The Infiltration Mission: The Guild of Shadows Breaks
The new trio of the Guild of Scraps was ready for their new raid, and this time their destination was the mall.
Thanks to their luck, the three managed to catch the train that went directly to the city center, and with that, they could reach the mall where the other girls and Ren were.
"H-hey, why am I here with you two?" Airi asked while hiding behind a wall alongside Mika and Sora.
Mika didn't even bother to look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the crowd as she searched for her target.
"Shut up and hold your position, delegate," Mika exclaimed. "You bumped your head against mine, that automatically makes you an accomplice in this guild. Besides, we have to keep an eye on Sora so he doesn't do anything stupid."
Meanwhile, Sora felt completely out of place. His hands were sweating, and the further he walked through the mall, the more it felt like he was entering an S-rank dungeon.
"I think… we shouldn't be doing this…" Sora said quietly, though his feet didn't move a single centimeter away from the girls. "If they see us, they'll think we're a bunch of stalkers."
"If you keep acting like that, of course they'll see us that way," Mika retorted, starting to grab Sora's wrist. "Come on, we have to find the trio of traitors."
The trio advanced clumsily along the walls and storefronts. Trying, but mostly failing miserably, to go unnoticed.
Airi moved with such rigidity that she looked like someone expecting to be arrested at any moment while whispering about school regulations in public places, while Mika used her as a human shield every time a security guard passed by.
After going up the stairs and hearing a voice very similar to the girls', right behind them, a completely different voice was heard, a shrill and familiar voice that startled the spy trio, making them jump in fright.
"Huh?! Sora?! Delegate?! What are you doing here hiding like you're planning an attack on a demon-class boss?!"
Sora, Mika, and Airi felt a chill that practically made them scream in fright. It was Tomoki. He was standing right behind them, carrying a giant ice cream cone and with an expression of curiosity toward the three.
"AAAAAAAH!" the trio of kids screamed in fear upon hearing him.
Before Tomoki could say anything else, Mika had already grabbed him by the head, covering his mouth with one hand. Airi, meanwhile, panicked and completely forgot the school’s code of conduct. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and quickly helped Mika pin his arms down.
Tomoki tried to call for help, but all he could let out were muffled groans while his eyes widened like saucers.
Sora felt his heart rise into his throat. His eyes quickly scanned the hallway, searching for any trace of Ren or the girls. He couldn't allow any mistakes.
He had to be Aegis once again.
"Forgive me, friend… but I can't let the mission fail again… To the bathroom, now!" Sora ordered with a voice that, for a second, reminded Mika and Airi of the old Aegis. "We have to take him to the bathroom and leave him there, then we'll come back for him."
They dragged a kicking Tomoki toward the men's bathroom, while Sora watched the entrance like a true sentinel.
Once inside, Mika pushed him against one of the stall walls while Airi, with trembling but determined hands, used the tape from her own ID badge to finish securing the improvised "silencer."
"I'm sorry, Tomoki…" Sora whispered, clenching his fist. "I'll explain everything later, but Shiori and Mochi are out there with that guy… and I'm not going to let him take them without a fight."
However, Tomoki couldn't understand everything that was happening. For him, his best friend was abandoning him in the bathroom.
After the improvised trio of the Guild of Scraps left the bathroom, they decided to search for their targets again, and this time they were determined to find them.
First they went to the movie theater. Though it didn't go as well as one might expect.
Mika forced them to sneak into one of the theaters, but the darkness made them mistake several innocent people for their targets. Between Mika’s intimidating glare and Airi trying to check school IDs, they nearly got kicked out for good. In the end, they left completely embarrassed.
Then they went to one store, then another, and another. But there was no trace of the other trio.
Sora sighed from exhaustion. He was about to suggest they rescue Tomoki when something caught his attention on the third floor.
They went up as fast as they could and hid behind one of the columns there.
Then, Sora heard a familiar voice that made his heart tremble with nerves.
"I can't believe you actually knew where to find this."
Sora froze in place. It was Mochi's laugh, but not her usual shy one; it was a laugh full of genuine joy that he hadn't heard before.
"Ren's calculations are precise. His database of this place is far superior."
Shiori's voice was calmer than usual, a revelation that twisted the knife further in Sora's heart.
Sora peeked his head out a little more. Shiori was holding a bag with a golden logo while Mochi jumped with excitement. In the middle, Ren smiled at them with the confidence of someone who owns the world.
Seeing them like that, so happy and far from the small apartment he had only given them, finally broke Sora.
"They… as I suspected, they look happy with him," Sora whispered, his voice cracking.
Mika and Airi fell silent, not knowing what to say to comfort Sora.
However, the only thing both girls managed to hear was Sora say "sorry" and then the sound of footsteps running away. Sora's sudden movement startled the girls.
"Well, well… so you're also friends of Sora, aren't you?" said a voice behind the girls.