第三十六回：羊氏陷阱卡啟動，此等邏輯綾乃早料亦！
That was not supposed to happen.
When Oracion and I took our second step into this dilapidated pavilion, the squared stone tile suddenly sank beneath our forward feet! Unlike the all-too-obvious raised plate that Madi-san is standing on, there was no indication that the flooring we had one foot on was a trap! If this was a detective manga...
[SFX:Twang]
The sound of a spring releasing itself somewhere in the night did NOT bode well! I retract my forward foot into the air---
--- whereupon lassoed rope loops itself the ankle of my raised foot, pulling me sideways into the air!
The retracting rope pulls itself back into the mouth of a stone statue, whose fierce visage I did not notice. Not until I was pulled right next to it, dangling in reverse hangman while trying to hold my skirt down! Choosing a 『hakama』 with a short skirt was a bad idea, I want off this ride, already!
Oracion didn't fare too well either, even though she managed to cut off the retracting rope aiming for her foot, somewhere else in the room another cog whirred, springs were released in the darkness, and she catches the full force of a net on her upper body; bowling her over the entrance! Now stuck inside trying to pry her way out, that left Madi-san...
... who had absolutely nothing happen to her!
"Tsk, tsk! Imagine not taking the Light Foot perk! She spins around on the obvious pressure plate trap before doing DDR on the tiles that we just stepped on. "Couldn't be moi'!"
"Madison, this isn't the time...!"
Pushing an arm from the inside of the net, it elastically springs back and keeps the pink haired protector floored.
"Madi-san! Help me down! Help!! Help!!!"
"You guys are like little babies, watch this...!"
Doing an unnecessary backflip, she draws her bow in mid-air and shoots at the obvious pressure plate, the arrow bouncing off into the darkness. Dust falls, and a swinging log is released from the ceiling, coming straight for the madwoman!
Before she can be straight punched out the pavilion, Madison dodges the log trap by moving half a step out of the way, the force of the log blowing her hair back! During the backswing, she holds up both her arms in a v-shape like a gymnast casually bragging about finishing a complex routine. Alright, you crazy biichii, you made your point! With enough DEX you can do anything! What do you want me to do? Clap for you? If you want me to 『homete』 [1] you, that's completely out of the question!
"Nice archery skills."
That wasn't me! 『boku ja nai 』! 『boku ja nai 』!!
Someone had slipped out of hiding behind the statue my ankle was attached to, and now presses the barrel of a crossbow, bolt loaded, against the cheek of my face...! In the darkness, I can only make out the glint of the steel bolt and the reflection of something worn on one eye...!
"Nice log trap...! Too bad it doesn't work on moi'!" Playfully pushing at the now stationary log, it is only now that she sets eyes on the wildly gesticulating (me) and realizes to not shoot! Madi-san, stop! Stooopu!!
"..."
Dropping to her knees with her arms raised above her head...
"Ogey, I surrender!"
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The three of us are hauled out of the pavilion with our arms bound behind our back. Now kneeling in front of the pavilion-temple's stone steps, I want to say that I wasn't completely wrong! There were no dancing elephants in the tree lines, but there sure were a lot of half-humans!
Now that the danger (us) had passed, the scared and desperate array of girls with furred ears came out of hiding, surrounding us in a wide half-semicircle facing the temple entrance. Aside from a few braver foxgirls who stepped forward to string the three intruders up, the rest preferred to stay behind and hide in the treeline and shrubbery.
"There is no celestial artifact called 'wifi' on this mountain."
This is the person we would come to know as Yang Shi. [2] Standing at five and one chi, her features are hidden behind a triangular facemask, only her green eyes tinged with topaz can be seen. An oval eyeglass not unlike a monocle adorns her left eye, small silver strings dangling by the side. Her golden hair is frayed at the sides with long months of neglect, falling over a pair of knife-like ears.
"Grrr... That was not the right way to explain things."
"Well, YOU try explaining then, Piinku! What else are we up here for, then?!"
With the two idiots shouting past your cute detective in the middle, it feels like my eardrums are going to burst. My guys, please! Can you two choose some better words to say?
"You people are the refugees the Duck Clan are looking for."
Oracion, you idioooooot! That was not the vocabulary we were looking for! Now she's going to think WE are with the Duckeroos! Knife-ears is already pulling back the springs on her crossbow! Don't say things that will cause a misunderstanding! Talking straight as an arrow's shaft here is going to get US shafted!
"And it is to be surmised... you misanthropes are with the 【Water Brigade】?"
"Nope! We came straight outta 【Pu'yeng】!"
A bolt flies right past Madi-san's open mouth, making its impact known on the stone steps behind! Blowing a circular hole in Madi-san's hair extensions, she too is 「wa shocked」 that her speechcraft attempt failed!
"Its the same thing. The reminiscence of a traitor who bent her knee to the Duck Clan... gives (me) Yang Mou a headache."
Bent her knee...
【Pu'yeng City】...
Persecution of 【celebrities】...
Spring-loaded traps...
... and that really distinct not-monocle...
Suddenly, all things clicked for me at once.
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It is noisy.
The yapping from the purple haired fiend is infernal.
Evil pink woman is no better, struggling against the pair of foxgirls holding her in place.
If you want, I can step in and...
No.
This is fine, [Ayaya].
It's Ayano who is the detective here.
And the detective's job...
... is to put all the clues together!
"Silence, dullards...!"
Ah. Ahahaha. That was definitely a little mean, but Madi-san calls people 'dotards' all the time, so if you want to catch her attention, you have to say something on about the same level!
"Traitor? Bent the knee?" The little detective rises to her feet unopposed, "Some sister you are to Daju...! You do not understand her heart at all!"
That definitely caught Miss Monocle Bandit's attention.
"My bad relations with the 【Taisho】 of 【Pu'yeng City】is well-publicized. If you think you can use that against me..."
Ogey, goodo! The 'traitor' she was talking about was Daju! If it was Ou Nygai, I would have had a really hard time talking my way out of this!
Now... the next step!
"Daju has never forgotten about Lady Bian...!"
Ignore Madi-san's 'who the duck is that?!'. Just ignore her! For once in her life, she doesn't know. Ah...Ahahahaha! Great-grans, does it feel good to finally put one over all-knowing purple woman! There ARE things that Madi-san can't know without her [Narrator's Power]!
And judging by Crossbowgirl's reaction... the falling out had something to do with Lady Bian...!
"How... do you know that name?"
Its a simple deduction...! It doesn't feel like it was a long time that Lady Bian passed, if she was as famous as she was... why have we never heard of her name in all our time in 【Pu'yeng City】? This makes sense... only if everyone had temporary amnesia!
Or... if all were forbidden to speak about her.
Perhaps...
... someone with power to 【Cancel】her wanted her forgotten...!
"I don't just know that name... I don't even know who you are... but I know one thing! Until now Daju still lives in that ramshackle warehouse of a home...!
The home...
... you designed the trap defenses for! [3]"
I should have realized it the moment I saw the deathtrap-style pressure plates. Its hard to believe, but it was only just this morning for me!
"In Daju's room, hanging above her bed is an old painting.
Anti-clockwise from the left,
Ou Nygai,
Daju,
Lady Bian...
... and you!"
Daju is many things. She's tricky, slightly sadistic and a complete coin-rubbing cat...
... but she definitely, definitely, treasures her friendships! (Or Neko-chan at least)
"... you missed Miko."
Well, four out of five isn't too bad.
But my fancy guesswork had its intended effect.
Turning around to have her long blonde hair face us, she takes off her monocle to rub away the rain in her eye.
The two at my side have fallen over, in awe of my deductions. [How was it?] Please. This is basic. With this level of reasoning, it is possible for Ayano to...
"You were sleeping with Neko-mii's cousin...?!"
No!
Not in that way!!
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NEXT: A Pretend God Makes Her Way Down The Mountains, Unrivaled Under The Skies Is Her Name
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TERMINOLOGY
[2] Shi - 【氏】, a word to denote 'someone belonging to the house of'. For example, our Yang Shi here 'belongs to the house of Yang'. - Author-kun
[3] Trap Home Defense - See Chapter 31! - Author-kun
GO GO AND LEARN MOONRUNES WITH AYA-CHAN!
[1] 『homete』- 『褒めて 』, to praise someone for their deeds. Usually accompanied with rapid patting on the head if you are a catgirl of some sort.