Chapter 119
It's a harsh World, and there's nothing wrong with helping each other out.
But I couldn't Act Rashly just from hearing those words.
I still didn't know what kind of person that Machine Monk was.
Exactly which Sect of Techno Buddhism he belonged to, or for what reason he had descended from the Monastery to come all the way here...
There was a lot I didn't know.
It wouldn't be too late to Accept his help after figuring out the basics.
And it wasn't even certain if he was someone who could help me in the first place.
That was why I responded with the attitude of an exemplary bar Manager for now.
I told him I had only done my job, and that a small tip would be enough of a reward.
I said I didn't need any other help at the moment, so if he really wanted to repay the favor, I would let him know later when I actually needed it.
When I said that, the Machine Monk tactfully understood what I meant and didn't bother me anymore.
And just for that, I felt like clapping for that Ladam Monk.
Goodness, a normal Customer who actually had 'tact'. How long had it been?
My first impression was that he was undoubtedly another Troublemaker, but the saying that you shouldn't judge a person by their first impression existed for a reason.
It was worth the struggle of groaning and Wrestling To Pull his stuck arm out of the vending machine hole to save him.
After meeting so many villains all this time, just receiving a Customer I could communicate with was moving in itself.
While thinking that, I suddenly paused.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that came to mind when I thought of a villain.
"Oho."
I thought of a way to solve my curiosity about that Machine Monk.
And that 'way' was currently sitting in a corner seat of the bar, savoring a cocktail.
As for what cocktail it was... it was a Grasshopper.
True to its name, it was a green, mint-colored cocktail that resembled a Grasshopper. I heard it actually tasted somewhat like mint too.
As someone who despised mint chocolate, I didn't particularly want to try it.
And as far as I knew, there was only one Customer who enjoyed drinking such a bizarre Classic Cocktail.
After quickly finishing off the mountain of work and getting some free time, I approached that Regular Customer.
"..."
As the distance rapidly closed, he Flinched and deliberately turned his head away to avoid making Eye Contact.
Why was the guy who usually initiated conversations suddenly acting like that?
Come to think of it, his appearance had also done a complete 180 from before.
He has an aggressive Hairstyle with his hat off and his sparse hair spiked straight up, and Neon Glasses completely covering both his eyes.
On top of that, he wears a Cyber Jacket and Chrome Jeans.
It was very unconventional. Was he trying to debut as a middle-aged funky idol or something?
Typically, this was the undeniable fashion of a Sprawlfield Ronin, but unfortunately, the size was different.
If others were a medium, this guy was an extra-large.
Not in a muscular way, but it simply meant his body fat percentage was high.
He might fool others, but he couldn't fool my eyes.
Actually, I didn't think he could fool anyone else either.
Unless he somehow hid that bulging belly, not just me but everyone would be able to figure out Yangban's Identity.
At this point, there wouldn't be anyone who couldn't recognize him.
"Mr. Holmes."
When I spoke to him like that with a smirk, the Troublemaker Detective glared at me with a frown.
"...I don't know what you're talking about. Who is that?"
* * *
"So, Kane? No, did you say Kent? You're a Ronin."
"Kevin. That is my name. I'd appreciate it if you called me K for short. And yes. I am a skilled and reliable semi-A-Rank veteran Mercenary."
"And you have absolutely no relation to that Detective Yangban who is a self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes?"
"Of course. He called himself Holmes with his own mouth? That's a complete Crazy person right there. I assure you, he is someone who has absolutely nothing to do with me."
The Crazy person in front of me said that.
His action was truly fitting of the Original villain I had first met, cursing himself without even batting an eye.
I thought he had gotten a bit quieter lately, but he left me speechless again with this unconventional Transformation.
He claimed to be unrelated to the Troublemaker Detective so shamelessly that for a moment, I almost doubted myself, wondering if I had mistaken him for someone else.
However, looking at his unique physique, his cocktail preference, and crucially, how he had avoided my gaze earlier, I found the Answer clear.
That was definitely the person I knew.
I didn't know if he was suffering from dissociative Identity disorder or if he was doing this for some other reason, but the Troublemaker Detective was hiding his Identity in his own way while disguised as a fat Ronin.
Unless he went on a hardcore diet or got liposuction, I didn't think he could hide it just by trying, though.
Still, I should play along for now.
Since I was the one who needed something right now.
"So, semi-A-Rank veteran Mercenary Mr. K?"
"What is it now? Do you have business with me? I'll tell you in advance, but I know nothing about that Detective or whatever guy."
"Yes, yes. Don't worry. I'm going to ask you something else."
I sat down in the seat across from the Troublemaker Detective, whose tone had somehow become even more obnoxious after doing his Ronin Cosplay, and opened my mouth.
"By any chance, do you know a bit about Techno Buddhism?"
At my question, his eyes sparkled beneath the Neon sunglasses.
He swallowed his saliva while glancing at the Machine Monk sitting in the center seat.
It was obvious that he knew something and was itching to talk about it.
He took the bait.
Even if his appearance changed, that Explainer temperament of his wasn't going anywhere.
I chuckled inwardly and threw out the bait.
"W-Well."
"Hmm... If you don't know, then never mind. You said you were a veteran Ronin, so I thought you would know everything, but it seems my expectations were too high. I'm sorry for bothering you."
As I said that and pretended to get up, the Troublemaker Detective—no, Ronin K—grabbed my arm.
"Man, you're Impatient. I never said I didn't know."
"Then do you know?"
"Uh... well, yeah. You could say I know. At the very least, I probably know more than others."
Well, he was almost reeled in.
"Then could you share what you know with me as well?"
"Uh, is there any need for me to do that? What I know is precious High-Grade Information, so I can't just carelessly tell others—"
"Seeing as you're dragging this out, you really don't know, do you? You should just Admit you don't know. Why do you keep pretending to know?"
When I scratched his pride one more time, the reaction I wanted came back.
"Hah? What a ridiculous thing to say. Fine. What are you curious about? I'll Answer anything, so ask away."
I cheered inwardly at the sight of him slamming the table and shouting.
Fishing was successful.
A talented person in the Explainer Position that I needed right at that moment had rolled in on his own two feet.
He definitely said to ask away because he would Answer anything.
Alright, what should I ask to make it a good question.
* * *
"Aha, so there are two representative sects in Techno Buddhism, and they are Daelim and Shaolin?"
"Just as the General Buddhism, which is practically obsolete now, had branches called Mahayana and Hinayana. Though I remember the exact names being different."
I had only lightly asked about the branches of Techno Buddhism, but Ronin K started pouring out all sorts of miscellaneous information as if he had a motor attached to his mouth.
The reason both names included the character for forest (forest) was because Buddhism under Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, had always been a religion of the forest, and it contained the ideology of the Founder of Techno Buddhism to build a garden forest for ascetics in this present World full of agony and suffering without a single blade of grass, Blah blah blah...
As you could tell just by looking at how one had 'Dae' (Great) attached to mean big, and the other had 'Shao' (Small) attached to mean small, the difference in power between the two branches was considerable. The reason was that the Daelim side appealed to the Nobles and corporations through relatively liberal doctrines to regularly rake in donations, whereas the Shaolin side was stuck in its Monastery with rigid doctrines, chanting sutras and cultivating only among themselves, so they had no popularity and therefore no money, or whatever...
"Okay, okay. I roughly get it. That's enough of that story."
I stopped the transformed Detective, who was passionately spewing out a heated speech about how, in his view, Shaolin Buddhism was closer to the Original Form of Techno Buddhism, but seeing how the Daelim Sect attached to corporations was doing better while the Shaolin side was half-dead showed just how tremendous the harm caused by corporations was.
It wasn't that he learned ten things from being taught one, but rather he was teaching ten things when asked one.
I don't know how he managed to hold it in until now with his mouth itching to talk like that.
Anyway, he was practically a living Wikipedia.
"What? I still have more to say..."
The self-proclaimed Ronin made a sullen expression when I cut him off right when he was getting excited, but he let out a groan at my next question that followed like an arrow.
"So, why would Shaolin's Machine Monk, who should be holed up in his Monastery cultivating, come all the way here?"
"Hmm..."
"He couldn't have just come out for a stroll to kill time without any particular reason, right? And is that person even a Shaolin Monk in the first place? For someone following rigid doctrines, his way of interpreting the precepts was a bit too novel."
Mr. K took a sip of his creamy green cocktail before opening his mouth.
I thought it would be difficult to Answer, but unexpectedly, a simple and clear Answer popped out.
"He is a Shaolin Machine Monk. You can't fake that... and there's no reason to fake it in the first place. And as for the reason he left the Monastery and came all the way here, well, isn't it obvious."
"What is it?"
"It's because of money, of course."
Just like all the problems in the World, this time too it was the same.