HA1 9.3 - A Masterpiece

'It seems I should be more attentive,' Hide muttered inwardly.

In his previous life, Hide died at age of 48 years old. So, when he grabbed Shizuka's waist, he purely thought of Shizuka as a child, nothing more nothing less. He never imagined Shizuka would blush to the point her face became as red as tomato. She even became clumsy.

Also, as far as he remembered Shizuka was a happy-go-lucky girl who was never shy to drag boys she wanted to beat. In short, Hide assumed that she was not a girly goof who would blush just because a boy touched her hand.

Fortunately, after Hide changed his approach and only held her hands, Shizuka managed to calm herself down. With ease, she then listened and absorbed every piece of explanations regarding her job.

"Do you have questions?"

"Nope, and you can grab my waist."

"I think holding your hand is more than enough, and sorry if I had made you uncomfortable."

"Don't sweat it, I'm just a little surprised because you did it so naturally," Shizuka replied while inwardly she muttered, 'As if we are a long life couple.'

"Okay." Hide then opened the zip on his jacket halfway to his waist.

While holding hands, Hide and Shizuka continued to walk on the right side of the tunnel. At Hide's request, Shizuka skillfully put on an annoyed face. It was unbelievably natural that even Hide almost thought Shizuka was truly angry with him.

Then, five men appeared in the distance. They walked on the left side of the tunnel. Two men at the front looked at Hide and Shizuka vigilantly, but only for a moment before they locked their gaze on Shizuka's charming figure.

When they were only 10 meters apart, Hide squeezed Shizuka's hand twice. Shizuka spontaneously jerked his hand, and then walked away one step faster. Shizuka's action made the five approaching men giggle. Their attention was also fully directed on Shizuka, as now they could see her beautiful face.

At the same time, Hide pulled out the silenced Sieg P365 from holster under his left armpit and placed it in front of his chest. Once his left hand merged with his right hand, he then pushed silenced Sieg P365 forward until his hands were straight and formed a triangle. At the same time, Hide also slightly lowered his knees.

The Sieg P365 had no external safety lever and one round was always loaded in the firing chamber. So, once his aim was fixed on the target, Hide immediately squished the trigger gently.

Be-beeb!  Be-beeb!  Be-beeb!

Five quick double-taps hit five chests in turn, followed by five thuds.

When one of his targets tried to crawl, Hide fired the last round at his back. Then, he inserted a new magazine before shifting the slide-release lever using his right thumb.

Clack!

Smoothly, Sieg P365's slide was returned to the front and one round automatically loaded to the firing chamber. Hide then approached his victims and shot their temples from a distance of 2 cm.

After making the confirmed kills, Hide moved closer to the tunnel's wall. While holding Sieg P365 using both hands close at his chest, he turned to Shizuka.

"Your turn."

"Okay."

Swiftly, Shizuka started working her part.

---

Even though it's only in the movie, Shizuka had at least seen how hit man ambushed their targets using a silenced handgun.  However, compared to the sensation when she looked directly up close it was like heaven and earth. For a moment, she even felt a strong rush and excitement.

Shizuka could easily see that Hide's action was a masterpiece. One that took tons and tons of practice and experience to finally became a second nature. The steel determination that Hide showed when he gave the final touch was also deeply imprinted on her mind.

'Normal humans wouldn't be able to execute an art of killing at this level,' Shizuka muttered as she was done collecting all the brasses.

She then took the small bag and smartphone from the man lying in the middle. Swiftly, she moved five bundles of money in the small bag to inner pocket of her jacket, and then copied the content of the smartphone. Last but not the least, she returned the smartphone to its original position. Therefore, people would conclude that money was the main target. 

With a face full of pride Shizuka then approached Hide.

"Done."

"How many cartridges do you collect?"

"Sixteen."

"Good job."

After sheathing his Sieg P365 into holster, Hide then led Shizuka to jog towards the west end of Lily Tunnel. Once they past the exit, the two turned right and climbed a 40 degree slope full of grass.

At the top of the slope, they lay down beside the wire fence and waited until no cars passed in front of them before jumping over it. Then, they casually walked down the sidewalk to Red Light District.

In a casual but curious tone Shizuka asked, "Hide, how did you know the five people who entered Lily Tunnel were our targets?"

"I recognize them. The man who brought the money is Maeda The Fox. He was one of the group leaders in Toruma Mafia."

Hide didn't lie. But he couldn't tell Shizuka that in his previous life he had done the same action and all the information he had gathered was still stored in his mind.

"How many times have you done a job like this?"

"This is my third job with Takeo, but I have done tons of similar jobs alone."

"Who taught you?"

"Well, I can tell you, but then I have to kill you."

Shizuka pursed her lips, and then she was silent for a while before saying resolutely, "Hide, teach me how to use firearm."

"In your dreams."

"Hide, I'm serious. You don't use your dick to pull the trigger. So, I will be able to do it too."

"Sorry, I'm bound by an oath not to teach my skills in the killing to anyone."

"Break your oath, I will pay you with everything I have. Including my body, if you want it."

In reflex, Hide looked at Shizuka's body from head to toe before casually saying, "Don't use your body as a bargaining chip, as if it's nothing."

"It's my body. So---"

"Talk about your request one more time and I'll kick you out of the team."

Hearing Hide's sharp tone, Shizuka stopped arguing and was only able to purse her lips. Under the night sky full of stars, the two then walk in silence.

*****