Chapter 15: The Fox Borrows the Fence's Might - 2

"Alright! Let's all take a break! Tell the girls at the store to start heading over too."

"Yes, Boss."

Another day's work finished safely, and it was time to rest.
Profit was 1.02 million yen. It was expected, but there's definitely a problem.

"It's gradually decreasing."

"What can we do?"

Although we sell out almost completely every day, sales have definitely been on a downward trend lately.
Even if it's just a difference of one or two guns, it's certainly not a good thing in the long run.

Actually, when the topic of a new store came up yesterday, I contacted Angel 24 on a whim to ask if we could sell our products there.
If we could go the route of consigning to a large corporation, we wouldn't have to worry about our own stores, which would be a plus.

I was rejected.
It makes sense, since Kaiser is a major client for Angel 24. Accepting goods from Nong Jang could be seen as a betrayal of Kaiser.
It's a shame. It would have accelerated our growth. But what can a small company do?

"So! Let's go next time!"

"Well, I'm not against it, Sarin."

While I was moping, it seems the employees who went to the bathhouse have returned.
After that, we all changed into our pajamas and started to have some personal time.

"Hey, turn on the news. What's on now?"

"Hold on, turning it on."

 Unlike the early days of the factory, we have some infrastructure now, so we can watch TV, albeit a small one.
Even though we have smartphones, the screen size is different, and it seems to be quite popular among the employees for being able to watch the nonsense from the Chronos reporters live.

"A new terrorist club, the Hot Springs Development Department, has appeared in Gehenna... They'll probably disappear soon enough."

"Because of that Prefect Team Leader? I saw her last time, she's a pretty good fighter."

On the TV, a Gehenna student wearing a shirt too large for her height was laughing her head off while setting off bombs, then quickly fleeing at the appearance of the Prefect Team Leader.
Seeing kids like that really makes me realize how well-behaved my own girls are. *Those* are the crazy ones.

Well, various other scenes were shown after that.

From useless information like a list of Trinity's hottest desserts, "That looks delicious!"

To conspiracy theories that the Millennium student council president is actually an alien,  "The idea of her being an alien is not objectively plausible."

To the Calamity Fox having escaped from prison,  "That's one heck of a cool name."

To an SRT recruitment notice,  "How hard would you have to work to get into a place like that?"

Anyway, a lot of things were on.

"Wow, that thing is huge."

"Does that fox have nowhere to go? Heading to a farm of all places."

"...What the heck is a 'Grow Taller Dance'?"

Right. As long as everyone's enjoying themselves, that's all that matters.
And with that, I lay down on my mattress to end the day.

 

...

 

"Wait a damn minute, what did you just say?"

"Huh? Oh, did you want to be taller, Boss?"

"No, not that! The thing before that!"

Something about a fox going to a farm?
The only fox newsworthy right now would be that "Calamity Fox" person, and if a wanted fugitive who just broke out of prison is going to a farm...

"Isn't our factory the only one around here?"

"...Ah?"

"B-but isn't our factory's location a secret? Then we're safe, right!"

"I guess?"

No, wait, then where did they hear the name 'Nong Jang'?
Are there other farms besides ours?

"Hey. What about the store?"

For a moment, everyone was speechless. What I had to do was simple.

"Arin! Start the truck!"

"Yes! Are you already asleep? Get up, Sarin!"

"Uweh, wh-what's going on...?"

And so, at 11 PM, we all rushed to the store.

 

* * *

 

"...Is this the place."

The figure currently a hot topic in the news, Kosaka Wakamo.
Also known by the people as the 'Calamity Fox,' for she brought disaster wherever she went.

"Yes. This is the store that's been famous among Millennium students lately."

"Valkyrie is still on our tail, you know? Let's hurry up and clear this place out."

"Yeah! Let's go!"

One of the most heinous terrorists.

Why does she commit such acts?
She was never normal from birth.

It was as if she were a human being predestined by the gods not to live an ordinary life from the very beginning.

Even before puberty, the world was full of things she didn't like.
Her suppressed heart festered and swelled, growing larger and larger, and the prison of normalcy was too small to contain her.
Society and she were like oil and water, never mixing, only remaining separate.

Eventually, she broke out of prison and refused to mix with the water.
Whether it was fortune or misfortune, she had an outstanding talent for fanning the flames, even if she couldn't extinguish them. And she had no intention of letting that talent go to waste.

At first, it was one or two. Those who held grievances against the world, who harbored inferiority complexes, who were jealous of superiority and envied the normal—they were quite common.
They were embers, and she was a signal flare. It wasn't difficult to set it off.

As time passed, she had become a wanted criminal.
As if that weren't enough, she had even been given the ominous nickname 'Calamity Fox,' as disaster followed her wherever she went.

But it didn't matter. Just as calling oil 'slippery' isn't an insult, being called 'evil' didn't hurt her in the slightest, as she was born with the seeds of wickedness.
However, what tormented her was loneliness.

She envied and destroyed the normal, yet the destroyed ideal was only more beautiful than the preserved filth.
A friend protects the person she shot. They warn and help people who have no connection to them.
These were things she could not do.

Perhaps that's what she wished for. For someone to see her not as a dangerous element, but as a victim, and save her when she was in trouble.
But it was too late. She knew that fact painfully well. Who would help the terrorist, the Calamity Fox?

It is the natural order of things for people to live with their shortcomings, so she resolved to live with this regret as her own, and attempted to escape from prison once again.

Her subordinate had told her about a store in Millennium, famous for its unique 'firepower'. She would rob it, and with that as her foundation, she would once again launch her signal flare into this world.
Yes. That is what she would do.

"...Found you. You psycho."

"Are you an employee here?"

A truck approached, and a student got out.
Dressed in pajamas, not even carrying a gun.

Of course, the sunglasses and mask were suspicious, but that wasn't a factor to be concerned about.
Soon her subordinates would come out with the firearms, and she herself was the Calamity Fox, an opponent that would require the vice-presidents of most decent clubs to even stand a chance.
Normally she would have struck them down, but perhaps she wanted to take it easy this time.

She said something uncharacteristic of her.

"You should leave. Don't risk your life for a mere job."

"Who said it was a job? It's my livelihood."

"Livelihood, what do you..."

"And I'm not an employee either."

Of course, that response. It was an unexpected response.

"I'm the boss."

"...The boss?"

"That's right. The boss of the company 'Nong Jang'. Call me the Farm Owner."

"Farm Owner..."

Her rare display of goodwill being met with a twist left her in a foul mood.
Was this how it was always going to end for her— she thought, as she loaded her sniper rifle, the Crimson Calamity.

If she delayed, not only Valkyrie and the SRT, but also Millennium's military force, C&C, might show up.
Therefore, she had to deal with this quickly.

With that thought, she charged at the student before her.

 

* * *

 

A tough opponent.

That was my first thought upon seeing the Calamity Fox.

But at the same time, I was certain.
She wasn't just a tough opponent. She was a tough opponent to beat.

From what I could tell with these eyes, she was stronger than Arin or Sarin. Weaker than my sister or Neru.
Since I had succeeded in escaping from Neru, I figured I could manage to hold out against the fox, who was weaker than her.

"Boss!"

Just then, a bunch of Helmet Gang members came out of our store carrying several guns.
Those are our guns. Are they insane?

Fortunately, most of the remaining stock is kept at the factory, so it's not a huge loss.
That being said, it still pisses me off, so I should probably say something.

"You know, that's theft if you take those."

"Are you really going to lecture a fugitive on such things?"

"Good point."

To them, theft must be a daily occurrence.

That's enough for an icebreaker. Let's do this.

The fox made the first move. She charged at me, pointing her gun.
It's a sniper rifle, so it'll definitely hurt if it hits, but...

"It's fine as long as it doesn't hit, right?"

I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them again.
And then, a familiar sensation enveloped my body.

The feeling of everything slowing down, of only my own perception speeding up.
I definitely got a better feel for controlling it after my duel with Neru.

CRACK—!

The fox's bullet flew towards me.
It wasn't that fast, so I dodged it and charged forward.

The weakness of guns with long barrels like that is their vulnerability in close combat.

I went straight for Wakamo's collar and—

"Ah, shit."

"You are weak."

—failed to slam her down due to the difference in strength.
Come to think of it, Sarin did say. That my physical abilities are on the lower side.

My mistake was thinking I could win a close-quarters fight against a fugitive.

"Hmph!"

The fox slammed me to the ground, but of course, it was in slow motion, so I broke free and created some distance.
Well... now what.

Close combat is a disadvantage. The power of my bullets will obviously be weaker too. The amount of our Mystic is on a different level.
Well then, I guess I have no choice.

CLANK-

"...What are you doing?"

"Buying time."

I have to hold out until Neru gets here.
What I was holding was none other than.

"A chain?"

"Just you watch."

Another bullet flew at me. I dodged it easily and charged again.

"Have you no capacity for learning!"

"Hey. I'd be worried if I was outstanding, but..."

Wakamo, predicting I would aim for her neck again, tried to grab me.
And her hand beautifully swiped at empty air.

My target from the very beginning was your leg.

CLANK, THUD—

With her leg bound, Wakamo fell over from the momentum of trying to grab me.

"Kgh, you coward—"

"Is that what the ambushers have to say?"

What's important in buying time is a hostage.
I need a reason for these guys not to abandon this place.

And of course, nothing is more suitable for that reason than the leader of the organization.

"Even so, all you can do is—!"

"Bite down."

I picked up a nearby rock.

"...W-wait, let's talk about—"

"I said bite down."

And with that, I brought the rock down on Wakamo's head—

CRACK—!

—and smashed it.

"With just this, you think you can—!!"

CRACK—!

 

"It's in your best interest to just pass out."

CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—!

After I hit her a total of nine times, the fox stopped moving.
Let's talk when you wake up. You piece of trash.

"..."

Sigh... what am I going to tell Valkyrie later?