Kitty Killer Isn't Exactly Cold

Watching the shattered glass in the combat recorder and using it as a mirror, the Broker looked at Nana, whose left eye was wrapped in cloth and whose body was covered in wounds, with a strange expression:

[This is the first time I've seen you fight this desperately...]

"So... when did you find out about the Bruce family...?"

[Oh-ho... I've been found out?]

"...Thinking back carefully, my home was arranged next to theirs. And when Cole said they knew Loken Watertank wanted their Originium Arts and had repeatedly tried and failed to break free, I should have realized... You deliberately let me discover this and drew me into it."

As she spoke, she adjusted her earpiece. To avoid exposing the matter of Witchcraft, Nana had used discarded mercenary smoke-emitting equipment to stall for time this time... That thing was not very durable. Before long, Nana would have to show herself and deal with the military and the Ministry of Defense.

On the other end of the earpiece, the Broker sat at the end of a conference room table with the speaker on, facing what might have been the most scalp-numbing operative in their organization's history alongside a group of "organization" members.

[Yes. Simply put, the Bruce family's case... Loken Watertank's plot against them began when Kate Bruce was born...]

"But you told me the Bruce family was selected only later, after their medical examination information was exposed... My level of trust in you has dropped, Broker."

[After all, in those years... I had many intelligence sources I couldn't explain to you... And as I said before, in this incident, whether as ICA or as the organization itself, we lacked a reason to issue orders and intervene.]

"...Someone in the local ICA management was bought off, and the organization you belong to has people supporting this experiment..."

[Yes~ Ahahaha, colleague sitting across from me, please don't look at me so frighteningly... If you could signal the Medical Department to open the files and make things convenient for Loken Watertank, then what was wrong with me hinting that my employee should investigate this ugly incident?]

"The problem is, there wasn't enough time... There was still too little I could do."

[...Are you still hung up on this "failure"?]

"Setting aside the fact that Kate and Cole were taken away when I failed to notice them at Zero Three Age VII... The church..."

[The church, huh... Even the opposition never expected that accident... We underestimated Loken Williams's preparations, and we underestimated that priest's determination... That church had existed here for as long as this frontier settlement itself... Many, many people had received help from that priest... My condolences, Seventy-Seven.]

[Also, as an aside... Originally, none of us expected you to actually make a move...]

Hearing the Broker's sighing tone, Nana's ink-black eye narrowed slightly, but she did not refute her. Nana herself understood how slovenly her past plant-like existence had been.

"So... that's why you kept prompting me... to 'become human'..."

[People first. That is the philosophy of our faction... For ICA employees, it is practically an impossible requirement. You know how they are: either they care about nothing but money, or they have ideals but lack sufficient power... So your ability to stand out from ICA this time... we are looking forward to it.]

[And this time, with absolutely no preparation or support, you earned Contingency Contract's favor, made them acknowledge your disguise, and directly broke through the experimental compound Williams had maintained for fifteen years... A record like that is enough for me to convince the others in the faction to protect you... Your actions proved that you could operate independently as a senior member of our organization...]

[Incidents like Loken Watertank require senior agents with independent authority to investigate them. But unfortunately, there are not many people suited for that role. More importantly, among existing agents, there are too few people like you who have no inherent stance and cannot be swayed by capital... Honestly, I had already prepared myself for the entire Bruce family to die without a sound...]

"...According to the experiment records, Mia would survive in the end..."

[Survive as a pitiful weapon that could retain only one day's memories? It seems you still have some problems with your definition of "living," Nana...]

Listening to the rustling discussion through the earpiece and the sounds of reporters arriving outside and filming in every direction, Nana sighed.

"Cole also said that the reason I would be at a loss was, ultimately, because I had never lived as a human..."

[...She told you that before?]

"No. I said it after the experimental compound. I thought she was right... So... although I still don't know what a 'person' should be like, I think I cannot hand Matilda Bruce over to anyone, including you and the organization behind you..."

Feeling that her tone was not firm enough, the young assassin slowly walked out of the dissipating fog while carrying the sleeping Little Cat, then said:

"No. No one will ever find her again."

[Mm... No problem. Everyone in our faction will support your choice. After all, you have already joined us through your actions... But... Mm... Wait, after you entered the test area, Cole... she said that to you? At that point, she had already... received her death notice, right?]

"Mm... But I can see her after she died..."

[...Number Seventy-Seven, how about getting a psychological examination when you have time? Ah, don't change the subject. Don't think you can use the organization one last time and then disappear on us...]

Hearing the Broker's somewhat nervous, even exasperated words, Nana expressionlessly stuck out her tongue at the mirror before her.

Though she had not exactly hidden her desire to grab a bucket and run, occasionally bringing it up to test the Broker might earn her better terms... That was the "workplace experience" Cole had just passed on beside Nana's ear in Andy's place.

But... thinking of Andy's workplace... could his experience really be useful? Kitty Killer could not help pondering that deeply...

Too much! Andy used to be a senior CASA operative too! Though... he does look rather washed-up now...

Since the Broker's conversation was still going on in her ear, single-track-minded Nana had no time to deal with Mrs. Cole, who seemed... perhaps... to be floating beside her. Before long, the Broker's side appeared to reach a conclusion. Nana waved vaguely toward her side. She needed to listen carefully to what was being said in her earpiece now.

[Now, in the presence of all "officials" with authority level seven and above, and with the Broker present, I am honored to extend an invitation to you, "Seventy-Seven," on behalf of the organization...]

As the smoke dispersed, Nana saw armed personnel who felt slightly different from soldiers but had instantly locked onto her alongside the military. At the same time, the Broker gave an impassioned introduction through her earpiece:

[Would you be interested in joining the Columbia Homeland Security Bureau? If you agree... you will no longer negotiate with the military as an individual. This operation can also be submitted to Congress as an action by Homeland Security Bureau agents protecting citizens... Any possible moves by the military afterward will be forced to stop because of the Security Bureau...]

It sounded like a convenient contract that would help deal with the aftermath. But remembering how the Broker had previously been pinned down so completely by the military and opposition that she could only use various hints to get Nana involved, Nana could not help doubting the Homeland Security Bureau's actual ability to act... Therefore:

"...I refuse... Broker, tragedies like Matilda's cannot be prevented by an organization constrained by political forces..."

[Oh-ho, everyone... That's what she says.]

Ignoring the heated discussion on the other end, Nana continued watching the approaching people. Though they were not holding weapons, their shadows stretched toward her in the sunset like demons. Facing these people approaching her with unknown intentions and unknown morality, Nana frowned slightly and took two steps back.

"Besides... even as an 'employee'... with only one eye, it will be difficult for me to use my full strength again... I'm sorry, but I think I may need to retire."

Seeing Nana about to remove her earpiece, the Broker panicked with unusual intensity.

[Wait, Nana, I'm not finished... Even if you really have no trust in the organization, what about me? Can you bear to watch me be tortured by those rookies? I really can't stand their success rate not even reaching twenty percent... And politics are complicated. It isn't something you can simply ignore because you don't want to be constrained by it...]

Through other operatives' combat recorders, the Broker saw Nana pause with her hand over her ear before continuing:

[We are sincere, and even if those opposition bastards sometimes fail to act like human beings for all kinds of reasons, I... The ideals we talked about during the missions we carried out together, the desire to make the world better, were never empty words, right? People all have their own positions. Precisely because of that, we need to unite...]

"Then... how will you guarantee that, if something like Matilda's family happens again, you won't stand by and do nothing?"

[...I will answer that question.]

A heavy male voice joined the discussion. Seemingly after receiving an order, the Security Bureau agents maintaining formation alongside the military exchanged hand signals and began moving faster than the soldiers. They took the lead in blocking them and formed a barrier with their bodies.

[The organization is made up of individuals called "people," and different people have different positions... Sometimes, it is difficult to say whether the actions you choose based on your position are truly good or bad. But your Broker was right... Your black-and-white choices are indeed somewhat biased.]

[The Homeland Security Bureau's scope of operations is not limited to Columbia... We care about the Infected Liberation Movement. We monitor the Demons of the polar regions. In this world, there are not only suffering people like the Bruce family, but also root causes like those that led to Iberia's decline, things that require constant attention... Often, it is like now. You think we are doing nothing, but from our standpoint, I can only say that we have more important matters to attend to...]

[This land is full of suffering. We must face not only Catastrophes that are impossible to resist, but sometimes even the boundary of man-made disaster is difficult to define... Yet you, as an individual, are free. Joining us does not prevent you from thinking. If you believe events should not develop this way, then you can use the organization's resources to expose or obstruct them... Yes, just like this time. Loken Watertank used various political means to restrain others, but you could act first and report afterward...]

[Others do not have such authority mainly because either their strength does not match it, or their minds are not strong enough... That is why senior agents with independent operational authority are so rare, and why your Broker had to beat around the bush to have you act from a third-party position.]

[Did we truly do nothing at all? No... Didn't the Broker send out the trump card in her hand, Killer Seventy-Seven?]

"So... you think I should still join..."

[You have already proven the ideals you pursue, your skill, and your strength... Now, we want to hand what we possess over to you to use... Only then can the slogan, 'If society falls apart, we will step forward,' truly be put into practice...]

Listening to what was likely the Security Bureau's highest-ranking official earnestly persuade her, Nana heard Cole and Kate's voices lingering beside her ear, asking her to agree. After the other party roughly described the benefits for Security Bureau employees, those somewhat noisy voices became even more distracting.

Most importantly, the Broker guaranteed that the organization would support Nana's upcoming assignment, whose main purpose would be allowing her to recuperate...

Nana, who had always used ICA services, knew all too well the difference between being hunted without organizational backing and being sent out on assignment with support... Even if she could ignore the Broker's care and run away, for the child in her arms... it seemed Nana should agree to join them.

Now that Kitty Killer had a family, she could still ignore benefits, ignore ideals, and ignore even an organization that might become her enemy because of her actions, along with every obstacle in her path... Yet in the end, this young assassin surrendered to her desire to take better care of Little Cat...

Yes. For Matilda... and for the potted plant she might never get back if she refused, Nana agreed to join the Security Bureau.

Thus, the ICA control center personnel waiting for orders heard the command through their earpieces and erased "No.77," which had already been written on the wanted target board... Meanwhile, at the Trimon Data Center, where the Columbia Homeland Security Bureau headquarters was located, Number Seventy-Seven's file was swiftly updated.

In the conference room, the Broker clenched her fist and smiled at her sour-faced colleague across from her.

At this moment, she did not even need to say anything to her political enemies. With the Loken Watertank Incident reaching this point, the Broker's faction had achieved a complete victory.

The fact that the person she had chosen had truly gone from a "rookie killer" to a "super killer" was enough to make everyone here with a guilty conscience uneasy.

Now, that terrifying presence, who could appear beside anyone's pillow without warning, had become a "super agent" capable of mobilizing the organization's resources and even investigating everyone present... As her Broker, she had returned with a full haul.

Seeing the communication Nana made after her identity changed, the Broker politely bid farewell to her colleagues and suppressed her gains in her heart... After all, Nana's situation might not yet be one worth celebrating.

"Broker, the Security Bureau agents are under my command... Are you sure I can act however I want?"

[...What do you want to do?]

"...Can I make them disappear directly?"

Looking at the administrative officials who had come to put on a show, the military officers whose eyes were full of scrutiny, the soldiers wearing earpieces and seeming ready to seize her at any moment, and the Armored Huntsmen in ceremonial paint standing in the outer ring merely to go through the motions...

Honestly, it was not that Nana looked down on the Security Bureau's so-called ideals... But reality would always slap you in the face when you were talking big... At a time like this, Nana, who felt as though she had split personalities, had no choice but to focus on what was in front of her.

"How can I leave this place?"

[Mm, I see... Go shake hands with them. The television stations, radio stations, and newspapers are all here... If you stay too guarded and refuse to let outsiders confirm Little Cat's condition at all, public opinion may think we have... excessive and improper demands regarding this survivor.]

At this point, the Broker's expression remained unchanged, but her tone seemed full of laughter.

[After all, the Security Bureau identity prevents them from attacking openly, but what they do in private is another matter... Number Seventy-Seven, I know you are still seriously injured. But the Security Bureau will provide whatever assistance you need. Protect the last survivor in your arms... This is not over yet.]

PS:

This kitty is very pretty, but the only problem is that the full version cannot be posted here, so here is an edited version instead.

PS2: Thus, Killer Seventy-Seven's title officially becomes "Agent Seventy-Seven"... It can also be translated again as "Operative Seventy-Seven"... But it is not a big issue. Everyone can just keep these minor titles in mind.

PS3: Next will be Nana's open and covert struggle with the radicals... Only when she reaches a safe place will the first volume truly end.

Although the first volume was originally only meant to tell Rosemary's origin story... it still needs a proper beginning and end.

PS4: Finally, please vote. I'll die without data... I really will die...

Rosemary's Embrace: 022 Minor Injuries · Treatment IV

In the eyes of ordinary citizens, the Loken Watertank Incident had ended.

Rhodes Island Landship had livestreamed Loken Williams ordering his armed forces to surrender to the military, as well as his own arrest by the police and escort into a prison transport vehicle.

In Nana's eyes, the Loken Watertank Incident had only just begun.

The appraising look in the officer shaking her hand made her uncomfortable, while what disturbed Nana even more was what they said to "Security Bureau Agent Nana" in front of television, radio, and newspaper reporters:

"Are you going to keep holding her... instead of treating your eye and the wounds on your body? Or do you Security Bureau people want to do something else with this 'pitiful' child?"

As for the military representative who left immediately after saying that, Nana maintained a smile on the surface despite being badly wounded and frail. But in her mind, the young assassin was already rehearsing how to hold Little Cat, chamber a pistol one-handed, disengage the safety, and fire seven consecutive shots to make him die by suicide.

Only because the Broker understood Nana rather well did she manage to stop her at the last second before her own trump card transformed into a deranged gunwoman and went to war with the military on her first day in office...

[Nana... I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush... Public attention is indeed on Matilda right now. First, she really needs a medical examination to confirm her condition. People from the Meland Children's Rights Protection Foundation are discussing placement arrangements for the child with us... And as your personal emotional anchor, I guarantee that you will not be separated. I'm already applying for Matilda's adoption procedures for you, so don't panic... Also... do you really not need to clean yourself up?]

"...I can keep fighting..."

[Then before fighting, you should prepare properly, right... Aren't most of your tools already used up?]

Instinctively patting the messenger bag that had become much flatter, Nana found that all her explosives and tactical equipment had been used up. Apart from a few Etch Rounds, she seemed to have only poison left at hand...

She first looked at the somewhat awkward Meland Children's Rights Foundation staff members, who appeared to be waiting for something. Then she looked at the Contingency Contract personnel among the reporters, who had not urged her but had clearly signaled that they had been waiting for quite some time. Nana gestured for them to wait a little longer.

"So I do need to replenish my equipment. Can the Homeland Security Bureau help me order takeout?"

[...You are actually willing to let someone else prepare equipment for you?]

"Because I... don't want to be separated from Mia..."

Even the Broker could not hold herself together after hearing that. She fell silent for several seconds before the pinkish-purple-haired Vulpo with a small build and gray-haired Caprinae doctor in Rhodes Island's blue-black uniforms stepped forward together.

"If you are truly worried about the child, how about undergoing the examination together? We will not let this child leave your sight, and your injuries also need treatment... Besides, having someone familiar with her will help stabilize the child herself."

The latter sentence was an explanation directed at the Contingency Contract personnel in red-and-black uniforms. After exchanging looks with the Meland Children's Rights Protection Foundation staff, they immediately nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. In any case, before a placement plan for this child is made, let's conduct examinations at the city hospital first... That hospital was built with Loken Watertank funding, and its equipment is all among the newest models from recent years... But it is a public hospital. It has nothing to do with Williams."

The Foundation staff's explanation, clearly worried about something, made Nana laugh and cry at once. In the end, the black cat girl could only respond to the awkwardness with a smile.

"I know... It would be impossible to find anywhere in this city completely untouched by Loken Watertank now, right..."

As she spoke, Nana made a gesture for the Security Bureau agents who had previously reported to her to carry out their mission. She had the Broker command them to assist her... Such as fetching her "takeout"...

In the end, Nana still had no experience acting as part of a group. Having too many people around her only got in the way.

"...Then, shall we set off?"

Looking at the perfectly camera-ready smile of Raisington City's administrative personnel, Nana responded with a frail smile of her own. Then she bypassed the armored vehicle guarded by the military at the center and carried Little Cat into the SUV behind it, marked with the words "Rhodes Island."

This scene was also perfectly recorded by the radio reporters.

The administrative personnel and military present did not express any objection. Under orders from the city hall officials, apart from those staying behind to maintain the quarantine and clean up the scene, the convoy started up grandly and headed toward the city.

Only then did Nana, whose nerves had remained tense after getting into the vehicle, finally relax.

Kitty Killer looked apologetically toward the front passenger seat.

"Sorry... Will this cause trouble for you?"

In the front passenger seat was Little Fox, wearing pinkish-purple low twin tails. She was about Nana's height and looked like she had only just graduated. Wearing a medical armband, she smiled warmly: