Chapter 6: The Mad Gunman of Virgin City (2)

***

My confusion didn't last long. It was quickly replaced by a sense of absurdity.

"What, what is it, Kiriko! Why are you so late!"

His words were strange.

Shouldn't he be asking what you're doing here and why you came?

I looked at the junior manager beside me, my eyes full of questions.

"You said you'd come, so you should have been here at the time you were notified! All the middle managers went out looking for you! We thought you had run away!"

'Ah... .'

Then it made sense.

It seemed to be a pre-arranged ambush, and it was Kiriko who had unilaterally set it up.

Kiriko, feeling embarrassed by his outburst, said, scratching his forehead,

"Well... my alarm was off."

"Ah, ah!"

"Anyway, you're here now, right? You're the one who ran away."

"Rubbish!"

It was a strange situation.

Watching their conversation, I was seized by a strange sense of discomfort.

'Was he... like this from the beginning?'

The Kiriko I saw now was not the 'Kiriko who adhered to clichés in the early stages' that I knew. Rather, he was much more shameless and reckless, closer to the Kiriko of later days.

Hmm.

A moment of confusion ensued, but I soon nodded.

Upon reflection, it wasn't that strange. Perhaps in the author's conception, he was like this from the beginning.

'Chapter Outside' is part of the manga, but it's a world that hasn't been revealed in the actual work. It could be described as the author's 'setting collection outside the work.'

This meant that the Kiriko in front of me was likely the original character. The early Kiriko I remembered was probably a deliberately staged version to make him more appealing.

Well, to be honest, it wasn't bad.

I had always preferred the 'Kiriko' I saw now.

Meanwhile,

"Anyway, you're all here now, right?"

The situation was still not good.

Kiriko started walking over,

"Tch... then I'll take the rear, sir!"

The junior manager, with a sense of absurdity, charged at Kiriko.

"Hey, wait a moment... ."

Then,

Thud.

He fell dramatically.

"Now it's just you left, right? The manager?"

"..."

"Are you tough? You don't look it."

I tried to calm myself and slowly assessed the situation.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Time alone with Kiriko. Wasn't that what I wanted? If we could continue the conversation, it would be even better.

I raised my hand to stop the approaching Kiriko.

"Wait. I have something to say."

"What, are you scared or something?"

"I'm not part of their organization. You should have noticed. All the managers are out. I'm an outsider."

"Is that so? I don't really get it."

"These guys don't even know my name. You heard them call me 'sir,' right?"

"Ah, that's right."

Fortunately, it seemed to work.

"Well, you're probably similar anyway."

It was a mistake.

Kiriko, without even acknowledging it, took another step. His calm expression and leisurely gait were impressive.

I couldn't help but feel anxious.

"You're wrong. I'm not a mafia member."

"Sure, sure."

"I'm a secret agent of the International Council, J-34."

"Come on, stop joking."

Of course, it was a joke. But what if it had a plausible basis?

"I was infiltrated to eliminate the mafia."

"Sure, sure."

"There's a secret passage in this building. Even if the managers were here, you wouldn't have met them. The regular passages are full of traps."

This was true. A few days later, the person in front of me would destroy this building, and I would learn this information.

"Secret passage?"

"I can prove it right now. If I was on their side, would I say this?"

Kiriko had stopped walking.

"Besides, I know about you."

"What?"

"Kiriko, right? I learned about you while investigating these guys. The madman of Virgin City who has been clashing with them alone."

"..."

"I have quite a bit of information that could help you. What do you think, want to hear it?"

Kiriko's face crumpled, as if he had just eaten something bitter. It was his characteristic expression when he was deep in thought.

After a moment of silence, Kiriko slowly spoke.

"Go on."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was almost done. It was a bit risky, but it seemed to be going according to plan.

But then,

Ding.

The world suddenly became quiet.

'What, what is this... .'

It felt as if all the time had stopped. I had experienced this before.

Then,

[A new chapter of Adventure King has started]

[Chapter 3 – The Madman of Virgin City]

[You are in the area of the ongoing chapter]

[Antagonist 3 is the character evaluation target for this chapter]

A voice came from the hologram above my head.

I couldn't help but shout.

"No way!"

"What? What's going on suddenly?"

I had completely forgotten about Kiriko in front of me. I was that confused.

'How long has it been since Chapter 2 ended... . And how can a new chapter start with Kiriko here... .'

At that moment,

'Ah... is that it?'

A thought flashed through my mind.

There is no set interval between chapters. It depends on the protagonist's speed.

I had missed this because it wasn't directly mentioned in the manga. If Leo didn't walk as usual but used his unique ability, excited to meet the 'strongest guy,' he could have arrived much later.

Only then could I match the current situation with the flow of the chapter and understand what I needed to do.

I immediately turned my gaze to Kiriko.

He shouldn't be here. He should be in the middle of the square, stopping a mafia member from harassing a bar owner, aiming a gun at his head, and being witnessed by a boy just entering the city center.

"What, are you suddenly losing your mind? What are you staring at... ."

"We need to postpone the conversation. I have something to do."

Kiriko snorted, looking incredulous.

"Ha, do you think you can just decide that? And what do you suddenly have to do... ."

"Not me. You. You have something to do."

"..."

"The managers who were looking for you. You need to deal with them."

"Why would I suddenly... ."

"They'll roam the streets, causing all sorts of trouble. You know their style. They'll pick on people to make an example, to instill fear in the citizens, to help control the city. Of course, you'll get all the blame."

"..."

"Hurry up. Besides, there's that scumbag too. The blonde. Right? The one who shot you twice in the stomach."

Kiriko's eyes widened in surprise.

"You... how do you know that?"

"I told you, I did some research. Are you going to just watch him do that?"

"That guy... ."

As he scowled, I almost laughed. Kiriko's angry expression was honestly a bit absurd.

Actually, the 'blonde' setting was the first 'flaw' in Adventure King.

Somehow, a grudge formed between Kiriko and the blonde mafia member, leading to Kiriko becoming an enemy of the entire mafia organization.

This didn't make sense because the two characters' abilities were incomparably different. How could a protagonist and an extra be compared?

I remember it caused a lot of discussion among readers. They understood it was for the plot, but thought it was too contrived. Especially the part about being shot.

It was like watching a UFC fighter grinding his teeth at a kindergartener.

At that moment,

"But you need to know where they are... ."

Kiriko's voice, mixed with anguish, reached me.

Oh, my mind.

"Square. They're in the square."

"Square? Wait, how do you know... ."

"Never mind, go quickly. You don't know what he might do. This time, finish it properly."

"But you... ."

Kiriko hesitated, as if he had something to say.

Come on, we don't have time.

So, I added one more thing to help the hesitant Kiriko.

"Go. I'll find you later."

*

"I clearly said it was the last warning."

"S, save me... save me!"

"Even if you're trash, your life is precious, isn't it? If someone steps up to die in your place, I'll spare you."

"P, please... please save me! Anyone, please!"

Fortunately, it wasn't too late.

I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

In front of me, the long-awaited scene was unfolding.

A dozen mafia members scattered around, dust flying, and... the blonde, standing with wet pants, with a gun pointed at his temple.

It was thrilling to see it in real life.

The blonde was begging, but no one stepped forward.

Kiriko spun the cylinder of his revolver.

"Any last words?"

"P, please... please... ."

Then,

"Stop!"

Another voice completed the scene.

What perfect timing.

Of course, this is from my perspective as a reader and spectator.

From Leo's perspective, it was a bit late.

Then,

Bang!

The revolver's barrel spat fire.

It was the signal. The signal for the 'real fight' I had been waiting for.

It started with Leo's lightning-fast kick.

"What are you doing!"

Wham!

"Wow... ."

It felt like a meteor had fallen.

The crater in the ground was so large and deep that it was hard to believe a person had created it.

If it were a real person, they would probably have turned to dust from such an impact.

But of course,

"...Ugh. What are you?"

The guy in the dusty crater was far from ordinary.

Kiriko, who immediately stood up, looked around angrily. He was a bit wobbly, but showed no signs of serious injury.

The setting of him being shot and in danger seemed even more absurd.

Leo seemed equally surprised. It was probably the first time he had seen someone get up after his kick.

The ensuing duel was intense and terrifying.

Through the scene in front of me, I could feel the limitations of manga's panel-based storytelling. Of course, I felt a great sense of excitement when reading the manga, but not like this.

The realism... it was really something.

Both of them moved so fast that only afterimages remained, and each time their fists and feet connected, it sounded like an explosion. They even destroyed nearby buildings when they were thrown back.

Finally,

"Phew, I don't know what you are, but... you're too tough?"

"Hmph, you too."

The brief reconnaissance phase ended, and the highlight of the fight was about to begin.

Kiriko pulled out a revolver from his waist.

The silver barrel