“Really? I thought we were pretty famous…” She seemed genuinely surprised at the reaction. Blaze(?) turned to face me. “Hey. Do you know Regret?”
Is she… talking to me?
“W… What…?” I asked quietly. It was still a little hard to talk, but my voice was gradually sounding out. It was only a matter of time before my ability returned.
Blaze's red eyes were staring directly at me. “Regret. Do you know it?” She looked very serious.
“...I-I don't understand…?”
“You don't? Maybe we aren't as famous as I thought…”
“....Huh?”
What is with this girl…?! And what does she mean by 'Regret'?!
Because she was an ability user, I thought she was a member of Crime at first, but there was no way someone like this could be one!?
She's not wearing a red cloak, either…
Crime was never seen without their red cloaks, so was this girl just a regular ability user like I was?
“What are you hunters doing?! Shoot this monster, too!” The lady shouted.
“And how will they do that without their weapons?” Blaze shot at the ability hunters and their guns instantly burst into flames.
She's strong…!
Her strength was impressive. Was she actually a Crime member, after all…?
But she doesn't seem to be trying to kill the hunters…
I was confused. She didn't seem like a regular ability user, but she didn't seem like a Crime member, either…
Just who is she…?
She said she was the leader of 'Regret', but I had never heard the name before…
“Hey, do we have any ability suppressors left?!”
“How are we supposed to shoot them without our guns?!”
“Just throw them! This monster needs to be eliminated immediately!”
The no longer armed ability hunters panicked, clearly not knowing what to do about this unexpected turn of events.
“Watch out…!” I yelped.
But Blaze only smiled. She seemed to have a plan.
“She caught the suppressor?!” One of the hunters shouted in shock.
“Is that all you've got?” Blaze grinned smugly, the suppressor bursting into flames.
“Get the backup guns!”
“We can't find any!”
“What?!”
The hunters rummaged through their bags of equipment.
“Yoo-hoo! Looking for something?” A girl with pink hair held the bags while balancing on a tree branch.
“When the hell did she get here?!”
“Been here since Boss was here! Catch!” She threw the bags at Blaze.
“Good work, Ettie!” Blaze caught the bags and immediately set fire to them.
The hunters looked utterly flabbergasted, as if they didn't know how to proceed with their plans.
“Ettie, Robin, Celine! Can I trust you three to take care of these hunters while I secure the girl?” Blaze called out to Ettie(?) and to two others.
“Roger, Boss!”
“Got it!”
“You can count on us!”
The three responded in unison. Ettie drop-kicked some of the men from the air, before joining the two others standing on the ground.
“Well then! That takes care of those guys. Now for you two…” Blaze turned to look at the two older women, her hands on fire. “Are you gonna release the girl or do I have to make you?”
“Eeek!?” They shrieked in unison.
“You can have her! Just leave us alone!” The lady screamed and tried to run.
“Good answer. But…” Blaze ran with impressive speed and punched both of the older women in the face with her flaming fist before they could flee.
“Guh!?”
“I think I should still kick your asses until I'm satisfied.” Blaze grinned. “Sound good?”
The two older women were sent flying backward into a tree by Blaze's fire punch. They seemed to be unconscious.
“Oh, only one punch?” Blaze frowned, disappointed it was already over. “Maybe I overdid it.”
Ettie cheered in between throwing rapid kicks, “Impressive as always, Boss!”
“Hey, focus on the enemy in front of you!” The blonde haired boy scolded Ettie.
The ginger haired girl laughed. “Oh my, coming from the one who couldn't take his eyes off of Boss just now?”
“W-Well, it was really cool, wasn't it!?”
“I totally agree, Robin!! It was badass!”
“Right!?”
The three chatted casually while fighting off against several of the hunters.
Do they not grasp the situation they're in right now?
They didn't seem very serious but they were really strong. They all fought like skilled fighters.
“You.” Blaze turned to face me.
“Y-Yes!?” I was startled by being spoken to so suddenly and yelped out.
Blaze walked over and peered at me closely. Looking at her up close, I realized just how pretty she was. Her long white hair gave her an air of mystery and her red eyes were… beautiful, honestly speaking. She was really cool…
W-What am I doing…?! Now's not the time to be thinking about something like that! There are still hunters around!
I lowered my gaze out of embarrassment, and Blaze seemed confused.
“Are you okay? The suppressor affected you pretty badly, didn't it?” She asked.
“Huh? U-Um, yes, it did…” I looked at Blaze again. “But it seems to be wearing off now. I can talk, at least.”
“That's good.” She looked relieved and held her hand out to help me up. “Can you stand?”
“I should be able t— Ngh!?” I tried to take her hand and stand up but I still felt a sharp pang.
This is pathetic. And to think I thought I could find Crime like this?
I felt like my siblings would be ashamed of me.
“I-I'm sorry…” I apologized, deeply embarrassed of myself. “I think I need your help, after all…”
“No need to apologize. I'm here to help.” Blaze smiled reassuringly. “I'll carry you out of here!”
“Thank you… That would be a big hel—PPPP!?”
I was suddenly lifted up from the ground and into her arms.
“...!? W-What are you doing?!”
“Carrying you out of here to safety?”
“I-I know that, but…!?” I could feel my face heat up a little.
A-Am I being bridal carried right now?!
On one hand, I've always wanted to experience what I've read about in novels… But on the other hand, just what was this situation?! I thought she was going to carry me on her back or have me use her shoulder as support! Something normal like that!
“But what? Is something wrong?” Blaze lowered her gaze to look at me in her arms.
“N-No…” I was incredibly embarrassed by the situation but I figured there was no sense in arguing when she was just trying to save me. She didn't even seem to notice how such an action could be interpreted the wrong way. “Everything is fine…”
“If you say so. Then, we should get going!” She turned her attention back to the ability hunters and the three of her friends. “You three, move out of the way!”
The three immediately jumped out of the way, much to the hunters' confusion.
“The hell are you up to!?” The main hunter shouted.
Blaze grinned. “Why don't we find out?”
She was still carrying me in her arms so I wondered what her plan was. Then, using a single finger, she fired off a flame blast aimed at the ability hunters. There was a large fiery explosion.
“You did that just with a finger…?!” I gasped, unable to look away from the explosion.
She puffed her chest out smugly. “Well, I don't normally use just a finger, but I wasn't gonna put you down somewhere else when I'm trying to help you escape.”
She's incredibly strong…!!
There was no way she was just a regular ability user like I was.
Is 'Regret' related to Crime?
It had to be! I had never seen an ability user more powerful than her!
I directed my gaze back to her, wanting to confirm it for myself. “Are you… from Cri—”
“Woohoo! Way to go, Boss!” Ettie interrupted, throwing her hands in the air.
Robin nodded in approval. “Those guys didn't stand a chance!”
“Now then, shall we head back and celebrate yet another job well done?” Celine smiled at the three.
“First, we need to get her to safety.” Blaze spoke.
“Ooh! So, you're the voice I heard calling for help!” Ettie jumped over cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear. “Well, don'tcha worry! Help has arrived in the form of Regret!”
'Regret' again… Just what is Regret?
“Alright, alright. Give the girl some space.” Blaze sighed tiredly, then she turned her attention back to me. “Where do you live, anyway? I'm not sure where to drop you off.”
“Huh? Um… I don't currently live anywhere. I've been traveling and temporarily staying wherever I can.”
“Traveling, huh? Do you want to go back to the last place you stayed then, or…?”
“You can put me down now. The suppressor has worn off, so I can walk by myself.”
I could already feel my ability returning to me.
“If you say so.” Blaze still looked concerned but she put me down like I requested.
“U-Um, but there is one place I want to go…” I was starting to get nervous asking.
“Just name it.”
I took a deep breath and spoke. “I… I want to go to Crime's hideout. Do you know where it is?”
Suddenly, everyone froze. The air seemed a lot less carefree now with everyone's eyes on me.
What is this reaction…? Aren't they affiliated with each other?
I wondered.
“Huuuh?! Crime's hideout?!”
The reaction was loud and panicked, leading me to believe that Regret was in fact not associated with Crime like I assumed it was.
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