𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓: 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝
Running barefoot on a paved road illuminated by streetlights.
Even though she is a recluse, Chihaya, working as an Actor, has decent physical strength. She can stand on a pressure-sensitive mattress for hours on end.
However, no matter how strong she may be, she has no chance of winning a race against a mech like an Actanoid. After all, the top speed of an All-Rounder is eighty to a hundred kilometers per hour. There’s no way she can escape from it in the city streets.
The light footsteps of the mech body, sounding “clank, clank,” rapidly approach with incredible force. The exhaust noise of the All-Rounder can be heard clearly over her shoulder.
ㅤ
She is more than just scared.
Chihaya is tearful. She doesn’t know what will happen to her if she doesn’t flee to a police box or a crowded street or avenue. The All-Rounder’s Actor is a dangerous thinker who won’t hesitate to break the windows of a house.
ㅤ
But even if she runs into the police station while fleeing from the All-Rounder, what could the police officer possibly do?
She had no time to think, but Chihaya takes a turn to escape from the direct path of the All-Rounder. The All-Rounder, which had come right behind her, chased after Chihaya, swinging its arm and destroying the wall of an apartment.
ㅤ
“――?!”
ㅤ
Out of sheer terror, Chihaya gulped for air and ran through the first-floor hallway of another Actor’s condominium and into the entrance of the adjacent apartment.
Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the All-Rounder stopping in front of the condominium’s automatic door. It could easily break through, but it seemed to hesitate, probably because it would automatically notify the security company.
ㅤ
The automatic door of this mansion is heat-sensitive. It doesn’t respond to the cold metallic surface of the All-Rounder.
Feeling grateful for having seen the interior before, Chihaya exits through the rear entrance after passing the front entrance. The sound of the All-Rounder breaking the automatic door and the alarm rang out from behind.
ㅤ
She had put some distance between them. She might be able to escape, thought Chihaya, wiping her tears and taking another turn. Right after that, something huge flew past her from behind.
Swayed by the wind pressure, Chihaya turned pale at the sight of a large motorcycle rolling down the road.
The All-Rounder had thrown the large motorcycle parked at the back entrance of the condominium at Chihaya.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I’m going to be killed.”
ㅤ
With tears still overflowing as she wiped them, Chihaya runs again at full speed.
Her feet throbbed in pain from running barefoot, but it was better than dying. However, her legs were definitely slowing down.
ㅤ
She can’t escape. She must do something or be killed.
In her chaotic mind, fearing for her life, Chihaya spotted a supermarket down the road.
It was already past closing time, and the lights inside were off. The door was closed too.
In the glass surface of the door, reflected Chihaya’s back, where the All-Rounder was hurling a bicycle.
She crouched down, holding her head as the bicycle spun above her, breaking the door of the supermarket. The alarm rang shrilly, announcing the presence of an outlaw.
ㅤ
Chihaya straightened up and dove straight into the supermarket, hiding behind the shelves.
The All-Rounder that had chased her ran straight into the backyard, probably thinking she would escape through the back door like in the condominium. But seeing the closed door, it quickly turned back.
Not coming out from behind the shelf, wary of the All-Rounder’s back camera, was the right decision.
ㅤ
However, the situation is still bad.
Chihaya was desperately thinking of a way out while almost hyperventilating.
ㅤ
“Fu-he he― ―”
ㅤ
While letting out a nervous and uncomfortable laugh, Chihaya picked up products from the shelves.
The All-Rounder’s Actor who was looking around the store called out from the built-in speaker, with a coarse voice that was clearly altered by a voice changer.
ㅤ
“You’re the Mecha Mecha Guidance Commander, aren’t you? Stop hiding and running away!”
ㅤ
Wondering who that was, Chihaya continued to tear open the bags of products on the shelves.
The impatient All-Rounder began to peek behind the shelves. It must know that Chihaya is hiding.
Chihaya moves, hiding behind the shelves with the torn bags.
All-Rounder doesn’t have the ability to perform video analysis with AI. Though the Actor operating it can analyze through their computer, it takes some time.
Chihaya’s slight movements won’t be caught by motion detection.
ㅤ
Chihaya, who spotted the All-Rounder, threw a bag of potato starch with all her might at the All-Rounder.
With a burst sound, the starch spread out. The All-Rounder noticed immediately and turned around, charging at Chihaya and knocking down the product shelves.
Chihaya threw another bag of starch and then shifted to escape.
ㅤ
The All-Rounder’s Actor let out a mocking laugh from the speaker.
ㅤ
“What? Come on, you’re not really going to do something old-fashioned like a dust explosion, right? There’s no way it will explode in this space!”
ㅤ
Chihaya knew that too.
While running away with all her might, she grabbed a bottle of soda water from the product shelf, shook it vigorously, and aimed for the supermarket’s entrance and exit.
ㅤ
The All-Rounder noticed Chihaya’s movements and immediately circled around to block her way. Spreading its arms, it waited for Chihaya like a goalkeeper.
Chihaya aimed at the All-Rounder’s gaping air-cooled fan filter and pointed the well-shaken bottle of soda water at it.
ㅤ
“Huh? Water? Carbonation? A taunt?”
ㅤ
The confused Actor took it as a provocation and made the All-Rounder run toward Chihaya.
Chihaya dodged the All-Rounder’s charge by falling sideways, quickly got up, and ran toward the backyard.
The All-Rounder, apparently irritated by Chihaya’s continual evasion, chased after her.
ㅤ
Chihaya, who opened the door to the backyard, quickly opened the break room window and escaped outside. The All-Rounder, due to its hardness and size, could not get out of the window.
The All-Rounder that tried to get out of the window noticed and immediately found and jumped out of the back door. Chihaya was already nearly two hundred meters away.
ㅤ
“Running away like a rabbit!”
ㅤ
However, it was a distance that could be easily covered by running at full speed.
Residents of the surrounding area, who had heard the commotion, were fearfully watching Chihaya and the All-Rounder’s chase through gaps in the curtains. Chihaya, who happened to make eye contact with one of them, silently nodded, not knowing what else to do.
The All-Rounder, which had been chasing Chihaya, seemed to realize that the commotion had become too big.
ㅤ
“Tch, this is the end.”
ㅤ
The All-Rounder clicked its tongue through the speaker and came to a halt.
When the All-Rounder changed its course and took a few steps forward, it sounded an error noise.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .What?”
ㅤ
A puzzled voice came from the speaker. Probably attempting to operate it, the All-Rounder only sounded an error noise and didn’t move a finger.
ㅤ
“What’s going on?!”
ㅤ
If things continued this way, the police would confiscate the All-Rounder and investigate. The Actor’s anxiety was anything but ordinary.
Chihaya clogged the All-Rounder’s filter with cornstarch and carbonated water at the supermarket. The air-cooled All-Rounder couldn’t intake air because of the clogged filter, making internal cooling impossible.
So it was only natural for it to overheat since it had been chasing Chihaya in that state.
ㅤ
Chihaya glanced back at the All-Rounder but continued to run, turning the corner into an alley with an indifferent look on her face.
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- Trucks, Isekai, and the Struggle for a Good Image: When Anime Hurts the Real World
- Kakashi Hatake: The Ultimate Husbando? A Deep Dive into the Sharingan of Our Desires
- Demon Slayer: Tengen Uzui – The Ultimate Husbando?
- Feeling like a lazy Naruto? This is How You Stop Procrastinating and Conquer Your To-Do List Like a True Hokage
- The Ultimate Isekai Checklist: From Denial to Acceptance (and Maybe a Little Indigestion)
Leave a Reply