Killed Again, Mr. Detective Volume 1 Case 2 Chapter 2 part 2

Volume 1

Case 2: The Crimson Theater Murder

Chapter 2 Allow Me to Regard You as The ‘Theaterchair’ Detective (Part 2)

TLed by: TanoshiKara

"Eeekkkk!?" She screamed after noticing that I was lining up behind her.

In her moment of shock, she scattered her popcorn all over the floor in grand fashion.

"W-Wha-......"

I froze up, not knowing what was going on.

It seems like the girl did as well, causing us to glare at each other for several seconds.

Of course - a weird choice of words if I do say so myself - I was the first to fold.

"Erm, sorry, I guess"

"Listen here, you! Why did you appear behind Char out of the blue!? You shocked Char a-a little there, you know!"

That was a little?

"Well, I had no intention of shocking you. Rather, is it that shocking for someone to line up behind you at a stand? I do think that I am at fault, but"

"That c-can't be helped, right!? Char is bad with those surprise things......"

"Surprise things? Jack-in-the-box, perhaps? Or a horror film where a hand suddenly comes out of a lake, perhaps?"

I threw out some random examples.

She quaked as she nodded repeatedly, as if to affirm that those were exactly it.

Her air and mannerisms felt very much like a young lady's, but her guts seemed like that of a commoner's.

"You say that, but this is a theater, so it seems like it is better to anticipate that there would be people standing in your blind spot. It would be different if this were the bathroom in your house, though"

"Why must Char quake while anticipating the actions of other people?"

"Erm, well"

"Wouldn't it be better if the people around Char, no, the world, anticipated what Char will do and act in a way that does not shock Char?"

"......That's true. It is exactly as you say"

It had become a pain, so I decided to agree with her.

"I shall pay for the popcorn you dropped as an apology"

"Eh? Pay for Char's?"

I did not say anything strange; It was the natural flow of the conversation, after all, but she was stunned, as if it were one of the rarest things she had ever heard.

"Here you go"

When I passed the new popcorn to her, she, surprisingly, took it without a fuss.

"......Thank you"

"No problem"

I elegantly resolved the issue and bought my own share—or so I was about to, when I realized that by buying her share, I ran out of money to buy my own.

Come to think of it, I only brought six hundred yen with me today. Should I call Lilithea to get some additional pocket money? Nah, it's just too embarrassing in front of this girl.

As I anguished, a card of a color I had never seen before was thrust out beside me.

"It's fine. Char shall treat you in return. This is a one-off, okay? Are you alright with caramel flavor?" She said as she treated me to popcorn.

I thought she was a stubborn girl, but she is surprisingly kind.

She crossed her legs elegantly after sitting down on a nearby sofa. Noticing a little later that I was still standing, she patted the seat beside her.

"Here"

I did as I was told and sat beside her. We then took our time to indulge in our popcorn.

"Mmm. This is it, this is it. I did go out of my way to come to this theater for this flavor after all"

"Ohh, so the popcorn here is famous?"

"You bought it without knowing? What a sinful man"

Seems like I have unknowingly sinned.

"Has it been introduced on TV or something?"

"No. It's just that Char likes it"

"Err......"

"It's a sin not to know Char's likes"

She gracefully swapped her legs, pinched the popcorn one by one, and dropped them into her mouth.

"Even if you say that, I think that it is only normal for me not to know your likes as I have just met you"

"Say, how is yours?"

"Eh? The caramel flavor? Well, it is not bad"

"Hooo......"

"......Would you like to have some?"

I was all I could say after seeing that she was stealing glances and showing great interest in it.

"It's not like I want to, but I will"

A certain young lady robbed my popcorn one after another with her glossy fingers.

"You sure are a glutton"

"My, how rude of you, Sakuya Outsuki. I would be lying if I said I am not interested in food"

"Huh? Did I already introduce myself?"

Instead of answering my question, she licked her fingers gracefully before breaking into a slight smile. This made her quite alluring, and I struggled to find a spot to look at.

"Erm, can I ask for your name? Or are you alright with being called Char?"

"It's Sharldina. Sharldina Infelicious"

"Wow, the same name as one of the Seven Old Men"

"Yes, it is. I am the person in the flesh, after all"

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. However, Seven Old Men is such a distasteful way of referring to us. Besides, Shar and the others have no intention of teaming up"

I did not miss it, nor did I mishear it. I understood this after listening to her unique self-introduction. I also thought about whether or not she was joking.

This child just said she is part of the Seven Old Men. Second of the Starting Seven (Seven Old Men). Sharldina Infelicious, she said. A criminal sentenced to one thousand four hundred and sixty-six years imprisonment, a fugitive, and the Billionaire Phantom Thief (Celebrity).

I was at a loss on what to do. I was at a loss, so I was paralyzed. Before I knew it, there were sirens blaring at a distance. It seemed like they were gradually closing in on the theater.

"Shar went out of her way to travel across half the globe to come here for the popcorn and you. Tatsuya Outsuki died from the combination of what happened on the passenger plane and cruise, so Shar thought his son might be healthy while welling in despair"

"......Were you on that cruise?"

She did not reply. However, she is not a civilian who knew of those events.

I was convinced; Convinced that the person sitting beside me was, without a doubt, Sharldina Infelicious. One of the Starting Seven (Seven Old Men), who broke out of prison and came to Japan.

I felt the hair all over my body stand on end.

In contrast, Sharldina stood up from the sofa without any hesitation.

"Shar has had her fill, so she shall take her leave. Shar has some business to attend to in the Middle East"

"Middle East?"

"Seems like a certain country's civil war has been heating up, so Shar shall sell some weapons there"

"Are you an arms dealer?"

"Uh-uh. A little side hustle. Once the business negotiations are done, Shar may even take the opportunity to make her way to America to buy a rocket"

"By rocket, you mean......the space one?"

"The space one"

"The manned one?"

"The manned one. Shar has several, but Shar now wishes to collect some with different colors"

"Different colors..."

Has she mistaken space rockets for sneakers, perhaps? This is not on a level where she has mistaken the number of zeroes or that her sense of money is warped.

"With that said, Mr. Son......no, Sakuya, may we see each other again soon"

Using the back of her hand to sweep her long hair to the front, Sharldina started waltzing away gracefully, leaving me behind.

"Wait......"

Move! Chase after her! One of them is in front of you, you know! One of the Starting Seven (Seven Old Men)! An individual who holds the key to my dad's death—no, mysterious disappearance.

As if I were trying to start an engine, I smacked my thighs countless times and got myself to stand.

That's right! I cannot allow her to get away! Ending it off after munching on popcorn and making some small talk—ain't no way that's going to fly with me!

Sprinting so fast that I might just fall over, I caught up to Sharldina and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a minute!"

"Eeekkk!?"

Sharldina shrieked and sank to the floor.

"Ah, sorry"

I accidentally shocked her again. Quite the troublesome child she is.

"T-That's why! Shar’s telling you! Not to! Do that! So suddenly!" She protested with tears welling up in her eyes, which were filled with determination.

She kept hitting my thigh with her popcorn box, but it did not hurt at all. After that, she angrily placed her hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and got up.

"......Did something happen just now?"

"A lot happened, though?"

Is she trying to play it off as if nothing had happened?

"Geez......even though Shar was planning to take her leave dashingly"

This does make the remarks that the young lady occasionally blurts out exceptionally interesting. However, now was not the time to be laughing, of course. I am dealing with the most notorious fugitive, after all.

"Was it you? Were you the one who crashed that passenger plane, and in the process, many people......my dad......"

I tried to interrogate her, but a sweet taste spread throughout my mouth.

Caramel popcorn had been stuffed into my mouth by Sharldina's hand.

"Shar's telling you that she's busy. Let's leave this for another time. Looks like Shar’s ride just so happens to have arrived"

She took a step forward. The automatic doors slid open. Before I had realized it, the place was jam-packed with tens, no, hundreds of police vehicles.

As the sun had long set, the night city was now illuminated by countless light bars.

"Don't worry. Shar has no intention of riding such cheap taxis. Shar's is over here"

An unfamiliar stretch limousine was parked near the front of the theater.

In the driver's seat was a seemingly violent female who looked like a shark; In the back seat was a seemingly coldhearted female who had knives for hair accessories. Both were wearing black suits, and neither looked like a regular civilian.

The ‘Knives Accessories’ female politely opened the door for her master.

After getting into the limousine, Sharldina wound down the door window and popped her face out of it. She motioned for me to come over, so I cautiously walked closer to her. She then grabbed my tie when I was close enough.

"Wha-"

My face was forcefully pulled close to her, and her beautiful face was now right in front of me. She then sprayed something on my face.

"Sakuya, Shar thought she'd say that that deodorant of yours, it's the worst"

The thing Sharldina had sprayed as if to ‘overwrite’ my deodorant seemed to be her personal perfume.

"And, as thanks for treating Shar, a warning from Shar. Be careful of the Empress"

"The Empress......?"

"Oh my, have you not noticed already? I see. Goodness gracious, that child, doing it in a roundabout way as usual. As Shar thought, they really get on Shar's nerves"

Sharldina had an expression on her face that suggested she was pondering over something. However, she was still hugging her popcorn box tightly.

"Just wait a minute. What in the world are you......"

"Shhh. Too bad. Time's up"

"How are you going to get away in this situation?"

The road in front had been jam-packed with patrol cars. There was no space for a bike to get through, let alone this limousine, nor would they let it through.

However, it seemed like she did not consider that a problem.

"Do you not know Shar's modus operandi? Shar has bought the entire road from here to a private airport beforehand. Everything in Shar’s vision is Shar's private road. That's why Shar will go through as and when Shar likes, and Shar will not allow any disruptions. No matter who they are"

Bought? The road?

"Sorry to do this"

A deafening sound reverberated throughout the sky all of a sudden.

All the police officers who were surrounding them looked up at the sky. 

Appearing after weaving its way through the gaps between the surrounding buildings was the silhouette of a terrifying attack helicopter. Its autocannon made it rain bullets without any warning. They were of the twenty or thirty millimeter kind; Real dangerous stuff.

The clustered patrol cars became like honeycombs, before they bounced into the air like cards in Menko1, and were flipped upside down.

Fragments of side mirrors and asphalt flew past me, cutting my cheek in the process.

The passersby shrieked as they tried to run away. The police officers hid behind buildings.

After roughly thirty seconds, the helicopter flew off into the horizon, after it had trampled on the area to its heart's content.

The city had gone unbelievably quiet.

"When punching, punch not with brute force, but with wealth. Sorry that Char's rich"

The cleanup had reached every nook and cranny, and the path was now clear.

So this is the Billionaire Phantom Thief (Celebrity).

"God speed you, Sakuya"

The limousine with Sharldina in it effortlessly drove through the gaps between the many overturned vehicles that were emitting black smoke.

"W-What was that noise just now!? Did a war start or something!? Or rather, what in the world is this!?"

Sozorogi had heard the noise and rushed out of the theater. He jumped nearly a meter into the air after seeing the disastrous scene on the street.

I could do nothing but stand there, dazed.

Did my legs cramp up after witnessing the Ultra Legislation Violence (Extra Large Day Shar) of a Starting Seven (Seven Old Men)? Did I despair? No, those weren't it. I was merely dejected that she had taken my caramel popcorn. That's all.

"Hey, Sakuya! Hey! What in the world happened!?"

"A young lady......went to buy a rocket of a different color!"

Crimson red flames were burning all over the street, as if they were Sharldina's lingering scent.

"Huh? What in the world are you talking about...... Damn! Headquarters! Respond! It's become a disaster here! All the patrol cars are overturned and are on fire! What kind of mobilization is this? I didn't hear anything about this!"

Standing beside Sozorogi, who was shouting into his handphone and kicking up a fuss, I caught a whiff of the perfume that had been sprayed over mine.

1 - In this context, the name of the cards used to play the two or more-player Japanese card game of the same name, where a player places their card on hardwood or concrete floor and the other player throws their card down to flip the other player’s card either through the gust of the wind or by striking their card against the other card. You can find out more here.

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Feel free to comment/pm me if you find any mistakes. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first part of the second chapter.