Hajime was truly a wreck. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain. Every little movement was torture for him.

*...........Aomori-san?*

"You're awake? I'm glad. You've only slept a few hours, though; do you want to rest some more?"

"N-no...........*groan*.......I don't think I'm sleepy..........even though I'm exhausted."

The stepson of Goto looked around. He was in the infirmary where he had brought Alberich, Chloe, and Kuro.

Only this time, it was just him and Kohaku in the room. The other beds were empty. Before he could ask, the girl with forest-green hair answered his unspoken question.

"Kuro has been operated on; he'll be fine, but he will need to rest for a couple of days. Chloe-chan, on the other hand, is sleeping in her room."

"Is the target okay?"

"The authorities have already taken her to a place where she will be useful........... Kamijo-san, I must thank you again for saving my friends......... if it weren't for you, things would have gone very badly; thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Hajime felt a bit embarrassed by Kohaku's sincere gratitude, so he tried to change the subject.

"I have some questions......... about this place."

"I figured as much. What do you want to ask me?"

"To start with, what is this bunker? The door blocking the entrance was made of [Glepinir], right?"

"To answer your second question, yes. The metal used for the entrances to our home is made of that material. As for the first question........... I will have to give a long preamble first."

During World War II and the Cold War, the risk of a nuclear bombing on the artificial islands used to contain [mages] and [espers] was very high.

Ordinary people hoped for the best, but those with money ensured a chance in case of a global disaster, how? By building bunkers all over the island.

"I thought all the fallout shelters were known; in fact, when I was little, I went with my father to visit one."

"You're not wrong; government shelters are public, but private ones are not so much. The one we are in now was built by a very wealthy family; upon the death of their last member, this place was forgotten by everyone......... then my 'friends' found it and entrusted it to me."

Kohaku's explanation was clear and concise. But there were many things that Hajime didn't understand in her reasoning.

"I don't understand some things: how did you find it if it was 'forgotten by everyone'? Not to mention why they entrusted it to you; I understand that you're capable........ but if it's a strategic point, as you told me some time ago, why leave it in the hands of three teenagers? Are you hiding something from me?"

The hacker was pleasantly surprised to find that the stepson of Goto was more intuitive than he seemed. It wasn't that she wanted to hide information from him; the girl just wanted to test his intellect.

"You're smarter than I thought............ anyway, your questions are valid. To answer the first, I can only tell you this: there are some truly extraordinary [magics] in this world!"

There was no need to say more. The [magics] considered rare were no joke; some of them could do things that seemed impossible, even by [mage] standards.

"And to answer the second question, let's just say that three teenagers draw less attention than other people. After all, who would suspect that we are future fighters for freedom who will one day destroy the corrupt government!?"

Kohaku hadn't said everything, or rather, she couldn't say everything. Hajime understood this and decided that for now, these answers would suffice.

"Don't you have any other questions? If not, then I'll start explaining where the entrances to the bunker are."

The bunker that the hacker and her friends considered a home was indeed an excellent refuge.

Thanks to the connection with the sewers, it was possible to access it without being noticed. Whoever built this fallout shelter didn't skimp on thickness. In addition to the main door protected by [Glepinir], there were other hidden entrances for immediate escape.

The bunker had three floors; on the first, there were a couple of cells, the room that Kohaku used as a base for her computers, the cafeteria, and the infirmary.

On the second floor, there were several rooms used for storing food and weapons; it was also the floor where the bedrooms were located.

On the top floor were the generators that provided electricity to the entire base, and other devices that converted organic waste into energy and recycled water. However, half of the space was reserved for a huge training field.

"You really have all this here!?"

"Ehehehhehe, I had the same reaction when they told me! Our home is fantastic, isn't it, Hajime!?"

"Yes, it is really... um, Hajime? Am I mistaken, or did you just call me by my name?"

"You're not mistaken. Does it bother you that I call you that casually? I think it's appropriate; after all, we will have a long and close relationship from now on!"

"Aomori-san.........."

"Call me Kohaku, no honorifics."

Kohaku had a look in her eyes that said she wouldn't accept a no for an answer. The silver-haired boy was intimidated enough to accept this.

"As you wish, Kohaku."

"Good, now..........."

Kohaku didn't even finish speaking when her phone rang, which she felt in the pocket of her jacket.

"I wonder who it is now?"

The hacker felt a bit annoyed that someone interrupted the pleasant conversation she was having with Hajime. But when she read the message on her phone, the girl could only remain speechless.

"What happened?"

"Someone is coming here............... one of the leaders............ and they want to talk to me, and you."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I can't tell you............"she" has never come here..........."

*****

A few hours earlier. In an unknown location, figures were having a discussion about certain recent events.

"Alberich has been captured."

"Really? Who did it?"

"Try to guess............ it was someone who really likes computers, especially the easy ones to hack."

"That girl........... when will she learn that she can't do whatever she wants? I understand she wants revenge, but her inability to listen to us is really becoming a problem."

"I agree. Her results are commendable, but the mission was about to take a turn for the worse; Kuro risked death, and Chloe had to step in to save them."

"Yes, someone really needs to go talk to her.......... wait, why did you say 'save them'?"

"Here's the worst news."

The figure who had spoken first recounted to the others in the room the entire story that had occurred with Hajime, and it goes without saying that no one took it well.

"She's become too arrogant! I knew it was a mistake to leave her alone!"

"We had no choice, and teenagers draw less attention in that part of the island, unlike all of us."

"That's not our main problem; what will we do about Kamijo Hajime? If Goto finds out anything, we're finished. Secrecy is the only thing that protects us; we are not ready to face the [Black Corps] head-on."

"To say that we should........."

The only figure who had remained silent from the very beginning stood up to draw the attention of the other members of the group.

"I'll take care of it. Return to your duties."

Those were the only words she spoke before leaving the room. No one tried to contest or stop her. Reluctantly, they all decided to do as they were told.

Meanwhile, the person who left the room first arrived at her chamber. This person was a girl.

She had long, dull blue hair tied with black ribbons into two side ponytails. Her eyes were an unnatural blood-red.

The expression on her face was unreadable; no one could tell what she was thinking inside her head.

"Kamijo Hajime, huh? I wonder if he has heard about me—"

The girl licked her teeth with her tongue, her canines, much longer than average, becoming visible. Her red eyes glowed slightly with excitement at the thought of meeting Hajime Kamijo.