Chapter 33: One does not simply escape labyrinths
Chapter 33: One does not simply escape labyrinths
As Wu Yan, Hinagiku and Mikoto just walked inside the cave it was quite dark at first where they barely see each other. But as they walked further in, it got brighter and brighter until, not to say it’s bright as day but bright enough they can see things without trying particularly to do so.
Observing their surrounding he couldn’t find anything that is giving off light, under this weird circumstance, if this is a world devoid of mysterious things then he might have said ‘it’s supernatural’, but here….. definitely them monsters did this.
And the normally brave and gutsy ladies are now meekly hiding behind him, even the level 68 railgun is acting all skittish, only when he looked back at them did she stern up. Unbeknownst to her, her every action and expression is well reflected in his eyes.
Even though she has the strength, a little girl is still a little girl… (Tl: 所以说,就算实力强大,小女生就还是小女生… lit: That’s why, even if she’s strong, a little girl is still a little girl….. I don’t know, anyway to make this sound… not sexist?)
Walking on this silent passage the three didn’t talk with each other at all. After all, here there be monsters, doing something that garners attention would be foolish so it’s better to be prudent.
When he entered this cave, he took out Kusanagi Sword, he doesn’t have the confidence to say that once a hostile confrontation happens he would be able to react in time. He opened the system’s scanning function to detect anything that appears before him, even if it’s invisible the scanning function will be able to pick it up.
“Ne, Yan, don’t suppose you think that the monsters are actually dead and gone? I mean it’s been such a long time.”
Possibly because she couldn’t handle this tense atmosphere anymore Hinagiku decided to voice her opinion.
“That would be impossible!”
He justified further confidently.
“I don’t know if these monsters are as legend said being unageing but they definitely would have longer lifespan then we humans, so even if we died they might not have and besides madam Saginomiya said it, there’s tons of monsters here so they should be females as well, if so they reasonably could reproduce!”
“Then why haven’t we seen even one of these so called monsters up till now?”
The concept of monsters and whatnot is not comparable to how unbelievable the system is, so even if she was summoned just a day ago, this basic knowledge conveyed to her is still within acceptable range. Except, accepting they exists and not being afraid of their existence as a 14 year old girl is very different stories….
Maa, at least when facing him, rail gun would always act tought, but that’s why she’s tsundere railgun…
“I was thinking the same thing, until just now…”
Stopping his footsteps he stood there.
The two girls were startled and they looked around vigilantly, one could see traces of fear in their eyes.
“Wh.. what’s the matter? Yan..”
He was suspicious of something as he did an about-face.
“Wait there for a sec….”
Gesturing to them he looked left and right before frowning and looking down.
“Huu….”
Just as he was looking down, a breeze came out of nowhere blowing up his hair and carrying with it…. Mikoto and Hinagiku’s skirts….
Since he’s facing them and he’s looking down the wind of God fortuitously brought up their skirts and his eyes were in the right place and right time, he was blessed with the sight of two modesty shorts one white and one black.
“…..”
Keeping his head there his pupil expanded twice its normal size gazing upon the two oddly compatible modesty shorts, he knew he fucked up big time.
“Ya!!!”
They’re pretty masculine most of the time but what girl wouldn’t feel wouldn’t feel embarrassed if their skirts are flipped up. They shrieked and held down their skirts before leering at him with their rosy face.
“You didn’t see anything right? Yan…”
A blade made of crystal appeared in her hands, and she looked very hostile to him, the wrong words might just earn him a good stabbin. And she’s hostile for good reasons as well, it’s not the first time she’s seen him being shameless, for example the last time when she was seen without clothes.
Feeling her leer he shook his head like a
“Biribiri….”
Blue sparks started cracking behind him as he froze and slowly turning his head over like a machine to the other side.
“Surely you wouldn’t have stopped here… for something like this right?!”
Her head down and electricity flowing arcing around her head, her cold icy voice made made him an ice statue right there.
It is conceivable that she would suspect something as his head was lowered at the right angle and at just the right time with the timing ‘too damn good’.
Heaven should be take pity on him, this time this saying couldn’t be any apt. (Tl: so pathetic anyone who saw it would take pity)
He cried deeply inside as he stand before the two barrels of gunpowder.
Mikoto is okay, she wears safety shorts but at least she doesn’t go around showing it off but what’s up with Hinagiku? In the original story the first time she saw Hayate she held her skirt up voluntarily for him to prove she’s wearing one is it not? Why does she react this way when it’s me? This is unscientific!…
Don’t try to guess a woman’s heart….
Perceiving that they’re getting more and more belligerent he decided to stop them before they can go into a frenzy. He painstakingly appealed.
“Wait wait, please listen to my last words!”
“What’s there for you to say?”
The two synchronized.
“If I said it wasn’t intentional, would you believe me?”
Pitifully laughing, he submitted his last explanation.
“Then explain yourself, why did you stop…”
Hinagiku desperately tried to stop Mikoto from electrocuting him and interrogated him with an unfriendly tone.
Showing her eyes full of gratitude only to be given a cold hmph in return he harrumphed before making a serious face.
“I stopped because I noticed we have been through that place before!”
Surprised by this even Hinagiku who didn’t have much hope for an appropriate answer was astonished as well, she really thought he stopped here enigmatically just so he could see enjoy the view inside their skirts, who knew he really had such a reason.
One could see how great an impression Kaichou-sama has of him…
“This place?”
She looked around her for a bit.
“We’ve been here before?”
She turned her ability off before observing her surroundings as well, the two then looked at each other with the same doubtful face.
He merely shook at their response, it’s hard to blame them, there’s nothing but stones wall and rock around here, nothing much distinguishable that could be used as a landmark. It’s just that even if it’s not much, against his ‘Impeccable Memory’, how can he not notice the subtle differences.
“Have we really been here before? I don’t think so.”
Thinking so she put her hands to her face while turning her sights over to him.
He didn’t answer her but asked her in an aristotle like manner.
“Have you forgotten about my memory? I can remember everything!”
She persuaded the still skeptical Mikoto.
“Yeap that is so, he remembers everything, his memory is ridiculously good, he remembers everything at first glance if he says we’ve been here then we’ve been here.”
“Permanent recall at first glance?”
She looked at him in utter disbelief.
“This should qualify within the range of ESP?….” (Tl: now before I get bombarded with how ESP stands for extra sensory perception, here ESP refers to super natural powers like the kind you see in X men, levitation, phasing etc)
As expected of railgun, her lv5 is not just for show, she saw through the nature of his ‘Impeccable Memory’ in an instant.
“So basically, we are lost?”
She anxiously tried to confirm this notion.
“Not to say we’re lost.”
He retorted to her.
“More like, we’ve fallen into some kind of labyrinth like palce.”
“Labyrinth?”
The two were shocked as they urged him to continue with their eyes.
“Yes!”
He walked to the stone wall at his side and knocked on the wall.
“Try remembering, after we entered this cave, we have done nothing but walk on the same path, there was no forked road or anything, now how can we be lost when there’s only ever one path.”
“In other words…”
She said so with a low tone.
“We’ve been walking in circles!”
Mikoto saw through the situation.
“Indeed!”
He pulled his menu list.
“I think, that this path is warped and though it seem straight it’s actually not, so when we came inside we didn’t notice the irregularity in addition to the path being very wide and just walked around in a circle without realizing it.”
“So it’s like that?”
She lowered her head and began thinking out loud.
“But of course!”
Did you really think I would stop just to see two safety short without any prospect or entertainment value? (Tl: implying you would if they were not? damn son, you h.o.r.n.y)
Given of course, the later part of the commentary was kept inside him, if it were not he might as well go hang himself for giving up the chance to redeem himself…
“Then what’s our next move? Go back?”
Mikoto inquired bout their plans, even if she’s smart, at time like this it should be the male who takes the initiative.
“No!”
He shook his head at her suggestion.
“Even if we did try to go back it most likely won’t help!”
Curious they looked at him.
“Why’s that?”
Bitterly laughing he continued.
“Didn’t I say it, when we entered this cave, we’ve gone 1 round around the whole place, but did you see our entrance from before we came into this cave?”
It hit them then, that’s right if they really did go one round around the place they should have seen the entrance…
“Could this be….”
She lowered her neck.
“The rumored ghost hitting a wall?” (Tl: only english article I could find with simple explanation , basically a rumor of how human when travelling alone at night or deep in the moutains might somehow walk in circles even when they took the same path and/or walked straight.)
“No way right…”
Mikoto who was just frowning and deep in thought started flustering while dryly laughing her opinion off.
“….”
Giving the two who still had the luxury still scare themselves at a place like this, he decided to go through the menu when he figured that if he were to rely on these 2 then he might very well be hitting away for all his life in ghost hitting the wall. (Tl: spend all his live here stuck with the 2 kitty cats)
Noticing his hand movements, Hinagiku questioned him.
“Yan, what’re you doing? have you found a solution?”
Mikoto just curiously stuck her head forward facing him.
“Oh…. so this is the system?”
He is so surprised that he stopped before pointing at the menu.
“You can see the system menu?”
She nodded.
“Sure I can, it’s right in front of you!”
“System? It’s the system you were talking about right Yan? Why can’t I see it at all?”
She scrutinized west and east to no avail.
Rubbing his chin he surmised.
“Looks like my summons are able to see the system. Say Mikoto can you interact with the system?”
“Nope!”
She bluntly said it.
“Impressive as it is, there’s no way I can use it, I can only see it!”
“Why it’s only you guys who can see it, why can’t I see it.”
She’s pouting because it looked like the two are sharing some kind of secret in her eyes and it wasn’t her who had ins on the info, this made her a bit upset. (Tl: it’s clear as they day waifu be jelly, too bad author didn’t write it so.)
“Well? Any results?”
Mikoto wondered seeing he didn’t stop clicking around on the system.
With a smirk he flipped his hands and a compass appeared in his hands….