(A/N: Put up a notice in case you haven't read it.)
___________________________________________________________
"What's going on here? How did Director Perlman get tied up by a little girl?"
"I don't know... But she got hold of Commander Perlman, and the troops defending the blast area had to listen to her and pull out..."
"She says she wants to see the person in charge here, so Ms. Sarah has stepped in to negotiate..."
While Illya was being filled in on the situation by Nicole, a certain Cat Thiren gulped nervously.
After the train tracks had been detonated by one of the mercenaries, Nekomata had forcefully taken Perlman and attempted to negotiate with Vision, deciding to sacrifice herself to save the residents stuck in the blast zone.
On paper, it sounded like a good plan.
In practice?
Not so much.
An elegantly dressed woman in a red blazer and black dress pants stepped forward, a seemingly friendly smile on her face.
"So... You're the little girl that's been kicking up a fuss, huh?"
Sarah's eyes drifted to the bound pig in the cat Thirens' possession, her expression remaining the same.
"You're the person in charge?"
The secretary nodded.
"I guess you could say that."
Nekomata took a step forward and put on the most confident expression she could muster.
"Then-"
"My request is simple: Have Vision stop the demolition and allow the residents to leave."
Sarah crossed her arms.
"Hoh~ That's easy for you to say, little one. Big companies like Vision have a reputation to maintain, you know?"
The secretary chuckled dryly.
"Say we actually entertain your request-how exactly are we going to explain things to the public? Are we just supposed to accept the scandal that'll break out as a result?"
The Cat Thiren inhaled deeply.
"I never expected you to in the first place- at least, not without a cost."
"Oh~ So then, what do you propose, Miss..."
Sarah trailed off, the implication clear.
Nekomata hid her nerves behind a smile as she moved her bangs away from her eyes.
"Oops! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Nekomiya Mana- Though you can call me Nekomata for short."
Sarah nodded slowly.
"Than Miss... Nekomata. What are you bringing to the table?"
The secretary spread her arms out generously.
"Please, I'd love to hear your terms."
Nekomata nodded.
"As you can see, I'm holding your leader, Perlman, hostage and-"
The secretary cut her off before she could finish.
"Hmm~? I fail to see how that's relevant."
Sarah snapped her fingers, causing one of the mercenaries to step forward and hand her a stack of papers.
She waved them in Nekomata's face.
"According to my documents, it seems that Mr. Perlman was the rather unfortunate victim of a defective explosive's premature detonation."
The secretary tossed the documents into the air indifferently, scattering them before Nekomata.
"Since Mr. Perlman is nothing more than a corpse in the eyes of the law, let me ask once more: What exactly are you bringing to the table, Miss Nekomata? What sort of value does this proposal of yours have for Vision?"
The Cat Thirens' gaze flickered to one of the documents- a single glance being enough for her to know that it was real.
Still, she remained unfazed.
"You didn't let me finish earlier."
"While Perlman is somewhat related to my proposal, what I'm offering isn't merely his release."
Sarah's eyes lit up with intrigue.
"Hmm~? Go on, I'm listening..."
Nekomata placed a hand on her chest.
"Let me introduce myself once more: I am Nekomiya Mana, a remnant of the Red Fang Gang and a subordinate of the late Miguel Silver."
A series of shocked murmurs sprouted from the gathered crowd of mercenaries, all of them recognizing the name.
Nekomata ignored them.
She drew in a breath as she scrutinized the secretary's expression.
"But, if you are willing to accept my offer, I will be Nekomiya Mana, the Bandit Leader of the Red Fang Gang who took residents of the Old Capital as hostages and violently obstructed construction."
She continued.
"So how 'bout it, huh? You said earlier that big companies like Vision have a reputation to uphold, right?"
Nekomata gestured theatrically around herself.
"Just think about the headlines! 'Vision Corp: the heroes who crushed the tyrannical Red Fang Gang!' Does that not sound good to you?"
Sarah's expression darkened.
"You're sacrificing yourself, huh?"
Nekomata shook her head.
"Nah, it's not like that."
A bitter smile spread across her face.
"What's there to sacrifice if I've just got nothing left to lose?"
Sarah merely regarded Nekomata with the same smile that had been on her face this whole time.
"What do you say? If you contact the media right now and tell the public-"
A sudden flash of black metal stopped her dead in her tracks.
CLICK
Nekomata's eyes widened.
BANG
The secretary unloaded a round into the air, causing Nekomata to recoil in surprise.
For the first time since the so-called negotiation began, the professional facade that Sarah had worn began to crack as she let out an irritated breath.
"Hah. By the Creator, you really don't know when to shut up."
Sarah shook her head and undid her ponytail.
"You keep droning on and on and on about all this self-righteous bullshit, and frankly, I've had enough."
She pointed the steaming metallic barrel of her gun at Nekomata, her expression absolutely frigid.
"I've been rushing to get this project finished by the deadline, and I'm not gonna let some little kitty with a savior complex get in the way of my goals."
Nekomata's eyes narrowed, a bead of sweat trickling down her face.
"So Perlman was just a puppet... You're the real mastermind behind all of this?!"
"Wow~! Congrats!"
Sarah offered her a sarcastic applause.
"You guessed right! You want a cookie or something?"
The secretary scoffed and pulled the trigger.
BANG
THUD
Perlman fell to the ground, eyes bulging from their sockets.
"Tch. I don't have time for this."
Nekomata let out a pained gasp as she cradled her newly injured hand, her reaction speed fast enough to block the bullet but too slow to come out unharmed.
A well of blood splurted from the newly opened wound, causing her face to pale.
Sarah merely let out a sigh and reset her aim.
Nekomata could only watch in resignation as she saw the secretary pull the trigger, her mind racing as what she thought were the last seconds of her life were about to play out.
'I didn't even get to protect anyone in the end...'
A sense of hopelessness welled up from the pits of her stomach as she began to think of Nicole, Anby, and Billy- regretting that she had ever involved them in this whole debacle.
Her eyes briefly drifted to the armed mercenaries behind Sarah, wondering if the surviving residents would meet an end similar to hers, but Nekomata didn't dwell on it for long.
'I just hope they have mackerel in the afterlife.'
Shutting her eyes tight, Nekomata waited for the end.
BANG
The sound of a gunshot echoed in the air...
But.
CLANG
"Hi there, are you Nekomata?"
A calm, masculine voice cut through the tension.
The cat slowly opened her eyes, her trembling pupils locking onto the face obscuring her view of the assembled vision corp.
Nekomata nodded slowly.
Illya smiled pleasantly.
"Nicole sent me here. She said you might've needed a hand."
"... Huh? Nicole sent you...?"
Illya nodded.
"Mhm! And it looks like you... wait..."
His eyes drifted down to her hand, to the streaks of scarlet marring her skin.
"You're hurt."
Nekomata followed his gaze and looked down at her own injury, wincing slightly as the shock of survival wore off.
Illya's gaze lingered on her hand, his pupils trembling as he watched the crimson liquid drip from her fingertips.
Nekomata watched as he wordlessly turned around.
"Uhm, mister? Are you alright?"
Call it a cat's intuition, but she knew that something big was about to happen.
A subtle sense of pressure began to radiate off Illya's form, his presence so threatening that the rather small knit sweater stretched across his frame felt scary instead of silly.
Despite seemingly being on his side, Nekomata couldn't hold back the shiver snaking down her spine.
"You..."
Sarah stared at Illya warily, the blank expression on his face forcing an uneasy feeling to well up in the pit of her stomach.
"You shot her. Why?"
The secretary didn't answer his question.
Sarah exchanged looks with the mercenaries, and all of them seemed to understand.
They readied their firearms, each of their guns loaded with special etheric rounds.
"Why?"
Illya asked again, his voice sounding hollow.
The mercenaries took aim, the innumerable barrels locking on the terrifying brown-haired man.
Seeing this, Nekomata wanted to say something, to yell for him to get out of the way-
But she couldn't.
Her voice seemed to get stuck in her throat as a dense black aura enveloped Illya.
The air warped around him and began to spark, the sheer collection of energy around the Void Hunter causing Nekomata's skin to prickle.
Illya's expression had yet to change, but his demenour was absolutely suffocating.
He was mad.
Unimaginably so.
_________________________________________________________
(A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
If you like the story so far, add the story to your collection and drop a few comments.
If you want more, send a couple of powerstones my way- Every 100PS = Bonus chapter.
Also, if you guys wouldn't mind leaving a review, please do so.
I'm lwk tryna get a star rating ykyk.
Anyway,
I'll see you guys in the next chapter!
Gn all~)