The moment Torahachi Toumi pushed Kobayashi's wheelchair inside, a staff member immediately came over to ask about them. Since this place frequently hosted student tours from nearby schools, the employee's attitude was polite and welcoming.
Torahachi Toumi truly lived up to her reputation as someone who had survived the battlefield—she handled the situation with calm, effortless composure.
The excuse she and Kobayashi had agreed on in advance was a school social-practice activity. They claimed they had come to tour the technology company.
As for how long that excuse would fool the enemy, neither of them particularly cared.
All that mattered was successfully getting inside the building.
What surprised Kobayashi a little was that, because Black Moon Technology genuinely did receive student visitors regularly, the staff showed not the slightest suspicion toward their stated purpose.
And so, while half-listening to the employee's enthusiastic explanation, Torahachi Toumi briskly pushed the wheelchair deeper into the building.
Along the way, Kobayashi tilted his head back and looked around with an expression of wide-eyed curiosity.
In truth, he was searching for surveillance cameras.
If the enemy really was looking for him, then the moment they saw his face, they should make a move.
Kobayashi intended to use himself as bait—to stir the grass and scare the snake.
Otherwise, with neither he nor Torahachi Toumi knowing anything about this place, how were they supposed to find their enemies and take revenge?
Just as he expected, Kobayashi's plan worked.
A man in a white lab coat hurried over, a name badge on his chest clearly reading "Hayashiki Kachō."
"Section Chief Hayashiki!" The staff member who had been explaining the company's research achievements immediately bowed.
"Mm. You can head back now. I'll take care of these two guests," Section Chief Hayashiki said.
Soon, only the three of them remained in the hallway.
Kobayashi and the Section Chief stared at each other, as if locked in a silent standoff. Neither looked away.
"Ah—" In the end, Kobayashi was the one who spoke first. He put on a polite, businesslike smile.
"Sorry, Section Chief, because of my amnesia, I've forgotten many people and things from the past… May I ask, did we know each other before?"
Section-Chief froze for a moment, then remembered that detail from the intelligence report.
His expression changed several times in the span of a second before settling into a bright, practiced smile.
"Yes, yes, of course, Kobayashi-kun. We did know each other. I didn't expect you really lost your memories—it gave me quite a scare."
"Mhm, mhm." As if they were competing to see whose fake smile was better, Kobayashi's grin grew even wider.
"Judging from your expression, I figured as much. That's a relief. I actually came here to look for my lost memories, you see…"
"It's a good thing you found this place, Kobayashi-kun," Section Chief Hayashiki laughed heartily.
"Oh, right—our president and the other sensei have been missing you as well. I'll take you to see them."
"Really? So, I had so many acquaintances here," Kobayashi replied.
The two of them laughed together as they headed toward the elevator.
Torahachi Toumi pushed the wheelchair along behind Section Chief, then leaned down and whispered into Kobayashi's ear,
"Nana-kun, the way you two laugh is seriously disgusting…"
Kobayashi immediately rolled his eyes and whispered back,
"We found the target this easily—of course, that's something to be happy about. You be careful too. We're deep in enemy territory now."
"As if you need to tell me that," the girl snorted.
"When it comes to fighting, you're the rookie here."
They took the elevator up to the fifth floor, arriving at the Section Chief's office.
He was still fairly cautious. Rather than bringing them straight down to the underground levels, he made a phone call from his office to report to the president, who was currently observing a special experiment below.
"Section Chief," Kobayashi said, watching his movements closely, "it looks like the president and everyone else aren't on this floor?"
"Everyone's busy with their research experiments," the Section Chief replied with a smile.
"Of course, they're all in their respective labs. That's why there's no one in the offices on this level."
He relied on the political instincts he had honed in the office, skillfully dealing with Kobayashi.
For some reason, even though Experiment Subject No. 007 was only an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy, Hayashiki subconsciously treated him like a peer from the same social circle.
Kobayashi couldn't help clicking his tongue inwardly. He had thought he'd be able to find the enemy's main base directly—but instead, it was an empty nest?
Behind him, Torahachi Toumi suddenly spoke up.
"I've heard that large research institutes all have underground facilities. Most of the experiments they don't want people to see are carried out underground."
Section Chief Hayashiki frowned, only now noticing the girl who had come along with Kobayashi.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" He put on a stern face and barked,
"And who are you? Why are you with Kobayashi?"
Their gazes met.
He found himself staring straight into a pair of gem-like eyes.
Section Chief Hayashiki's heart skipped, an inexplicable sense of dread washing over him.
"Kobayashi, I'm sure now. It's underground," Toumi said, narrowing her eyes with the smile of a hunter who had found her prey.
"At the very least, there's something down there."
Only then did Section Chief Hayashiki realize that something was wrong—this situation was clearly not unfolding the way he had imagined…
—There's a handgun in the second drawer of the desk.
He tried to bend down and open it, but discovered that his body wouldn't move at all.
Another piece of information he had overlooked surfaced in his mind—
Kobayashi was already a Level 3 esper.
They didn't come with good intentions!
Terror surged through the Section Chief's heart.
"So," Kobayashi tilted his head and asked the girl behind him,
"Do you think he'll take us down to meet them?"
Toumi had already untied the ribbon around her wrist again.
"I just need to poke a few holes."
...
One minute later, the three of them were back in the elevator, heading straight for Basement Level Two.
Section Chief Hayashiki clutched the wheelchair's handles, his face deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Should we let him sit in the wheelchair instead?" Kobayashi suggested.
"Kobayashi, you're still too naive—and too soft," Toumi scolded coldly.
"We came here for revenge. Mercy toward the enemy is the greatest cruelty to yourself."
"Then why did you stab his leg?" Kobayashi said helplessly.
Back in the office, Toumi had once again demonstrated her distinctly tiger-like interrogation style—without a word of excess, she had stabbed Section Chief Hayashiki's left leg three times in a row.
As a result, he could now barely remain standing, relying partly on Kobayashi's telekinesis and partly on hanging onto the wheelchair's handles.
"You could've stabbed his torso," Kobayashi said.
"With your skill, you could've easily avoided the vital spots."
"He still needs to guide us and open doors," Torahachi Toumi replied righteously.
"If his lab coat gets stained with blood, it'll attract suspicion."
"…You really thought this through," Kobayashi sighed.
The boy and girl spoke as if they were having a perfectly ordinary conversation.
But to the Section Chief's ears, it sounded exactly like two little demons calmly discussing their brutal plans.
(End of Chapter)
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