novelraw Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Chapter 75
The battle is over. Ms. Nadra has been sent back to prison, and the captured Nadra Laboratory has been handed over to the military police. It seems that evidence of many crimes—not just Ms. Eve's case—was found in the lab.
All items in the lab have been seized as evidence by the military police. They would normally be our spoils of war, but the MPs paid us 100 million chips as compensation, so I've got no complaints.
The 300 million chips Ms. Nadra dropped + the 100 million chips we got from the MPs + the 20 million chips her subordinates dropped—420 million chips total remain in our hands.
Materials for the mechs we used this time cost 210 million chips.
The remaining 210 million was split six ways among the participants. One-sixth—35 million chips—stays with me. That's an absurdly high reward.
"Nahahaha! Thirty-five million chips for Growmetal! Never expected such a sweet payout!"
"Right?"
"Unexpected?"
Something about the conversation between Ms. Ren and Ms. Kurenai as they leave feels off to me.
"Um, excuse me. Didn't you join this operation to get Growmetal?"
"Not at all. Our real target was that four-way brawl we just had."
Ms. Kurenai points at me.
"We wanted your data from beating Tsubasa. You're still low on battle data."
"Eh!?"
Now that she mentions it, these two were recording that fight. I gave permission on the spot, but their real goal was my combat data!
"We ran forty rounds, so we collected plenty of data."
"Next time we fight, I won't lose."
The two leave Ms. Eve's workshop looking satisfied.
"You're marked by more people than you think, you know."
Nico-san taps my shoulder and says.
"Me included, of course."
"Don't tell me your goal was...!"
"My real aim was finding 'Rei.' Unfortunately, the one I wanted wasn't in Oceanus either."
"Eh!? You searched all of Oceanus in just a few days!?"
"Searching everywhere was impossible. But I did look up every famous player in Oceanus. No hits. This is gonna take a while."
Nico-san waves as he walks off. "See ya~"
"A maiden in love has it tough, nya~"
Chacha-san is straddling a near-futuristic-looking bike.
"Chacha-san, what is that?"
"A bike I built with my reward chips—nyan. Super top speed! Still tuning the brakes."
Chacha-san guns the bike and heads for the exit.
"...If the brakes aren't tuned, maybe don't ride it..."
Sure enough, Chacha-san shoots out of the workshop and plows into Nico-san. Nico-san soars about five meters and comes crashing down.
"...Chaaaaaacha!!!! What do you think you're doing!!"
"Sorry! The brake tuning isn't finished yet~. Wait, I'll make a U-turn and come back—"
"Bah!? Don't you dare turn around, you idiot!!"
"But I hit you, so I have to apologize properly..."
"Forget it! I don't want your apology—just don't come back, moron!!!"
Even after a battle like that, those two are still full of energy.
"Let me thank you again, Shiki."
Ms. Eve stands beside me, smiling.
"Thanks to you, everything's A-OK. A perfect happy ending."
"I'm glad. I'm satisfied too—I got to do what I wanted."
It wrapped up more neatly than I could have imagined.
With the bandits out of the way, Ms. Eve can go back to being a transporter. She'll still have her critics, but with her driving skills she'll shake off that bad reputation soon enough.
"All right! Then it's party time!!"
Ms. Eve throws an arm around my shoulders—she has to stretch because she's shorter.
"P-party!?"
"Yeah. Got some cash now. I'll throw you a welcome party at the Bad Joke."
The Bad Joke!? A bad joke!?
"A party!? Um, uh, I've never been to a party! I have no idea how to act!?"
"How to act? Just eat, drink, and go wild. Easier than a 10-km snipe, right?"
"A 100-km snipe would be easier for me!!"
I let Ms. Eve drag me (or rather, pull me) to the town's tavern—the Bad Joke.
It's old-school, like something out of a Western. We sit at the counter.
"Hey, Master! Brought the new guy in town."
"Oh my~, the sniper who beat Tsubasa-chan~"
The Master is a blonde woman with a holy, nun-like aura.
"I, I'm Shiki. Nice to meet you..."
"I'm Bianca. Nice to meet you~"
"Master's drinks are the best."
W-whoa, big chest. Super beautiful. Overflowing maternal vibes!
"Huh? Isn't that..."
I point at a familiar face.
"Ah, that's Furin from the MPs. She's the 'do-nothing' type. Always slacking off to drink here."
Furin-san has what looks like a waitress waiting on her and is laughing loudly. Corrupt cop much?
"Master. Something sweet for the kid, beer for me."
"Coming right up."
Two mugs arrive.
A red fizzy drink with fruit bits for me, a blue drink for Ms. Eve.
"This is beer? It's blue, not yellow..."
"Jolly Roger exclusive—Aquamarine Beer."
Then comes meat on the bone, sliced raw fish, and for some reason grilled tuna head with horns.
"Huh? Isn't that the sniper girl!?"
"Yeah! The one who beat Tsubasa!"
Oh no. I'm not sure why, but people keep gathering.
"All right, everyone! Drinks are on me tonight! Let's get rowdy!!"
When Ms. Eve raises her fist, the whole tavern raises theirs in unison.
(P-pirates. This is pirate energy... beyond extroverts, beyond the top! I'm level 1 waltzing into a recommended-communication-level-120 zone...!!)
My body locks up solid.
"Oh my, this kid's turned to stone."
"You're bold in battle but shy in conversation? A truly interesting guy."
Ms. Eve drapes an arm over my shoulder and grabs my right hand holding the mug, lifting it up.
"Well then, everybody! A toast—to the arrival of the best sniper, Shiki—cheers!!!!"
"""Cheers!!!!"""
And so I became part of the town of Jolly Roger.
"Listen up, everyone! When my truck got surrounded in the desert, know what she did? Grabbed the gatling from the cargo and—"
Eating among unaccustomed noise, unaccustomed shine, unaccustomed people.
Yet strangely, I don't feel sad or empty or bored—rather, I'm filled with something warm. Probably because these people don't have a shred of malice in their hearts.
A seaside town. A gathering place for ruffians.
The night in Jolly Roger is noisy as ever.