novelraw Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Outside the police station, I was sitting with my back against the wall,
"Heeey, little miss."
"?"
A girl wearing a parka hood pulled deep over her head had spoken to me.
Because of the hood, I couldn't see her face well. But I could see her light-blue hair, long enough to reach her collarbones.
"What's wrong?"
"I wanted to ask for directions—do you know where the weapon shop 'Wise' is?"
"In that case, turn right at the next street and go straight—you'll see it. The sign has a big 'W' on it, so use that as your landmark."
"Okaaay. Thanx~"
The girl walks off.
"Huh?"
That's weird. I managed to talk to a stranger without getting nervous...
"Could it be that I'm growing up!?"
"Excuse me~"
"Whaah!?"
Another unknown woman had spoken to me.
"I'd like to ask directions... where is Ampatchi Street?"
"Uh, umm, stre—what was a street again!?"
"Eh?"
"About-face, lady. Cross that bridge and you'll be in Ampatchi."
The driver of a kei-truck parked next to us rolled down his window and gave the lady directions.
"Whoa! I passed it! Thank you very much!"
The lady bowed her head and headed the way she was told.
"You're really shy, kid."
"Ms. Eve... you saved me."
Y-Yeah, strangers are no good after all.
I wonder why the first girl was fine. Maybe an age thing. The first kid was probably around my generation, but the second person clearly looked and sounded like an adult...
"Come on. Get in already."
What Ms. Eve brought was the same kei-truck as before. But while the cargo bed had been empty earlier, now something was loaded under a green sheet.
"Green sheet... this shape, could it be..."
From the silhouette visible through the green sheet, I could tell what was in the bed.
"Phantom thieves are quick on their feet. So I brought the trump card."
I climb into the passenger seat.
"I'm really looking forward to riding that."
"We'll be lucky if we have time to enjoy it."
The kei-truck pulls out.
"How's Beanstalk doing?"
"Range has extended to 3.3 km. And its name changed—Beanstalk V1 became Beanstalk V2."
"The V in Beanstalk stands for version, but think of it as level."
"How high can it go?"
"I sold Growmetal to all kinds of folks, but everyone stopped at V5."
"...There are still three more stages above that, huh. Amazing. In the end it'll probably reach around 10 km range."
"Do we even need that much range? One kilometer's plenty."
"What are you saying! The longer the range the better, right? Just like how the higher a car's top speed the better, right?"
"...Can't argue with that. I get it now—range for a sniper is like top speed for a driver. Yeah, I totally get it."
The kei-truck enters the desert. Heading for the metropolis Electra.
---
After riding in the kei-truck for nearly twenty minutes, I realized something: when I'm with Ms. Eve I can talk without getting too nervous.
Ms. Eve isn't exactly my type—the cool sort. She doesn't talk a lot, but she's not gloomy either. There's consideration in every word; when I get stuck she skillfully draws the words out of me, and when I go silent she naturally changes the subject to something easier.
I thought she reminded me of someone—yes, she's a little like Mom. Mom had a laid-back personality too.
"Have you already decided what you're going to bid on at the auction?"
"Yes! I agonized over it, but I chose this."
I point the electromagnetic screen showing the item toward Ms. Eve.
"That's... a special coat."
A crimson coat, with the ends of the mantle strangely tattered. Damage processing? Or whatever you call it. Kinda chuunibyou, but honestly I really like it.
I like the design, but the main thing is its performance.
"Its name is 'Hi-Odoshi'. While equipped it permanently boosts stealth effectiveness by 1.5x."
"Up to that point it's a normal special coat."
"The interesting thing about this mantle is that it has a special mode called 'Enten'."
"What's that?"
"You can switch to Enten mode with brainwaves, and when you do you'll be clad in a scarlet energy body! The scarlet energy body is searing hot and melts anything that touches the mantle!"
The inside of the mantle isn't wrapped in energy, so unless you accidentally touch the outside there's no worry of blowing yourself up.
"So you can charge in Enten state to destroy the enemy, or in a pinch use it as a shield. Can it melt lasers too?"
"Yes! Rather than 'melt', it's said the energy body flows and deflects the laser. Enten lasts only ten seconds, but it's worth paying big money. Special coats don't circulate in the general market, and most have quirks."
Like Dust Mirage, most are environment-dependent. I've never seen a special coat effective against any time zone, any field, any opponent.
"In that regard, Hi-Odoshi doesn't pick place or opponent."
"...Terrifying."
"Right!? Terrifying performance!"
"No, I didn't mean the mantle."
Ms. Eve glanced at me,
"I meant you. You're already plenty strong, yet there's still more room for weapons and stats to grow."
"Ehehe... I'm going to get even stronger."
Still not enough! I'm still lacking everything I need to beat Tsukinami-san.
"What are you planning to win at the auction, Ms. Eve?"
"Core Engine 'Phoenix'."
The immortal bird. Another simple name.
But items with simple names like this tend to be the most powerful.
"A core engine is a power source for mechs, and this Phoenix in particular has inexhaustible high output energy as long as the conditions are met. A truly immortal core engine."
Inexhaustible energy... that's incredible.
"With this as an engine you could move a space battleship!"
"A-Amaz— Amazing! So romantic!"
"Yeah! It's romance!"
Ms. Eve and I press our faces together and laugh.
"Looking forward to the auction♪"
"Looking forward to the auction♪"
Before we knew it, the Phantom Thief part had become an afterthought.