The Villain's Sister - Chapter 60

Late in the evening, Tristan changed clothes right after work and roamed the city.

Riding a motorcycle he had modified himself through magitech research, he zipped through alleys and between skyscrapers until he finally tracked down Red Shadow, who had just blown up an entire building.

“Hey.”

The stance, the broad back, the black hair—only a fool wouldn’t recognize him.

Red Shadow was raiding one of Big Bear’s gangs.

He fired a gun at the back of Red Shadow’s head.

“Hey!”

The bullet stopped mid-air, spun like a snake, and dropped to the ground with a thud.

Red Shadow slowly turned his head.

Blood was dripping from the white mask.

Though he often left puddles of blood in his wake, it was rare to see him soaked in it from excitement.

“You bastard! Get a grip!”

The name Johan was probably an alias.

So revealing any familiarity would only expose himself.

The shadowed eyes beneath the mask turned to Black Pistols.

They were chillingly dark.

“Perfect timing.”

“What.”

“Let’s find Sunshine together. No matter how hard I look, I can’t find a single trace of him. He must have a helper, but I don’t think it’s Big Bear.”

“Then who is it?”

Red Shadow fell silent for a moment.

Black Pistols waited for the answer, listening to the droplets of blood falling to the ground.

It sounded just like rain.

The kind of rain that falls slowly at first, only to bring a massive storm.

“Black Cloak.”

“Be more specific.”

“Someone around Raphael died from an exploded head. Another one died the same way while searching for the manufacturer of the blue gas.”

“Not Big Bear’s doing?”

“It was magic. I saw him myself the second time.”

“That’s all you’ve got for a description?”

“Height between 178 and 182 cm. Slim build.”

He habitually tried to press around his eyes but was blocked by his motorcycle helmet.

The central government’s underground prison was a place no esper or wizard could escape alone.

So it was likely this Black Cloak had helped with the prison break.

“We need the antidote to the golden potion Sunshine took.”

“…Why?”

He feigned ignorance.

In the dark, the red-stained mask turned toward the helmet.

Red Shadow stared at the matte helmet for a long while.

‘Has he figured me out?’

Just as Black Pistols began to panic, the radio crackled.

It was the same radio Black Pistols occasionally used to cooperate with the police.

— Black Pistols, do you copy? Black Pistols!

The voice was Liam Fabian, Raphael’s subordinate.

“Hah—damn it, why do you have the radio?”

So they had stolen it to eavesdrop. He had suspected it, but hearing it confirmed made him doubly furious.

— We’re headed to Langfester Hospital right now.

“What? Planning a bombing?”

— Mr. Raphael needs emergency surgery immediately. We promise—no bombing, no hostage-taking. We’ll surrender quietly. Can you help us?

Before Liam could finish, Raphael’s voice came through.

— Hrrgh… Black Pistols. Promise me. In exchange for my arrest, find the antidote and give it to my sister.

“What the hell—did you run into Big Bear?”

He didn’t sound good.

There were groans and ragged breathing mixed in.

They must have clashed with Big Bear. For Raphael to consider turning himself in, it had to be serious.

Raphael… and Giselle…

— My sister did nothing wrong. She’s never shed blood like me. Please…

Raphael took a shallow breath and finished like a sigh.

— Save my sister.

“…Where is she now?”

— 27 Washer Street.

“Who has the antidote?”

— Ugh! Black Pistols. H-he’s… hrgh. He’s looking for you.

— Mr. Raphael! Don’t lose consciousness! Mr. Raphael! Black Pistols, the antidote is gone. Sunshine knows how to make it. Please!

The transmission ended.

Just as Black Pistols mounted his motorcycle, Red Shadow made a suggestion.

“Let’s lure Sunshine.”

***

To lure Sunshine, they used a classic method.

— …currently engaged in a standoff between Black Pistols and Red Shadow! Requesting backup!

They added another incident to their long history of clashes.

Although they hadn’t officially teamed up like with Raphael, both had business with Sunshine because of Giselle, so they naturally cooperated.

“I’m telling you again, once he makes the antidote, Sunshine is mine.”

“How many times do I have to say I got it?” Red Shadow snapped.

Dodging Black Pistols’ swinging sword, he ducked low and threw a punch.

It landed squarely on his opponent’s ribs.

Black Pistols let out a groan beneath his helmet. “You bastard. Why the hell are you freaking out on me?”

“It’s been a while since the radio call started. He’ll be here soon. Get ready.”

“What if he can’t make the antidote?”

“It’s not that he can’t. He just won’t.”

That guy had genius-level skill when it came to drugs.

He had no morality, so he tested his creations on animals and humans alike, piling up both genius and experience.

“Shit. That’s why we threw him in a cell.”

Black Pistols punched the same spot he’d been hit earlier.

Even with the mask, maybe because he knew the face underneath, it made him feel gross.

Still, what the hell is this guy’s deal?

At night, he slaughters villains, and by day, he guards a villain’s little sister.

Still no access to Fog’s code?

‘But the way he looked at Giselle that day…’

There’s something between them.

No—at the very least, that bastard is hiding something.

He wouldn’t have teamed up with Raphael.

Did Giselle know who he really was when she approached him?

His head throbbed. Damn it. How much does she know?

She said she was drugged… how bad is it?

Is she dying?

With Sunshine and Giselle both… it felt like his brain might explode.

“You’re spacing out.”

“What, asshole.”

“Eleven o’clock. Get ready.”

Black Pistols pulled out his gun and shot at Red Shadow.

Naturally, the bullet veered off and flew elsewhere.

Thwack!

A harpoon flew in from behind and stuck into the wall nearby.

Using the rope attached, Sunshine soared onto the building rooftop.

Thud.

Landing smoothly, he pulled out an anti-magic gun.

Any other villain would’ve stayed out of Black Pistols and Red Shadow’s fight, but Sunshine was a different beast.

“Didn’t think it’d be so hard to see your face.”

He knew Black Pistols would try to restrain Red Shadow’s rampage, and planned to hit both at once.

“…You bastard…”

He was supposed to rot in prison for at least twenty years, so seeing his face again was unthinkable.

The moment he saw that mug, a sticky, heavy fury surged up.

Just as Black Pistols turned his gun on Sunshine, Sunshine opened fire first.

The anti-magic round grazed his helmet with a rough clang.

His heart pounded. Breath caught in his throat. Rage boiled over.

All he could think was, drag that bastard down and beat him half to death, back into a cell.

But Red Shadow was faster.

He warped behind Sunshine and choked him with a wire.

Wham!

Sunshine elbowed Red Shadow.

Black Pistols caught up and stomped Sunshine to the ground.

Thunk.

He pressed his head down with a boot and fired a warning burst in front of his eyes.

“Shut up and stay still.”

“I’ve been wondering—how do you buy guns on a salary that can barely cover taxes? You buy secondhand or something?”

“Shut it.”

Black Pistols smacked the back of his head with the gun’s grip.

Meanwhile, Red Shadow pinned Sunshine like a dissected frog with magic.

His spellcasting looked even more brutal than usual.

Crouching low, he dangled that golden substance they’d recovered earlier in front of Sunshine.

“Time to make the antidote.”

“A villain hunter getting cozy with Raphael’s little sister… no wonder people say life’s full of surprises.”

“You talk too much.”

Red Shadow tried to stab Sunshine’s leg with a knife, but Black Pistols kicked his hand to stop him.

Then kicked the back of Sunshine’s head with his dust-covered boots.

“Shut up and make the antidote. Or I’ll kill you myself.”

“Kill me? Think you can?”

“You think I can’t?”

“Haha.”

Even with the pitch-black shield hiding his face, Sunshine glared straight at Black Pistols.

A lazy but sharp glint in his eyes.

By looks alone, he was just a nerd who lived in the library.

But Sunshine was a hedonist who pushed everything to the limit under cold calculation.

He knew exactly which lines could be crossed and which couldn’t—and right now, he wanted to shake the soul of the person in front of him.

“Do you really want to kill me? Killing’s harder than throwing someone away.”

“You son of a—”

“If you’d really discarded me, you wouldn’t be here with a helmet on tonight.”

Sunshine curled his lips like he was laughing at an earthworm drying up on the asphalt after rain, on a blazing summer day.

“I could kill you. But you can’t kill me. That’s the difference between us.”

Shit.

For the first time, Black Pistols wanted to die.