Does the Outlaw Dream of Hardboiled?
Rikuhachima Aru, president of Problem Solver 68, was a pro in the industry.
The client’s request was to deliver the best possible results—that was the solver’s creed. Her motto was hardboiled. Aru was a prepared outlaw.
Now all that was left was to wait for requests. ······ Please, just the requests.
‘I thought forging a fake absence slip would sell like hotcakes. I’d boldly break into the academy office, copy the seal, and pull it off! Why did it flop—!!!’
Not a single fake absence slip had sold at Gehenna Academy. A failure in demand analysis.
Gehenna’s troublemakers treated absenteeism as the norm. They had completely overlooked the academy culture where chronic absenteeism and surprise attendance were everyday life.
Aru, who had left Gehenna, didn’t know the school’s realities all that well.
‘It’s in the red, and the Prefect Team has already marked it, but it’s not over yet! There’s still a chance to salvage this!’
But the crisis quickly turned into an opportunity.
Thanks to the flyers she had posted on the academy bulletin board to sell the fake absence slips.
Someone who had seen the flyer had contacted Problem Solver 68.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance. Aru’s expectations for the request were sky-high.
‘If I pull off this mission successfully, Problem Solver 68’s reputation will spread like wildfire. And the business will boom!’
Late night, darkness had settled. Aru headed toward the rendezvous point with the client.
A rundown commercial district in the Gehenna Autonomous Zone.
Aru stepped into the abandoned building.
‘Is this the meeting point. ······ Creepy atmosphere.’
Other solvers had raised no objections. It was simply the result of following the client’s request for secrecy.
But the surroundings were pitch black, and the client was nowhere to be seen.
‘Could I have been tricked…? If this is some kind of prank in the name of a request, the culprit won’t get away with it.’
The client still hadn’t shown themselves.
Aru’s impatience grew. She recalled the worst possibility.
‘If not, could this be a Prefect Team trap!?’
It might be the Prefect Team’s scheme to wipe out Problem Solver 68.
Aru’s mind snapped into focus. She immediately assumed a combat stance.
‘If you’re going to attack, come at me. I’ll take you all out! ······ If the opponent is the Prefect Team head, I—I’m a little scared, but I don’t plan to yield either!’
Thoughts of the client vanished from Aru’s mind.
Only the fierce battle with the Prefect Team awaited.
She felt like the ruthless protagonist of a noir film.
A hardboiled outlaw never compromised with the enforcement agency. They only answered with bullets—more bullets.
‘It’s you!’
Finally, the presence Aru had detected.
Aru moved with lightning speed, intending to strike first.
The opponent’s footsteps were short and irregular in tempo.
It was because their eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness. Narrow steps, feeling for the ground.
With the ambush complete and the environment now in Aru’s favor, the initiative belonged to her.
“Stop moving!”
Aru brought the butt of her gun down on the opponent’s forehead. Then she pressed the muzzle to the fallen figure for a surprise attack. Easy suppression.
A fight that lacked the momentum expected from a Prefect Team trap.
She had anticipated a large-scale brawl with a sudden assault, but the situation was far too plain.
‘Thinking about it, what was my purpose in coming here?’
Suddenly, Aru recalled the reason she had come.
There had been a client who had inquired about Problem Solver 68.
Aru had come to the meeting point to meet that client.
‘······Huh?’
Aru sensed something off about the situation.
It seemed the opponent she had suppressed wasn’t from the Prefect Team.
After all, the Prefect Team’s trap scheme had been nothing more than Aru’s hardboiled delusion.
Then who was the fallen opponent? The answer came instantly.
“S-so you’re the client for this request?”
“······Well, I guess so.”
Aru’s face turned deathly pale upon hearing the answer.
She had assaulted the client the moment they met. She had committed the worst possible business manners.
“Ah, wait, that, um…!”
“Excellent technique. My choice was spot on.”
While Aru was still stammering in panic, the girl spoke first.
“The welcome reception was a bit too aggressive, but I’ll forgive it. ······ My forehead still stings a little from where it got hit.”
After standing up from the fallen body, the girl brushed the dust off her clothes.
The girl was about a head taller than Aru. Silver hair that glowed faintly even in the dark. The left eye, unhidden by bangs, was sharp.
‘An extraordinary appearance.’
She was the owner of charisma on par with her own. Aru thought to herself while looking at the girl.
But the first impression was fleeting.
‘No, more importantly…! What excuse should I make!?’
She had knocked the client flat. Aru’s follow-up was rushed, leaving her in a panic.
“A hardboiled outlaw must have it tough. With so many enemies, you can’t let your guard down at any time.”
The girl spoke as if she understood Aru’s situation perfectly.
“I think the mishap just now was because my body moved on pure reflex. Like the combat instinct of a tough fighter.”
“R-right! You understood perfectly!”
Aru agreed with a dazed expression.
Thanks to the girl’s interpretation, Aru—who had committed rudeness—was recognized as a capable performer.
‘An outlaw living a life of absolute desperation where you can’t let your guard down for even a second. What a wonderful character!’
A perfect action analysis for Aru’s taste. She vowed to use it again someday.
“Sorry for the late appointment. My work suddenly got busier.”
“Ah! I can understand it well. As a president leading a business, I’m always busy with work too.”
A sense of affinity formed between Aru and the girl. Good chemistry.
Aru was convinced the client was someone whose heart matched hers.
“I know this, but I’m Rikuhachima Aru, president of Problem Solver 68.”
After Aru’s self-introduction, the girl spoke.
“My real name can’t be revealed due to personal reasons, but… um. If it’s you, please call me Makocchi.”
“······Makocchi?”
A slightly cute name for someone with such charismatic presence.
Aru tried to ask about the name’s origin but gave up.
A pro doesn’t care about the client’s private matters. This wasn’t business.
‘Wait a second?’
It felt like she had heard a similar name somewhere. Makocchi’s face also felt strangely familiar. A bizarre coincidence.
Aru was an outlaw who had severed ties with Gehenna Academy.
Not many people in Gehenna knew her face.
If it was a group Aru had clashed with—the Prefect Team—there was some acquaintance.
Especially the head of the Prefect Team, Hina, was impossible to forget. Hina was a terrifying judge.
But groups outside the Prefect Team were unknown to her.
The academy’s official student council—even Manma Jeon—was only known by name.
She had heard the name of the Manma Jeon president once but quickly forgot.
‘It’s fine. No reason to worry if it’s not the Prefect Team.’
Makocchi wasn’t wearing the Prefect Team uniform. Then there was no problem.
Aru erased her curiosity about Makocchi from her mind.
“So, what is the content of the request you want to hire? If you want, I can handle anyone.”
Aru boasted and asked Makocchi.
A rare request. Moreover, Makocchi seemed like a big client. A chance to seal the deal.
“For now, I want to enter into a long-term exclusive contract for all services of Problem Solver 68.”
“Wha, what-!? What did you say-!?!”
The unusual employment terms made Aru’s eyes widen.
“W-well, our members are pros among pros—a group of only skilled people! As high-class personnel, the contract fee won’t be cheap?”
“The compensation will be paid in full.”
Finally, a benefactor had appeared who truly appreciated the value of Problem Solver 68.
The days of being squeezed by office rent would end today. Aru was moved by Makocchi.
“Well, it may be part of the service, but Aru, I have something I want to ask you personally.”
Finally, Makocchi spoke to Aru.
“Teach me sniping.”
And Aru became Makocchi’s personal firearm instructor.