Chapter 152 – At that night – part three
(Code’s Point of View)
It took me only a second.
As soon as I realized that this situation was dangerous, I decided to act.
I threw the small bag, that was hidden within my pocket, at the ground in front of the blond girl, then immediately started running away.
I misjudged her.
I heard that the new girl living in the orphanage was a calm, friendly and warm newcomer.
I thought that she could be a trump card to reverse this crisis, but I completely misjudged her.
This girl is more dangerous than the taboo child.
I don’t know how skilled she is, but she seems to be similar to me. The kind of person who is quick to act once she makes a decision.
She may take a while to figure out what she wants to do, but she will not hesitate once she decides on her course of action.
And she seems to have already decided to kill Zett.
What to do next…?
For now, I was just trying to get away from her.
I ran through the narrow and irregular alleys of the slums. Through an extremely complicated path that was easy for one to get lost on, and that is only wide enough to let a single person pass through.
And I could hear no footsteps behind me.
I’m not being chased.
I listened carefully for them, but I heard nothing.
Then, I should be safe here… Time to figure out my next move.
“You’ve lost this.” I heard her voice from above.
And on her white left hand, she was holding a familiar bag… A bag filled with blinding powder that I threw on the ground, right in front of her.
“… Did you pick it up before it spread?” I asked in disbelief.
The girl was crouching on a low roof and was looking down on me with the faint moonlight illuminating her from behind.
“You put your hand in your pocket right in front of me. It was easy to know you were going to try something.” She replied, then let go of the bag.
I hurriedly caught it and put it back inside my pocket. It would be troublesome if it exploded in a place like this.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing Zett.
“At least not yet.” The girl told me.
I ran away specifically because I can no longer trust you even if you say that-
Wait, hold on, that’s not right, “I see… I understand.” I nodded to her words.
I finally realized my mistake.
If this girl really wanted to kill Zett, she wouldn’t tell me about it.
“If you were serious about killing him, you would try to silently approach, then assassinate him.” I commented.
She nodded, “That’s exactly it. There’s no point in saying something that I do not need to say. I would only be making the other party wary. There is no advantage to be gained from that.”
The girl then jumped off from the roof, “So, let’s go. I don’t want any of the two children to get killed.”
******
The situation had become quite troublesome, just as I had predicted.
“Just why are you angry…?” Zett asked the taboo child.
Blood was flowing from his mouth, head and nose. Zett was covered in wounds, as he was probably thrown on the ground multiple times since this started.
“Ask your own heart!” The taboo child replied.
Her anger had been amplified since I left this place… And from what I can see, this girl is completely unharmed.
“Ooh… You’re looking quite flashy right now.” I commented out loud.
“Hah…? Damn you. You’re late.” Zett grumbled.
Zett surely noticed that I wasn’t here.
He may not remember the faces of everyone working under him, but he surely recognizes me and Keypick.
Since I wasn’t here, Zett must have concluded that I was running around to try finding a way to solve this problematic situation.
Which is why he was willing to get beaten up one-sidedly. So as to buy time for me, even if he surely didn’t like the experience.
Still, it’s not the first time somebody attacks us for the sake of revenge, so even someone as stupid as Zett understands that this kind of thing is necessary from time to time.
“Flo, are you done?” The blond girl asked as she approached the taboo child.
And this blond girl seems to be pretty close to the taboo child, since she is using a nickname.
“Oh, Cherry. Are you going to join us? It will be quite refreshing if you’re participating.” The taboo child replied.
“Rather than that, I’d like to ask you what are your impressions of Zett.” The blond girl said.
“My impressions…?” The taboo child crossed her arms in thought, “I just hit him for a bit, but… His fighting style seems fairly straightforward, and he made sure to not harm anybody that was fallen as we fought.
“Thinking about it calmly, I can’t be sure if he is really the culprit.”
What was that…?
Does she mean that there is a possibility of her anger being completely unrelated to Zett?
“How can you say that so calmly!? Look at how many people you injured!” Keypick exclaimed.
Keypick usually hid away and didn’t participate in this kind of thing, but this time she decided to speak up.
… Though she immediately retreated once the two girls turned their gaze towards her.
I get what she meant though.
… But at the same time, I dunno if she has the right to say that after watching her friend being beaten up while she stayed safely hidden.
“So, how about we confirm the facts before continuing?” The blond girl suggested.
“Okay! Please do.” The taboo child replied.
She seemed to have calmed down now that she met up with her acquaintance.
“Bastard. After selfishly beating me up for so long…” Zett, on the other hand, seemed to have started getting angry.
However… “Don’t let it bother you. Don’t let it bother you.” I told Zett as I stood in front of him.
Then, I turned towards the girls, “It’s true that Zett is a crude, brutish, foul-mouthed and ill-mannered person.
“But most of the bad things he does… I don’t even think that they’re bad things to be honest. They’re just petty crimes at worst.
“And he absolutely doesn’t do anything to anger the people who live here in the slums.
“After all, he, me, and all those people you knocked unconscious are all from these slums.
“We have been living under the care of many people who live in this area, so we don’t want to cause trouble to anybody here.
“Which is why I have to ask… Why were you angry anyways? We couldn’t do anything to you without understanding the reason.”
Zett would have surely fought differently if he understood the reason.
Things might have even developed into a killing spree.
For better or worse, things would have progressed in a different manner, instead of having him being one-sidedly beaten up.
“So, can you tell us about it? About what made you hold a grudge against Zett?” I asked the girls.
******
“Well, to put it simply, here’s what happened.” The blond girl started talking.
The taboo child said that she wasn’t good at explaining things, so the blond girl was the one talking to us instead.
“Flo said she was harassed by people who claimed to be Zett’s subordinates.” The blond girl told us.
“They raised their hand against the children.” The taboo child complemented.
“Yeah… We can turn a blind eye to most things due to this being the lawless country, but this was something that we couldn’t allow.” The blond girl stated.
Me and Zett feel the same on this matter.
People like us, who spent our whole lives in this city, including our childhood, are extremely disgusted by people who attack children.
“I fought them off once or twice, but I couldn’t be satisfied with just that.” The taboo child said.
“What do you mean with not being able to be satisfied?” I asked.
“They attacked with a Gift Seal. They were clearly aiming for the lives of everyone in the orphanage. Flo, the children, the manager, even me. Everyone.” The blond girl explained.
Those words were quite troubling, but I could finally understand the situation now.
“I got angry.” The taboo child said.
Her life was threatened.
Not only hers, but the people around her had their lives endangered too.
Even the weakest children were indiscriminately targeted.
There’s no reason to not get angry at this.
Honestly, this taboo child is actually a bit too soft.
This was the punishment she came up with after the attack that she received?
If it was me, I would have tried to kill everyone involved in the attack.
“Kill the attacker.” Zett stated.
Even Zett seemed to have gotten somewhat angry just from hearing the story.
He isn’t fully angry though, otherwise he would have lost all reason.
“I thought about it. Are you going to kill yourself though?” The taboo child asked.
“I’m not going to! Or rather, it was not me!” Zett exclaimed.
“Taking one’s own life is no good. You should cherish life more.” The blond girl stated.
“I’ve said it’s not me! I don’t even know what a Gift Seal is! How could I use something like that to kill somebody!?” Zett replied.
“So, what do you think?” The blond girl asked the taboo child.
The taboo child calmly smiled in response, “I didn’t feel any evil from his fist. It’s the fist of a man who survived by using his own body and his own arms to fight.
“He doesn’t seem like somebody who would use tricks. For better or worse, I knew it right away. This guy is a straightforward person.”
“If you knew it right away, then why did you beat me up!? Seriously! My whole body is aching right now!” Zett exclaimed.
Well… Let’s not mind his complaints and move forward with the conversation.
Chapter 152 – At that night – part three
(Code’s Point of View)
It took me only a second.
As soon as I realized that this situation was dangerous, I decided to act.
I threw the small bag, that was hidden within my pocket, at the ground in front of the blond girl, then immediately started running away.
I misjudged her.
I heard that the new girl living in the orphanage was a calm, friendly and warm newcomer.
I thought that she could be a trump card to reverse this crisis, but I completely misjudged her.
This girl is more dangerous than the taboo child.
I don’t know how skilled she is, but she seems to be similar to me. The kind of person who is quick to act once she makes a decision.
She may take a while to figure out what she wants to do, but she will not hesitate once she decides on her course of action.
And she seems to have already decided to kill Zett.
What to do next…?
For now, I was just trying to get away from her.
I ran through the narrow and irregular alleys of the slums. Through an extremely complicated path that was easy for one to get lost on, and that is only wide enough to let a single person pass through.
And I could hear no footsteps behind me.
I’m not being chased.
I listened carefully for them, but I heard nothing.
Then, I should be safe here… Time to figure out my next move.
“You’ve lost this.” I heard her voice from above.
And on her white left hand, she was holding a familiar bag… A bag filled with blinding powder that I threw on the ground, right in front of her.
“… Did you pick it up before it spread?” I asked in disbelief.
The girl was crouching on a low roof and was looking down on me with the faint moonlight illuminating her from behind.
“You put your hand in your pocket right in front of me. It was easy to know you were going to try something.” She replied, then let go of the bag.
I hurriedly caught it and put it back inside my pocket. It would be troublesome if it exploded in a place like this.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing Zett.
“At least not yet.” The girl told me.
I ran away specifically because I can no longer trust you even if you say that-
Wait, hold on, that’s not right, “I see… I understand.” I nodded to her words.
I finally realized my mistake.
If this girl really wanted to kill Zett, she wouldn’t tell me about it.
“If you were serious about killing him, you would try to silently approach, then assassinate him.” I commented.
She nodded, “That’s exactly it. There’s no point in saying something that I do not need to say. I would only be making the other party wary. There is no advantage to be gained from that.”
The girl then jumped off from the roof, “So, let’s go. I don’t want any of the two children to get killed.”
******
The situation had become quite troublesome, just as I had predicted.
“Just why are you angry…?” Zett asked the taboo child.
Blood was flowing from his mouth, head and nose. Zett was covered in wounds, as he was probably thrown on the ground multiple times since this started.
“Ask your own heart!” The taboo child replied.
Her anger had been amplified since I left this place… And from what I can see, this girl is completely unharmed.
“Ooh… You’re looking quite flashy right now.” I commented out loud.
“Hah…? Damn you. You’re late.” Zett grumbled.
Zett surely noticed that I wasn’t here.
He may not remember the faces of everyone working under him, but he surely recognizes me and Keypick.
Since I wasn’t here, Zett must have concluded that I was running around to try finding a way to solve this problematic situation.
Which is why he was willing to get beaten up one-sidedly. So as to buy time for me, even if he surely didn’t like the experience.
Still, it’s not the first time somebody attacks us for the sake of revenge, so even someone as stupid as Zett understands that this kind of thing is necessary from time to time.
“Flo, are you done?” The blond girl asked as she approached the taboo child.
And this blond girl seems to be pretty close to the taboo child, since she is using a nickname.
“Oh, Cherry. Are you going to join us? It will be quite refreshing if you’re participating.” The taboo child replied.
“Rather than that, I’d like to ask you what are your impressions of Zett.” The blond girl said.
“My impressions…?” The taboo child crossed her arms in thought, “I just hit him for a bit, but… His fighting style seems fairly straightforward, and he made sure to not harm anybody that was fallen as we fought.
“Thinking about it calmly, I can’t be sure if he is really the culprit.”
What was that…?
Does she mean that there is a possibility of her anger being completely unrelated to Zett?
“How can you say that so calmly!? Look at how many people you injured!” Keypick exclaimed.
Keypick usually hid away and didn’t participate in this kind of thing, but this time she decided to speak up.
… Though she immediately retreated once the two girls turned their gaze towards her.
I get what she meant though.
… But at the same time, I dunno if she has the right to say that after watching her friend being beaten up while she stayed safely hidden.
“So, how about we confirm the facts before continuing?” The blond girl suggested.
“Okay! Please do.” The taboo child replied.
She seemed to have calmed down now that she met up with her acquaintance.
“Bastard. After selfishly beating me up for so long…” Zett, on the other hand, seemed to have started getting angry.
However… “Don’t let it bother you. Don’t let it bother you.” I told Zett as I stood in front of him.
Then, I turned towards the girls, “It’s true that Zett is a crude, brutish, foul-mouthed and ill-mannered person.
“But most of the bad things he does… I don’t even think that they’re bad things to be honest. They’re just petty crimes at worst.
“And he absolutely doesn’t do anything to anger the people who live here in the slums.
“After all, he, me, and all those people you knocked unconscious are all from these slums.
“We have been living under the care of many people who live in this area, so we don’t want to cause trouble to anybody here.
“Which is why I have to ask… Why were you angry anyways? We couldn’t do anything to you without understanding the reason.”
Zett would have surely fought differently if he understood the reason.
Things might have even developed into a killing spree.
For better or worse, things would have progressed in a different manner, instead of having him being one-sidedly beaten up.
“So, can you tell us about it? About what made you hold a grudge against Zett?” I asked the girls.
******
“Well, to put it simply, here’s what happened.” The blond girl started talking.
The taboo child said that she wasn’t good at explaining things, so the blond girl was the one talking to us instead.
“Flo said she was harassed by people who claimed to be Zett’s subordinates.” The blond girl told us.
“They raised their hand against the children.” The taboo child complemented.
“Yeah… We can turn a blind eye to most things due to this being the lawless country, but this was something that we couldn’t allow.” The blond girl stated.
Me and Zett feel the same on this matter.
People like us, who spent our whole lives in this city, including our childhood, are extremely disgusted by people who attack children.
“I fought them off once or twice, but I couldn’t be satisfied with just that.” The taboo child said.
“What do you mean with not being able to be satisfied?” I asked.
“They attacked with a Gift Seal. They were clearly aiming for the lives of everyone in the orphanage. Flo, the children, the manager, even me. Everyone.” The blond girl explained.
Those words were quite troubling, but I could finally understand the situation now.
“I got angry.” The taboo child said.
Her life was threatened.
Not only hers, but the people around her had their lives endangered too.
Even the weakest children were indiscriminately targeted.
There’s no reason to not get angry at this.
Honestly, this taboo child is actually a bit too soft.
This was the punishment she came up with after the attack that she received?
If it was me, I would have tried to kill everyone involved in the attack.
“Kill the attacker.” Zett stated.
Even Zett seemed to have gotten somewhat angry just from hearing the story.
He isn’t fully angry though, otherwise he would have lost all reason.
“I thought about it. Are you going to kill yourself though?” The taboo child asked.
“I’m not going to! Or rather, it was not me!” Zett exclaimed.
“Taking one’s own life is no good. You should cherish life more.” The blond girl stated.
“I’ve said it’s not me! I don’t even know what a Gift Seal is! How could I use something like that to kill somebody!?” Zett replied.
“So, what do you think?” The blond girl asked the taboo child.
The taboo child calmly smiled in response, “I didn’t feel any evil from his fist. It’s the fist of a man who survived by using his own body and his own arms to fight.
“He doesn’t seem like somebody who would use tricks. For better or worse, I knew it right away. This guy is a straightforward person.”
“If you knew it right away, then why did you beat me up!? Seriously! My whole body is aching right now!” Zett exclaimed.
Well… Let’s not mind his complaints and move forward with the conversation.
