Eliminate the Cause of the Fight (Problem Solver 68 vs Arius Squad) - 8

The next day, Problem Solver 68 was still chasing after 'Sensei,' but still without much success.

Well, they weren't hacking into all the CCTVs, or eavesdropping on the police, or even deducing anything based on the traces Sensei left behind. Of course, the locations where they were active and where Sensei was hiding were almost close, but there was no way for them to know. Aru's spirit was gradually sinking due to the lack of progress.

It was like looking for a needle in a haystack in Seoul; their hatred for Sensei alone wasn't getting them anywhere. The driving force behind any ongoing task is a sense of accomplishment, but right now, only frustration is mounting, with no sense of achievement in sight.

"Boss, I think it's better to reconsider, even if it's now. Why don't we postpone finding Sensei for the time being and just take on requests again?"

Kayoko speaks realistically, but Aru's pride doesn't allow it.

"I can't stop now! If you draw your sword, you have to cut even a rotten radish!"

"Of course, I want to kill that guy just by looking at his face, but we can't find him this way. How are we going to find him if he's completely hidden? If we put out a missing person broadcast, will Sensei just walk out on his own?"

"Ugh... That's true but..."

When Aru becomes dejected, Mutsuki pats her on the back and comforts her.

"Don't be like that~ Kayoko-chan. You don't find a treasure chest by digging right away, do you? It takes time to catch a big shot~ And if we quit here, we might lose the chance, right? And most importantly, we have plenty of time since we're not getting any requests, right? It seems like we won't be getting any for a while either~ Kukuku."

"Y-Yeah. That's right! You can't expect to be full from the first bite! And if we achieve our goal after going through these hardships and difficulties, that's the path to becoming truly hard-boiled!"

"Indeed! So even though we're just hitting dead ends now, it will all have meaning later! Was this all part of Aru-sama's grand plan!"

"That's right! Ahaha..."

An instigator, a boastful one, and a blindly devoted follower combined created a scene that was touching from afar, but a tragedy up close.

'Sigh...'

Kayoko sighed to herself, but she didn't really stop them either. If she could have stopped them, most of the Problem Solver 68's baseless operations would have been cut short by Kayoko. She just follows along.

"Yeah, well, it's not like this is the first time we've done this. But we're not getting anywhere like this."

"That's true. Unless someone who knows where Sensei is fallen from the sky, we're stuck~ But that usually doesn't happen, so we have to move again, right? If we scour the Black Market district, something might come up, right? Shall we go there?"

As they were about to move, they heard a voice.

"Yes, Sensei. I'll be right there."

It was 'Sensei.' Aru clearly heard the word 'Sensei.' She immediately turned her head to see where the voice came from. There stood a woman holding a parasol. And that figure was somehow familiar.

'........Huh?'

And suddenly, lightning struck Aru's head. She had seen her once before. The woman wearing a fox mask who was next to the detestable Sensei. Aru remembered seeing her bare face. And the hard-boiled Aru couldn't possibly fail to recognize the super hard-boiled woman who was prominently featured on the wanted poster.

'It's the Fox of Calamity, isn't it..? And, she just said Sensei?'

They had passed by each other yesterday, but she didn't recognize her then. But now she did. And Aru's intuition was screaming at her to follow that woman. And she immediately puts it into action. She lowers her voice to her subordinates and speaks as quietly as possible.

"Guys... We're going to follow that woman from now on. As quietly as possible. Without being noticed. Got it?"

"Huh..? Suddenly..?"

"She's connected to Sensei! We'll definitely find some clues. Follow me...!"

And so, Problem Solver 68 began to tail the Fox of Calamity. She couldn't miss this golden opportunity that had fallen from the sky.

'Please, don't let this be a dead end...!'

The pursuit was smooth yet precarious. The target suddenly changed course, suddenly increased speed, or suddenly looked back as if playing Red Light, Green Light. Each time, Aru had to chase, hide, and pretend it not to follow her, and be extra careful.

'Ugh.. Why is she doing that! Just go to your destination properly...!'

She was anxious, thinking that if they were discovered now, they might never find Sensei again. And another thought crossed her mind.

'What if we're completely wrong? What if we follow her and find nothing? What if we misheard and it wasn't 'Sensei' at all?'

If that were the case, not only would her authority as the boss be completely shattered, but she'd also have to endure the disappointed stares of her subordinates. She came all this way based on her intuition alone, and if it was a dead end, how could she face them without being embarrassed? But whether or not the target knew Aru's feelings, she just kept turning around as if playing around, making Aru anxious.

'Agh....!'

As they continued to follow stealthily, they eventually reached a dilapidated area filled with rundown buildings. The atmosphere was desolate, with no one in sight, and the buildings were in ruins. She arrived at a derelict building. Problem Solver 68 hid and watched Wakamo.

"Kukuku... it definitely looks suspicious~"

"Surely, surely.. He must be in that building!"

And then it happened. Someone came out of the building. And that figure was enough to make their eyes widen immediately.

"It's... Sensei!"

And they saw Wakamo hugging Sensei with all her might. Aru couldn't hide her excitement, as if she had found a treasure chest on a treasure island.

'Yes, I found him! I found him!'

And in an instant, bad feelings towards Sensei began to fill their hearts. They each spat out a small insult.

"I don't like him, as expected. Just looking at him from afar makes me want to throw up."

"Kukuku.. Me too."

"I never thought we'd find him like this. It's surprising how well things are going, and just looking at him is disgusting..."

"I'll kill him I'll kill him I'll kill him I'll kill him"

But they didn't charge in immediately. The opponent was the Fox of Calamity, not someone to be taken lightly. They weren't in top condition either, and if they got caught in a prolonged fight with her, Sensei might escape, making all their efforts futile. That wasn't what Problem Solver 68 wanted.

"Okay... let's gather everything we've got and capture him. And make him cry so hard that he realizes who the real hard-boiled is."

And so, Aru made a plan in her head to catch 'Sensei' and retreated. And...

"Wakamo, they're all watching, right?"

"Yes, I confirmed that they were following me. They followed me so smoothly."

"Good job."

"We need to prepare now. When would be a good time?"

"I bet they'll jump in right away today. Aru is that kind of girl, and she'll want to finish it quickly. Let's get ready to welcome them."

And Sensei also finished preparing to welcome them. And also...

"Wakamo, and can you let go now? I think they're all gone..."

"I've worked hard for my darling, so I'm just getting my reward~?"

"Yeah.. If you want.."

"Fufu..."

And the Arius Squad watched this scene.

"Seriously... I can't bear to watch this..."

"Sensei is loved by many~"

"..........Hmph."

"............."

* * *

Time passed, and the sun was setting. If a little more time passed, darkness would fall. And they waited in the alley, fully armed.

"We'll definitely have to fight that Fox of Calamity. But there are four of us and only one of her. She's not invincible."

1

Aru was brimming with confidence. And so were the others.

"Kukuku... I feel like luck is on our side today, so I don't think we'll lose~?"

"If Aru-sama is this confident... we'll definitely succeed."

"Yeah.. I have a feeling we will."

They were more excited than before at the thought of catching Sensei. The hatred that filled them was boosting their morale.

"Actually, it would be best if we could just take Sensei without fighting... but if that woman is helping Sensei, she probably won't leave his side."

"Yeah, maybe it would be a good idea to sneak in at night and throw a surprise party~ I want to see that surprised look on his face~"

They were assuming they would have to fight. But as if luck was on their side again.

"Huh.. Huh? She's leaving...?"

The Fox of Calamity looked around and suddenly left the building. She went completely in the opposite direction and disappeared from their sight. And that meant that Sensei was alone in there right now. They confirmed that Sensei went back inside when she returned earlier, so it was a sure fact. And they weren't about to pass up this opportunity.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Yesss~"

They rushed into the building where Sensei was. Everything seemed to be going their way. Wakamo, from afar, watched them enter the building through her binoculars and smirked.

"It went as my darling planned. Then, shall I block the rear..."

And Problem Solver 68 boldly entered the building. They thought that Sensei wouldn't have many places to hide in a three-story building, and they thought it would be funny to find him hiding pathetically.

"There's no use hiding... why don't you show yourself..?"

And here's something important to note. Hatred can be the greatest driving force for action, but it can also make people the most reckless.

The first thing to note is why Sensei's information was leaked to them. They didn't question this. But this could be said to be luck on their side, and the police sometimes catch criminals with this kind of luck, so this is a passable issue.

But the second is a problem. They rushed in without proper investigation. They went in thinking he would be alone. In reality, there were five, but they assumed he would be alone without proper confirmation. Of course, they couldn't go close and investigate in detail, but they should have investigated from afar over time. If they had, they would have noticed the existence of Arius Squad, and then they would have entered the building more carefully, but they didn't.

Lastly, they had forgotten what kind of person Sensei was originally. To them, Sensei was just a hateful and pathetic being. But Sensei is Kivotos' best commander and strategist. He is a person with an exceptional ability to assess situations and devise strategies. And none other than Problem Solver 68 had succeeded in operations and requests under Sensei's command. Considering this point, they shouldn't have judged so easily and entered to kill Sensei. But now, with their memories manipulated by hatred, they completely underestimated Sensei.

Well, of course, Problem Solver 68 had messed up requests many times due to their lack of detailed planning, but they wouldn't have entered like this at least. Aru, Mutsuki, Haruka, and Kayoko wouldn't have made this judgment normally, but now they did it without a second thought.

"Can't you just come out already?"

"Here you go."

A missile flew in response to Aru's words. They dodged the sudden missile by throwing themselves to the ground. And above them, a masked girl with an expressionless face looks down at Problem Solver 68.

"What, I didn't think you'd come in so ignorantly. Sensei was right?"

Problem Solver 68 all point their guns at her and are on guard. And Aru, startled by the sudden appearance of a person, points at Misaki and shouts.

"Who, who are you! Why are you here?"

And Misaki sighs and says.

"When you ask someone's name, isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?"

"Ha. Is that so? Then let me introduce myself, I'm Rikuha..."

Bang!

"Ack!"

And then a bullet hit her forehead. Aru stumbled for a moment due to the ringing pain in her head. And then, she got angry.

"Hey! When someone's introducing themselves, you should listen until the end!"

"Hueee.. Is that so..?"

Hearing a voice from somewhere, she gets angry and says.

"Yeah! Listen carefully! I'm Problem Solver 68's Riku..."

Bang!

And another shot hits the same spot. Of course, since she's a Kivotos student, she only felt a lot of throbbing even though she was shot, but she was completely being toyed with.

"Ack! Seriously! Listen to me!"

"Fueee... But you're so full of openings.. There's no reason not to shoot.."

"A-Aru-sama! How dare you do that to Aru-sama!"

"Kukuku~ We're being completely underestimated, aren't we? And we're completely being had."

"I knew things were going too smoothly."

And in front of such Problem Solver 68, someone appears.

"Yeah, we meet again like this. I'm glad you're still the same."

"Sensei?! I told you to stay inside!"

"Thank you for worrying. Misaki."

Sensei smiled and showed himself in front of Problem Solver 68. And in an instant, their faces turned sour.

"That face, it makes me sick."

"Kukuku.. I'm already disgusted. Annoying."

"Yeah, it's a face I don't even want to look at."

"Really? That's a shame.... I guess I should be glad that bullets aren't flying right away?"

"We won't kill you like that. We'll make you beg for your life."

Sensei suddenly felt downhearted at Aru's harsh words. Where was the girl who always rolled her eyes and had a clumsy side? Now, only this girl who hated him remained. The curse was truly terrible. And the thought of having to hear these words over and over again made him even more depressed. But this was all due to the curse, not their fault. Sensei considered this relatively mild. They weren't directing a lifetime of hatred at him like the Arius Squad. And it was proof that their past was were relatively bright, which Sensei was grateful for.

'Still, it's a relief...'

But one person stood out. The purple-haired girl was trembling all over as she stared at Sensei.

"Haruka, what's wrong?"

Aru's question went unanswered. She just muttered to herself.

"I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you"

And she charged at Sensei with intense rage.

"I'll kill you!!!!"

"H-Haruka?!"

They were startled by her sudden outburst, but what followed was even more surprising.

"This isn't the time to worry about that, is it?"

"What?"

"Surprise."

As Saori and Atsuko appeared from the side and opened fire, and so the battle between Problem Solver 68 and the Arius Squad began.

* * *

Tadadadadang!!!

The muzzles flash, and bullets fly into each other's bodies. This battle in the building was truly chaotic. In this situation, Sensei didn't give any specific instructions to the squad. He thought it would be much better for them to think and fight for themselves in this kind of battle.

And the fight unfolded not as a 4 vs 4, but as four 1 vs 1s.

"You're more skilled than I thought~ We started with an advantage.. but you're responding so well."

"Hmph, you're going to evaluate us? That's quite unpleasant,"

Atsuko and Kayoko glared at each other, aiming their guns.

"Yeah, I met you once before. Was it in the Black Market?"

".....Really? I think I saw you on a wanted poster."

The leaders of each team dodge each other's bullets and continue the battle.

"Pueeeng! Don't come near me!"

"Ahaha! I can't do that.. I don't really like it when you keep putting bullets in my friends' heads?"

Mutsuki marks Hiyori 1 on 1, preventing Hiyori's sniping from reaching the Problem Solvers.

"I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you!!!!"

".... I think I got stuck with a really nasty one."

Misaki stood in front of Haruka, who had completely lost it.

"Sensei! Don't come out! This girl's gone totally berserk!"

"Get out of the way!!!!"

As if she wasn't even in her sights, Haruka rushed towards the direction where Sensei's voice was coming from. And Misaki fired her pistol at her, but she didn't care.

"Tch. This isn't enough? Then how about this..."

Misaki aims her sticker at Haruka, but at that moment, a grenade flies towards Misaki, and she has to dodge it, allowing Haruka to head upstairs.

"Damn it!"

"Can you not disturb our cute junior~?"

And the girl who said that smiled and pulled out several grenades and threw them all at once, and then immediately unleashed a hail of bullets. Misaki rolled out of the blast radius, feeling inwardly frustrated.

"Every single one of them is a pain in the ass! They just charge in like idiots!"

And then, a precise shot hits the back of Mutsuki's head again. She momentarily stumbled from the impact to the back of her head.

"D-Don't touch my friends...!"

And Mutsuki turns around again, smiles with a look of displeasure, and says.

"You keep pushing your luck, huh? Fine, I guess I'll deal with you first!"

"Pueeeng?!"

And Mutsuki turned her target back to Hiyori, and she started running away again. And Misaki also resumed pursuing Haruka.

"Sensei! A crazy girl went upstairs! You need to get out of there!"

And she immediately loaded a missile and fired it at the stairs in Haruka's path. The already weakened stairs collapsed from the missile, and Haruka, who was trying to go up to the third floor, fell back down to the floor below.

"Haruka!"

"This isn't the time to be distracted, is it?"

Tadadadang!!

"Uwa?!"

And on the first floor, the gunfight continued. Against Arius Squad, who had numerous advantages, Problem Solver 68 was fighting really well. But soon, they started to be pushed back.

"Damn it, they're barely taking any damage!"

"Of course~? We're fighting with Sensei's support."

Sensei was constantly supporting Arius Squad with the Schell's tablet. The existence of the shields painted on them gradually widened the difference in damage and the difference in health between the two sides. Right now, on the first floor, Aru and Kayoko were quite exhausted, while Saori and Atsuko were quite lively. And this was a very bad sign for Problem Solver 68.

"Your movements are getting slower. You were agile, but now you're predictable. Why don't you just surrender now?"

"Haa... Surrender to that horrible guy? Don't make me laugh, .haa.."

"You seem to have a faulty memory. Think again. What did Sensei do wrong to you?"

"Shut up!!!"

And Aru fires at Saori again, and Saori sighs and continues the battle.

"You really like to take the hard way."

And back on the second floor. Hiyori and Misaki were having a hard time with Mutsuki and Haruka. Since they were originally long-range attackers from the rear, students who made these kinds of ignorant charges were quite a nuisance. But even though they had a bad matchup, they were still preventing them from reaching Sensei.

"Compared to that monstrous fox.. this is definitely better..!"

"Who are you comparing me to? It's unpleasant~?"

"I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you!!"

"This is really tiring..."

Hiyori and Misaki didn't take any damage, but their stamina was definitely dropping. And Mutsuki was also panting a bit from running around, but one person wasn't.

"I'll kill you...!!!"

Igusa Haruka was still trying to run upstairs like a madwoman. But the stairs were already destroyed by Misaki. The gap was at least 5 meters, so they thought she wouldn't be able to get to the third floor. However.

"Uwaaaaaaa!!!"

She kicked off the wall and bypassed the broken stairs. Misaki was startled by this and fired another missile at Haruka.

Kwaaaaang!

But that wasn't enough to stop Haruka. She narrowly avoided the missile and wasn't caught in the explosion. Misaki was startled by this and shouted to Sensei.

"Sensei! Run away! She's on the third floor!!"

And Sensei, who was watching this situation with the Schale's tablet, had a very bewildered expression.

"Haruka sure is tough... She just jumped over a missile and everything."

And Haruka appeared in front of Sensei, and Sensei started running again. And Haruka fired her shotgun frantically at the fleeing Sensei.

"Die! Die! After making me suffer so much! Die! Just die!"

Sensei felt a pang of sadness at Haruka's words. She was severely bullied in Gehenna, but she was helped by Aru and joined Problem Solver 68, where she became loyal to Aru. And because of that, Haruka had a hard time dealing with people, and Sensei thought that this had been somewhat resolved while she was with him and Problem Solver 68. But..

"Is that wound still in your heart..."

The shotgun bullets don't reach Sensei. Arona and Plana are blocking the flow of bullets from reaching Sensei. And Sensei goes to the stairs again, but the middle part of the stairs was gone. Since walking down was no longer an option, Sensei made an immediate choice.

"Urya!"

He chose to fall about 3 meters without hesitation. He felt a considerable impact on his feet when he landed, but it didn't hinder his escape. And when he looked down at the first floor, the situation was almost over. Aru and Kayoko looked quite exhausted, while Saori and Atsuko still had plenty of stamina left.

"Saori! Atsuko!"

"Sensei! You're safe! We've almost subdued them! We'll be right up!"

"Sensei! We'll be there soon!"

And seeing this, Haruka's switch was flipped even more when she saw Aru half-collapsed.

"A-Aru-sama...! Y-You..!"

And Mutsuki, seeing this, tried to move to the first floor to help, but Hiyori and Misaki were still in the way.

"Where are you going?"

"I-I won't let you get to the leader and the princess!"

"Seriously... You guys are annoying..."

And Haruka was going more and more insane seeing this. Problem Solver 68, who had helped her, was being defeated by the one she hated the most. And that hateful person was right in front of her eyes.

"You damn bastard!!!"

Haruka threw a grenade at Sensei. But as expected, the grenade couldn't reach Sensei. As long as the Schale's tablet was active, no harm could come to Sensei. But the problem was this building. The building was structurally weak and could collapse under significant impact.

The power of the grenade was enough to blow away the floor, and Sensei fell from the second floor to the first floor due to the aftermath.

"UWAA!"

And as Sensei fell, Haruka immediately rushed in and fired bullets. And again, Arona and Plana prevented the bullets from reaching Sensei, but they couldn't completely block the knife that flew in after that. And it grazed Sensei's cheek, and Sensei's right cheek was stained with blood.

"S-Sensei!!!"

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

And as Haruka rushed at Sensei, Saori was horrified and aimed her gun at Haruka.

But Aru charged at Saori, tackling her, and they started grappling.

"How dare you attack my subordinate!"

"What are you doing to Sensei!"

And seeing this, Atsuko tried to help Saori, but she was immediately stopped by Kayoko.

"We still have business to take care of, don't we?"

"Tch!"

And Haruka aimed her shotgun at Sensei again, muttering frantically.

"I'll kill you.. I'll kill you..! The ones who tormented Problem Solver... who tormented Aru-sama.. who tormented me..! All of them!"

And Sensei looked at her without saying a word. Of course, blood was still flowing from his cheek.

"I'll kill you.. I'll kill you..."

And Sensei said to her.

"Haruka..."

And her eyes lit up, and she said.

"Don't call my name...! You damn..."

She raised her shotgun again, but something felt off.

"I'll kill you... I'll kill...?"

And a memory surfaced.

"If you start growing weeds, they're no longer weeds, right? Haruka is kind."

"Huh... huh?"

"Even if you have a sad past, there are people around you who will help you, so whenever you're having a hard time, just tell me. I can help you overcome it. I'm your Sensei, after all.."

He was a kind adult. He didn't look down on her or find her annoying, he just smiled at her. And that person was standing right in front of her.

"Sensei...?"

"Haruka."

And blood was flowing from Sensei's face. It was from the knife she threw.

"Ah..ah? Ah? I.. I did this?!"

And she immediately started trembling and muttering frantically again. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry Sensei I'm sorry I'm sorry"

And Sensei approached her and said.

"It's not your fault. It just hurt a little."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry.... I'm sorry.. Sensei.."

And Aru, startled by the sudden change, shouted at Sensei.

"What did you do to Haruka!"

Aru tried to run to Sensei, but Saori grabbed her from behind and stopped her.

"You should notice something's wrong by now!"

And seeing this, Mutsuki broke through the two and came rushing down the stairs.

"Get away from Aru-chan and Haruka-chan! You bastards!!!"

And seeing this, Kayoko also picked up her gun again and started to fight back. And so the fight started again.

"Ugh... I wanted to end this without any damaage..! Was it my mistake..."

As the fight dragged on unexpectedly, Sensei was saddened, thinking that his choice was a mistake. And Haruka, who had been trembling and crying, came to her senses and started to speak.

"E-Everyone! St-Stop... fighting!"

But her words didn't reach them. The gunfight continued, and it seemed like it wouldn't end until someone fell.

"St-Stop it!! Everyone, stop it!!"

"Die!!!"

"Don't let them get to Sensei!"

"Ugh!"

The situation was spiraling out of control.nd at this time, Wakamo also returned to the inside of the building.

"My darling! Are you alright?! You told me not to come in, but I was too worried.."

Wakamo saw the blood flowing from Sensei's cheek. And when she saw this, she immediately lost her reason.

"Again, again my darling!!!"

And Wakamo immediately rushed towards Problem Solver 68. Sensei reached out his hand to stop her, but at that moment.

"STOP!!!!!!"

And Haruka threw something into the air. At that moment, everyone looked at the object thrown into the air. And Problem Solver 68 started to panic.

"Ha, Haruka!? Wh-What are you doing!?!? If, if that explodes!!! This whole place will be blown away!!"

That object was none other than a bomb. A super high-powered bomb that could blow away a radius of 50 meters without a trace. Haruka tried to stop the fight somehow, but she couldn't, and her thinking ability started to shut down. So when she couldn't find a way to stop it, she thought of that bomb. She thought that if she just blew it up, things would somehow work out, so she just threw it. And Arius Squad also panicked at those words.

"Pueeeng?!?!"

"These crazy bastards...!"

"Sensei, everyone! Get away!"

"Damn it, Sensei!!!"

Saori started to rush towards Sensei. And

"My darling!!!"

Wakamo also ran to Sensei, trying to shield him with her body. And Sensei also panicked and gave orders to Arona and Plana.

"Arona! Plana! Barrier! Barrier!!!"

"Understood! Around Sensei immediately!"

"No! Not me! The bomb! Put the barrier around the bomb!! Make it as thick as possible!!!"

Sensei's plan was to minimize the explosion's impact. The two girls in the Shittim Chest followed the order.

""Yes!""

A large, blue barrier formed around the bomb. And it started to make a sound. The sound gradually decreased in interval and became more urgent.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

And then.

BEEEEEEEEEP!!!

KWAAAAAANG!!!

With a blinding flash, a huge explosion occurred.