Editing The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village:Bonus4 (section)

===Part 1===

…''What is going on?

Below the clear winter sky and surrounded by the smell of gasoline and smoke, I desperately used my aching head to think while clinging to the side of a crushed police car.

I was in Ichigaya.

I was familiar with the landmarks, such as the fishing hole in front of the train station and the branch of a certain TV station, but the most important thing there was the Ministry of Defense facility. The large military antenna tower was visible from anywhere in the area.

A small parade had been scheduled for today. Some newly arrived ambassador was obsessed with the military yet dulled by peace, so he apparently liked to visit military facilities in different countries like a history buff visiting historical sites.

There had apparently been a fair bit of argument over whether the JSDF or the police should be in charge of his protection, but everyone had been quite carefree on the scene. Of course, the only people taking part in the parade were members of the bodyguard division and others who had cleared a strict background check. Plus, the parade was following a prearranged course, so they only had to patrol roads that just so happened to all look the same.

The least important group there was the 0-X Office that specialized in Youkai-related cases. That Office was filled with civilian middle school girls like Mystery Freak Hishigami Enbi and Hachikawa Tomoe. They couldn’t exactly drive a car and I couldn’t recruit civilians for this anyway.

And that’s why I, Uchimaku Hayabusa, was the only member of the 0-X Office on the job.

That was all it was.

I should have only been there for two or three hours.

Should have.

It happened suddenly.

Another group of vehicles charged into the intersection that should have been blocked off.

If it had been an armed group, this would have been a major incident.

But it turned out to be even more of a pain in the ass.

“Dammit. Why did a bunch of JSDF trucks painted in jungle colors crash into us!?”

“They’re not trying to get back at us for taking the bodyguard job from them, are they? And what’s that? A girl!?”

As we hid in the same car together, Sotobori Gaku, the heavy tank of the organized crime division, shouted hysterically.

We were surrounded by a mixture of crushed police and JSDF vehicles.

As everyone aimed their guns at each other from extremely close range, a single conspicuous figure stood in the center.

It was not the ambassador.

It was the girl that Sotobori had mentioned.

She looked like a white witch.

The girl was around eighteen. She has long, rough white hair and an ankle-length outfit that looked like a simplified dress. She had leather belts around her wrists and ankles, short chains, and…softball-sized iron balls?

We were all confused, but the girl gently raised both hands like a conductor and spoke loudly between the two groups.

“You seem quite fixated on me, but isn’t this a dangerous situation!? You will trigger an international incident, JSDF!!”

“Silence!”

She was answered by the speaker on the roof of one of the military trucks.

The person speaking was a woman who would have looked more at home in an executive secretary’s luxury suit than in camouflage.

“Did you think we would end our pursuit for safety’s sake if you fled into the parade? Or did you think you would trigger a conflict over jurisdiction with the police? We don’t care about any of that! Not if it means letting you escape here, Hishigami Ama!!”

My heart leapt in my chest.

''Hishi…gami? Hishigami!? She’s a Hishigami Woman just like Mystery Freak Enbi and the even worse Mai!?

The white-haired girl remained carefree.

“A mass shooting by a rogue JSDF unit? I can’t wait to see the papers tomorrow! No, this would probably warrant a special report. Anyway, are you that worried about staying on the Hishigami Men’s good side? I mean, you are the Hishigami Group’s biggest customer and I should probably be rubbing my hands together in anticipation of your future business with us, but it still saddens me that you would ignore the everyday people to do a company’s dirty work!”

“This has nothing to do with Hishigami!”

“That doesn’t matter. And sorry, but I can’t let myself be captured here. Especially by someone involved with the Men. So I think I’ll make a bit of a mess of things here. Specifically…I’ll get some help from a police officer who’ll actually fight for the common man!”

I exchanged a shocked look with Sotobori.

“Hey, this ain’t good. I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s coming this-…gwoh!?”

“Sotobori!?”

''What!? What just happened!?

The white witch should still have been a long way off, but the next thing I knew, white cloth was fluttering before my eyes and that heavy tank with some rank I’d forgotten in judo had been tossed aside and dazed.

And this was when we were holding our guns!

“Don’t…move!!”

“Stop it, stop it, stop it.”

It was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

I was on the receiving and not even I could tell what had happened. She easily took the gun from my hands and put my arm in a joint lock behind me with a single hand. ''She can move like this with those iron balls on her legs!? Dammit!

She pressed up against my back, presumably to use me as a shield.

I felt something soft on my back and her sweet breath reached my ear.

“If all you can do is fire at paper targets underground with earplugs in, then go have some fun in Guam. This doesn’t suit you, detective.”

“Dammit. Are you a Hishigami more like Mai than like Enbi!?”

“Oh, you know our name? And it didn’t fill you with fear. I find that ‘hope’ very interesting.”

The police and the JSDF both focused their guns in this direction.

Hishigami Ama smiled as she used me as a shield and pressed my gun against my back.

“Stop it. You have me completely surrounded, so firing will only lead to friendly fire. You belong to different organizations, but you’re both working toward the peace of this country, right? That sad ending wouldn’t suit you!”

“Gh! It’s your fault it’s turning out that way!”

“Pipe down, detective. Just so you know, this is meant to help all of you.”

“You have until the count of ten,” said the JSDF official.

“They’re ready to do this. And! Do you really think I’d let go of my hostage in such a juicy situation!?”

“He is a public servant. It is his duty to sacrifice himself for social stability.”

''Bff!?

“Do all of you have issues!? You all stand out so much the VIP ambassador is fading into the background!”

“I know what you mean. And I have no time to play along with their bluff.” Hishigami Ama whispered to me. “My true pursuers will be here soon.”

It happened a moment later.

“It” arrived.