Chapter 68: 67

“―T-Teacher Kanaki! Have you finally found a girlfriend!?”

“E-Ehhhhh!?”

Eto was so stunned by Arti’s misdirected remark that she jumped to conclusions.

“No, it’s not like that at all. Leave that aside, you two should head home.”

“Eh, where are you both goingー? This is all the more suspicious.”

“No, we are really nothing more than business acquaintances…”

Arti’s scrutinizing gaze threw me into a state of internal turmoil. Felt was familiar with my true identity, and conversely, it would complicate matters even further should someone who recognized Felt catch a glimpse of me with her.

“Settle your worries; we don’t have a connection like that; we’re simply business acquaintances.”

Right then, Felt unexpectedly responded in kind.

To Felt, whose face was adorned with a mild smile, Arti cast a suspicion-filled glance.

“Eh, really?”

“…Hey, Arti. That’s disrespectful.”

“Haha, Teacher Kanaki is apparently a very popular guy. No problem, I am really only here to discuss business with him.”

“All right, then, Eto, I’ll leave you in charge of Arti.”

“Oh, yes!”

Halfway dragging Arti, who was still protesting, Eto departed.

While Arti may have been fooled, Eto sent me a somewhat fishy stare. Perhaps she perceived an atmosphere in Felt that was in common with Xenia. She appeared to have grasped my intention when I boldly swept off her glance; consequently, she took Arti home in a sensible way. Seriously, I was unable to act on an equal basis with Eto.

After an exhale, I addressed Felt, who was waving to Arti and company behind me, in a school nurse’s tone of voice.

“…Then, shall we move to a different place and have a conversation? I recommend a coffee shop that’s close by.”

“Oh, how wonderful. Will you guide me there?”

“It’s special.”

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We ended up at a small coffee shop that I had visited with Fina before.

On entering the store, the owner, a familiar face, glanced at me as if he had something to say, yet at the expression on my face, he withdrew to the rear of the store. The human beings around me ranged from those who could read the atmosphere to those who couldn’t.

“Do you frequently drop by here?”

“Well, from time to time. How long have you been in the city, Ms. ‘Felt’?”

The edge of Felt’s lips rose a split second later.

“…I have been here for about a week, I guess. You are knowledgeable, huh?”

“Likewise. I had no expectation that you would reach the school so swiftly.”

Neither of us questioned what was going on.

Our discourse was cut short as the aroma of coffee permeated the shop and footsteps were sounded coming from the rear of the room.

“Thank you for waiting.”

After saying this, the owner set the coffee down, bowing his head before withdrawing to the rear of the shop.

The stunning woman before my eyes, who had been tracking him with her eyes only, distorted the end of her lips in fascination.

“This is a fine establishment, isn’t it?”

“You should at least drink the coffee before saying something like that.”

It would be too pitiful for the owner to be evaluated solely on the merit of his withdrawal.

When each of us had sipped our coffee, it was time for me to get down to business.

“―So, what do you want from me, coming all the way to the school? Is it a threat or something similar?”

“Hmm, that’s what Sasha told me, but for my part, it’s not quite the same.”

“What do you mean?”

Felt then all of a sudden leaned forward from the table and locked her gaze into mine.

“Hey, Mr. Kanaki! Won’t you join us?”

“…”

So it came to that.

Of the several selections hovering in my brain, I spoke as I had predetermined how to respond in the event of this pattern.

“What is your meaning?”

“You see, I was taken aback by what I witnessed during our battle yesterday. It felt like an inspiration burst. Together with you, it’s bound to be entertaining!”

“Didn’t you call me an indestructible, eco-friendly toy yesterday?”

“Well, if you refuse me, Kanaki, that might be the case. I didn’t mean to do that.”

That was a lie. In that scenario, this woman will definitely be delighted.

“But wouldn’t your employer, ‘Cannibal Merchant’, be upset with you if you did that arbitrarily?”

“Don’t worry, Sasha and I have interacted with each other for a long time. Besides, if I could win you over to my side, she would no doubt approve of it. She is especially protective of herself.”

“You know, I am not that formidable.”

“What are you talking about? With all that regenerative power, you would come in handy as a flesh barrier.”

“I see.”

It took a second for me to be convinced. Indeed, as a bodyguard, there could be no one better qualified than me.

At my silence, Felt eyed me in wonderment.

“Why do you need to hesitate? It goes without saying that if you choose to join our group, the pay will be reasonable. Sasha will actually offer you more than enough, you know? Even you, Kanaki, must be tired of living your daily existence in secrecy and acting like a small-time villain, right? Your meticulousness in eradicating evidence was appreciated by Sasha.

“…You have really done your homework on me.”

“‘Eraser’ is well-known in this city. Because nowadays the A+ rate is the highest of all the most wanted criminals on the Seal wanted list.”

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A subtle note of mockery laced the margins of Felt’s words.

“…I see, so that’s what that was all about.”

I finally reached an understanding of what her goal was.

I was convinced on my own, and Felt naturally cocked her head.

“Ngh? What is this about?”

“No, all this time I was wondering why you guys traveled all the way from the distant city of Valiahar to be here. The only objective of coming to this city would be the Princess who attends Selbeth Academy, but I could figure out that you guys have no inclination to do anything with her when I was investigating your actions. Your remarks, nevertheless, have at last shed light on my doubts.”

At Felt’s silent urging, I resumed the subject.

“So, in a nutshell―you’re competing for the vacant territory, aren’t you? This city was previously impenetrable due to the presence of powerful wanted criminals, but recently they vanished in a flurry, leading individuals from nearby cities to vie with one another to seize the vacant territory.  Well, it is a standard story of wars between countries or something like that.”

Shiva, Hunter, Alice, and Matthias.

Thanks to their presence, this city was unknowingly protected.

In particular, the presence of Matthias must have been significant. He was, after all, the highest SS-rated man in the world, and there was only a handful of them in the world. Despite a decline in the number of jobs he was performing these days, there was no one who would have sought to encroach on his territory.

On the other hand, the event from last month at least established that Shiva, Hunter, and Alice had been eliminated. It was the ideal opportunity for those who wished to seize control of the city since Matthias was also rumored to have died and the Garrisoned Corps was still struggling to get back on its feet.

“Even if I am an A+, I would still only be a freshly elevated phony A-rated person, so to speak. I can understand why people would travel all the way from faraway Valiahar.”

“…Hahaha. Mr. Kanaki, it’s beyond your imagination!”

Felt’s eyes were radiant as she clapped her hands.

“With a brain like that, Sasha won’t complain anymore, no, she won’t! And no talk of toying with you! So, Mr. Kanaki, with us―”

“I refuse.”

“Eh?”

As she uttered the word sharply, Felt’s movement ceased.

“…Well, may I ask you to repeat yourself again?”

“Fine, but my answer remains the same, okay?”

The temperature around Felt dropped drastically. A treacherous light began to seep into her eyes.

“…Just so you know, Mr. Kanaki, you do understand the meaning of that answer, don’t you? Sasha never fails to address even the tiniest of worries about her. Even now―”

“You have four of your companions standing by outside, right?”

Felt’s eyes wavered. That reaction alone was sufficient to answer my question. The number of individuals was perhaps a shock to me.

“‘Heildin’, ‘Flame-colored Shark’, ‘White Gale’, and ‘Sharp Execution’. These are all wanted criminals that I had seen before arriving here. I forgot about the ‘minor ones,’ but I remember ‘Flame-colored Shark’ having an A-rate. Even so, it is my belief that ‘Hunter’ would be superior among the A-rated ones.”

“…Have you encountered them before…?”

“There’s no chance of that. They are all wanted individuals from Valiahar, and I have only memorized their faces by reading through the Valiahar wanted posters since yesterday.”

The frequency of the wanted posters issued varied by city but was often twice a month.

Being a commercial city, the frequency of publication of the wanted list of Valiahar was high, and it was published once a week.

“…But there’s no significant recent activity of ‘Heildin’…”

“The wanted poster was published about four years ago. I reviewed all of the wanted posters from the previous five years. Well, it was only until that period of time.”

Felt was frozen as if aghast. However, she soon came to her senses and pounded on the table.

“I-If you are that well informed, then why are you rejecting our proposal!? Our interests are aligned, and if you refuse, you will die!?”

It was as if our positions had been reversed.

With this thought in mind, I dispassionately corrected her mistake.

“Ms. Felt, you are wrong on two points. One, contrary to what you claimed, our interests are not aligned. Only those who have a definite profit are murdered by you, or rather by your employer. I commit crimes purely for pleasure. More to the point, in my case, I kill as a result of killing, not because I like killing. It is the process that is my goal. Besides, you and your colleagues inflicted harm on Mr. Hansa to begin with, right? How can I simply end up as a friend of someone like that?”

I sighed when I reached this stage.

“And another thing, you said I would die should I refuse this proposal.”

I rested my chin on my hand and fixed my gaze on Felt’s eyes.

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“―The ability of you guys to kill me is out of the question.”

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“…Haha.”

After a brief interval of silence, Felt gave a small shudder, and then…

“Ahahahaha! I thought you were the type of person who wouldn’t say such things, Mr. Kanaki, but it turns out you defy my expectations!”

“Even I would be outraged if someone were to take over my territory with impunity. I enjoy my current lifestyle in my own way.”

She nodded her head in understanding. Right now, for the first time in a long time, wrath overcame me.

Whether that was because I was really furious about the destruction of the city or for some other reason was hard to say though.

The series of laughter was followed by a few more moments, and when Felt finally regained her composure, her face had reverted to the one I had recognized from last night’s encounter.

It was the face of a predator who regarded an opponent as prey.

“―I understand. I will tell Sasha that you dumped me. She will employ all methods necessary to eliminate you, but your response won’t alter despite that, right?”

“Yes. If someone dies because of it, then so be it. Let’s drop the matter and say we did the utmost we could.”

“…You truly are an intriguing character.”

Perhaps more than Sasha―

As soon as she got up from her seat, the windy end of her remarks was drowned out.

“I’ll call it a day then. The bill?”

“I will cover the cost. I had tea with a charming woman. Allow me to pay that amount, please.”

“…Haha, thank you for your kind words.”

“Thank you for the meal,” I called out to the owner in the back of the store, and Felt left the store directly.

I downed what little coffee was left in my cup. Having shoved the cold, bitter liquid down my throat, I grabbed my wallet and left my seat.

From this point on, there were a lot of things to take care of.

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