Inside the eerily quiet Cave Restaurant.
Dio suddenly felt something peck his arm. He frowned and turned to look.
A pair of scarlet eyes met his gaze—the eyes of [The One Being Watched].
Red? According to Dro, that meant... hostile eyes on us!
His expression unchanged, Dio turned toward Drobada, who looked equally composed.
Drobada gestured with his eyes toward the curtain dividing the restaurant's two dining halls, then flicked a quick glance outside.
Dio understood immediately: there were enemies in the left dining hall and outside the restaurant.
Drobada angled his foot outward, signaling that he would handle the enemies outside, leaving Dio to deal with those inside.
Then he rose naturally and walked out of the restaurant.
Without betraying anything, Dio looked toward the enormous curtain. Numerous tiny holes dotted its surface, as though insects had happened to chew through it.
Were they watching us through those holes?
I couldn't tell how many people were over there just by looking... no wonder Dro warned me first.
Dio thought this because they had shared information about their Nen Abilities to ensure they could coordinate well enough in their coming partnership.
Of course, neither had revealed everything. Drobada had only explained what the three eye colors of [The One Being Watched] meant.
Red meant a hostile gaze, yellow meant frequent or prolonged observation, and brown meant an ordinary gaze.
Now, though, it seemed Drobada, as the Nen beast's master, could also sense where those gazes came from-which was how he knew there were enemies beyond the curtain.
In exchange, Dio had disclosed his own "Nen Ability"-Ripple Radar. Within a certain range, it could detect the vital signs and movements of every living creature nearby. It was more discreet than En, and even Nen users could barely detect it.
Drobada had praised this reconnaissance-oriented ability.
But it was made up.
It was not a [Nen Ability] at all. Dio merely transmitted Nen-amplified ripples into the ground, using their propagation and reflection through solid matter to gather information about nearby living creatures. It was essentially radar powered by ripples.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Dio? Did you see something?"
This time, Mumuzawa noticed Dio turn his head and asked curiously.
Dio did not say anything about an attack. That would only alert the enemy. Instead, he smiled and said:
"Nothing. I was just looking for the restroom. I need to relieve myself."
As he spoke, Dio had already activated his Hamon, sending vibrating ripples through his feet into the floor, then through the floor into the right dining hall.
In an instant, the layout and movements of everyone in the right dining hall appeared in Dio's mind like a 3D image, leaving nothing hidden!
Six... no, five attackers. There was also a drunk who probably wasn't involved... all armed with guns?
A fight here could easily hurt the Twelfth Prince, but getting her out beforehand might make them attack early.
Then... I'd have to strike first and take them out!
Dio's gaze chilled as he quietly gripped the large-caliber handgun concealed on his person.
At Dio's words, a hint of amusement had just entered Mumuzawa's eyes when she suddenly froze.
She saw Dio's gaze turn icy. Unlike his calm expression that night, it was steeped in killing intent.
Dio slowly stood, silently drawing the 9 mm Beretta at his waist. A beautiful arc of light gleamed across its cold frame.
Mumuzawa's pupils contracted, her mind going blank:
Mr. Dio was going to kill me...
But then a voice burst into her mind-"I'll protect the Twelfth Prince!"
Mumuzawa blinked, her pupils widening again:
No. Were there enemies here?
Dio knew nothing of Mumuzawa's thoughts. He simply concealed the gun against his chest and watched Drobada's [The One Being Watched] in silence.
When its eyes changed to another color, that would mean the enemies had briefly looked away from them.
In that opening, he would fire five bullets-and kill five people.
Not one more, not one less.
Too bad firearms couldn't function during Time Stop. Otherwise, I could just stop time with [The World], fire five shots, and be done...
One second... two seconds...
Holding his breath, Dio focused on the owl before him.
"Oh, shit!"
A startled cry suddenly rang out nearby, shattering the silence.
A drunken figure was about to fall when he grabbed the curtain serving as a partition!
Riiip!
As the curtain tore free, one dark gun barrel after another was exposed to everyone's sight!
Along with them came five faces pale with shock!
Shit!
Dio inwardly cursed. The enemy had been exposed too soon!
Without the slightest hesitation, Dio lunged forward, swept Prince Mumuzawa into his arms, and rolled!
Bang, bang, bang-
A moment later, a hail of bullets riddled the spot Mumuzawa had just occupied.
Dio pivoted nimbly, shielding the prince with one arm while raising his gun with the other and firing!
Every enemy's position was mapped out in his mind.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five bullets wreathed in silver current shot from the muzzle at an unbelievable speed!
But-
Thud × 3!
Three headless bodies collapsed.
Five bullets, yet only three people hit!
Dio had not made a mistake. Two figures already lay where the other two had stood, their fate unknown!
Instead, an unexpected figure stood among the bodies with his fists raised, looking at Dio in surprise.
"With bullets that powerful... you could use [Nen] too?"
The drunk who had been about to fall was now standing perfectly fine in front of Dio's gun, wearing a cheeky grin.
"Hi, I'm San!"
Dio answered him with an icy stare.
This idiot...
The moment Dio saw him, he pieced everything together. Clearly, this idiot, who appeared to be an [Enhancement] user, had noticed the gun barrels behind the curtain.
Probably meaning well, he had pulled down the curtain to expose them, then
taken advantage of their shock to knock them out.
But he had overlooked one thing-although all five were ordinary people, they were clearly well trained!
The instant they were exposed, they had still fired at Mumuzawa on instinct!
This idiot's well-intentioned act had nearly gotten them killed!
The man who called himself [San] seemed to realize that Dio did not need his help. His intervention might even have disrupted Dio's plan-
The fact that Dio had turned and fired at all five positions with pinpoint accuracy showed that he had already been prepared.
That left San feeling a little embarrassed.
But it wasn't like I hadn't helped at all...
Though embarrassed, San still grumbled inwardly.
"If you really wanted to help, why didn't you just use [Ren] to subdue them?"
Dio snapped at him irritably. This idiot had gotten so close, yet all he could do was punch them one at a time.
"Huh?! Mind reading?!"
San was horrified. Did the boy in front of him really have such a terrifying ability?!
"It's not mind reading. You're just too easy to read!"
With that, Dio ignored the embarrassed San, carefully set Prince Mumuzawa down, and asked whether she was hurt.
Mumuzawa simply stared at him blankly, looking as though she had been frightened out of her wits.
Dio frowned and was about to say something when gunshots rang out outside as well, followed by the sound of shattering glass-
Crash!
A barrage of bullets shattered the Cave Restaurant's windows, sending glass fragments showering toward Dio and Mumuzawa.
No. It was too dangerous here. We had to move.
Without even looking at the shards, Dio swept a hand through the air, whipping up a gust that knocked them all away. Then he scooped up the dazed Mumuzawa again and ran toward the restaurant's second floor.
Held in his arms, Mumuzawa watched him casually shield her from the glass, a dreamlike murmur rising in her heart:
Mr. Dio... seemed a little different... from everyone else...
Meanwhile, San was still standing where he had been. The sudden hail of bullets from outside sent him scrambling frantically for cover.
The stray bullets flying everywhere were still a major headache. Getting hit would not kill him, but it would hurt.
I'd get shot if I ran outside too. Better... go down!
San grinned and raised both arms high, his black hair seeming to dance wildly in the air.
A moment later, he straightened his hands into knife edges and drove them into the marble floor!
His hands sliced through the restaurant floor as though it were tofu!
Without stopping, San dug downward like an excavator gone wild.
Before long, San had dug a deep pit. He hopped inside, crouched down, and held a stone over his head, quietly waiting for the gunfire outside to end.
Only one minute had passed since the first gunshot...
Before you continue