Editing Cute Kunoichis:Volume2 Chapter3 (section)

===7: To Battle===

The gas turbine power plant was located on the east side of the city.

New Sapporo Domain was landlocked and thus could not acquire large quantities of coolant water from the ocean, so thermal power generation was a crucial part of its infrastructure. That said, the old-fashioned coal method pumped out toxic smoke, which was incompatible with preserving a livable environment in the big city. That naturally limited them to using the same city gas as ordinary homes.

That may have been enough to support the people’s lives, but it was insufficient to power the many defense weapons deployed to every corner of the vast northern land. In fact, they could not have the power generation facility openly visible by satellite. If the Cyrillic Empire launched a missile strike on or sabotaged it, all the military systems would go down.

The dull gray building stood out from the surrounding city even with a thin layer of artificial snow.

“It’s generally exactly as Murakami said.”

The sun was setting.

Asagao was using a tablet to view the footage sent by an aerial drone resembling a giant top supported by coaxial rotors.

“The many pipes even cover up the roads running through there. That probably helps prevent satellites from seeing the steam from the pressure release valves and the smoke from the smokestacks, but I can’t get the drone any closer due to all the EM scattered by the turbines. The control interference would be too great if I had it descend any more and who knows when communications will be lost too.”

“Oh? So they don’t stop the power plant even during emergencies?”

“C’mon, Bara. Don’t you know it takes days to inspect and restart the turbines once they stop? Besides, Princess Karin is trying to protect the people. Even if her methods are a little insane.”

Asagao was right. The large reactors found in power plants and ironworks were more efficient when kept running at all times instead of switching them on and off for every little thing.

Princess Karin controlled the local government, so she had use of the official surveillance network, from the security cameras to the satellites, and she could even send in a large military force. Sugiyado’s team was fighting an away game, so they needed a reliable withdrawal point more than a giant weapon. In that sense, the gas turbine power plant was like a jungle of steel and concrete. They could use their ninja techniques to their hearts’ content there.

Hoozuki checked the same screen.

“But, Sensei, she’ll know how to use the place like that too, won’t she? We should assume the security is a lot stricter from normal. They’ll have filled in all the holes and used every advantage it gives them.”

“I know that.”

He had designated the location and Princess Karin had designated the time. She would have chosen a time that gave her enough time to make the preparations she needed. No one would insist on a condition that hurt their position.

And with that in mind…

(That honestly doesn’t matter.)

Sugiyado Souha did not lament his disadvantages.

If you could not ally yourself with your disadvantages, you could never overturn the board from behind the scenes.

(Ninjas are meant to perform the sabotage that a largescale army can’t do. Being at a disadvantage makes it easier to follow our training. Princess Karin, the more you fortify your position with military might, the more thick fat you surround yourself with and the harder you will find it to move.)

When an enemy had 100 large weapons, the more flammable objects you had to trigger explosions with and the more chances to trick the enemy into hitting each other.

When an enemy had 1000 guards, the more opportunities you had to defeat one, steal their uniform, and sneak in and the easier it was to pick up on dissatisfaction within the ranks to start some infighting or find an information leak.

These would be Princess Karin’s chosen troops, but she would not have gathered them all personally. Receiving the same training and education did not mean they all shared the same values and sense of the threat. Gather enough people and holes and misunderstandings were unavoidable. Not even the production lines for cutting-edge weapons had entirely perfected the advance detection of faulty parts.

A ninja knew how to view things in that light. They were like a contrarian that could back up their arguments with real action.

“We don’t actually know where Amamo or Princess Karin are, though. Or Ouka for that matter.”

They had an hour until the promised time of 7.

“It’s time.” Sugiyado teased the scarf over his mouth. “Asagao, switch the drone to programmed flight. We need to leave.”

“Hey, Sensei. I know arriving early to lie in wait is the standard play, but we know the Stonewalls will be there before us. If we arrive too soon, won’t it lead to a skirmish before the hostage exchange?”

Hoozuki was being more timid than usual, but that may have been due to losing Ouka before her eyes. Even Sugiyado had a hard time caring for his wounded heart and fully conquering the fear in such a short time.

And his answer was simple.

“7 was the given time, but we don’t actually have to wait until then. They’ll see it the same way, so I bet this will begin sooner.”

Sugiyado had three cards in his deck: Yukizasa, Oume, and – as a dark horse – Murakami Michihiko. As fighters, he had Bara and Hoozuki. Asagao was his information support. He did not count Ekaterina or the others from the Cyrillic Empire.

Once they had everything they needed, they took different trucks to reach the gas turbine power plant from three different directions.

Hoozuki took Yukizasa.

Bara took Ouma.

And Sugiyado Souha took Murakami Michihiko.

The young man spoke with a bitter look on his face.

He mostly seemed to be speaking to himself.

“The princess must be putting the happiness of New Sapporo Domain and the entire Hokkaido Area first and foremost. I’m certain of it. It’s just that she chose too extreme a method.”

“…”

His loyalty was impressive after having his grandfather killed and being framed for the crime.

Not to mention that he was not a part of the Stonewalls themselves.

“But you can still fight back without hesitation?”

“I am a ninja. I was trained to do so and I trained all my men to do so.”

He must have been taught how to suppress his emotions so he could control himself and survive even when under too much confusion to properly process what was happening. But that was no guarantee the process was working perfectly.

Sugiyado did not teach that method.

He taught his students how to use their emotions to fuel their progress, but he would not teach them how to stifle what they felt. That would be antithetical to teaching them how to live their lives.

“What happened between you and the old man?”

“Nothing,” spat out Michihiko while looking aside. He apparently felt some guilt. “A family member turned out to be a criminal. Enough of one to be sent to max-security Abashiri. Is it that odd that we became estranged after that? And remember that I’m a Shogunate ninja. I can never be open about it, but I am a civil servant.”

“Are you sure that’s all?”

If so, why had he been unable to throw out the ninja tool the old man made?

Sugiyado hid that question in his tone.

Michihiko sighed.

“He took the blame for a government official’s crime to protect the Shogunate. No matter how much I wanted to tell the truth, I would only have been ensuring he did it all for nothing. How am I supposed to stay in touch with someone during all that? I couldn’t manage it. My personal sense of justice was shaken by it.”

That did sound like that old man.

Sugiyado thought on it while holding the steering wheel. That explained why the old man had felt so different from the other prisoners. He had gotten by so easily within the complex power balance of the special prison, so it had seemed unlikely he would have been unable to avoid trouble in the outside world and committed a crime without covering his tracks properly.

“I’m not even going to try to change how you feel about Princess Karin.”

“Wha-?”

“I said I’m not even going to try, so I don’t need any arguments from you. I have no guarantee I could do anything about it on such short notice even if I wanted to.” Sugiyado sounded exasperated. “But you were so intent on stopping her plan that you turned a blade on her in the castle. She isn’t someone we can outdo while negotiating through the proper channels. Ouka is a complete stranger to you, but you will never have a better shot at defeating Princess Karin and the Stonewalls. Screw this up and there is no stopping New Sapporo Domain and the Hokkaido Area. Keep that in mind.”

“…”

For Murakami Michihiko, he was avenging his grandfather’s death.

He would be aware of that and also aware the he still could not bring himself to abandon Princess Karin.

He was in a bind, but the clock was still ticking.

“If this fails, this will no longer be a job for ninjas. The Shogunate might send in an army. Or the Empire might. Princess Karin would be shot to death beyond your reach or she would kill herself inside her blazing castle. If you want to avoid that, then do what you deem best now.”

They did not even consider entering through the main gate.

Sugiyado parked in an empty lot a short distance away.

“Follow the plan.”

“You too. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Ninjas always have their secrets.”

“…”

“So I will tell you what I can assure you is true: I respect your grandfather and I will do whatever it takes to rescue Ouka. We’re on equal footing here. You use me toward your ends and I’ll do the same with you. Now, let’s go.”

Alone, Sugiyado hopped atop the wall surrounding the empty lot dusted with artificial snow and then jumped to the roof of a nearby building. He noted a quiet beeping and held a hand to his ear while continuing his three-dimensional movement.

“I have a reading from the sensor. Murakami Michihiko has begun to move. Let him move freely from now on.”

“Got it, Sensei. We have Yukizasa and Oume on standby.”

“Murakami was present when you interrogated those two, so keep in mind that his name will spread quickly, Sensei.”

Hoozuki was right. But Murakami Michihiko was not meant as an unseen assassin. Hints of his presence were meant to rattle Princess Karin, so perfectly hiding him would be counterproductive.

People had a tendency to see ghosts in the dark because they feared incomplete information more than anything. That was when their imagination kicked in.

“Release Oume.”

Now.

The other side would have everything set up for the confrontation here, but what would they least expect when hoping to retrieve hostages?

To find one of the supposed hostages wandering around before the negotiations began. That alone could would fill them with tension and cause their preparations to crumble.

They could no longer just ready their shields and tense their bodies. Accepting in their ally would require opening a gap in their shields.

(If we’re lucky, Oume will mention Murakami Michihiko. Just as the Stonewalls think they can escape the tension by focusing on Oume, the ground will open up below their feet. Just like someone who makes one final burst of speed to finish a marathon, only to learn they’re at the halfway point.)

“Hold onto Yukizasa,” he said while jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

“Hey, Sensei. Shouldn’t we have waited until we had confirmed Ouka’s presence here? If they don’t respond, we’ll have wasted one of our cards.”

“I know you’re worried, Hoozuki, but stay focused. It would take us all night to track down where in that labyrinthine power plant Ouka and Princess Karin are. Remember that we still have Yukizasa if this doesn’t work out.”

Needless to say, Princess Karin’s side had to be much more careful since they only had Ouka. If things did not go according to plan, they would either fortify their defenses or withdraw. Either option would stand out. Sugiyado’s side still had to be on the lookout for a bluff, but if they had a way to pinpoint locate Ouka or Princess Karin, it was worth using.

“Transmissions intercepted,” reported Asagao. “It’ll take me a while longer to break the encryption, but I can see where the most traffic is. There is a lot going from Area D2 to E5. That’s where Oume is wandering around blindfolded and handcuffed.”

“So they’re freaking out.”

The other side had to be simulating a number of scenarios. If they went to save her, would they get sniped? If they focused their forces there, would they be leaving another area too thinly guarded? What they did know was that Sugiyado’s side was not going to negotiate in the normal way and that they could not carelessly execute Ouka in retaliation since he still had Yukizasa. He had sent Oume back alive to spread hope through the other side. By not sending back a corpse, he proved that that they could get their people back alive if they played their cards right. That would make them want Yukizasa back as well. They could no longer dryly tell themselves those two were a lost cause.

As a result, they would want to keep Ouka alive no matter what.

“The Stonewalls have contacted and collected Oume. What now?”

“Leave them be. Don’t snipe anyone who approaches. They’ll panic even more because they won’t know if this was done as a sign of good will or as part of a dangerous scheme. The danger here isn’t whether or not their guess is right. If they can find an explanation they accept, they can recover from their confusion.”

“Sensei, vehicles are gathering in A2, diagonally across the grounds from E5,” reported Asagao. “That’s near the rear entrance. Now that they have Oume, their formation is collapsing. They probably want to retrieve Ouka before they take any major damage and then try this all again. They hope repeating the process will get them Yukizasa back as well.”

They were quick to react.

At this rate, they would be gone before Oume could say Murakami Michihiko was their enemy.

Now was the time to act.

This was just like the theater of a scam artist.

To keep the negotiations running smoothly, he could not let the Stonewalls regain their cool.

“Understood, Asagao. I’ll deal with it.”

“Princess Karin isn’t the only one there. Just like we have Murakami as a trump card, they have the still-unseen Amamo. Not to mention all their ordinary forces. Be careful, Sensei!”

“Didn’t I teach you times like this are the best opportunities, Asagao?”

He jumped between rooftops and ran down a catwalk-like pathway suspended in the air. He made sure to avoid casting a shadow on the ground below to avoid the troops patrolling there.

Another figure jumped over him on the next level up.

(Is that Murakami Michihiko?)

Sugiyado thought about the young man while their shadows intersected. Murakami was cooperating because he had his own plans, but they had yet to see what those plans were. Why was he still willing to support Princess Karin after she killed his blood relative? There was a missing piece to this puzzle.

(I hope that doesn’t come back to bite us, but I need to focus on Ouka right now.)

He wanted to ignite the city gas and blow every one of them to smithereens for capturing his adorable student, but that was not the ninja way. Combat and killing should be avoided when at all possible.

He traveled along various pipes and pathways to reach the area he wanted.

Area A2 was the safe exit the other side had created.

(This is my chance.)

The enemy had a large force, so if they wanted to leave while protecting their precious hostage, they would have to use several heavy bulletproof cars. And to leave the grounds, they would have to pass through a gate that acted as a bottleneck.

At present, they had 5 bulletproof cars lined up one behind the other with a two-wheeled Swift Foot at the very front and back. Even a tank or attack helicopter would get its ass kicked in a head-on shootout.

But that did not matter here.

Sugiyado silently pulled a Fierce Fang from the back of his short-sleeved dress shirt.

A moment later, he launched it down like a bolt of lightning at the two-wheeled armored vehicle in the lead as it passed through the gate. The mass of composite armor was a cross between giant armor and a large motorcycle – creating something like a slimmed-down steamroller – but it was no more than scrap metal when enough nitrogen gas to pry open a crushed car door stripped the processing unit from its back.

The defeat came so suddenly that the vehicles behind it crashed into it and each other from behind. The gate kept them from driving around, so shifting to reverse was their only option. However…

(One more.)

The mount in the rear was aiming its enormous castle-busting bow around and scanning for the enemy, but it too ceased moving after a dull rumble of destruction.

Now the armored vehicles were blocked in the front and back.

“Sh!!”

Sugiyado Souha pulled out another air pressure kunai, jumped down from a height of about three stories, and made a swift attack.

He flipped down toward the vehicles.

He felt light as a feather for the few seconds before landing and he used that time to throw several air pressure kunais toward the trapped bulletproof cars.

It was like piercing a piece of cloth with a sewing machine’s needle.

The blades stabbed into the thick hoods and the power of the nitrogen gas forced those wounds wider, sending sinister sparks flying from the engine compartments. However, the engines were not his aim – he was trying to cut the power cables from the batteries. The doors and windows were thick and bulletproof, so motors were used to help with their great weight when opening or closing them. He did not even need to defeat the lower-ranked ninjas. By cutting the power, he could trap them inside those bug cages.

After lightly landing in the snow, Hoozuki and Bara’s voices finally reached him.

“Sensei, we can’t provide covering fire if you do that!!”

“You’re being too reckless. I get wanting to rescue Ouka as soon as possible, but still.”

“What are you talking about?” he replied.

The ninja did not bat an eye after destroying seven 2-wheel armored vehicles and bulletproof cars in quick succession. He seemed to be saying he would take out twice that many if need be.

He turned back the way he had come and peeked in the windows of the vehicles as he passed by. The passengers belatedly aimed their blades and guns his way, but they could not attack him through the thick bulletproof glass even from the inside. He calmly walked by those people who could only sit idly by and watch and he found what he wanted in the third from the front.

Kuhou Ouka.

The twintails girl sat in the back seat in between two people dressed all in black. Her head was drooping weakly and her eyes seemed to radiate exhaustion, but she had no obvious exterior injuries.

Their side had just the one hostage.

Without a spare, they could not afford to let her die. Even Princess Karin must have felt a need to treat her with care.

But what did that matter?

Sugiyado had to consciously regulate his breathing to suppress the anger flaring up within him.

The Stonewall troops seated on the other side of the thick bulletproof glass looked tense but also somewhat relaxed. The bulletproof door could not be opened from either side, so if they waited around, the heavy firepower of the samurai mounts or a kunoichi like Amamo or Princess Karin would arrive. Their boss could not abandon them when they were looking after the precious hostage. Sugiyado gave them an exasperated look as he pulled a hair spray can and a lighter from his pocket.

He ignited the spray for a simple flamethrower that he first used to roast the glass from the outside. Then he opened a hole in the bottom of the can with the tip of a kunai, releasing the gas that had been stored inside as a compressed liquid at less than -30 degrees. That produced a disconcerting cracking sound.

Bulletproof glass was made to stop a bullet, but it was still glass. It could not survive rapid temperature changes. Even the clear film between the layers had been melted by the heat.

“Eek!”

A 10cm diameter hole was enough.

The Stonewall on the right was too shocked to move and the one on the left could not decide whether to aim their gun at Sugiyado or Ouka. Both were soon knocked out by the air pressure kunai that flew in from outside to hit them on the head or chest.

The nitrogen gas was not needed here.

[[Image:Kunoichis_v02_BW05.jpg|thumb]]

Although he would have “pried open” their flesh and blood had they actually aimed a gun at Ouka.

“Ouka.”

He called into the car while sticking his hand in through the broken glass to unlock the door. He could not open the heavy door with his arm strength alone, so he stuck an air pressure kunai in the crack and forced it open.

“Well done enduring long enough to give us this chance, Ouka. It’ll all be okay now.”

“…”

She did not respond.

When he saw how she only sluggishly turned her head, he wrapped his arms around her. They must have done something to her while she was captured. Sealing off her emotions and locking down her mind may have been the only way to protect her psyche when she had no way to escape.

He had taught her how to do that.

The only other solution was suicide. He wanted to praise her for not going with that option.

“Let’s get out of here.” He held her head to his chest. “We’ll get you somewhere safe. We can think about crushing the Stonewalls after that.”

Sensing a stirring in the driver’s seat, he threw a kunai without even thinking. He did not even look in that direction.

He thought through his options while collecting the kunais lying within the car.

The troops trapped inside their own bulletproof cars could not move, but they would be communicating via radio. Reinforcements would be arriving soon. The 2-wheeled samurai mounts, the ordinary infantry, Amamo, and Princess Karin were all present at the gas turbine power plant, so he could not just hang around forever.

At 5kg, his back felt funny. At 10kg, it exploded with pain.

He cursed himself for being too useless to even carry his own student to safety and he spoke into the mic hidden within his scarf.

“I’ve retrieved Ouka. Hoozuki, you help me carry her out of here. Bara, you look out for enemies and provide covering fire from a distance. I repeat, I have retrieved her. You can reduce Yukizasa’s priority level. Leave her in the vehicle tied up and gagged. Just silence anyone who gets in the way of Hoozuki and Ouka’s escape. But don’t pursue them too far. Only hold them back while keeping yourself safe. I don’t want them taking another hostage.”

“Got it, Sensei.”

“Someone is already headed your way! There are too many flammable objects to get a clear line of fire!!”

He heard a loud metallic clang from overhead. Ninjas usually moved silently, so this was an intentional declaration of war.

“…”

Ouka could walk on her own with some guidance, so he wrapped an arm around her and left the bulletproof car. Propping her up was light enough. He was not actually carrying her, so his spine’s restrictions did not matter.

The noise had come from around two stories up, atop the complex arrangement of pipes.

The bright colors of a heavy junihitoe danced in the buffeting wind atop a horizontal steel cylinder thicker than a child was tall.

“Princess Karin.”

“You’re a surprisingly earnest person. But you were a little early, insolent fool.”

He detected a sweet aroma through his scarf.

Kunoichis often used poisons and using your nose was not always safe, but he saw through it right away. This was not a poison. It was the oil used in beauty care.

Silently, he let his anger build in his brow.

Princess Karin held a one-handed hammer made entirely out of metal. The blunt weapon allowed even a slender woman to smash through a helmet or bulletproof jacket, so it was more convenient even than a more threatening-looking blade. Plus, this was a ninja weapon with a hollow grip that could be used as a gun.

(Where’s Murakami Michihiko?)

The boy was not foolish enough to look around for him. The young man would likely rattle Princess Karin more than anything, but there was no sign of him rushing out right away.

Princess Karin spun the sinister and heavy ninja weapon like a baton.

“Now, how to interpret this situation? We have already retrieved Oume. I thought for sure she would be wrapped in bombs or something, but no.”

“I’m not going to say I’m done with you. I will crush you – thoroughly – even if you are doing all this for a good cause. I’m through fighting to repay a debt of gratitude. Do not underestimate the power of vengeance, little girl.”

“Oh, how scary.” She hid her mouth behind her sleeve and laughed in a way as elegant as it was sinister. “But we need Yukizasa back too, so I must insist that the negotiations continue.”

“Ouka was your only card. What else can you offer?”

“I have not miscounted. I just need her to work a little longer for me. Do it, Ouka.”

She gave an arrogant command.

The twintails girl was closer to him than anyone as he held his arm around her slender waist.

And a moment later, a dull thud rang out as the Fierce Fang in Sugiyado Souha’s hand slammed mercilessly into the center of his student’s chest.

The trap had failed.

He had defused it in an instant.

Even Princess Karin was taken aback by the speed with which he acted. Not the physical speed, the speed of his decision.

“Oh? That seemed to catch you by surprise, yet you still made up your mind so quickly?”

All emotion had vanished from the instructor’s face.

He would act when it was necessary.

Even if that meant attacking one of his precious students.

Because he knew holding back would only put both their lives at greater risk.

He had attacked over the skintight, bulletproof, and blade-resistant ninja outfit. That had stopped the tip of the blade, but the impact had still reached her, instantly knocking her unconscious. He could not support her limp weight, so he let go of her hips and let her collapse to the thin layer of artificial snow.

A trap.

A surprise attack.

His guard was too strict for that to work. He had taken the optimal action like a machine.

“Now you’ve done it.”

Yet he shed tears of blood.

Literally. Keeping the emotion from his face worked his facial muscles so hard that the corners of his eyes tore, sending red drops down his cheeks.

The ordinary ninja rules had collapsed.

He did not reject the emotions themselves.

Killer intent erupted from his entire body like a great invisible mass.

“''You made me turn a blade on one of my students again, little girl.''”

No longer would he limit himself to the optimal level of violence.

Or maybe he never had.

“Hoozuki.”

The silver ponytail girl slid up on Countless Calamities, a motorcycle kept silent by the overuse of soundproofing materials.

He did not even look her way.

“Take care of Ouka. Check her inside and out for transmitters and bugs, tie her up and gag her, and then carry her back to Asagao. …Asagao, you heard that, right? Sleep deprivation and exhaustion wouldn’t work in such a short time. Stimulation of light or sound must have been used to rapidly wear her down and steal away her free will. Prepare to break the hypnotism, restore her nutrient levels, and recover her autonomic nerves. Break all of her bonds.”

“What about you, Sensei?” asked his silver-haired student while gently lifting up Ouka.

He had let his emotions show, which was not at all like a ninja or an instructor.

Yes.

He had pulled a Fierce Fang from his shirt while he glared up at Princess Karin.

“I will destroy everything she’s built up: her castle, her fortune, her dream – ''everything''.”

He had allowed all of this to happen, so he had to end it himself.