Chapter 173: Nigerundayo!
It was a petite, beautiful girl dressed in worn-out clothes.
Her golden hair swayed behind her as she ran straight toward them.
"It's you!"
The moment Subaru saw the girl, he suddenly shouted from beside Shiro.
The sheer force of his voice caused the girl to stop in her tracks.
"It's definitely you! And now that you've finally seen us, you're actually trying to run away!"
"Eh? What? What are you talking about...? I don't understand..."
Unexpectedly, the girl reacted to Subaru's accusation with obvious guilt.
Her red eyes darted around, seemingly searching for an escape route.
However, Subaru's next words made everyone present want to hold their heads.
"You're the one who summoned us to another world and then abandoned us, aren't you?!"
"Let me tell you, in the world of anime, this kind of dereliction of duty is absolutely unforgivable!"
"Hah? Is there something wrong with your head?!"
"You stopped me over something this stupid? I thought you were—"
"You thought I was what?"
"None of your business! Move! I'm really busy right now!"
The girl shoved Subaru aside and tried to run toward the other end of the alley.
However, the instant her small foot moved forward, she abruptly stopped again.
The reason was simple.
Someone had firmly grabbed the worn red scarf around her neck.
Even the most good-tempered person would become irritated after being stopped again and again.
And this girl clearly did not possess that kind of patience.
Like a powder keg being set alight, she exploded immediately.
While desperately tugging at her scarf, she pointed a slender finger at Shiro and shouted.
"Don't tell me you're also looking for whoever supposedly summoned you like that guy!"
"If that's really the case, then before searching for anyone, I strongly suggest the two of you find a doctor in the capital and get your heads checked!"
What the girl did not know was that Shiro's feelings were equally complicated as her spit sprayed across his face.
Thanks to Subaru, she had apparently placed Shiro in the same category of mentally questionable people.
But that was not the important part.
The real reason Shiro had stopped her was because she had barged into the secluded location he had carefully chosen.
From his earlier interrogation of the large thug, Shiro had learned that this world possessed someone almost universally acknowledged as the strongest.
[Sword Saint] Reinhard van Astrea.
And that supposed strongest person happened to be a member of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
How influential was Reinhard's strength?
In the royal capital, simply having Reinhard patrol the streets was enough to noticeably improve public security.
One reason these thugs had dared commit crimes here was because Reinhard was currently on official leave, so they assumed there was no chance of encountering him.
After learning that, Shiro had removed the power of fate he had used to seal the entrances of the alley.
He did not want to attract unnecessary attention.
Yet the instant he removed it, someone walked straight inside.
The very precaution he had taken to avoid discovery had somehow caused him to be caught in the act even faster.
Shiro did not know what expression he was supposed to make.
He eventually released the girl's scarf and gestured toward their surroundings.
"You don't seriously think I can let you walk away after seeing all this, do you?"
"Eh?"
The girl froze.
Then she cautiously looked around.
Spiderweb cracks covered the nearby walls.
Two men lay sprawled on the ground, foaming at the mouth and looking questionably alive.
The only conscious thug was kneeling on the floor with his hands tied behind him, trembling uncontrollably.
No matter how anyone looked at it—
This was absolutely a crime scene.
Yet the girl's reaction suggested she had seen things like this far too many times.
She casually waved a hand.
"If you're worried I'll report you, relax."
"I don't have enough free time to run to the guards and snitch on you."
"Besides, these three clearly tried robbing someone and got robbed in return, right?"
"If you're in this business, you should naturally be prepared for the victim to turn the tables on you!"
Her words sounded righteous enough.
Unfortunately, the increasingly anxious expression on her face made it obvious that she simply did not want to waste any more time here.
Shiro gave her a flat look.
"If you were doing something like this and someone told you the same thing, would you believe them?"
"Then what do you want?!"
"How about this? Give me some hush money."
"If the guards catch you later, you can even sell me out as an accomplice."
"You're thinking about making money at a time like this?"
Shiro stared at the girl in disbelief.
She had been furious only moments ago.
Yet the instant she mentioned receiving hush money, her expression brightened dramatically.
"Come on. People like us already have to work ourselves to death just to survive."
"Who has time to care about what happens to strangers?"
"These guys don't look particularly rich either, so I'll only charge you ten silver coins. How about it?"
"Your proposal is extremely tempting."
"Unfortunately, for reasons I can't explain, I'm completely broke right now."
Shiro spoke with genuine regret.
If he actually possessed money from this world, he would have happily accepted her suggestion.
She did not seem hostile toward him, after all.
Avoiding unnecessary trouble was always preferable.
Unfortunately, Shiro had already observed this world's currency while passing various merchants earlier.
The local currency appeared to fall into three main categories.
Depending on value, the coins were made from different materials.
From highest to lowest—
Gold, silver, and copper.
The three kinds of coins also depicted two different people and one city.
Based on Shiro's guess, the figures engraved on the gold and silver coins were probably founding ministers or similarly important historical figures.
The image on the copper coin was much more obvious.
It clearly depicted this country's capital.
There might be currencies more valuable than those three, but Shiro had not seen any along the way.
Having only just arrived in this world, he naturally possessed none of its specialized currency.
So he had no choice but to reject the girl's offer.
"Tch. After all that talking, we're still going to fight?"
Once Shiro refused, the girl stepped backward twice.
Her hand moved to the small knife at her waist as she watched him cautiously.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Even Subaru, who had loudly proclaimed himself the protagonist until now, fell silent beneath the pressure.
He looked between the two people standing at opposite ends of the alley.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple.
Although Subaru still believed neither he nor Shiro could possibly die here, he could not help becoming nervous.
Before arriving in another world, he had merely been an ordinary young man living in the twenty-first century.
He had barely even held a kitchen knife before.
And the blade at the girl's waist clearly was not meant for chopping vegetables.
Second after second passed during the standoff.
Finally—
Under Subaru's nervous gaze, the girl could no longer endure the strange atmosphere.
She moved first.
Boom—!!
The air suddenly exploded around her.
Then her foot moved.
In an instant, the girl transformed into a streak of yellow lightning.
Whoosh—!
She shot straight through the alley exit behind her and vanished.
Only Subaru remained there, his expression completely collapsing as his shout echoed through the alley.
"It had the atmosphere of a BOSS BATTLE, AND SHE JUST RAN AWAY?!"
…
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