Chapter 546: 【Beautiful Girl Detective Akashiterika!】The Superbad Treasure Theft Case 1

【Beautiful Girl Detective Akashiterika!】The Superbad Treasure Theft Case 1

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The latter half of Arc 24 begins with this chapter.

The Old Imperial City in autumn, with cirrocumulus clouds spreading across the pale blue sky.

Akashiterika, after having a light lunch with Emi at ‘Food Stall Park’, returned to her detective agency, disliking the chill of the autumn wind.

“‘Large-scale mining of Kodorokizo ore to begin in Viscount First’s territory next spring’, huh…”

Akashiterika, flipping through the newspaper she hadn’t been able to read this morning due to being busy, made a rustling sound.

What’s written there is news that the mining of mineral resources will begin in a remote area of a neighboring country, which hasn’t received much attention until now.

“…………”

Akashiterika, taking a sip of tea and enjoying the aroma, searched her memories.

Viscount First’s territory.

She has a faint connection to it.

If she remembers correctly, when she was attending the academy, the second son of that family was a teaching assistant for one of her lectures…

He was a nervous-looking man…

Absentmindedly remembering that, Akashiterika continued reading the article.

After explaining the characteristics of Kodorokizo ore, and the effects and usefulness of the ‘barrier stones’ created with it, praising the achievements of its inventor, the ‘Great Mage’ Majurog—

‘…“I want to protect the lives of all people from monsters.” The wish of the late Great Mage is one step closer to being realized.’

The article concluded with those flowery words.

“It’s been a little over two years since the Great Mage passed away…”

Akashiterika, placing the newspaper on the desk, leaned back in her chair, raised both arms towards the ceiling, and stretched her back with a groan.

And Emi reacted to her muttered words.

Emi, who had been practicing some kind of martial arts form at an incredible speed in the space next to the guest chair, stopped moving when she heard Akashiterika’s words…

“Great Mage…? Akashiterika, do you know him…?”

Emi approached Akashiterika and asked that.

“Well, it’s more like I know him by face. I used to study abroad at the Somatoko Academy, where the Great Mage was the headmaster.”

Akashiterika replied, and then took a sip of tea, closing her eyes, reminiscing about her student days a few years ago.

She didn’t experience any sweet and sour youth.

After all, even Akashiterika is just barely entering puberty now, and a few years ago, when she was studying abroad, she was just a young child.

Being a reincarnated person, and having been given a genius-level intellect, Akashiterika was extremely precocious.

She was always the subject of curiosity, studying alongside teenagers and adults… and she was always lonely.

Although that study abroad experience wasn’t in vain, as the income from the patents she obtained at the time supports her current independent life…

Making friends.

In that respect only, it was a complete failure.

“Ufufu.”

Here, Akashiterika opened her eyes and glanced at Emi.

But now, she has Emi.

She has a friend who lives and eats with her.

Or rather, Emi, who has solved various cases with her, could now be called Akashiterika’s partner.

Akashiterika and Emi will surely always be together.

They’re lifelong friends.

True best friends, connected by an unbreakable bond that no one can interfere with.

From now on, the two of them will overcome various incidents and difficulties together, grow, further nurture their bond, and…

“U-fufufufu.”

Thinking that, Akashiterika continued to chuckle, staring at Emi.

Emi, tilting her head at Akashiterika’s behavior… nodded to herself as if she had decided something and approached Akashiterika…

“Wake up.”

“Bwah!?”

She slapped Akashiterika’s left cheek with her right hand—PAAN!

“Bwah!?”

Then, she slapped her right cheek with her left hand—PAAN!

“Bufuh!?”

And after a pause, she slapped her left cheek again with her right hand—PAAN!

“Why… did you slap me three times…?”

“Just because.”

Akashiterika, back to her senses, rested her chin on the desk, and complained, rubbing her stinging cheeks, but Emi simply snorted, without a hint of remorse.

She has no hesitation in using violence.

“So, Emi, did you know the Great Mage?”

A few seconds later.

Akashiterika, who also has high regenerative abilities, immediately sat up and resumed the conversation with Emi.

“Only by name. The one who created the barrier stones. Right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. That’s what he’s most famous for.”

“What kind of person was he?”

“Well…”

Akashiterika put her hand on her chin, searching her memories.

The last time she saw the Great Mage was at the Somatoko Academy graduation ceremony.

“He was a slender, tall, rather dandy old man with a white beard…”

“Yeah.”

“He was an excellent educator, a researcher… and also a special-class adventurer, so it’s safe to say that he was a great man.”

“Yeah.”

“But…”

“But?”

“He was also famous… as a dirty old man…”

“He was a dirty old man, huh…”

As Emi listened to Akashiterika’s story, her evaluation of the Great Mage steadily rose, but the ‘dirty old man’ element brought it crashing down.

But then she reconsidered, thinking that everyone has their flaws, and his score returned to about average.

But then she reconsidered again, thinking ‘Isn’t it fatally flawed for an educator to be famous as a pervert?’, and in the end, Emi’s unconscious evaluation of the Great Mage settled at ‘about half of an average person’.

Incidentally, this is about the same rank as the giant Yumushi she fought before!

Alas, Great Mage!

* * *

Now, with that out of the way.

Akashiterika and Emi spent a relaxing afternoon, chatting.

But one is a reincarnated person of the Detective God, and the other is a cursed child who “attracts misfortune”.

There’s no way the day would end peacefully!

“Hmm.”

…The first to notice the ‘visitor’… was Emi.

With her superhuman, fantasy hearing, she was the first to catch the sound of someone forcefully opening the shared entrance of the building, and stomping up the stairs.

“What’s wrong?”

“Visitor.”

Emi, saying that curtly, quickly put on her knitted cap and sunglasses, leaned against the wall behind Akashiterika, and erased her presence.

Akashiterika also put her elbows on her desk, clasped her hands together, and covered her mouth—a cool, detective-like pose.

And then, a few seconds later.

The stomping footsteps reached Akashiterika’s ears.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And the door to her detective agency… was flung open without a knock!

“I-It’s terribleee! Akashiterika-chaaaan!”

And the one who barged into the room, familiarly calling Akashiterika’s name, is… a short, chubby man, wearing a wrinkled, gray suit, with small, round eyes, and messy bed hair!

“The ‘Superbad Treasure’… has been stolen!!”

Akashiterika and Emi both knew this man, who shouted, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief!

Because he’s a member of the Old Imperial City Police, who work day and night to crack down on criminals!

It’s Detective Munodes!

【Viscount First’s territory】

A peaceful countryside bordering the ‘Great Grassland of Beginnings’.

Under the young lord, a Kodorokizo ore mining project is about to begin.

Appeared in Arc 22.

【Great Mage】

A person whose name keeps appearing, to the point where I’m tired of explaining him in footnotes.

Apparently, he was a dirty old man.