Chapitre 189: She Speaks To the Police
"Are you sure, you cannot take that mask off?" Her brother asked again. "We need a photo for your ID."
"I've told you, I have tried my hardest, it's not coming off!" Robin replied, annoyed. This was the first time she realized that her appearance was so fixed that she couldn't remove anything.
"If you think you can take it off, I can stand right here, and let you try and pull it off!" She growled.
"If you insist!" He rolled up his sleeves. After a very interesting series of experiments, both of them gave up any more attempts.
"Fine. I'll have to come up with a convincing fake appearance..." He sighed. "You sure are a troublesome thing."
"So I've heard." Robin chuckled, slightly out of breath.
"What name should I put on the id?" Her brother asked. "It'll have to be from Japan, as the record security here is far too difficult.
"....put....Hiiro...Akamune Hiiro."
"Red Chest Hero, huh." he muttered, glancing up at Robin's green attire. "Wouldn't Aomune be a more apt description?"
Robin only smiled. The japanese name for Robin is Akahige, which means 'red beard'. But, Robin preferred the description given in the Mother Goose rhyme: little Robin, red breast. So, she had always called them Akamune, after she learned Japanese.
"Gender is male; hair..." He glanced up. "Black. Eyes..." He had to look up again. "Blue....say, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you look closer to being my sister's brother than I do, just based off appearances."
"Unfortunately, that is not possible." Robin denied.
"And? In what way are you related to my family?" He asked.
"Huh?" Robin asked.
"Despite your last name, on the records, you will be related to us by blood. Otherwise, it's too strange for us to house you here."
"Un...you can put me down as the son of your father's long lost brother."
"So you know about that, too, huh." He noted.
"I originally encountered your father in the middle of looking for him." Robin nodded.
"So you met him near the Philippines?"
"...his brother....is dead." Robin said. "So is your uncle's wife. He survived the crash, but that tsunami ten years ago...there were no survivors." She had seen the report that would arrive in a couple years. This was the reason she chose that particular uncle.
"But, then, how did you survive?"
"Does it matter?"
"What if they ask you?"
"Maybe I had amnesia. Maybe I only just found out I was related to you. Maybe I'm-" Robin stopped, looked down at her hands, and sighed. "Meh...whatever. Why am I even doing this?"
"No, that's a good setting. A bit typical for those who would bluff in order to try and cheat money out of us, but I'll make it look convincing." He said. "Age?"
"Seventeen"
"Oh? just a bit younger than me. Wanna spar later on?"
"I don't do spars." Robin replied.
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"I don't understand. Why are you steaming a cage of rats over a boiling pot of diluted Klargun's brew? And why do I have to wear this cloth over my mouth?"
"It's an experiment. I have to note down all the methods where Klargun's Brew is effective. If it works as a steam, then it could narrow down the number of active magic ingredients I am dealing with."
"By steaming rats?"
"If you want to find some insomniac dwarves that only want a good sleep, then be my guest. otherwise, yes. rats." Jasmine replied, a bandana wrapped around her lower face.
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"Only a week?" Throm asked.
"Hmmm....well, this is the Hero we're talking about here. Inevitably, she is bound to have better luck than most." Quinn said, only loud enough for Throm to hear.
"What does Christian think of it all?" Throm asked.
"He's probably ecstatic he doesn't have to wait a whole year for Robin to wake up." Quinn shrugged."But, at this point, I think I deserve a bit of credit here."
"Credit? For what?" Throm asked.
"If I didn't pop in at random every now and then, you two would have definitely fallen to the Trader's schemes much much earlier." Quinn pointed out.
Throm snorted. "Sure, an' if you had only come through tha door, I'd be willing ta give you another ass-kicking set of armor. unfortunately, all of my precious armor resources have been rerouted into castle defenses. Unfortunate, but I am plumb out."
"Oh that's no problem at all. I ate an adamantine mine earlier. I can provide you with the ores you need." Quinn waved his hand, and a small pile of adamantine ores appeared.
Throm's eyes glinted as he and Quinn set down to a right proper bout of diplomatic haggling: both trying to outsmart the other.
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"So you jumped in when you recognized the girl as the daughter of your benefactor?" The Policeman asked.
"That's right."Robin replied, with a highly convincing Japanese accent.
"Could you tell us what you were doing on the roof of a grade school?"
"I've actually never been to this part of the city, before, and lost my way. When I tried to call someone, the signal was too weak. I happen to know a bit of parkour, so I chose a tall building where I might get enough service to figure out where I was. Originally, I was just going to ask for directions, but when i saw...I couldn't stand still. The fact that it was actually a grade school...I am sorry I did not realize." Robin bowed her head in apology.
"Can you tell us why you are wearing a bird mask?"
"I was at a cosplay convention earlier. My mask kept slipping off my face. A fellow cosplayer told me that glue would help secure it...I suspect he used super glue, as it is impossible to take off, currently."
"And you just...believed him?"
"He looked like the spitting image of Son Goku from Dragonball Z! I never expected such a blackhearted fan." Robin sighed.
"Why did you not come make your statement earlier?"
"Well I was standing right there, but no one asked me anything." Robin pointed out. "So I assumed you'd ask me to come in later. I also didn't want to be left behind by the only people I could recognize."
"Thank you very much for your cooperation, mister Akamune. I hear that you issued a change of address to those siblings' home?"
"Mnn! They are hiring me as a live-in bodyguard. I am extremely grateful for their kindness."
The policeman's eyes turned cold. "Listen here. Everything checks out so far, but if you have designs upon those two....then you'd best move out. I knew those kids' father."
"What a surprise! To meet a like-minded gentleman, here." Robin smiled. "Please understand, I wouldn't harm a hair of my benefactor's children, because...." She trailed off.
"Because what?" the policeman asked.
Robin rubbed her forehead, wearily. "Because I haven't yet confirmed, but we might be cousins. As the only living kin left of my family...I wouldn't think of it."
"Pssh! Aren't you just after their fortune?" The cop rolled his eyes.
"Looks like you haven't dug up much about my adoptive family, have you, mister policeman?" Robin grinned cheekily, as she stood up from her chair. "Otherwise, you wouldn't think so."
"Just don't leave the country anytime soon." The policeman warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Robin replied, a twinkle in her eye.
"You okay?" Her brother asked, when she got in the car.
"I'm alright. I'll be returning to hiding in plain sight, if you don't mind." Robin told him, before ghosting out of sight.
"Just don't go too far away." He joked.
On the drive home, Robin moved from inside the car, to up on top of the car. As she was in observation mode, there was no air resistance . The wind itself felt like a light breeze. Looking around at the familiar sights, Robin suddenly noticed something up ahead.
She saw a man, jumping out of a speeding gas truck heading towards them. Immediately, she sprang into action, ghosting back into the car as she quickly took over the wheel.
"Hey, what the-!" "Sorry, just gotta...." She shifted gear, and expertly maneuvered around the uncontrollable truck. It crashed through the guard rail, and fell down a short cliff, exploding at the bottom.
"Head to Robin's location." Hero Robin said, seriously, giving back the wheel. Her brother nodded, and sped off towards the school.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone