Blanca Bonus Story
This is the bonus story unlocked by purchasing the Blanca AGF Banquet Set on the holopro shop. This set is no longer available, so despite the original story being password protected, I am making my translation public. Enjoy!
When Izuru finally returned to the base, it was already past midnight.
As he walked down the long corridor, his footsteps echoing, an exhausted sigh escaped him. Izuru’s role in Blanca was hacking. He spent his days slipping into the networks of all the biggest gangs in Seikyoku, amassing all the information he could find. And, on the side, he continued investigating his true objective.
Izuru was, in a matter of speaking, a spy who had wormed his way into the gang.
Caught, and it was game over. He would surely be subjected to brutal torture and ultimately face death. It was a dangerous game to play, but he had no other choice in order to achieve his goals. But now, those treacherous days were finally coming to a close.
Just a few more days, and I’ll be out of here.
Finished with what he needed to do, there was no longer any reason to remain in Blanca. Thinking of the few days he had left, an almost sentimental feeling welled up inside of him as he arrived at his door.
Perhaps that is why Izuru made an error he otherwise never would. Prior to entering his room, he forgot to check for anyone else’s presence. And because of that misstep—
“Huh…?”
The moment he opened the door, a knife was thrust upon Izuru, by Uyu lying in wait.
“Good evening, Izuru-san.”
“You’re late. We had to let ourselves in.”
“Uyu, Temma… What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Relax, relax. Come on in.”
Though he tried to put on a brave face and shot them a glare, there was only so much he could do with a knife pointed directly at him. Ultimately submitting to their lead, Izuru made his way into the room, and was left with no choice but to drop onto the sofa resting in the middle of it.
The only positive was that the two seemed to be satsified by his compliance; the knife was lowered and they gave him room to breathe. They easily took a seat on the sofa directly across from Izuru.
Ignoring the hammering of his heart, Izuru let out a sigh, as if he had nary a concern in the world.
“Breaking into someone’s room crosses the line, don’t you think? Are we a gang of petty thieves now?”
“I apologize for that. We just had something urgent we needed to ask you.”
The one who responded was Temma. As for Uyu, he was all smiles, watching Izuru’s every move like a hawk. His eyes were like ice.
“Hey, Izuru.”
Temma crossed his legs, perhaps trying to snag back his attention, then spoke in a low voice.
“It appears… there is a spy in Blanca.”
“Really, now?”
Of course, it’s about that.
“Is that actually true? It’s not like what happened last time, is it?”
“This time around, it’s real. I asked one of our newer hackers to do some thorough investigation.”
Izuru internally clicked his tongue at Temma’s unexpected statement.
“He informed me that something was amiss. ‘It seems like data has been stolen, but any indication of it was completely erased.’ Apparently, no matter how cleanly you do something like this, there will always be some sign of it left behind.”
“Well, yeah. Seems to me this newbie’s skills are so garbage he couldn’t find anything.”
“Very funny. Even if he’s not up to your standard, he’s still a pretty good catch these days. This is all according to him, but it sounds pretty believeable, wouldn’t you say? And that got me thinking. To be able to pull a stunt like that—”
Temma suddenly lowered his gaze. and smiled coldly at Izuru.
“There is only one person I could think of.”
“…Tch.”
“Oooh, so scary, Temma-san~”
Uyu’s teasing voice cut through the air brimming with suffocating intimidation, not scared in the least. However, in contrast with his playful tone, the knife he had been fiddling around with had wound up in a relaxed, ready position.
Well, damn. This might be it…
Izuru blew out the fleeting sense of resignation with a soft exhale.
“…And? If I have this correctly, you’re suspecting me again? I guess you forgot how you sincerely apologized to me last time I was targeted as a traitor.”
What he spoke of was an incident not too long before, where information had leaked to an insignificant gang. Even though it had been a false accusation, the memory of being suspected was still fresh in Izuru’s mind. Temma must have had the same recollection, as a bitter expression surfaced on his face.
“Don’t rub it in.”
“It’s the truth, though.”
“But we also discussed how we still couldn’t trust you, didn’t we?”
Now Izuru was at a loss for words, his own sore spot exposed.
“So, be honest with me. Why are you stealing our intel?”
“I’m telling you, this is a misunderstanding.”
“…Fine, if that’s what you insist. We have plenty of ways of getting you to talk.”
“The sooner you confess, the better, you know. Temma-san’s methods are quite brutal.”
Shut up, of course I know that!
Typically, Temma devoted himself fully to his role as the quick-witted strategist who kept their gang in line. But he also possessed a ruthless side to him, that let him torture and punish people without batting an eye. Even Izuru, who had witnessed firsthand countless atrocities in the slums, found himself averting his gaze from Temma’s brutality. Unconsciously, he began to tremble.
Seeing this, the heavy atmosphere lifted slightly.
“Izuru. Seriously, just tell us why you did it.”
“You must have had some reason, right?”
“…”
A reason, huh…
In that moment, he thought of his companions in the slums. Dressed in nothing but worn-down rags, dreaming together of one day escaping that wretched place. His friends. But one by one—they had disappeared.
That’s right. Until I achieve my goal…
Sensing that the air around Izuru had shifted, Uyu quickly took on an alert stance.
“I have something that I must take care of.”
“And what would that be?”
“Not saying.”
“…Are we your enemies, Izuru-san?”
“I sincerely hope not.”
Though his heartfelt words were terribly feeble and small, the two of them stopped for an moment, looking bewildered.
Now!
Not letting his chance slip by, Izuru pressed a trap button that he had prepared under the armest of the sofa. In an instant, the room was enveloped in a cloud of white smoke.
“What—!?”
“A smokescreen…!”
“It might be cliché, but it works!”
Lowering himself, Izuru darted into the corner of the room. Figuring that this would happen someday, he had laid his room with a myriad of traps. Next, he flicked the emergency system switch hidden underneath his desk.
“Of course, now it’s the power!”
The emergency system was the final ace up his sleeve. With this, the electricity had been cut not only to his room, but the entire base.
“One thing after another. Pretty amazing! When did you set all this up?”
“…”
Izuru didn’t respond to Uyu’s question. As soon as he made a sound, his position would likely be revealed and a knife would be thrown in his direction. Concealing his footsteps, he quickly opened the door and bolted out of the room; two pairs of footsteps were soon right at his heels.
Relying solely on the glow of the emergency lights, Izuru darted through the halls, all the while setting the disaster shutter at the end of the hall to close.
Come on, make it…!
Running as fast as he could before the shutter could fully close, he slid across the ground, his body as close to the floor as possible.
In that instant, something came flying at him, grazing his right cheek.
It was the knife. It seemed to have taken a few strands of his hair with it. Shuddering at the sound of them scattering down his face, Izuru had somehow managed to make it to the other side of the shutter.
“Made it… guess I really can do it if I try.”
The emergency system he had personally developed granted Izuru full power over the security system for a limited time with his card key. Even if Temma had the master key, it would be impossible for him to bypass the security measures during that time period.
Knowing this would hold him over for a while, exhaustion took hold and he let out a sigh of relief. In the same moment, the shutter rattled with a loud slam. Apparently, Temma had kicked the thing from the other side.
“Get this shutter open now!”
“Why the hell would I? You think I’d agree to being tortured within an inch of my life?”
“Fine, I’ll be gentle!”
“That is not the point here.”
“How about we split the difference and I’ll handle the torture instead?”
“That’s not the point here, either!”
All the tension in the air dissipated with this bizarre conversation happening with a shutter between them.
It was almost as if they were talking like normal. Like the revelation of a spy had all been just a dream. However, the pain he felt from the knife graze on his cheek grounded him in reality.
“…Izuru-san, what would you like us to tell Aru-san?”
“…Tch.”
Uyu’s soft question made his heart pound in his chest. Izuru lowered his gaze to the ground, and took a step away from the shutter.
“Shouldn’t you just tell him how it is? That your genius hacker was a nefarious spy, mocking you from the inside all this time.”
“Izu—”
“I didn’t hate you guys. …Bye-bye.”
Without hearing what Temma had to say, Izuru turned his back to them and took off.
I’m sure they resent me.
They had been betrayed by someone they considered a companion. Izuru himself would never have forgiven it.
From the beginning, he should have been ready for this. Everything was for the sake of achieving his goals. For the sake of his precious friends—
But for some reason, his heart ached.
Once Izuru had gone, Temma and Uyu stared at the closed shutter.
“Looks like he got away.”
“Well, we expected this, didn’t we?”
Not seeming terribly bothered, Temma shrugged. He shot a glance to Uyu at his side.
“You let him dodge your knife on purpose, too.”
“You caught me. Well, it’s what Aru-san said to do.”
“Did he, now?”
“If my memory serves me, he told both of us not to go beyond threats~”
“Haha, I’m kidding. I remember, don’t worry.”
As he laughed, Temma recalled how Arurandeisu had bowed his head to them. Their boss had worn a serious expression, acting unusually dignified. If only he could be like that all the time, Temma smiled bitterly to himself.
“Anyways, it’s amazing that Izuru was able to outmanuever us. He’s definitely a valuable asset, that’s for sure.”
“I agree. I do hope he comes back to us.”
“Yeah…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just thinking, you sure took a liking to him, Uyu.”
“Hmm? Was that not obivous? I like him quite a bit. Of course, I feel the same way about you, Temma-san.”
“…”
“Hehe, don’t look at me with such doubt in your eyes. I’m baring my heart to you! I truly enjoy whenever the four of us are together.”
“…Good to know.”
They exchanged grins, and once again they looked toward the lowered shutter. They thought how, about now, Izuru would be running into a certain someone.
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
“He didn’t seem to think he would, but it’d be nice if he did.”
“Well, I suppose we have to leave it all to him.”
“Yeah. At the very least, I hope we get to hear his reasons.”
It’s up to you, Aran-san.
Deep down, Temma prayed to their boss. Surely, he would be able to carry through.
Hurry, get the hell out of here…!
Izuru, wiping the sweat from his brow, sprinted through the sewers. It was difficult to see what was ahead of him in the unlit underground. He had the entire sewer system committed to memory, though. Knowing he wouldn’t be lost, he ran without abandon.
But then—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“!”
Izuru startled at the sudden voice calling from ahead. Just past the next turn was the last person he wanted to see—Arurandeisu, standing with his arms crossed.
The second he realized it was him, Izuru’s face froze.
“Why are you here…?”
“Shouldn’t that be my question? What’re you doing out so late at night?”
“That’s…”
Izuru bit his lip hard. He had no idea what the best excuse to give him would be. However—
“I knew.”
“…What?”
“That you’re a spy—you’re a part of Ouroboros.”
Izuru’s mind went completely blank at Arurandeisu’s words. For a long moment, he was frozen in total shock. But as he gazed at Arurandeisu, staunchly waiting, his composure gradually returned.
“You knew…?”
“You know that I still go back to the slums now and then, don’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
“One day, I heard an awful rumor from the kids. That dozens of them had gone missing from the slums. Of course, I immediately began looking into it. If the kids had left on their own, that would be one thing. But kidnapping children who don’t know any better? Unforgivable.”
Arurandeisu’s gaze became sharp, piercing. It was painfully clear how furious he was, just from that alone.
“As I combed through the slums, I realized that there was another organization following the same leads as I did. It was Ouroboros—a resistance formed by those from the slums, trying to protect it. …Am I wrong?”
Though he framed it as a question, it was a simple request of confirmation. Realizing this, the tension in Izuru’s shoulders slipped away.
“How perceptive of you… You’re better than I thought, Aru-san.”
“And that’s why you infiltrated our gang, Izuru.”
“Yep. I had two reasons.”
He held up two fingers in front of his face.
“While I was searching for evidence of my friends being taken away, I noticed that there was an organization investigating the same research facility that I was. I didn’t know their reasons, but if I could get my hands on some juicy intel—or, if anyone from the research facility was a part of them, I could catch them. That’s one reason. My other reason for being here was to try and catch the mastermind.”
“The mastermind?”
“Yeah. The person responsible for inciting all the gang wars in Seikyoku.”
“I knew there had to be someone pulling the strings…”
“Mhm. But Blanca wound up being a dead end. I realized during my investigation that the mastermind isn’t here. To be perfectly honest, I figured it was about time for me to take my leave.”
“I thought as much.”
“You noticed?”
“Pretty much, yeah. You’ve been getting all your affairs in order as of late, right? It wasn’t like you. That’s why I had Temma and Uyu ready to catch you tonight.”
“So, you were behind that infiltration attack? Picking Temma and Uyu to handle the cornering… is that normal?”
Izuru shot him a resentful look, as if to imply how ridiculous the notion was. But Arurandeisu cocked his head in genuine confusion.
“The perfect guys for the job, right?”
“Yikes… If you’re being sincere, then I seriously question your sanity.”
“Well, they also wanted to have a proper talk with you.”
“…”
“They might be a touch overbearing, but don’t you think they were able to speak their minds? And because of them, now I can talk with you. At the very least, I’m happy that I was able to hear your side of the story from you directly.”
“Aru-san…”
Izuru gazed up at Arurandeisu, who was smiling gently as if caught up in his own feelings.
In that exact moment, a memory from his childhood flashed through his mind. The filthy slums, cast aside by the rest of the world. Even in such a place, from time to time there was an enigmatic person who came to check on the children there. He would teach them, provide them with food to eat. Izuru used to wonder how someone could be so boundlessly kind.
Izuru was a cheeky little brat back then; he would often snap at that person, whom everyone had embraced as their big brother, demanding that he hand over more food. Instead of scolding him, he would pat his head, saying “I’m glad you’re so energetic.”
Without a doubt, that person was currently standing before him. Always wearing a face like he was watching over him, smiling just as he did now. A sense of nostalgia welled up in Izuru’s chest.
“Say, Izuru. Why don’t you come back to Blanca?”
“…Is that something you should be saying to a fugitive?”
“Think about it. The ones suffering the most from the conflicts in Seikyoku are the powerless gathered in the slums. And we both want to protect those living there—isn’t that right?”
“That’s…”
“If our goals are the same, then we should be fighting this together—I truly believe that. Of course, if you want to continue working with Ouroboros too, then that’s fine as well. …Won’t you give it some thought?”
“…”
Izuru felt the slightest bit conflicted. But even that feeling vanished in the blink of an eye. He shook his head.
“I’m going to stay with Ouroboros, and keep chasing after the mastermind behind the conflicts. You all in Blanca have different matters to handle, yeah?”
“Right…”
“You might have only been my boss for a hot second, but get that pathetic look off your face. This isn’t our final farewell.”
Izuru smiled wryly at Arurandeisu, who bore an expression that could only be described as genuine regret.
He might have been the only person that would remain unchanged, no matter how filthy the world around him became. It made Izuru happy to have faith in that, for some reason or another.
“Alright. I should get going.”
“Sure. Come back whenever you’d like.”
“…Give my thanks to Temma and Uyu.”
Saying that, Izuru took off, almost as if breaking free from him. Arurandeisu watched over him as he grew further and further away, fondness and nostalgia in his eyes.
Long ago, he once held a game of tag for the kids in the slums, bringing snacks as a prize. The image of a tiny Izuru, running like his life depended on it, overlapped with the Izuru walking away from him now.
The child that had needed his protection had grown strong before his very eyes. Even though he had no choice, he couldn’t help but wonder if things would have turned out differently, had he been given a more peaceful life. But conversely, thinking that way would be an insult to Izuru. That child, who grew up before Arurandeisu could even realize it, was now determined to carve out his own path with dignity.
“Let’s both work our hardest.”
Somewhere along the roads they chose, he believed they would once more cross paths.
Holding this promise in his heart, Arurandeisu set off back to his companions.