kscans

Chapter 44 - Kaede-chan Is Cute Standing There Defiantly, Too

After getting out of the useless taxi in Shinagawa, I immediately found an empty alley and drank an Invisibility Potion. Then, though it was a bit cold, I stripped on the spot and drank a TS Potion to turn back into a man.

Next, I took men's clothes and a coat out of my bag, got dressed, and put on the coat. Just in case, I used the coat to hide Eleanor's white bag.

Once I had finished changing, I checked that no one was around and drank another Invisibility Potion to undo the invisibility. Then, I emerged from the alley, hailed a real taxi, and got in.

Inside the taxi, I told the driver my home address and let out a breath.

Hmm, they were a strange bunch. I have no idea what they wanted.

However, it was certain that they were American A-rank adventurers. They were listed on the internet, and their skill counts and levels were insane.

And their unique skills...

They possessed skills with a star mark, which we call rare skills. It's probably safe to assume that high-rankers, whether in America or Japan, have a high probability of possessing them.

Thinking that far, I took my smartphone out of my bag. I saw about 50 missed calls. Of course, they were from Kaede-chan and Satsuki-san. To be precise, 49 were from Kaede-chan and 1 was from Satsuki-san.

Hmm, I guess Nanapon reported it... From her perspective, it must have looked like Eleanor-san being abducted by a foreigner with a gun. Well, that's exactly what happened.

Figuring I couldn't make a call in the taxi, I opened my messaging app.

'Senpai, where are you right now!? Please contact me immediately!'

Reading the message, I could tell that Kaede-chan was worried.

I quickly started typing a reply.

'I'm fine. I'm in a taxi right now so I can't call. I'll call you when I get home.'

I typed that and sent it, and just as I was about to put my phone back in my bag, it chimed with a notification.

So fast!

'I'm in front of your house right now.'

Is she Mary-san? It must be cold, even for October... I should have given her a spare key.

"Driver, my girlfriend is waiting for me in front of my house, so please ignore the speed limit."

I leaned forward and pleaded with the driver.

"I can't do that."

I knew it.

I leaned back against the seat and started typing another message.

'I'll be back soon, so wait for me.'

'Get back here in five minutes.'

Don't ask the impossible... That muscle-head drove me all the way to Shinagawa.

Resigned, I decided to wait until the taxi arrived at my apartment. After being rocked by the taxi for a while, we arrived, and I paid the driver and got out. Kaede-chan, who had been standing in front of my door, immediately came running over.

As a joke, I spread my arms wide, waiting for a hug, but contrary to my expectations, Kaede-chan actually hugged me.

"What were you doing..."

Kaede-chan murmured into my chest.

"Sorry, sorry."

I wrapped my left arm around Kaede-chan's waist and placed my right hand on the back of her head.

"What happened?"

"Hmm, well, let's talk inside. You must have been cold. Want to take a bath?"

"I don't want to use the bath at your place, senpai."

I don't think it's that dirty...

"Well, fine. Come on."

I let go of Kaede-chan, took her hand, and led her into the apartment. The neighbors' eyes are a concern, you see.

Kaede-chan let me lead her by the hand up into the apartment, through the kitchen, and quietly followed me to my room. However, once we were in the room, she let go of my hand and stood there defiantly, looking up at me.

"So? What happened?"

"Now, now, have a seat."

I placed my hands on Kaede-chan's shoulders and forced her to sit down. She made a dissatisfied face but sat down without complaint.

"So?"

Don't rush me...

"What did Nanapon say?"

"She said that when she tried to get into the taxi with Eleanor-san, she noticed a woman was already inside. She thought it was suspicious, and then Eleanor-san got in the taxi, and the woman pointed a gun at her. She said they kidnapped Eleanor-san..."

That's mostly correct. Still, so Nanapon did notice Claire. It must have been her Clairvoyance skill.

"Well, that's what happened. They said they were American agents. Apparently, they're A-rank adventurers. Claire Walker and Harry Baker. Do you know them?"

"I do. They're super famous. I heard they were in Japan for the auction, but was their target Eleanor-san...?"

Apparently super famous. So that's why they both got dejected when Eleanor-san said she didn't know them... I did a bad thing. I should start looking up other adventurers from now on.

"They said Eleanor-san is being targeted by other countries. They came to be her bodyguards."

"Bodyguards? I heard they pointed a gun at her, though?"

"An American joke, maybe? It wasn't loaded."

"A very unfunny joke."

Well, yeah.

"I didn't really get it, but I thought I'd get in and listen to what they had to say."

"That's dangerous! You should have run away immediately!"

Kaede-chan got angry.

"It's fine. No matter what skills they have, at that range, I'm stronger. I'd kill them in an instant."

"No, but those two are former military, you know?"

"Does that matter? In a car, there's no magic, and my palm strike or a knife would be faster."

I bought a survival knife for self-defense. A cool one.

"Um, senpai, are you a real manslayer? Nanaka-chan said you were scary because you needlessly beheaded the skeletons."

Well, it's easier and faster to just slash them normally.

"No, I just wanted to show off my sword skills..."

"She said that Eleanor-san's fantasy-like appearance makes it somewhat okay, but Okita-san is just creepy."

Was it the tracksuit that was bad...

"Well, whatever. I'll be more careful next time."

"Um, so what did you talk about?"

"Hmm, they asked a lot of things. About the Translation Potion, my background..."

It was mostly trivial stuff. Like my hair color matters.

"Can those people be trusted?"

"Hmm, I'll reserve judgment. They didn't seem very good at negotiations, and I got to see their Status Cards, so I think they can be trusted to some extent."

"Y, you saw them!? They're foreign A-ranks! That could be a state secret, depending on the situation."

Kaede-chan was shocked.

"They showed me as soon as I threatened them a little. But they were incredible. Both of them were over level 50."

"Fifty!? Please don't threaten people like that!"

"What do you have to do to get that high? They had a lot of skills too. Oh, and they had rare skills. Though they called them unique skills."

I should get more skills too. I think if I do strength training in Frontier, I get an attack power boost, right?

"So they do have them... Still, unique skills... does that mean no one else has them...?"

In this case, unique skill probably means a one-of-a-kind skill. That's how it's used in games.

"At least, the fact that they named it that way suggests so. In other words, we can assume that no one else has my Alchemy or Nanapon's Clairvoyance."

My Alchemy is one thing, but it's good that Nanapon is the only one with Clairvoyance. It reduces the ways someone could find out Eleanor's true identity, and there won't be any idiots trying to peep on Kaede-chan.

"I see... What kind of skills did those two have?"

"Harry had Steel Thread and Claire had Recognition Impairment. I didn't see Steel Thread, but I imagine it's like what you see in anime. So it's probably for combat. I did see Recognition Impairment. It was an ability that could erase her form and presence. It's troublesome, but from what Nanapon said, we should be able to counter it with her Clairvoyance."

"...Um, that person isn't here, right?"

I don't know.

"If she is, I'll kill her."

I'm alone with Kaede-chan! Don't get in the way!

"Should I call Nanaka-chan?"

"No, even if they were following me, I turned invisible, so I should have lost them."

"I see... But it's scary."

Indeed... In Frontier, I can just bring Nanapon, but it's scary otherwise.

"Alright! I'll ask him!"

"Ask who?"

"Harry. Kaede-chan, wait a second."

I grabbed my bag, stood up, and left the room. I went to the washroom, took off my clothes, and drank a TS Potion. In the mirror, my reflection changed from Okita-kun to Eleanor-san. I quickly put on the black robe and returned to the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Hmph."

I swept back my long hair and struck a pose.

"Senpai, I've been thinking this for a while, but you definitely misunderstand the meaning of 'mysterious'."

Shut up.

"Now then, shall I ask Harry...?"

I sat down next to Kaede-chan and took out my smartphone.

"You got his contact information."

"They're supposedly my bodyguards, so they said to call if anything happened. Oh, and Kaede-chan, don't make a sound."

I don't want to get her involved.

"I know. Can I poke you in the side?"

"No."

Do that to Okita-kun. I'll pin you down.