Chapter 53

(￣(エ)￣)＜For the next few days starting today, it's the side story of Kuma

□【Reporter】Marie Adler

"This is the S-class ticket for tomorrow's event. Three tickets, 300,000 rils, cash on the nail."

"Sure thing."

I used my skills of "Truth or Lie" and "Appraisal Eye" to confirm that the tickets offered by the scalper were genuine, and then paid the price.

The money was pooled from yesterday to be used for this purpose.

"Always a pleasure. You're lucky too, that box seat was our last one."

"Sure enough, it's popular, isn't it?"

It's quite something for tickets to sell out even at three times the original price.

"Of course. After all, tomorrow's event is the first of its kind at the Central Colosseum."

"Sure, it's a battle between two <Super-Class> fighters."

The ticket in my hand is titled "<Super-Class Clash>," the main event of the show at the Central Colosseum tomorrow.

It's a super-real event where you can watch a <Super-Class> battle up close.

The two <Super-Class> fighters participating are:

The <Super-Class> of the Altor Kingdom, known as the absolute champion of the Central Colosseum, the [Super Warrior] Figaro.

The <Super-Class> of the Wu Xian Empire, the [Corpse Immortal] Xunyu, invited for this event.

The duel between these two big names, who are among the top <Masters>, is a hot topic among players and Tiens alike.

In <Infinite Dendrogram>, which has an active player base of several hundred thousand, there are fewer than a hundred <Super-Class> fighters.

Therefore, opportunities to see a <Super-Class> battle are rare.

During the previous war, all the <Super-Class> fighters from the Altor Kingdom did not participate, so it didn't happen.

Figaro's battles are often seen in the colosseum, but his opponents are <Masters> and Tiens up to the Advanced level, and he has never fought a <Super-Class> fighter.

Similarly, among the <Super-Class> fighters of the kingdom, there are rumors that the [Destruction King]—formerly known as the fur...—fought against the [Earth God] of Cardina, known as the "strongest mage," and one of the seven <Great Embryos> of Gran Barroa.

However, it seems that these battles took place in unpopular mountains or the middle of the ocean, so there were hardly any witnesses.

Therefore, this event is a good opportunity to see what a <Super-Class> vs. <Super-Class> battle is like up close.

It's only natural that the event tickets sold out.

The official sale was two weeks ago, and they sold out in less than ten minutes.

"..."

What if Figaro or Xunyu boycotts the event? It would be a disaster, wouldn't it?

...I'm not just talking about others. I used most of the reward money I was holding to buy these tickets.

I hope the event goes smoothly tomorrow.

And I hope Ray and Luke will be happy.

"Alright then."

"Ooh, if you need any more tickets, come to me!"

I left the scalper, praying to God that the event would go smoothly tomorrow.

◇

It was past three in the afternoon.

What should I do now?

As a 【Reporter】, I have nothing to do until tomorrow's event, and I don't have any other work right now.

Checking my friend list, Luke was logged out, and Ray wasn't in Gideon.

None of my other friends were in the Altor Kingdom.

Even if I wanted to kill time by taking a temporary party for a quest, I would probably be turned away as a 【Reporter].

Even with the experience bonus, a 【Reporter】 is not much help in a fight.

Ray was kind to let me join.

With nothing to do, I wandered around the fourth street bazaar, using my "Appraisal Eye" to look for bargains.

Sometimes you can find good deals here, but there was nothing particularly interesting today.

As I continued walking down the fourth street, I saw the shop where I met Alejandro during yesterday's quest.

I thought about saying hello, but the shop seemed very crowded.

From the voices I could hear, it seemed that MVP rewards had just been dispensed from a gacha machine.

Even now, many people were lining up for the gacha, hoping for a second catch.

I only have two MVP rewards myself, so they are indeed tempting.

Yesterday, Ray became MVP by encountering the rare [Galdorand], but that's not usually how it works.

First, you can't find them, and even if you do, they are formidable enemies.

For a high-level <Embryo> holder, it's dangerous to go solo, and it's better to be a <Super-Class> fighter.

Even <Super-Class> fighters can be defeated by legendary or ancient legendary enemies.

Getting MVP equipment is indeed difficult.

Ray, a high-level <Embryo> holder, was able to defeat a lower-level <Embryo> almost solo because his and Nemesis' abilities complemented each other, and he was also lucky.

Nemesis' abilities are powerful, specialized in combat, counterattacks, and "overclass killers," and it's exciting to see how they will grow.

There are a few weaknesses, but that's to be expected.

Getting back to the topic, it would be a bother to greet the shop owner with the shop so crowded.

I'll come another day.

I left the scene, hearing the scream "100 million to the wind, ahhhhhhh, abababababababab!?"

◇

I continued aimlessly wandering and thought, "Maybe I'll go to a shop with cute girls or boys to kill time," when I heard a sound.

It was the voice of a young girl, shouting.

The sound came from a secluded alley between buildings, around the corner.

Curious, I approached the source of the voice.

Peering around the corner, I saw a scene that was all too familiar.

Four or so shady men were surrounding a girl who looked to be around ten years old.

The girl had beautiful blonde hair in curls (drill hair) but was wearing a Japanese fox mask on her face.

"We're taking this brat too. She looks well-off. She'll fetch a good price. We can sell her."

One of the men grabbed the girl's wrist.

"Let go! You pervert!"

The girl was struggling, but her weak attempts were futile.

It's a cliché. A very cliché situation.

If I just walk in, it would be embarrassingly cliché.

But I'll go in anyway.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Where do you plan to take this innocent little girl? Is this a real case?"

I stepped out from the corner and addressed the group.

"What the hell are you!?"

"Just a passing reporter."

After answering the question, I looked around at the men's faces.

"You look like obvious criminals. Unhealthy-looking people, let go of the little girl and go home. Or do you want to go straight to the holding cell?"

I taunted them, and as expected, one of the men, his temples twitching, lunged at me.

"You're a reporter!? Don't get cocky! You're going to—"

"Whoosh."

I grabbed his right wrist and, using his momentum, threw him with a judo throw.

He hit the cobblestones and passed out.

Judo is very effective against people who don't know it. They can't take a fall.

If they had martial arts knowledge or high stats, it wouldn't work on a first encounter.

These guys are just low-level thugs.

"You! A reporter, and you're fighting—!"

"How disappointing. Even a reporter can throw a person, you know. I'm human, after all."

To begin with, I... I don't need to say that.

This happened three more times.

In the end, four thugs lay in the alley, their kidnapping attempt foiled.

"Huff, I threw another useless thing."

"Wow, you're so strong!"

I looked down to see the blonde girl I had rescued looking up at me.

Her blue eyes, visible through the mask, were sparkling. She was cute.

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"

The thugs, swaying, tried to come at me, but...

"Hey! It's time to collect! What are you doing playing around!"

A man who seemed to be their accomplice called out to them from outside the alley.

They had more people.

A group of five thugs... If this were a hero story, it would be exciting, but as thugs, it's not.

And "collecting" sounds like they're low-level gangsters.

"Tch... We'll let you off today! I'll remember your face!"

The thugs left the alley, leaving behind a cliché line.

I waved my left hand at them, thinking, "I don't want to see them again. They're so cliché, they're not even interesting."

"Hey, that left hand mark is the proof of a <Master>! You're strong because you're a <Master>!"

The girl's eyes sparkled even more, noticing the emblem on the back of my left hand.

Ah, the glare is blinding.

"No, no. That's just a judo technique. You can learn it too."

I learned it from a bit of real-world training.

I used to do research for my job and tried various martial arts.

I'm unemployed now.

And I've gained weight.

"Really? Can I do it too? I want to learn!"

"Sure. First—"

But teaching on the cobblestone road would be dangerous.

It would be better to do it on grass or a soft mat. Let's find a different place.

As I was thinking that...

"There you are!"

"Over here! She's with a suspicious woman!"

Guards came from the other end of the alley, shouting.

Calling me a suspicious woman is rude.

I'm just a man in a black suit with a tie and sunglasses, with a smile on my face.

Sorry, I was suspicious.

"We have to run! Quickly!"

The girl grabbed my hand and tried to run in the opposite direction of the guards.

"Huh, why me too?"

Thinking that, but feeling that I might get into trouble if I stayed, I decided to run.

I picked up the girl in a princess carry and jumped towards the wall.

In an instant, I moved to the roof and ran across it, putting distance between us and the alley.

◇

We moved from the alley in the fourth street to the roof and then to a less crowded area.

"That was fun! It felt like I was the wind!"

"It wasn't that much—"

The girl's eyes sparkled again, as if she had just enjoyed a ride at an amusement park.

"Was that because you're a <Master>? Or because you're a [Reporter]?"

"Sure, [Reporter] is amazing. I can fly, lift buildings, and reverse the Earth's rotation to turn back time."

Only for Supermen, though.

"Wow!?"

"By the way, miss, why were you with the guards—"

As I was about to ask the girl, a cute sound, "kyu~," came from somewhere.

The source of the sound was the girl's pom-poms.

"Do you want to eat something?"

"I want to eat!"

I decided to get the girl something to eat.

However, if we stayed, we might be found by the guards and cause a commotion, so I did a bit of trickery.

Using my "Disguise" and "Illusion" skills, I made the girl look like an ordinary girl with no blonde hair to anyone but me.

People with "Truth or Lie," "Insight," or "Mind Eye" skills could see through it, but not all the guards here would have them, so it was okay.

I regretfully took off my sunglasses, so I was no longer a suspicious woman with sunglasses.

The girl and I left the less crowded alley and headed towards the street vendor area.

There are always street vendors here, so there should be something to eat.

"Do you have any requests?"

"I want something I don't usually eat! How about that cloud?"

Cloud... Ah, cotton candy. A cute choice.

I bought cotton candy from a street vendor.

It looks exactly like Earth cotton candy, white and all.

The only difference is the lack of character wrapping.

"Here you go."

"Yum! I'll eat it!"

I handed her the cotton candy, and she took a bite, removing her mask.

"It's sweet and fluffy!"

"Hehe, I'm glad... right?"

The girl's face, now revealed, was as cute as I expected, and I could guarantee she would grow up to be a beautiful woman.

However, the problem was that I recognized her face.

I took out my [Information Notebook] from my item box, where I store collected information, and looked up the relevant section.

It was a list of important people in the country.

The entry for the second princess, Elisabeth S. Altor.

The entry contained information I had previously collected, along with a photo.

The photo showed the same girl who was enjoying the cotton candy in front of me.

"This smells like trouble..."

I was sure I had gotten myself into an interesting (troublesome) situation.

"Hmm? The smell is sweet?"

But for now, I admired the second princess, who was enjoying the smell of the cotton candy.

...Thinking that the relationship between a reporter and a princess is like an old classic movie.

To be continued

The next part will be posted tomorrow at 21:00.

(=ↀωↀ=)＜As you might have noticed, the side story title is a play on a classic movie.