Chapter 188. [The End, The Beginning of Hell]

{Waaah! Clerk, quickly hide behind the shelves now!}

I shouted while pretending to cry.

The attention of the robber was completely focused on me.

The fate of the situation would now rest with the clerk. But I wasn’t worried.

Because… at that moment, when he entrusted me to the female customer, his face was “real”.

<<Shut up, kid.>>

The robber said as he pointed his gun at me.

However, my ears caught a different sound, a small set of footsteps that would be drowned out by the crying if I didn’t know about it.

They were running behind the shelves.

I was more certain of success than worried.

But for some reason, I was struck by an intense sense of discomfort.

The eyes visible beneath the cap’s rim, were they twisted into the shape of a smile?

<<…Get down!>>

<<Huh? Oh nooo!>>

Suddenly, the robber’s gaze shifted.

Simultaneously, the gun pointed sideways, and gunshots rang out continuously.

The clerk’s screams echoed.

Several bullets pierced through the store’s glass window, producing a shattering sound.

<<D-don’t shoot anymore! I won’t do anything else! I beg you!>>

Footsteps, as if tumbling, approached from behind us.

Whether the desperate plea of the clerk reached him or not.

The robber finally stopped shooting.

An eerie silence dominated the surroundings.

Perhaps my ears were malfunctioning.

But due to the gunshots at close range, a harsh ringing sound filled my ears.

In that silence, the robber slowly spoke.

<<Come to a position where I can see your whole body.>>

<<W-will you promise not to shoot?>>

<<I said come!>>

The clerk, who failed to go around, appeared with a resigned look, raising both hands.

Fortunately, my warning seemed to have just reached him in time.

The bullets didn’t hit directly, but there were small wounds on his body. He had escaped by the skin of his teeth.

Then, from outside the window, screams mixed with voices.

<<Kyaaah!? What’s happening? Iroha-chan, are you okay? If you’re okay, please answer!>>

The female engineer finally seemed to notice the broken glass.

In a way, she avoided the situation of approaching unknowingly and getting shot.

But unfortunately, I’m not Ah-nee.

I couldn’t think that positively.

The situation was almost at its worst.

<<Tch, there are still people outside. We’ve been noticed.>>

The robber muttered curses.

I asked with a trembling voice.

<<Why? Why was the plan exposed? It seemed perfect on the surface.>>

<<…The police will be here soon, huh? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether my true face is revealed now, it’s the same. If you want to know, I’ll {tell you}.>>

<<Huh?>>

The surprised voice was mine, or was it the clerk’s?

The robber put his hand on the brim of the cap.

<<No way.>>

The face that appeared from beneath the completely black cap was… clearly a middle-aged man with racial features similar to those of the convenience store clerk.

Unfortunately, I can’t really tell the difference, so it’s like wherever Japanese people go, they’re asked, “Chinese?”.

However, the story is different when it comes to them.

If we look at ourselves, there is an obvious difference between Japanese and Chinese.

<<Could it be, you’re from the same hometown!?>>

<<That’s right.>>

The robber affirmed.

Haha…

What are the odds of that!?

It’s not something you can consider!

But there was a part of me that understood.

Why did the robber appear at the timing that seemed to detain me from leaving?

Looking back, there was a sense of discomfort in that action.

However, if the content of our conversation while pretending to be on the phone was overheard, the answer is simple.

<<I’m sorry, miss. It was my fault.>>

To prevent us from reporting, the robber had no choice but to show up there.

In a sense, it was inevitable that we got restrained.

Without bothering to confirm, if we had reported from the beginning, it wouldn’t have come to this.

But seriously, who could have predicted this!?

<<I may not understand the words, but I can roughly grasp what’s going on. However, it’s not your fault. A child who should be protected is trying to protect an adult.>>

I could also understand the female customer’s perspective.

However, the fact remains that I got her involved in this incident due to my unnecessary actions.

And the fact that the plan details got leaked was all my fault.

It was none other than me babbling and exposing everything, putting the clerk’s life at risk.

<<Don’t look like that. More importantly… if you’re from the same hometown, he might actually be someone you know!?>>

<<N-no! While it’s true we’re from the same place, I don’t know him! Why would he attack me!? Aren’t we comrades from the same hometown!?>>

The clerk attempted to persuade, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

<<Don’t joke! What hometown! What comrades! I lost my job because of that country!>>

<<W-what do you mean?>>

<<Don’t play dumb, you must know! Everything started with that incident. Our hometown, at that time… they tried to launch nuclear weapons! It was one of the countries that tried to launch the nuke!>>

I looked at the faces of the robber and the clerk in shock.

And I came to know.

On that day, when I thought the war had ended and the world was heading towards peace.

It was the opposite… From that day, there were people who started living in hell.