A Red Line (before battle)
Alright, then... Care to give us an explanation, Shrenne?
Shrenne blankly looks at Dongrang, her face wooden as if she's forgotten how to make expressions.
Since when did you join their side?
...You really are something. You don't even act surprised.
Hah, employees that can be brought back to life without the ampules, huh... This wasn't in the plans... It's not fair.
When I asked why you volunteered to follow me at the laboratory, you told me this:
"Three of my coworkers died."
Five of us died in that attack. Three is the number of casualties the technology liberation alliance suffered.
Oh, and I checked your network history, too.
You did what... You're allowed to do that?
So they keep telling you, it takes a full day and the night after to name all the benefits of the best employee.
That stupid "best" tripe again...
I saw that you exchanged tons of mail with Ran even after she left. What was it about? You wouldn't reply to a single one I sent asking to go grab coffee together.
I do suppose... you've respected Ran a lot ever since you joined. Even your password was set as "missyouran", how about that?
Wait, is this... all true?
I don't understand. K Corp's research institutes are the best workplace you could ask for as a scientist; it's a stable job, cares about employee well-being, and has the limelight of the academy.
But, why would you turn your back on it and collude with those terrorists...
I saw you as a researcher with a promising future... You had a long way to go compared to Mr. Dongrang, but still...
Yeah, Shrenne. Why don't you say it yourself?
Why did you decide to collude with them?
……
The tears wouldn't stop.
You...
You know what that means, right? I...
…!
We couldn't hear the rest of what Shrenne tried to say.
At first, it looked like a thin red line was drawn on her body...
Then we realized that it wasn't just a line.
Hey... Shrenne...
Cut clean in half, fluid splashed from the severed hemispheres of her brain as if to convey that regeneration ampules won't heal this.
Hah, haha... Shut your mouths and keep still. Don't even breathe.
The people who slew Shrenne along with the wall behind her without letting even their footsteps be heard were...
…!
Fixers inanely treading shadows... I'll give you the honor of being called F.I.T.S. Heh.
Fixers who work like that... would belong to... Shi Association.
An Association of Fixers that exclusively take assassination requests.
They most likely aren't ones we could easily fight and defeat. It depends on how much they were paid and what Section are they from, but in this case...
Seeing that only Ryōshū was able to pick up hints of their presence... They most certainly won't be amateurs from Sections 5 or 6.
……
Ms. Shrenne... Why...
Tsk, gone already.
Ryōshū clicked her tongue and complained about the assassins' retreat, even though I couldn't hear or see them at all.
How ridiculous. Torn by inner conflict.
Senior Researcher Ran was Shrenne's mentor when she first joined the firm. It looks like their bond lasted much longer than I thought.
You see, Dante? We were peers working for the same firm, and there's still collusion and fraternity.
Betrayal, division, connivance. It happens in any group of people... I guess it's an inescapable cycle.
<Not sure there's any point in telling me this...>
Say... How much do you trust your Sinners?
<I'm… sorry, what?>
You know virtually nothing about them, do you? Much like how I couldn't know everything about Shrenne. Am I wrong?
You... don't even know which is the one that has a history with me.