Tie was not exactly bragging, but she had learned to read quite early.

Because of that, she had probably been slightly ahead of her peers in understanding written words.

"While her friends were learning consonants and vowels, Tie was already reading books."

And by the time her friends finally began getting acquainted with books, Tie had already moved past them.

So what had she been reading back then?

Like any curious three year old, Tie searched for letters wherever they appeared within the familiar world around her.

A little more complicated.

A little more impressive.

A little longer words.

For example, descriptions printed on various boxes and packages.

Or a small label.

When she read "Caution when washing" sewn into the corner of a blanket, or "Under no circumstances should this be eaten" written above preservatives, her heart had skipped a beat.

Among those words had also been the large letters written on the back of the vacuum cleaner in the teachers’ room.

"Not for home use! Arm length!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

When Tie loudly read the letters, Berugon had frowned.

The look on his face showed complete incomprehension. Apparently he had no idea what those words meant.

Cold sweat had appeared on Tie’s back, but she smiled at Berugon with a meaningful smile.

After that, she diligently began pulling the vacuum cleaner’s cord.

When she had first learned what "Not for home use! Arm length!" meant, Tie had also been slightly surprised.

"Not for home use! Arm length! Ah, it means the cord length. The cord here is very long."

"The cord is long?"

"Yes. One meter is about this much, and here there are eight of them."

"Oh...!"

"And 'for commercial use' means the appliance is meant for large places like our kindergarten, not for houses."

"So they don’t use it at home?"

"They don’t say 'home'. Usually they say 'for household use'."

In short, the conclusion she had reached that day had been this.

The vacuum cleaner cord in the teachers’ room was for commercial use, so the cord length was eight meters.

And at that moment, it could also be interpreted in another way.

"This cord can also tie someone up so tightly they won’t even be able to move."

Tie’s heart pounded.

The streets and the piles of trash in the alley suddenly seemed strangely helpful. So many things were already tangled around Berugon’s boots that if an enormous eight meter cord were added to that, what would happen?

At that exact moment, the long cord slipped and hooked onto the outlet with a dull sound.

Tie considered it a convenient opportunity and shouted loudly.

"Lucarion! Here!"

Lucarion, who had been driving away the fog, turned around.

His gaze fell on Tie and on the bundle of black cords at her feet.

Without any further explanation, Lucarion seemed to understand Tie’s intention.

As if finishing the job, he forced the red fog into a corner and then swiftly turned.

Seeing his sudden movement, Tie’s mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Throw it!" Lucarion shouted.

Tie aimed for the moment when Lucarion would pass above her and threw the cord upward with all her strength.

As if waiting for it, Lucarion grabbed the end of the cord and moved toward Berugon.

He began tightly winding the cord ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) around Berugon’s ankles.

"Uah!"

Tie jumped with joy and looked around.

Now that Berugon’s ankles were bound, it was time to secure him properly so he would not be able to move anywhere.

A desk drawer and its handle entered Tie’s field of view.

The hole in the handle was large enough that the plug could probably be threaded through and fixed there.

"Lucarion! Here!"

Stepping over the barricade, Tie waved her hand.

Lucarion immediately understood again and nodded.

Moments later he jumped and dropped the plug end of the cord into Tie’s palm.

Tie quickly passed the plug through the hole in the drawer handle.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

She wrapped it around four times.

"King of the Dead! You bastard!"

Berugon shouted and reached his hand toward Tie.

But Tie released the cord and quickly ran to the opposite side of the cabinet.

"You little bastard! Once I catch you—!"

Berugon rushed there as well, trying to grab Tie.

But—

"Ah!"

The cord tightened, and he fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

Tie blinked nervously as she looked at Berugon writhing in pain.

"...You fell, master blacksmith."

Although it had been unavoidable, a prickling sense of guilt stabbed her chest.

"What are you doing! We don’t have time!"

There was no time for minor guilt.

Lucarion’s shout brought Tie back to her senses.

She ran to the corner of the teachers’ room where overturned boxes with school supplies were piled.

Among those boxes, Tie had only one goal.

"Found it!"

Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at the object she had discovered.

They were children’s toy police handcuffs, a prop left over from the school performance "Tell Us Your Dream", which the children from the Flower Deer class had once used while playing.

The teacher always kept those handcuffs in the teachers’ room, and Tie knew why.

"What a wonderful toy."

Toy handcuffs, toy swords, toy guns.

There was always an invisible magical power hidden inside them.

A seductive and dangerously attractive power that completely captured the minds of children.

It was enough to remember how, after those handcuffs had been left in the Flower Deer classroom for just a few days, fights had immediately started.

"I have taken these handcuffs."

With her heart pounding like a drum, Tie bravely confirmed it out loud.

"Don’t move!"

A faint hope began to bloom inside her.

"I can escape."

Take the core that Berugon was holding and escape from the subspace.

"I can do it!"

Without hesitation, Tie rushed forward.

She fastened one handcuff onto Berugon’s wrist while he groaned and twisted.

"You little monster!"

Berugon struggled, but Tie quickly locked the second cuff onto a laundry drying rack.

Bundles that Tie had used to build the barricade were lying on the rack.

"You won’t be able to take them off!"

Berugon waved his hand.

But the sturdy handcuffs and the drying rack did not move.

Tie watched him struggle without lowering her guard.

With his legs and one arm bound, Berugon looked rather embarrassed.

He glanced toward the red fog in the corner and clenched his teeth.

Then, using his free hand, he forcefully reached toward his legs.

Since one hand was restrained, he apparently intended to somehow deal with the cords wrapped around his legs.

But Tie did not miss that opportunity.

"Iyah!"

Running to the window, she grabbed the curtain with all her strength.

The curtain could not withstand her weight and tore down with a crash.

Tie bounced back up like a spring toy and stood again.

Holding the curtain with one hand, she rushed toward Berugon.

Berugon’s eyes widened, but Tie threw the curtain over him.

"What are you doing!"

Berugon tried to break free from under the curtain.

But he only had one free limb left, and it was not easy to throw the curtain off.

Before he could pull his arm free, Tie swiftly jumped on top.

"You little monster!"

When Berugon’s face and shoulders emerged from under the curtain, Tie took a deep breath.

Scarlet blood was running down Berugon’s forehead.

It seemed he had injured himself when he fell after being caught by the wires.

"Blood, blood..."

For a moment Tie hesitated, then she squeezed her eyes shut and focused.

"Tie has only one task."

Take Krazar’s core from Berugon.

And escape from the subspace.

"Tie must get out. She absolutely must get out."

The reason was not only to meet her father.

She had already made promises.

"Tie will take care of Raul and Enzo!"

"If I buy explosives, I will protect Bale!"

"As the squad leader I must be more reliable!"

She had already promised it.

As the leader of the squad, she had sworn to protect everyone.