The Tough-Faced Owner of A Fluffy Cafe ~ The Strongest Mercenary Feared as the Headhunter, Living Leisurely Surrounded by Little Girls and Cute Monsters ~ - Chapter 43
Episode 043: Dark Organization, Experiencing fear
The members of the Dark Eye had been sneaking into the Fluffy Cafe for over five minutes now.
As no one came out of the building, the surrounding members began to stir.
“Quiet down. Why hasn’t anyone returned yet?”
After silencing the members, the boss muttered.
The basic principle when stealing was to finish it in as short a time as possible. The longer one stayed at the scene, the higher the risk of being spotted or encountering the homeowner.
So, they had been educated to retreat immediately after completing the mission.
However, since no one was coming out of the building, it meant that the infiltrating members might have been caught up in something unexpected.
The boss immediately issued the next instruction.
“Go and check the situation. Increase the number as a precaution.”
“Understood.”
Additionally, eight more people entered the cafe.
Trained individuals, eight of them. While it might have been impossible with four, surely eight could accomplish the mission.
Or so the boss thought.
But even those eight, after one minute, two minutes, three minutes… no matter how long they waited, they didn’t return.
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
No one had anticipated this outcome.
“What in the world is happening…”
The boss suddenly became anxious.
There should only be a young girl and monsters with minimal combat power inside the house.
And yet, no one who entered returned. Something unknown must be happening.
Should they retreat…?
When something incomprehensible was happening, one should retreat. If they withdrew now, the damage would be limited to twelve people. But if they sent more personnel, the risk of further damage increased.
But, after coming this far, giving up the target would be regrettable.
If they let it go now, such a big opportunity would never come again. Moreover, the chance of encountering a target as valuable as this one was extremely low.
The boss’s mind was fiercely conflicted between the safety of the organization and the potential for massive profit.
And after some thought, the boss made a decision, deciding to take a gamble. The boss of the Dark Eye, who had survived by knowing when to withdraw, had chosen to attack this time.
“This time, we’ll all go.”
“Understood.”
No more holding back.
With the boss leading the way, they stepped into the cafe’s interior.
The interior was filled with a peculiar atmosphere, a combination of retro and antique vibes. The seats were spaced well apart, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
So far, nothing seemed amiss.
“Some of you search for our comrades.”
“Got it.”
Splitting into several groups, they advanced toward the back while searching for their comrades.
—Screeeech, Thud
However, once everyone had entered the cafe, the door closed on its own.
—Bang, Bang, Bang
Moreover, no matter how they tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.
“Boss, the door won’t open!”
“What!?”
And the windows were the same. Even if they tried to escape from somewhere, they wouldn’t open or break at all.
There was no way out. The only option was to advance further.
With the boss at the forefront, they aimed for the living space once again and proceeded.
“Ugh.”
As they approached the living space from the store space, there was a loud bang from behind.
“What happened!!?”
“One of us got hit!!”
“What!?”
Even though there seemed to be no sign of trouble, a comrade had been attacked.
“Ugh.”
And again, another member collapsed.
“What’s going on!? Our comrades are falling without any warning!!”
“Impossible…”
The boss was confident in his ability to sense threats.
Without that, he wouldn’t have survived until now. Nevertheless, he couldn’t sense the presence of the enemy.
It was too unbelievable for the boss to accept.
“Ugh.”
And then another member fell.
One by one, the number of members gradually decreased. Already, less than half of the standing members remained.
“What… what’s happening… what’s going on!!?”
The boss shouted in confusion.
“Kyuu?”
Then, a white rabbit appeared in front of the boss. The rabbit tilted its head cunningly.
“White Rabbit?”
At first glance, it looked like a White Rabbit, but the boss felt uneasy about the mere presence of a White Rabbit in this unfamiliar atmosphere.
A hypothesis floated into the boss’ mind.
“Vorpal Bunny…”
Right after the boss murmured that, the rabbit grinned wide, as if its mouth were splitting open.
Despite its appearance, the Vorpal Bunny was the strongest assassin, possessing incredible stealth and one-hit kill attack power.
It wasn’t an opponent that a mere boss of an underground organization in the city could handle.
Then the boss finally realized they had made the wrong choice.
“Run!! Get out of here!!”
The members of the Dark Eye swarmed the door upon hearing the boss’ voice.
“Open up!! Let us out!!”
“I don’t want to die!!”
“Help me!!”
However, no matter how many of them tried, the door wouldn’t budge.
In the meantime, people continued to collapse one after another.
Before they knew it, the boss was left alone in the room.
Screams filled the air, a high-pitched cry of fear.
It was a voice that didn’t seem to belong to the boss, who had lived in the underworld.
“Kyukyu?”
From behind the boss, the rabbit’s voice could be heard.
“Ahhhh!!”
In that moment, the boss of the Dark Eye, a member of the underground organization nesting in Farmrest, fled desperately toward the living space with a pathetic expression.
There was another entrance to the living space, separate from the store space.
“Kyuu”
“Kyuu”
“Kyukyu”
Despite running desperately, the rabbit’s voice continued to echo in their ears.
“Stop, please stop!!”
There was no escape.
As if being told so, the boss’ heart was overwhelmed with fear. Finally, he reached the entrance to the living space after a struggle.
—Clatter clatter clatter clatter
However, for some reason, that door wouldn’t open either.
“Kyuu”
When the rabbit’s voice was heard, and the boss turned around, the rabbit was sitting on the floor.
“Kyunn”
The rabbit hopped closer to the boss.
“Kyukyun”
“Don’t come any closer!!”
The boss pressed their back against the door, shouting while their face contorted.
“Kyukyukyun”
However, the rabbit paid no heed to the boss’ words.
Slowly but surely, the rabbit approached the boss, fueling their fear.
And with one more leap, the rabbit would undoubtedly reach the boss.
The rabbit grinned.
“Stop, please stop…”
“Kyuuuu!!”
As the boss trembled in fear, the rabbit pounced with all its might.
“Ahhh!!”
After letting out a particularly loud scream, the boss fell backward, unconscious with their eyes rolled back.
Unlike before, the door to the living space slowly opened outward.
And there stood a gigantic figure.
