Another typical day in the office for Shiba. At least, she doesn't have to go out of the city again for some urgent business. The last thing she wanted from that kind of business is to have some hitmen sent at her face. For now, she is already happy with one person that she could call a part of a family or a student. That is none other than her favorite blonde girl.
The evening is so lovely for her. And what is perfect than a batch cup of lovely tea in the sight of the tangerine light. She's curious if this is how the British enjoy their day with their tea. No more business to do, no more interruptions from anyone else, just enjoying her day sightseeing and reading the newspaper in her hands, curious if there's something new up in the city. That's already including what they did yesterday.
Legs already on top of the table. A kettle and the cup are sitting beside her, brewed, mixed with sugar, and steaming hot. She could drink it without sugar, but the taste would be bitter. Her hand grabs the cup of tea and sips it a little. Oh, the taste is so mesmerizing. It could've been better to add it with milk.
Putting the cup back on the table, she proceeds to grab the newspaper and straightens it to avoid tearing it apart. The violet woman runs her finger over the newspaper to feel how smooth it is for a few seconds before she dawns her eyes on the first page of the newspaper. Like it or not, she couldn't help but produce a smile on the first thing she reads on that page.
Title bolded and in colossal font size, the title reads:
"Unknown Sniper Saved a Cheating Couple from Serial Killer."
Of course, the woman is already perplexed that the editor wrote 'cheating couple' in the title. Those victims weren't precisely cheating at that time. Well… editors gotta edit, she guessed. The headline is describing what happened during the scene at the love hotel. Still, she had to grin angrily when that detective, her nemesis' name, is mentioned. Of course, the detective and the police will never know the sniper's true identity, which is a good thing for her and the blonde girl's account.
She flips another page on her newspaper. Those other news' weren't as impressive as the headline news. Just unpopular news about a caught thief, rising restaurant business, scandals of celebrities, and about Virtual Reality technobabble. She could only sigh before she decides to read about the successful restaurant business. Her mind can't seem to focus for a moment on the thought that Sakurako knew who Sumida is with no problem whatsoever.
Unfortunately, her lovely evening has been interrupted once someone steps into the room. "Ms. Matsubara."
Shiba sighs with annoyance before turning her head at her chief security. "What is it, George?"
"I just want to let you know that Ms. Oomuro is here," George replied. "She said she's here for another job you had offered."
She suddenly straightens her back. Can't believe it finally crosses her mind that she had promised a job for that oblivious blondie. Without further ado, she looks back at her newspaper and then puts it down on the table, tidied and folded. She then stands up from her chair and walks over to her chief security.
"She's waiting in the office?" Shiba asked him.
"Yeah," George nodded as he shifted to give way for his boss. "Maru has kindly kept her in company."
Shiba sighs again doesn't expect much about that wanker's attitude to the blonde girl. "I hope he's not teaching her some stupid shit again."
"Well, doesn't seem like it," George shrugged. "At least for now."
"Hah, whatever," Shiba emitted her exasperation. "Come on then."
Shiba exits the room and makes her downstairs with George in tow. It didn't take her long to reach the office. Well, once they both enter the office, they met with an unamusing sight. While Maru sitting next to the blonde at the desk is pretty much expected, one thing that is close to Sakurako's hand is not okay.
Have you ever seen an adult giving a shot of whiskey to a middle school teenager? That's what she sees right now.
Shiba lunges forward and takes away the shot of whiskey on the desk before stares him down with bewilderment. "What the hell are you trying to teach her?!"
"What?" Maru asked with a relatively high tone. "She's just curious."
"You don't just give out alcohol to this girl just because she's curious!" Shiba retorted at him. "She's not that old yet!"
"Hey, it's not like I'm trying to make her drunk," Maru defended with his hands open. "Tell her, blondie."
"He doesn't mean anything by that," Sakurako defended him, though they couldn't help but notice her indifferent face. "I was really curious."
"Did you drink it?" Shiba asked in concern.
Sakurako pauses before blinking. "Only a sip. Does whiskey taste like that?"
Shiba sighs with her eyes closed, at which George helps her to answer. "Yes, it supposed to taste like that. It'll knock you out if you drink a shot of it."
Sakurako raises her eyebrows, seemingly too relaxed despite this knowledge. "Thanks for letting me know."
"Anyway, you're here for the job, yes?" Shiba asked as she walked around the desk.
"Yes, I am," Sakurako nodded before facing the desk. "Did you forget about it?"
"I'm sorry about that," Shiba apologized as she looked over her drawers. "I didn't realize I had called you about it back in the morning. I meant to get the briefing ready for you after the call. At least…"
Shiba then puts a folder of documents on the table. "I didn't forget to gather all the information I had for this job."
"What were you doing before coming here?" Sakurako asked with a frowned left brow.
George was too obliged to answer. "She was drinking her tea on the next floor."
"Ah," Sakurako then widened her eyes a bit. "You were having a tea time."
"Not exactly…" Shiba then covered her mouth with her fist. "Ehem."
Shiba then proceeds to open the folder and to push it forward for the girl to see. "You're in so much luck. I got this one from a local officer inside the Toyama PD."
"Oh," Sakurako then proceeded to ask her bluntly. "It's not from Sumida, is it?"
The mention of the name nearly tipped George and Maru off. On the other hand, Shiba awkwardly opens and closes her jaw. "E-erm, no, not from her."
"Oh, good, I was starting to worry if it's her," Sakurako then looked back into the folder. "What's the job?"
"A hit job," Shiba then blankly looked at her. "That means killing people off, Sakurako."
"Okay," Sakurako nodded.
"Now, to make this brief," Shiba said as Sakurako flipped a page. "The officer has requested that you kill the drug dealer that's been giving the local police problems. Aside from distributing illegal drug runs, the dealer and his men also went on harassing the officers as far as torturing a couple of officers and dump them out the road in the dead of night."
Sakurako winces her bottom eyelids as if she's looking a bit weary. As she is Looking down onto the file, there were details of the target, including his photo. The target has a thin and sharp mustache, short and slick black hair, and thick eyebrows. However, it surprises her that the two main details about him are that he is Hispanic and his skin is tan.
"Is it just me, or he's actually a Mexican?"
Shiba grins with amusing eyes. "Spanish."
"Oh," Sakurako then proceeded to flip to the next page. "A factory?"
"Yeah, an abandoned clothing factory just by the river," Shiba nodded. "And it's a large one."
"Enemies?" Sakurako asked as she looked over the abandoned factory's layout, leaving the layout to be exact.
"20 men, more or less," Shiba replied as she crossed her arms. Security's not tight, but best to be aware of it. Do you plan to go loud or go quiet?"
"Hmm…" Sakurako noticed an entry point just at the corner of the layout. "Is this ladder our only way in if we want to go quiet?"
"Pretty much, and it's lightly guarded. Only one guy guards there if I remembered correctly," Shiba replied with a nod. "You can take them by surprise from the second floor, and that's your best bet. If you want to go loud, well… There are plenty of ways to go in."
Sakurako looks up at her. "I'll be going in quiet. Do you have any silencers?"
"Suppressors, Sakurako, suppressors," Maru added in. "There's no such thing as a silencer. That's just movie's bullshiterry."
"Oh, I see," Sakurako then turned at Shiba. "It's still loud, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but not that much. It'll be loud as…" Shiba then clapped hard once. "Loud as that."
"I can deal with that," Sakurako replied with a nod before she stood off her chair. "I'll be better get ready."
"Hang on, Sakurako," Shiba said as she grabbed the folder back. "I'm coming with you."
"W-what?" Sakurako is appalled by the idea of bringing her employer coming along in this hit job. "I don't think that's-"
"Now, now, don't get all sentimental on me," Shiba waved her off. "It's not that I'm worried about you. Well… I worried a bit. But I have personal problems with him."
Sakurako stares her off for a moment. "Interrupting your work?"
"More than that, actually," Shiba replied. "You don't have to worry about me once we get there."
"Hey, can we both tag along too?" Maru asked, gesturing to himself and George. "That sonofagun got a score to settle with us."
"I'm not tagging along for scores," George denied, then looked over to the blonde in concern. "But because I'm worried about Ms. Oomuro, and he personally makes my job harder than it should."
"Sure, I don't really mind another extra helping hands," Shiba then looked at Sakurako. "You also don't mind, right?"
"Well, if you're insistent about it," Sakurako shrugged. "I don't mind extra help."
"Nice," Shiba then clasped her hands together. "Alright, everyone, let's go to the warehouse and geared ourselves up."
"Hey, Sakurako," Maru called, still keeping his cheeky smile. "Did you bring your weapon?"
"Along with equipment through the front door," Sakurako shrugged again. "Can't say it was easy."
"A'right," Shiba then headed out to the exit. "Let's go, guys."
Sakurako looks back at the desk before following Shiba out. George and Maru follow suit on their tail. They didn't waste much time on the assignment. Once they reach the warehouse, they quickly suit up for the job before hitching into the van. They then hit down the road, trying their best not to draw attention from the authorities.
A few minutes later. On the way to the target building.
The journey is smooth, save for the bumpy road they had to take along the way. The blonde, sitting down in the back of the van, can't see what's going on outside. But she can at least hear some cars moving up and down the road, and occasionally the sound of honking can barely be heard. She can't hear from the outside the sound of pedestrians crossing the road; not even a single random chatter could be heard of.
Everyone in the van is already prepped and ready to go. Sakurako is dressed in her black jeans and grey jacket. With her personal black plate-carrier and black helmet. There's also protection for her elbows and knees. The armed-teenager has prepared her AK-103 along with her P99 Walther Pistol on her holster. For now, she doesn't have to worry about identity being found out. From how Shiba and Sakurako see it, they'll be fighting inside and not outside.
George is wearing his level two bulletproof vest. Not enough against rifle rounds but enough to deal with 9mm and .357 rounds. His primary weapon is the Scorpion Evo 3, which is a submachine gun, and his sidearm the well-known M9 Beretta. Frankly, He's still dressed in his formal black suit outfit and a pair of sunglasses. He is too formal to be in the fight.
Maru is unsurprisingly not wearing any protective armor of sorts, but he did wear on his shoulder holster to fit his single trusty and VP70 Pistol. Not even a helmet or a cap. His only outfit is the unbuttoned red poker shirt with a singlet underneath it and a pair of white pants. Along with a pair of blue sneakers, it seemed expensive for Sakurako.
Shiba herself has her tan-colored plate-carrier above her purple shirt. She didn't wear any headgear and didn't even bother to wear extra protection for her arms and legs. A tactical belt with pouches strapped on her black trousers. As for her armament, she opted to use MP5K, which is the shorter version of the original MP5. There is a pistol strapped on the middle of the plate-carrier, the most well-known M1911.
Bear in mind that all weapons, including Maru's pistols, are suppressed, excluding their sidearms. Each of them carries walkie-talkies, exception for Sakurako, who brought a headset radio.
Sakurako turns her head over to the lone driver on the front. That bloke is Shiba's most trusted driver. She didn't give many details of him because this assignment is more important than getting to know him. But to be clear, if they need to get out, he'll be available on-site like a wind for a getaway.
Sakurako turns her head back to Shiba and asks. "Do you mind telling me about him?"
"What? The target?" Shiba asked back.
Sakurako nods. "You seem to know him that well that you wanted to tag along with me."
"Actually, he's more of a rival of mine," Shiba recalled, putting her short SMG on her lap. "We've been had acquaintance with each other until he started to screw up with my business. He even kidnapped and killed some of my men for questionable ransoms and also stole some of my stuff."
"That is a rough business," Sakurako commented with a straight tone. "I guess you're lucky you can get me on this job because an officer asked for help."
"Yeah, about that," Shiba replied with a nod. "The other reason why that local police officer wants him to be dealt with is that the asshole has threatened him that he will kill his family."
"That is not going to happen while I'm here," Sakurako commented as she re-checked her current mag.
"Me too, kid," Maru agreed with a thumbs up. "I can't wait to ice that bastard."
"Are you mad because he ruined your job many times?" Sakurako asked him.
"Not only he stole a lotta shit from us," Maru swore in exasperation. "He shot me long ago!"
"Twice in the back, wasn't it?" George asked him as he leaned a bit to him.
"God. Damn. Twice," Maru even gave his two-finger to her. "And it was a pain in the ass to get them out my back."
"It would be an amazing story to tell," Sakurako added. "If he actually shot your bottom."
Shiba chuckles to the suggestion as Maru replies with a bright sigh. "Give it a rest, kid. That ain't happening in my life."
Sakurako then turns to the front to see the driver's eyes on the middle mirror. "Alright, people, get ready. We're nearly at the point."
All the armed individuals then turn their safeties off and point them downrange. "I'm pulling over to the right just by the fence."
Everyone slowly stands off their seats and face the right door. "Anyone outside?"
"No people walking by. No sentries on sight."
Sakurako shifts a bit to her left to let Shiba holds the door. "Ready?" Shiba asked her.
The blonde nods, at which Shiba responds. "Okay, go!"
Shiba opens the door, and Sakurako is the first to exit with weapons ready. As people unload from the van, Sakurako sees the rusty wire fence and abandoned cargos quiver before her. The road they're in is empty, even the bridge at a distance ahead of the van is empty. To their left is the rusty wire gate for trucks to get in. Of course, the presence of the smooth, clean padlock seems recent, which signals that their target is here.
They walk over to the gate quickly as the van immediately left the scene. Sakurako didn't think much and just straight up shoot the padlock. Unlocked, they push the gate open and breach the perimeter. They quickly move and begin advancing from cover to cover, from cargo trailers to a stack of mossy plastic crates and stacks of wooden pallets. What makes it better is that no lights are on in that particular area.
They advance for the next 20 meters until they cover behind what Sakurako thinks a pile of garbage. A thug is standing by the door, under the light nonetheless. He doesn't seem armed, yet his pistol can be seen sprouting out the back of his jeans. Just walking calmly in circles, smoking a cigarette like a lazy bum.
"Guard spotted," Sakurako pointed out.
"Any sentries?" Shiba asked on the radio.
"Just one," George radioed from her far left flank.
"Alright, Saa-chan," Shiba said with her MP5K forward. "You'll shoot 'em, we'll clean 'em."
"Understood," Sakurako replied, then aimed for the guard. "Taking the shot."
*BER-BER* *DEG*
The guard instantly hits the ground.
"Sentry's down."
"Moving."
The group runs over towards the door, at which Shiba gives a directive. "Maru, block the door from outside. George, hide his body away."
"Yes, ma'am," George responded before quickly dragging the corpse away.
As Maru tries to find something to block the door, Shiba turns her head at Sakurako. "Sakurako, ladder."
A little bit away beside the door is the black metal ladder to climb to the outdoor platform. Sakurako runs over to it and leaves her AK hanging on her front carrier.
"I'll climb first," Sakurako stated before touching the ladder. "Watch our backs."
"Got it," Shiba responded with a nod.
She doesn't really want to argue about the weight she's holding, but it still surprises her that she could climb with such weight. However, she manages to hold the urge to complain about the weight and reaches the platform. She trains her weapon forward and crouches down, watching over the windows on her left.
"Platform clear," Sakurako radioed. "Waiting for you."
"Okay, I'm going up," Maru radioed back.
Sakurako waits for a moment until she could feel Maru has reached the platform. Maru steps ahead of her but also looking over to the windows.
"Shiba to Sakurako, We're going in through the windows first, over," Sakurako radioed.
"Go ahead," Shiba radioed back. "We'll catch up."
"Roger," Sakurako then looked at Maru. "Can you open it?"
"Let me see," Maru walked over to one of the large windows and quickly found an opening. "This one."
Maru carefully lifts the window open outwards as Sakurako peeks through it. No hostiles for now.
"I'll go first," Maru suggested, which Sakurako nodded.
The skinny thug vaults the window and quickly checks left and right. The blonde follows suit and watches the left flank. Maru eventually hugs the wall when he watches their right flank. For now, the halls are clear—the teenager radios in.
"Halls clear."
"Copy, entering from your six," George radioed back.
George enters the window first, followed up by Shiba. Sakurako could see that Shiba is already standing beside her and looks at where Sakurako is covering. Sakurako looks behind to ensure George and Maru are covering their six.
"Let's split up," Shiba suggested. "Me and Sakurako'll take the left flank. You guys go the other way."
"Yes, boss," Maru replied, a bit ragged. "Let's go, Ranger."
"Right behind ya'."
As the two men take the right flank, Sakurako stands up. Shiba and Sakurako both peek around the corner of the hallway before moving in fast-steps. There are two separate rooms up ahead. They immediately slow down and hug the wall to the left next to the door. With weapons lifted a bit, Sakurako holds onto the doorknob. A sigh lets out from her mouth.
*CLICK*
She rushes into the room with Shiba.
*BER-BER-BER*
One killed on the sofa, Sakurako's heart ached again.
"Clear." - Sakurako
"To the next room." - Shiba
They exit the room and then stack up to the room on the right. Now it's Shiba's turn to open the door. She reaches her hand for the doorknob and-
*KLIK-KLIK*
By sudden surprise, they both instead shoot through the door once each.
*BER-PREW*
*BLUG*
Shiba and Sakurako quickly enter through the door and scour the small room. Apparently, there's the thug they shot through the door. He's already dead, and he's holding a small carbine AK in his hand. Blood colored the walls behind him. Seeing that the room is clear, they wordlessly left the room and continued down the halls.
No hostiles encountered so far as Shiba leads the way for her. They checked each opened door for any contact before reaching an intersection, leading forward and one to the right. Ensured that the right hallway is clear, Shiba moves to the right with Sakurako in tow. Like before, they check each opened door along the way to see if there are no hostiles inside. Sakurako could see the fence at the end of the corridor and… a door to the left?
"George, it's Shiba," Shiba radioed. "Looks like we're approaching the platform at the center of the factory. What's your status?"
"We're still clearing out the hallways," George radioed back. "We put three of them down. You?"
"We got two," Shiba responded as they nearly reached the platform. "Reaching the platform now."
Shiba hugs to the left as Sakurako hugs the opposite. Sakurako peeks out and sees that the platform on her right and the far side are clear for now. Now they turn their heads to the door on their left. Before they even stack up onto it, Sakurako suddenly noticed the sign above the door.
"George, Maru, we're going to clear out the control room, over," Sakurako radioed in.
"Understood, over," George responded.
"Stacking up," Shiba said as they stood next to the door.
Sakurako then grabs the flashbang provided but decides to ask first. "Wait, flashbangs are loud, right?"
"Ah, yes," Shiba whispered with a nod.
"Alright," Sakurako then put her flashbang back and trained her weapon downrange. "Ready."
"Stand by…" Shiba quickly opened the door. "Go."
They barge through the door and begin to shoot everyone inside the room.
*BER-BER-BER-BER*
*PREW-PREW-PREW-PREW-PREW*
Three thugs inside quickly dropped down to their ground; sadly, the poor bastards were about to stand up from their seats. And, of course, Sakurako had to pity one of them because that guy sitting at the desk was drinking his coffee. It's now wasted and spilled all over the ground. Despite that, she looks up from the coffee spill and sees Shiba is at the desk. It seems she's looking over to the surveillance cameras.
She stands next to her and notices some of the surveillance are active. How baffling to see that there were surveillance cameras active in the hallway they entered through. Sakurako might want to insult them but then realized she's also a lazy bum herself. The lazy bum was her only kill. She can't explain why, but she's confident that the dead coffee-man was her only kill in the room. Shiba got the rest.
She never said a word about them and continues to look over the other cameras. She could see George and Maru inside a hallway, looks like at the other side of this platform. And other active cameras on the floor below, mainly in the area where clothing machines are. The violet woman presses some buttons on the control board to control the cameras.
At least, there are more than a dozen thugs armed with pistols and SMGs. But, there is one particular camera perspective overlooking the corner of the ground floor. That corner is void of machines but filled with several guards and some boxes. That sight alone is enough to make her look through the windows of the control room ahead of her. Shiba even notices what she's looking at.
Down there on the ground floor, she could see a clear open area at the far end of the left corner. A dozen or more men are guarding around that area. Some workers, civilians, it seems, are working at some machines to create drugs. However, the target they're looking for has not appeared yet. Shiba looks back to the control board and configures the cameras to find the target downstairs.
Sakurako reaches her radio. "George, Maru, where are you?"
"We're nearly at the platform," George responded. "Give us a moment."
"Roger, we'll keep an eye from here," Sakurako replied as she shut the door and blocked it with a chair nearby. "Do you see him, Shiba-chan?"
"Not yet," Shiba still focused on pressing the random buttons. "Some of the cameras aren't active. I better hope that asshole is coming here."
"Let's hope so," Sakurako then looked through the windows again and noticed people on the far side of the platform. "George, Maru, I see you."
She watches as George and Maru crouch down behind some debris at the fence. "Sakurako, is that you in the control room?" Maru asked.
"Yes," Sakurako responded with a nod. "Do you see our enemy below?"
"I see 'em," Maru whispered back in the radio. "Chucklenuts, is he not here yet?"
"Looks like it," Sakurako radioed back before looking over to Shiba. "Matsubara-sensei is still checking over the cameras."
"Oh, enough with the sensei thing, will you?" Shiba sighed with mild annoyance.
"Maybe after you decide to stop teaching me to shoot," Sakurako replied, intended to be a joke despite her indifferent demeanor.
"Hey, we're not inside a school that teaches shooting people," Shiba replied with a smirk.
Sakurako tilts her head to the statement. "But that doesn't stop us from shooting up a school."
Shiba pauses on her work and looks at her for a moment. Seemingly deadpans at her remarks.
"Huh…" Shiba slowly turns her head back at the surveillance. "I… guess that's true."
Sakurako turns her head at the woman. "Are you worried about something?"
"No, no, nothing," Shiba shook her head. "I'm just kinda surprised that you would answer something like that."
"I felt it's an appropriate answer," Sakurako replied as she stared out the window.
"Well, that would invite the police attention, Sakurako," Shiba replied.
"So it's not okay to say that to you?" Sakurako asked her bluntly.
"No, no, I'm just sayin'," Shiba replied with a shook. "It's just-"
Shiba suddenly pauses, making Sakurako turn her head at the woman. "Something happened?"
Shiba then reaches her radio. "Guys heads up. The target is coming in."
"Where?" Maru radioed in as Sakurako looked through the window.
Shiba takes a moment to examine the camera's perspective before looking through the window. "Down to your left, over."
She could see both George and Maru are peeking their little heads out from their cover. Now, the blonde slowly diverts her eyes down to her right, with Shiba leaning forward beside her. Five people enter their view, making their way from the east towards the open area. It seems Shiba doesn't have to pull out her binoculars for now. Why bother when she or the men on the other side could see who it is.
"Boss, it's him," Maru radioed in. "That's the bastard on the front."
"Hmm?" Sakurako looked over to the man in the front, similar to the target she's looking for. "That's him?"
"Yeah, that's him," Shiba grinned her teeth to the sight of their target. "Finally, I got the chance to put a bullet on him."
"Wasn't I supposed to kill him?" Sakurako asked him.
"Well, yes," Shiba offered after a sigh. "I said I want to put a bullet in him. Not kill him."
"Oh, fair enough."
They watch their Spanish target finally reaching the opening. From its looks, the target is moving around the workers and stresses them to work faster. She even sees him had to smack the back of one of the workers' heads for being sloppy in his job. The target then yells to his men aloud to collect up the drugs. Alas, how happy he is to run up his distribution.
"Vamos señoras. Mueve los traseros. ¡Tenemos mucho dinero para ganar!"
Sakurako did hear that from the control board's audio but also gave out a blank stare.
"What did he just say?"
"No damn idea," Shiba then looked at her. "I'm not Spanish."
"Well then," Sakurako then set her AK to semi-auto. "Let's get to work."
"Hey, ladies," Maru radioed in a whisper. "What's our plan?"
Sakurako radios back. "Maru, George, do you get a good advantage on that side?"
"Yes, Ms. Oomuro," George radioed back. "But even with the high ground, we'll have trouble with his goons."
"Then we'll keep them busy as we try to kill our target," Sakurako then looked at Shiba. "Shiba, Maru, we need you both on the ground. Attack them from two sides. George and I will cover you from here."
"What?" Shiba and Maru asked simultaneously, continued by the woman. "Why?"
"First, we need you to distract them from us," Sakurako replied. "Second, didn't you both say you have personal problems with him?"
Shiba stares and nods at her before looking through the window. "Maru, remember Cambodia?"
"Hell yeah, why even askin'?" Maru asked back on the radio. "Let's blast some fools. I'll whistle at them."
"Good," Shiba then looked back to Sakurako. "We'll go down. Cover our butts."
"Got it," Sakurako replied before aiming through the windows.
Shiba leaves the control room through the door on the left as Maru makes his way off the platform by disappearing into the halls he came from. George and Sakurako, from their covers, aim their weapons downrange at the targets. Her eyes still locked on the Spanish target, watching him moving from his goons to the drug workers many times like an impatient dog. For less than a minute, she waits until she could see Maru is coming from her left, where the Spanish target came from. Instead of moving from cover to cover, he casually shows himself walking towards the enemy with such a stupid smirk on his face.
"Hey, assholes!" Sakurako could hear him taunt on the radio.
All the goons, including the Spanish target, stare back at him with a less bewildered look. The enemy thugs aim their pistols and small SMGs at the arrogant-joyful Maru. So far, Sakurako is still surprised that the thugs haven't decided to shoot Maru yet. However, the Spanish target recognizes him well from how he smirked at him. As if he thinks that Maru is idiotic.
"Ah, mierda de pollo! It's you again," the Spanish target taunted aloud as she could see him stood in between his men; she could hear him through Maru's radio. "How the hell did ya' get here?"
"Oh, I was looking for you, bonehead," Maru's voice heard through the radio as Sakurako noticed Shiba sneaking upon them from the south. "It didn't take me much time. You're so easy to track."
The Spanish target laughs at him. "So the next thing you do is to come to look for me on your own. What for?"
"We have a score to settle, asshole," Maru taunted back. "You shot my back twice, dick!"
"And what, you came here on your own just to kill me?" the Spanish then ecstatically laughed. "What an idiota! Whatcha gonna do right now, huh? Mis amigos already pointing guns at you. How about you drop your gun, and we'll talk, eh?"
"Oh, really?" Maru stalled him long enough for Shiba to take a position. "Ain't happening."
"Sakurako, I'm ready," Shiba radioed in. "Waiting for your go."
Sakurako keeps her ears close to the radio. "By the way, I never said I was alone."
"Shiba," the blonde teenager gave out the order. "Now."
*PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW*
And then Sakurako and George got their turn to shoot them from above.
*BER-BER-BER-BER-BER*
*PER-PER-PER-PER-PER*
A whole of his men, including the Spanish target himself, are startled by the ambush. Maru had just in time to jump to his side to get into cover. Sakurako could see her target so selfish that he used one of the men as a human shield. Not only she could feel her heart ached thrice, the color of her vision somehow changed slightly with light orange opacity. She didn't realize it at the time but still focused on taking out the bad guys.
George gives suppressive fire from his side of the platform, still baffling to know it took them a while to know George is up there. Some of the men still out of cover are trying to shoot George through the platform's grating. George didn't have a choice but to pull back to the hallway and take cover there. Shiba and Maru managed to dispatch some of them with little difficulty. Sakurako also manages to neutralize two of the Spanish's men from pinning Shiba down. The unarmed workers escape the area to the south, and the east for their lives with their heads ducked.
She could barely see the Spanish target is crouching behind a crate. For now, they are busy with the remaining five thugs still standing to shoot them back. Maru and Shiba are doing an excellent job at precision shooting on the ground. Three of the hostiles hiding behind the boxes and a small machine were killed in crossfire between Maru and Shiba. Sakurako had to reload her AK-103 when George pinned the Spanish and the remaining thugs in their cover. Shiba and Maru barely got the targets covering behind other boxes and a cubicle wall.
Sakurako cocks her gun and suppresses fire again, which Maru and Shiba advance onto them from cover to cover.
"Maru, Shiba," Sakurako called. "Got a sight on him?"
"I can barely see him," Shiba radioed back before firing her MP5K.
"The Spaniard is hiding behind that wall!" Maru then proceeded to blind fire from the desk with his burst-firing VP70. "Show your face, asshole!"
"Puta mierda!" Sakurako barely heard his voice, drowned in suppressed and loud shots. "Let's get out of here!"
Despite the heavy firepower they sent, Sakurako could see them running away in the other direction. "They're getting away!"
"Oh, don't you DARE!" Maru shot out his gun through his sight, finally shot one of the thugs on the back thrice, killing him as he slipped to the ground.
The target and his last goon made their beeline towards the doorway on the north. Needless to say, they manage to escape their line of sight as they fired back. Sakurako can't let them get away just yet, including her target.
"George," Sakurako quickly radioed. "They got away. Can you cut them off?"
"Yes, ma'am," George quickly disappeared into the hallway he's covering in. "I'll try to cut them off from the second floor."
"Sakurako!" Shiba radioed in, as the blonde could see both the woman and Maru are running towards the north doorway. "We'll chase him down. I need you to try to get outside the building to the east and make your way from there. Try to stop him dead in his tracks."
"I'm on my way."
*BRAK-BRAK*
Sakurako quickly pulls out her P99 with her one right hand and straight shots to the door on her right. She dozes off for the moment from panic until the sound of a thud snaps her out. She can tell whoever behind the door is already dead and does not need to tell again why. She holsters her pistol and runs over towards the door and opens it, revealing another dead thug with a machine pistol in his hand. However, before she leaves the room, she turned at the control board.
*BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER*
The Control board is totaled. Whoever's coming to the place won't be able to see surveillance for sure. She tries her best to ignore the dead thug and runs straight towards the platform to the east.
Thankfully for her, there's a doorway to her right. She runs through the hallway, determined to reach the end of the hallway to the outside. She didn't have a bloody time or comfort to check each room she passed. She can't lose this target, especially since this target is also personal to her employer.
Aware that she's not out of the woods yet, she kept running as her rifle keep pointing forward for any surprise pop-out from the intersections. No hostiles on sight and she finally meets a dead-end of this hallway, feeling that she must've run through a soccer field with all that weight and concern. What stands before her are the large windows like the one she previously met. She quickly bashes onto the window with the barrel of the AK with no time to lose. She clears off the remaining glass shrapnel before looking below the window. Another concrete ground still on the same floor as hers.
She climbs over the broken window and follows the concrete path provided to the north, following the sound of gunfire in the distance. The concrete path meets an end, and she has to jump down to the open courtyard. Of course, she didn't expect that the drop would be a little bit high. But she's fortunate that her legs aren't sprained yet. That was a hard landing.
"Sakurako, where are you?" George heard on the radio.
"I'm heading to you from the east courtyard," Sakurako responded. "What's your situation?"
"I got nine-plus tangos pinning me down, over," George responded.
"Understood, I'll try to flank them from behind to unpin you," Sakurako responded quickly. "Just hang on."
Sakurako proceeds on her advance before stopping to cover behind a shaded cargo trailer. The girl then proceeds to check her current magazine. Currently, her mag is half-full, and she has at least five intact magazines left. She re-attaches her current mag and notices some of the hostile thugs heading off to the north side of the factory ahead. Once they're out of sight, she sighed to relaxes her mental stress before moving forward from cover.
"Sakurako, Shiba here. We're out of the factory and are facing the same problem as George. We got the Spaniard pinned, but we're having trouble from his henchmen, over."
She didn't answer her radio, not that she ignores it. Her head never stops looking at her surroundings as she runs. It didn't take her long to reach the north side, and she quickly hides behind a heavy blue plastic crate. She peeks out to see that at least fifteen men include the Spanish himself in the courtyard. Shiba and Maru are getting pinned down from the target and his henchmen far ahead from her flank.
She aims her AK forward at the nearby thugs still shooting at George.
*BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER BER-BER*
Five thugs are dead from unsuspected ambush from their six, and they didn't even bat an eye on what's going to happen to them.
"Enemies flanked," Sakurako radioed as she advanced from cover. "I'm coming from the right flank. Don't shoot me."
"Glad to see you, kid!" Maru cheered on the radio, witnessing him firing back at the remaining goons. "Sort 'em out, will you?"
*BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER-BER BER-BER*
Sakurako is shooting in a mix of precision, and suppressive fire as her allies help her with superior firepower before reloading her other mag. *THWANG* The soldiered teenager ducks down behind the small concrete wall for a moment. Some bullets are hitting her cover for a while before she shoots back. Two men were suppressing Sakurako but then quickly neutralized George, who has his Scorpion Evo 3 SMG set to automatic. Shiba was seen blind-firing her MP5K at the thugs and, by chance, killed two of the bastards foolishly standing in the open. Maru stands up from cover, and one-handedly shoots his trusty machine pistol, eventually killing a thug behind a stack of wooden pallets with a surprising headshot.
They're down to five hostiles, including the target. Apparently, her target is heading for the sedan car at the corner of the courtyard. He's not going to getaway. Sakurako vaults over her cover and runs to her right, advancing quickly along the wall fence. She stops short when reaching the edge of another abandoned cargo. She peeks out for a quick second to notice where the car is.
"Uekh!"
"Aagh!"
Sakurako aims out and shoots one of the henchmen from the back. Both the Spanish and his last henchmen were about to beeline for the car, but Sakurako quickly shot them and stopped them in their tracks. She quickly takes cover when the last henchman shoots back with his Uzi. Sakurako shoots back again that she emptied her magazine at the henchman hiding behind the car's trunk. The last thug is dead, thanks to the 7.62 bullets that went through the trunk.
*DOR-DOR*
Sakurako was suddenly got shot twice by the target, one to the chest and the stomach. The force was enough to push Sakurako backward to the ground. Her feeling was numb at the moment. But alas, she gradually feels the awful pain on where she was shot. The good thing was that the armor protected her. The bad news is that it'll leave her a mark probably.
"Grhh!" Sakurako groaned, slowly trying to stand up and fight back the pain. "I'm hit!"
"Wha- you dickhead!" Shiba retorted in the radio, clearly aimed at the Spanish they're shooting right now.
"You puta think you can take on me?!" the Spanish's words were barely heard while Sakurako caught some breaths in the slips of her pain. "I hope your Madre is pissing on your grave!"
"Shut up, bastard!" Maru taunted back through the radio.
By this time, Sakurako could stand up despite the groaning pain she had. Sakurako hugs her back against her cover before peeking out again. The target is still busy shooting back at Shiba and Maru in such a random suppressive fire. But the armed-blonde saw her chance. When the Spanish are about to run for the driver's seat, she aims her gun by the shoulder without aiming down the sight and shoots through the car's window.
*BER-BER-BER-BER*
"Uaakh!"
He got shot once each to his stomach and chest before falling off to his back. Appropriate to say that the irony bites him back. She knows he's not dead yet. But with the gunfire ceased, Shiba, Maru, and Sakurako then come closer over the car's left side. Sakurako was the first to approach the wounded and groaning Spanish with her weapon ready. The Spanish turn his head in time to see her and about to shoot her.
*PEW*
But his hand got shot just in time, thanks to Maru's sharp eyes. As a result, his pistol flew off his bloodied hand. Sakurako sees Shiba and Maru have already reached her position with their barrels on the Spanish.
"Gotcha now, dick," Maru said in his ragged-relief tone.
"Also," Shiba then aims her MP5K to his leg.
*PREW*
"Aakh!" Shiba looked so relieved to hear him screaming.
"That's for shooting her," the woman then aimed her gun away from this poor Spaniard.
"You puta!" the Spanish taunted at her aloud. "I will pour gasoline all over you and burn you!"
"Ha-ha-ha, very. Funny," Shiba sarcastically replied. "Oh, no, you're the one to start the problem with me."
"You bastard really love stealing and destroying our shit," Maru retorted at him. "And I'm looking forward to making sure that's not gonna happened again."
"Yeah, whatchu gonna do about it? Killing me?" the Spanish arrogantly asked in his slips of the agonizing wound. "Do you pendejos even know who I am?"
"Yeah, yeah, you were a part of cartel before ripping them off their backs," Shiba carelessly responded as she looked away. "But your number one problem, my amigo, is that you made a lot enemy than you should."
"Now, the good thing is," Maru quickly added before the Spanish could say anything. "We're not here to kill you."
The wounded Spanish cringes at them as he suppresses his painful groans. "Q-que?! Then why are you even bother coming for me?!"
"Well…" Shiba then looked up to Sakurako. "You are her target."
The Spanish widen his eyes before quickly turning his head at the blonde girl. "Q-que- you puta-!"
*BER-BER*
Two bullets finally entered his chest, and she could tell he's dead. Unsurprisingly, Sakurako immediately looked away from the freshly dead body. It's not something that Shiba, the weapon dealer, haven't seen before. But it's odd for her to know that Sakurako avoided shooting him in the head. Of course, what matters most is that Sakurako had finished her job.
"Huh, I was expecting you to shoot him in the head," Maru commented with a raised eyebrow.
Sakurako shakes her head to his comment. "Excruciating."
An interesting choice of word in Shiba's opinion. "You okay?"
Sakurako didn't reply but nodded.
They suddenly hear footsteps from behind the woman and the bold-frenzied man and aim their guns in that direction. Though, they immediately lower their weapons to know it was George running over to them. Most of all, he is unscathed from any bullets, save for the dust on his black uniform. He stops two steps away from the group.
"Oh, Sakurako got him?" George asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah," Maru acknowledged with a nod. "Let's get the hell outta here."
"Okay," George then tilted his head towards the west wall. "Let's get moving then."
"Where are we heading?" Sakurako asked, wasn't briefed with the evac plan.
"To the river," George replied. "We have a boat waiting for us to evac."
"Alright, let's move,'" Maru commented before he and Shiba ran over to the west. "Come on, kid. Let's get out of here."
Sakurako looks at the dead target for a few seconds before running off to follow her allies. Her friends are waiting at the wall. Apparently, there are stacks of old crates and wooden pallets there. Shiba and Sakurako were the first to climb those stacks before getting over the wall, at which they enter the green area of trees and grasses. And they proceed to scan the area as George and Maru are getting over the wall. Once they know it's clean, and everyone is off the factory area, they move toward the river.
"We're out of the factory," Shiba said to the radio. "Are you already in the river?"
"Yes, boss," the same van driver radioed back. "Coming over to you by speedboat."
"Huh," Sakurako paused for a moment. "I never ride a speedboat before."
"Looks like you're going to ride one, Ms. Oomuro," George stated with a happy remark.
They stopped when they reached the edge of the river, and from their right, they see the boat. It's a fast, long speedboat with a canopy enough to hide the passengers and drivers. That boat slows down and approaches the group at the edge. With the calm waters down the river, the boat doesn't shake too much. When it stops in front of them, the driver comes out.
He then gestures his hand inward. "Jump."
Sakurako was the first to go. She carefully climbs over the fence and faces the boat before jumping down with a doubtful will. The driver helped her landing by catching her when her feet landed on the floor. Undoubtedly, the landing was hard, and again, she's thankful that her legs aren't sprained yet.
Then Shiba jumps down, followed by George and Maru. It looks like they have already accustomed to the height of the jump. Now that they all are on board, they enter into the canopy and earn their rest as the driver returns to his duty. The boat begins to move and makes its way to traverse down the river. The passengers inside rest their weapons on their side. Sakurako, who's still cautious of her own weapon, unload the magazine, open the bolt to grab the leftover bullet, and set it to safety.
Maru chuckles at the girl's behavior. "Are you being paranoid?"
Sakurako then stares at him with confusion. "What's paranoid?"
The passengers inside face-palmed at the question. On the other hand, the driver barely turns his head with deadpanned eyes. Of course, some part of her is still a dimwit.
"On second thought, forget I said that," Maru waved at the girl. "At least, I'm happy I managed to put a bullet on him."
"Yeah, me too," Shiba then looked over to the blonde in concern. "Where did you get shot?"
Sakurako didn't say much, but she points at her chest and her stomach. The violet woman takes a closer look to see the damage. But she then lets out a sigh once she assessed the damage.
"Armor just saved you," Shiba then patted her shoulder. "That was a close call."
Sakurako just nods in agreement.
"Now that's done," Shiba then rested both hands on her knees. "I'm going to make a call."
"Wait, can I ask something?"
Everyone except the driver then turns their heads at her. "What is it?" Shiba asked.
Sakurako doubts if the weapon dealer allows it but asks nevertheless. "Can I have alcohol before I return home?"
Maru chuckles at the question, whereas George and Shiba frown a bit at the query.
Shiba then sighs. "Didn't I tell you that ya' shouldn't drink alcohol? It looks Maru got that stuff into your head again."
"That's not the reason why I asked about it," Sakurako then bowed her head and looked away. "It's just… I can barely sleep at home since what happened at the store…"
George frowns his eyebrows at the statement. "Are you having insomnia? As in, you can't sleep?"
Sakurako nods, albeit barely noticeable. "I barely get any sleep when I sleep alone in my room. I could sleep with my sister, but it would be bad if it's too often."
Shiba stares at her for a moment. While she dislikes the idea of giving her alcohol, her problem with insomnia is also troubling either.
"You know what? Tell me about it."
The trip was long but eventually quickened with the help of conversation along their journey.
Oomuro household. 18:40 PM.
Once again, Nadeshiko waits at the front door. She had just finished helping her mother to cook for dinner. Occasionally checking on her phone to observe the current time she has left. Of course, it's not like she hasn't come home that late once. It seems pretty standard for Sakurako to come back home before seven o'clock.
Seeing that as a common thing doesn't mean it's a good thing, especially for Nadeshiko. But her usual assumption would be that she's taking long trips to avoid her sisters waiting for her in purpose. She might indeed take long trips around the town on her own, but that doesn't mean it's right on the latter, given how forthcoming she was with her family. Any attempt to come up with another such questionable suspicion only leads to a dead-end, knowing how Sakurakos behave as of now.
*TOK-TOK-TOK*
Nadeshiko looks off her phone after hearing that and watches Sakurako enters the front door.
"Tadaima," Sakurako boringly looked up to her waiting sister. "Oh, Onee-chan."
"Glad to see you made it back," Nadeshiko then lowered her phone to the side. "The usual route?"
"Pretty much," Sakurako replied with a nod. "Also, buy a lottery on the way."
"Huh, trying to win money again?" Nadeshiko asked with a raised brow. "Which lottery is that?"
"A fixed number one," Sakurako replied, then showed it to the sister. "Do you want it?"
"Erm, no, that's yours," Nadeshiko then leered at the black plastic bag on Sakurako's right hand. "What's that?"
"A bottled drink," Sakurako replied with a shrug. "It's mine."
Nadeshiko crosses her arms. "Well, if you say so. Do you want to take a bath first?"
"No," Sakurako replied with a shook. "I'll put my stuff down first before dinner."
"Huh, alright," Nadeshiko lifted her head a little. "We'll wait."
Nadeshiko then leaves the front door and heads straight for the kitchen. From there, she sees Hanako and their mother sitting at the table, haven't touched a single food present on the table. Nadeshiko sits down next to the mother with a relieved sigh. What she achieved was their stares of wonder.
"Sakurako came back in time?" the mother asked.
"As usual," Nadeshiko replied with a nod. "She also bought another lottery."
"Yah… that's not what I expect to hear," their mother replied. "But I'm pretty happy that Sakurako is so lucky to achieve her own money."
"Okay-chan, does lottery actually make people rich?" Hanako curiously asked with her innocent eyes.
"Yes, but that kind of chance is almost impossible to come by," the mother replied, resting her chin on a hand. "The chance for getting a lot of money, like more than five million yen, is one in a million."
"Hmm, you know," Nadeshiko paused with a bowed head. "I was surprised that the first thing that came to her mind after winning is to pay for the damages she caused."
"I know," the mother replied with a shrug. "Do you think she would take her money back if we told her we don't need it?"
"I doubt she wants it back," Nadeshiko replied with a shook. "But being too generous for once? I was honestly surprised."
"Sometimes I wonder what makes her think like that," Hanako commented with a tone of concern.
"Do you think there's something else bothering her?" Nadeshiko asked with a raised brow.
"I think so…" Hanako paused for a moment. "But I don't want to guess what it is."
They then hear the footsteps and turn at the doorway. Sakurako already reached the kitchen and sat down next to Hanako. Before eating, Sakurako looks over to her family. Then, she clasps her hands together, and the sisters and the mother do the same.
"Itadakimasu!"
The family then begins to eat their dinner. A conversation was created along the middle of the dinner. While Sakurako doesn't seem to want to talk much, their conversation is pretty lively. Once again, Sakurako genuinely smiles as they talk.
22:00 PM.
Darkness has shrouded her sole room, leaving only a slight opened curtain to let rays of moonlight shine the room. A blonde girl is sitting at her desk. An open bottle rests before her. Occasionally looking over to the open bottle, none other than the alcohol smuggled through a simple illusion. A bought bottled drink is hidden in a black plastic bag.
She brings the open bottle up to her mouth and about to drink it. But for no reason, she stops the bottle just too close to her mouth. The smell of the alcohol fumes seeps into her nose, and it was so seductive. Alas, she didn't budge. Sakurako just realized that she's already feeling sleepy and saw that the alcohol is not needed anymore.
She shuts the bottle and hides it somewhere inconspicuous. She decides to hide it under her bed, right below where her head rests. Satisfied with that, she went over to her bed and lay down. She then closes her eyes and drifts herself to her Neverland of dreams. Another peaceful night to slumber.
