Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Yuria and the Two Psychics (6)
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Sabrina, a beautiful girl with an androgynous style and green hair tied back in a long, single braid.
Even though the final match of her favorite sports tournament was set to begin in just over ten minutes, she couldn't focus on the situation at hand.
The reason was simple.
Yuria, who had left saying she was going to the restroom, showed no signs of returning, even after a considerable amount of time had passed.
“Did she get lost? No, if that were the case, I would have heard from her by now…”
Worse, no matter how many times Sabrina tried to contact her through her device, there was no answer.
Clueless, Sabrina was dying of frustration, wondering what could have happened.
Surely she hadn't gotten caught up in some kind of trouble, had she? If so, should she go look for Yuria?
Her endless conflict reached its peak with the appearance of a familiar face.
“J-Jin!”
“…Sabrina, where’s Yuria?”
“Well… I haven’t seen Yuria for a while!”
Jin Crowley, a man commonly known by those around him as Raven.
To Sabrina, he was her older brother’s boss and her close friend’s guardian.
For him to suddenly appear and ask for Yuria meant…
Something unusual was happening here, right now.
Perhaps noticing the pale look on Sabrina’s face, a clear sign of her worry for Yuria…
Raven first calmed Sabrina down, then glanced around with a serious expression.
*That girl has a strange knack for sniffing out trouble. Maybe a problem has arisen, and she’s running around trying to solve it. But the fact that she needs my help… does that mean she can’t handle it on her own?*
He usually nagged her not to use her psychic powers outside.
But in truth, he held a high opinion of Yuria’s skills and mental fortitude.
He had confirmed her skills were on par with a double-number Fixer during her fight with Lucerion.
And hadn't her mental strength saved everyone in the Sky Garden, refusing to yield to fear?
So, unless some misfortune prevented her from using her full abilities…
She could solve most problems on her own. That was what Raven believed.
That was why he couldn't take this situation lightly—the fact that Yuria had unhesitatingly asked for his help.
*Just in case, I should request backup from the Association. An accident in a stadium packed with tens of thousands of people would be hard to handle. Yuria is probably worried about that too.*
Raven organized his thoughts as he looked at the crowd visible through the glass window.
First, he would ask the Association for support, then go and see for himself what was happening.
If something outrageously dangerous was going on… he might have to stop the match immediately.
Just as he made his decision and turned to leave the VIP box…
Sabrina, who had scrambled to her feet, grabbed Raven as he was about to leave.
“U-Um… did something happen to Yuria? Please, let me come with you!”
“No, Sabrina. You wait here quietly. It might be dangerous. I can’t just take you with me.”
“But I… I’m so worried about Yuria…!”
*Well, of course you are.*
Raven pressed a hand to his forehead as if troubled, but he shook his head, signaling it was impossible.
How could he take his subordinate’s younger sister to a place where who-knows-what was happening?
Being a man of common sense in many ways, her request was something he simply couldn't grant.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. If you got hurt, I wouldn’t be able to face David. Besides, Yuria might come back here. I’d like you to hold your ground.”
“…Yes, I understand…”
In the end, it was Sabrina who yielded to Raven’s firm resolve.
Although she was quite strong for her age, in the grand scheme of things, she would only be a hindrance.
Being the wise girl she was, she understood that this wasn't a situation where simply being stubborn would work.
After finally managing to part with a reluctant-looking Sabrina, Raven hurried out of the VIP seating area.
As he did, a bald man who had been waiting anxiously by the entrance spoke to him urgently.
The man was none other than the general manager of the tournament.
He was in charge of guiding Raven, who had entered using his Fixer authority.
“M-Mr. Fixer! What in the world is going on? I-Is it something like a terrorist attack…?”
“I don’t know the details yet. I’ll have to investigate more thoroughly now.”
“Y-Yikes… is that so…”
The manager seemed terrified that a serious incident might occur.
He would rather cancel today’s match than have it continue.
If even one spectator were to be harmed… the thought was dizzying.
Therefore, for the man, Raven’s appearance was both a source of anxiety and reassurance.
Understanding this well, Raven spoke in an extremely calm tone to keep him from panicking.
“Let me ask you one thing. Have there been any reports of problems among the spectators?”
“N-No. Nothing like that has been reported…”
“Hmm… Nothing at all?”
A flicker of intuition sparked in Raven’s mind as he grasped a thread of dissonance.
Perhaps… this could help him effectively narrow down the scope of the problem.
There is a statistical principle commonly known as Heinrich's Law.
It posits that for a major accident to occur, smaller or minor incidents must happen first.
In short, it states that before one major accident, there are about 29 minor accidents and 300 near misses.
Since the match hadn't started yet, tens of thousands of spectators were moving around inside the building.
Considering their range of movement… if an incident were to occur, there should have been a precursor.
*In other words, the complete lack of such signs means… either someone is perfectly concealing it, or the problem is in a place hidden from the public eye.*
Quickly piecing together the puzzle of the incident in his head, Raven looked at the manager.
He then asked if any of the staff had suddenly become unreachable.
The manager replied that there was indeed an employee who had been out of contact for the last 30 minutes.
The quick-witted manager immediately understood the implication, his face turning deathly pale as his eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me…! Damn it! Of all the times for me to be working upstairs! An accident downstairs?!”
“Let’s stay calm. It’s too early to be sure a problem has occurred. We need to check for ourselves. Could I ask you to guide me?”
“O-Of course!”
Raven calmed the visibly flustered manager.
With his guidance, he headed toward the staff-only area in the basement.
And when they hurriedly descended the stairs to the cool first basement level…
The two of them witnessed a sight that made them gasp in surprise.
“This is…! One of our n-new hires!”
A broken wall and floor, and a small spatter of blood.
The sight of a beastman lying face down on the floor, unmoving, resembled nothing less than a crime scene.
*Something really is happening!*
While the manager who had guided Raven let out a silent scream of despair…
Raven approached the fallen man to check his condition and spoke calmly.
“His life isn’t in danger. It seems he’s just lost consciousness.”
“Lost… consciousness… You mean he’s just fainted? Who would do such a vicious thing…?!”
“…Hmm.”
The manager assumed an intruder had attacked the new hire, but Raven, who was carefully examining the marks on the wall, noticed that the man wasn't merely a victim.
It looked as if he had initiated an attack, only to have his forehead slammed hard into the floor in return.
*The force was controlled to avoid any serious aftereffects… This must be Yuria’s doing.*
The telltale signs were rather easy to read, allowing Raven to make a highly accurate deduction.
*Is he being controlled? For now, I need to go deeper.*
After checking the beastman’s condition, Raven told the manager to wait outside, as it might be dangerous.
Just as with Sabrina, he was concerned about protecting an ordinary person.
Naturally, the man, sensing the gravity of the situation, obediently fled the scene.
Raven then proceeded into the staff area where something was clearly amiss.
“Quite… a lot of them. Most are well hidden in corners so they won’t be noticed.”
As he walked inside, he found more and more results of what appeared to be Yuria’s handiwork, just like the beastman crumpled in the corner.
A woman collapsed in a strange posture, a man neatly folded into a trash can, an employee who had lost consciousness while leaning naturally against a wall.
A common thread was that none of them had any visible injuries; they seemed to have simply lost consciousness.
This was a testament to the incredible control of the person who had done this.
How far had he walked down the corridor?
He eventually reached the control room, which handled the stadium’s broadcasting and sound systems.
*It’s just a hunch… but if there’s a problem, this is the most likely place.*
The trail of unconscious people seemed to lead here.
And ultimately, this was the most important place in the staff area.
If he was certain, there was no need to hesitate.
After a quick glance around to confirm no one was there, he immediately entered.
And upon entering the control room, Raven naturally came to a halt.
Among the numerous people lying unconscious on the floor, a single, suspicious-looking black-haired girl was sitting at a desk, watching him as if she had been waiting.
“Welcome. I didn’t expect my dear brother would figure out the plan and come find me. If it had been anyone else, I would have just killed them on the spot. Oh, never mind that. What do you think? I tried to decorate a bit… still a little plain, isn’t it?”
The girl, wearing a half-mask one might use at a party, spoke to him casually, as if they were close.
She acted as if the collapsed people around them were a gift, a deeply unsettling sight.
Her voice sounded familiar, but the girl herself was a complete stranger to Raven.
He had no memory of ever encountering a girl with such an outfit and personality.
Thus, taking a deep breath to control his emotions, he asked with patience.
“…Who are you?”
“Who am I? That hurts, brother. Between us…”
“Watch your mouth. There’s only one person in this world who can call me brother.”
*If you keep crossing the line, I might have to do something to you.*
Raven let a hint of killing intent show, his hand immediately gripping the Mimic Shadow hidden in his coat.
He didn't know what her scheme was, but he had no time to just stand around and listen to his enemy’s story.
If things went south, he was prepared to riddle her body with bullet holes, just enough to not kill her.
Perhaps the black-haired girl sensed his firm resolve.
She pouted, grumbling about why he couldn't recognize her, and took off the mask with one hand.
“It’s me. Your one and only precious little sister… Ren.”
“…”
*Ren… you say?*
Raven’s eyes widened at the girl’s shocking confession.
The precious pillar of support who had helped him get through his childhood, his sister who he had lost years ago?
He froze for a moment, seemingly in disbelief… then, without a second thought, he pulled the gun from his coat and fired at the girl.
Bang, bang!
Two flashes of light erupted in the dark space, illuminated only by the light of countless monitors.
A merciless hail of bullets aimed at Ren, who had just confessed to being his sister, without any hesitation.
As the self-proclaimed sister stared in shock, wondering what he was doing, Raven smirked and said.
“My sister, who disappeared years ago, would be a twenty-two-year-old ordinary human this year. I don't know where you heard that story, but if you're going to lie, at least make it a believable one, psychic.”
No sooner had his words ended than two bullets clattered to the floor.
It was the result of instinctively using psychokinesis to block the sudden gunfire… an all-too-clear proof that she was a psychic.