An Offer You Can't Refuse
I decided to do something I wouldn't normally do, since I was already out and about.
The first thing was going to the movies. Honestly, I could watch a movie on my phone anytime, but I made the heavy trek to the cinema anyway.
Rationally speaking, I thought it was a waste of time and money.
But do people ever act purely on logic? There was a strange, lingering thrill to the cinema's unique, booming audio and the overwhelming scale of the screen that tugged at my heart.
Sometimes, you just want to feel that kind of sentiment.
Upon arriving at the theater, I picked a decent movie, bought a decent seat in the front, and purchased a massive tub of popcorn. With all preparations complete, I sat down in the screening room immediately.
The screen flickered, and advertisements droned on and on. It seemed that no matter where you went, the places where people lived were all much the same.
But then.
"Why are you sitting next to me?"
"I happened to want to see a movie. The seat I bought just happens to be next to yours."
"Someone I know told me just a few hours ago that there's no such thing as a coincidence."
"True, there are no coincidences. So, Inspector, are you admitting that everything up until now was not a coincidence?"
"You're being unreasonable."
"I agree."
After that exchange—a back-and-forth that felt more like a verbal sparring match than a conversation—a brief silence descended. The only sounds passing between Carlos and me were the slurping of drinks and the crunching of popcorn.
"By the way, why are you suddenly watching a movie?"
"So, we've finally reached the stage where you interrogate my every action? Are you going to say watching a movie is suspicious now, too?"
"You haven't done anything but move between lodgings for a while now. Without any meaning."
"You said there were no coincidences, and now you've finally confessed your sins. I'm so sad that our meeting as Platoon Leader and Inspector is ending so soon. May I go make a phone call?"
"Trying to act like a normal person now is only more suspicious."
The stalking pervert who had been tailing me the whole time ignored my words naturally, as if he’d built up an immunity. This kind of reaction was a bit boring.
"You can see it in your expression anyway—you have no interest. You didn't even hesitate when picking the movie. As if it didn't matter which one it was."
Ugh, this is truly annoying. My expression shouldn't have changed at all, so on what grounds was he calling me uninterested?
"No? My heart is pounding right now. I'm so excited to see how the story progresses."
"The movie hasn't even started yet."
"That's how much I'm looking forward to it. So, could you stop making assumptions about my inner thoughts? Every time you act like that, my heart sinks."
"Are you anxious? If so, you can just vomit out all the truths you're harboring inside."
"That sounded really like a stalker just now. Have you done similar things many times before?"
"The movie started."
Roger that.
The screen flashed with bright, shimmering lights.
Soon, the movie I’d picked solely by looking at the most eye-catching, flashy poster began.
Thump, thump. Given how flashy it looked, it was probably a movie packed with intense action scenes.
Action movies are generally fine to watch with your brain turned off. Even if I didn't understand the plot, the eye-catching action sequences would steal all my attention anyway.
But contrary to my expectations, I didn't see any menacing middle-aged men on the screen. All I could see were a handsome man and a beautiful woman facing each other in the middle of a refreshing breeze, their cheeks flushed.
It seemed I would need to read at least the synopsis next time.
*****
I slept with my eyes half-open, and the movie ended in the blink of an eye.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Sleep? I was watching the movie until just now."
"You didn't blink once for two hours while keeping your eyes open."
"That must mean the movie was that interesting. If you keep suspecting me like that, the prey you're stalking will run away."
"Your breathing became shallow, and your body movements were clearly reduced. For two whole hours."
"You were watching only me for two hours?"
I covered my mouth with both hands and widened my eyes in shock.
Carlos only furrowed his brow slightly and gave no answer.
The operation was a great success. I had successfully exorcised the demon of suspicion growing inside the stalking pervert.
Once the grand task was finished, my tension eased, and I began to feel a bit peckish.
Come to think of it, have I eaten lately?
I had been too preoccupied with dealing with "ugly friends" and "fake friends." The nutrients needed for my activities were donated to me by those friends out of the goodness of their hearts.
But what about now?
I was busy dealing with a suddenly appeared, twisted, obsessive, *menhera* stalking pervert from the netherworld. People feel hunger more from mental labor than from physical labor, after all.
In common parlance, it's called "having your energy drained." That was exactly my situation.
My brain, exhausted faster than usual, was clamoring for glucose.
If I didn't eat something right now, I didn't know when I might lose my mind from hunger.
"Where are you going in such a hurry again?"
"My goodness. Now you're going beyond suspecting my every action to meddling in them?"
"There's no need to answer. I'll just follow."
"You're not even trying to hide the stalking anymore, are you?"
"It's tracking a suspect."
"So, have you had any success in your tracking?"
"At least there hasn't been a disturbance right now."
"I don't know what kind of disturbance you think would happen in this peaceful city."
"It doesn't necessarily have to involve people screaming. I told you from the moment we first met, Inspector. That an *Abyss* appeared in this vicinity."
Ugh. Thinking about it again, it was a mistake to be spotted by this twisted, obsessive *menhera* stalking pervert from the netherworld.
I had thought someone was following me, but I assumed it was just a lackey of the Doctor.
How was I supposed to know that the precious, high-and-mighty Platoon Leader would be personally tailing me?
I should have taken advantage of the situation and pretended to be one of the Doctor's test subjects!
"I'll make you an offer."
"What is it?"
"Until your vacation ends, I will follow you. If no suspicious circumstances are detected during that period, I will remove you from the list of suspects."
"You say that as if you're doing me a favor. But... what exactly constitutes a 'suspicious circumstance'?"
"I will ask questions. The more faithfully and directly you answer without avoiding them, the faster my suspicions will diminish."
"That's the typical mindset of a stalking criminal. Starting with trivial things and gradually encroaching on a person."
"So, will you do it?"
The terms of the bet seemed somewhat disadvantageous to me. But even in a losing game, the word "give up" did not exist in my dictionary.
"Fine. Let's give it a try."
Our steady footsteps came to a halt.
Waiting for us ahead was Bastion, a bar with a decent reputation in the eastern outer district.
I was hungry, so this worked out well. Anything was fine as long as I could fill my stomach right now.
*****
Once I entered the bar, I ordered food first.
A chop steak that looked so soft and chewy I could hear the *chomp-chomp* sounds already, chicken tenders with a spicy and salty aroma, and finally, a sausage platter accompanied by various fries and salad.
It was a nutritionally excellent composition.
Of course, I could have saved much more money if I’d ordered from a different place, but my bank account was plump, so it wasn't a problem.
As long as it tastes good, everything is solved.
"Did we... really have to come to a place like this?"
"Isn't the atmosphere nice? I don't know how long you've lived your life, Platoon Leader, but people tend to become more honest as alcohol enters their mouths."
"I've lived longer than you, Inspector Nera. And I don't believe in the nonsense people spout when they're drunk."
"You're so old-fashioned."
"It must be that you're the immature one, Inspector."
Carlos raised his hand and covered his eyes. His hand was so large that he didn't just cover his eyes; he practically smothered them.
Even if he tried to deny reality, what could he do? Once he expressed his will to follow me to the ends of the earth, Carlos had to be prepared to endure everything.
"Are you not ordering any drinks?"
A bartender in a neat suit interrupted our conversation.
Oh my, coming to a bar and not ordering alcohol! That was a grave sin. Seeing the bartender jump in as soon as our conversation paused, I couldn't even imagine how long he had been waiting.
"Midori Sour, Mojito, June Bug, Peach Crush, Blue Hawaii, Cosmopolitan, and Kahlua Milk, please."
"Excuse me?"
"Are you crazy? Order them one by one."
"Wasn't it a condition that you wouldn't meddle in my actions?"
"...Fine, do as you please."
"I'm sorry, but could you say that one more time?"
"Midori Sour, Mojito, June Bug, Peach Crush, Blue Hawaii, Cosmopolitan, and Kahlua Milk."
Following my words, the bartender slowly recorded the menu.
Not long after, the bartender finished writing and said with a bright smile,
"I hope you two have a wonderful time."
The bartender left the table. Carlos, who had been staring into the distance the whole time, opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.
"Can you even eat all that?"
"To be honest... it's a little lacking."
"I shouldn't have asked."
"But does this also count as a question to identify suspicious circumstances?"
"Do you think it does?"
"No?"
Perhaps tired of this back-and-forth, Carlos no longer asked why.