Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 127-125: The Runaway Knight (Please Subscribe!)

".Asano-senpai?"

Sensing something was wrong, Nobi carefully created some distance and nervously prepared to unleash his abilities.

Could it be that the senior is player [Hao]?
That makes sense, considering Asano-senpai's strong puzzle-solving abilities.
However, his name does not contain the character "浩".

"I just wanted to talk to you about some gaming issues."

Asano's eyes reflected a white light as he casually pointed to the table, where his briefcase also sat.

"Open the first layer, and there's a notebook and a black ballpoint pen inside."

"Then open the third page."

Nobi glanced hesitantly at the bag. Based on the trust he had built up over Asano's help, he remained cautious and slowly pulled out the notebook Asano had mentioned.

It was an ordinary notebook that you could find anywhere in a stationery store, along with a black ballpoint pen.

Turning to the third page, Nobita's body seemed to stiffen instantly, and his pupils dilated as he stared at the notebook.

I know who you are.

"Uh, is Asano-senpai imitating 'I know your secret'?" Nobita grinned foolishly, looking at Asano with a confused expression.

“Turn to a few pages, and write down what you want to say.” Asano looked up, her face showing no hesitation.

Nobita shut his mouth and turned a few pages.

【Red Scarf Knight】

This is currently the most widespread name used by the public to refer to that person with extraordinary armor.

Nobi pursed his lips, didn't stop, and continued to flip through the pages until he reached the bottom, where there were no more words.

I've figured it out. The other party didn't make any mistake just now; they were just testing me based on their guesses, and then confirmed my identity through my behavior.

When the club was recruiting new members a while ago, he wasn't a card game expert yet, and he was much weaker. Even moving that modified arcade machine was quite tiring for him.

Then he switched to an unmodified arcade machine, which was unusually heavy, but he didn't seem to be struggling more.

Nobita sighed and didn't make a futile struggle.

During the time he spent with Asano, he was well aware that the other party would not act unless he was absolutely certain of success.

It's not surprising that his behavior aroused his suspicion; after all, this is someone who integrates puzzle-solving into his life.

They may have even considered the possibility that he might suddenly lash out, and probably had some backup plan, even though the possibility of him suddenly killing someone was very, very low.

Was I too obvious on the day of the incident?

After he finished writing, he handed the notebook to Asano.

Asano replied quickly.

[That's one aspect, and there are other factors to consider, but there's no need to waste time on that. What I want to tell you is that if you entered the subway station that day, you're in a dangerous situation now. The authorities will definitely screen people entering and exiting the station during that time, and it's only a matter of time before you're exposed.]

I know I will run away if necessary.

No, the authorities can't confirm it's you. You shouldn't underestimate them, nor should you overestimate them. You'll be on the suspect list, but as long as you cooperate with me in putting on a show, many of your actions can be offered a barely plausible explanation.

【acting?】

[You conspired with me to steal money from my family. I was the one who got you involved, but because your conscience bothered you, you confessed to the principal, who is also my father. I will cooperate with you in giving false testimony.]

hiss.
Nobita's eyes looked a little strange.

What's this guy up to?
It's no use; the scene of me getting on the bus was probably recorded.

"Was it that monster train you boarded? Well, there's really nothing we can do about it. But if there's anything you can't do in the future, you can contact me. I go to the Morisato Cemetery in Atsugi City on the 1st and 15th of every month to pay my respects. It's a very remote place, and there are very few people there."

Why risk helping me?

【interesting. 】

Is it really that simple?
No, it seems that's true.

Nobita recalled asking Asano why he liked puzzle games so much, and Asano's answer was also "It's fun".

Asano unlocked the door, stepped past Nobi, and put the notebook and pen back into her bag.

"There are many places to avoid being searched in that game, such as the wilderness, chaotic neighborhoods, and outlying cities, but if you want to maintain a certain source of information, it's best to choose the second option," Asano suddenly said in a tone as if he were discussing a game.

Footsteps could be heard passing by outside the corridor.

"I'll think about it carefully." Nobi understood what he meant.

"Oh, by the way, is there an ending to the subway storyline?"

"I'm not entirely sure about the ending either."

"Really? That's a bit of a shame."

"Senior, please try to avoid going to the subway map, it's very dangerous there."

"Danger? I'm not afraid of danger. If possible, I hope you can consider me a partner."

[You now have some understanding of "Asano Hiroshi" and have obtained the special card "Guidance".]

When you're unsure what decision to make, use this card to list the options, and it will provide the choice you're least likely to regret.

In that instant, Nobita felt his "bond" with Asano deepen. Then, a notification from the game system popped up.

"So, we're meant to be partners," Nobita murmured to himself.

He looked at Asano and nodded seriously.

"Thank you."

Asano smiled and adjusted his glasses: "Let's go back to the club. There's a game I'd like to discuss with you further."

And so another two days passed.

With Asano's help and the "Guidance" card, Nobita seemed less afraid. However, the uncertainty about the future made him somewhat different from before.

"Zhiliang, have you encountered anything troublesome at school these past few days?"

Nobi family.

During the meal, Nobi's father suddenly put down his chopsticks and asked hesitantly.

Nobi snapped out of his daze, looked at the ginger slices he was holding with his chopsticks, casually placed them on the bone plate, and shook his head: "No, it's just that the lessons are a bit hard to keep up with."

"Well, I can't help much with that. Just do your best in your studies." Nobi's father couldn't offer much help in this area, and even hiring a tutor would be quite expensive and a bit difficult to afford.

"I'll handle it," Nobi replied curtly.

The two continued eating their dinner in silence.

After finishing his meal, Nobita returned to his room, took out his homework, sat down at his desk, and began writing, just like any other student.

A dozen minutes later, he seemed to be overcome by drowsiness, and his head slowly slumped onto the desk as he fell asleep.

Player Lobby.

Nobita's knight figure materialized and appeared.

"Good evening." Uesugi, who had arranged to meet him via private message, was already there and greeted him. "How is it? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Nobita shook his head: "No, I made a point of checking if anyone was following me, but I didn't find anything."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi did not feel relieved; instead, he appeared somewhat serious, though this was not obvious due to the mask he was wearing.

"First of all, you boarded that monster train, so you would definitely have been caught on the platform surveillance cameras. With the current AI computing power, the investigation will not take long. With the addition of manual screening, even at the slowest efficiency, it will not take more than two days. Moreover, for such a big matter, the efficiency will not be slow."

"It's the 23rd now. I think you've most likely been listed as a suspicious target and should be being tracked around the clock, but you haven't been found at all."

"Either they are too well hidden for you to discover, or they are almost certain that you are the knight and are worried about your unknown power, so they did not arrange for anyone to follow you, but instead used surveillance."

Uesugi doesn't want Nobita to be caught by the authorities, so he's trying his best to help with the analysis.

This is also why Nobita didn't show any unusual behavior at home.

He suspects that his home is riddled with hidden cameras and eavesdropping devices.

In fact, he had already heard this analysis from Asano once.

Since Asano exposed their identities, they have been communicating in the video game club as usual after school for the past two days, using veiled language and often writing.

Asano also secretly gave him some makeup items and methods, an old foreign-made SIM-less mobile phone, and a lot of money.

It feels like Asano once genuinely considered using this method to commit crimes and live on the run, and now he's projecting that past expectation onto Nobita.

"Try sneaking out at night and see if you feel like you're being watched. Your daily movements have probably already been confirmed by the authorities, so they won't react much to your predictable actions."

"But suddenly going out would disrupt their plans and trigger contingency plans."

"If you can detect that you're being followed, that's fine. But if you haven't found anything, I suspect that the people investigating you saw through this as a test and didn't fall for it. This means they've done enough research on you and might be preparing to come and talk to you."

Uesugi was really just talking theory.

However, what she said did make some sense, so Nobita decided to give it a try.

At least, before leaving, let's go and see the secret base one more time.

Inside the room, Nobita groggily got up from the table, stared blankly for a while, then walked out of the room and sneaked out onto the street.

He deliberately chose side streets and dark places to walk until he reached the vicinity of the secret base. He glanced into the convenience store and saw a strange man playing on his phone standing at the cashier.

I hope that girl won't be implicated because of me.

He spent half an hour at the secret base, going through all the collected junk before leaving and heading home.

He didn't feel any prying eyes on his way there and back; they were just ordinary passersby.

He lacked Uesugi Neko's alertness and Iwasaki's perception; he could only sense unfriendly stares, a kind of intuition that allowed a hero to distinguish friend from foe.

There's nothing there right now.

Uesugi is right. His actions that day were obvious, and he should have been called in for questioning at the last minute, but nothing has happened.

Extract the "Guidance" item and use it.

"When and where should I leave? Now, at midnight, or tomorrow? At school, at home, on my way home, or at a secret base?"

Text appears on the card.

[On my way home after school tomorrow]

(End of this chapter)