden cage of smoke surrounding me, like an iron maiden that skewers those it captures, bared its steel fangs, trying to attack me mercilessly.

"…!"

--- I sensed it, foresaw the future, and then I exercised my unique ability of mental interference.

I began to interfere with the thoughts of “Ziryuu,” who was trying to attack, using the smoke surrounding me, as if putting vegetables in a blender.

(No need to stop the attack itself! If I specify and create gaps that I can evade through, it’ll be easy to handle!)

The chain-like smoke, swirling and flying around me, writhed with movements like a snake darting through the sky, unleashing the weapons stored inside the smoke all at once.

I evaded it, weaving through the gaps I had forcibly created through mental interference.

"Huh!? You’re dodging this too!? What the hell is going on!!"

“Ziryuu” let out a voice mixed with bewilderment, beyond surprise, at my figure, who had crouched down and escaped the crisis by rolling on the ground.

Showing agitation in the middle of a battle is foolish to say the least, but in reality, for “Ziryuu,” attacking me was probably like hunting rabbits.

For “Ziryuu,” who thought I wasn't even a unique ability user, defeat, let alone a counterattack, was impossible.

Therefore, even though he had barely evaded the fierce attack, “Ziryuu” smirked with relief at my unseemly figure, who had lost balance, fallen, and couldn't even get up.

"Wh-what's with you. Damn brat, making me work up a sweat."

Being made to work up a sweat, not to mention being troubled, in a hunt for someone beneath him—the battle with me, who should not have unique abilities, was infuriating to “Ziryuu.”

That's why “Ziryuu” couldn't suppress his irritation at the fact that he was being made to spend time.

That's why he disregarded the fact that his unique ability attack had been evaded.

That's why this small fry would definitely choose the easy option.

I knew all of that.

"Now, die."

Aiming at my head, who was still unable to stand up in the posture in which I had rolled to evade, “Ziryuu” raised his hand and spewed out a mass of smoke.

He stored smoke in smoke and released the smoke he had been accumulating, now aimed at me.

The white smoke, far denser than the smoke that had stored Police Officer Kagurazaka earlier, enveloped me with ease, staining my clothes and surrounding me, as I wore an expression of being dumbfounded by the overwhelming difference in power.

I was taken into the giant smoke that swallowed people whole, and then, just as “Ziryuu” intended, my body was carried to an excessively high altitude and dropped.

--- Or so, “Ziryuu” misjudged.

"…Huh?"

I’m not falling.

Nothing is falling.

No matter how long he waited, I, whom he should have caught and carried, wasn't spat out from the sky.

"…Huh?"

Directing his gaze towards the sky where he should have carried me, “Ziryuu’s” face turned questioning—and at that moment, the ‘real’ me sprayed bear spray directly into his face from the side.

"----Huh? Aaaaaah, ah!!"

“Ziryuu,” who had taken a direct spray of the potent animal repellent for large beasts to the face, screamed in agony, covering his face.

And what was attacking “Ziryuu” now wasn't just the sprayed chemicals.

My unique ability, mental interference, was dominating his mind.

The web of thought guidance, which I had been laying since encountering this man, had already firmly bound him.

While it was difficult to completely brainwash him, I was already in a state where I had seized the initiative enough to strongly interfere with “Ziryuu’s” recognition abilities.

That's why I said, "I won't lose."

The reason why “Ziryuu” couldn't see through that I was a unique ability user earlier was simple—the difference in experience.

I have been handling this power since I became aware of the world, and during middle school, I was riding high, recklessly repeating trial and error without restraint.

That's why my switching between usage and non-usage is perfect, and unlike this “Ziryuu,” my unique ability power isn't constantly leaking out.

The level of training is different, the quality is different.

The output is… well, it's not that different, but there's a clear difference in class between the power to manipulate smoke and the power to interfere with the mind.

I was surprised that he used a strange stone to boost his output, but the situation that could be improved by that was a little earlier.

Just a little more until I completely ensnare his consciousness.

(My physically weak attacks won't inflict even a little damage, and I'll just push through with my unique ability until he's neutralized.)

The details of that strange stone are concerning, but I don't have the余裕 (yoyu - leeway/room) to do various things against another unique ability user.

Not with the output that only avoids causing a sense of discomfort like before, but at full power.

I was about to switch the switch in my head to execute mental interference on “Ziryuu” at full power.

"Are you alright—!?"

That's why I was caught off guard by the unexpected voice.

Police Officer Kagurazaka, whom I should have separated from.

The person who shouldn't know about my unique ability, whom I had confirmed was escaping in a different direction, had returned, worried about my safety.

No, I had expected him to return someday, but I thought I would be able to finish things before then.

His judgment to return, without hesitation, to help me was too quick.

"Awah, awawawa…!?"

"This is—!?"

Police Officer Kagurazaka let out a voice as if witnessing an unexpected scene right before his eyes.

That's only natural, a girl holding bear spray, and nearby, a middle-aged man clutching his face and screaming.

Even I would think the girl was the dangerous one if I saw this.

More than anything, what's unsettling is how much of my unique ability usage he saw.

(Th-that's right, if I hit his head with something heavy, his memory might be erased.)

However, thinking such a carefree thing was a mistake.

Even though I should have known the importance of focusing my consciousness, I had diverted my consciousness away from the enemy in front of me, who was not yet neutralized.

"Ogh, aaaaa, aaaaaaaa!!"

Like a storm, the smoke around “Ziryuu” swirled.

The smoke, fused with iron and turned leaden, possessed a sharpness like a blade.

Such smoke was scattered in all directions around “Ziryuu.”

No intention, no plan.

Accidental, a unique ability going berserk, just an accident if you will.

That's why that event became a blind spot for me, who only possessed the ability to interfere with the minds of intelligent beings.

And the leaden smoke approaching was—

"…Ah."

With my physical abilities, which were below average excluding my unique ability, evasion was impossible—it was unavoidable death itself.

Rip—my shoulder was deeply torn open.

My arms, flank, back—everywhere was torn, blood splattering and repainting the ground red.

The iron smell spread from the vision filled with fresh blood, and the wounds that had shed so much blood easily suggested that they probably reached my internal organs and bones. My body was gouged out by the unique ability weapon, blood gushing from my entire body, my face contorted in agony—

--- Such was the figure of Police Officer Kagurazaka, who was protecting me, before my eyes.

(----)

I couldn't understand.

I couldn't understand, couldn't understand, couldn't understand.

Everything before my eyes was too incomprehensible for me.

Because Police Officer Kagurazaka, holding me, continued to roll on the ground.

Because, even though the wounds he received from behind must be screaming in pain, he continued to hold me close, making sure I wouldn't get hurt, even as he rolled on the ground.

Because, even though dirt would get into his wounds, and the iron and stones scattered on the ground would widen his wounds, he didn't let go of me.

I couldn't understand any of his actions.

"…Are you, alright?"

"…H-huh?"

This man is an idiot, a hopeless idiot.

He himself is injured this badly, and yet, he's asking me, who isn't even bleeding, if I'm alright.

He protected me perfectly, without even a scratch, and yet, what nonsense is he saying.

For some reason, my thoughts were in utter disarray, and to me, he spoke in the same tone as when he tried to reassure me when we were caught up in the bus hijacking.

"You, go home quickly. I'll manage somehow so you can get home safely. I'll protect you to the end."

His face wasn't even contorted in pain, as if he felt no pain at all, and in the end, to hear him say such things, various thoughts I had been having flew out of my head.

Looking at this man, who was trying to protect me without regard for his own safety, I couldn't help but feel that my own self, which was only trying to protect myself, was utterly ugly.

"…Why are you protecting me so much?"

"Why, you ask… because you're a good, ordinary citizen, and I'm a police officer."

"…………I'm not as good as Officer thinks I am, you know. Are you still going to protect me to the end?"

"I don't understand what you're saying… but yes. Even if you can't call yourself good, at least to me, you're a child who should be protected."

"……………Ah, I see. I see—"

This person's words and heart are not disconnected.

He was a good person in every way, a person who was honest to the core.

Along with my heart, which was twisted and warped, what came out of my mouth was such a despondent-sounding word.

Good people are difficult to handle.

I struggle to understand the thinking of people who are only good.

Simple people who have no ulterior motives… I don't know what to do with them.

Having seen too much of the dirty side of people, when I face someone like this, I feel like my eyes will be blinded by the brightness.

I no longer knew what the right thing to do was.

"…Um, you know, Kagurazaka-san. I have something I've been keeping secret."

“Ziryuu,” who had clearly regained consciousness, fixed his eyes firmly on us.

I can't guide his thoughts now.

I don't have the output to make the mass of iron material, which was raised and about to be shot out, shoot somewhere else.

Police Officer Kagurazaka, noticing “Ziryuu” starting to move, hugged me tightly and started moving to somehow evade.

In such a situation, I held out one hand, posed as if snapping my fingers, and extended that hand, without thinking, towards “Ziryuu,” who was in attack stance.

“I can do something a little amazing, you see.”

Snap, my fingers snapped.

The output of my unique ability, converted into mental interference power.

The invisible power of unique ability, carried on the sound, reached the target, greatly shaking the target's brain and mind.

Then, in an instant, the smoke that “Ziryuu” had been wielding dissipated without a trace and flew away.

“Ziryuu,” rolling his eyes back, collapsed onto the ground, back first.

“Ziryuu,” who had fallen to the ground, rolling his eyes back and foaming at the mouth, convulsed a few times and then stopped moving.

“Ziryuu,” who had no external wounds, wouldn't die, but he was not moving at all now and wouldn't wake up for a while.

Kagurazaka, dumbfounded, watched the figure of “Ziryuu,” who had suddenly collapsed, and turned his face to the girl in his arms, who must have been the one who did it.

"What, are you…?"

The girl, escaping from Police Officer Kagurazaka's arms, who was directing a bewildered gaze at her, took a little distance and then turned to face Kagurazaka.

Looking at Kagurazaka with a gaze as if hesitating slightly, as if wondering if this was really the right thing to do, the girl confessed her secret power to someone other than herself for the first time.

"Please don't call people monsters like that—I'm Satori Rinka, a first-year high school student. My special skill is that I'm an ordinary person who can do something a little amazing. I've decided to reveal to you, the 'supernatural' you've been waiting for."

"Please be kind to me for a long time to come," she said.

The girl extended her hand, slightly stiff with nervousness, and took Police Officer Kagurazaka's wounded hand.