Chapter 111

I enter the store, passing by a rather eye-catching sign that reads ‘Stop & Shop in Wholesale 25 O’clock!’, which is excessive to the point of being blatant.

Of course, even though it looks like that, it’s a major discount store brand that competes for the top in the industry, so there are related quests and such, but… that’s not my concern right now.

Tap… tap.

My gaze is fixed straight ahead. Even if I turn my head, it only lingers on the shelves and signs.

I haven’t heard specifics about the suspects’ locations yet, but since it was mentioned that a stakeout is suspected, I try my best to forget about what’s behind me. Zero will be monitoring that well enough.

So, before getting any more flustered or reacting,

First, let’s figure out what is speculation and what is fact.

“…What’s the probability that it’s a stakeout? Specifically.”

– From the moment you left the residential area and connected the call, multiple signs of activity have been detected. Just now, when you were loitering in front of the store, three individuals stopped. The others might be checking other entrances outside my perception range… Calculating gives an approximate 57% probability that they’ve followed you for a reason, Ahsa. –

Even if my mouth stays at a muttering level, my legs dutifully guide me to the everyday necessities section.

The necessary information is provided readily, so I only have to make judgments, yet the fact that there’s something bothersome remains unchanged, which is amusing.

“Well, that’s still much lower than I thought.”

If the possibility of it being a false alarm is about half, then I guess it falls under the category of decent over-speculation…

My clueless yet overly perceptive droid, who I didn’t really want to hear from, added an important postscript.

– Additionally, considering some attention was focused on your face, simple street hunting is at about 16%, impulsive sexual criminal intentions are at 6%, and lastly, organized theft aiming for high-priced robot parts is at 9%… –

“…Stop that. If you add all that up, it’s almost 100%!”

Each derived value is rounded off, so just summing them up leads to significant errors~ Zero muttered some exasperating stuff before I lightly kicked his calf with my heel.

I picked up a rough recycled paper towel from the shelf… but then quickly switched it for a slightly more expensive, softer option.

Since I’m the one buying it with my own wallet, I should consider the skin of women rather than savings. Yeah.

…It’s not like I’m seeking reform because I get annoyed by the texture every time I pull a towel out.

“Hmm…”

I pretended to contemplate the products while glancing at the closed-circuit cameras in the store.

If the competing logistics distribution company, ‘Bowlston Club,’ uses automation systems to simplify shopping, here they still cling to the old method of piling goods on shelves for customers to pick up.

Thanks to that, if something happens, there are plenty of security devices I could use temporarily.

For example… a theft prevention barrier installed at the entrance, or a security robot seamlessly blending in as part of the interior in energy-saving mode.

“…Ah.”

While rolling my eyes diligently, I crossed gazes with the faithful Zero, who had been waiting for my judgment.

With the most reliable ace up my sleeve, is there really a need to overthink? I don’t think so at all.

“Those guys… do you think they’ve followed us into the store?”

– One has gone to the ready-to-eat food section, while the others have disappeared towards the medicine shelf, making observation difficult. –

“Let’s keep a close watch here. If they don’t come any closer by the time we leave, let’s draw them out ourselves.”

If they attack, we’ll smash them. If they keep following, we’ll catch them and give them a smack on the head.

Even though it’s quite a rough and poorly thought-out operation for what I’ve contemplated, my guard accepted it without complaints.

However, if things are to be this way, it feels like I’m completely shirking responsibility… so let’s give him something to use as a weapon too.

Zzzzt…!!

Though my head buzzed as if my heart was crammed inside it from rapidly extracting data streams, I managed to endure it.

While handing over a bulky roll of tissue like a housewarming gift, our fingers brushed against each other.

The spark that originated from blood flowing through hot skin felt like molten coolant flowing through steel.

Two artificial nerves intertwined, and after a moment of unnoticeable time passing, they separated.

Even though it was a hastily created signal mass, a nasty spyware was transmitted into the nearby network through a transmitter, designed to collect information unlawfully.

There was no need to unfold an antenna. Just needing temporary assistance was sufficient.

Moreover, since it was a sneaky act of slipping in a source for the recorded video data, the chances of being discovered were low.

Sensually… not letting the ends of the wires scattered about be detected, it felt like inserting them into the back panel of a computer?

At least seeing the beams from Zero’s holographic scanner starting to split like a kaleidoscope indicates that it likely succeeded without any issues.

In short, it means I’ve indiscriminately increased the number of eyes this thing controls.

Given my prior experience handling multiple bodies at once, it’s not like I’m a fragile creature struggling to connect to dozens of cameras.

However, upon reconsideration, isn’t it the same as performing illegal brain surgery without a license?

Though I’ve never encountered side effects before, I’ll need to consult for an agreement before proceeding with the installation next time.

“…Are you okay?”

– There are no issues whatsoever. You don’t need to worry. –

“Well then, good.”

I briskly moved between the aisles.

…Was it dish soap that Sylvia asked for? Or an all-purpose cleaner? Ugh, I don’t know. I might as well get both.

Humming about getting more is better, I grabbed the crinkly packaging of a product.

Additionally, considering I might be really late getting home, if I sneak in a snack for someone, I’ll have it perfect. My own little bribery package would be complete.

Ding…!

As I stood at the checkout, the items I grabbed were scanned in an instant.

The existence of a three-dimensional scanner that covers the whole body, designed to minimize malfunctions, is something I believe should be commercialized in the 21st century.

There’s no avoiding the issue of personal information, but it’s so convenient in saving time that… I’ve recently become flustered when it doesn’t work.

Finally, paying for the items along with the drone delivery service, I placed them on the busy conveyor belt of the packaging machine, and the errand was now out of my hands.

Now then…

“…I trust you? You’ll handle things well when the right moment comes?”

– Don’t worry. Very surely. I’ll take them out. –

“Hey now.”

Calming the fool who was on edge due to the peculiarity of a stakeout situation, I exited the store.

From there, we… walked. We kept walking endlessly.

“?! Hey, hurry…!!”

“*&%#%…!”

Fragments of startled shouts from behind reached my ears intermittently, but I ignored them.

I entered a completely different path, not the direction towards home, and circled around the building where the store was located.

Repeating quick steps, I checked others who moved along similarly abnormal routes or changed their demeanor individually.

I mainly received general situation reports and followed, while Zero carried out the actual route selection and threat assessments. …Please don’t call it unfair division of labor. It’s all part of maximizing each one’s strengths!

Given how easily they responded to blatant abnormal behavior, it felt more like these were people reluctantly following rather than determined criminals.

Well, it didn’t really matter which it was. The clear intention to shake them off would have been sufficiently understood by the other party, so now we could directly inquire with each other.

Tapping! I ran and dove into a nearby alley.

Three people followed closely behind.

Counting those coming back from the opposite side of the alley would increase their numbers, but they apparently had no intention of waiting quietly until we got there.

“Hey there…! Hold on for a second…!!”

“Yes~ What brings you here?”

Timing it perfectly as a very urgent sound erupted, I quickly turned around and faced them.

Not only that, but I even raised my hands up to shoulder height with open palms, clearly indicating my unarmed state to plead.

The dumbfounded expression of the man stepping forward was the first to catch my eye.

The two that had been startled by my sudden cooperative attitude slowly confirmed the situation as well.

On their necks were masks or sunglasses, and at worst, earrings. Given the bulge behind their waists, it seemed they had some self-defense tools suited for urban citizens, but they showed no signs of pulling them out.

…Oh, let me correct that.

At least the woman who was last in line quickly caught on to my observant gaze and successfully identified something odd. She was just about to draw a weapon.

“Wait!! Get a grip! That strange droid isn’t visible…!”

“It’s too late.”

Bang—!!

From behind the shadow at the alley’s entrance, a predator that had been hidden amidst the scattered trash launched its assault, concealed even the sensor’s flashing light.

The startled man in sunglasses instinctively reached for his back pocket, and the masked man… seemed to be evaluating whether his head would be safe even while disregarding my gun drawn directly at him.

Even if I were to implant a hundred of them, or replace some joints and muscles with machines,

The limits a body can withstand and the minimum response time required for a brain to react aren’t easily improvable.

In all honesty, it’s not a realm that can be reached through simple methods.

Thus, in the case of Enema, they divide generations to focus on the training and evolution of trackers, while mercenaries are left focusing on drugs or high-risk clinical procedures.

In that case, a droid with ample real-world experience facing off against regular back alley thugs would result in an absurdly chaotic situation if it initiated the attack first.

“Grrk?!”

Following my instructions to avoid inflicting ‘permanent damage,’ Zero unleashed a powerful lariat, instantly overwhelming Mr. Sunglasses with a comical scream.

The man watching in a pitiful posture, sprawled like a frog on the ground, reflexively shifted his stance, preparing to respond, but…

Ah, now that’s not how it should be. Let’s not seriously fight. Let’s relax, shall we?

Bam!!

I aimed precisely at the tooth and fired instantaneously.

The thought of hitting the target was non-existent; that shot was practically close to a blank round, but the tearing noise was real, and importantly, the impact of concrete shattering was no lie.

The man’s head turned even with an enemy in front of him.

In an attempt to remove his foot from the spot where he had reflexively taken hits from shrapnel, his posture crumbled as a metallic fist drew near.

He left behind an exclamation, sounding exceedingly ill-fated.

“…Damn it.”

Bam!

The punch slammed in.

With the force of the impact, the man curled into a shrimp-like position, collapsing next to the frog-like motionless figure, adding new specimens for the displayed exhibits.

That left only the neatly and formally dressed woman remaining.

In a heartbeat, she seemed to have realized the information she needed to present to pause us.

“Ivory…! Black market tag, Ivory Hacker… am I correct?! I’m your guide, so please calm down for just a moment and let’s talk…!!”

“…Couldn’t you have told me that earlier?”

If she had no ulterior motives, she could have just presented her business card and greeted me; instead, she had to poke around, dirtying her gloves and causing inconvenience by loading a magazine with empty cartridges. I let out a deep sigh.

Meanwhile, she seemed very distressed from hearing my muttering…”