Vermouth had never imagined that one day, she would be reduced to painstakingly trying to figure out what Vodka was thinking.
She was feeling rather wistful when her ears suddenly twitched. She vaguely heard the rustling of grass.
Someone behind me!
From the direction and rhythm of the sound, she could easily judge the other person's position and speed. Vermouth abruptly ducked, evading the attack as she spun and kicked the person in the knee. At the same time, she grabbed his shoulder, pulled, and threw him hard to the ground.
The combo was slightly awkward, because Vermouth had forcibly omitted the motion of drawing her gun midway through. After taking him down, she was about to see who had come, but before she could make anything out, a child's shrill scream suddenly rang out and pierced her ears.
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko had been quietly crouching in the grass when he suddenly heard fighting nearby. Trembling, he poked his head out to look, and two dark figures entered his sight—one standing, one lying down.
"?!"
As an elementary school student with more experience in murder cases than many adults, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko felt, in that instant, that he understood everything.
"Murder! Murder!" The child, traumatized by having seen far too much, staggered to his feet and scrambled to flee the "Murder Case scene." But his foot slipped, and he tripped over a tree root, falling miserably to the ground.
Vermouth, a few steps away: "..."
At least look properly before you start screaming. I'm the poor victim who got attacked!
Someone who had seen her make a move was screaming loudly in the silent woods, and Vermouth instinctively took two steps forward. Her instinct to silence the witness stirred restlessly.
Fortunately, reason quickly told her that it was not a big problem.