Chapter 25

To be honest, Kunikida Doppo didn't think he had anything to talk about with the other party.

There's no particular reason; the question is simply that our values ​​clash.

Anyway, he didn't think he could attack someone with a car without any psychological pressure just because he knew the opponent wasn't afraid of being hit, especially since it was someone else's car that he was throwing.

—At least consider the feelings of the car owner!

However, the other side seemed genuinely interested in a talk.

They are still trying to persuade them to keep this a secret.

"So, could you please ignore this place?"

After a long and detailed explanation, Robert looked expectantly at Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji.

Kunikida Doppo replied without hesitation, "I refuse."

Kenji Miyazawa shook his head with a serious expression.

“This is a bit troublesome.” Robert frowned in distress. “If you two don’t agree, we’ll have to resort to some forceful measures.”

"To be honest, I personally don't like solving problems through violence. I think the most crucial factor in the development of excellent and complex civilizations is the use of non-violent solutions when facing problems, which reflects humanity's... ah!"

Mary suddenly headbutted Robert in the stomach, interrupting his inexplicable long-winded speech.

"Robert, stop giving speeches at random points!" A headbutt left Robert pale. Mary, still not satisfied, grabbed Robert by the waist and lifted him up, giving him a couple of shakes. "You can talk about this with Louis behind closed doors!"

Robert, who was being lifted up by Mary, turned pale: "Mary, stop! I'm about to vomit my guts out!"

Mary: (^) Hmph, then hugged him and shook him up and down a couple more times before gently putting Robert back on the ground.

Robert, who had been put back on the ground by Mary, was pale and purplish-blue. But he still stood defiantly opposite Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji: "Let's continue our previous topic... Wait, Mary, I meant the part about using coercive methods!"

Seeing Mary trying to bump into Robert's stomach again, and Robert frantically trying to stop her, Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji: "..." So they're a comedy duo?

This is the second time a UN member has been mistaken for a comedian.

Robert, who had almost been headbutted again, glared at Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji: "If you don't cooperate, we will use force—so are you really not considering leaving things to the peace?"

Not to mention Kunikida Doppo, even Miyazawa Kenji was speechless at the two guys on the other side.

The young man opposite them, called Robert, kept urging them to promise not to reveal the information about this place, as if he could openly let them go if they actually agreed.

Without any threats or leverage, he seemed to genuinely believe that a simple verbal promise would keep the two of them in the dark about the secret, and they wouldn't even tell the other members of the Armed Detective Agency.

This action seems somewhat illogical, but upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem to go beyond common sense.

This strange behavior, which lies somewhere between common sense and logic, was difficult for Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji to understand.

Because of this incomprehension, the two did not respond, but remained silently wary.

After rambling on for a long time, Robert gradually stopped talking when he realized that no one was listening to him.

"Looks like the negotiations have broken down." Robert sighed and shrugged at Mary. "Strange, wasn't I trying to have a good discussion with them?"

“So that’s it.” Mary gave Robert a disdainful look.

"Just because you negotiate seriously, does that mean the other party is obligated to reach a consensus with you? How could there be such a good thing?"

"Hey, hey—" The young man was clearly quite taken aback by Mary's words, and he looked much more dejected. "It's one thing for Louis to say something like that, but why did you have to learn it, Mary?"

Robert then turned his attention back to the still vigilant Kunikida Doppo and Miyazawa Kenji.

"This has nothing to do with obligations; I'm just believing in human empathy."

Looking at the two people opposite him, Robert revealed a very bright smile.

"If they are also human, they will surely be able to see and understand our plight! Then they will help us, won't they!"

Kunikida Doppo felt that smile was very familiar to him, because it was incredibly similar to Miyazawa Kenji's smile.

But it was a completely different smile, one that contained far more eeriness than Kenji Miyazawa's smile.

What kind of smile was that?

So, are you willing to help us?

"So we have our difficulties too. Our job is to catch criminals, and if we don't work, we'll go hungry," Kenji Miyazawa suddenly said. "Was that murderer you?"

Kenji Miyazawa's Information Gathering Technique: Direct Inquiry.

"A murderer?" Robert asked, puzzled.

Mary was so angry she jumped up and down.

"I'm talking about Louis, you idiot Robert."

Get the answer instantly!

This efficiency is just too high!

“Oh, that makes things easier.” Robert looked enlightened and waved his hand with a smile. “You can ignore the anomalies here, and we’ll hand Louis over to you, how about that?”

Kunikida Doppo gave him a look that said, "You're kidding me."

Mary bounced around in front of Robert.

"It's obvious there's no news!"

Robert seemed quite puzzled by this.

"I think I'm really sincere this time, and this proposal can solve the dilemma for both of us, right?"

Robert tilted his head and spread his hands, revealing a helpless expression.

"This is so troublesome, what are you thinking?"

Kunikida Doppo was equally baffled by the other's thoughts: "You make it sound so casual. Is trading your comrades something so insignificant?"

"Huh? This?" Robert asked, puzzled. "Louis has caused you trouble, hasn't he? He's caused trouble for a lot of people, hasn't he?"

“In that case, of course I should help everyone solve this problem when they ask for help, right?” Taking off his gold-rimmed glasses, Robert smiled and looked at the person opposite him—“This is just a simple size comparison.”

Absolutely abnormal.

Kunikida Doppo noticed it—an unusually high level of empathy.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and think from their perspective. It is the beginning of emotions such as compassion and pity, and it is a capacity that all humans possess.

However, Robert's empathy is exceptional, to the point of "completely taking the other person's pain as his own," and being completely considerate of the other person.

But it wasn't without reward.

"Hey, so you guys will help now, right? It wasn't really right to only ask for your help before, but this time it's okay, right?"

Does this mean we've accepted the fact that "everyone should unconditionally think about others"?

“I refuse! It is our detective agency’s duty to investigate such highly suspicious incidents.”

Perhaps agreeing to their proposal at this moment would be the better choice. But that's definitely not something Kunikida would do alone.

That was Kunikida Doppo's ideal, his pursuit, and the benchmark for his continuous progress.

That's perseverance... but it's also a different kind of self-satisfaction.

Robert's smile froze.

Did you refuse?

Robert took two steps away, took off his suit jacket, and placed it on the mailbox by the roadside.

"In that case, we don't need to consider them as 'human beings'."

He raised his hand again, and a blade gleaming with a cold light appeared in his hand.

The smile that reappeared was not warm at all, but rather the joyful smile one has when doing "happy work".

"Then Mary, let's begin the process of removing these 'pure obstacles'."

Mary, who was hopping around, suddenly crashed to the ground, kicking up a large chunk of concrete.

"Robert is really scary in this state."

Lifting up the concrete block, Mary looked at Kenji Miyazawa, who was still holding up the wreckage of the car.

"Let's wrap up early and let Robert recover."

As he threw the cement, the small figure darted out.

—At that completely inhuman speed.