novelraw Chapter 175
Chapter 175
Chapter 175
First, let’s start by identifying the problem.
Why were all the balls Evangeline threw missing by such an unbelievable margin?
The reason was obvious just by glancing at her movements. No, rather than saying there was a single cause… it was simply a total disaster.
‘Her throwing power is weak, and her posture is terrible.’
She was just like a little child still unfamiliar with using her body. She could fire off a fireball just fine, so why couldn’t she throw a ball?
Well, in any case, if I listed every flaw, the list would be endless. She was just plain clumsy.
I had coaxed her with words like, ‘Show them what you’ve got,’ but even I didn’t have some miraculous way to suddenly improve Evangeline’s throwing fundamentals.
Instead.
I had a cheat code.
“Alright, throw it again.”
“Uuuum…”
Evangeline hesitated as she held the ball with both hands. Seeing her tiny hands barely able to wrap around a baseball, I couldn’t help but smile like a dad. But now wasn’t the time to lose focus.
‘Module Online, [Cloud Spider].’
When Evangeline got into throwing posture, I secretly activated the module. Black gloves wrapped around my hand as I spread out threads in all directions with delicate precision.
“Hehe, it’s gonna miss again anyway!”
“Waste of time, waste of time!”
Those damn brats mocked her from the side. Evangeline’s eyes welled up with tears again, but then she looked at me.
I silently nodded.
“…Hoo.”
Evangeline took a deep breath.
And then.
“Eiit!”
With a cute shout, she threw the ball with all her strength. And that was the moment for me to act.
I focused my mind.
In an instant, everything slowed.
The ball softly touched the threads I had already spread in the air. At the same time, the cybernetic device wrapped around my cerebral cortex calculated the result in 0.001 seconds.
At this rate, Evangeline’s ball would miss again. Too weak, the trajectory completely wrong. I could already see her becoming the boys’ laughingstock once more.
But that was fine.
I carefully moved the threads, wrapping the ball floating in midair. Then I adjusted its path as naturally as possible.
The baseball flew toward the blocks.
Now that the direction was fixed, the speed was next.
Like whipping a horse’s rear, I used a few strands to gently tap the back of the ball.
‘Careful not to cut it…!’
I had always used [Cloud Spider] for slicing monsters or people’s necks, so controlling my strength was tricky. If I applied too much force, Evangeline would immediately notice that I had helped.
So I did it very, very lightly.
Just enough to knock down the blocks.
I focused all my nerves into accelerating the ball.
And then—
Craaaash!
The ball struck the blocks beautifully, shattering the target area before rolling onto the floor.
Strike!
“……!”
“……!”
A moment of silence.
The shopkeeper was surprised, the brats were surprised, and Evangeline was surprised. Especially Evangeline—her eyes widened as if even she couldn’t believe she had thrown that ball, and she looked straight at me.
I gave her a grin and said,
“See? You can do it just fine.”
“…Yeah!”
Evangeline nodded hard, brimming with newfound confidence, and grabbed the ball again. I reset the threads, preparing to support her throws once more.
What followed was a storm of pitching. Evangeline threw balls wildly, and I worked diligently to cover her.
Craaaash! Boom!
Every time she threw, piles of blocks collapsed satisfyingly. She even destroyed the targets the brats had aimed for, and knocked over freshly stacked block towers faster than they could, greedily monopolizing the score.
“Haa… haa…”
After sweeping away the blocks in grand fashion, Evangeline’s basket was empty. All the balls had been used up. In exchange, her score display flashed with the number “999” along with fanfare congratulating the winner.
“T-this is cheating!”
“Stop cheating!”
The boys, flustered by Evangeline’s sudden skill boost, turned red in the face, but Evangeline just gave a smug snort.
“Cheating? Who’s cheating here, I ask?”
“Uuugh…!”
The kids ground their teeth in frustration.
Evangeline’s tattered pride had been instantly restored.
And then—
“Ah, there you are! Why are you running around on your own! Didn’t I tell you not to get lost—huh!”
An Academy student, looking like the kids’ guardian, hurriedly ran over. Judging by his uniform, he seemed to be a 3rd year in the Tactical Combat Department. But the moment he saw my face, he froze like ice.
The kids, however, didn’t notice anything and whined to their older brother.
“Big bro! Big bro! Hurry, throw this! Show that girl what you can do!”
“Now that our big brother’s here, you’re all finished!”
“W-what?”
The young man looked flustered at his brothers’ request. But before he knew it, a ball had been shoved into his hand.
“W-wait, you guys. What are you saying? What do you expect me to do?”
“Prove that you’re the strongest Adaptee in the Academy!”
“Beat that mister and that girl to a pulp!”
“Hey! Where did you learn to talk like that!”
“Anyway, hurry up!”
The more the kids pressed him, the paler his face became. His eyes darted nervously toward me, sweat dripping heavily down his forehead.
At just a single word from me, he looked like he would drop to the ground in a full bow. But his clueless little brothers kept pestering him, making things worse.
I smiled faintly and asked the young man,
“Care to have a match with me?”
“Y-yessir!? N-no! I mean—!”
“Your brothers seem to expect a lot from you. Wouldn’t it be nice to show them something cool?”
I gave the shopkeeper a glance, and he quickly nodded, resetting the game to ‘Adaptee Mode.’ The blocks changed to steel-like material, and the distance more than doubled.
“Go ahead, throw first.”
“Ah, understood.”
“If you try to hold back your strength, I won’t let it slide.”
“Ah, uh…”
At my words, the young man wore a half-crying expression and awkwardly took a pitching stance. Under the expectant gazes of his younger brothers, he swung his arm with all his might, and the baseball cut through the air splendidly to smash the target.
Craaaash—!
The cheerful shattering sound made the little boys cheer wildly for their brother, but the more they cheered, the paler the young man’s face grew as he kept glancing at me. He was clearly torn between whether he should throw the game to lose on purpose or keep following my command to give it his all.
I gave him another sharp look, ordering him not to hold back, and he made a “to hell with it!” face as he threw ball after ball.
I wasn’t imagining the tears brimming in his eyes.
Crash! Craaash!
As expected of an Adaptee, he displayed control an ordinary person could never imitate, toppling the blocks one after another.
Finally, with his last throw, he landed a clean strike, earning the admiration of his brothers. Then, cautiously, he glanced at me.
Now, it was my turn.
Let me say in advance: I had no intention of using my full strength here like some clueless brute. No matter how cheeky those brats had been, showing off my power against children would have been far from dignified… well, though if I were being honest, it was far too late to pretend I had dignity left.
Still, if I half-heartedly threw, those insolent boys would just run their mouths again. So I decided to find a middle ground.
“Mhm.”
I gripped the ball handed to me by the shopkeeper and flicked my wrist lightly, throwing it.
And in the very next moment—
Boooom—!
The ball burst from my hand at well over 400 km/h, screaming toward the blocks with terrifying force.
But it missed the target by about 1 cm, instead slamming into the net behind.
Rippp—!
After about three seconds of desperately holding, the net finally tore, letting the ball through. Even then, the ball didn’t stop, smashing into the steel plating behind with a deafening clang before finally coming to rest.
“……”
“……”
Silence fell over the area.
But I shook my head calmly.
“Ah. I missed. My control was sloppy. I lost.”
Admitting defeat, I accessed the database and transferred several tens of thousands of Credits to the young man’s student account.
“P-president? What is this…?”
“The price of losing the bet. With this, your brothers can enjoy the festival to their hearts’ content.”
“Gasp, th-thank you! What are you doing, you two, hurry and bow!”
The young man pressed down on his brothers’ heads, making them bow. The little boys, though confused, obediently followed his instruction and expressed their thanks.
I also gave the shopkeeper a generous amount of Credits to cover the game and any damages. His eyes widened at the sudden large transfer.
“Th-this is far too much…”
“It’s fine. Instead, I’d like to take that one.”
I pointed to the largest teddy bear in the shop. Evangeline’s eyes had been sparkling, clearly screaming, “I want that one!” since earlier.
When Evangeline received the teddy bear, her face lit up with pure happiness. It was far too big for her to carry, though, so I figured I’d have to hold it for her.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“Think nothing of it.”
Leaving behind the bowing student and the shopkeeper, I took Evangeline’s hand and walked away. Seeing her little-witch smile stretch all the way to her ears warmed even my heart.
And once again, I realized.
Yes, money really was good to have.
After lunch, I explained to Evangeline that I had things to do in the afternoon. From here, she would have to enjoy the festival with Maria or someone else.
“…Does it truly have to be now?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph. Then there’s no helping it. Very well.”
Though reluctant, Evangeline accepted my circumstances. But the condition was that I would stay with her until Maria came to fetch her.
I contacted Maria, telling her to come pick up Evangeline, and she replied in her usual calm, diligent tone, “Please wait a moment. I’ll be there shortly.”
I waited with Evangeline in front of the elevator Maria would be riding. The display showed the 249th floor, which meant Maria had boarded.
And then.
Holding my hand, Evangeline suddenly spoke.
“Thank you, Aaron.”
“For what?”
“For what happened at the game earlier. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Evangeline chuckled.
But I feigned ignorance.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, let’s leave it at that.”
Smiling, Evangeline gestured for me to lower my head. Wondering what she had to say, I set down the teddy bear and knelt slightly. Then she whispered in my ear—
“You were really cool today, Aaron.”
Smooch.
Something soft brushed against my cheek.
A bit startled by the sensation, I hesitated. In that moment, Evangeline snatched up the teddy bear, hugging it tightly against her chest.
Half-burying her face in the plush, she peeked up at me with a bashful smile. Her small cheeks, peeking through the white fluff, blushed red like apples.
Ding.
Just then, the elevator arrived, and Maria stepped out. Her magical girl wand and round glasses were gone—likely left behind in her office.
Before Maria could even greet me, Evangeline hurriedly grabbed her arm.
“Eh, Evangeline…?”
“Come on, let’s go, Maria! That way!”
Evangeline, embarrassed about the kiss, rushed Maria along.
Maria looked a little flustered at Evangeline’s insistence and glanced at me, but when I gave her a slight nod, she relaxed and began walking down the hallway.
And I stood there, silently watching the two of them leave.
—Maria, but where did that thing go?
—What thing?
—The glasses with the mustache, and the wand…
—Shh! Evangeline! The young master is listening!
As she walked hand-in-hand with Maria, Evangeline suddenly spun around, waving her arms energetically with her whole body.
“See you later!”
“……”
I nodded silently in response, watching until the two disappeared from sight.
Ahh.
So this was what raising a daughter felt like.
Sharing the hearts of those doting fathers, I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Then I gathered my emotions and started walking down the opposite corridor.
‘Now, it begins.’
It was time to start Act 3 of Part 2.
The time had come to tear off the mask Miyu wore.