kscans

Chapter 54 - Episode 54

The day after Hayate abducted Mary Tyler.

Rena had been summoned to the White House.

"Lena Shinonome, thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. President."

Without using a translator, Rena conversed with the President in fluent English.

"I heard you have something to discuss regarding Hayate. Do you know where he is now? He’s safe, isn’t he!?"

"P, please calm down and listen. First and foremost, I had no involvement whatsoever in Hayate Shizukuishi taking such an action."

"I understand that, but…"

Rena couldn’t understand why the President would say such a thing when his own daughter had been kidnapped.

"I’ll get straight to the point. He has likely been brainwashed."

"B, brainwashed?"

"It’s possible a powerful device was used. But to repeat, I did not order the development of that mind-control device, nor did I order it to be used on Hayate."

George desperately rattled off excuses. Seeing him, Rena felt an indescribable fear.

"Are you saying Hayate was brainwashed and ordered to kidnap Mary-san? If so, I can understand why he did what he did, but…"

She was relieved to know that Hayate hadn’t gone rogue and kidnapped Mary for his own selfish desires. But there was another problem.

"But that means you can turn him back to normal with that device, right!?"

George averted his gaze from Rena’s question.

"N, no…"

Despair tightened its grip on Rena’s heart.

Hayate might never come back. Just thinking that made her legs lose their strength. About to collapse, Rena placed her hands on a nearby table to support herself.

"Are you all right? Here, this way."

A female aide seated Rena in a chair.

"My name is Keaney. I will explain from here on out."

"Um, is it true that Hayate has been brainwashed? Is there any possibility that he’s just fooling around?"

Kidnapping the President’s daughter as a prank would be a huge problem, but for Rena right now, that would have been far better.

"Unfortunately, that possibility is low."

As she spoke, Keaney turned on the monitor in the Oval Office. On it, a man and a device that looked like it was meant to be worn on the head were displayed.

"This man is David Baxter. Until recently, he was a Presidential Aide. He was involved in the development of a mind-control device as part of a counter-terrorism project."

"He’s also the one who planned to kidnap you in Japan. O, of course, I did not order that either!"

"Then, he’s the one who did this to Hayate."

A murderous intent filled Rena’s eyes.

"Do you know where this person is now?"

"His current whereabouts are unknown. Even the CIA has been unable to locate him. However, David has said he will come to the Grade 1 ‘Black Dungeon’ here in Washington tomorrow at 7 AM."

"Then you’ll capture him there, right?"

To Rena, who asked with a glimmer of hope that things might be resolved, Keaney shook her head.

"No. He is holding Mary-sama hostage. He has threatened us that if anyone other than the person he specifies enters the Black Dungeon, he will brainwash her as well."

"David has contacted us to have someone come alone to retrieve Mary."

"Then, are you going to go alone, Mr. President? Even if it’s Grade 1, a dungeon is a dangerous place. Besides, what he might do to you…"

"No, not me. The person David specified was you, Lena."

"Huh, me? I, I can go!?"

Her reaction was not what the President and his staff had expected.

The image of a zaibatsu heiress is one of a person living a peaceful life, free from danger. They had thought it would take considerable negotiation to get such a person to go to a dangerous place to retrieve a hostage.

"What, uh. Are you not afraid?"

"That’s right, my lady. It’s too dangerous!"

Mochizuki Kureha, who was serving as Rena’s bodyguard, was also present. Having listened in silence until now, she finally spoke up.

"I am scared, of course. But this might be my chance to get Hayate back."

When she had been turned into a trophy, trapped in a space where she could see and feel nothing, terrified that someone would erase her personality, Hayate had come to save her.

To Rena, Hayate was her savior, her idol, and the person she loved. She absolutely could not lose him.

So this time, it was her turn to save him.

The enemy had managed to brainwash that Hayate. It was unlikely he had been defeated by force. She could surmise that they had used some cowardly trick to trap Hayate.

Even if he was brainwashed, her voice might be able to reach him. Rather than do nothing and lose him, she wanted to dive into danger and bet on that chance.

Thinking this, Rena declared forcefully, as if to overcome her fear.

"I will go and get Hayate back!"