Chapter 16: The Fox Borrows the Fence's Authority - 3

Previously!

The farm is considering opening a retail store! Building a new factory costs too much money!
That night, as I was about to sleep, a fox suddenly broke into our store!

I subdued the fox who snuck in, using a peaceful and safe method!

"...Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes. That's right."

I am currently having a conversation in a break room within Millennium.
Since it's a staff break room, ordinary students have a hard time getting in, but I have an access pass to Millennium, and the person I'm talking to is no ordinary individual either.

Ogata Kanna.
I'd never heard of her, but according to what Arin urgently told me, she's a rising star in Valkyrie, touted as the next Public Security Director.
Her nickname is the Mad Dog, I think. Her reputation is on a level that rivals our farm's.

"Anyway, that peaceful and safe method was..."

"Subduing by force. What else can an ordinary person like me do?"

"We'll set aside for now whether the president of a weapons company that sells its products in Millennium is an 'ordinary person,' but is this how one usually subdues someone by force?"

"I didn't have a gun."

"Ha, you don't seem to grasp the situation..."

Her already intimidating gaze grew even sharper.
She tidied up the documents she was reading with a flick and turned her laptop around to show me.

On the laptop screen was a video of me, wearing a mask and sunglasses, smashing a rock down on a tied-up female student who was wearing a fox mask.

*THWACK—! CRACK—!*

From the faint sounds, I once again realized just how much of a pacifist I am.
Looking at it like this, I look like some kind of villain. It's not like I even hit her that hard.

"How peaceful."

"You crazy bastard. Do you even realize you're being interrogated as a suspect right now?"

Now she's speaking informally. Is she a little angry?

Anyway, just as Kanna said, I am currently being interrogated as a suspect.
From my perspective, I just subdued the leader of a group that attacked our store, but to Valkyrie, who doesn't know the full context, I must look like an even crazier bastard who bashed a crazy woman with a rock and left her half-dead.

I heard that fox is currently unconscious and receiving treatment before being incarcerated. Strange. She definitely looked strong.
My sister would just clutch her head and pull herself together even if she was bashed with a rebar, not just a rock, but it seems she was infamous for her tactics, not her combat prowess.

"But my store was about to be robbed. Am I supposed to think about things like that in the moment?"

"I agree with that, but according to Kivotos regulations, I can't just let you go. You'll only be locked up in a holding cell for a few days, so don't worry too much."

"That's a relief."

"What's there to be relieved about? If you hit someone with a rock, at least show some sign of remorse or self-reproach."

"I am sufficiently reproaching myself."

I should have hit her eight times instead of nine. Then she wouldn't have passed out.
By the way, being locked up for a few days. That's not good news. In fact, it's very bad news.

It means I'll be gone for a few days at a time when every moment counts, with the store's opening on the line.
It might be a different story next year when I'm breaking free from Kaiser, but right now, I need to operate at peak efficiency every single day to even have a fighting chance.

This is ambiguous. From Kanna's tone, it feels like going to a holding cell is the minimum punishment.

Bail money... is something I can't spare a single won of right now, and I'd rather not use it for my own mistake.

"Can't you just let me off the hook?"

"Do you think I can?"

"*Tsk.*"

"If you really want that, the person involved would have to forgive you, but..."

Right. Even I wouldn't want to forgive someone who smashed my head with a rock.
Huh? ...Sis?

That's not it. Then the important thing right now should be to see that fox.

"Is she awake?"

"Who? You mean Wakamo?"

"Ah, so her name was Wakamo?"

"It sounds to me like you smashed a girl with a rock without even knowing her name."

"You are correct."

Kanna clutched her head at my words, then stood up from her chair upon receiving a notification on her smartphone.
It seems my luck is a bit better this time.

"Follow me. They say she's awake."

"Is it okay to bring the assailant before the victim?"

"From the CCTV footage, it looked like you were losing in terms of strength. That means she can be controlled by the personnel on site. Besides, you don't seem that bad."

What is she talking about?
She naturally assumes I'm the assailant. I'm the victim here.
Being treated like this just for hitting her with a rock hurts a little.

Anyway, I have to see her face at least once, so I followed Kanna out of the break room.

 

* * *

 

Wakamo's condition, as she rested in the Millennium infirmary, was better than I expected.

"She's perfectly fine?"

"So it seems."

While I was getting the third degree in a one-on-one interrogation, this girl was living the life, aside from her right wrist being tied to the bed.
Look at her. She's on an IV drip and even eating snacks with her left hand.

A pure question arose, and I asked the Millennium student who was looking after her.

"Isn't she that escaped convict? Is it okay to treat her like this?"

"Well, things have gotten a bit complicated..."

What kind of circumstances would allow someone who was captured by the SRT, only to escape immediately and try to rob a store, to be treated like this?

"What, did she get hit a few times and lose her memory or something?"

"How did you know?"

"Then why on earth— wait, what?"

No way, it's for real?
Kanna's gaze from beside me feels incredibly sharp, but I'll ignore it for now.

Actually, it's not that strange. I once lost my memory after my sister hit me, too.
But that was only for a minute or two. Just how much memory did she lose?

I wasn't the only one with this question; Kanna also voiced her doubts.

"What is the extent of her amnesia?"

"One year."

"Then, could it be."

"Yes. As you might have guessed, she has forgotten everything, including her memories of being a terrorist."

"This is problematic..."

She's lost her memories up to before her terrorism spree. If that's the case, dealing with Wakamo becomes quite troublesome.
The thing about ethics is that it's a real headache; you can't hold someone accountable for their actions if they don't even remember committing them.

"Are you certain about the amnesia?"

"Is the Fox of Calamity that you Valkyrie officers know the type to sit here so quietly?"

"Indeed."

The one who even set off a bomb at Valkyrie's main headquarters wouldn't just sit still.
Right now, both Kanna and I are here, but before, she would have been alone with a single student, giving her plenty of opportunities to escape.

I guess we have to assume the amnesia is real. Thanks to that, Kanna's expression grew darker, probably from the extra reports she'd have to write.

And all of this is because of me.

...I thought things had been a bit too quiet these past two weeks. Dammit.

Just then, Wakamo, having finished her snacks, spoke softly.

"I've finished eating."

"Ah, yes. I'll clear that away for you. How's your head feeling?"

"Thanks to your treatment. It's feeling quite alright now."

"That's a relief. Then..."

The unspoken "What should I do?" was clearly visible in the attending student's eyes.

As I've said dozens of times, this is a very tricky situation.
The person in question is a heinous escaped convict. She should be sent to a holding cell and then to prison, but she has no memory of her crimes. All of it, up until before the terrorism.
But we can't just release her onto the streets; a student without a school wandering around is nonsense in itself. On top of that, my own situation, as the instigator of this whole mess, has become much more complicated.

What on earth should I do... Oh?

"Excuse me, how long will this amnesia last?"

"Well... a month or two at most?"

That's just about right.

The one and only way to satisfy both Wakamo and me at the same time.

 

* * *

 

"In that sense, she'll be starting as our employee from today."

"Boss, are you crazy?"

"Did you get hit by a rock too, Boss?"

"Who hires an escaped convict as an employee!"

Great. The seniors' fervent passion in welcoming the newcomer. I'm very satisfied.
But don't worry. Do you think I'd hire Wakamo without a plan?

"We took in members of the Helmet Gang from under her, didn't we?"

"Holy crap."

"I don't need a salary, can I quit?"

"What about your room and board then?"

"I take back the quitting part. Anyway."

As expected, the opposition is fierce.
They're from Sukeban themselves, yet they're completely forgetting where they came from. It's driving me crazy.

"Boss."

"Ah, Arin."

Arin, the voice of reason on the farm, will surely understand.

"Is there something wrong with your mind?"

"Ah, shit, you too?"

"In this case, you are the one who is being abnormal, Boss."

"That's right!! Those guys are on a completely different level from us!!"

"How are they different?"

"You might not know this, Boss, but even among Sukeban and the Helmet Gang, there are different classes! There's a world of difference between the survival-type who commits crimes for personal reasons just to get by, and the villain-type who's dead set on throwing the world into chaos!"

"...What nonsense."

It's not that I couldn't understand the context.
It means Wakamo and her underlings have such a notorious reputation that even these kids, who are practically family to me, are this against it.

It's not that I didn't consider this.

"I've already filtered them out myself. There won't be any idiots who just want to stir up trouble in the world."

"But..."

"I know. They could be acting, or they could change their minds. That's why they won't be assigned to the main production lines."

An auxiliary role, if you will. One of the most time-consuming jobs right now is moving the finished products, so they should be able to handle that much.

"...Is it no good?"

To be honest, I'm a little nervous right now.
One month. One month of the twelve I promised Kaiser has already passed.
I can't keep up this leisurely pace of growth. I need to be faster, even if it means taking risks.

The one who broke the heavy atmosphere of the deliberating employees was, unexpectedly, Arin.

"I'm in favor."

"Boss? No, Director?!"

"Sis. Are you serious?"

"Considering the opening of additional retail stores and the future establishment of a new factory, an influx of new members is essential. If it's possible without using additional capital, there's no real reason to oppose it."

"But she's the 'Fox of Calamity'."

"And the person who beat that Fox of Calamity like a dog on a hot summer day and even gave her amnesia is our Boss."

"Are you trying to get a rise out of me?"

"Of course not. Sarin, and everyone else. The final decision is ultimately the Boss's. There's little we can do by opposing his opinions or insight."

When Arin, who had been the sole intellectual on the farm, said that, I could see the other employees slowly starting to change their minds.

"Please think about it. Regardless of their origins, as long as their hearts are in the right place, it doesn't matter. Does anyone here think otherwise?"

They won't.
Every single one of them has been through all sorts of trouble just because of their background.

"Boss. Of course, I too..."

"If anything happens, just shoot them. I'll take responsibility."

"Understood."

"Alright then, I'll take that as a yes from everyone. Now, Sarin? Could you bring in the people outside?"

"Yes... *Sigh*..."

Sarin seemed upset that things didn't go her way.
Well, even if she's like that now, in about two hours her mood will clear up and she'll be friendly with them. That's the kind of person she is.

"There are fewer of them than I thought?"

"There were a lot of washouts to begin with."

Wakamo's group, which originally numbered over thirty, was reduced to less than four after I told them, 'You can only cause as much trouble as I allow.'
Frankly, it's a miracle even this many remained. They were probably all kids who were impressed by Wakamo's rampages. Did Kanna say they were kids who were discontent with society and universal happiness itself?

Among the five who entered, led by Sarin, Wakamo stepped forward first.
Everyone was wary, but the current Wakamo is different.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, seniors."

"...Is that the Fox of Calamity?"

"She seems more normal than I expected?"

"Nice to meet you! I'm your senior, Goto Sarin! Try calling me Sister Sarin!"

"For your information, she's 16."

"...Call me younger sister Sarin."

The employees on the farm, including me, are all 14, in the third year of middle school. Though we're all dropouts.
On top of that, my sister and Neru are 15, so a 16-year-old is something of a novelty.

"What's everyone so surprised about? In a factory, as long as you work well, you're golden."

Wakamo, who was unexpectedly polite and kind, was left to play with Sarin over there, and the employees' attention now shifted to the four underlings who had followed her.

These ones are the most dangerous. I don't know what they're thinking.

"Let me just ask. Why did you guys follow?"

They're not poor kids like the Goto sisters were. The weapons they use... I saw they even had a tank in their prime.
Which means they're not kids who are in desperate need of money.

"...Just. Got tired of it."

"Was it different from what you expected?"

"A den of slightly less crazy people is better than a den of completely crazy people."

"MOL?RU."

Their answers seemed all over the place, but the core reason was the same.
The Helmet Gang turned out to be much lamer than they had thought.

Did I mention it before? Wakamo's Helmet Gang is a group of rebels whose default mindset is basically "I just hate it!"
But even rebellion has its limits, and there are quite a few kids who thought, "Maybe I'll try joining?" due to teenage angst or other reasons, and ended up stuck there.

There might be more than four, but maybe there are others who didn't come because they were afraid of retaliation, or because they didn't trust us.

"As I said before, I can't guarantee you'll get to cause as much trouble as you did at your previous workplace."

"We don't mind."

"Really? Then let's start with the interview."

"An interview?"

"Yeah. An interview."

Even if I call it an interview, it's simple.
The goal is to teach them about the farm's hierarchy and to give them the confidence that we can protect them.

"Boss? Didn't we not have an interview?"

"What kind of idiot interviews the founding members?"

So, what's a simple way to achieve this goal?
That's simple too.

"Sarin!"

"Yes!! Boss!!"

Sarin, who had been chattering away, came trotting over at my call.
Her gloomy mood had lifted in a flash after talking about guns with Wakamo for a bit. She's really like a puppy.

"Conduct one interview for me."

"Isn't that something my sister should do?"

"No, Arin can't do it."

And for good reason.

 

"She can't fight."

"Aha!"

"You said it was an interview?"

"This *is* our interview."

How to make them understand the hierarchy? Just show them who's on top. And as a bonus, showing our strength will reassure them.

"What are you guys doing? Get out there."

The interview content is simple. Beat Sarin in a 1-on-1 fight.
Sarin is strong, so she'll probably win against most, but if that doesn't work, I'll have to step in myself.

I'm about average build for Kivotos, so it should be fine.

Watching Sarin and the newcomers run off, I made a quiet request.

"Arin? That thing."

"Are you really planning to fight with that?"

"This is the most comfortable for me."

I realized it while fighting Wakamo.
Guns don't suit me. I lack the ability to imbue Mystics, and with a gun, it's hard to react instantly with my enhanced kinetic vision.

So what should I choose? I had an epiphany during yesterday's fight.

"Here it is."

"Where's it from?"

"Ms. Mikamo gave it to me last night, saying there was extra stock in Millennium's Training Club."

She must mean Neru, right? Anyway.

I'm going for a melee dealer build.
Stroking the baseball bat that fit perfectly in my hand, I slowly headed to the interview room.

The vacant lot, that is.