Are We a Lie? (Michizou Tachihara x Reader)

Chapter 22: In Lament of My Wingless Body - Part 2

(Season 4, Episode 10)

I sprinted down the trail Yosano had taken, hoping to reach her before the metal manipulator could.

"(Y/n)! What the hell are you doing?!" Michizou yelled out after me.

"Isn't it obvious?! The Hunting Dogs are gonna try to kill her first since she's a healer. We're supposed to protect her with our lives, aren't we?!"

Michizou didn't seem to like what I had to say, leaving Gin to run up next to me, whispering in her soft voice. "I'm with you."

***

At the top, Yosano stood still, petrified by a necklace that the man held. The glowing sword charged at her, leading Gin to block it with her knife.

She was struggling, leaving me to pull out my gun, shooting the blade away. While my focus was on keeping the sword away, I heard a distorted voice in my ear.

"̶̛͉Y̶̺͗ȍ̴͚u̴̼̎'̷͉̊r̶̨̾é̸̤ ̷̦̄m̵͙͗y̷͓̕ ̶̮̄a̴̜̕l̴͓̓l̵̙͛y̴͖̿,̸͇͋ ̶̘̉r̵̨̃i̷̢̇g̸̮͆ḫ̶̉ť̷̪?̶̥̆ ̵̺͑W̸̰̚ȟ̷̬ẏ̵̜ ̷͙́ą̶̓r̷̜͒e̷̮͑n̷͈̅'̵̬̿t̷̗̾ ̸̖̍y̸̡̑ö̴̻u̵̘̕ ̶̙̓h̸͓͆ḛ̴͑l̴̼̆p̴͉͗i̶̮̓n̶̢̚ģ̴̚ ̶͉͛m̸̙̎e̷̫͑?̶̪̏

The metal manipulator found my doll?

Michizou ran up behind me, adding more gunfire, which forced the sword to spin back.

"Stay back, you dumb stick!" My boyfriend growled. "The hell?! That sword's tough!"

"What're you doing here?!" Yosano gasped.

"The Boss's orders are absolute." As Michizou spoke, Hirotsu snuck up behind the Hunting Dog, attempting to get a hit in with his ability. The metal manipulator noticed, jumping back and repositioning his sword in the air. "Old man! Watch out!"

Just as the sword was about to come into contact, the older man shattered it with his ability.

"The escape boat is in the underground drain ahead." A small shard of the sword began to glow, before thrusting itself into Hirotsu's chest, forcing him to cough up blood. Yosano began to run to him as he fell to his knees. He won't die. Right? "Go! I can't hold him off for much longer. Go!!"

Reluctantly, my boyfriend placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "We gotta go. Whatever happens, we can't let his efforts go to waste."

The four of us took one last look at Hirotsu before taking off. Sacrificing himself for the good of the Mafia. What an idiot. I can't help but feel sentimental about my friend. Will the metal manipulator really kill him just to get to Yosano?

I don't know if I could win, Hunting Dog versus Hunting Dog. My ability may be powerful, but not when I'm limited to three dolls and a gun. Scratch that, bullets are made with metal.

***

We quickly ran through the underground passage, hoping that the metal manipulator was still preoccupied at the surface. What no one else saw was Jane, who was slowly following us from the shadows.

I'm sorry, Yosano, but whether I believe you're innocent or not means nothing. There's no evidence that could prove you or your Agency's innocence that I know of. Human witnesses saw what you and your friends did. I am the lowest ranking member of the Hunting Dogs. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't hold the power to save you. You're not the only one who's life is on the line in our current predicament.

Once we reached the underground stream, my boyfriend sealed the door by turning the wheel. I wasn't sure if he saw her, but Jane was perched outside of the entrance, waiting for our comrades to arrive.