It's Not How It Seems (INHIS)

Prologue

My mission was simple: plant the bomb, then run like hell.
Regula had promised that there were no kids, only nasty old men and people getting drunk. Regula had promised that it'd only blow up the two casinos. Maybe the clubs around them.
I was going to blow up much more. Hell, most pupils with the Arilo Assassins had. This was no big deal. Right? Right.
Nagoya was a beautiful city if I was honest. Not as big or as widely known as Hiroshima or Tokyo, yet just as stunning. But it was still a big city all the same, full of its gangs and crime lords.
We'd been hired by a businessman across the city to blow these casinos to pieces. He had offered a considerable amount of money to do the job, so of course Regula had accepted the offer.
My mind buzzed as I slipped into the dim alleyway in between the casinos, scanning the narrow space for anyone. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dimness; the only thing occupying it was a dumpster and a few rats scurrying across.
I pulled the small bomb out of my pocket. It was a miracle that it hadn't fallen out on the way here. Though it was small, it seemed a little big for only the two casinos. Whatever. Not my problem as long as I ran far enough away.
The dumpster was full halfway. I mentally groaned. The exercise is good for me,I reminded myself.
Thankfully, the dumpster only screeched a little bit as I heaved it away from the wall. Years of training kept my breath quiet.
A light on the bomb gleamed bright red in the darkness. It may as well have been a beacon. Hey, look at me! I'm planting a bomb behind a dumpster that is so smelly I think there's a body in it!
I shake my head. I shouldn't be wasting time.
Crisp air fills my lungs before I press a button on the bomb, throw it behind the dumpster, then run. The timer is set for five minutes, so, theoretically, I should have tons of time.
I am thankful, not for the first time, for all my time spent running in training. The world whizzes past me-- I guess I whizz past it. I may as well be flying. A few people give me odd looks, but I have no doubt they've seen weirder things than a woman sprinting down the street.
I feel a presence of some sort behind me, and slow down for a second to glance over my shoulder. The several blocks behind me are empty, except for a child clutching onto a teenager's hand.
I stop dead. It had occurred to me that there would be doubtless be a few children, but actually seeing one...
I turn around, running another block before my conscience stops me again. Mentally cursing myself for my soft heart, I turn around again, straight towards the two. I'm in front of them in a second, hastily trying to remember my Japanese and explain to them why they need to hurry.
"Look! Famous singer! Follow me, look!" I give them a second hesitation before grabbing the teenager's hand and pulling them towards the docks where I know the boat should be waiting.
"Let me go! I do not know you!" The child had somehow kept pace with me and the young man, and now had panic-filled eyes. The young man jerks his hand out of mine, putting it around the girl protectively. I sigh through my nose impatiently, checking my watch. One minute, 39 seconds left. Hurry.
I do a different route, trying to sound as hysteric as possible. "Hurry! Danger near! Life if you follow!"
"No!" The young man picks up the now crying girl, and starts to run away. Straight towards that goddamn bomb that will blow them to pieces.
They dont get far before I pull them back towards the docks. I catch the numbers on my watch turn red as I half-drag the two, the young man swinging at me blindly.
My watch vibrates, signaling the last ten seconds before the bomb blows. I realize I'll never be able to make it this way, and throw them into an alley. Cornering them between myself and a dumpster, I throw my body over them as a last resort.
BOOM.
The blast comes from the building in front of me, flinging me and the two backwards into the other building. A sharp pain goes through my entire body, making me groan loudly. I hear a sickening crunch through the ringing in my ears, and look over to see the girl limp on the ground, the boy shaking her already dead body. He, impossibly, seems fine besides the fact that his shoulder looks to be dislocated.
I grit my teeth and stumble over to him, saying, "She is already dead!"
He either doesn't hear me, or doesn't believe me. I suck in a sharp breath before forcing myself to run alone to the docks. I did what could.
Every pounding step to the docks, I repeat the words to myself. I run past small buildings crumbling, past screaming and confused people, past my mistake. I dont let myself think about what I've done until much later, when I am on the flight to get home.
Right now, I spot the small motorboat slowly inching away from the docks, already a good two meters out. I gather the last of my energy to put on a burst of speed. My hands grapple onto the wet railing. Swinging my legs up and out of the freezing water, I flip my body up and over the railing and into the dirty seat. I give myself a full second to catch my breath before pulling my legs in and buckling myself up.
"You were a full minute late. What happened out there, Lava Girl?" The driver (and my partner's) voice comes crackling over the deafening sound of the motorboat and my still-ringing ears. His thick polish accent can still be heard over him half-yelling.
"My conscience decided to sabotage me at the worst time," I respond. I can practically feel him tense up, even though we're not near each other. "I got the job done, though, so don't worry. How long is the ride to the airport, again?"
"Two hours,"
"Wake me up before we arrive," I say, my eyes already closing.