Kitty Killer Isn't So Cold

As Nana poured the contents of the Backpack into another messenger bag with a medical-marked Velcro patch, Colt hurriedly stepped forward.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Normally, I'd put aside my urge to help and respect personal choices... but I have to remind you that not every choice will lead to the desired outcome..."

"So... does that mean you agree with what I'm doing?"

Faced with the boy's relentless pestering, Nana made one final adjustment to the strap of her crossbody bag. Then the silver-glinting firearm appeared in her hand—and she swung it through the air.

With a dull bang, the other two children watched in stunned silence as their brother was knocked unconscious and collapsed to the floor.

Kevin looked up in terror and immediately met Nana's hostile gaze.

"Don't tell me you're planning to go looking for death too?"

"This... Brother is just worried about Mom and Sister..."

"But Cole and Kate were led away by Andy too, and neither of them ever came back... How could I possibly let you go under these circumstances?"

"He just... thought that 'Sister Nana' might accept a slightly tougher attitude..."

As he spoke, Kevin turned his gaze away and touched the corner of his mouth. He clearly had some trouble communicating; after all, when the twins were usually together, he had only ever been the one who chimed in.

"I accept rational suggestions for action. Deliberately seeking death... fine... but that has to wait until after I fulfill my contract..."

In other words, if you wanted to die, then go die. Just don't affect my performance.

Saying that, Nana dragged out a suitcase and selected one of a suitable size. After opening it, she pulled out a mask and fastened it over Colt's face... Under the horrified or fascinated stares of the other two children, Nana gently picked up the unconscious boy and placed him inside... Then, with a snap, she shut the lid and locked it.

"...That looks like it was specifically made for transporting people?"

Even as an assassin, Nana felt that Matilda's focus was a little off. But paying attention to an assassin's tools was better than worrying about a mother and sister whom they had no ability to save, perhaps already too late to save... So Nana nodded.

"Yes. This is an armored equipment case specially modified for transporting VIPs. The mask connects to an external filtered compartment, so he won't suffocate in the sealed case. It also gives him a certain degree of protection against tear gas, toxins, and Originium Dust he might encounter..."

"Is Sister Nana going to use this to get us out?"

Nana first nodded at White Cat's question, then corrected herself after realizing something.

"Yes... but I'm not 'Nana'... I'm merely... a 'salesperson' here to carry out a contract."

Watching the young doctor start stuffing biscuits, water, and some convenient sealed bags of unknown purpose into the case, Kevin—who had lost his Thought Chain Ring with his brother and seemed to have lost his ability to think along with it—could only tug at his calm-faced sister.

"Mia, are you sure that's really Sister Nana? Or has Sister Nana already left, and that's actually an assassin disguised as her?"

"...Even if she looks and feels completely different from the Sister Nana we know, her thought-touch hasn't changed... Why do you and Brother Kevin always think Sister Nana can't be trusted?"

Kevin opened his mouth at his sister's unwavering trust in Nana, but he said nothing.

After all, just like his unconscious brother, now that even a laboratory like Loken Watertank could not be trusted, he had no idea what else he could trust.

Surely he couldn't really believe in Sister Nana's "good intentions" like Matilda did... Their mother and Kate, who had the same ability as Nana, had both vanished without a trace... If the ability to see through people's hearts and distinguish good from evil were truly useful, things would not have come to this...

Seeing Matilda still playing innocently with the mechanisms on the Backpack their big sister had taken off, Kevin silently went to the kitchen and bedroom to fetch food, water, and clothes to replace the pajamas they were wearing.

Meanwhile, Nana had settled Colt in place. To prevent the boy from waking up and struggling in the case, she secured him according to kidnapping standards.

Nana had considered that, if Kevin remained awake, she would not need to restrain the boy with straps like this... But given Kevin's communication skills, she was worried that Colt would need fewer than three sentences after waking up to get Kevin on his side.

After checking once more, the children obediently began eating and preparing to leave. Nana took out her phone... After shutting down the fashionable tablet-like phone belonging to "Salesperson Nana," she switched to the chunky communicator she used as a doctor. It had enhanced communications and Originium interference resistance and could be used out in the wilderness. She connected it to an ear-hook headset of the same style.

"Broker, how much longer until the employees helping us move arrive?"

[They probably set out around the time you used the bomb. Judging by the time, they should be almost there. Are you going to give them detailed instructions?]

"Mm... 'Because the earlier explosion damaged the walls, we're planning to renovate the house later, so we called people to move our things out first'..."

[All right... Recording... That's a good reason. I've sent them the explanation... But will the directional bomb you made really damage the walls outside the lethal zone?]

Hearing the broker's reminder, Nana glanced toward the balcony wall... Just as the broker had said, although the home of "Salesperson Nana" upstairs had lost half a wall, the fourth-floor ceiling that served as the "ground" seemed completely unaffected.

That would be exposed at a glance. Nana thought for a moment, then made a finger-gun gesture. Black mist gathered at her fingertips... A flash of dark light followed, and cracks suddenly appeared across the ceiling. The sound of peeling plaster made the children's cat ears stand straight up as they ate.

"Sister Nana?"

"It's fine... Keep eating..."

After doing that, Nana patted Kevin and Matilda on their little heads. Their hair quickly turned as black as the mist from earlier... Kevin was also fitted with the wig Colt had used to hide his cat ears.

[Come to think of it, I've always suspected that your black hair might be the result of your Originium Arts. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that no dye can color it.]

...Using Arts on things other than myself is exhausting, and I don't know whether it might damage the hair over time... Matilda's long white hair is just like her mother's... It's beautiful. I don't want her to become black and dull-looking like me.

The broker clearly understood what Nana meant. The two fell into silent stillness... Before long, there was a knock at the door.

Nana's expression changed immediately. Irritation, anger, exhaustion... emotions she had not displayed at all before suddenly surfaced on the black-haired Feline, making her seem like a troubled housewife.

"Officer?"

"Ah... We meet again, ma'am. Did you call for the moving company outside the street?"

"Yes. You didn't notice during the earlier search, but after you left, I found that a large chunk of the balcony wall had broken off..."

As she spoke, Nana let the soldier enter and inspect the balcony wall. Fine cracks extended from the outside of the building all the way to the ground.

"This place isn't livable anymore. I'm planning to hire a renovation crew to fix it up properly later... The movers are here to help move the furniture first... This is an old building anyway, so I might as well redo the whole place... Hey, since the house was suddenly bombed for no reason, did the government say who would compensate us?"

"Uh... I don't know. Maybe you'll have to ask the landlord whether they bought insurance... But was that crack really that large just now?"

"It wasn't at the time. It seemed to have gradually spread afterward. I only noticed it after you left."

The doctor chatted familiarly with the soldiers about renovations and compensation. Beside the large suitcase on the table, two small black-haired figures kept their heads down and worked their way through a lavish breakfast...

If not for the children deliberately turning their heads to avoid the soldiers' gazes, the scene really would have looked like an ordinary family discussion.

At the "doctor's" forceful insistence, the squad leader who had previously received three large bills finally took out his communicator.

"Um, Captain... We've confirmed it. The movers were indeed called by this family... Huh? Tell them to cancel? But the fourth floor really is... Mm... yes, the damage is serious... Huh? Make them stay where they are? But she's a doctor..."

As he spoke, the squad leader stuck his tongue out at Nana, then deliberately lowered his voice with a helpless look.

"She said earlier that she's a member of Contingency Contract. Those people have their own Landships and their own publicity circles, and when they feel mistreated, every one of them makes a huge fuss... It wouldn't be appropriate to offend them over CASA's mission, right?... Yes, the damage to the house is plainly visible... Mm, mm... As you said, it really isn't suitable to keep a highly educated doctor and her family in a place where they could get hurt... Then I'll let the movers come in."

The soldier made an OK gesture at Nana. Nana responded with a thumbs-up, then placed three more large bills before him... The soldier had received a week's wages for an ordinary worker from Nana today. No matter how serious a person was, the corners of his mouth would probably lift.

Yet seeing the squad leader's delighted look, Nana was nowhere near as happy as her expression suggested.

Normally, expenses incurred during a mission at this level would be considered reasonable... But the problem was that the Bruce family's mission had been commissioned by Nana herself. In other words, every cent spent on it was pure loss... Honestly, Nana was starting to regret meddling.

"All right. The people you called will be allowed through after inspection at the checkpoint... As for you, the officer has approved your application to leave. Of course, everything you move out will still need to be inspected."

"That's only proper... But will you inspect precision Originium equipment too? Some surgical instruments can only be opened in sterile environments."

As she spoke, Nana pointed to the pile of cases she had just dragged out.

Ninety percent of them were genuine medical equipment. After all, Nana's license to operate specialized medical equipment was completely legitimate... It was only that the case containing Colt and several cases holding Nana's valuable equipment had been mixed in with medical-equipment labels attached to them...

"If you only conduct random checks, that's fine... But if you inspect everything, it'll take until very late, won't it?"

"Well..."

Seeing that the soldier hesitated and did not want to refuse outright, Nana could not tell whether the distress, impatience, and faint anger she displayed were an act or genuine feeling. In the end, though, she pressed her lips together, narrowed her eyes, and pulled a thousand-Lungmen Dollar bill from her messenger bag.

"Those things are needed later by the Catastrophes Messenger side... If you open them here, my mission will be delayed... You know the rules of Contingency Contract. Delaying the equipment will have a serious impact on my personal work... Please, help smooth things over for me."

"Mm... I'll do my best... How about having my squad help you move the sensitive items out first?"

"Please."

With that, Nana handed the case containing her valuable firearms and Originium Etch Rounds to the arriving soldiers.

After calling for Matilda and Kevin to get ready to leave, Nana picked up another medical supply case containing Orundum components. The three of them then dragged one large and one small suitcase toward the door.

Nana rarely dealt face-to-face with ICA employees from the moving company summoned by the broker—people who might also accept assassination contracts—but as an international platform that prioritized efficiency and service, they were quick and pleasant to communicate with.

Skipping over the part where they really did help move things, Nana used the moving company to redirect most of the military's attention...

Not only did more than a dozen people need to be searched one by one, but the suitcases covered in labels reading Fragile, Radiation, and Biohazard also became a source of irritation for the National Guard.

"...Medicine, equipment... even Originium products... Ma'am, have you always kept such dangerous items inside your home?"

"Since I have to carry them across the wilderness and might even have to pass through Catastrophe zones to earn a living, caution is the first priority if I want to stay alive out there... We aren't like the military, with Landships available at all times to provide logistical support."

She made it sound perfectly real. Nana smoothly displayed medical supplies suited to her identity, handling the military's inspection while waiting for their patience to run out.

Earlier, Nana had asked the squad leader to send out the weapons case meant as a diversion, with the goal of making the military suspicious of everything...

If their acceptance of bribes had been a trap to test her, then those "illegal firearms"—forbidden from sale by Laterano and generally available only through Sarkaz black markets—would probably be enough to dispel their suspicion that she was involved in the bombing.

It was just illegal weapons possession. Who hadn't broken the law these days?

Besides... what did Columbia citizens violating Laterano law have to do with the Columbia National Guard?

At worst, she would lose those expensive large firearms... Nana had prepared herself for that possibility when she realized the Bruce family's contract would turn every public authority against her.

As the soldiers gradually relaxed their guard around the delicate medical equipment they could not understand, Nana timely suggested, "Why not let the movers load repeated items directly onto the truck?"

Naturally, the impatient soldiers agreed with both hands, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Nana did not even need the large and small cases she and Matilda had been dragging around for the final inspection.

Those two cases had never left their sides during the inspection of the other items, making them seem valuable. In reality, one was filled entirely with private underwear, while the other was packed with unopened adult products... Nothing could wear down an inspector's patience and provide material for a complaint more effectively than that.

The only possible loss would be the social standing of her disguise... But social death was the one thing Nana would never fear... At worst, she could just assume another identity.

However, just as Nana had finished dealing with the military, and the National Guard and police had also been drawn away by the free-spending movers, the case containing one of the twins was about to slip through inspection, and the three were preparing to get in the car and leave... a voice once again made Nana the focus of the checkpoint soldiers.

It was Mrs. Jackson, who had finished her inspection and was now hesitantly watching Nana lead the children away.

"Good morning... Um... Huh? You are?"

The elderly woman's voice made the nearby soldiers raise their eyes and place their hands on their holstered weapons. Several choices flashed through Nana's mind before she finally answered with a troubled smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jackson. That explosion earlier was truly terrifying... Mia, don't hide behind me. Come say hello to Grandma."

At Nana's half-pulling, half-dragging prompt, Matilda reluctantly poked her head out.

The old woman looked deeply puzzled as she stared at the assassin, but once she saw the green-eyed, black-haired Little Cat with tear-filled eyes clinging to the girl's waist and refusing to let go, her face immediately took on a wistful expression of understanding.

"Ah... You're that..."

"I'm the doctor on the fourth floor, the one always leaving on Contingency Contract trips... Yesterday's explosion was awful. The wall by the corner cracked all the way through..."

As she casually chatted, Nana saw that the soldiers around them were still suspicious. She had no choice but to take Matilda's hand in one hand and hook the other around Kevin's arm... It looked like a harmonious family speaking with their apartment manager, but Nana was actually ready to drag the two children away and flee at any moment.

What surprised Nana was that the elderly woman, who had clearly recognized both her and the two children, did not expose the fact that the three of them were actually residents of the fifth floor... Instead, she smiled and went along with Nana's claim that she lived on the fourth floor.

Even afterward, when other residents came out to go to work or when the elderly woman went out for her morning walk, Mrs. Jackson would be the first to greet Nana whenever someone saw her strange outfit and looked confused...

Amid sighs of "the doctor is leaving soon" and "we'll probably have to travel far to the hospital from now on," Nana found herself surrounded by neighbors and forced to continue "visiting," "comforting," and "giving medical advice" as a doctor...

It was completely counterintuitive... Before Nana could lose patience, the military was the first to start dispersing people.

"All right, all right, don't crowd around here! Move along, move along... Um... Mrs. Nana, your inspection is finished too. Please stop blocking the road."

The crowd, whose sincerity was uncertain and who might have simply come to watch the excitement, was driven away... At the very end, after most people had obediently left, Grandma Jackson sympathetically took a paper package from the vegetable basket hooked over her arm and placed it in Matilda's arms. Matilda still seemed confused about what was happening.

"...Here, child... You're going on a long journey soon. Grandma doesn't have much to give you, but at least make sure you eat well on the way... This is from the bakery across the street. That pretty big sister made it, and they say it's her finest work..."

As she spoke, the old woman sniffled... Fortunately, the soldiers around them had already lost their patience, so no one noticed her unusual reaction.

"I wonder whether she can still become... the first-rate baker Old Hawke praised so highly..."

"...She will."

Nana gave the saddened old woman a hug. Her strained smile at that moment was probably not an act.

"That person, wherever she is, will be a first-rate baker... Just like her mother never gave up on her family..."

She shook her head and said no more. Unaccustomed to it, Nana adjusted her headband and raised her cat ears again. After signaling the children to pull their suitcases, she formally said goodbye to Mrs. Jackson.

"Well, it's getting late. We should be leaving too."

"Mm, be careful on the road... And come visit us old folks when you have time, all right?"

The old woman stroked the two Little Cats who still refused to speak... Then she turned away. She had her own life to return to.

But just as Nana was about to get into the car, she discovered that the van which had been loaded with suitcases earlier had vanished... Only two movers who had finished loading remained behind, slacking off.

"...The car we were supposed to get into... where is it?"

When Nana asked, the two moving-company employees responded in equal confusion.

"Huh? Didn't you tell the driver to leave first? He said he was taking the things to... The Hotel..."

Seeing their employer's face turn pitch-black, the movers instantly fell silent.