novelA Mysterious Might / Body Double
| ← Ch.151 | Ch.153 → |
Translator: Reflet
「First Miki Aoba......I assume you'll be rescuing her」
「Is that really okay? Not starting with Youran」
Taiyou was puzzled at the modest preferential order from Leticia's presented victory conditions.
The outfit of black clothing and sunglasses was unbalanced with his childish, youthful face, but if he were to knit his brows and create a shady expression then he fit it pretty well.
Leticia responded to said boy with an awe-inspiring expression.
「Ah saw yer power in that previous escape sequence of ahs, and though Ah dunno its limits, yer considerably strongah than mah subordinates dat Ahv takn' with me. Stronger den all of dem combined, Ah honestly think」
「Makes sense」
「So we'd best make it so dat ya can fight without reserve」
「But won't the process of saving Aoba expose Youran to danger?」
「Dat fool can't be killed, at least da people at da scene like Saekusa Tsukumo shouldn' have dat much authority」
「Shouldn't, huh」
Taiyou felt slight discomfort at that bad enunciation.
「There ain't no absolute in dis world. But it also ain't too far gone from common sense. I think they're treatin' her as someone who they must capture at all costs. If dat fool ain't livin' then it should be really bad for'em」
(I see, those conditions existed) thought Taiyou to himself satisfied, and then-
「Ah」
「What, what's wrong」
「Body double......」
「Body double?」
「That fool's body double, she has a body double that greatly resembles her」
Taiyou stared blankly, giving a wry smile at this fantastic anachronistic vocabulary.
「If she did that......If she were in that appearance her survival might very well become an essential condition......」
「They're that similar」
「Yup」
Leticia said, taking out a touch cell phone able to transpond to anywhere on the earth. Operating it, she showed Taiyou a picture displayed.
「Oi oi......」
Taiyou was exasperated. In the picture were Leticia and Youran. The blonde-haired blue-eyed princess was initiating a pro-wrestling move on the attractive girl wearing a white undershirt. Also known as the suspended ceiling hold, this was a great move to the joints.
It was Leticia and Youran, but from the flow of the conversation, it seemed to be not Youran herself but the body double.
But no matter how he looked she looked like no one but Youran, if you were to omit the expression begging for forgiveness that wasn't like her. Her face looked no different from Juunishima Youran herself.
「This isn't the actual person?」
「Nope, she's that fool's body double」
「I see, well there's no way you would actually do this to――」
「If it were the real deal Ah wouldn't hold back and instead come at 'er with mah all」
「This isn't your all!?」
「But......this is bad」
「It's bad?」
「Yeah, if this body double were there, "that fool absolutely cannot be killed" will instead become "in all probability cannot be killed"」
「......It's quite low, but you're saying that a risk has been born」
「Yup」
Taiyou, Youran, and probably Leticia.
Those kinds of people can be thought of in terms of 100% and 0%, as well as the third category of other percentages.
Basically "absolutely will not occur", "absolutely will occur", and "possibility of occurring".
With 100% nothing would happen even if things went wrong, but with 99% there would be a possibility of something happening if things went wrong.
Just before Leticia had said there would absolutely be nothing occurring, but remembering the existence of the body double, the possibility was born albeit small.
Taiyou fretted over what to do about that.
「If that body double child were not there, then Youran's chances of getting killed would be nil」
「At least not within three days」
Leticia said decisively. He didn't know what the evidence was, but if she could declare that much then he could believe that it was fine.
「......Then, it might be roundabout, but let's secure that body double girl」
「Yup」
Leticia said, clapping her hands.
Right away, the door to the room opened soundlessly as the black-clothed men entered the room.
「Change of plan, we're gonna head to the hotel first」
「Understood」
「Has the special squad been formed yet」
「Without a hitch」
「Alright」
Leticia nodded, and the men reverently bowed, thereafter departing the room.
「Special squad?」
「Yup, they assembled togetha a group of the same physique as ya. Ya'd stand out instead if ya were thrown into the midst of those big men」
「Yeah......」
Thinking back on those black clothes from earlier, he agreed.
Right now he was sporting as well black clothing and sunglasses, but his appearance was still that of a medium-built high schooler.
On the other hand, the black clothing from earlier was very much so for muscular bodies, and doubtlessly Leticia's subordinates were just about all that type.
They say that a forest is needed to hide a tree, but if there were even one lanky green bamboo in the forest then it would stand out in another sense.
In order to prevent that, this was a special squad formation composed of people with the same appearance as Taiyou.
「Sorry for making you do all this」
「I dun mind, those peeps move separately anyhoo」
「Okay」
Leticia and Youran as well as an unreliable black-clothed squadron had surged into a room on the highest floor of the hotel.
Inside the suite room was one girl, looking at the intruders with a fearful face.
「Yeah, this certainly isn't the actual person」
Taiyou mumbled for whatever reason.
The girl in front of him wearing the white undershirt was Juunishima Youran herself at first glance, but her fearful expression was something Taiyou knew Youran would never make.
Though he couldn't understand via photo, Taiyou grasped it upon actually meeting her.
「P-P-Princess, wh-wh-what has happened? If it's N-N-New Moon-sama then she is still――」
「Ah gotcha. Anyhoo, we're gonna have ya come with us」
「Huh? B-B-But, I-I-I――」
「Sorry, ain't got no time ta explain. Oi」
When Leticia gave a jerk of the chin, one of the black-clothed people stepped out, lifting up Youran's body double from the bed she was on.
「Hyan! Wh-Wh-What are you doing」
「Let's git」
The party turned back. However, upon exiting the room, a different party came running.
「Mm......」
Groaning, Taiyou hid his emotions within his black clothing.
Because in the enemy party, he had found a familiar face.
「Tch, I vas too late」
「Yer......Chan Shaa, huh」
「Your 'Ighness Leticia」
「What ya come for?」
「I could ask you ze same, Your 'Ighness. Vat reason do you 'ave for coming 'ere?」
The princess and middle-aged woman faced off against each other from either side of the room.
It felt like a joke seeing the two foreigners speaking to each other in Japanese, but Taiyou did not feel like laughing.
Holding his breath, he observed their exchange.
「Me n' that fool are close, Ah thought to throw a sudden pajama party, see」
「Sneaking visits have been out of fashion」
「Seems like a portion of Juunishima's still undergoing abduction marriages」
「Zat is banned by zis country's law」
「Too bad, Ah ain't one of this country's peeps, and Ah can smooth things ova ta a certain degree with diplomatic immunity」
「Vat a coincidence, I am also a foreigner so I am not informed of zis country's laws」
「The crime of inflictin' bodily injury is NG in most countried」
The superficial conversation continued. During that time, the air began getting more and more strained. Both parties had not moved even a step since the beginning of their encounter, but the invisible fuse was turning to ash with tremendous force.
「Hand over zat girl」
「Ain't happenin'」
「Zen, I need only to take 'er by force」
「Attack unit, forward」
To both women's signals, the subordinates from either side clashed.
Taiyou moved so as to not attract attention, moving by Leticia's side so as to cover her.
In order to prevent his identity from being revealed, in advance arrangements, he would not heed any of Leticia's orders unless his name were called directly, only focusing on protection.
Taiyou observed the progress of the battle.
If it were only the task of scattering Chan Shaa's subordinates then he would have thought it to be simple. If he charged in and released his power then they would doubtlessly fall without a hitch.
But then he would be exposed, so he couldn't. Especially if he were to be spotted by his opponent's leader, someone directly supervising things under Saekusa Tsukumo, one of the people seen by Tsukumo as a mother of the mother-daughter bowl.
If his opponent were to discover that Natsuno Taiyou were there then Aoba would be used as a hostage. Putting aside close quarters, he couldn't risk danger from a remote location.
Thankfully, it seemed something would become of it even if Taiyou didn't participate.
In the battle between subordinates Leticia's side was at an advantage. Her subordinates were overwhelming Chan Shaa's subordinates, securing an escape route.
「Princess」
「Yeah」
One of the subordinates yelled, and Leticia replied.
Eye signalling to both the subordinate carrying Youran's body double and Taiyou, she began progressing along the cleared path.
The awe-inspiring appearance of a monarch.
In contrast to that, the pushed-back Chan Shaa was making a vexing expression.
It seemed things would be alright for now. Taiyou thought so at that time.
「Taiyou-chan Taiyou-chan」
Of all things, Hera, who had been left where Youran was, manifested her appearance. Manifesting via warping as per usual, Taiyou almost raised a shocked voice.
Fiercely resisting the urge, himself accompanied by Leticia stared at the small fairy. He implicitly asked her what was wrong.
「Youran-chan and Aoba-chan were abducted!」
Taiyou stared blankly. He couldn't immediately understand what she was saying.
Weren't they already abducted?
Doubt rushed across his mind.
| ← Ch. 151 | Ch. 153 → |