BWDC:SDDK Chapter 39: This is Beika Speed, a Life Speedrunner!
"That's right, Miss Saotome is playing the role of Kamen Yaiba's girlfriend, Natsume Reiko."
"...What do you mean by 'Does this Natsume Reiko have a Book of Friends?' Which Natsume Reiko are you talking about?"
Tsutsumi Yasuyuki blinked, looking somewhat confused.
Where did all these settings about Natsume Reiko having super spiritual power and solo-killing many great yokai come from? How come he had never heard of it?
Ren Ichimonji rubbed his chin, offering no further comment.
Fine, if you haven't heard of it, you haven't heard of it.
He glanced at Mouri Kogoro and the others, who had already followed Chairman Saotome to the back to enjoy the free food and drinks, and confirmed once more:
"You're sure that guy named Honda Osamu, the one playing the Patlabor, will show up for the meeting, right?"
Although he didn't think the system missions would lie to him.
However, it's better to be safe than sorry.
If Honda Osamu really came in with a gun later, and this basement was only so big, it would skip straight to the "no way to hide" part. He had to be at least a little prepared.
"Yeah, Honda said he'd come today, but if he isn't here by now..."
Tsutsumi Yasuyuki hesitated.
He looked at his wristwatch, also feeling that it was getting a bit too late for Honda Osamu to still be missing.
The gifts were about to start being distributed for free; if Honda arrived late, they wouldn't wait for him.
However, before Tsutsumi could finish his sentence.
Hurried footsteps echoed from the basement entrance.
Honda Osamu, wearing a Patlabor uniform, appeared hurriedly at the top of the stairs.
He waved sheepishly at Tsutsumi and walked toward him, completely failing to notice the mysterious coffee-drinking man leaning against the wall nearby.
However, the moment Honda Osamu passed by the mysterious man.
A handgun appeared in Ren Ichimonji's hand.
He casually ejected the magazine, checked the status of the bullets inside, and after noticing they were blanks, he squinted at the barrel—
The bullets were blanks, and the barrel was plugged solid.
Without a doubt, this gun had no lethal potential whatsoever. Perhaps Conan was overthinking things.
Beside them, Tsutsumi Yasuyuki had just been complaining to Honda about his tardiness, only to look up and see Ren Ichimonji inspecting the handgun that had originally been hanging from Honda's waist. He was instantly dumbstruck.
Wait, bro, when did you take Honda's gun?
And why didn't Honda notice at all? Is this a rehearsed act?
"Yasuyuki, why are you looking at me like that?"
Honda Osamu looked at Tsutsumi with a face full of surprise.
Before he could say anything, he felt a weight at his waist. Looking down, he realized someone had just taken out his model gun and put it back.
The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water; he'd be a top-tier talent in the world of pickpockets.
Honda Osamu turned to look at Ren Ichimonji, who was walking toward the crowd at the banquet.
He was silent for a moment, then asked,
"Who is that?"
Tsutsumi Yasuyuki turned to look at Ren Ichimonji's back as well before answering:
"Batman."
"At least, he claims to be Batman."
Batman?
A hint of surprise flickered in Honda Osamu's eyes.
That truly is an eccentric person.
But as long as it didn't affect his upcoming performance, whether it was Batman or Dog-man didn't really matter.
A headshot for everyone, good luck all around.
I am Masked Rider Honda Osamu, and now the show is about to begin...
"Prop gun, blank rounds, barrel plugged."
"I checked; he doesn't have a second gun hidden on him. A knife? A knife is impossible too."
"Either Honda Osamu isn't the problem, or the problem isn't with Honda Osamu."
Ren Ichimonji took a sip of coffee and spoke casually.
He was quite skilled in this department.
If he ever couldn't be Batman, he could pivot to being a Phantom Thief Batman, capitalizing on Phantom Thief Kid's popularity as an internet celebrity.
Speaking of which, after knocking Phantom Thief Kid into the water on the Queen Selisabeth last time.
He hadn't gone looking for him.
Thinking about it now, after accompanying Suzuki Sonoko to the concert, he might as well storm into Kuroba Kaito's house and loot his disguise techniques. After all, disguise is one of Batman's signature skills.
"Honda Osamu isn't the problem?"
"Could the gun have been swapped? Maybe the original gun had issues, so he was extra cautious, but since this one is fine, his guard dropped, allowing you to succeed easily?"
Conan speculated in a low voice.
He always felt things weren't that simple, especially with this self-proclaimed Batman around.
This guy gave him the illusion that he wouldn't even spawn unless a case was about to happen nearby.
"In any case, next..."
"Honda Osamu, screw you!"
A roar of anger suddenly erupted from the basement entrance.
Honda Osamu, who was walking toward the crowd with Tsutsumi, snapped his head back. He looked at the man standing on the railing at the entrance, pointing at him, and turned pale with shock.
The person on the railing pointed directly at him and shouted:
"Your mother's— why! I can't tolerate your actions anymore!"
"The end of Kamen Yaiba is here!"
Tsutsumi Yasuyuki: ?
Huh? This involves me too? Wait, bro, did you curse the wrong person? Part of the money for your bike modification was sponsored by me!
—The person standing on the railing was actually an acquaintance of both Tsutsumi and Honda.
A member of the Tokusatsu Film Club, Mishima Katsuji!
Neither Tsutsumi nor anyone else expected Mishima to show up here, because Mishima had explicitly told them he wouldn't be attending this Tokusatsu fan meeting!
The next moment, Mishima Katsuji jumped straight down.
He landed on one knee, looking as if he had hurt his leg, though it was unclear what he was doing.
Seeing this, Ren Ichimonji's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had already pressed the "send" button on a pre-written text on his phone, turning his phone into a "Big Brother Summoner!"
The Batman Big Brother Summoner, sending a signal via the energy of the Bat-Signal, summoning Big Brother Megure to the scene, allowing the superhero Batman to complete the fusion.
Ren Ichimonji drained his coffee in an instant.
A moment's recovery, then a bold drink!
Conan looked up just in time to see that Batman had vanished from his spot, moving rapidly toward the stairwell.
However, even less than a second was too little for Ren Ichimonji.
Mishima Katsuji suddenly lunged upward, pulling out a handgun from nowhere. With a zero-frame startup, he fired a shot, instantly hitting Honda Osamu in the abdomen, causing him to scream and collapse.
I bloom in the slaughter, like a flower in the dawn!
The next moment, Ren Ichimonji's figure closed in rapidly.
Several playing cards snatched from a nearby table appeared in his hand. Estimating the distance, he flicked them out with a shwoosh—as long as Mishima Katsuji attacked the Masked Rider again as he predicted, or aimed at anyone else,
The cards would strike Mishima's arm joints perfectly, preventing him from firing another shot!
However, the playing cards missed.
Because in the next second, Mishima Katsuji made an indelible contribution to the resolution of this case.
He shot the murderer of this killing incident!
Ren Ichimonji: ?
He stood there, a question mark slowly forming over his head.
After giving Honda Osamu a shot, Mishima Katsuji, without the slightest hesitation, pressed the muzzle against his own forehead and fired another shot. Ren didn't even need to look closely to know he was definitely dead.
Because the moment before Mishima fell, one could see the scenery on the other side through the hole in his head!
Thud.
Ren Ichimonji looked down at the now-thoroughly-dead Mishima Katsuji.
—I, Batman, what kind of storms haven't I seen?
Holy crap, I really haven't seen this one. I don't see Mad Hatter's hat on your head, nor Poison Ivy's lipstick, or any other signs of hypnosis. Why didn't you run after killing someone? Why did you give yourself a shot?
A speedrunner? You can speedrun this too? If this were in the early Batman comics, this could have lasted at least two issues of detective work!
"...Is this the Beika Speed?"
Ren Ichimonji, rendered speechless, muttered to himself.
No wonder the danger level was low. This guy entered the field, took out the target with a zero-frame startup, and then immediately offed himself.
Could the danger level be high?
End of Chapter
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium