Volume 5 Chapter 20 We Ran Away, But...
As soon as we broke through the fence, I whispered to Kyunei and the others, "When I count to three, we run, okay?"
After getting their nods, I slowly put the big hatchet back in my belt sheath.
"One..."
Then I slipped my hand between the guy's legs,
"Two..."
I put all my strength into my arms and yanked the guy's body up.
"Hey, wait a minute――"
"Threeeeee――――Haaaaaaa!!"
I threw the guy with a crazy scream towards his henchmen.
"""―――Whoaahhh!?"""
The screams of the thrown guy and his henchmen overlapped and echoed through the city streets at night.
No one had thought that the hostage would be thrown, so the situation froze once again, maybe even turning into a nightmarish chaos of screams.
While the group was in a frenzy, we quickly broke away from the scene as we had planned.
"Yukina-sama, was it okay to 'release' that person? Besides being a hostage, he still seemed useful for gathering information."
"Is that so!? Is now really the time to interject!?"
Mikage's calm opinion and Aina's sensible tsukkomi were inserted.
'Even though she's giving sensible opinions, Aina is still following your instructions properly while running, partner. Ah, that innocent girl is becoming tainted like this...'
It sounds bad to say she's being tainted. And are you Aina's dad? He's still alive and kicking, Aina's dad is.
"Sure, the information is valuable, but it's more of a hassle to run around with an uncooperative people in an unfamiliar place. Plus, imagine bumping into regular soldiers while running around with hostages. Soon enough, you won't be able to make excuses anymore."
If we were in a crowded situation and being chased, we could probably get away with just a little scuffle like in a teen fight. But if they see us holding hostages, we might end up being mistaken as the bad guys.
'The second half seems like you made it up on the spot. There's no way my partner could be thinking that much in such a short time.'
This spear is really sharp with its comments.
'Well, I did give my partner a weapon for a reason. But you never know if the soldiers in this town can be trusted. Even if the lower ranks seem honest, the higher-ups might be corrupt beyond belief.'
Even though I acted on impulse a bit, it seems like my decision as a team made sense to Gram.
'It already felt like you were in deep trouble as soon as you took hostages. Look, the thugs over there are already raging mad.'
After we started running, we could hear furious shouts coming from behind us. When I looked back, I saw the group chasing us with furious expressions on their faces.
"But what should we do? We're running in the opposite direction of the inn where we're staying."
"Sorry, we should've slipped through the fence earlier."
"But that's not the point, right?"
Kyunei's sharp words carried a hint of blame. Sure, I get why I'm getting scolded, but I couldn't think of a foolproof way to handle that situation. Even if I apologize later, for now, I gotta focus on getting out of here.
'But, man, just keep running away like this isn't gonna cut it. Even if you manage to make it to the inn, what's the plan from there? You get what I'm saying, partner?'
I get Gram's concern too. We're being surrounded, and there's quite a number of people chasing us right now. Plus, that head-shaking man with the arrogant attitude. Given how things have been going down, it's not hard to imagine there's someone pretty powerful pulling the strings.
'Anyway, right now, you gotta deal with the guys behind us first ――Oh? Partner, check out the right side of the road up ahead."
As we run, I glance over and spot someone peeking out from the shadow of a side road. When I confirm what I saw, they wave us over.
'What will you do?'
"Well, we have no choice but to go!"
While running, I gave instructions to the other three, and we quickly darted into a side street. The guy lurking in the shadows nodded at us, then silently motioned for us to follow him and started running.
"Yukina-sama, that person probably..."
"For now, we have no choice but to go along with the invitation."
I get what Mikage is trying to say, but it's better to stick with this random guy than to wander around the city aimlessly.
We followed the guy through several turns, and suddenly, the door of a nearby house opened. The man gave us a quick nod and went inside. We hurriedly followed suit and rushed into the house.
Once everyone was inside, the door closed behind us.
After a short wait, the outside of the house became noisy. It was those guys chasing us. But they just passed by the house and kept running.
"Phew... Looks like... we managed to escape, huh?"
With her hands on her knees, Aina was panting heavily. Among us, she had the least stamina. If she had run a little longer, she might have been exhausted. It was a close call.
However, while we might have managed to escape the trouble, it seemed like we were about to face an even more troublesome person.
"Yo, this time was a disaster, huh?"
Despite the comforting words, there was a hint of delight in his voice. Or perhaps it was astonishment and mockery. Reed emerged from the depths of the house. Several people who seemed to be his henchmen were also around.
Seeing them, Mikage sighed as if in lament.
"So, it was your doing after all."
"I'm not that surprised. The others as well."
Reed looked us over, seemingly unperturbed, giving off a vibe like he had been taken aback.
"I could imagine it as soon as I saw the man you were aiding. But more importantly――"
I furrowed my brow and confronted Reed. His henchmen tensed up, but Reed quickly gestured for them to stand down.
"Why do you bastard know it become like this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"One of the guys who surrounded us mistook me and you for allies. Shouldn't you have half-expected this to happen when we met during the day?"
"Well, you've got a good sense of things, don't you?"
Reed easily admitted my speculation. I gritted my teeth and distanced myself from Reed, prompting a surprised expression from him.
"I was sure you were going to come at me swinging."
"It's annoying to be mistaken for your ally, but I'm not foolish enough to lay all the blame on you."
To some extent, I couldn't deny that I brought this upon myself. Even if it hadn't been for Reed, this situation might have still occurred. Honestly, I do feel like punching him, but thanks to him, I found a place to calm down.
"Incredible... Yukina-kun is really growing up."
"If I get all emotional about it, it'll actually make me feel bad, so please don't."
Kyunei looked all sentimental, and it kins od freaked me out a bit.
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