Volume 2 Chapter 4.1
Back Alley Skits, Magic Hour Attacks Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
Casper appeared in
front of the bus stop where Nina had agreed to meet him, dressed so stylishly
that it was impossible for her to look at him directly.
First of all, the
number of accessories he was wearing was outrageous. As if he had never heard
of the concept of refrain, silver rings were attached to both of his wrists and
to all of its 10 fingers. His clothes were also all black, and to Nina, he
looked as if he were performing some kind of black magic ritual.
"That's quite a
unique attire......"
"Is it? I'm
trying to be rather modest today."
Of course, Casper
would not have noticed the sarcasm, and for some reason, he only laughed in a
humble way.
Nina was taking a walk
around the dormitory when she was approached and asked out on a date at around
eight o'clock this morning. The reason there were three hours of free time
before the meeting was probably because he was carefully selecting his outfits.
Just like last time,
Nina was to follow the instructions that were sent to her from the small
transceiver plugged into her ear. However, since Jin was waiting at the knife
workshop, the signal could not reach the bus heading for the downtown area.
This also meant that
she would have to use her own judgment when talking aboard the bus.
"Sorry,
Nina-chan. I know it's not really nice of me to suddenly ask you out on the
very same day......"
"It's okay, I was
free today anyway."
Actually, Nina wanted
to sleep all day to recover from yesterday's fatigue, but this is also an
important task, so there was nothing she could do.
She wasn't
enthusiastic about the date itself to begin with, but since Jin had prepared so
well, she couldn't get off the bus without his approval.
─Right, when I first rode this bus, Jin was next to
me......
Nina shook the memory
that suddenly came to her mind.
No. I have to
concentrate on my current task.
"By the way,
Casper-san, why are you carrying a guitar case?"
"Well. I promised
you last time that I would write a song about how wonderful you are. I'm still
a beginner, but I hope I can convey this passion to you."
"...... If you
seriously insist on singing, I'll leave as fast as I can."
─I don't know how serious this guy is.
Jin reminded her to be
on her guard, but talking to Casper like this, it seemed unlikely that he is
the <shepherd's dog>.
"Come to think of
it, Nina-chan, there are members of the <White Knights> in your family,
right?"
She didn't expect such
a question to come flying at her.
Nina turned the
tension switch back on once more.
"...... Yes, my
two older brothers belong to it. Did I mention it before?"
"I read in a
newspaper article or something, is it true that they don't even tell their
families about the specifics of their work?"
"Since it's that
kind of a job, it certainly seems that there is a strong obligation to maintain
confidentiality. We never know where spies from other countries might be hiding
after all."
"It must be very
difficult not being able to talk about one's true motives even with one's own
family......"
She could not clearly
read the emotions from Casper's face as he said this.
At least, there was no
trace of acting there. Did he really just bring up the current topic as part of
some casual conversation?
The conversation
quickly moved in another direction, but Nina couldn't shake the feeling of
discomfort until the bus arrived at its destination.
After getting off the
bus, they walked for a while through the downtown area, which was lined with
street stores. Following the directions she had memorized last night, Nina saw
the store she was looking for in a deserted alleyway.
The stylishly written
sign reading <Wates & Pete's Cutlery> was of such high quality that
it was hard to believe that it had been completed in one night. Gasta, the
landscaper whom she had met several times, had a rough appearance, but his
workmanship was surprisingly delicate. The unmotivated-looking clerk - a face
she had seen when she had built the pit at the school before - was one of Gasta's
most trusted subordinates, and it seemed he knew about Nina and Jin's
circumstances.
Anyway, the small
transceiver signal could reach her now.
Nina focused her
attention on the noisy instructions she could hear in her ear.
[Nina, if you can hear
my voice, tilt your head to the left. ...... Okay. Let's reconfirm the
arrangements.]
Entering the
surprisingly spacious store, she listened while acting as if she was gazing
intently at the knives.
[Five minutes from
now. The three men will enter the store just in time for the counter clerk to
be shifted. One of them has a gun, but don't worry.
Mr. Heath, who sold
them the gun, has made it so that the bullets won't come out. Their gang is so
small that they can't even afford to consume bullets for test firing, so they
don't know about it at all.]
Jin must be watching
them from behind the hidden door behind the counter.
As for Nina, she has
no choice but to trust the information given to her by her accomplice.
[While the two of them
intimidate the waiter and the customers, the remaining one is planning to find
the finest quality goods in the wooden crate. The rest is up to you, Nina, to
successfully incite Casper to do his bidding. As long as we find out his
psychic abilities' true nature, today's objective will be accomplished.]
Nina tapped lightly on
her ear to convey her understanding.
Casper, who was
unaware of the skit that was about to unfold in the store, looked at the knives
on display with a childlike gleam in his eyes.
"Hee, I didn't
know there were so many different kinds of knives."
They still had a few
minutes before the attack, so she decided to continue her conversation.
"Yes. Knives are
often associated as something dangerous, but in fact, many of them are very
artistic."
"Yeah, I can see
why you're into knives, Nina-chan."
"See, what do you
think of this one? It has a design of a snake coiled around the handle, and it
looks very difficult to use, doesn't it?"
"Certainly, I
don't think I could use it for cooking."
"Artistry and
practicality don't necessarily match well together, after all. Look at this one
with the unusually long blade─"
"Everybody raise
your hands!"
The robbers, who had
appeared two minutes earlier than scheduled, raised their voices.
The three men were
wearing black balaclavas to hide their faces, and the tallest man was clutching
a pistol.
As per the script she
had thought up beforehand, Nina whimpered.
"......
Casper-san. Looks like we've been caught up in an unfortunate event."
"Looks like it,
Nina-chan. What shall we do?"
Contrary to the clerk
who surrendered easily, the two of them kept a relaxed expression on their
faces.
The leader of the
group, who had sensed their unusual reaction, came up to them and said,
"What are you
guys whispering about!?"
"You see, it's because
we're on a date."
"Can't you see
your situation!? We have guns!"
Although she knew
there was no danger, this situation still made her tremble with fear. Nina
smiled, trying her best to suppress the urge to run away.
"Ahaha, do you
think you can handle us with just that thing?"
Laughing in annoyance,
Casper lightly tapped the robber on the shoulder.
"Nina-chan, looks
like they really mean it."
"D-Don't tell me
you guys are heretics-......."
Casper must not know
that the pistol has been tampered with. And yet it was clearly outrageous that
he could behave in this manner.
[All right, Nina, go
incite Casper.]
"...... What's
the matter? If your hand shakes so much, you wouldn't be able to aim properly."
After clearing her
throat, Nina turned to Casper.
"By the way,
Casper-san. I may look like this, but I'm a pacifist, and I don't want to
slaughter humans unnecessarily, no matter how many robbers there are."
"I see, you're
very kind, Nina-chan......"
"And I have my
doubts about your ability. No matter how meager the alliance may be, if your
psychic abilities are nowhere near as good as Karen-san's, then there's no
merit for me."
"...... Huh, wait
a minute? Nina-chan, is there some kind of halo shining above you?"
"Umm, are you
listening?"
"Haha, I
know," Casper laughed lightly, "Shall I crush these annoying people a
little bit then?"
Flames of murderous
intent lit up the eyes that peeked through the red hair's gaps.
Casper slowly lifted
his right hand and thrust his outstretched palm in front of the robber's face.
Five fingers slowly
closed as if to crush it. Then the robber suddenly began to scream in agony.
The hunched-over man retreated pitifully, his eyes fixed on Casper as if he
were looking at something terrifying.
"Y-You, that
was......."
"Don't look away,
look carefully. And remember how lucky you are to know the cause of your
death."
"Hiiih~, you
monster......!"
It was not clear if it
was a matter of angle or whatever was going on. Perhaps because it was only a
moment, the two remaining robbers who rushed to the scene didn't seem to
understand either.
─But there is no doubt that there is something with his
right hand.
"This is the last
warning I'm going to give you now."
Casper stated coldly
as he slowly approached the frightened robbers.
"If you don't
want to get yourself killed, you've got ten seconds to get the hell out of
here. Ten, nine, eight ...... Oh shit, I'm getting tired of counting. Alright,
let's change it to three seconds. Three, two......."
The frightened man
shouted at his companions, who still didn't seem to realize the gravity of the
situation.
"L-Let's get out
of here, guys! This guy's nuts......!"
"Come on, hurry
up. Don't ever interrupt my date again!"
The robbers ran away
as fast as they could, dragging their friends, who were too stunned to stand
up, along with them.
─Only a really strong person can repel an opponent with
threats alone.
And it is not just a
bluff, like Nina's, that is a combination of bad reputation and acting. The
robbers clearly were terrified by what they witnessed.
Something so vicious
that the robbers were so frightened and yet could instantly understand the
danger - what exactly did Casper generate with his psychic ability?
Nina had no clue, even
though she had him use his psychic ability right in front of her. All the time
and money spent on this farce was wasted.
[I couldn't see the
true nature of his ability. It can't be helped, Plan B.]
Nina hastily switched
her thoughts.
Determining Casper's
psychic ability is the only a way to maintain the alliance with Karen. So, this
is not the time to be losing one's composure.
What is truly
important for Nina and Jin is to find the answer to the suspicion that Casper
may be the <shepherd's dog>. Originally, this plan was a two-step plan.
"What do we do
now, Casper-san? Shall we go into another store before the police show up and
make things troublesome for us?"
According to Jin, the
experience of overcoming an unusual crisis together can help break down
psychological barriers. If they can find a moment to loosen Casper's guard,
they may be able to detect signs that he is connected with the school's
headmaster.
However, Casper was
merely scratching his head with an awkward look on his face.
[He is not responding
very well. Nina, give another push.]
"...... What's
wrong? Let's get out of here."
"Ah, hold on a
second."
Casper kept his
languid smile on his face, turned his back to Nina, and began to walk toward
the back of the store.
His action was so
natural that Nina could not immediately perceive that this was an urgent
situation.
─Wait a minute, Jin is still at the back of the
store.......
She desperately tried
to formulate an excuse to stop Casper, but it was unlikely that she would be
able to do so in time.
Driven by frustration,
her heartbeat grew faster and it became difficult for her to breathe well. She
even had the illusion of despair seeping out from the corners of the ceiling
like a black mist.
"I've been
feeling a presence since a while ago."
Casper, not heeding
the clerk who was trying to stop him, reached out his hand to the wall behind
the counter.
"Hey, clerk. This
is definitely a hidden door, right?"
Casper pushed on the
brick wall and a rectangular outline appeared on the wall. A metal shaft was
threaded through the shorter side of the rectangle, and the hidden door rotated
around it.
Casper smiled like an
explorer who had discovered a hidden treasure and entered the darkened office
in the back.
What excuse would they
use to get out of this predicament?
─Pretend that Jin is hired as a part-timer?
No, that would
be too unnatural, especially given that students at the Heiberg Academy receive
monthly subsidies.
─Shall I assert that I didn't know anything about it?
No, Casper,
who already doubts the relationship between them, will not be deceived.
Nina felt a sense of
foreboding as she realized that hell awaited her at the end of every option.
This would be the end
of their fraud.
If Casper were the
<shepherd's dog>, the two fraudsters would be chased out of the school
and left to rot in the dark.
"..................
Huh?"
Nina's bad
imagination, however, was quickly negated.
Behind the hidden door
- the room where Jin was supposed to be hiding - was completely empty. There
were only two very simple office desks lined up side by side, and no sign of
life.
"That's strange,
I definitely felt a presence here."
"......
Casper-san, let's stop here. You're being rude to the clerk."
"Ah! S-S-S-Sorry,
Nina-chan! That's not what I intended!"
Casper bowed his head
while apologizing excessively even to the clerk. He even broke out in a cold
sweat, showing that he was truly sorry, apparently.
[...... Nina, let's
call it a day.]
She could hear Jin's
voice in her ear, and she almost screamed.
Since it was Jin, he
would probably go so far as to prepare even more sneaky measures in the hidden
room. Whatever the case, Nina was glad he was safe.
Nina let out a sigh
and lowered her tone of voice.
"I think we
should end it for today."
"Wait, I've still
got ten different date plans in my hand. ......
"That's for
another time. Well, see you later."
"Aaah, wait,
Nina-chan! I'm sorry~!"
Nina walked away into
the crowd, pushing aside her fear of turning her back on an opponent.
Casper screamed
pitifully for a while, but did not try to chase after her.
◆
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