Kobayashi suddenly remembered why he had moved into Yomikawa Aiho's apartment in the first place.
It had been for his own safety.
Even if he himself didn't feel it all that keenly, the truth was that he was still in mortal danger; the illegal experimental facility he had once been part of clearly hadn't given up on silencing him for good.
What was happening now only seemed to confirm that suspicion. Aside from that, Kobayashi couldn't think of any other reason he might be targeted and attacked.
After all, he'd only been in this world for half a month. Most of that time he'd spent either hospitalized or recuperating at home. When would he ever have had the chance to make enemies?
The delinquent clenched his jaw, clearly intending to keep his mouth shut.
That reaction only strengthened Kobayashi's conviction.
Damn it. All I want is to lie low and coast through life in peace. Why does even that have to be so hard?
A dangerous glint crept into Kobayashi's eyes, his expression darkening.
Suspended in midair by an invisible force, the delinquent felt a chill run down his spine.
Since he'd already fallen to the level of a street thug, he was no hero to begin with. The only reason he'd tried to tough it out just now was simple fear—fear of what the "Hunters" would do to him if he talked.
But then it hit him.
This isn't the time to worry about punishment later.
If I mess this up, I might not even live to see that "later."
His life and death were completely in the hands of this "cripple" in front of him—cripple or not. Even if the guy's own hands looked useless…
The delinquent wasn't inexperienced. He could more or less tell what kind of ability Kobayashi had.
A telekinetic Esper. At least Level 3—possibly even Level 4.
He knew all too well that if this power could lift him into the air so effortlessly, it could just as easily snap his arms, legs, or neck.
"I—I don't know! I really don't know anything!" he blurted out in panic. "We just followed our boss's orders! We do what we're told—no one ever explains the reasons to small fries like us, I swear!"
Kobayashi wasn't good at reading faces, nor did he have any talent for spotting lies. So, he decided not to waste time agonizing over it.
"Take me to your boss," he said instead.
At this point, he wouldn't feel at ease unless he got to the bottom of it. You could steal every day, but you couldn't guard against thieves forever.
If he wanted to live peacefully in the future and enjoy his new life as planned, then the loose ends left behind by the original owner of this body needed to be settled as soon as possible.
The delinquent had no choice but to comply, leading Kobayashi toward their temporary base.
As they walked, Kobayashi opened a location app on his phone and sent an email to Yomikawa Aiho, attaching his current position and a brief description of what had happened.
—Hopefully she'd wake up in time to see it.
But even if she didn't, it wasn't a problem. This was just insurance, a precaution in case something went wrong. Or perhaps more accurately, it was a formal "report"—to give his next actions a veneer of procedural legitimacy.
After all, his enemies were just armed, powerless delinquents. After what had just happened, Kobayashi was confident he could handle opponents of this level on his own.
From his perspective, venturing deeper into enemy territory wasn't particularly dangerous.
Not long after he left the park, the Hunters' actual members finally arrived at the scene.
"Useless trash! Good for nothing!"
Kicking a few of the unlucky delinquents sprawled on the ground, the first Hunter to arrive reported to the leader, "The lackeys screwed up. We've lost the target."
"Don't worry," the leader's voice came back immediately. "The target is moving toward positions Three and Five. All units, converge on Position Five at once!"
As they moved, Kobayashi used his telekinesis to form an invisible "collar" around the delinquent, leading the way—a constant reminder of his current situation.
Since he'd already decided to talk, the delinquent didn't dare play any tricks, trudging obediently ahead.
Kobayashi carried the groceries and seasonings he'd bought at the supermarket, feeling an odd sense of unreality about the situation.
In both this life and his previous one, this was a first.
As they walked, Kobayashi casually "chatted" with the delinquent—more interrogation than conversation.
"You said you don't know much, that you were just following orders," Kobayashi said. "Even so, you must know something. Tell me everything you know about this operation."
The delinquent wore a miserable expression. "I've already told you everything I can! We small fries were just called over on short notice, told to watch a guy in a wheelchair at the park…"
"And then?" Kobayashi prompted.
"And then we waited for the 'Hunters'—"
The delinquent suddenly clamped his mouth shut, then stiffly corrected himself. "—and then we waited for the next order."
Kobayashi nodded, not pressing further. He quietly filed away the word Hunters. Whether it was just a nickname or the name of an actual organization, it clearly meant there was another force behind these delinquents.
That wasn't surprising. It aligned perfectly with his expectations.
More importantly, judging by the delinquent's tone, the real culprits—the ones truly responsible—were probably close by.
Which meant the delinquents' role had only been surveillance and tracking, waiting for the "regulars" to step in.
—In that case, there was no real need to seek out their "boss." The enemy would likely come looking for him on their own.
Kobayashi continued questioning the delinquent about their boss and "headquarters," but his attention had already shifted elsewhere.
Something felt off.
It was the weekend, and they were near a park and a supermarket—yet along the way, he hadn't seen a single other person.
It might have been a coincidence. Or perhaps there was some reason he didn't understand, something perfectly normal.
But after just being attacked, Kobayashi wasn't about to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.
Prepare for the worst.
If something felt wrong, then he would act as though an ambush was inevitable.
Fortunately, maintaining that level of alertness didn't cost him much. All it required was fully mobilizing his telekinesis.
Silently, Kobayashi put his power to work, using techniques he'd honed in the kitchen—forming more than ten invisible "arms" around himself, writhing and poised to strike. The moment anything suspicious appeared, those telekinetic arms would lash out without mercy.
And just then—
A suspicious figure appeared.
From the far end of the road, a man in a neat suit walked toward them, speaking into his phone as he went.
At first glance, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary office worker.
(End of Chapter)