Ngh, Just Kill Me (5.2K) (Continued)

How filthy I am!

But... that's fine.

That's sufficient.

"Thank you, Mr. Mahiro. Even though we are enemies, you still indulge my little whims without hesitation. Thank you so much... for treating me so gently."

In the open space in the center of the factory, Tina finally stopped, turned around gracefully, her skirt fluttering like a dancing butterfly, and put her hands behind her back, trying her best to show a perfect smile.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming sadness in her heart and the tragedy she was about to face made her smile less than beautiful.

"Are you ready?"

"Um."

Tina nodded slightly, understanding that their relationship had come to an end.

The girl took several deep breaths, inhaling the cold night air into her lungs, as if she wanted to expel all her emotions, suppressing those cherished feelings and memories deep within her heart.

Then, she slowly exhaled, and Tina opened her tightly closed eyes again. All emotion in her eyes had been erased, replaced by coldness and determination.

She was ready for battle.

"I am Tina Spoon, the Owl-type Initiator ranked ninety-eighth in the IP rankings, codenamed 'Black Wind,' and also a mechanical soldier from the <NEXT> series. Although I'm not particularly skilled at it, this time I will settle things with you through positional warfare..."

A rather imposing declaration of war.

Immediately afterwards, she gently lifted her skirt, and three small mechanical spheres, each the size of a fist, fell from beneath it.

But the sphere did not land; instead, it floated slowly against gravity, tracing a geometric flight path around Tina.

That's the Seinfeld, a small, thought-driven reconnaissance machine operated by a chip implanted in its brain.

It looks a lot like that little girl named Hummingbird, but its functions are completely different.

"Well then, let me introduce myself as well."

Mahiro's expression calmed down, and he introduced himself in the same way as Tina.

"I am the Promoter ranked 134th by IP, codenamed 'Zodiac Killer,' a body-adjusting mage from the Fourth Laboratory — Yotsuba Mahiro."

"Let's put an end to this, Tina."

"..."

A cool night breeze gently blew between the two of them.

Tina gazed at him, her eyes deep and unsettling.

From the conversation just now, Tina gleaned a lot of information that her master hadn't mentioned.

For example, the Fourth Laboratory, and the Body Adjustment Mage.

This seems different from the concept of mechanical soldiers, and I've never heard of this research institute before...

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Tina dismissed the irrelevant information from her mind, her pupils suddenly glowing with an even brighter red light, and she abruptly flipped backward!

This action was like a signal flare for war, suddenly flashing a momentary light from all four sides of the dark building.

The atmosphere vibrated slightly, and his eyes clearly caught the projectile tearing through the air.

Not just from one direction, but from all directions, thirty-six flashing points completely blocked all his movement points.

And the bullets kept coming in one after another.

The rotary machine gun mounted at the window, constantly spraying out bright yellow metal shell casings, and the rapidly spinning barrel—it was clearly a Vulcan M61 aircraft cannon!

So this is what they call positional warfare?

In less than 0.01 seconds of thought, a bright Psion Light enveloped him.

The bullets that whistled through the air were all completely Decomposition within a meter of him, appearing on the surface like ripples spreading from countless pebbles thrown into a lake.

Strangely, none of the bullets landed on his hands or feet; none of them had a fatal point.

Or perhaps they land around him, forming a cage-like confinement.

Do you still want to capture them alive under these circumstances?

Still...

Mahiro suppressed the useless thoughts in his head, then took out his CAD and aimed at the flashing dots, pulling the trigger.

"Frozen Fire"

Click! Click!

It was as if the gun barrel had jammed; one second it was spinning, and the next it was forcibly stopped.

The electrically powered machine guns all became inoperable in an instant.

When I turned around, Tina had already disappeared.

Is there a second round?

I caught two flashes out of the corner of my eye, appearing between the gaps in the surrounding buildings, 1.5 kilometers away—still an incredibly long-range sniping opportunity.

With Mahiro swing, "Night Demon's" dagger easily sliced through the two depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds that attacked from a tricky corner.

However, the sniping point in the distance was not Tina's actual location; it was merely a remote control module.

Mahiro discovered this after Decomposition the sniper rifles.

At the same time, he heard a buzzing sound coming from his left and right sides; it was that little thing called Seinfeld again.

Since these things have already appeared, that means--

Despair--

A faint thud sounded behind me.

Immediately afterwards.

Swish!

Tina emerged from the night like a phantom, her crimson eyes dispelling the darkness, and charged forward.

Tina swiftly and agilely pulled a thin piano string, like a cat's cradle, from between her black gloves, its surface gleaming with moonlight, and appeared behind Mahiro.

"We succeeded."

"No, I didn't."

The two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Just as the piano wire was about to ensnare Mahiro, he suddenly turned and retreated, dodging the wire's restraints while simultaneously lunging forward and reaching out to Tina.

His fingertips cut through the tangled piano strings, and he grabbed Tina by the neck.

He slammed the ball towards the ground!

Boom!

Debris flew everywhere, instantly filling the air with dust. The powerful impact generated a shockwave that blew away the accumulated sand and dust on the ground, and the circular shockwave swept in all directions.

Tina's seemingly frail body was slammed hard into the ground.

The heavy blow to her back forced the air out of the girl's lungs, and the intense impact temporarily plunged her vision into darkness.

Although he used a lot of power, it was nothing compared to the powerful regenerative abilities of the Cursed Children.

However, this also temporarily rendered Tina unable to move.

"Cough... cough cough... As expected of the person I like, Mr. Mahiro... you're really amazing."

Whether it was a siege-style positional battle or close-quarters combat, she had already lost miserably.

Master, Tina failed...

She is not, and cannot possibly be, a match for Yotsuba Mahiro.

But that's enough.

Her pale white arms were open and hung naturally at her sides, like Jesus nailed to the cross, having given up the struggle and awaiting his fateful judgment.

However, Mahiro had already let go of her and squatted down beside her, gently touching her cheek with his fingers.

"Hey~ Miss Tina ~ Your panties are showing~ and they're black, how daring of you."

"..."

Although her face flushed red with embarrassment upon hearing his words, she showed no intention of moving.

With her eyes still closed, she whispered:

"Mr. Mahiro, I have already lost... so please kill me now."

She said those words again, just like she did last night.

"Do you really want to die?"

"... I'm just a prop, a prop that failed in its mission and has no value in living."

"So, that's why you haven't shown any killing intent since the beginning? And why every bullet from the machine gun emplacement missed my vital points?"

She nodded, unable to deny it.

The reason she delayed until today to settle the score was not because she wanted to defeat Yotsuba Mahiro; in fact, she had already been sentenced to death since last night.

It was simply because she wanted to live one more day, and wanted to create many happy memories with Yotsuba Mahiro.

As it turned out, she did it.

My first time eating takoyaki;

This was the first time I didn't need medication to stay awake during the day;

It was the first time I played like a child in the park.

It was the first time I had someone I liked, the first time I experienced the feelings of a girl in love, and the first time I shared a kiss.

This is also the first time I've truly lived as a person...

Having experienced so many firsts, she felt her life was complete.

However, in the very end, she had one last little act of selfishness: she wanted Yotsuba Mahiro to end her own life and take her body to the Seitenshi to claim her reward.

This was the last thing she could do, and the only thing she could do for her older brother Mahiro.

So--

"So, Mr. Mahiro, please... kill me."

She opened her eyes, her crimson pupils meeting Mahiro's Kurome.

Seeing the unwavering resolve to die within her, Mahiro nodded and slowly pressed the muzzle of the CAD gun against Tina's forehead.

[Tracing the change history of individual intelligence entities, analysis begins--]

Feeling the cold, hard touch on her forehead and seeing Mahiro's unwavering expression, Tina closed her eyes contentedly.

That's good...

Rather than being disposed of by her master, dying at the hands of her older brother was the best possible ending for her...

"Goodbye, big brother Mahiro... Tina loves you the most."

Goodbye, Tina Spoon.

The Psion Light, like a shooting star, streaked across the night sky, dispelling the darkness.

Thud! Thud thud!

The table was slammed down with all one's might, causing the flasks and beakers on it to leap up and make a loud noise.

"Are you kidding me?! What kind of joke is this?!"

Queen Sumire Muroto, in the basement, shouted excitedly and paced anxiously back and forth, dragging her white robe around the basement.

This was the first time Mahiro had ever been so emotional upon Mahiro Sumire Muroto.

Normally, he would deal with anything with a lazy and nonchalant attitude, but now he was furious.

It felt like being betrayed.