Chapter 16: Shattered Trust
Seeing the expectant look Bronya was giving me, I racked my brain trying to come up with a good excuse for my current situation, but nothing came to mind.
It didn’t help that Bronya was just patiently waiting for my answer with an amused smile on her face.
Just as I was about to make up a lie, I paused.
‘Was there any reason to lie in the first place?’ I thought silently as I glanced at the trash can from the corner of my eye, the majestic container seemingly waiting patiently for me to continue my search for treasure.
The answer came to me immediately, and any embarrassment I previously felt vanished, replaced by confidence as I placed my hands on my hips and smirked at Bronya, causing her to raise an eyebrow curiously.
“It’s simple, my good lady,” I declared confidently before dramatically pointing toward the trash can. “I was merely appreciating the wonders hidden within these magnificent works of iron.”
Ignoring the small giggle that escaped her, I continued my speech since I was nowhere near finished.
“One of my goals in life is to one day become known not only as the Galactic Baseballer, but also as the undisputed Hero of Trashcans. It is a duty I take very seriously, so naturally I was in the middle of befriending them,” I finished proudly while puffing out my chest.
My answer only made Bronya laugh harder, forcing her to cover her mouth with one hand.
“Hihihi~ I-I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… how are you saying all of this with a straight face?” Bronya giggled, even wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye.
Right now, she looked nothing like the serious girl I had met earlier that morning.
“I speak nothing but the truth, my lady. Therefore, there is no embarrassment to be found within this body of mine,” I replied immediately, giving her a gentlemanly bow.
‘Could her behavior toward me be because of my Blessing of Hestia?’ I wondered silently, remembering that the trait made others feel more comfortable around me. Since it was stronger now thanks to Boost, maybe I simply came across as unusually approachable to others.
“I can see that,” Bronya replied after finally calming down, though a small smile still lingered on her face as she observed me.
“You’re one of the guests from beyond the sky who met with Mother—I mean, the Supreme Guardian—this morning, correct? I thought I recognized you.”
“That’s me. Ah, forgive me. We’ve been speaking for a while and I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Caelus—Galactic Baseballer and future Hero of all Trashcans. A pleasure to meet you, my lady,” I said with another small bow.
“Please, there’s no need to bow.” Bronya shook her head lightly before giving me a small curtsy in return. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Caelus. I’m Bronya Rand, current commander of the Silvermane Guards.”
“I should also thank you,” she continued, surprising me enough to raise an eyebrow.
“I haven’t laughed like that in quite some time,” she admitted softly while giving me a genuinely grateful smile.
“Then it seems I can go to bed tonight in high spirits. It’s not every day I meet a pretty girl who doesn’t immediately judge me for my actions,” I replied with a grin, causing a faint blush to appear on her cheeks.
“A-Ahem, right,” Bronya muttered awkwardly as she looked away. “I should take my leave now. There are still matters I need to attend to before the night is over. Have a pleasant evening, Caelus. I’ll let you return to… whatever it was you were doing.”
“Good night, Miss Bronya. It was nice talking to you,” I said with a wave, watching her quickly retreat.
Once I was alone again, I let out a yawn and realized I should probably head inside as well.
Before that though, I might as well roll the three tickets I had been saving.
“Let’s roll, baby.”
[Rolling…]
[Nue]
|Uncommon Familiar|
Jujutsu Kaisen - A winged shikigami armed with great speed and the ability to produce electricity. It can support its master by carrying them while flying to increase mobility, and can attack with its heavy wings charged with electricity, shocking and temporarily paralyzing anyone it hits. The power of shikigami scales with your own energy levels.
[Sartorial Savant]
|Common Trait|
Your clothes are, for some reason, always clean and tidy. Even your wardrobe stays immaculate, and small damages seem to mend themselves over time.
[Absolute Accuracy]
|Epic Ability|
Whatever projectile you throw WILL hit its target as long as it is physically possible. You could throw a single human hair through a 1mm hole from 10 kilometers away without difficulty.
‘Hmm, another Familiar, and one from the Ten Shadows technique too. I wonder if the other Shadows are in the gacha as well? Also, it seems I got yet another trait that removes the downsides of digging through trash cans,’ I thought as I gently placed the lid back on the trash can, picking up the stray trash around it before making my way back toward the hotel.
‘I no longer have to worry about smelling bad—whether that’s my breath, body odor, or even my clothes. If my conversation with Bronya is anything to go by, people don’t seem nearly as bothered by the trash can thing as they should be.’
‘Yep… there’s officially nothing holding me back from my destiny,’ I thought with a satisfied nod before focusing on my final reward.
“Now all I need is a gun and I can fully roleplay as a Galactic Gunslinger. Watch out Boothill, you’ve officially got competition,” I muttered with a grin.
Once I arrived at the hotel, I headed inside and asked the receptionist where my room was before making my way toward March’s room to keep the promise I made earlier.
The problem was that I still couldn’t read and had no idea which room was hers.
So, naturally, I slotted in Schrodinger and concentrated.
A moment later, I vanished from the hallway and appeared inside March’s room, tucked safely in a corner where she couldn’t immediately see me.
Looking around, it only took me a second to spot her sprawled face-down across her bed while lazily kicking her feet in the air as she scrolled through her phone.
‘…Crap. I just realized this could’ve gone really badly if March wasn’t dressed properly,’ I thought, a nervous bead of sweat rolling down my face before I shook my head and cleared my throat.
March yelped in shock, accidentally sending her phone flying.
“W-Who’s there!?” she cried as she flipped onto her back and sat upright in panic, unintentionally flashing me a glimpse of her white-and-pink panties.
I awkwardly raised a hand.
“Hey, March. Glad you’re still awake.”
“C-Caelus!?” March exclaimed in disbelief before her expression shifted into annoyance. She immediately grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at me. “You jerk! You scared the heck out of me!”
I let the pillow hit me since I honestly deserved it.
“Sorry about that. But I didn’t know which room was yours, and I didn’t exactly want to start knocking on random doors this late at night,” I explained sheepishly while scratching the back of my head.
March took a few deep breaths to calm herself before narrowing her eyes at me with a pout.
“Hmph. I guess that makes sense. You’re lucky you didn’t catch me changing or something, otherwise that pillow would’ve been the least of your worries.”
“Hehehe… right. I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied with a nod as I walked over and stopped beside her bed.
“What were you doing anyway? You took forever,” March asked with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow now that she had calmed down a little.
“After looting all the chests I could find, I might’ve lost track of time while carrying out my civic duty of searching every trash can in the city,” I replied with a smile.
March blinked a few times before tilting her head.
“…Searching every trash can? Hah, never mind.” She shook her head and decided not to question it before looking at me again.
“Anyway, call Virgo over. We can still have a pillow fight before it gets too late,” March declared, giving me a cute but stern look with her hands on her hips.
“Sure.” I shrugged.
A moment later, Virgo appeared beside us in a flash of golden light.
And just like that, the day finally came to an end as March and I teamed up against Virgo, who was apparently absurdly good at pillow fights. I even got to use my new Absolute Accuracy ability to our advantage, landing perfect hits on Virgo every time despite her attempts to dodge or block.
Eventually, we returned to our rooms for the night, with Virgo heading back into her Familiar space while I collapsed onto my surprisingly comfortable bed, knowing it would probably be the last peaceful sleep I’d get until this whole mess was resolved.
That night, I had strange nightmares about Cocolia’s past and an ominous voice whispering into her ear.
=====
Following Day
The next morning, I was woken up by frantic knocking on my door.
Letting out a yawn, I sat up and stretched before walking over and opening it, only to find a worried-looking March and a serious Dan Heng waiting outside.
“Hey, Caelus. Did you hear that?” March asked anxiously.
Even though I already had a pretty good idea what was going on, I still blinked innocently.
“There’s a group of Silvermane Guards at the entrance,” Dan Heng added calmly. “And I don’t think they’re here for a friendly visit.”
“Hah… why do I suddenly have the feeling our peaceful stay on this planet is rapidly coming to an end?” I muttered with a sigh.
“Don’t jinx it!” March immediately protested with a pout.
“Let’s go meet them. We won’t know anything for certain until we get downstairs,” Dan Heng said calmly.
“Alright, but let’s also be ready to run if things go bad,” I muttered quietly, earning nods from the other two.
We cautiously made our way out of the hotel and found a squad of Silvermane Guards stationed at the entrance, all radiating clear hostility.
“Hey! Commander Bronya is waiting for you below. Move it! And no funny business!” the guard at the front barked roughly.
I rolled my eyes at their attitude but kept my mouth shut as we followed their instructions. Beside me, March unconsciously moved a little closer and slightly behind me.
“That doesn’t sound good… What did we even do!?” March whispered nervously.
Waiting below were even more Silvermane Guards, with Bronya and Pela standing at the front.
And unlike last night, Bronya had returned to looking completely serious and professional, as if the moment we shared beside the trash cans had never happened.
Wanting to see if I could de-escalate the situation—though I highly doubted it—I raised a hand in greeting and spoke to Bronya.
“Hey there, Bronya. I’d say good morning, but isn’t this a bit excessive for an escort?”
At my words, Bronya’s expression cracked for just a second as she looked at me before quickly smoothing back into professionalism. Beside me, March and Dan Heng gave me curious looks.
“I am Bronya Rand, acting commander of the Silvermane Guards. In the name of the Amber Lord, and under the orders of Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, I hereby arrest the suspected infiltrators under the charge of conspiring to incite rebellion.”
“As an agent of the Supreme Guardian, I herewith temporarily strip you of your freedom of action and speech. During your trial before the adjudication panel, you will be given the opportunity to defend yourselves against these accusations.”
“Resistance will prove futile. You will come with me.”
At her words, the guards surrounding us stepped closer threateningly.
“Called it,” I muttered under my breath.
“W-Wait a minute! This isn’t what we agreed on!” March exclaimed indignantly.
“…This is an orchestrated betrayal, obviously,” Dan Heng stated calmly with a small sigh.
“Looks like we’ve been downgraded to accomplices again. Why does this happen on, like, every third planet?” March grumbled with a resigned look.
“That’s because you always act before thinking. You never have a plan,” Dan Heng replied, remaining perfectly calm despite the circle of guards around us.
“Hey, I’m improving! I’m literally coming up with a plan right now and—aaaand… got one!” March whispered nervously as her eyes darted around before suddenly lighting up. “Caelus, Dan Heng, the alley!”
“The sealed-off one… Hm, it could work,” Dan Heng muttered with a nod. “Caelus, March, prepare to run.”
“Huh? Really? I just wanted to throw out an idea…” March blinked in surprise that her plan had actually been approved.
“I’ll handle the distraction,” I whispered back, earning small nods from them.
Slotting in my Finger Gun ability in preparation, I turned my gaze toward Bronya.
She was watching me with an unreadable expression.
Giving her a small, apologetic smile, I saw her tense slightly.
“Sorry about this, Bronya. Hopefully our third meeting goes better than the first two,” I muttered sympathetically before raising my index finger and gathering energy into it.
Bronya’s eyes slowly widened.
But she reacted too late.
“Bang.”
The moment the word left my mouth, a powerful telekinetic shockwave exploded outward, catching the guards completely off guard and sending them flying backward onto their backs.
“Move!” I shouted, grabbing March’s hand and sprinting forward while Dan Heng easily kept pace beside us.
“After them!” Bronya’s voice rang out behind us.
Ignoring the guards, we dashed toward the alley.
To cover our escape, March used her ice abilities to freeze and jam their weapons while I slotted in Ice Spike, causing massive pillars of ice to erupt behind us and block pursuit as we dove straight into the Fragmentum filled streets.
=====
We finally came to a stop after a few minutes once we felt we were far enough away and took a moment to catch our breath.
“Hah! See? They weren’t brave enough to follow us! Freedom!” March declared haughtily. “Serves them right! Better luck next time, slowpokes!”
“I don’t think that’ll stop them for long. Bronya seems like the determined type,” I said with a sigh.
“Caelus is right. We only caught them by surprise. They’ll resume pursuit soon enough,” Dan Heng agreed calmly. “Let’s keep moving. We need to secure our safety before making any further plans.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied with a nod as we continued onward.
“Oh, that reminds me.” March suddenly turned toward me with a curious look. “How come it sounded like you already knew that Bronya girl?”
“That’s because I did know her beforehand,” I answered, causing her to blink in surprise while Dan Heng quietly focused his attention on me. “Last night, I ran into her and we ended up having a pleasant chat. She was definitely much nicer to talk to than she was this morning.”
“Huh? I can’t really picture that, but if you say so.” March quickly accepted the explanation before crossing her arms with a pout. “Anyway, what happened back there? Why did the Supreme Guardian suddenly send people to arrest us?”
“Imagine launching a surprise attack while your enemies are asleep. The cheek!”
“That woman had a troubling aura… our instincts about her were correct,” Dan Heng added.
“I think the Stellaron is responsible,” I revealed, earning surprised looks from both of them. “Back when we met her, I could’ve sworn I heard some kind of voice speaking to her. Then last night, I had a dream about that same voice talking to someone I think was Cocolia.”
Both of them fell silent for a moment at my words before Dan Heng thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
“Interesting. Could the Stellaron inside you somehow be resonating with the one on this world?” he wondered aloud. “If that’s true, then she likely knows exactly where it is.”
“That was my conclusion too,” I replied with a nod.
“Ugh, so she was lying to us the whole time?” March exclaimed angrily, throwing her hands into the air. “Just wait until we meet her again, I’m definitely giving her a piece of my mind!”
“I think we should head for the Underworld,” I suddenly suggested, grabbing their attention again as we continued walking and casually dealing with the weak Fragmentum monsters that appeared along the way.
“We need somewhere to lie low while we come up with a plan, and based on what Serval told us, the Underworld sounds like our best option.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Dan Heng agreed. “However, getting there won’t be easy. According to Miss Serval, access to the Underworld has been sealed.”
“Ugh, as much as I hate to say it, Sampo probably knows a way in,” I admitted with a sigh. “He seems exactly like the type of guy who’d know something like that. Honestly, there’s a good chance he’s from the Underworld himself.”
“Ugh, not that sleazy guy again,” March immediately complained.
“Trust me, March, I know exactly how you feel,” I replied tiredly.
‘At least I’ve got Natasha to look forward to… and Clara too. That cinnamon roll deserves to be spoiled,’ I thought to myself.