Familiar Faces (4)
“…Why? Why? I didn’t do anything! How did you even know to come here…?”
The maid babbled incoherently as she backed away, shaking her head so hard it looked like it might fly off.
555? Hearing the number, she had to be a classmate from the old days—but I couldn’t place her face. Had there really been a classmate this expressive? Everyone except Orphe had walked around with dead eyes back then.
Well, reclaiming your emotions wasn’t impossible, so I accepted it quickly enough. But why was she so terrified? I hadn’t done a single thing yet.
Orphe answered the unspoken question in a low whisper.
“‘If you spill the blood of the innocent, I will come for you.’ Remember saying that?”
Ah. Right. I’d said something like that. She must have thought I’d come here to kill her. I rose halfway from my seat, trying to calm 555 down.
Amelia had gone out of her way to set this table for us out of goodwill. I couldn’t let it fall apart.
“H-hey, let’s just talk for a sec—”
“Hieeeek~!”
555 threw both hands high like she’d been struck by lightning and let out a piercing scream.
What was her problem? Back then I’d wiped out the instructors, not the candidates.
“No, wait—”
“Aieeeeee~!”
555 bolted at impossible speed. That pace alone confirmed she was pure Snake’s Tail stock.
“Adali! Where are you going?! Come back! Adali!”
Amelia called after her in a desperate voice, but 555—Adali—was already gone.
“….”
The kitchen sank into stunned silence. Even Diana set down the meat she’d been devouring and stared blankly at the shattered teapot.
“Chamomile…”
This kid had just wanted some tea, apparently.
“Ah… she’s been through a lot since she was little, so she acts strangely sometimes. She’s a good girl at heart, really. The tea… what a waste. I’ll have another maid bring coffee instead.”
“That would be fine. Please don’t worry about it.”
“These things happen.”
I agreed with Amelia’s frantic attempts to salvage the mood and steered the conversation elsewhere.
I had a mountain of questions about Adali, but bringing them up now would only make things colder. As long as we were in the same city, an opportunity would come eventually.
“It’s a truly enormous city, isn’t it? I heard it’s five times the size of an average territory.”
“Five times… I’d heard it was big, but that’s impressive.”
“They bought up all the land around Solitron and merged it. Turning empty wasteland into a metropolis in just half a year—the more I hear about it, the more amazed I am. It really puts the Red Whale Magic Tower’s reputation into perspective.”
The feast that had once threatened to break the table legs was long gone. Amelia, smiling again, chatted with Orphe while sipping her coffee.
“Why go that far, though? What kind of profit is there in building Neo-Solitron?”
“Hmm… from what I heard, it’s because the ground underneath is packed with mineral resources.”
“Mineral resources? Coal, maybe?”
“I’m not sure of the details. I did hear coal comes out of there… but there are also rumors of a newly discovered resource.”
“Fascinating.”
Orphe nodded with a small smile—far more natural than the ones she used to force.
“Ah, it’s getting dark outside. Time’s flown by. I think we should call it a day.”
Amelia rose from the table and clapped twice. Maids filed in as if they’d been waiting and began clearing the plates. Adali, of course, was nowhere in sight.
She hadn’t packed up and fled for good… right?
“I truly enjoyed today. May the road ahead of you brave warriors—who stood against evil for the people of Goldon—be filled with blessings.”
With those words Amelia left the kitchen. She looked a little worn out, probably from all the excitement.
We followed the narrow-eyed butler out of the mansion.
“So where’s our house?”
I’d somehow never asked the most important question.
Location mattered. Somewhere next to a park or plaza where crowds gathered was a no-go. A quiet place that emptied out at night was ideal for ninja work.
“Ah, right.”
Orphe nodded and pointed at the house right next to Amelia’s mansion.
“That one.”
“Nin?!”
What? For real? I asked again in shock, but the answer stayed the same.
“Surprised? Your eyes went completely round.”
The first house I’d ever owned was a two-story place with a yard?! This was an even bigger jackpot than I’d imagined.
“Wow…! If it’s that big, there must be lots of rooms, right? I can have my own room, can’t I? Of course I can!”
Diana was already racing toward my house in pure excitement. If rooms had been short I’d planned to raise her in a doghouse like the pocket yokai she was. Lucky little brat.
This is excellent. At last I can engage in productive activity.
“Productive activity? What the hell does that mean?”
I possess a wide range of knowledge. With blueprints, materials, and facilities, there is much I can construct.
So the walking encyclopedia could double as an engineer too. It didn’t get better than this. If it was Tribo, maybe he could even forge shuriken. I allowed myself a tiny spark of hope.
“Great. Let’s go check it out.”
I strode up to the front gate with all the dignity I could muster. Having Orphe and Tribo flanking me made the whole thing look pretty cool.
A fist-sized frog-shaped padlock hung from two massive iron rings.
“There’s only one key. I’ll get copies made later when I have time. Mind if I hold onto it for now?”
“Go ahead.”
Orphe slid the key into the lock. The gate swung open smoothly—no rusty creak like some countryside shack. Perfect.
“From today, this is the Runaway Ninja headquarters.”
I stepped inside and gave the place a once-over.
Two bathrooms. Five rooms. Two beds. A kitchen combined with a dining area. Solid layout. The big attic was especially to my liking.
“Biggest room’s mine. Second-biggest goes to Orphe. The rest of you figure it out. Once the luggage is sorted we start a full deep-clean. Shared spaces stay clean—got it?”
Obviously I wasn’t lifting a finger myself.
“Nin-nin.”
I grabbed only my own gear and headed into my room. Time to fill the attic that would become the weapons vault.
I laid out every piece of equipment I’d collected so far across the floor.
Main armament: ninjato, throwing knives, full ninja-suit set, arming sword, and adventurer’s armor.
There was also the whip I’d ripped off Delbanas, but it was useless for me so I’d never once used it.
Money was getting tight, so I briefly considered selling it—then decided against it. Someone might recognize the thing. Better safe than sorry.
I was about to stand and stash most of it in the storage room when the door opened.
It is I. I have something to say. Is now acceptable?
“Get lost.”
I drew my ninjato and leveled it at Tribo’s head.
I had nothing to say to a bastard who didn’t even know how to knock.
If he’d walked in while I was having “fun time,” I’d have turned him into okonomiyaki batter with the Okonomiyaki Killing Art.
…My apologies. From now on I will always knock.
Did this guy have any social awareness or not? What went through the heads of people who only regretted things after the fact? Probably the same feeling as realizing there’s no toilet paper after you’ve already taken a dump.
“What is it? If it’s not important I’m killing you.”
Robin. Solitron is a city built by the Watchmen—exactly like Goldon. Do you understand what that implies?
“How the hell would I know? Stop stalling and spit it out.”
War machines of the Watchmen—things like Ton-Granton—may be buried underground. With luck I might even encounter my own kind. I hope their memories are intact, unlike mine.
A secret base of the Yokai-Nazi alliance. Once life in Neo-Solitron settled down, that place was going on the hit list.
I also needed to look into the city’s real owner—some guy called the Sword King or Toilet King or whatever. The to-do list was quietly piling up.
Robin. I know you do not think well of me. We started on the wrong foot. It may already be too late, but I intend to do everything in my power to earn your trust. Therefore, if there is anything you desire, speak it at any time.
Tribo was being unusually humble today. I finally voiced the thing I’d been thinking about since earlier.
“Can you make shuriken?”
I have no blueprints, but I can imitate the shape. Melting facilities for metal are required, so it is impossible at present.
“Fine. Go to sleep.”
I do not sleep.
“Then go watch VR porn in secret like last time.”
Nobody leans against a tree pretending to sleep while browsing Tree-Wiki.
I’d let it slide earlier because Orphe and Diana were around, but I knew the truth.
…
The robot with the filthy mind closed the door and left.
Whoosh—papapat—fwip-fwip—!
After a long-overdue session of karate, jujitsu, and taekwondo, I flopped onto the bed. With this much space I could even train indoors. Maybe turn an unused room into a training dojo?
Not a bad idea.
Blink. Blink.
My eyelids grew heavy. Ah, I still needed to brush my teeth. This world had no dentists—if a tooth rotted there was no implant waiting for me.
I forced myself up with the Ninja Rising Technique and headed for the washbasin.
“Inspector?”
James, who had been staring blankly at the documents, turned his head. Joanna, lord of Goldon Territory, was watching him with an uneasy expression.
“Ah, forgive me. My mind wandered.”
“I see. Nothing unusual, then?”
Joanna asked carefully. Behind her, Tren and Leonard stood at perfect attention. James swept his gaze over their faces and gave a thin smile.
“I think I’ll need a composite sketch… Think you can help me with that?”