The Answer Only One Doesn't Know (6)
Right.
The truth was, I didn't have a driver's license.
But if anyone asked whether that meant I couldn't 'drive,' that wasn't the case either.
Despite having no license, my ability to drive (and drift and corner) naturally stemmed from several overlapping reasons.
First, even before I fell into this goddamn game, I had memories of getting a license in modern society.
Another reason was that I'd enjoyed 'racing games' so much that the complex interfaces of high-performance supercars felt like second nature.
Therefore.
- 'License? Eh, don't need it. Behold my driving skills, honed through cheap virtual reality devices.'
Throughout my life in this world, I hadn't strongly felt the importance of a license.
.......
Honestly, my 'ID data' was fake, so getting a license was difficult.
How could a ragged vagrant (me, Catherine) who roamed the garbage landfill have a proper identity?
My ID data was a fake made by a technician with the nickname 'Tinkerer.'
It was obvious that if I went to a city-run driving test center and my fake ID got exposed, the NCPD would be dispatched.
In that case, I decided I'd rather just not get a driver's license.
For now, I could drive well enough to keep the car running, after all.
But.
Today, I realized the importance of a license once more.
Faint smoke rose from the vehicle's engine compartment. Perhaps because I had floored the accelerator to its limit, it looked like it couldn't move anymore.
I slowly lifted my hands from the steering wheel, wet with cold sweat and smeared with blood.
My finger joints were numb. I lightly clenched and unclenched my fist. I loosened my body, rigid with tension, bit by bit.
Managed to survive somehow.
I turned my head toward the passenger seat and asked.
"Are you alright?"
Then, a voice drained of its soul came from the passenger side.
"......Yeah."
For reference, the crumpled airbag still remained in front of the Boss. It had deployed when we collided earlier, but there was no pause to stop, so I'd kept driving.
The Boss's complexion was completely pale.
She didn't look alright at all....
But the fact that she could say she was alright meant she was still perfectly conscious.
Fortunately, the car's engine was high-performance. It was enough to shake off the police drones even with my lacking skills.
Of course, in the process, there were very minor issues, like hitting a cleaning robot, veering off the road and climbing a slope, or smashing through intact walls and street trees.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
We didn't know when the pursuit might resume.
We couldn't just keep sitting here.
I nodded and said to the Boss.
"Let's move first."
33. The Answer Only One Doesn't Know (6)
The Boss briefly looked around and murmured.
"......Where is this."
"It's an observatory."
I must have floored the accelerator so hard that we'd unknowingly arrived at an area that seemed to be the edge of the Upper Layer.
It was the boundary line of a towering bulkhead.
Below the low railing, the sprawling panorama of Neon City was elegantly revealed.
.......
But should I call it an observatory?
"I don't know what they were thinking, building an observatory like this."
Just as the sky was usually full of clouds when viewed from the Lower or Middle Layer, the view of the Lower and Middle Layer looking down from the Upper Layer was also thick with clouds.
At least, the 'Black Monolith Tower' visible far away stood out like a landmark, its massive form poking its head above the clouds.
Other than that, there were only cargo drones hanging containers and moving leisurely.
So this is what it's like above the clouds.
I hadn't known when seeing it from the Lower Layer.
I stepped closer to the railing and leaned lightly against it, enjoying the cool, clear air.
Setting aside the fact that pursuers or police drones were fiercely chasing us from behind, it almost felt like we had come for sightseeing.
The clouds undulated below like waves.
Now that I was actually taking it in, I felt like I could see why they built an observatory.
The Boss slowly walked up beside me.
"......How's your body, are you alright?"
"Ah."
She seemed to still be worrying.
Anyway, the only injuries I had were scrapes from rolling on the ground due to the missile shockwave.
True, on the outside, I did look like I was on the verge of death.
I nonchalantly waved my hand.
"Like I said earlier, I'm really fine. The bleeding's almost stopped too."
.......
But, if I say I'm too fine, wouldn't that mean I wouldn't get a bonus?
At the sudden thought of that possibility, I gave a short (deliberate) cough and continued.
"......Well, it does hurt a bit, though."
I subtly turned my head to look at the Boss.
The Boss, her face somber, was looking at me with worried eyes.
...Can't even lie.
I slowly shrugged my shoulders.
"It's a joke. I'm really fine."
"...That's a relief, then."
If this atmosphere kept going, I felt like a hole would be drilled through me.
I quickly changed the subject of the conversation.
"Anyway, do you have any other plan to escape from here? Since the police drones already spotted us, it won't be long before the pursuers catch up."
At my question, the Boss slowly gathered her thoughts and opened her mouth.
"...If the city really is chasing us, it would be difficult. If we had enough time to prepare, I don't know, but right now, the pursuers are─."
Then, the Boss suddenly turned around.
Far in the distance, the flashing lights of police drones flickered.
The sound of sirens grew closer.
...It hadn't been long since we shook them off, and they're already following.
"......."
A cliff ahead, the police behind.
I darkly suspected that if we got caught, we'd be framed for every charge, real or fabricated, and summarily executed.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Eugh...."
And with that, I turned my head toward the Boss.
"I didn't know I'd end up attempting the absolute worst method. And the location's just right for it, too."
"...Is there another way?"
At my words, the Boss's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
I silently conveyed my words to that Boss.
"You said earlier at the party venue that you don't have acrophobia, right?"
"......Why are you suddenly asking that─."
Perhaps sensing something ominous, the Boss received my words with a trembling tone.
But those words didn't continue to the end.
Because it was better to attempt something like this either when your mind was fully prepared, or not prepared at all.
Before the Boss could even finish speaking, I used the mana I had gathered to blast both the Boss and myself over the edge of the observatory.
"......Huh?"
I think that's the first time I've heard such a dumbfounded voice.
My brief sentiment was fleeting.
"Kyaaaaaah──!!"
A girlish scream echoed in my ears.
* * *
Through that simple yet dangerous process, we succeeded in infiltrating a 'cargo transport container.'
"Phew, it's a relief we landed safely."
"......."
Flying through the sky with wind magic was impossible, but descending in a desired direction was doable.
"If I'd made a slight mistake, we would have just fallen to the ground. Ah. Of course, I could have tried to land even then. Just a bit less safely."
"......."
The situation was very urgent, so there was no time to get the Boss's consent.
Anyway, it was true that we succeeded in escaping, so the Boss was looking at me with an expression that seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
She wouldn't get revenge for this later, would she?
Even for me, who didn't have acrophobia, skydiving without a parachute was nerve-wracking.
I should never do that again....
I firmly resolved this inwardly and thought.
I briefly checked the surrounding situation through the hole I had made in the container's outer wall. Flowing clouds and the rooftops of tall buildings were visible.
We were still in the sky.
"Seems there's no pursuit now."
"...That's a relief."
A short silence followed.
Feeling awkward, I examined the inside of the container and opened my mouth.
"This looks like an LAD Company cargo container. It's full of nutrition tubes. Oh, this is my favorite flavor. I wonder if I can take one."
"Do you know what kind of company LAD was originally?"
Was this a sudden quiz time?
"What was it?"
"Like A Dog, a dog food company."
"......."
I hadn't known that the company responsible for the 'meals' of Lower Layer citizens had such a past.
For reference, it was my staple food as well.
As I stood there blankly with my mouth open at the shocking fact, the Boss, who had finally relaxed, chuckled and smiled.
"Still, the escape was clean. Seeing that, you really do seem fine after all."
"...I kept telling you I was fine."
"As expected of a mercenary with a 100% success rate."
Hearing her say that made it awkward again.
"...Hey, it was just luck."
"A mercenary speaks with results."
I scratched my head as I listened to the praise.
When you don't have a good answer, it's important to change the subject.
"Well, I made a hole to check the situation outside. If you'd like, you could smoke a cigarette. You couldn't smoke earlier while we were avoiding the pursuit, after all."
At my words, the Boss looked at me, then slowly pulled out an e-cigarette from her pocket.
"Forget it."
And then she threw the e-cigarette out through the hole I had made.
"No, why suddenly...."
"I'm thinking of quitting soon."
"That's not what I meant. What if someone passing below gets hit by the e-cigarette."
"......."
At my words, the Boss narrowed her eyes and stared at me. It was a dumbfounded expression in a different sense than before.
"...The person who gets hit might actually be happy, you know? It's an expensive product even when sold secondhand."
"Ah."
And it was the No Answer Boss Edition, no less.
Now that I thought about it, that seemed likely.
The Boss, who had nonchalantly retorted to my words, sat down on the sacks containing the nutrition tubes.
With her back against the container's outer wall, she looked at me again.
"Seems you didn't catch the meaning of what I said. About quitting smoking."
"......?"
Isn't quitting smoking a natural thing to do?
As a non-smoker, I couldn't understand.
The Boss chuckled again.
"It's fine, let's take it slow."
The Boss's blue eyes stared directly at me.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but there wasn't any of the usual coldness left in that gaze.
.......
I don't know.
For now, one thing was clear: the day that had been filled with grueling hardship was finally coming to an end.
Following the Boss, I leaned against the opposite side of the container and let out a light sigh.
* * *
"......And as soon as we landed from the container, the attacks continued again. Probably?"
For reference, the pursuit didn't end there.
I thought that was going to be the end of my life.
Thanks to the 'rescue signal emitter' that Drex had given me, we were able to get help from an ally.
Hmm.
It was really breathtaking back then.
But thinking about it now, it was all just a memory.
It seemed we had talked for quite a long time. It was already late. My eyes were slowly closing.
I let out a yawn and said to Natasha.
"...Haaam, come to think of it. It looks like you really quit smoking completely after that time."
"Of course."
Natasha answered, looking at me.
.......
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Something I'd remembered while talking.
Natasha had definitely said she smoked because she didn't have a lover.
So didn't that mean she now had a lover since she'd quit smoking─.
A soft sensation covering my lips was what happened next.
What?
Before I could fully grasp the situation, Natasha's face slowly pulled away from me.
Wow, I'm just completely wide awake now.
"How is it, I don't smell like smoke, do I?"
"......Uh, oh, y-yes."
"It's a secret from others. If we get caught, there'll be big trouble."
Natasha gave a slight wink. She placed her index finger on her lips in a gesture of secrecy.
...Well, uh, um.
I scratched my head and nodded.
Then, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I asked Natasha once more.
"...So, what kind of plan are you making with the others?"
At my words, Natasha smiled broadly.
And that smile was very much like the one I had seen inside the container.
"You're the only one who doesn't know."
In the end, Natasha didn't answer my question.
* * *
"Are you really an idiot?"
I had just asked for some advice on a worry.
I hadn't expected to be called an idiot right away.
"Why."
"......No."
Drex grabbed the bridge of his nose with his thick hand.
He had an expression as if he was looking at something pathetic.