Chapter 139: [Arc 4] Chapter 20: Cheesy Stalker, Talented Stalker

???'s PoV:

"Come on!! You gotta find that lady, fast!!" 

"Roger that, anego!" 

"We will find her!"

"We'll even skip dinner for it."

"...Okay, I'm doing this myself!!"

"Anego!!!"

"No way I can leave something this important to you three! If we fail this, then heads are gonna roll!!"

---

Garami's PoV:

"He was here too?" - Garami

"YES! What the heck was wrong with that guy!? No, those bitches! Making a mess just because we didn't have room for them, are they for real?! Even kids have better manners than they do! They weren't the first group that made things sour, but I never believed there would be someone stupid enough to try it again after we finished punishing the first group..." - Revi

It's after closing-time for our restaurant (earlier than we'd predicted) so I had returned to the shop. Things had gone better after I left for some reason, but they still burned through all the ingredients we had prepared. Gotta stock up some more.

The Skeleton Cooks I left behind are cleaning up the place and everyone else is enjoying the festival. Only Revi and Flint remained, the latter wants to do some maintenance on the cooking utensils, the former wants to let out some steam. Yes, I'm the steam-catcher. Good work, me. Keep it up, me.

"And what happened to them afterward? The harem idiots, I mean." - Garami

"They were escorted away by those...festival guards? Security guards? Whatever they're called, they managed to chase away those freaks, so nothing too bad happened." - Revi

"That's good. Just wondering, what did that single guy in the group do?" - Garami

"Nothing, except acting like the guards and I were the bad guys. As if fulfilling all the wishes of the girls was a duty for all living things on the planet. He acted just like that." - Revi

"Weirdo. Ask some guards to patrol here more often. Since we're turning into a popular area-" - Garami

"Before that, there's something even weirder about that guy!" - Revi

"The spineless protagonist?" - Garami

"Protagonist? I'm talking about the guy who resisted [Envy]!" - Revi

"...The guy who was with the girls? And how do you resist a Sin Skill?" - Garami

"How should I know!?" - Revi

True enough~. I got a fair idea about that guy's circumstances now though. If it comes to a fight...

I would win.

"Okay, let's keep the idiot outta the conversation. It's just hurting our heads thinking about him." - Garami

"Yes, I agree! Ah! Yes, I completely forgot..." - Revi

And now she's talking to herself. I should get some cooks from Damavand to take over...

"Garami, thank you so very much for this gift! We wouldn't have been able to satisfy all the customers without its help. And that is just regarding today's problems!" - Revi

She took off the hat she'd been wearing and presented it to me. Wait...this one is...

Skills:

• Living Item:
  • The "Inferior Draconic Monstrous Hat", Walaphiris has its own will, HP, and MP.
• Shared Existence:
  • Can only be used by Revi Darul
  • "Inferior Draconic Monstrous Hat", Walaphiris will be destroyed if its owner dies.
  • "Inferior Draconic Monstrous Hat", Walaphiris' MP stock is considered a separate MP stock of the owner.
• Mana Generator:
  • Greatly increases the owner's recovery of MP (except through the use of potions).
• Witchcraft Assistant:
  • Positive correction to any usage of witchcraft.
  • "Inferior Draconic Monstrous Hat", Walaphiris can be a target for [Coven]-type skills.
• Spawn Ruler:
  • Any token-based monsters produced by the user's skills have their status values improved by 3% of the user's MAG stat.
• Spectral Hand:
  • Creates a single arm from the top of the "Inferior Draconic Monstrous Hat", Walaphiris. 
  • Said arm is invisible for people except for the user and those they allow to observe the arm.
  • The physical strength of the arm is equal to 5% of the user's MAG stat.

Description:

A hat, yet a dragon. A dragon, yet a monster. A monster, yet a hat! A strange, yet humorous, item created via alchemy by the Champion of Alvatria. Meant to be used by the owner of [Envy], one of the seven Sins. It has yet to attain its true powers, mostly due to having been created with the wrong materials.

Holy cow!! What the heck's this thing!? 

"Wala was such a help with preparing the food~. Who would have thought a single hand that did exactly as you asked for would be of so much help?" - Revi

No, there are some other things you gotta comment on here!? But let's go along with it. It feels like I'll take mental damage if I force the conversation onto that path.

"This is what appeared from that explosion?" - Garami

"Mmhm. Everyone was surprised that you could make something like this when you looked so out of it. Ciara even said that you might be a savant." - Revi

In a good way, I hope!

In any case, this seems to be the springboard of item creation for me. If I can facilitate the same effect onto other items I make...

"Sorry, gotta go." - Garami

"That's sudden." - Revi

"Got inspiration for something good...or, it depends on your view of things." - Garami

"Meaning something horrifying in the eyes of the normal man. Have fun." - Revi

Oh, you bet I am...

"Are you also smelling guano?" - Garami

"No...how do you even know how that smells?" - Revi

"You don't wanna know." - Garami

---

???'s PoV:

Crap, too close! The target almost noticed me! How did she do that!? I'm using [Odorless] in addition to my whole stealth-shebang! 

"Anego, do you copy?" 

"No copying, please! Anego, whatever you do, don't start copying things again!!"

"You can copy my breakfast... but I already ate it." 

Those three idiots... I left the string phone behind as I snuck through the shadow world and tried to get closer to the target. A white-haired demon with black horns, wearing a black jacket with a big hood.

I snuck from shadow to shadow. A movement technique that makes me virtually undetectable from ANY-

"Do you hear bat-wings?" - Garami

"No, ma'am! Sorry, but I can't say I do!" - Shopkeeper of the practically abandoned stand

RETREAT!!

Following the string, I returned to the three Kamaitachi brothers, Akai the smart one, Takai the energic one, and Furu the faaa...the food-loving one. All three were surprised to see me returning so soon.

"...She noticed you?" - Akai

"Y-y-yeah..." - ???

I gulped down some water and tried to calm myself down. That woman's detection ability is too outta this world. In the past, I snuck past a group of mafia thugs, all of them having 300 stats on average, and didn't get caught! And that was when I was a kid!!

This woman, however, has way sharper senses than anyone that I've ever encountered... 

No. That guy also noticed me. I would have lost my arm if I wasn't careful. That scary, horrifying emperor...

And this demon-girl is giving off the same dangerous "sound" like that guy! I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, and never learn from my mistakes and charge straight into problems more times than I can count, but even I don't wanna get too close to that thing! All my hairs are standing up each time she gets a sniff of me!

"Then...how are we going to...get her?" - Furu

"...I got an idea." - ???

"As expected of anego!" - Takai

Now, where did I leave... there you are. 

"Wakey, wakey. Tinkletop, you got work to do for me~." - ???

If you can't get a job done, make someone else do it for you!

"As expected of anego..." - Akai, Takai, & Furu

---

Garami's PoV:

"Okay, see you later." - Garami

I left the burger-stand of that Migrant, well sated by those delicious cheeseburgers. He may have failed in finding a good location for his shop, but damn does he make some good ol' BBQ. I should recommend him to that merchant guy.

"...Why'm I smelling cheese this time?" - Garami

From guano to cheese...maybe someone ordered more cheeseburgers? Wouldn't surprise me-whoa!?

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*Crash!*

That was close...not. Saw it coming a mile away.

"So sorry! The breaks on the cart suddenly came loose...where did she go?"

Yeah, yeah, no worries. But stop attracting attention. It's bad for my health.

I left the dumpling-cart guy to a less populated area while keeping [Recognition Obstruction] on. What's a girl gonna do to get some peace around here? ...Prolly not by participating in a festival, but who cares about the details.

And there I was, looking for another hidden gem of a stall without many people, when all of a sudden, a street sign came down on me! It was easy to notice, so I dodged that too. People need to get their stalls straight. Or at least screw things tighter. Crazy folks.

Time to leave this dump. People are gathering again. Are accidents so funny to look at? Sheesh. 

Let's test out that shooting range...forget it. Someone tried to use the toy bow that I had planned to take and the string snapped and whipped them in their face. Not trying out that place.

The sushi-stand... got bad fish. The drink bar... got a local flood of lemonade. The rest area... is suddenly filled with ants.

Okay, I know I'm a girl that attracts trouble like catnip to cats, but this is just ridiculous! Someone's trying to ruin my festival experience, and I'm not gonna take that lying down!

I got [Total Presence Concealment] up and running and started to look for the culprit. They should try to leave the scenes of the crimes instead of the opposite, so anyone suspicious doing that should...got it? Wait, a mouse? Ugh, a distraction. Who else...

Do mice wear capes and tool belts? 

I sent a message to everyone's Terminals and started to follow the cartoonishly dressed mouse down the streets.

It could be just my imagination running wild, but a mouse that can move through a busy street while keeping itself undetected by the people participating in the festival has gotta be suspicious. He's been trained for this, at least.

After a small trip, we arrived at the area around Arena B. There are not as many people here compared to arena D, but the mouse was going for an especially deserted area where a building had been hastily, but skillfully, constructed. 

The mouse entered the building and I followed it like a shadow while being conscious of keeping the stealth effects running.

The inside of the building had the appearance of a classy bar, except that it was hastily decorated, making it look shabby despite having furniture that could cost a house or two.

The mouse ran towards a group of people dressed in similar uniforms. It wasn't military uniforms, nor anything that looked "oriental" like the samurai that patrols the town streets. It's a simple white jacket with rust-red lines and black pants. They kinda give the feeling of a uniform used by delivery services back on Earth.

There are four of them, not counting the rodent. Strangely enough, three of those guys look like the kind to eat rodents. They're kamaitachis, the wind-cutting weasel youkai. One slim, one fat, and one wearing glasses for some reason.

The last one, and the only female, has rust-red hair and dark green eyes. She looked completely human, except for her elongated ears and sharp fangs. She looks like a Therianthrope, a humanoid creature with beastly attributes.

Unlike Beastkin, which are practically animals on two legs, Therianthropes can switch between a human, a half-beast, and a beast form. Similar to werewolves, but with a step in the middle. Plus, Therianthropes aren't as "feral" as those guys. 

And this girl...a bat, perhaps? The fangs are giving her a vampire feeling, but the ears aren't something that real Vampires have. Not that I'm sure if I can call the sole blood-sucker I know about a "real vampire", but I got a serious detailed explanation about the bat Therianthrope before, so...

"Tinkletop! Did you get that demon?" asked the red-haired (potential) batgirl. She must be the mouse's tamer then.

The mouse in question simply shook its head to the question, which made all four of them turn pale. I sat down on one of the bar chairs and enjoyed their panic while staying hidden through my skills.

"Damn...let's skip this town." - Red-haired girl

"Anego!? We're just leaving!?" - Thin weasel

"...I have to agree with anego. It is too dangerous for us to stay. It may even bring harm to the townspeople." - Weasle with glasses

...they better not be talking about me.

"Aww, but they got the best dumplings..." - Fat weasel

"Furu, give it a rest. It is not only the mafia, but the Voyagers will be after us too once they figure out who picked a fight with their boss." - Weasle with glasses

"It's one thing after another! I regret ever sneaking into that crate..." - Red-haired girl

"That's not the only last thing you're gonna regret if you fail us!" 

Ooh, new actors enter the stage...what the? Yakuza? Ah, mafia. They did mention them.

"What do you want?" - Red-haired girl

"Ain't that obvious? We're here to collect the heads of those outsiders. You do have them, right?" - Mafia grunt

"...Look, we told you before, we're just a delivery firm, not hired assassins-" - Red-haired girl

"Hah! As if someone who crushed half of the mafia groups of Luxuria in a single night couldn't bring the heads of some rotten newcomers! Get to it, or you'll pay your debts with weasel furs and bat wings!" - Mafia grunt

Geez, they're not mafia. They're loan sharks. There goes my interest.

"You guys are gonna get out there and... why're my arms not moving?" - Mafia grunt

"B-boss! We're stuck!" - Mafia grunt's grunt

"What do you mean stuck!?" - Mafia grunt

"I don't know!" - Mafia grunt's grunt

"Okay, cut. Even commercials are more entertaining than this." - Garami

I stepped outta the shadows...metaphorically speaking, and walked up to the delivery crew and the mafia doofuses that's got themselves quite stuck in my web. Not that they've got the eyesight to see those threads.

"Hey, you're-!!" - Mafia grunt 

Not wanting to hear their whining, I shut the mafia group's mouths with sticky threads before turning to face the delivery guys. 

"Uuuhh...how long were you here?" - Fat weasel

"The whole time." - Garami

"Wow. Anego, you were right. She is scary." - Fat weasel

"Furu, stop talking!" shouted the other three, with the two weasels trying to cover the fat one's mouth while the batgirl turned to me with a strained business smile on her face.

"So sorry about that. What can I do for you, demoness-sama?" - Red-haired girl

"First, give me back my wallet that you stole." - Garami

Batgirl did as I asked her to with a pale face. As I thought, she was the one who took it. 

"Second, why did you challenge that guy in arena D?" - Garami

I'm talking about the match where she was blown away and I had to catch her with my webs. It must have been around there, or right after, that she stole my fake wallet. The real one was in my Storage, with the fake acting as bait for pickpockets. Not that I had the mental capacity to notice it being stolen...

"Well...you know there's a reward for defeating that guy in the tournament?" - Red-haired girl

"No, but I'm glad you mentioned it. Third, why did you borrow money from these chumps?" - Garami

The guys in question were still trying to break free from the webbings as I spoke. Good luck with that.

"That's..." - Red-haired girl

"Anego's the worst when it comes to not breaking stuff." - Thin weasel

"Her actions got us more in the red than not when doing our jobs." - Weasle with glasses

Know that feeling. Got a chimera that eats you outta the house, plus a gambling-addicted spirit...

"Final question: did that crate-event you mumbled about happen around 15 years ago in Solomar?" - Garami

"How did you know that!?" - Red-haired girl

I f*cking knew it. Good thing I asked them to come here. This is gonna be interesting~.

---

A Kamaitachi is a weasel-like youkai that rides on the winds and cuts people while passing through. 

This is the general image of people, but Kamaitachis are far from any street slashers. They are gentle youkai that are fast on their feet, but they are too fast for their good. The dust devils created by the Kamaitachis dashes carry sharp dust particles that can easily cut people's skin, resulting in small wounds that are the origin of the Kamaitachis' bad reputation. 

Appearance:

Kamaitachis have the appearance of bipedal weasels. They can stand up to 160 cm tall and they prefer kimonos as their daily outfit. They have sharp, sickle-shaped claws that they can retract if needed.

Abilities:

Kamaitachis are a prime example of a non-flying member of the Wind attribute and they demonstrate this with their mastery of riding the winds, creating blasts of air, and long-ranged slashes in the form of sharp winds.

Kamaitachis are equipped with sharp claws that they can use as weapons, but they are also skilled with real sickles. 99 times out of 100, the weapon of choice for a Kamaitachi will be either a sickle or their claws. 

And another interesting, but often overlooked trait is that the Kamaitachi creates small groups that work together to defeat their adversaries. Try to survive a small tornado of these bench-scratchers! Yikes.

Garami's comment: Huh. Guess they're not so bad after all.

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