Chapter 174
“Miguel and Paulo are clearly people who love chainsaws you can tell just by looking at them, but Angela and Nigel are a bit unexpected. Since you’re members of the Group… I guess you two also like chainsaws?”
At my question, Nigel scrunched up his face, and Angela burst into laughter.
“Oh my, what a joke. I’ve never even held those scary Ronin weapons in my hands. They’re dangerous, you know. The Group name is Just like this because our Chairman’s opinion was strongly reflected; out of all of us, the only ones who truly love chainsaws are those two. The rest of us are just playing along.”
“What? You all didn’t love chainsaws? How could this be!”
I ignored Chainsaw Man’s voice, which sounded as shocked as if he had been betrayed by someone he trusted, and asked a question.
“You both read the guidelines, right? Even if it’s not a chainsaw, do you happen to have any kind of weapons brought for self-defense?”
In response to my words, both of them shook their heads. Hmm… is that true?
I don’t yet have the inner mastery on the level of a human metal detector to find hidden weapons just by taking a quick glance like Sey, but it’s still a bit suspicious.
When I stared with a doubtful gaze, Nigel suddenly lifted his head and looked at me through his messy curly hair.
Just as my chest was starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable at those lifeless, dead-fish eyes, he suddenly pointed at Angela and spoke.
“I don’t have any, but this person probably does.”
Suddenly speaking informally without hesitation? The displeasure was brief; I became dazed as I processed his words.
Eh?
To be honest, it was a completely unexpected situation.
Even when I asked if they had weapons, it was a question thrown out with more suspicion toward Nigel than Angela, since he had a style that looked somewhat suspicious at a glance.
But Angela had weapons? It didn’t feel like he was lying.
Then again, it is a dangerous world where everyone carries around at least a handgun for self-defense…
As if reading my thoughts, Angela smiled awkwardly and pulled out two handguns from her clothes.
…Dual handguns? Moreover, even at a glance, their quality was extraordinary.
They weren’t the cheap plastic vending machine handguns commonly seen on the street, but sleekly designed tech pistols. Looking closely, I could see the model name and developer logo engraved in Russian.
“Things are so bleak these days, you know. This place is also near the lawless zone Sprawlfield…”
At her words, spoken as she shyly twisted her body, the thought “Is that so?” also crossed my mind.
True, rather than a cheap handgun, buying an expensive product from a good company would be much more useful for self-defense anyway. Up to this point, the situation was fully understandable.
However, Nigel casually tossed out a single remark.
“If you search her, more will come out.”
If I felt like I saw a thick vein pop up over Angela’s temple with a sudden grind, would it just be my imagination?
When I narrowed my eyes and stared, Angela let out a sigh as if she had no choice and pulled out other items from her clothes.
A current-flowing Kubotan that looked like a small keychain awl, a vicious focused plastic explosive that looked like it should absolutely never be touched, and even a Modular Carnage Shotgun that made me wonder how on earth she hid it inside her jacket.
As I stared with my mouth wide open at the vicious weapons pouring onto the table, Angela twisted her body shyly and said:
“For a woman to walk alone on the night streets, she needs to be at least this prepared. Isn’t that right, honey?”
“…So is that all? You don’t have more, right?”
“…”
In the end, the weapon inspection only finished after Angela pulled out even a needle-syringe for neurotoxin injection from her full cleavage.
…No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it’s for self-defense, right? With that level of weaponry, I’d believe it even if she said her job was assassination.
A chill ran down my spine as I remembered her lying without even batting an eye, claiming she had never even held those scary Ronin weapons in her hands.
As expected, the first rule for surviving in Dusk City, “Beware of pretty women.”, was not wrong.
Or is the problem not pretty women, but that 'Che-Sa-Mo'? I should have realized earlier that a normal human being would never join such a bizarre Group!
After moving Ms. Angela’s weapons that came out in a pile, the last two remaining Group members had also arrived.
Fear preceded curiosity about what kind of unique characters they would be this time.
'This time it’s one man and one woman too.'
Fascinatingly, the woman was walking while supporting the man. The man had his entire lower half replaced with cybernetic prosthetic legs.
“It looks like quite an expensive model…”
Just looking at the joint connections that moved and operated smoothly with every step, it was clear they weren’t cheap prosthetics. Seeing the glossy shine, it was apparent it didn’t look like it had been long since they were equipped.
“Oh, Felix! Looks like you’ve gotten completely used to your new legs!”
“Haha, it’s all thanks to you, Brother Miguel. It’s only been a day since I got tuned up at the clinic, but I feel like I could already walk around on my own.”
When the prosthetic-legged man with a pretty-boy look called Felix deliberately swung his legs around like he was tap dancing while cheerfully showing off his biceps, the girl supporting him from the side snapped at him.
“You know you shouldn’t actually go around alone just because of that, right? Those legs are expensive, so there will be Yang-achi swarming like hyenas aiming to snap them right off and sell them at the auction.”
A brief silence fell at the abrasive voice.
I was also surprised and just stared blankly at the girl.
This girl… was wearing a school uniform!
I was dumbfounded by the uniform, the very symbol of a student, and it felt like I was seeing it for the first time in a million years.
A student? Were there schools in Dusk City too? Since there are kids, of course there would be schools.
Still, I felt like I had almost never seen a student until now. Why is that?
After pondering for a moment, I realized the answer.
Ah right, this is a bar!
Seeing a student in a bar makes no sense in the first place! She’s a minor!
Just as I was startled and about to say something, the female student glared sharply at me and spat out words.
“What are you looking at? What a creepy old man he is.”
…old man?
An old man? Me? I’m still in my energetic early-to-mid twenties!
I was so shocked that I froze in place.
Chainsaw Man was introducing them with something, but it didn’t even register in my ears.
I, an old man. I haven’t even gone to the military yet! I probably won’t ever have to go in the future eitherno, wait. If I return to my original world, will I actually have to go to the military?
Chainsaw Man’s booming shout pulled me back to reality as I shivered while imagining that creepy thought.
“hand butcher! Everyone’s here, so we’re going to order now! It’s fine for everyone to buy whatever they want to eat to their heart’s content. I’m buying today!”
Right, I have to work, work.
After kindly explaining how to use the holographic menu, I took their orders.
Chainsaw Man ordered a masculine martini befitting his character, and since Paulo seemed to be drinking a cocktail for the first time, I recommended he try an easy cocktail first, but unable to swallow his pride, he ordered a “Rusty Nail”, which sounded unappetizing just from the name.
I guarantee that Paulo Friend will frown with his whole face the moment he swallows a single sip. I don’t know if he’ll even be able to finish it.
Nigel ordered a boilermaker u-Boat, made by dropping a vodka shot into beer, and Angela ordered a feminine Kahlúa Milk, which had a sweet coffee taste and low alcohol content.
…This seems like an act too. Isn’t she going to go home after this and chug rum or vodka straight from the bottle?
Lastly, Felix seemed to be contemplating what to drink, so he took my recommendation and got a Dusk Iced Tea.
Haha, I finally succeeded in my Dusk Iced Tea sales pitch.
Someone grabbed me as I was about to leave the table in a good mood after taking all the orders.
Looking back, it was that female student. Did they say her name was Hina?
“What about me?”
“…?”
“Are you ignoring me right now? Why are you taking orders, leaving only me out, Old Man?”
Keuhuk!
I had already heard that damn old man remark once, but I still couldn’t build a tolerance to it. I barely overcame the shock with superhuman mental fortitude and opened my mouth.
“Um, aren’t you a minor?”
“I am.”
“…Then are you trying to order snacks at least?”
“No? I’m going to order a cocktail too.”
No, what kind of cocktail for a kid who looks like a first-year high school student at most?
Back in my day, it was normal for a high school student to do self-study at night until 10 PM on weekdays and go to cram school on weekends, but kids these days are just so brazen…
My mouth itched to say it, but I held back, afraid that the “old man stigma” attached to me would become even stronger if I said it out loud.
Just as I was about to explain that our shop wasn’t the kind of place that sold alcohol to a minor, Hina poked at the bar regulations in the hologram menu category and spoke.
“It’s right here. 4. Minor entry permitted. Only mocktails shall be served to a minor.”
Wait, what. It’s real.
Since there was never an occasion for a minor to enter the bar, I had forgotten, but there really was such a regulation.
A rule allowed even a minor to drink fake cocktails, in short, non-alcoholic cocktails.
No, if they order a mocktail and then switch it with a real cocktail someone else ordered to drink alcohol, wouldn’t we be unable to catch them?
This is the place I work at. But what kind of bar is this lax? It would have been unimaginable in 21st-century Korea.
Clicking my tongue, I asked what she was going to order, and she spoke sullenly.
“Recommend me something.”
“Huh? Sure.”
As I looked at the menu and pondered for a moment, she couldn’t wait that long and shrieked.
“No, you picked out things just fine for the others, so why can’t you recommend mine? Are you discriminating against me right now, or what? What a total mess!”
Goodness, what an impatient personality!
Afraid I’d hear the old man remark again at this rate, I quickly picked out a random non-alcoholic cocktail and recommended it to her.
Wow, out of all the troublemakers I’ve received lately, isn’t she the toughest?