Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #54
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 54:
Oh? Shinomiya-san is ......?
Two days
had passed since the incident in which Shinomiya-san was attacked by a
subordinate of the Hound Master.
After that,
we naturally went to the police.
It was only
to be expected, since several people had gathered around a dead body.
Fortunately,
Shinomiya-san had recorded the entire incident from before we entered the
dungeon to the end, and we each also had our own recordings, so it didn't take
long for the suspicions on us to be lifted.
However,
the questioning went on for a long time because I was saying and doing things
that made a lot of question in order to extract information from the enemy, and
in the end, they even brought out the magic item to read mind, and the
questioning went on until the next day.
Of course,
we had to take the day off from school.
Although
our efforts proved our innocence, the police found out about the high school
students' reckless attempt to pursue a serial killer.
The
interrogation took a long time, partly because of the sermon.
However,
for some reason, the sermon suddenly stopped midway through when the policeman
left the interrogation room. I wondered......
Did time run
out?
And so I
spent a long time in vain, but during the interrogation, I found one odd thing
in the officers' reactions.
It was when
they saw the scene where Anubis killed its master.
The
officers looked as if they were chewing on a bitter bug when they saw the
impossible footage of a monster card that should never be able to hurt their
master, killing the master.
Normally,
they should have been astonished, like "No way!" but their reaction
was almost as if they were thinking, "Oh, no, not again."
What I
intuitively thought was, 'Maybe something similar has happened before?'
If Ono's
data was accurate, there were more than a hundred victims of the Hound Master
in Japan. Of those, it was hard to believe that there had never been an
instance of an underling steering off like this one. The police forces were not
incompetent; they had probably tracked the underlings more than once or twice,
as they did this time.
Nevertheless,
to this day, they had not been able to arrest anyone and had not been able to
obtain conclusive evidence because the destruction of lead occurred as it did
this time, did it not?
If the
Hound Master had distributed cards like that Anubis to all of their underlings,
and if it had served as a kind of self-destruct mechanism in case of
emergency......
If the
underlings were unaware of this fact and were simply given a B-rank card called
Anubis as a reward and proof of fellowship, then .......
It would
make a little more sense as to why no one had been caught so far.
However,
questions remain about how to prepare such a large amount of Anubis and the
source of funds...
And if that
dead underling was a person who was supposed to be disposed of, it may be
difficult to trace his background back to the Hound Master.
That meant
that the investigation of the Hound Master was still ongoing.
After
completing the interrogation, I returned home to be greeted by a second round
of interrogation by my family.
The son,
who was supposed to have been on a break from his adventuring career due to
overwork, was involved in an incident and returned home after being questioned
by the police. Even my parents, who are very tolerant, were furious.
Moreover, that
son was chasing a serial killer.
I was
afraid they might take away my license,......, but though my parents knew I was
involved in the case, they didn't know that I was chasing the serial killer.
As
expected. I also questioned the police's handling of the issue.
Normally,
if a minor, even an adventurer, is chasing after a vicious criminal, they would
call the guardians to stop them.
Or rather,
it was already odd for the police not to have contacted my parents when I was
first attacked by the Hound Mater.
The fact
that the police stopped preaching to us in the middle of it also made me
suspicious.
I wondered
if I was being manipulated by the government or the police.
The dungeon
in which I was diving had disappeared. I wondered if the government suspected
that I held the key to the disappearance of the dungeon.
Perhaps in
order to find out the reason why I was targeted by the Hound Master, they set
me free and let me wander around.
Or perhaps
it was the other way around. If the country suspected that the Hound Master was
the key to the disappearance of the dungeon and that I am chasing the Hound
Master because I know that ...... it would make sense.
Well, in
reality, I do not hold the key to the disappearance of the dungeon, and my
pursuit of the Hound Master is simply a matter of stubbornness,......, but I'll
let them misunderstand here on their own.
At any
rate, I am lucky that the police did not inform my parents that "Your son
was chasing a serial killer."
If they had
found out, my adventuring career would have been over for sure.
I managed
to persuade my parents by putting forward the justification for my actions:
"I was talking with female juniors at a family restaurant when the rescue
request came, so I had no choice but to head there," and "It was a
female friend of mine who was being attacked, and if we hadn't been there in
time, she would have been killed."
As
expected, it was difficult to stay angry at a son who had helped others.
Nevertheless, they told me, "Your act is admirable, but next time, put
your own life first......"
I thought I
had managed to escape my parents' pursuit, but the hard part started from
there.
My mother
and the other moms eyes lit up and they persistently asked me "What kind
of relationship you have with the junior girls you had talked to after
school?", and "Who is the girl in your class that you rescued?"
Their
pursuit was more relentless than those of the police detectives, and it took a
toll on my already exhausted spirit.
That was
why I was exhausted from the morning.
"Aah......
I want to skip school....."
I want to go
to a manga cafe and get a good night's sleep for 12 hours.
...... Well,
I'm not going to do it.
My school
was surprisingly strict about absenteeism, and they would call your house if
you were late for your first period.
Besides... I
am also concerned about my reputation at school.
To my
classmates who didn't know anything about the incident, it would just look like
I was absent from school the day after I got involved with Shishido.
The school
probably wouldn't explain that I was involved in an incident, so there was a
possibility that I would be rumored to have a 'tofu mentality' by now.
If I took
the day off again, the rumor would be established as fact.
On the
other hand, if it was just one day, it could be dismissed as a simple case of
being sick.
Therefore,
no matter how lazy I am, I have to go to school today.
So, with
heavy steps, I headed to the school.......
"Ah,
Shinomiya-san."
By chance,
I bumped into Shinomiya-san at the entrance to school.
"--Marocchi! C, come here a second!"
She pulled
me by the hand and took me to an out-of-the-way place behind the staircase.
"Is it
okay, here? Marocchi, thank you so much for the day before yesterday."
"Ah,
un... Um, is everything okay?"
I had
confirmed that she wasn't hurt from the way she appeared when I helped her, but
I don't know if her mental state was good enough.
She was
usually a strong girl, but she was also a girl her age, and since she was
attacked by a thug, it was not surprising if she had a trauma with men.
However,
she laughed and seemed unaffected.
"Un, I'm
totally fine. Thanks to Marocchi's help, I'm not hurt. By the way, there's
something I'd like to ask you about that time..."
Shinomiya-san
said somewhat awkwardly. I could pretty much predict the content of the
question...
"Do you
know anything about that criminal?"
"Ah,
yeah..."
"Well...
to put it simply, I've been following that criminal..., or rather, their
group."
"Eh...
you mean you were investigating criminals? Even though you're a high school
student?"
Shinomiya-san
looked at me nervously, and I nodded with a wry smile.
"Well,
I'm aware that I'm doing something dangerous. ...But I was also attacked by
that group of criminals..."
"Ah,
could it be, it caused Renge-chan and the others to be Lost...?"
When I
nodded, she put her hand on her forehead and looked up at the sky.
“Ah...
So it's like that, I see.”
"...So,
what's going on with you, Shinomiya-san?"
I was a
little hesitant about whether or not I should ask, but in the end I decided to
give it a try.
I thought
that since she had heard about my situation, she might also talk about hers.
"Ah~, -well,
in short, I accepted the offer from the scout I told you about before."
"...Didn't
I warn you that there have been cases that mainly targets newcomers?"
I said a
little angrily, and she looked away awkwardly...
"Uh... I
remember that... but my mom collapsed."
"...Well,
that's-"
I looked
away awkwardly this time.
"Ah,
don't worry, it's not a serious illness. If she just rest after the surgery, it
will heal normally. But the main cause is overwork..."
"......"
I was born
and raised in a relatively wealthy home, and it was hard for me to comment on
such a family situation, so when I clammed up and couldn't say anything.....
"Well,
that's no use worrying about my mother. I was scolded a lot."
Seeing me
like that, Shinomiya-san jokingly said so. I also chuckled bitterly. I was also
scolded a lot.
“So,
are you going to become an adventurer from now on?”
"No,
something like that happened out of the blue after all. I had to call for help
straight at the beginning, and I lost the card that the agency had given
me..."
By the
way, the cost of the rescue call was not borne by the individual, since it was
considered an emergency case. However, depending on the terms of the contract,
the card lent to her by the agency could be problematic.
".....If
there is some kind of compensation for the card, I'll be happy to help
you."
"Oh,
that stuff is fine. The contract itself was never made, and on the contrary, I
could get quite a bit of compensation."
Compensation...no
matter how you look at it, it's probably hush money or something like that.
An affiliated
talent who became an adventurer at the request of the agency was attacked on
the first day. The situation could raise suspicions about the involvement of
the agency in the incident itself, and they probably wanted to make the
contract itself disappear as soon as possible.
Otherwise,
it would be hard to believe that they would pay a large amount of compensation
to an unknown new model like Shinomiya-san, although I hate to say it.
...Well,
everything turned out to be a blank slate, she was safe, and she got some
money, so if you look at it as a whole, you might say it was a positive thing.
"But,
you know... you really saved my life... Seriously, that was cool."
As I was
thinking to myself, Shinomiya-san's cheeks dyed slightly and she whispered
softly.
"Ah, uh,
yeah... you're welcome. Well... it's just a coincidence."
"The
outcome, the outcome is the most important for the person who was saved. I'd
like to thank you for that... Do you, have any request?"
Shinomiya-san
said this while fiddling with her hair restlessly.
"Mm~m"
I'm not
sure what to do. Since it was truly a
coincidence that I helped her, I feel reluctant to receive anything in return
from her. However, I understand that in a situation like this, it would be a
little consoling to show some gratitude.
Ah, that's
right! A flash of inspiration flashed through my head.
"Then,
I'll take your word for it."
"Oh, un! What, what? Tell me anything!"
Her face
lit up, and I scratched my cheek while saying,
"Um, ask
you to set up a place for me and Ushikura-san to hang out
together...maybe?"
“————……………………”
A pause,
and Shinomiya-san halted.
“……………………………………………………”
"Uh... I
guess it's no good?"
"............Unh? No..? It's fine. You
want to go have fun with Shizuka alone, right? Okay~."
Shinomiya-san
said with a smile.
Yosh! I inwardly strike a fist-pump.
To tell the
truth, I had not been able to make another approach to her since she turned me
down for Christmas.
Partly
because I was busy with my adventuring activities, but also because I just
didn't have the courage to ask her out again after she had already turned me
down once.
The reason
I had been able to go for it in the past was also because I had nothing to
lose.
I had come
so far as to be able to talk to her normally, and I didn't want to ruin that
relationship.
However, I
also didn't want to stay like this forever.
If she gets
a boyfriend while I'm keeping my fingers crossed, I'll regret it.
It's kind
of pathetic to ask her friend to act as an intermediary when inviting a girl
you like, but Shinomiya-san will probably feel better if she doesn't have to
owe me anything.
I felt like
praising myself for having such a nice idea.
"So, do
you have a specific time that would be good?"
"Ah...I
have a lot going on right now, so I'll let you know when things have settled
down."
"O.K. I
understand"
Well, I've
been having a lot of bad luck lately, but I think my luck is finally changing,
no?
I was
grinning when .......
"Then
let's go to class."
Suddenly,
Shinomiya-san took my hand.
“Ah,
yeah.”
Shinomiya-san
pulled me by the hand and we headed to the classroom.
I was
stunned by the soft touch of her hand, which was completely different from that
of a man's, and I felt strangely embarrassed as the other students looked this
way with surprised eyes.
However,
while I was wondering what was going on and if I should shake her off, we
reached the classroom.
As I was
thinking that I should let go of her hand, Shinomiya-san opened the door with a
thud.
The sound
of the door being opened with such force drew all eyes in the classroom.
When they
saw us, they were even more astonished to see our hands clasped together.
But soon
after, our classmates gathered around.
"Good
morning, Kitagawa!" "I heard, you know!" You saved Shinomiya-san from being
attacked by another adventurer in the dungeon?" "That's
amazing!" "I guess there are dangers in the dungeon besides
monsters." "Adventurers earn a lot of money, but it's dangerous after
all."
"Eh? Huh......?!"
W, what, what
is this!
I looked at
them with blank eyes as they kept harping on about it.
How did
these guys know about this? Now,
the answer would be only one......?
When I
looked at Shinomiya-san, she gave me a light wink.
......Based
on common sense, a woman who was almost assaulted by someone should want to
keep that story hidden from the public. Even if the majority of people
sympathize with her, a small group of vile people may make fun of her and start
rumors about her.
Despite
this, the story was spread so widely...... for my sake?
I guess she
herself told the story to boost my falling reputation after the incident with
Shishido the other day.
Looking around
the classroom, I saw that the eyes of my classmates had suddenly turned
favorable, and Shishido's group looked away awkwardly when their gazes met
mine.
Shishido
was not among them. I wondered if it had become so difficult to see each other
after everything that had happened recently.
When the
wave of classmates had receded, Ushikura-san spoke to us,
"Good
morning, Kitagawa-kun. Regarding Kaede-chan, thank you so much."
She said
this with a sincere smile, and I was about to say back to her, "Don't
worry about it, it's just a coincidence," when I suddenly realized
something.
No, wait, is
it really a coincidence?
The dungeon
that Shinomiya-san was diving into was not far from the family restaurant we
were at. And Ushikura-san had confirmed that day that I would be getting
together with the others at the usual family restaurant.
".....Maybe,
you, induced Shinomiya-san so that I could help her in case of an
emergency?"
"Huh?
What do you mean?"
Shinomiya-san
looked at Ushikura-san in surprise at my words.
"Ahaha...it's
not much of an inducement, but I thought Kitagawa-kun might be able to help if
something were to happen if it was near that family restaurant."
"Eh, but
I didn't tell Shizuka that I was going to dive into the dungeon that day, and I
chose the dungeon myself."
"Even if
you say you won’t do it with your mouth, I know when you really don't mean it.
We've known each other since before kindergarten, right? Also, with
Kaede-chan's personality, I'm sure she'll try to enter the dungeon right away
before she changes her mind. I was just instilling the characteristics of the
dungeon near that family restaurant as a recommended dungeon for beginners to
Kaede-chan from a long time ago......"
No, that's
what people call induction......
Shinomiya-san's
cheeks twitched as she realized that she had been completely rolled in the palm
of Ushikura-san's hand.
"Uwah~,
it's been a while since I've seen you out here, Black Shizuka."
"Stop
calling me Black~!"
"Hahaha......
but thank you, Shizuka...... "
"You're
welcome!"
Okay,
that's a good thing,......, As I watched the heartwarming scene between the two
beautiful girls from such a close distance, a hand tapped me on the shoulder.
"Good
morning, Shishou. You did a good job right off the bat."
"Good
morning, Ono. Well, it was a complete coincidence, or rather, it was arranged
by Ushikura-san."
"The
result. The result is what matters."
The same
line as Shinomiya-san made me laugh.
“With this,
your reputation that went down because of Shishido is back to normal…or even
went up. Quite a feat.”
"Or
should I say, it's because you spread this story."
Ono
grinnned.
Shinomiya-san was also absent yesterday. Despite this, the reason it was
spreading throughout the class today was because there was someone who spread
it after getting it from the source. This guy was the only one who could have
done that.
"By the
way, is that guy Shishido absent today?"
When I
asked that question, Ono's face became serious.
"Hm?
Yeah, since yesterday......."
"Yesterday?
No way..."
"The
teacher said yesterday that it was just a cold."
Oh, it was
just a cold?
No.......
"Just in
case, Ono, you should advise the guys from Shishido's group through your
messenger. Tell them, at least, never let him go into the labyrinth alone by
all means."
"I've
already told them that. As expected, now is not the time. Shinomiya-san was
attacked, and even Shishido should restrain himself after this.''
He already
did it? Come to think of it, he told me
to leave the follow-up to him. As expected of Ono.
"Well,
let's put that topic aside for now. .....About the victims' adventurers'
circle, I found it out."
"Huh!
...How was it?"
"Completely
black. The adventurers' circles to which the victims belonged were all
affiliated with the Star Mother Association. However, the members were only
interested in card exchange events and things like that, and didn't seem to be
interested in the activities themselves.”
"Really……"
The
connection is clear now, huh?
But......
I suddenly
think.
If the Star
Mother Association is the culprit, why would they attack the followers of the
organization......?
Is it a
strategy to avert suspicion by daring to attack the followers?
Then it would
be safer to pretend that they have nothing to do with it.
If the Star
Mother Association is the culprit, wouldn't they, on the contrary, attack their
own followers......?
Or is the
goal itself to make people think so?
Is it the
other way around or the other way around and beyond?
At any
rate, I sent the current information to Oribe and Anna.
***
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