Chick 272
by Cristae272
Daniela drew her gun and aimed it at Reiji.
“Reiji, what’s going on? Don’t tell me this is all your doing?”
Reiji Amakusa, a giant in the underworld, had appeared.
In a single moment, the crisis deepened far beyond even the sudden arrival of Obsidian.
“Hm? Of course not. I came to turn myself in to Agent Groo.”
Clack!
Before anyone realized, Groo had come over and clipped a pair of pink plastic toy handcuffs onto Reiji’s wrist.
All eyes turned toward the child.
Groo, thinking the attention must be because she’d done something impressive, rubbed her nose proudly.
Daniela’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
Reiji had come to be caught on his own? And with toy handcuffs?
The Bureau staff watching could hardly believe it either.
“Is that really Reiji?”
“Did he say he was Amakusa Reiji?”
Murmurs spread.
Had it not been for the earlier apparition of the Grim Reaper, none of them would have believed he was truly Reiji.
Yet no matter how one tried to rationalize it, seeing the notorious Reiji shackled by a five-year-old girl’s pink handcuffs was well past the bounds of common sense.
While everyone was still reeling, Jin Siwon stepped forward.
He directed the staff to arrest the Obsidian mercenaries.
Perhaps because of what Reiji had done to their comrades, the mercenaries submitted without a fight.
“A real big catch.”
A few staff members couldn’t help but let out incredulous laughs.
Obsidian, and now Reiji?
In the meantime, Jin Siwon read Reiji his Miranda rights and guided him toward the temporary holding facilities.
Reiji, as if the pink handcuffs actually sealed his powers, quietly followed behind Jin Siwon.
Joorim sighed as he watched Reiji leave, winking at Groo along the way.
Afterward, the Bureau agents arrested the rest of Obsidian and headed for the holding area, and as Joorim watched them go—
- …?
Pitter-pat.
Groo was following along beside Jin Siwon with a dignified expression.
When Reiji asked how she’d been, Groo replied with an enthusiastic, “Yessir!”
Joorim quickly swept up his fearless daughter by the scruff of her neck.
- What do you think you’re doing!
“Iiiing—”
Groo kicked and flailed, wanting to be put down.
- Why are you following them!
“Groo caught him!”
- And?
“I need to take him to jail.”
- Didn’t you see that scary skeleton just now? That man made it! You can’t just follow people around like that!
“Skeleton?”
- Yes, the scary skeleton from before!
Groo blinked her eyes, then remembered: earlier, a black veil had swept down, and a giant Grim Reaper wielding a scythe had appeared.
“Cool.”
She added earnestly, “Totally the coolest,” her eyes sparkling.
It was just an honest opinion, but Honghong pinched the bridge of his nose as if dizzy.
Groo sulked and half-pouted.
“Honghong, you’re a spoilsport.”
She wanted to be praised for chasing down Uncle Reiji, but instead…
Tch, Groo clicked her tongue, and after a moment, Honghong sighed deeply and said,
- If your dad hears about this, don’t you think you’ll get in trouble?
Groo puffed out her cheeks in protest.
“You don’t know anything, Honghong! My dad says I’m the best!”
“Bee?”
Mephisto stared at Groo, slack-jawed at the outrageous fib.
- …!
Honghong felt the same way.
Trembling.
Honghong’s shoulders began to shake.
Why, why is she like this? Groo cast her eyes about nervously.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Honghong tore off his mascot head.
“Gasp!”
“Bee?!”
Joorim’s stone-faced expression emerged, and Groo slapped both hands over her mouth.
Why is Dad here?!
Joorim, on the verge of erupting like a volcano, demanded,
“Who said what, exactly, about praising you?”
Eek! Sensing imminent danger, Groo squirmed and latched herself around Joorim’s neck, hugging him tightly with her short arms.
It was almost instinctive.
Had he been watching the whole time?
From her ‘super-secret’ games to poking at her food with a fork—had he seen everything?
Suddenly, her conversation with Honghong flashed through her mind.
Back then, she’d scoffed at Honghong for suggesting she should call Dad in dangerous moments!
Well, nothing for it now!
Clinging to Joorim’s neck, Groo furiously nuzzled her cheek against him.
“I missed you so much, Daddy!”
“……”
“I was really so scared… all shivery…”
“And yet you said it was fun.”
“……”
“And you said it was cool.”
Was that not enough?
Tch, Groo tilted her head innocently.
“D-did I say that?”
“On the way home, I’m buying a thinking chair. You’ll be sitting in it quietly to reflect.”
“Hing!”
I hate thinking chairs! Groo whimpered and clung cutely to Joorim when—
Daniela, hurrying, caught up to Reiji and grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Reiji!”
“Just a moment, Daniela.”
Though Jin Siwon, flustered, tried to intervene, Daniela seized Reiji by the collar and demanded,
“Reiji! Was it you who killed Chloe?”
Reiji regarded her calmly and replied,
“Chloe?”
“Yes, one of the researchers you’ve been killing!”
“Ahh… So that’s why you’ve been after me.”
At Reiji’s unaffected answer, Daniela shouted almost like a growl,
“Dr. Chloe Han! Did you kill her?”
The moment Daniela uttered ‘Chloe Han,’ Joorim, holding Groo in his arms, turned to face her.
Groo, nestled in his arms, looked up at him as he gazed, stunned, at Daniela and Reiji.
“Daddy?”
Joorim stood as if frozen, blinking slowly.
Chloe.
Chloe.
Suddenly, On Ijo’s voice echoed in his ears.
The last request Ijo left as he headed to the 100th floor.
“Joorim, I leave Chloe in your care.”
Chloe.
A shiver shot to his fingertips.
Seated in an interrogation room with a mirrored wall, Reiji fiddled with his pink handcuffs.
He’d refused to switch restraints, insisting on keeping the pink ones, as if to remind everyone he’d let Groo catch him.
Though he’d surrendered to a five-year-old, Reiji looked perfectly amused as he addressed the glowering Daniela:
[“When do I get to make my phone call?”]
[“Answer first. Chloe—what happened to her?”]
[“Chloe…”]
Tapping the table with his finger, Reiji pressed his palms together like a steeple before lifting one corner of his mouth in a small smile.
[“I haven’t laid a hand on Dr. Han. That wasn’t my contract.”]
[“Wasn’t the contract to kill all the On Ijo Project researchers?”]
He offered no answer, simply smiling serenely.
Daniela bit her lip.
Yes, whatever Reiji’s contract had been, it didn’t matter much to her now.
More important was the fate of her precious friend.
[“Please, tell me honestly. I’m begging you.”]
Daniela’s brow creased in pain.
Reiji watched her as if studying her, then asked,
[“Is there another reason you’re so desperate to find her?”]
His words struck too close to the truth; Daniela was left momentarily speechless.
[“Chloe was like family to me…”]
[“That’s a boring story.”]
His listless response prompted her to continue.
[“There were rumors Chloe had a child.”]
[“Now that’s getting interesting.”]
[“So answer me. Chloe—her child—did you kill either of them?”]
[“No. I swear it—I never laid a hand on Chloe Han.”]
Reiji answered with complete composure, and Daniela slammed her hands down on the table.
[“Then you mean Chloe’s just… missing?”]
[“Who knows? How would I know the whereabouts of someone who wasn’t even my target.”]
Determining she could get nothing more from him, Daniela stood up roughly and stormed out of the interrogation room.
[“Hmm… I suppose no phone call then?”]
Just as Reiji said this, the door burst open again. Daniela, having left her cell phone behind, hurriedly reentered and then left again.
Reiji let out a low chuckle.
He checked Daniela’s phone idly for a moment, then drew his own from his pocket and placed a call.
[“The final contract’s been fulfilled. Alex Vaughn should be dead by now.”]
He checked the time as he spoke.
He’d assigned the Grim Reaper to Alex Vaughn earlier; by now, Alex should have turned up dead in his new prison.
At that moment, Daniela burst into the room, her face rigid.
She’d realized, from the other side of the mirror, that Reiji wasn’t using her phone.
Reiji, seeing her come in, murmured softly.
[“Actually, I heard something even more interesting—I’ll tell you as a bonus for the final contract…”]
[“Reiji!”]
Daniela lunged to snatch away his phone, but by then, it had already disappeared.
He handed her phone back to the bewildered Daniela.
[“Thanks for letting me use it.”]