Chapter 20: The Fox Borrows the Fence's Authority - 6

"Fucking idiots. Who told you to stick with a place like that? Not even knowing it's a company on the verge of collapse."

The hideout of Wakamo's remnants, located near Gehenna. It was once orderly under Wakamo's command, but now that Wakamo was gone, calling it a mess was an understatement.

"Ugh, mmph—!"

"Hey, just wait a little longer~ I'll give you a front-row seat to watch your company go down in flames."

The farm's employees were gagged and bound, lying on the floor. And sitting shamelessly on top of them was her, the current boss of this Helmet Gang.

She was originally a student at Trinity, but out of jealousy for a classmate who was too brilliant, she blew up that classmate's classroom with a bomb and was expelled. Afterwards, she went under Wakamo, even becoming an executive, and now, aiming for the vacant position, she had risen to become the boss.

"Hah... when are these bastards going to get here?"

"Huh? Boss! There they are!"

"Really? Let's go out and greet them, kids!"

Shoving aside the employees she had been sitting on, she walked towards the entrance. If this job succeeded, she had been promised a significant amount of money from Kaiser.

"I'm different from that moron who lost her memory after getting beaten by some fool who calls himself a farm owner~ With this opportunity, I'm gonna play in the big leagues!"

The employees she faced with a heart full of excitement were three in number. All of them appeared wearing masks and sunglasses, just like the farm owner.

"Is that your work uniform or something?"

"No. This is..."

"Ah, whatever. Why listen to guys who are about to go bust anyway? Just show me the goods."

The facility's core components and blueprints. In a way, they could be considered the very heart of the factory.

As a silent girl with a name tag that read 'S' handed over the bag, the boss snatched it away.

"Alright, shall we take a look?"

When she opened the bag, a distinct mechanical device came into view. It looked complicated at a glance, clearly something important.

"Wow, you guys have some good tech, huh? Making something like this. What kind of machine is it?"

At that question, the girl who had handed over the bag quietly uttered.

"That's a grenade."

"What—"

BEEEEEP— KABOOOOOOOM—!!!

Before her words had even finished, the machine in her hands exploded with a deafening roar. Before the Helmet Gang boss's body, stiff from the shock, could relax, an employee wearing a mask with a 'W' on it shot her with their gun, knocking her unconscious.

Thud.

Only after their boss had fallen did the Helmet Gang members seem to grasp the situation, shouting all at once.

"Intruders!"

"There are only three of them at most! Get 'em!"

"These bastards are asking to die!"

But for some reason, despite numbering thirty—ten times as many—the Helmet Gang members only shouted and did not readily charge in.

"Huhu, what seems to be the matter?"

A single gun held in the hands of the employee marked with a 'W'. A sniper rifle painted in a faint, reddish light, the Crimson Calamity.

It was only natural, as they were the ones who had seen the owner of that gun from the closest distance.

"Shit! That damn traitor!"

Of course, these were also madmen who desired social chaos. They only hesitated for a moment before immediately charging. Not at Wakamo, but at the two employees behind her.

It was a rational decision. No matter how strong Wakamo was, she'd be weaker than before, and the farm owner, considered a powerhouse at the farm, was currently being held by Kaiser.

"Eeh?! Why are they only aiming for us!!"

"It appears they've judged that aiming for Kosaka-san carries too great a risk."

"That's right, Onee-chan. But it won't matter much, will it?"

They threw off the masks they wore to hide their faces.

Internal Affairs Director, Goto Arin. Practical Affairs Director, Goto Sarin.

They were sisters who had surrendered to the President on the first day, and with no significant achievements since, anyone might think them weak.

However. The title of a Sukeban boss is not earned for nothing.

"You son of a bitch!!"

Five Helmet Gang members rush at Sarin.

"Ei, yah!"

"Huh, wha?"

She ties up the wrist of one of the advancing members with the bag she brought,

WHACK—

swings him like a whip to take out the two behind him.

Crack, Clang!

She smashes the Helmet Gang member coming from the right into the floor, helmet and all, then stomps on him and runs towards another. Four of them retired in less than ten seconds. She grabs the gun barrel of the panicked member and twists it.

Crrrk

"What kind of crazy bitch—!"

"No profanity!!"

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT—!!!

She proceeds to fire directly into the helmet. Only after emptying an entire magazine did the gang member stop moving.

"Onee-chan! Done here!"

"Is that so."

And what of Arin?

Unlike Sarin, who was born with a genius talent for combat, Arin was the very definition of mediocre. But the reason Arin had been able to come this far...

She simply endured. Anything and everything.

"Are... you done shooting?"

"...Huh."

Despite taking concentrated fire from four assault rifles, only her clothes were slightly torn; her body was unharmed. The bullet casings rolling on the floor proved they absolutely had not been holding back.

"Well then, goodbye."

BANG—!

The bullets of ordinary Helmet Gang members were not a major problem for her, who could withstand them long ago.

"Huh? It doesn't hurt."

"...Sarin."

Of course, she was only good at enduring and not at attacking, so even a point-blank shot left the target's mind intact. In the end, Sarin had to run over and knock them all out for her.

BANG—!

"Onee-chan. I told you, you need to build up some strength?"

"What does building strength have to do with shooting?"

"No, that's not what I... Never mind."

The two sisters checked their firearms and entered the Helmet Gang's hideout. They had been prepared to face twenty-one people, nine out of the thirty. But...

It was beyond imagination.

"Wow."

"Oh my, are you two unhurt?"

"We are. Kosaka-san is..."

"As you can see."

In the short time they had been dealing with four or five enemies, Wakamo had succeeded in taking down the remaining twenty-one.

While Arin and Sarin rescued the hostages, Wakamo was glaring at one Helmet Gang member she had deliberately not knocked out. It was, of course, to obtain information.

"W-Wait! I have something to tell you!"

The gang member attempted to negotiate.

"They're using you! Don't you remember? You, you were our original boss! They're the ones who made you lose your memory!"

"Ah~ So that's what you meant by 'traitor'?"

"Yeah! Once you get your memory back, they'll hand you over to Valkyrie straight away! If that's the case, you'd be better off—!"

Click.

As if there was no value in hearing more, Wakamo aimed her gun at the Helmet Gang member's head.

"I-It's true! There's proof! If you open that drawer over there..."

"That is not it. I am aware that I had lost my memory."

"...What? Then why..."

A brief silence. During that time, the Helmet Gang member noticed a sense of deja vu.

'Had' lost her memory.

"Hey. You, don't tell me."

"A month or two? That's the standard for regular students, I'm afraid. I already figured it out that very evening, you see?"

The original plan was to test the waters and then stage a takeover. But after living at the farm for a week, a thought occurred to me.

Couldn't these people embrace me?

I wondered if a company founded by a runaway teenager President and employees from Sukeban gangs could guide even my calamity. And as I spent my days there, I knew for certain. That these were the people who would bring me sufficient chaos, and at the same time, change me.

'...There is no need to explain all that, I suppose.'

"Just die."

"You crazy monster bi—"

BANG—!

"A monster, she says."

She recalled what her guide had told her yesterday.

'People we can't understand, we call them monsters, or geniuses.'

She was a monster and a genius at the same time. Thinking this, a small laugh escaped her lips.

"I am already aware of that much."

Only after confirming the Helmet Gang member was unconscious did Wakamo approach the Goto sisters, deliberately not revealing that she had regained her memories.

"Wakamo! What did you talk about?"

"I found out about the mastermind. They said Kaiser is behind it?"

"I thought as much. In that case..."

Sarin took out the cellphone the current boss was holding and began to dial a number. It seemed she intended to give the mastermind behind all this a big 'fuck you'.

A moment later, someone answered the phone.

"Greetings. I am 'A' of the farm."

"I'm S! Who the hell are you to pull something like this!!"

"...Huhu."

Code names. They were for protecting personal information, but honestly, from an observer's point of view, it just felt childish. But for today, she thought the saying 'the more childish, the more fun' seemed to be right. Wakamo also added a word.

"I am called 'W'. Who might you be, to have kidnapped our employees?"

---

"Shachou!!!" (Shachou - Company President)

"Whoa, sh—"

When I returned to the farm, Sarin greeted me with a body slam. Following her, Arin, Wakamo, and the other employees also came out to greet me.

"You all worked hard. I didn't know that scrap-metal bastard would stoop to this."

"It was not your intention, President. So it is fine."

"Let's go inside first. I'll explain everything inside."

An hour later, everyone had changed into their pajamas and gathered in front of the second-floor sofa. It was the same setup as when I had to explain the contract yesterday, but the atmosphere was the complete opposite.

Afterwards, Sarin, Arin, and Wakamo told their story.

"Valkyrie didn't answer the phone?"

"Yes. We called several times, but they didn't pick up."

Kaiser was behind this incident. Personally, I thought Kanna was also involved. The attack coming just as we were moving inventory to the store would have been possible for Kanna, who checked our schedule every day.

But there's no way a mere police officer would have that much power. Does that mean Kanna was also taking orders?

Someone who can give orders to a police officer and also block communications.

"...The Chief of Defense."

It looks like I'll have to visit the General Student Council one more time. How the hell do they handle their business?

"What happened on your end, President?"

"Right after the director heard your voices, he got pissed and yelled at me to get lost. So I just left."

"Eeh? You should have squeezed something more out of them!"

"That would be difficult, Sarin. As we have no clear evidence."

"That's just a figure of speech, Onee-chan!"

Sarin and Arin were bickering as usual. The only difference was that now, Wakamo had joined in.

---

When everyone had relaxed and the mood was ripe, I shot up from my seat and made an announcement to everyone.

"Wakamo did a great job today. Sarin and Arin have their own duties, so they said it's hard for them to leave no matter what, right?"

There was a decision I had been considering since I first brought Wakamo in, but gave up on because I feared there would be strong opposition. A solution to the problem of the employees being too focused only on factory work.

"I don't think a situation like this will never happen again. In that sense! I'm going to appoint someone to handle the farm's use of force in my absence, a new Security Director."

Of course, there was only one candidate. I slowly turned my head and looked at the fox sitting there blankly.

"Can you do it? Wakamo?"

"Of course, President."

Wakamo also readily accepted the director position, and since her achievements and power were famous, the existing employees accepted it without much argument.

"Then! Security Director Kosaka Wakamo. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes."

"Yay! We have another director now!!"

"You are also a director, Sarin."

It might seem humble, but to us, it was a sincere inauguration ceremony. As it ended, the employees all applauded.

Thus, the kidnapping incident that could have turned into a major disaster was resolved, and it was time to return to our main business. It was time to expand the stores and the factory.

"First, we need to buy land, but the money... haah..."

As I was sighing and worrying, Sarin was striking a pose as if she were proud of something. Sarin aside, even Arin and Wakamo. Did they do something else?

"Did you guys go and shake someone down?"

"It originally belonged to Wakamo-san, so isn't it reclamation rather than extortion?"

"Anyway. What is it?"

When Sarin glanced at Wakamo, Wakamo, as if she had been waiting, took out several pieces of paper. They were real estate documents.

"What is this?!"

"These are documents found at the hideout. Uhm, they said that while I may only have one main hideout, I have several temporary hideouts secretly made for operational purposes... Ah. Or so the people who were there told me."

...What is this. It's like she's hiding something. Did she get her memory back already? First off, hide your wagging tail, Kamo.

Anyway, that's not the problem.

"This is all, your land?"

"Yes. It is a humble amount, but I have gathered it bit by bit."

"President! Isn't our Wakamo awesome!!"

If this is a 'humble amount,' then what does that make us?

No, seriously. Trinity, Millennium, Gehenna, Shanhaijing, D.U.... Why are there so many in Hyakkiyako?

Did she buy up a lot because it's her hometown?

"...Arin?"

"Yes. With a plot of land of this size, establishing a factory is also possible."

"No, this is insane."

We went through hell this time, but we get a stroke of luck like this? This is crazy.

"Well then, our work is cut out for us."

I'll go to the General Student Council tomorrow, then visit the academies to inquire about setting up stores. Going to other academies will be a new experience.

"Wakamo."

"Yes?"

"You've worked hard."

"...Yes."

A wounded and wandering fox. Upon entering the farm and being enclosed by a fence.

Only then did she come to understand what affection was.