Chapter 45
At first, I thought I was seeing things because I was feeling weak.
But I wasn't.
The movements of the Booming Blade were truly becoming familiar to my eyes. I could see the tip of the dagger rapidly bouncing and shaking.
Did that make sense? It wasn't called a Vibration Knife for nothing.
The principle was to use a Sonic Transducer to move the blade at a speed invisible to the human eye, grinding away any surface it touched.
It shouldn't have been possible to follow it with my eyes.
…Why could I?
It would make sense if my cyberware was in Activation, but the Microchip wasn't budging at all.
There was no characteristic switch sound, nor the feeling of my brain turning to mush.
A clearly strange phenomenon was happening to my body.
[Guess you can't hear me. Should I make you hear me?]
When I stayed silent in this incomprehensible situation, the Assailant must have thought I was ignoring him and thrust the dagger forward.
The extended blade swiftly grazed my arm, leaving a shallow wound. It slightly tore my skin in that brief moment.
Drops of blood trickled down. The Robber seemed rather flustered after cutting me himself.
It seemed he had only intended to threaten me, not to actually draw blood.
If I were a Nanomachine Insurance Policyholder, just getting a wound and having my blood exposed to the outside could automatically send a signal to the DCPD, so I must have been quite startled for a moment.
However, when no particular notification seemed to arrive on his Cyberwatch no matter how long he waited, and the surroundings remained enveloped only by the sound of the rain like a curtain, he looked as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course he would. Insurance my ass, I didn't even have a nanomachine in my body.
I didn't even care about the wound on my arm and was recalling the sight I had just seen in my head.
I knew the robber was going to thrust the knife.
Because I saw it. The movement of his muscles, the direction his eyes and hands were heading….
The reason I didn't dodge was that I also saw that he was aiming to miss as a threat.
Of course, I hadn't expected the blade to move out of its trajectory and tear my skin.
That robber bastard probably didn't know this would happen either, so how could I have known?
The movement of the vibrating blade was in a territory that even the user couldn't fully control.
If it were an expensive knife, it wouldn't have veered off that much, but fittingly for a rookie robber, he seemed to be using a cheap, low-end product.
But what surprised me was…even that was somewhat visible to me.
The tip of the blade suddenly bouncing outward and swiping past me was just a moment, but when I used Concentration, it clearly entered my vision.
However, seeing and dodging were separate territories, and because my body couldn't keep up with the speed of my perception, I couldn't dodge and ended up bleeding.
…So, what if I moved my body in advance?
Even if it was impossible to dodge the vibration of the blade, wouldn't it be possible to read the Robber's actions and step out of that trajectory?
Without taking my eyes off the dagger, I opened my mouth.
“I have no choice. I get it, so put that knife down. I'll give it to you. I have something that'll make you money.”
[You should have acted like that from the start. Hurry up and take it out, buddy.]
My mind was still complicated.
If the switch had been in Activation instead, I would have been able to act without hesitation amidst that characteristic sense of elation and the clarity of knowing exactly what I needed to do.
As when I was Serving the Fallen Angel, or when I cut off the Man Hunter's Hand.
But right now, I have to make a judgment that might determine my lifespan while completely in my right mind.
Unable to finish my deliberation, I unzipped my raincoat and took out the Small Memory Stick from inside.
The Robber swiftly snatched it as I held it out in my hand.
[So this will make me money….]
He took one step back and pulled out his Bio-Cable again, looking to connect it to the memory.
As I glared and used concentration, every single one of those movements looked so slow it made me want to yawn.
I didn't know.
Whether the Microchip in My Head had started operating in a different way than I knew, or if there was some other factor besides that.
The important thing was that this was a golden opportunity. I had no intention of missing it.
Did they say rushing at a knife-wielding robber barehanded was a crazy thing to do?
…Well, it's not like I've only been doing crazy things for a day or two.
I observed the Robber with calm eyes.
I was aiming for the timing when his Bio-Terminal connected to the Memory Drive and information was inputted into his Neural Interface, scattering his gaze.
Tap—click.
Right now.
The moment I was about to spring forward with my tense lower body muscles and rush in.
I heard someone's voice.
“Look who it is! Watson, isn't it you! It's been a while. But who are you with? Don't tell me you're enjoying an evening tryst with a lover in this pouring rain?”
“…!”
My movements automatically braked at that unforgettable tone of voice.
When I raised my head and looked, a thick and plump figure on the opposite side of the road was approaching this way while holding a large umbrella.
An Electronic Monocle flashed through the rain. A tight Cloak Coat and a slanted hunting cap were dripping wet.
As far as I knew, there was only one person who walked around dressed like that.
…The Troublemaker Detective?
Why was that guy coming out of here?
* * *
Swaaaash—
Feeling dejected, I stared at the Alleyway where the Robber had disappeared; only the rain was falling drearily.
And the long body of the Troublemaker Detective was completely filling the spot where the Assailant had been.
Should I say thank you for this.
“Hahahahat! Looks like you owe me one, Watson! I came just in case, but to think you were facing a street robber. If it weren't for me, you would have been in big trouble!”
The Detective was shouting triumphantly.
I did owe him one, which made me even more pissed off.
Surprisingly, it was true.
The self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes had chased away the rookie robber.
To retrace how things had unfolded,
The robber also seemed flustered at first when another person appeared, but upon seeing the detective's flabby physique, he seemed to regain his confidence, thrusting his knife and shouting, ‘What are you?’
The Troublemaker Detective introduced himself, rambling on about Detective Sherlock Holmes as if he had heard the exact question he wanted from that throat…and the Robber yelled at him to shut up and hand over everything he had.
I was watching with a dumbfounded expression, wondering if this was a showdown between two proud Geniuses, when the Robber approached the Detective first and started swinging his Vibration Knife wildly.
A display of threat that seemed to say, ‘I'm this scary a person. Crawl on your own.’
The problem was that his opponent was the Troublemaker Detective, who didn't give a single shit about such threats.
The Self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes didn't back down in the slightest in front of the flashing Booming Blade and suddenly thrust the umbrella he was holding over his head forward.
When a large, thick black canopy the size of a parasol suddenly blocked his view, the Robber flinched in momentary panic.
The Troublemaker Detective didn't miss that opening.
He immediately pulled the handle of the umbrella. The tip of the umbrella was aimed straight at the Robber.
BOOM—!
With a sound like a cannon firing, Compressed Air exploded from within the umbrella's frame.
At the same time, a lead bullet was fired from the extended metal cap portion.
With considerable recoil, the Detective's arm jerked upward.
Watching this, I was dumbfounded.
What was he, a Kingsman? He was using an umbrella gun.
But surprisingly, it was incredibly effective.
They say there's always someone better.
Bare hands couldn't beat a knife, but did that mean a knife ultimately couldn't beat a gun?
The Robber, struck in the chest by the Umbrella Air Gun, couldn't even scream properly and flew far away with a choking gasp of Keuhuk!
As he fell ungracefully, the Memory Stick connected to his Wrist Terminal flew far away, and he ended up dropping the Vibration Knife as well.
He barely managed to get up and ran away stumbling, letting out wheezing groans as if his ribs were broken.
That was the end of it.
And that led to the present.
It was…really anticlimactic.
After fierce deliberation, I had made up my mind to fight back, but I never thought it would be resolved so absurdly.
It was a benefit that I no longer needed to take a risk, but mentally, it was unsettling.
From beside me, I heard the Self-Proclaimed Holmes chattering noisily.
"Anyway, isn't there something you should say at this point?"
"…."
“Hah, Dusk's Morality has truly fallen to the ground. To think I wouldn't hear a single word of thanks after rescuing a Citizen in danger.
I'm seeing you in a new light, Watson. I didn't know you were such a shameless person!”
What kind of concept was this now? Did he just finish watching a martial arts movie or something?
But he was right. Aside from his annoying tone, it was a fact that the Troublemaker Detective had helped me, so I should naturally offer Words of Gratitude.
“Th….”
I needed to offer Words of Gratitude, but….
“Th…Thank you my ass. Of course I'm grateful for the help, but I could have handled it all myself.”
I gave up. I just couldn't do it.
As I looked at that face staring at me wickedly as if telling me to hurry up and submit, the words thank you just wouldn't come out of my mouth.
It would have been fine even if he hadn't saved me. I could have snatched the knife barehanded and subdued him perfectly, huh? I could have handled it all myself. Really.
As I brazenly shook my head while rationalizing it to myself like that, the Troublemaker Detective, like a crazy person, actually liked it even more.
“Hah, that's confidence fitting for you! That's the Watson I know. A man I've acknowledged should be able to beat a Robber holding a Booming Knife barehanded, shouldn't he! Hahahahat