Listening to Kobayashi and Torahachi Toumi casually discussing matters of life and death right in front of him, Section Chief Hayashiki felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He simply couldn't comprehend how two children so young could speak of such terrifying things as if they were everyday trivia.
It was as though… his life meant absolutely nothing to them.
What was even more frightening was that the girl truly would act without hesitation.
Left with no alternatives, the Section Chief could only obediently become their hostage and comply with every order.
________________________________________
The second underground level of Black Moon Technology's headquarters was a vast space.
This was the residential area where more than two hundred "test subjects" lived.
It was also the mandatory passage leading deeper into the experimental facilities.
Because most of the headquarters' security personnel had been concentrated in the underground training arena to assist with the experiment, Kobayashi and Torahachi Toumi's advance was unexpectedly smooth, encountering little resistance along the way.
It wasn't until they reached Basement Level Two—just before entering the Residential Zone—that they finally ran into two guards stationed at the entrance.
From a distance, one of the guards recognized Kobayashi's face and immediately used the phone to notify the captain below.
But before further instructions could arrive, Kobayashi and Torahachi Toumi were already standing at the door.
"Hey," Toumi suddenly asked the Section Chief, who was walking beside them,
"Do we actually need those two to open the door?"
He froze for a moment. But under the girl's piercing gaze, his whole body shuddered, and he hurriedly shook his head.
"No—no need. As long as you have an access card for the underground area, you can get in."
"I see…" Toumi nodded thoughtfully, the ribbon in her hand quietly slipping down—
Bang! Bang!
Before she could make a move, the two guards' heads suddenly snapped backward, slamming into the door with loud, dull thuds.
Worried that wasn't enough, Kobayashi used his telekinesis again, yanking their heads together.
Blood sprayed.
Since they were on indoor duty, the guards hadn't been wearing helmets. Their heads split open on impact, and they collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Hey!" Toumi shot him a sharp glare.
"You're too ruthless—I was afraid you'd kill them outright," Kobayashi said.
"This is revenge, sure, but if we can avoid killing, we should minimize the blood on our hands."
"Heh. Naive and soft," the girl scoffed dismissively.
"Th-this…" Watching the scene unfold, Section Chief Hayashiki could only lament inwardly.
Sure, the girl was vicious—but Kobayashi's methods weren't exactly gentle either!
Kobayashi didn't argue. In truth, even he was wavering internally.
"Open the door," he said, as if shaking off distracting thoughts.
Intimidated by this deadly duo, the Section Chief didn't dare hesitate. He hopped on one leg to the door and swiped his card.
A massive, bank-vault–grade blast door slowly slid open, and the three of them moved forward.
________________________________________
Inside the enormous space, a group of children dressed in white hospital gowns noticed the movement at the entrance and immediately turned to look.
Not long ago, they had watched researchers take away Gang Ringo and Kōru Jihō. The scene was still vivid in their minds.
No one knew whose turn it would be next.
The children were filled with unease. Even though it was one of the rare free-activity periods of the day, no one dared to truly relax.
At that moment, the door opened again.
Who will be taken away this time?
But to the children's surprise, aside from a researcher in a white lab coat, the ones entering this time were a slightly older boy and a girl.
"It's Big Brother Kobayashi!" someone immediately cried out upon seeing Kobayashi in the wheelchair.
"It really is—Big Brother Kobayashi!"
"Zero-Zero-Seven? He's really alive!"
Forgetting all about the terrifying white-coated researcher beside him, the children happily swarmed forward, surrounding Kobayashi and Toumi.
At a glance, forty or fifty kids had gathered around.
Of course, Kobayashi didn't recognize a single one of them.
And yet, seeing this scene, a realization struck him all at once—
This truly had been "his" home.
These children were "his" family.
Perhaps this was the final lingering attachment of the original No. 007 after his identity had been replaced.
Even without that reason, just looking at these children was enough to make Kobayashi determined to save them.
People naturally feel compassion.
These were innocent, carefree boys and girls—yet they were imprisoned underground like lab rats, subjected to inhumane human experimentation.
Many of them still had bandages wrapped around their bodies. The sight was heartbreaking.
As an adult—at least in soul—Kobayashi felt it was his duty to protect children.
That, after all, was why humanity had managed to endure as a species.
Especially now, when he had both the power and the strength to save them—what reason was there not to act?
For their sake, Kobayashi was even willing to temporarily shelve his plan of "lying low."
As a transmigrator who had already "lost his memories," he didn't remember his past life here, nor did he know what the Dark May project would ultimately do to these children.
And he had no desire to know those details.
"Don't be afraid," Kobayashi said gently, comforting the children around him.
"I'm here to take you out of this place."
He had always been one of the oldest children here, long playing the role of everyone's big brother.
Now, speaking as someone older—as a protector—his words carried even more weight.
Several children immediately began to sob.
Whether or not Kobayashi could truly save them all didn't matter.
Just the fact that he had returned to them was, in itself, a profound form of salvation.
He was the first child ever taken away by the adults to come back alive.
That alone gave them hope.
Maybe Gang Ringo and Kōru Jihō, who had just been taken away… maybe even they themselves in the future… might still survive?
Standing beside Kobayashi, Toumi's expression darkened.
She saw her former companions again in these children, Kids the same age. Bodies wrapped in bandages. Eyes dull, lifeless, stripped of hope. Like dolls. Like tools.
She empathized even more deeply than Kobayashi.
In that instant, she resolved to save these children—and her hatred toward the adults responsible for these experiments surged violently, killing intent rising unchecked.
Just then, a girl with brown short hair and a bandage wrapped around her head pushed her way through the crowd and came to Kobayashi's wheelchair.
The other children quickly made room for her, forming a clear path.
It was obvious—this girl held an extraordinary position among them.
(End of Chapter)