novelraw Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Chapter 85
"Wh-wh-what is this!?"
I take the newspaper from Ms. Eve, who has come up on deck, and read it.
"'Secret Meeting Atop the Skyscraper'!? 'Labyrinth's Lover'!? 'Labyrinth's Target Wasn't the Triad but This Girl'!?"
Ms. Eve puffs on her cigarette with a grin.
"Labyrinth's a dark hero, after all. The people don't want to admit she botched her theft. So they spun it—said she wasn't after the Triad, but your lips. Bit of a stretch, though."
That's way too much of a stretch!
"But you... after you left me, you went and did this? Cold. If you'd been Labyrinth's lover, you could've told me."
"She's not my lover!"
And my face during the kiss—eyes wide, bright red, totally lame...!
"!?"
What was that? Just now I felt a surge of anger from the distant sky!
N-no way...
"...Ms. Eve, um... surely the newspapers don't reach the moon, right~?"
"'Course they don't."
"Right~"
"But this is online too. Online articles can reach the moon, can't they?"
"......"
She couldn't have seen it, right? Tsukinami-san didn't see it, right?
"Hmph~, nice♪ You look great in the shot."
"Where!?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Shiki-chan does look a bit goofy there~"
Before I knew it, she was behind me, peeking at the newspaper in my hand.
"Chihiro-ch—mph!?"
"Waha~! Your cheeks are still squishy like old times~"
Chihiro-chan grabs and stretches my cheeks playfully.
"Hey!"
I shake her off and put some distance between us.
(G-AGE!)
I try to grab the G-AGE,
(Damn! I left all my weapons in the cafeteria!)
Chihiro-chan isn't in her Labyrinth form—just normal clothes: a white hoodie with bunny ears and a red mini-skirt. As Labyrinth her hair was mainly pink with blue highlights, but now it's mainly blue with pink highlights—the color scheme flipped.
"Hey, hey, why the battle stance? Something happen with this girl?"
"That girl is Labyrinth..."
"Eh!? Seriously!?"
Ms. Eve opens the system menu to check the name.
"Won't work. Of course she's hiding her player name."
Players can hide their names at will. No Phantom Thief would display one.
"......"
"Stand down, Shiki-chan. I'm not here as Labyrinth today. I've got something I want to talk about."
"Chi—um..."
Calling her by her real name "Chihiro" would break manners. Calling her "Labyrinth" feels wrong too...
"Rabi's fine."
"R-Rabi-chan. What did you want to talk about?"
"I want you to understand my real goal."
Isn't stealing treasure its own purpose?
"Aren't you a thief just for the thrill of stealing?"
"That's part of the fun. Sometimes I steal just for kicks. But this time I targeted the Triad for a reason. I can't talk details out here—let me inside."
Ms. Eve and I exchange glances. She shrugs like "whatever." I nod and lead Rabi-chan inside.
"By the way, you're super cute too. I love loli girls~. Wanna take a bath with me? I'll wash your back♪"
"Have you got a license, kid? A driver's license."
"Nope. Not old enough anyway."
"Come back after you get your license. Someone who can't even drive doesn't get to hit on me."
"Eeh? Booo!"
Chihiro-chan... became a skirt-chaser worthy of a Phantom Thief...
(After kissing me, she's already hitting on Ms. Eve... I feel... ticked off...!)
This burning in my chest—what is it...!?
"Let's talk here."
We stop in the cafeteria and sit at a table.
"To put it plainly, my goal is to become a legend!"
Rabi-chan says the moment she sits. Ms. Eve and I both let out a small sigh.
"Aren't you already plenty legendary?"
"Not nearly enough. Hey, you two, what do you think it takes to become a legend?"
Another weird question... she hasn't changed at all.
"Get the ∞Arts and you'll be a legend."
"True, but that's not what I'm aiming for. Being famous for a weapon is lame. Anything else come to mind?"
"Rather than doing something specific, wouldn't simply becoming the strongest player in this game make you a legend?"
"Exactly! Good job, Shiki-chan! That's the answer I wanted. I want the title of the strongest. To get it, I have to climb one huge mountain."
"...White Meteor, huh."
"Bingo!"
Tsukinami-san is the strongest player. Beating her would indeed be legendary.
"Idiot. You'd need the ∞Arts for that."
White Meteor—Tsukinami-san—wields the ∞Art "GodAccel." It's powerful. Too powerful. Without an ∞Art you can't even face her on the same stage.
"But here's the thing—there's a route to beat her without ∞Arts."
I recall what the auctioneer lady said during the auction.
"The Triad... orbs that grant power to whoever gathers all three..."
"Ping-ping! Correct again! Rumor is, if you collect all three Triad you can wield power equal to an ∞Art for a short time. I'll use that to take down White Meteor!"
"Don't tell me, you already..."
"Yep. I've got two of the Triad. One from the righteous route, the other from the crooked route. I just need the last one in this country to complete the set."
Rabi-chan is strong. But even with the Triad, I don't think she can beat Tsukinami-san... yet,
(The chance isn't zero. With Rabi-chan, maybe...)
Someone besides me defeating Tsukinami-san?
That... I absolutely hate the idea.
"Hey, Shiki-chan. It's time to keep your promise."
"Eh?"
Rabi-chan extends her right hand.
"Partner up with me! Let's gather the Triad together and defeat the strongest player—White Meteor!"
—"I'm going to become the great Phantom Thief, so you be the best gunslinger, okay? I'll be Lupin and you'll be Daisuke Jigen!"
The promise we once made flashes through my mind.
"Rabi-chan..."
"Let's become legends together! Shiki-chan!"