Chapter 21: Mikasa and I Work Together for the First Time, and It’s Actually Terrifying1. The Moment I Realized This Was a Bad IdeaThere’s something deeply unsettling about working with someone who has actively tried to kill you before.
I gnced at Mikasa.
She was leaning against a wall, arms crossed, staring at a blueprint like she was mentally preparing a murder.
I swallowed.
“…So,” I muttered. “We’re really doing this?”
She didn’t look up.
“Yes.”
I shifted awkwardly.
“I mean, there’s still time to—”
She turned her head.
Eyes sharp.
I immediately shut up.
Right. No turning back.
2. The Hacker Girl Makes Things Worse (Again)The hacker girl spun in her chair.
"Okay, let’s go over the pn!" she chirped.
Mikasa sighed.
"We already did."
"Yeah, but I like hearing myself talk!"
Mikasa rubbed her temples.
I just sat there, watching, realizing that this was our team.
A revenge-obsessed ex-assassin.
A chaotic gremlin hacker.
And me.
We’re all going to die.
3. Infiltrating the Facility Like Professionals (Except Not Really)The pn was simple.
Step 1: Sneak into the Nexus facility.
Step 2: Steal important data.
Step 3: Don’t die.
Easy, right?
Yeah. No.
We crouched behind a shipping crate.
Mikasa held up two fingers.
"Two guards. Fifty meters."
I nodded.
Then whispered—
"Wait, how can you see that?"
She didn’t answer.
Because in the next second, she was gone.
Blur of motion.
The first guard colpsed instantly.
The second barely had time to react before she choked him out.
She turned back.
Expression neutral.
"Done."
I gawked.
"That was—"
She held up a finger.
"Shhh."
…
Oh.
Right.
Stealth.
I suck at this.
4. My Job Was Supposed to Be Easy. It Wasn’t.We slipped inside.
The hacker girl whispered in our earpieces.
"Okay, head to the server room. Should be easy!"
I nodded.
Mikasa didn’t say anything.
But the way she gripped her knife tighter told me she wasn’t buying it.
We moved fast.
Silent.
Everything was going surprisingly well.
Until the arms went off.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Mikasa gred at me.
I froze.
"…I didn’t do anything!"
A robotic voice echoed through the building.
“INTRUDER ALERT. SECURITY DEPLOYED.”
I turned to Mikasa.
"So, uh…" I gulped. "Pn B?"
She pulled out two more knives.
"Pn B is violence."
…
I miss Pn A.
5. Fighting With Mikasa is TerrifyingThe first wave of security drones came fast.
Metal bodies.
Glowing eyes.
Armed with shock batons.
I panicked.
"Mikasa, what do we do?!"
She took a step forward.
Then she vanished.
One second, she was next to me.
The next—
BAM.
A drone’s head flew across the room.
I stared.
Mikasa was already moving.
Spin. Dodge. Ssh.
Three drones colpsed instantly.
It was inhuman.
Scary.
She was fighting like a monster.
I watched in shock.
She wasn’t just winning.
She was pying with them.
She was built for this.
6. My Turn (Unfortunately)Mikasa wiped blood from her knife.
She turned to me.
"Your turn."
I froze.
"Wait, what—"
She grabbed my colr.
And then—
She threw me into a drone.
CRASH.
I yelled.
"WHY?!"
She shrugged.
"Training."
I hate her.
7. Somehow, I Don’t Die (Barely)The drone swung at me.
I ducked.
Barely.
Then I punched it.
…
Ow.
I forgot it was metal.
Pain shot up my fist.
"AHH! WHY?!"
Mikasa sighed.
"Use your knife, idiot."
"OH, NOW YOU TELL ME?!"
I swung again—
This time with the bde.
The drone jerked back.
Then—
CLANG.
It colpsed.
I blinked.
Then turned to Mikasa.
"…Did I just win?"
She snorted.
"No. I disabled it while you were filing."
…
I hate her so much.
8. Almost There (Which Means Something Bad Will Happen)We ran down the hall.
The server room was just ahead.
Mikasa handed me a USB stick.
"You handle the data."
I frowned.
"Why me?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Because I don’t trust you in a fight."
…
Fair.
9. Oh Look, Something Bad HappenedWe reached the server room.
I plugged in the USB.
The hacker girl’s voice came through.
"Okay, copying the files!"
I sighed.
For once, something is going right.
Then—
The walls exploded.
BOOM.
A massive figure stepped through the smoke.
Glowing red eyes.
Metal pting.
And a voice that made my blood freeze.
"Ah," it said.
"You again."
Mikasa’s hand tightened around her knife.
I swallowed.
"Nexus…"
10. The Worst Possible SituationMikasa stepped forward.
Bde ready.
But Nexus just tilted its head.
"How fascinating," it mused.
"You are still alive."
Mikasa’s eyes burned.
"Not for long."
She charged.
11. The Fight We’ve Been Waiting ForShe moved like lightning.
Bde fshing.
Strikes perfect.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
But Nexus was faster.
It dodged. Countered.
Metal fingers closed around her throat.
And then—
It threw her into the wall.
CRASH.
I gasped.
Mikasa coughed blood.
And Nexus just smiled.
"You are weak."
I froze.
Mikasa was struggling to stand.
And I—
I was next.
12. My Stupid, Stupid PnI looked at the computer.
The data transfer was almost done.
Just a few more seconds.
I turned to Nexus.
Took a deep breath.
And I ran at it.
With no weapons.
No pn.
Just desperation.
Nexus tilted its head.
Then—
It swung.
I dodged.
Barely.
Then—
I punched it in the face.
…
Bad idea.
Its head didn’t even move.
It stared at me.
Then it grabbed my arm.
And it snapped it.
CRACK.
I screamed.
Pain exploded through me.
Nexus lifted me off the ground.
"Pathetic."
13. Saved by the Hacker Girl (Somehow)Then—
The hacker girl’s voice crackled.
"Hey, uh… Yuuji?"
I groaned.
"What?!"
"Files are copied."
I froze.
Then grinned.
I turned to Nexus.
"Guess what?"
It raised an eyebrow.
I pointed behind it.
"She hacked your security doors."
…
The ceiling colpsed.
Nexus vanished in the rubble.
Mikasa grabbed me.
"WE’RE LEAVING!"
14. Somehow, We Win (For Now)We escaped.
Battered.
Bleeding.
Barely alive.
But we had the data.
And Nexus was buried.
For now.
Mikasa colpsed next to me.
We stared at the sky.
Breathing hard.
Next Time : The Final, FINAL Boss Fight (Because of Course There’s One More)
