Black Jaguar

After fighting off the assassins of the Mitsugoshi Company, I lead the life of an ordinary student by day, and I play the role of an agent by night.

I contact Yukime in secret, help her in circulating the fake bills, and take care of those who tried to find its source.

The number of fake bills circulating in the market has also increased. There’s sure to be someone among the Great Trading Alliance’s executives who will start noticing things, or so Yukime has predicted.

However, at present, the only one who has noticed was the Mitsugoshi Company, so there’s not much to do.

The Mitsugoshi Company is wary, but they still haven’t made their move yet.

I’m free.

I want to do cool agent-like work already.

As I was having such thoughts while secretly guarding the counterfeit bill carriage, that day finally arrived.

A silent presence was approaching the carriage that’s running through the night.

—An assassin.

Her movements are surprisingly good.

Her presence is thin. I know only one person that can erase her traces so well.

A familiar black shadow appears from the darkness.

A woman wearing a black bodysuit that cannot conceal her flexible muscles yet possesses a soft body appears.

No doubt about it, that’s——Delta.

I see, as the previous three agents were repelled they sent in their strongest combatant.

However, the opponent this time is too incompatible for her. John Smith’s thread user battle style is one that has the advantage against the muscle-brained type. If it’s Delta, I can just tie her down with hidden strings.

No, her instincts are uselessly sharp, so there’s also the possibility that she will be able to avoid all of them.

Rather, that will undoubtedly be the case.

Huh, don’t tell me that the one who has to fight his most incompatible opponent is me?

Well, whatever. If it comes to that, I will just go into serious mode.

Thinking so, I appeared before Delta.

“My name is John Smith. What lies ahead———”

“—–Boss, what are you doing?”

Delta said that while sniffing her nose and wagging her tail happily.

“M….My name is John Smith. I am not your Bo————”

“Boss! You want to hunt with Delta?”

“…………….No hunting.”

It’s no use, she completely saw through me.

Although I took a bath and used perfume, I made light of Delta’s nose.

I took off my mask and revealed my appearance.

“Boss is John Smith?”

“Well, pretty much.”

“Uu, Delta can’t win against John Smith. I have to tell Alpha-sama.”

“Wait!”

I caught her tail while she was trying to run away. Whoops, it seems like I made a bit of her fur fall off.

“Kyaa! Tail is no good!”

“Sorry, sorry, Delta, listen well. Right now, I am conducting a classified secret mission.”

“Classified secret mission?”

“Yes, a classified secret mission, and so it must not be known by others.”

“So cool! Delta wants to do it too!”

“No, only I can do it. But when Delta reports to Alpha about John Smith, the classified secret mission will fail. Do you understand why?”

“Nope.”

“It’s because it will not be a secret anymore. That’s why you cannot talk about this with anyone, okay?”

“But Alpha-sama gave Delta a mission…..”

Delta dropped her ears and looked at me.

“It’s okay, I will give Delta a new mission. You remember the rule of Shadow Garden, right?”

“Already forgot.”

“The missions I personally give have the highest priority. Higher than Alpha’s, of course.”

“Alpha-sama won’t get angry?”

“She won’t.”

She’d absolutely get angry, I thought.

In the first place, Delta is currently undergoing a mission for the Mitsugoshi Company; it is incomprehensible to bring up the old rule of Shadow Garden now.

Sorry Delta, when everything is over, I will apologize to Alpha with you.

“This is also for the sake of the world…….”

“For the world….?”

“Yes, for the world.”

“For the world!”

“Un, sorry Delta. When the mission is complete, I will give you a proper reward.”

“Anything goes!?”

Delta’s eyes are shining while her tail is wagging about.

“Not anything. Within my ability, as long as it does not take much effort and money, I will do anything.”

“Boss will do anything I say!?”

“As long as it’s within the conditions I said.”

“Yeah! I will do the mission!”

“What should I make you do? Okay, going straight along this route, you’ll come across the lawless city. There is a black tower there. In that tower, there’s a guy called Juggernaut. He’s a bad bandit, so please go and hunt him down.”

“Lawless city, Black tower, Juggernaut? Just that?”

“Yes yes.”

“Understood! When I’m done, Boss will have to do as I say!”

“Within the conditions, okay? You don’t have to hurry, so take your time and go slowly, okay?”

“Lawless City! Black Jaguar! Hunting!”

As she said that, Delta dashed away.

I think the details were slightly different, but oh well.

Let’s just celebrate the fact that Delta is away from the capital.

Because Delta totally can’t act; even if she tried to hide something, it would soon get found out.

With that much information, it will surely take some time, so this should be just about right.

The counterfeit bills have not been circulated enough yet, so it’s too soon to let my identity be exposed now.

Well, let’s continue with the security detail.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“We lost track of Delta after she went to pursue John Smith.”

“————-!?”

Alpha who heard Gamma’s report dropped her pen and looked at Gamma.

“We found this on the scene…..”

What Gamma showed her was fur from Delta’s tail. Seeing the fur that had been forcibly torn, Alpha’s anger welled up.

Gamma’s eyes were calm. But deep down inside was burning anger that could not be suppressed.

“So….Delta was….”

Noticing her voice that was weaker than usual, Alpha calmed down a little bit.

She was prepared for it.

That someday, someone among them would die. That is what has occurred today.

“I don’t think that Delta would abandon Alpha-sama’s mission. That girl is an idiot….even though she’s an idiot, her strength is the only good thing about her, and she would do whatever Alpha-sama tells her to……..”

“It’s fine, I understand.”

Alpha comforts Gamma, who is squeezing out her trembling voice.

Delta is always responsible for dangerous work because of her high combat ability. She’s the one who takes on the most dangerous missions in Shadow Garden. If there is a situation where she doesn’t return, it’s almost certain that she is dead.

However, her death has yet to be ascertained; even if the odds of her survival are low.

“Continue searching for Delta. Do everything you can, at the very least we have to collect her remains…..”

“Yes.”

Alpha then received Delta’s fur from Gamma. She wrapped it within a cloth and hugged it tightly.

She’d heard how dangerous John Smith was from No.664. She shouldn’t have sent her after him alone.

If Delta lost against him, then she must’ve been caught in a trap.

“John Smith……….!”

A low, deep voice came out from Alpha’s throat.

*Grit*…The sound of Alpha grinding her teeth rang about.

《——|—》TOC