Chapter 534: [Beautiful Girl Detective Akashiterika!]The Nigyakka Grand Market Snack Theft Case 1
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Now then, in the area a little east of Old Imperial Street, there's a market called Nigyakka Grand Market.
This market, where stalls and street vendors are lined up next to permanent stores, is the 'kitchen of the Old Imperial City residents'.
This place, where many citizens come day and night for agricultural products, livestock products, monster materials produced and raised in the surrounding areas, and also the stalls that offer simple but delicious dishes made with those ingredients, has a rather cluttered atmosphere, rare for the Old Imperial City.
Although not a tourist spot, the number of people here exceeds even Old Imperial Street, and it's a place where anyone other than an Old Imperial City resident, used to this market, is guaranteed to get lost.
There was a tall, slender girl, wearing a newsboy cap, expertly navigating through the Nigyakka Grand Market, enjoying the lively voices of the vendors and the sweet scent of fruits wafting through the air.
It's the beautiful girl detective, Akashiterika, who brilliantly repelled the snatcher earlier!
There's a tea retailer in this market that her family has secretly patronized for generations, and Akashiterika was on her way to buy her favorite Yoiyattsu tea leaves, which she had carelessly run out of.
However, buying tea leaves is, in a way, just an excuse for her to go out.
She's actually walking around the city... to observe the people.
Akashiterika loves the lively atmosphere of the city.
This is a trait she acquired as a reaction to her childhood, where she was raised practically under house arrest, without being allowed to go outside.
Her family is simply overly worried about her.
They never allowed her to go out alone... until she fully mastered the Superbad Style Martial Arts that has been passed down through generations.
Even though she's still a child, Akashiterika is a genius, who went to the Somatoko Academy, far away, and quickly qualified for early graduation.
Therefore, being intelligent, she understood her family's circumstances from a very young age, so she never strongly rebelled against their 'overprotectiveness', but... she still thought it was too much.
That's why she cherishes her current situation, where she silences everyone with intelligence and violence, and is allowed to go out freely.
That being said, she isn't just enjoying her walk outside.
Because she's not just a beautiful girl... but a beautiful girl detective!
As a detective, if she walks outside, she'll encounter a case... Even if she doesn't walk outside, a case will come to her... This is the law of nature.
In fact, she has encountered difficult cases wherever she goes, and solved them all as the beautiful girl detective.
Now, even the detectives of the Hirayona Police respect her.
Therefore, she can't let her guard down.
She always has to be on the lookout, under the brim of her newsboy cap... for cases, for people in trouble.
'I will never tolerate injustice again.'
That is the vow that forms the core of her existence... the beautiful girl detective, Akashiterika.
But unfortunately... no, but fortunately... Nigyakka Grand Market today is very peaceful so far.
"Come, come! These are the finest, highest-quality Borooberries, grown with love by Uncle Wurderte, the 'master of fruit cultivation', the exclusive farmer of the Tsukeer Trading Company! One bite and you'll feel a year younger! Come one, come all!"
At the stall to the left of Akashiterika, Borooberries, packed in boxes with 'Tsukeer Trading Company' printed on them, are being sold by weight, by a man with short, curly, green hair.
Borooberries are, to describe them in a way that we can easily understand, would be a fruit the size of a cherry tomato, similar to a blueberry.
They're blue-black, and this fruit, once loved by the royalty and nobility of the Superbad Empire, has been improved through selective breeding, and is now available in a wide variety of cultivars suitable for various culinary uses, such as eating raw, making juice, or making jam.
"Hmm, they smell so good!"
Akashiterika also loves Borooberries.
The sweet and sour, intoxicating fragrance tickles her nose, and she remembers fondly sneaking into the kitchen when she was little, and making jam with the cook.
Akashiterika thought about buying some, but Old Imperial City residents love seasonal fruits, and there's a long line in front of the stall.
It's too much trouble to line up.
Akashiterika, smiling wryly, passed by the bustling Borooberry stall.
"Come one, come all! Look at these Borooberries! They're on a different level than those other ones!"
Now, after walking for a while, Akashiterika saw another Borooberry stall, to her right.
There are people gathered around this stall as well, but not as many as the previous one.
Involuntarily drawn by the refreshing scent, Akashiterika stopped in front of the stall.
"The Borooberry, 'A Single Berry Fit For a Gourmet Emperor', finally created by the Tsukeer Trading Company! The perfect balance of sweetness, sourness, and astringency! Please, try it!"
The owner of this stall also has curly, green hair, similar to the previous owner.
But his hair is long, reaching below his shoulders, tied together at the back.
Akashiterika approached the stall, and looked at the Borooberry baskets lined up there, over the shoulder of the person in front... and her eyes widened in surprise.
The Borooberries, packed in small baskets, are shining red!
And furthermore, the price tags attached to those baskets are incredibly high...!
Apparently, these 'A Single Berry Fit For a Gourmet Emperor' Borooberries are a super high-class cultivar.
"Hmm..."
Akashiterika was troubled.
She isn't short on money.
She could buy them if she wanted to.
But she didn't bring that much money with her today.
Her original purpose, Yoiyattsu tea, is also a fairly expensive brand.
If she buys these Borooberries, she won't be able to buy the tea...
After thinking for a bit, sighing, Akashiterika gave up on buying the super high-class Borooberries, and left the stall.
"O-Oh, madam, as always!"
Behind Akashiterika, it seems that a basket of those expensive Borooberries was sold.
Right, even if they're expensive, they're not unaffordable.
They'll probably sell well.
Compared to the first stall, which seemed to be selling a large quantity at a small profit, even if this stall sells less, the profit might be comparable...
Browsing through several stalls like that, Akashiterika continued to walk deeper into Nigyakka Grand Market.
And it was when she almost reached her destination, the tea shop—
"You're screwing with me, aren't you!?"
...A loud, angry voice echoed, as if drowning out the hustle and bustle of the market.
Turning towards that direction, Akashiterika saw—another Borooberry stall.
And standing in front of the stall, his shoulders hunched, his face flushed red, is a man with messy, green, curly hair, reaching down to his neck, and an unkempt beard.
And the one he's glaring at is a child... probably about the same age as Akashiterika.
She's wearing a tattered hood, and underneath it, jet-black... completely black clothes.
Even though it's summer, her skin is completely covered by those clothes, from her fingertips to her neck... but because of that, the whiteness of the skin above her neck stands out.
Yes, it's her.
The child's face, peeking out from under the hood, definitely belongs to a girl.
She has a truly beautiful... doll-like face.
In contrast to her tattered hood, her dazzlingly white skin is spotless.
But many of the onlookers around her weren't paying attention to her beauty at all.
Because she has another, important, external characteristic.
It's the color of her hair and eyes.
That girl... is a girl with black hair and black eyes, shunned in this world as a 'cursed child'.