The five stages of accepting an escape.

 

1st stage. Denial.

 

“Haha, there’s no way that could happen!”

 

“…Prime Minister?”

 

“Miss Ninomiya is a patriot. There’s no way she would disappear without a word. It’s not like we’ve treated her poorly.”

 

The Japanese government was in denial.

 

There was no way Aika, our strategic nuke who always listened to us, had escaped from Japan. Absolutely not.

 

“We have secured CCTV footage showing her contact with Bojji Kkong, rank S-7. Her passport is also missing from her home, so it’s clear she boarded his private jet and left the country.”

 

“…Does she have any idea what she’s doing!? We treated her so well, pampered her like a powerful gorilla, and this is how she betrays us!?”

 

2nd stage. Anger.

 

When Aika’s departure was confirmed, the officials couldn’t contain their anger.

 

Aika had acted rashly, drunk with arrogance!

 

They had treated her exceptionally well, and she dared to defy them!

 

These were the thoughts of the angry officials…

 

“Arrest Ninomiya’s entire family immediately….”

 

“P-Prime Minister. We can’t do that!! If she stages a show of force, or worse, if she stops participating in S-rank gate strategies, Japan is finished!!”

 

“……That’s true.”

 

Wait. What can we do?

 

S-rank No. 1, a living strategic nuke, has escaped.

 

What can we do?

 

Realizing her blade might turn against them, the government quickly reeled in their thoughts.

 

“What should we do…?”

 

“…There’s no way she’d really leave Japan. Hmm.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Even after living in Korea, she said Japan was more comfortable. And she has family here.”

 

“But she left without saying a word.”

 

“She’s probably protesting, wanting better treatment. She’s greedy.”

 

“So, what should we do?”

 

“First, investigate. Find out what she wants. Why she’s dissatisfied with us.”

 

Thus came the 3rd stage. Bargaining.

 

The government sought to negotiate.

 

They intended to turn Aika’s heart back and ask her to once again be the sword that protects Japan.

 

…That was the plan.

 

“Minister of Foreign Affairs. The contract to pay Ninomiya one million yen a month for wearing a hakama, wasn’t it…?”

 

“Yes. The budget has been steadily spent.”

 

“Then why has her account received only 100,000 yen, and that only once?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

A surprise audit was conducted for about half a day, and what a surprise it was.

 

The more they dug, the more corruption they found.

 

One million yen monthly for wearing and maintaining a hakama?

 

The company in charge of clothing and laundry embezzled the funds.

 

Seeing Aika’s naivety upon her recent return, they immediately tricked her mother and swindled her.

 

It turned out there was even more.

 

Lowering the rewards for gate subjugation.

 

Forcing donations for the Awakener training fund, and so on.

 

Everyone had taken their share next to the walking money vault.

 

Aika herself made so much money that she didn’t even notice a few tens of millions of yen being stolen. In any case, this was just what they found in half a day.

 

The Japanese government was shocked.

 

“What do they think they’re doing with the taxpayers’ money.”

 

“You know. Anything related to Ninomiya is a state secret. It seems the audit didn’t reach there.”

 

“Still. How could such things happen in a clean Japan? No wonder Ninomiya felt disgusted.”

 

It was obvious why she escaped. Anyone would.

 

Just not doing so until now was already patriotic.

 

The 4th stage, Depression, began.

 

“No wonder she was always snappy. It wasn’t just the hysteria of a single woman unable to get married…!!”

 

“What should we do? Shall we draw up a negotiation plan?”

 

“Would she even listen? I would have been disillusioned with Japan, too…!”

 

Deep regret, exhaustion, obsession.

 

They desperately wanted her to come back, but they couldn’t bring themselves to say it.

 

Yet, they couldn’t do without her.

 

The Prime Minister repeatedly racked his brain in despair, eventually reaching the 5th stage, Acceptance…

 

“Prepare an announcement. Reveal the series of corruptions, and have the ministers collectively bow before the nation. Then maybe she’ll return…”

 

“…? Prime Minister. Ninomiya is in Korea, they say?”

 

“What?”

 

Just before acceptance, suspicious news arrived.

 

“This is an article about a Korean Awakener named Seo Yu-jin. Why…”

 

“Here, this. Do you see this woman in the corner?”

 

“…What?”

 

An article covering an A-rank gate occurrence in Korea.

 

A photo taken from a helicopter over Han River Park…

 

A robed woman next to Seol Ha-yeon.

 

The Prime Minister’s eyes widened.

 

‘Those ridiculously large breasts… Ninomiya?’

 

Thanks to Seol Ha-yeon positioning Awakeners around her and Aika herself suppressing her presence, direct media exposure was avoided.

 

But they couldn’t stop aerial photography, so she was captured in the photo.

 

The Prime Minister recognized her instantly.

 

No matter how far away, no matter how concealed by robes.

 

There aren’t many people in the world with breasts bigger than their heads.

 

At Aika’s size, it was unmistakable.

 

“This is a rumor among Korean Awakeners. A robed woman broke through a barrier with Seol Ha-yeon’s help. With a power reminiscent of Miss Ninomiya.”

 

“…!!!!!”

 

A shocking realization followed.

 

A woman looking like Aika, doing something Aika-like.

 

It couldn’t be anyone but Aika.

 

Korean Awakeners dismissed it, thinking ‘Why would Aika come to Korea?’…

 

But Japan, knowing she had escaped, could only see it as her fleeing to Korea.

 

The officials in the meeting grew serious again.

 

“…Anywhere but Korea!!”

 

“Yes. Anywhere but Korea, absolutely!!”

 

Anywhere else, like America, might be tolerable.

 

Korea? Going to Korea, with whom they had a strained diplomatic relationship?

 

This couldn’t be overlooked.

 

Depending on the situation…

 

“Apply intense diplomatic pressure, trade sanctions, whatever it takes….”

 

“No. Even a localized war might be necessary.”

 

——They would even risk war.

 

Aika herself would find it absurd, but from Japan’s perspective, it was a natural response.

 

Losing a strategic nuke to a hostile neighbor.

 

A walking disaster that could turn the capital into a wasteland within an hour.

 

Naturally, talks of confrontation arose.

 

“Deploy the Self-Defense Forces immediately….”

 

“Can we afford it? If Miss Ninomiya stands with Korea, we’ll lose in both justification and strength.”

 

“…….”

 

But they couldn’t really fight.

 

They had exploited her at a national level, so they had no grounds to accuse diplomatically…

 

And they knew better than anyone the extent of her power.

 

Dejected, the officials slumped in their seats.

 

Full circle to the 5th stage. Acceptance.

 

“First, send a formal diplomatic letter to Korea… No, try to contact them behind the scenes.”

 

“Shall I contact the Japanese ambassador to Korea?”

 

“No, I’ll go myself. If I beg, they might at least listen.”

 

But they still wanted to cling to the hem of her hakama.

 

The Prime Minister chose a desperate move, heading to Korea.

 

With a forged passport, minimal escort.

 

Disguised as an ordinary Japanese citizen.

 

Formally visiting would publicize Aika’s escape, leaving no choice…

 

And to show Japan’s sincerity, such efforts were necessary.

 

Moreover, even if the persuasion failed, they could claim they did their best.

 

So, the Japanese Prime Minister, Nakano Watari Suguru, visited Korea.

 

“Phew… We managed to enter without being noticed.”

 

“What will you do?”

 

“Straight to the Pentagon. Seol Ha-yeon is reasonable, so if we explain, she might arrange a meeting.”

 

He headed directly to the Academy.

 

From the photo, it was clear that Aika was under Seol Ha-yeon’s protection.

 

To talk to Aika, heading to that location was the only option.

 

And the moment they arrived near the academy…

 

“We’ll have to walk from here. Now….”

 

-BOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!

 

“……!!!!!?”

 

——Suddenly, an ear-splitting explosion struck their eardrums.

 

The startled Prime Minister and his entourage looked around frantically.

 

They needed to figure out what was happening, if their identities had been discovered.

 

And soon enough.

 

Someone entered their view.

 

As buildings burned here and there.

 

A girl with blue hair was dashing across the asphalt, firing ice bombs everywhere…

 

-Swoosh.

 

“Get lost, get lost!!! If you don’t want to die, get lost!!! Until Seol Ha-yeon comes out, I’ll keep doing this!!!”

 

“Before I start killing people en masse, let’s talk!!!”

 

People around were screaming and running away.

 

Her identity was none other than the terrifying villain who had attacked the academy just a few weeks ago.

 

The first-class villain, Winterer.

 

In other words, this was a villain attack that occurred frequently in other countries.

 

But the Prime Minister couldn’t move.

 

“That’s… a villain!?”

 

“In Japan, maybe, but a terrorist attack in Korea, the strongest country of Awakeners? This doesn’t make sense!!”

 

“They knew we were coming… No, we came in secret! How could just a villain know.”

 

Anywhere else, but not in Korea.

 

The strongest country of Awakeners. In the last 10 years, there had been only one terrorist attack by a villain.

 

And of all times, a terrorist attack when they had snuck in?

 

It was natural to suspect it wasn’t a coincidence.

 

“Translate for me. What is that person saying? What do they want from us?”

 

There was another reason they couldn’t escape.

 

They were mostly Japanese.

 

They didn’t understand Winterer’s Korean warning to get lost if they didn’t want to die.

 

If they had understood, they would have come to their senses and fled.

 

Of course, there was one person among them who knew Korean…

 

“……?”

 

‘Did the villain tell the civilians to run away? …Did I hear wrong?’

 

Even he couldn’t move, frozen in shock.

 

A villain warning civilians to escape instead of massacring them?

 

…Those sociopathic pleasure killers?

 

It didn’t make sense.

 

Villains suppressing their murder impulses, which was said to be tens of times harder than a severe drug addict quitting cold turkey.

 

Winterer was restraining her killing to prioritize meeting Seol Ha-yeon.

 

She was blatantly defying what 40 years of research had revealed about villain behavior.

 

“Are you deaf? I said get lost if you don’t want to die?”

 

“……!!! S-she’s looking this way!?”

 

And, at that moment.

 

Winterer, who was far away, noticed them.

 

An ice path formed on the asphalt.

 

-Crunch.

 

“Well, my throat’s getting sore. Guess I’ll have to take some baldies as hostages.”

 

“S-she’s coming this way…!!”

 

Thus,

 

-Grab.

 

“Seol Ha-yeon!!! If you don’t want to see these guys die, come out now!!!!”

 

“Hi-hiiik!!!”

 

The terror and hostage situation by the first-class villain Winterer.

 

The hostages: Japanese Prime Minister Nakano Watari Suguru and four others.

 

-Zzzt.

 

“For every 10 minutes you’re late, I’ll blow one of their heads off!!!”

 

The terror that would decide the fate of Korea and Japan had begun.