Chapter 144
Overturning the trash can in the park.
It was one of the hidden pieces that could summon Rodelin.
There were times during story progression or quest completion when Rodelin's assistance was occasionally needed, making it a useful hidden piece for such occasions.
The veteran player who discovered this hidden piece named it...
'Wow! Kick a trash can and get a Rodelin for free!'
...Indeed. Even now, it seems like a well-thought-out strategy name. Of course.
"I never expected you, Zero, to commit such an act. I'll assign you a penalty point."
The penalty point was also free.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you picking it up?"
Rodelin had already finished preparing to clean up.
Gloves, tongs, trash bags, and even a mask to protect against dust.
It was a scene that perfectly showcased Rodelin's pursuit of perfection in every task.
Rodelin threw me a pair of gloves and said.
"This park is a place for students to rest! Make sure it's cleaned up thoroughly!"
Click-click-!
Rodelin started cleaning, clicking her tongs.
Following Rodelin, I clumsily picked up the trash that littered the ground.
'I didn't think about this before.'
In the game, cleaning was done with a single click.
But this is the cold reality.
It means I have to move my body myself.
While I was busy picking up trash, I heard Rodelin murmuring.
"This won't do... I'll need special equipment for this."
A dark stain buried in the corner of a bench.
Rodelin struggled with the rag, but the stain showed no signs of disappearing.
For the record, this stain wasn't a result of me overturning the trash can.
It was an old, ingrained stain.
Rodelin applied force as if she was determined to fight to the death with it.
"Ugh..."
Of course, it didn't disappear.
Just before Rodelin was about to be engulfed in the frustration of defeat, I approached and took the rag from her hand. Then.
[Clean].
Using the S-grade [Clean] skill, my hand moved like lightning, removing the stain.
Watching this, Rodelin couldn't help but let out an admiring exclamation.
"Hmm! I've felt this before, but Zero, you have a genius talent for cleaning. How about it? Would you like to take on the role of janitorial chief?"
"Keke, to think you'd offer the role of janitorial chief to someone who deliberately overturned a trash can. How ironic."
"Huh, that's true."
Cleaning up didn't take long.
It was partly due to Rodelin's competent abilities, but mostly because the [Clean] skill exerted overwhelming power.
The park became much cleaner than before I messed it up, leaving Rodelin with no room for complaints.
"Since the situation has been nicely handled, there's no need to restrain you."
Rodelin's restraint play(?).
My mouth waters, but I decide to refrain. Now is not the time for that.
Well, I've experienced it a lot in the game, anyway.
"Why did you do this?"
"Keke, I couldn't help it. It was an irresistible situation."
"Irresistible?"
"Yes, I wanted to see you, senior."
"What, what does that mean!"
Rodelin's arms quickly crossed, wrapping around her body.
She was on guard.
It was a situation I couldn't understand. Isn't it obvious?
I'm not some pervert.
"Unhealthy imaginations are grounds for penalty points!"
"Wanting to see you warrants penalty points? I wonder which clause of the school rules that falls under. It's intriguing."
"Ugh, ughhh...!"
Rodelin's ears turned a light shade of pink.
Because she knows such a clause doesn't exist.
'She's cute, as always. I want to tease her more...'
But I have to stop here.
If she runs away, I won't be able to achieve my original goal.
"Keke, I'm just kidding. I wanted to give you this."
I handed her a restaurant ticket, and Rodelin cautiously accepted it.
"...First Cup is a Sleeping Potion, Second Cup is a Trip to the Netherworld? I've never heard of such names. It's a suspicious restaurant."
"Keke, that's right. Actually..."
"No, there's no need to explain. I've figured out your intention, Zero."
As expected, Rodelin is smart. If it were Luna, I would have had to go through a tedious explanation two or three times more.
Just as we were about to set a date.
"It must mean the place is suspected to be a crime scene. That's why you came to find me. But since there's no evidence, reconnaissance comes first! Zero, be ready to deploy first thing tomorrow!"
...Uh, I see. You're not normal either?
To think the perfect Rodelin would make such a blunder.
It was a moment when I realized again that I might be the only normal person in this world.
"You'll be conducting an investigation, so don't wear your uniform. Just being a student from Annwood Academy will put them on guard."
Rodelin! We're not going to catch a criminal; we're going to eat something delicious!
Why is the genre suddenly changing from fantasy to a crime investigation!?
This might end with the restaurant owner being thrown in jail.
I have no choice but to explain it to her thoroughly, just like I do with Luna.
"...It's a meal."
"Hmm?"
"I arranged it to have a meal with you, senior."
"...?"
Rodelin's eyes rolled to the side, trying to understand the situation.
A few seconds later.
"Ah, ah! Ahh...!"
Rodelin's face flushed like a beet.
Her arms flailed in panic. Then, she cleared her throat and said.
"Hem-hem, I knew it all along. I was just throwing a joke."
"Just a moment ago, you were certainly going to investigate a crime scene..."
"Hy, hygiene! I was talking about hygiene issues. Violating hygiene standards is also a serious crime!"
Hmm~ That's true. Whether it's a cause for arrest, I'm not sure.
This way, I managed to save the restaurant owner from Rodelin's restraint play(?).
"Then let's meet tomorrow. Dress in casual clothes since we'll be inspecting the hygiene. They'll be cautious if they find out we're academy students."
"Keke, understood. See you tomorrow then."
"Hmm."
Rodelin nodded and moved forward.
What would happen if I kicked the trash can one more time?
I was seriously contemplating this when...
"It's dirty."
It was Yuridia. She appeared out of nowhere, glaring at me fiercely.
"What?"
"This is essentially a date. Asking another girl out on a date while Luna is around! It's dirty! It's really dirty!"
The restaurant ticket I had given to Rodelin.
She must have mistaken it as something meant for just the two of us.
"You better be careful! I'll be watching you!"
Yuridia screamed before fleeing the scene.
Watching her retreat, I thought to myself.
I need to clear this game as soon as possible.
There seem to be too many crazies in this world.
*
The next day.
We headed to the restaurant, looking forward to a fancy meal.
However, it didn't take long for our expectations to cool down.
The smell, the appearance, the cheap discount flyers stuck all over the windows.
The sign, presumably broken by a drunkard, with a picture of a beer mug drawn on it.
To anyone, it was obvious...
"...It's a pub."
"Keke, it's a pub."
"Su, sure, it's a pub."
"What! It's a pub!"
Indeed. The place Caron had told us to go was not a restaurant, but a pub.
An ordinary pub that could be found anywhere.
"Zero, what's this about? Is this the great, tasty, and excellent service restaurant you were talking about?"
"Lu, Luna. I never said that. Please, calm down for a moment..."
Regardless, Luna was grinding her teeth furiously.
It was then that I realized Caron's scheme.
'Caron, you bastard! You planned to kill me!'
I should have known something was off when Caron, unknown to Rodelin, introduced us to this restaurant.
'To be fooled so stupidly. What an idiot!'
Luna was steadily approaching me.
I was quietly waiting for my execution when...
"...I see. All the mysteries have been solved."
"What?"
Rodelin's declaration that all the mysteries had been solved.
All eyes were focused on her.
"It was strange from the beginning. It's impossible for a restaurant to exist without my knowledge, especially since I issue commercial licenses."
"Senior! Then, this place is..."
"Indeed, it was a pub posing as a restaurant to conduct illegal business."
Rodelin raised her index finger as she continued.
"But they couldn't fool me! There's always only one truth!"
"Senior! To uncover the secrets hidden in the darkness! You're truly amazing!"
"Hem-hem, such simple deduction is nothing for me."
Suddenly, the detective play began. I was deep in thought, overlooking their antics.
Something's off. An illegal business without a license?
It didn't make sense for Caron to send me to such a place.
There was something else. Something Caron had in mind when sending me here.
"Everyone, be on alert. It might not just be a den of merchants but a den of evil."
Regardless, Rodelin's approach was unstoppable.
She knocked on the pub's door.
Bang bang bang!
"Is the owner in?"
"..."
"Owner!"
Bang bang bang!
Perhaps due to her forceful knocking, the door swung open violently, and a man burst out.
He seemed a year or two older than us.
His red hair and the scars scattered across his body seemed to speak of his temperament.
"Who the hell starts trouble at this hour? No matter how much you want to drink... Huh?"
The man looked us over quietly.
Then he shooed us away with his hand.
"We don't serve kids. Get lost."
Zap-.
Veins popped on Rodelin and Luna's foreheads.
Being called kids seemed to be a trigger for them.
Well, to me, the term 'kids' seemed fitting.
"To pose as a restaurant and deceive people, not to mention insult them... Annwood Academy must seem like a joke to you."
It seemed she had abandoned the plan to act like a civilian.
'Judging by revealing her identity... she's decided to obliterate.'
The man in front of us seemed destined to be caught in Rodelin's restraint play.
I did my best! Just know that!
"A restaurant? What nonsense are you talking about... Huh?"
The red-haired man, annoyed, was picking his ear.
Suddenly, his face hardened.
"Wait... do you have a ticket?"
"Are you talking about this?"
The restaurant tickets in our hands.
Seeing them, the man's face turned pale.
"Jus, just wait a moment, please! It is a restaurant! We're open, just wait a bit!"
Bang-! Crash!
The door slammed shut.
Looking at the pub now claiming to be a restaurant, I thought...
...Really.
There are too many crazies in this world.
*
Scarlet the Rat. (TL Note: Yes, Scarlet is a man. I had to triple check, since Scarlet is 100% a female name. Maybe author thought that him having Scars + Red Hair = Scarlet? This will be annoying...)
A rookie rat in his second year, tasked with gathering rumors floating around the village and providing information to other rats.
"Yawn~."
Scarlet yawned so wide his mouth might tear.
It was already his 58th yawn of the day. He stuck a toothpick into the wall to mark the count.
There was nothing else to do.
The town hosting Annwood Academy was quite large.
And another thing the town prided itself on was its 'security'.
Meaning, hardly any incidents occurred.
'The students of the academy are the future of the empire... It's natural to ensure they're not harmed.'
But that's not all.
Not only are the children generally high-level, but also consider the types of people wandering the town.
Teachers, instructors, nobles, parents coming to visit their children.
Boasting the skills of a knight at the base level, last year even a Sword Master made an appearance.
Thieves or murderers here? They'd be slaughtered in 0.1 seconds.
'Information is the same.'
It's precisely here that informants feel burdened to sell their information.
Though I occasionally managed to gather some information, everything changed when Caron was assigned to Annwood Academy.
The method of delivering information directly to that place instead of to this place had changed.
As a result, it was only natural for Scarlet to live a life close to unemployment.
Watching drunks brawl was the only source of entertainment.
Being a rookie rat in his second year, I didn't have access to even the lower-grade information.
That's why Scarlet was shocked out of his mind.
One night, Caron showed up.
'Wh, wh-why is Caron here?'
Seeing Caron's eyes, Scarlet couldn't help but tremble.
Because he stood at the pinnacle of rats?
No.
Because he was the leader of the rats?
Even more so, no.
'Because I got beaten up, that's why.'
Scarlet, who lived as a petty criminal dealing with pickpocketing and exploiting information for business.
That day, he was doing business with some luckily obtained information when he said,
"Interesting. You've got talent."
"And who are you to judge that?"
Snap-!
When Scarlet opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling was what I saw.
And so, Scarlet was kidnapped... no, scouted(?) as a rat by Caron.
After undergoing training akin to hell for a year, I was appointed as the manager of this place.
Counting yawns to pass the time, it was then... the kidnapper, no, Caron appeared before Scarlet.
Naturally, I was startled.
But what Caron said next was even more baffling.
"Run a restaurant."
What?
Is he crazy?
--TL Notes--
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