Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: A Strange Person is Following Me (3)
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Back before I was reincarnated into the world of Fixers.
I remember once bursting out laughing while watching a short-form video.
The content of the video was simple.
A person would start a fight with a random passerby, then, as if overcome with emotion, they’d strip off their clothes to see the other person’s reaction.
The important part was that the clothes they took off revealed a ridiculous men's bikini underneath.
After that, most of the people who were picked on would panic and scramble to get away.
It was only natural.
If the person you were fighting suddenly stripped down to a bikini with a bulge at the crotch, running away was the right choice, pride be damned.
“Please, wait! Ghost, I want to talk to you!”
“...!”
Coincidentally, that was exactly how I felt right now.
A soaking wet, blond, muscular pervert in nothing but a bathrobe, chasing me through a back alley!
What a horrifying situation, sending shivers down my entire body.
Without exaggeration, I was genuinely scared he’d show up in my dreams.
‘For once, I’m glad I can’t actually speak. I almost screamed without realizing it.’
I pushed and pulled my body with psychokinesis.
I scaled the wall and skillfully made my way to the rooftop.
Of course, it would have been much easier to just lift my entire body with psychokinesis like I usually do.
But with people potentially watching nearby.
Recklessly showing off my psychic powers wasn't a good choice.
*Fwip! Screeeech…!*
“...?”
I heard an unfamiliar sound.
A harsh, scraping friction, as if something was being dragged roughly.
Without stopping, I glanced back and saw a flying pervert soaring through the sky.
“Hahahaha! You’re fast, Ghost!”
Now he can fly? A flying pervert?
I narrowed my eyes at the pervert, my face a mask of utter disgust.
I could see that he was swinging on a rope, like Tarzan from an old movie, rapidly closing the distance between us.
‘…Is that a grappling gun? I’ve only ever seen those in comics.’
A grappling gun.
I knew what it was, at least in theory.
A tool that fired a rope-tethered anchor, much like a ship's anchor, allowing for rapid movement in an area full of buildings.
According to the original story, it was an essential item for a skilled Fixer.
It was difficult to master, but its mobility was said to be phenomenal.
In other words, despite his appearance, this man was quite skilled.
I immediately raised the blond pervert’s threat level by one notch in my mind.
‘The grappling gun has two weaknesses, if I remember correctly. One, it needs to follow a proper parabolic arc to build speed. Two, it’s completely useless on flat ground with no height differences!’
I pictured the structure and layout of the nearby area in my head.
Since I mostly traveled by hopping from rooftop to rooftop, the local geography was practically etched into my brain.
‘I’ll head to the jungle gym area. He’ll have a hard time using the grappling gun there.’
I immediately dashed toward a densely packed area of buildings where the rooftop heights were similar.
To climb the exterior walls of the buildings, he’d have to take a long detour.
And once he was on the rooftops, he wouldn't be able to use the grappling gun.
Therefore, this was the optimal route to shake him off my tail.
Did my plan work?
Before long, all signs of the blond pervert’s pursuit vanished completely.
The pervert was finally gone.
With this welcome news, I gradually slowed to a stop.
After a quick scan of my surroundings, I leaped down lightly into a back alley.
‘That should be enough to lose him.’
He was a truly terrifying person.
A soaking-wet, blond, bulging-muscled man in a bathrobe with a grappling gun.
I hope I never see him again.
I shook my head and trudged out of the alley.
Or rather, I was about to.
If only a familiar sound hadn't grown closer from a distance.
*Fwip! Screeeech…! Fwip! Screeeech…!*
“Found you, Ghost! Hahaha! Come, let’s talk!”
“...”
I really hate this guy.
Why is he so obsessed with talking?
I saw the man, looking even more drenched than before, probably from sweating.
His robe was so soaked that his skin was faintly visible through the fabric—a sight that made my eyes burn.
Without hesitation, I turned my back and ran down the alley, now certain of something I had suspected earlier.
‘That man knows my exact location. Since when? How?’
The second encounter could have been dismissed as a coincidence.
But if something happens three times in a row, it’s a pattern.
It was right to assume he could track my location by some means.
‘The only question is, why isn’t he hiding that fact? It would be more effective to stay hidden until I return to my base and then ambush me when my guard is down.’
Does he have another motive, then?
Not revenge for my thievery, but a genuine, pure desire to talk to me?
‘…There’s no reason to believe that. This is a place where you get stabbed in the back the moment you let your guard down.’
I recalled the woman who had approached me, thanking me for saving her, only to fire a hidden crossbow from her wrist.
Fortunately, the psychokinetic jamming I’d deployed to hide my presence had interfered with the projectile.
A moment’s carelessness, and I could have had a hole in my soft belly.
In short, naively trusting someone’s words here was something only a fool who wanted to die would do.
It would be more reliable to just beat the guy up and force him to confess his intentions.
‘The fact that he seems to be a Fixer is a bit concerning. But if he didn't appear in the original story, he can’t be that famous. I guess I’ll just take him down for now.’
Having made my decision, I stopped and immediately deactivated my psychokinetic jamming.
It was unparalleled for hiding my presence.
But it was a technique purely for concealment and not very helpful in a fight.
It was better to redirect the resources used for it into firepower.
Did the blond pervert notice the change in me?
He landed softly on the ground with his grappling gun and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Oh? Your appearance has changed. Is that your true form? …You’re smaller than I expected.”
“...”
“Ah, was that a sore spot? My apologies. I just never imagined that Ghost would be someone of such a petite build.”
A sore spot?
Not really.
It was true that my current self was short and petite.
In fact, it was a highly efficient body, which meant less money spent on food.
Here, that was more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Besides, my face was pretty, and I could use psychic powers.
Other than not being able to speak, I had no complaints at all.
Really.
I mean it.
‘…Whether it bothers me or not is one thing. You’re getting hit for that.’
I pursed my lips and used my psychokinesis to firmly grasp the air right in front of the blond pervert’s forehead.
Then, channeling more emotion than usual, I delivered a psychokinetic flick with all my might.
“Hm? What’s that sound… Guh!”
*Thwack!*
The blond pervert’s head snapped back.
A surprise attack that struck him before he could even register it.
Based on my vast thieving-related big data.
I was sure he was knocked out cold.
A direct hit had enough power to crack glass.
It wouldn't be fatal, but it should have been more than enough to render him unconscious.
“Kh, khuhu, that… stung quite a bit.”
But my expectations and hopes were shattered.
To my astonishment, the blond pervert slowly brought his head back to its original position.
His forehead was bright red from the impact of the flick.
And a wide grin, showing all his teeth, was plastered across his face.
He took that and is still standing? How thick is his skull?
My eyes widened in shock, and I could only stare blankly at the man.
“What was that just now? Chantless magic? Judging by the power, your intent was barely to knock me out… Hahaha! I’m starting to like you more and more, Ghost!”
“...”
Now he’s a pervert who enjoys getting hit.
The sense of revulsion, far outweighing my surprise and confusion, quickly brought me back to my senses.
If one hit isn't enough, I’ll just keep hitting him until he passes out.
I gathered my psychokinesis and delivered another flick to the same spot.
“Hup!”
But as if he had anticipated it.
Just before the flick landed, he stepped back at the perfect moment. The psychokinetic flick, having lost its target, struck nothing but empty air.
If he had been any faster, I could have readjusted my aim.
If he had been any slower, he would have been hit.
It was, in essence, the one and only perfect timing to dodge.
I’d only used it twice.
My eyebrows twitched as my psychokinetic flick was so easily neutralized.
“Just as I thought. Right before the attack, there’s a subtle change in the sound. Is it air manipulation magic? Your ability to hide your presence and move as if flying must be applications of this magic!”
What… what did he just say?
To have figured out the fundamentals of my ability so accurately after just two psychokinetic flicks.
My jaw dropped at the blond pervert’s unbelievable deductive skills.
Was this the average skill level of a Fixer in Nighthaven?
It was a moment that made me feel relieved all over again that I had done my best to hide the existence of my psychokinesis.
‘That aside, this is a big problem. The psychokinetic flick is my strongest technique that doesn't reveal my powers. If this doesn't work… what do I do?’
It was a desperate crisis.
I could try to run, and I might be able to.
But my psychokinesis has a time limit, and he clearly knows my location anyway.
To find out how he’s tracking me, I need to defeat him, but I have no way to do that.
And since I can’t speak, I can’t even try to negotiate with him.
Willingly reveal myself and surrender?
Without knowing his identity, that would be an insane thing to do.
‘There has to be a way…’
I needed a flash of inspiration.
A brilliant stratagem to either shake off his pursuit or take him down!
Just then, a gentle breeze brushed past my cheek.
The wind rustled a white cloth at the edge of my vision.
Perhaps the breeze felt rather cold on his drenched body.
The blond pervert retied the belt of his slightly disheveled robe.
The wind, the pervert in the robe, and the unknown tracking method.
An idea flashed in my mind.