novelraw Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Chapter 83
W-Walther P38 "Red-Lie"......!
(S-so cool!!)
My eyes light up before I can stop them. I'm totally captivated.
No good...... I have to focus.
"......That's quite the Phantom Thief–like gun you're carrying."
"Cut the polite talk. We're closer than that."
"?"
Does this person...... know me?
It's...... weird. I'm not nervous at all facing her.
Even Ms. Eve doesn't make me tense, but this is even more so. A normal person would be at 100, Ms. Eve at about 30. But this person...... zero. Same level as Azusa-chan.
"Geez! I'm a little mad now!!"
"Eh!?"
"How come I noticed but you didn't!?"
Labyrinth puffs her cheeks like a kid. I swear I can hear a "hmph!" sound effect.
"......Um, who might you be......?"
"Hmm~. You really don't know? Your sense has always been sharp, but your intuition's dull—Rei-chan."
Memories come flooding back.
The Phantom Thief who calls me "Rei-chan." There's...... only one.
"Chihiro-chan......?"
Bang! A gunshot rings out. Labyrinth fired the Walther.
Unconsciously, reflexively, I whip my head left. The bullet grazes my right cheek instead of hitting me square.
(Damn it......!?)
I let my guard down completely. She exploited that lapse in concentration!
"Still the same reflexes. But the joy of reuniting with me made you drop your guard, huh?"
(Faster than a normal Walther! In muzzle velocity it beats a laser handgun!)
But it only grazed me. And it's live ammo. My durability dropped just 2 out of 100, and visually it's just a thin line on my cheek. I can take plenty more.
"You thought you were fine because it only grazed you, right?"
"!?"
What......?
Red lightning streaks across my vision along with noise. Each flash makes Labyrinth's form vanish.
"This is Red-Lie's power. Embed nanomachines in damaged machinery and hack the vision—your camera."
Pop. With that sound, Labyrinth disappears completely.
"Welcome to the world painted with lies."
I can't sense her form or presence at all......!
(Same as my G-AGE...... a handgun with a special effect!!)
My radar's gone haywire. Over a hundred player icons within 50 m. No way that many players are actually nearby. Red-Lie's nanomachines must be corrupting not just the camera but the radar too.
(How about my ears......)
I strain to listen.
I can hear sounds. Footsteps, breathing, cloth rustling.
I materialize my assault rifle and spray on reflex at the sounds. But the bullets only pierce empty air.
"Ahaha! Useless, useless. For a normal person maybe, but tracking me by sound alone is impossible."
I can hear her voice, yet I can't pinpoint it. The voice keeps shifting violently.
"I can bounce my voice so it seems to come from another angle, or hide speakers in blind spots and speak from everywhere at once."
"I can even combine both to scatter my voice in every direction. Tracing me by voice or breathing is impossible."
"I can erase footsteps, or create them with my voice. I can reproduce most sounds vocally—cloth rubbing, even a heartbeat."
"I can't silence thruster noise or mimic it, but if I don't use thrusters there's no sound anyway."
Her voice comes from every direction, near and far.
Footsteps vanish or multiply in swarms.
It feels like fingers stroking my inner ear. Nauseating...... I'm getting sound-sick.
Sound won't work. At least not for me. You'd need Tsubasa-san–level hearing.
(Then with the lone-wolf sensor...... huh?)
I don't feel any gaze.......
"Rei-chan, you used to be sensitive to people's stares, right? You could sense hostile intent back then."
"Your sensor should be even sharper now, so I'll watch you with zero hostility or malice. I'll look at you with the same blank emotion I'd give an insect. Your sharp sense is sealed by my lack of emotion."
Unbelievable.
Even with my mind at full throttle, the only plan I can think of is spraying randomly...... humiliating.
"Honestly, as a Phantom Thief, today I lose. This is the first time I've let the treasure escape."
"Your shooting sense is as amazing as ever. You really are incredible."
No good. I have no clue where she is. Combine Red-Lie's ability with Chihiro-chan's player skill and I'm completely lost. One hit and it's over!!
Chihiro-chan's reflexes are insane too. Unless I hit her with concentrated fire from several weapons, the bullets won't land. Random area attacks will just be dodged. I have no moves left—
"Since I couldn't steal the treasure, I'll take something precious of Rei-chan's instead."
Something precious......?
"W-what are you—mmgh!?"
My open mouth is sealed.
A girl appears right in front of me. That girl presses her lips—against mine.
"~~~~~~~~~~!!!?"
I'm being kissed.
A kiss...... a kiss!?
(M-my first......!?)
My head boils.
My thoughts melt.
The soft feel of her lips robs me of everything—strength, thought, all of it.
In that instant, Chihiro-chan's grip on me loosens.
"Pwah!!"
I shove Chihiro-chan away with both hands and put distance between us.
A "Warning" window appears in front of Chihiro-chan's face.
"Oops~, the second I tried to slip in my tongue the system slapped a warning on me~. Too baaad—"
"W-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!?"
I spray my assault rifle wildly.
"H-hey, that's dangerous!!"
Chihiro-chan throws a laser dagger and slices my assault rifle in two.
"C-Ch-Chihiro-chan!? W-why would you...... to me......!?"
"Eh? 'Cause I love cute girls. Shiki—well, your cheeks are all squishy and super cute~. Look how red your face is; you're still totally green♪"
"~~~~~~~!!!"
"If you want to go further, let's meet in real life~♪ I'll love you plenty♡"
Chihiro-chan...... grew up into this wicked woman, huh. Phantom Thieves do have that seductive side, but still.
(No good...... my head's spinning, I can't think......!)
Pull yourself together! Calm down, calm down!
"......I'll definitely pay you back for this!"
"I'll be waiting. I prefer being chased to doing the chasing."
With another flash of red lightning, Chihiro-chan vanishes from my sight.
Pursuit is impossible. I give up and holster my gun.
Thus the curtain falls on my first battle with Phantom Thief Labyrinth.