The Kurotsukido Sweep Operation
I was in a hurry, so I opened the Dark Merchant app. I needed transportation to Akita as quickly as possible. I was willing to spend ten thousand points if that’s what it took to ask Eve. I quickly tapped the chat button with her. The instant I did, Eve’s message appeared.
EVE: Hello, Ryuta-nim! Do you require my assistance?
Ryuta: Is there any way to travel from Kraskino to Akita Prefecture as fast as possible? There are seven of us.
EVE: One moment please… There is a Dark Merchant affiliate north of Kraskino who owns a private plane. With two aircraft available, travel to Akita Prefecture should be possible.
Ryuta: Then could you make the reservation for me and mark the location on the navigation app?
EVE: Of course~! Will that be all for your information request?
Ryuta: Could you also tell me the current state of the conflict between Taira Foods and Kurotsukido in Akita Prefecture?
EVE: I’m sorry, but per Dark Merchant policy I cannot provide that information.
That was to be expected. Even in the later stages of the game the system refused to hand over information like this, which was why I rarely used the function. Still, it was fortunate I had managed to secure transportation.
Ryuta: Then I don’t need any additional information right now.
EVE: Understood~! The information fee will be ten thousand points. As a courtesy I have already contacted the plane owners, so they should be preparing. You will be able to depart the moment you arrive.
Oh, I got the information at the base rate. That was lucky.
Ryuta: Thank you. I’ll be going now.
EVE: Understood~! Terminating chat.
I closed the Dark Merchant app, finished my porridge, and spoke to the children who were watching me. They must have noticed something was wrong because I had been staring at my phone with a serious expression.
“A friend of mine is in danger, so I need to leave right away. I wanted to let you all rest today. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. We don’t have any good memories of this city anyway. We were hoping to leave quickly.”
“We’re scared the slavers might catch us again at any moment, so it’s better to leave.”
Each of them told me it was all right and that leaving this city would actually be better. That made sense; there couldn’t be any fond memories here. I picked up the trunk I hadn’t unpacked yet and left the building with the children. According to the navigation app, the location was an empty lot about twenty minutes away on foot.
“Is walking a little bit okay?”
“Yes.”
I led the newly acquired superpowered boys and girls out of Kraskino. Following the navigation, we walked briskly until an empty lot fenced off with wire came into view. A Russian man and a Korean man stood at the entrance.
“Ah, hello. You’re the customers who made the reservation, correct?”
“Yes.”
My group and I were guided inside the fence. The Korean and Russian seemed to be business partners. The Korean told us to call him Mr. Choi, and the Russian introduced himself as Nikolai.
“If we’re heading to Akita Prefecture Airport… that’s four thousand points per person, plus separate exit applications at five hundred points each, so for seven people…”
“I’ll handle the exit applications myself.”
“Ah! In that case…”
As expected of the Dark Merchant, he immediately understood I was trying to smuggle them in and simply nodded. He tapped on a calculator, showed me the screen, and spoke.
“Then the total will be thirty-two thousand points.”
It wasn’t cheap, but the package included immediate departure without a reservation, exit procedures, and even smuggling services. Given the urgent situation, I wasn’t in any position to be picky.
“Only those who need to file exit applications, please sign here.”
I signed a few documents and boarded the plane. For weight distribution, the three boys took one aircraft while the three girls and I took the other. The pilots were the Russian partner and Mr. Choi.
“The distance is roughly twice that of Seoul to Jeju, so it should take about an hour.”
Before takeoff, Mr. Choi, our pilot, gave us the estimated flight time and started the engine. Once we were in the air, I sent a message to Mimata Chieri through the app.
The reply had a few typos, probably because she was fighting. I slipped the smartphone back into my pocket. I didn’t want to keep messaging her while she was in combat; I would contact her again once I landed. I turned to Konoe Akina, who had been watching me, and asked the question that had been on my mind.
“By the way, how did you end up getting caught by the slavers, Konoe?”
“That… last summer during break I traveled to Russia. Something covered my nose with a handkerchief from behind and I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was already captured. I kept using my ability to prevent them from selling me. A year has passed since then.”
Even an Evil Eye user could be neutralized if they were knocked out with a sedative on a handkerchief. She had been kidnapped during her third year of high school, so she would have to attend the second semester as a twenty-year-old. It was rather unfortunate.
I planned to let the rest of the children abandon school and work in fields that suited their aptitudes. Most would probably go to Seryutai. As for Jeong Darim, I would create a new research lab and have her grow precious medicinal herbs.
“How long were you with the slavers, Alexandra?”
Alexandra Smirnova folded her fingers as she counted, then spoke.
“Alik caught by bad uncle and sleep nine hundred… twenty nights.”
Nine hundred twenty nights meant roughly three years. She had been held for a very long time. According to the setting, she would have been sold and returned several times in between.
“Did your parents sell you too, Alexandra?”
“Papa and Mama went to heaven during war. Alik stole food to survive and got caught by bad uncle.”
I see. That was why she hadn’t raised her hand when I asked if anyone had a place to return to. By the way, Alik seemed to be her nickname. After Alexandra, I spoke to Jeong Darim, who was sitting relaxed in her seat.
“How did you end up with the slavers, Darim?”
“Hmm? Well… we had a farm in the countryside. Mother passed away, Father became an alcoholic. I was working the fields alone when Father called me. When I went over, there were gangsters. After they took me, I ended up here.”
This family had been sold by a parent as well. Anyone held by slavers that long would normally develop a terrible personality, yet she still wore that relaxed expression. It seemed her easygoing nature was simply inborn.
“But Oppa, can’t you give me the seeds in your bag?”
Jeong Darim suddenly pointed at my carrier. Don’t tell me… she meant the Juangua seed. I reached into the carrier, pulled out the Juangua seed sealed in a disposable plastic bag, and showed it to her.
“You mean this?”
“Yes.”
“How did you know it was inside the carrier?”
“The seed said it felt stuffy and asked to be taken out…”
Hmm… it seemed her Plant Communication trait let her hear the seed’s voice. I handed the seed to Jeong Darim.
“It’s the seed of an extremely precious fruit.”
“It says it’s stuffy.”
Ignoring my warning, Jeong Darim tore open the plastic bag and placed the seed on her palm. Alexandra Smirnova and Konoe Akina watched curiously for a moment, but when they couldn’t sense any difference from ordinary seeds they quickly lost interest.
Jeong Darim stared at the seed and murmured, “Oh, is that so? It’s okay now,” as if conversing with it. To anyone who didn’t know her trait, it would look like she was talking to a ghost. To an outsider she would appear either insane or possessed.
It had been about fifty minutes. I needed to discuss what would happen after we landed. I looked at the oldest of the group, Konoe, and spoke.
“After we arrive I have to go help my friends, so you should wait at a hotel. Konoe, would you like me to get you a phone? Do you want to contact your parents?”
Konoe Akina shook her head.
“The place you are going is dangerous, is it not? I cannot bring my parents into a dangerous situation. I will comfort the children and wait until our benefactor returns. I am the oldest, after all.”
Having the owner of the Evil Eye say something so reliable was reassuring. At that moment Alexandra Smirnova, who had quietly moved closer, grabbed my sleeve.
“Alik wants to follow. Alik can help fight with zap-zap.”
She sounded confident in her electrokinesis, but taking an still-immature Alexandra into battle could end in tragedy if she got killed. I smiled gently and stroked her hair.
“Thank you, but fighting requires basic training first. How about you help me after you’ve trained?”
“Mmm…”
Alexandra melted into a blissful expression like a hamster being petted. Watching this, Konoe Akina puffed her cheeks in clear displeasure.
“Please pet me too! I have to comfort the children as the oldest, so someone has to comfort me! Benefactor, please do it.”
Her absurd logic left me petting Alexandra Smirnova with one hand and Konoe Akina with the other. I glanced at Jeong Darim to see if she wanted any, but she was completely absorbed in talking to the Juangua seed.
“We will be landing soon, so please prepare to disembark.”
Mr. Choi’s voice came through and I felt the altitude dropping. I continued stroking both girls’ heads until we touched down completely. Jeong Darim, who had finally looked up from the seed, stared at the three of us and spoke.
“Are you… a pervert?”
“What are you saying? Everyone hurry up and get ready to disembark!”
Right as I shouted, the door opened and our group stepped off the plane. The boys were also getting out of the other aircraft piloted by the Russian. I gestured for them to come over.
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Konoe Akina
Akina, twenty years old but still looks like a high-schooler. So kawaii.
A kimono shot, fitting for a daughter of a prestigious family.
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Alexandra
Cute maid Alik.