The Team Leader's Judgment
The powerful roar of the exhaust echoed as a single motorcycle sliced through traffic, instantly drawing the eyes of every driver it passed. Motorcycles weren't uncommon on the road, but this pitch-black bike carried an aura unlike anything seen in everyday traffic. The woman riding it leaned forward in a sleek, predatory posture, her form-fitting bodysuit tracing every curve of her body in a way that felt almost deliberately provocative. It looked like a scene straight out of a magazine shoot or a movie set—except no cameras were keeping pace with her.
Small wonder. This was one of only ten bikes in the entire world capable of reaching 370 km/h, and it was currently ignoring every speed limit as it tore down the highway.
"Location?"
"—She's heading toward the eastern outskirts after leaving the metropolitan area. Looks like she's trying to slip out via subway.—"
The woman responding through the helmet's built-in communicator was, of course, Nine Tail, field team leader of the Eunrang Art Museum.
"—Ever since she entered the city, she's been leaving false trails, probably aware of the surveillance cameras. We've dispatched field agents to check every possible route. Please proceed directly to the first checkpoint.—"
The response team's eyes were the countless surveillance cameras scattered across the nation—over a million from public institutions alone, and several times that number when including private installations. Together they formed an enormous net. Yet once the target left the crowded downtown streets, blind spots inevitably appeared, and with them, escape routes.
"—Even without knowing she's being hunted, the target is extremely clever. She's constantly changing her route to throw us off.—"
"I know. But her luck seems to have run out."
After pushing her senses to their limit and gunning the throttle, Nine Tail reached the eastern outskirts in under an hour. She parked the bike beside the tallest building in the area, removed her helmet, and let the wind catch her long hair like a scene from a photoshoot. The moment she confirmed no one was watching, she began scaling the building's exterior wall at impossible speed, treating vertical concrete like flat ground.
Anyone who witnessed it would have frozen in shock, phone forgotten in their hand.
Tap…!
She reached the rooftop far faster than any elevator could have taken her. After calmly fixing her wind-tousled hair, she balanced on the railing and surveyed the city below.
If the response team's prediction was correct, the target would appear here.
"…Even the wind is on my side. This time, I won't let you get away."
During the last nest cleanup, the fight with that fire chicken had been so intense that she'd been forced to let a small presence slip away. She'd tried to track it afterward, but it vanished as if it had never existed. By some twist of fate, it had apparently been taken in by that counselor brat. The timing matched roughly with when he'd started keeping a cat.
She'd felt an odd sense of déjà vu when she arrived at his place during that dinner gathering she didn't particularly want to remember… She'd dismissed it as imagination. Who would have guessed the target she'd missed was right there, so close?
"You'll pay for making me go through all this trouble."
Her golden, vertically slit eyes narrowed as she muttered the words with a cold smile, locking onto a single direction.
*
"Ah— Team Leader? Gah!"
Those were the last words I managed to get out. A fist slammed straight into my solar plexus before I could say anything else. While I was still reeling from Lav's counseling session, the team leader had suddenly summoned me. The moment I stepped out of the room, she punched me without warning and hoisted my collapsing body up with one hand.
I tried to twist my head to demand an explanation, fueled by sheer stubbornness, when—
Thud!
A sharp impact struck the back of my neck. My vision swam, then everything went dark. I remembered nothing after that.
"…"
Clang…! Clatter!
"Hello…?"
This was the result. Heavy restraints weighed down my limbs, and every time I tried to move, I heard the metallic rattle of chains. The reason these didn't feel entirely unfamiliar was because I'd recently worn something similar around my neck.
"…"
If someone asked why I was relying on touch and hearing to assess my situation, the answer was simple.
"Ah, you're awake."
It wasn't that the room was dark. My eyes were covered.
"Team Leader? Even as a joke, this is going too far…!"
A black cloth blocked my vision, but I could still make out the silhouette of the person standing in front of me through the gaps in the fabric. That unpleasant voice could only belong to the team leader.
"I should clarify something. This isn't a joke."
"…?"
Only now did I notice how much lower and colder her voice was than usual. I shut my mouth.
"Don't worry too much. I've simply followed protocol and placed you under emergency restraint. Once your innocence is proven, I'll release you and even heal the bruises on your chest and neck. I believe I've been quite gentle by my standards."
No one in their right mind would thank the person responsible for saying something like that.
"…So, did I do something wrong?"
Anyone would get angry after being punched without explanation. My tone wasn't exactly friendly, given the circumstances.
"No. You probably haven't done anything wrong."
"Then why suddenly—"
"Unfortunately, that bitch standing at the opposite end of the Eunrang Art Museum possesses an annoying ability."
"??"
The only person the team leader ever referred to with such crude language was Lav.
"If this is about Lav, I've already—"
"No. I'm not talking about that containment subject. I'm talking about the original owner of that shell."
…That made even less sense. Actually, the whole situation had been strange from the start. Given Lav's ability to show people their ideal form, there was no reason for the team leader to curse at that ideal appearance. Unless… the person whose ideal form Lav had shown was someone the team leader knew personally. Not just an acquaintance, but—
"I almost forgot. I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?"
"…You're giving me a choice in this situation?"
"Well… let's start with the good news. The field team leader has just secured your cat and is on her way back here."
"…?"
I understood that they'd found Nero. That was a relief, at least. But why had the field team leader helped search for a cat she normally wouldn't bother with, and why were they bringing it here?
"And now for the bad news. We've decided to dispose of your cat."
"What…?"
"That entity is one of the prisoners who survived the nest cleanup six months ago. More precisely, it's a singularity created by a prisoner, but I doubt you're interested in the details."
I couldn't understand what this damned clown was saying. Dispose of it? Of whom…? Nero?
"By regulation, any prisoner marked with a stigma is to be disposed of. However, because the cat you were keeping escaped during the last nest cleanup, its disposal has been postponed until now."
"I don't care about any of that. If you hurt Nero, even if you're the team leader—!"
Thud!
"Gah!! Kugh!"
Another punch. To the same spot. She was hitting the exact same place again.
"The subject resisted the field team leader violently and was only secured after losing consciousness in a near-death state. I'm curious what you think you could possibly do against her."
"Cough… hack, ugh…"
"We brought it here instead of disposing of it on the spot out of minimal courtesy toward you."
Resistance? Near-death state? Against a single cat? What the hell was she talking about?
"Stop spouting nonsense! How is this—"
"It's not nonsense. Personally, I would prefer to maintain a friendly relationship with you. This is your chance to prove yourself. But if you continue to protect that entity and cover for it, even you will become suspect."
"And what happens if you suspect me? I said I'm protecting my cat…!"
My head was burning with worry for Nero. It was strange that I could even talk back to the team leader like this, and the feeling was deeply unpleasant.
"Then you won't be able to see Harpy or Lav anymore. In Lav's special case, her suspended disposal review will likely be reopened."
"Are you threatening me right now?"
"Yes. I am threatening you."
"…!"
The fact that she so brazenly used Harpy and Lav as hostages made my overheated head cool instantly. The thought of weighing Nero against them made me feel sick, but my current position was worse than being at a disadvantage.
"The reason I wish to maintain a friendly relationship with you is because you possess a natural talent for understanding and sincerely empathizing with the hearts of other species, along with an equally kind nature."
"Then…!"
"However, I want to make it clear that this kindness must never extend to them. If it does, it will undoubtedly become a major obstacle to the one and only goal we are pursuing."
"…"
In this situation… what was I supposed to do?
"The field team leader has arrived. She'll be coming down here soon. Truthfully, you don't have many options left. In the end, all you can do is choose the option that lets you lose the least."
"…"
"That being the case, I hope you make the better choice."