Surviving a Shounen Manga

The Bank Job (1)

I sat still on the bench, staring at the building opposite.

[Standard Adventure Commercial Bank – Big City Branch]

That was today’s target.

A large commercial bank with branches all over the world, including Westland. Although this place was a just little dot on the outskirts of the continent, there should still be a huge amount of cash in the safe – or gold.

“Hmmm…”

Before carrying out the operation, I carefully scanned the instructions for the special potions once again.

First, the invisibility potion.

【Hey, I can’t see it! Invisibility Potion 】

Acquisition Ability: Invisibility.
Efficacy: Makes one’s body and carried items invisible.
Limitations: You cannot make anybody other than yourself invisible.
Duration: 1 hour
Side effect: Even after the duration is over, a specific area or two may remain invisible for a while.
Caution: In case of extreme stamina consumption, the invisibility may suddenly be released.
※ If taken together with other special potions, the ability may not take effect.

Without realizing it, my attention was drawn to the side effects.

“… The invisibility of a specific area can be maintained.”

This just gave off a cheap feeling. Just looking at it, this was a playful, joke setting.

There are a lot of ‘joke settings’ like this in this ‘Adventure King’. That was the author’s attitude. Put in all the settings that you think are funny, and then make them come true whenever you get a chance.

From the reader’s point of view, it had been definitely something that intrigued me.

‘Let’s hope it’ll turn out alright.’

Then I opened the other manual.

【Yep, be light! Weight-loss Potion 】

Acquisition Ability: Weight reduction.
Effect: Reduces weight by designating a target.
Limits: Unable to designate living things. The weight reduction range is randomly determined from 50 to 90%.
Designable targets: 3
Duration: 1 hour
Side effect: While changing weight, there is a low probability that the material itself might change.
Caution: The weight of the object may unexpectedly return to its original state.
※ If taken together with other special potions, the ability may not take effect.

This time, my attention was focused on the side effect.

A probability of the material itself to be changed.

This meant that something absurd could happen: ‘When I put it in the bag it was gold, and when I opened it again it was wood’.

Although the probability was low, it was difficult to feel reassured. In this manga, there was no setting as author-friendly as ‘probability’.

In fact, there was a saying in the ‘Adventure King’ fan community:

– Marking the probability is just the author’s tactic to deceive readers, and you will see that those events actually happen every time. There is no reason for the author to make a setting that he is never going to use.

Hmmm.

“Who the hell knows.”

Keep it simple.

First steal and then think about it. There’s no point in worrying about it right now anyway.

Then, packing the manuals back in my pocket, I again went over the plan.

Actually, there was no plan.

Go to the bank.
Take a potion to make yourself invisible.
Break into the safe you’ve scoped out in advance and take the money.
Profit!
The reason I was being so carefree even with this kind of disastrous level of planning was not just because this was a manga world.

Even though it’s a manga, the bank here has all the basic security systems.

First of all, all the guards in the bank are around my size. Among them, there will be guys stronger than me, and there will definitely be guys who are good at fighting. Those are usually the settings attached to guards and bodyguards.

Moreover, it has its own tracking system and a bounty system, so it is not a setting that thieves can easily break in. Criminals aren’t going to have it easy.

I wasn’t underestimating that bank’s security system. There was only one thing I believed.

Soon my gaze fell on the top of the holographic window.

[1 ticket to go directly to the chapter progress area]

Touch to use.
Transfer tickets prepared in advance. Even if you are in an emergency, you can easily escape whenever you have this.

Looking at the transfer ticket, my heart settled down.

“Great.”

I did a last check on my supplies.

Two special potions, five sacks to hold money and precious metals, a mask, and a sword for intimidation.

“Okay.”

Preparation is over. Now we just need to implement it.

Yes, all you have to do is…

Hmmm.

“But why aren’t you leaving?”

There was one thing that stood out a bit.

An annoying little kid wearing a Pierrot mask, who had been walking around the bank entrance for a while.

The reason the little kid felt annoying was simple. Because for some reason it seemed like he was smirking at me.

“…”

Well, no. That’s not true.

It’s not like he seemed to be smirking, he was doing it openly.

“What, you have something you want to say?”

Otherwise, there was no need to approach me like that.

Soon after, the guy walked in front of me, looking me up and down.

Then,

“When are you starting?”

He said something absurd.

“What?”

“The robbery.”

“…”

It was embarrassing. What is this little kid even saying?

I stayed silent, and he opened his mouth again.

“I’ll help you. Let’s split it.”

“Hoo.“

At the successive absurd sentences, I let out a sound without realizing it.

“No, what…”

“Won’t it be hard on your own?”

“…”

It was just absurd.

From the way this guy spoke to me, to the way he uttered every word, to the offer to help.

However, what was most absurd shit was my heart, where some interest had budded. I was wondering why he said that it’d be tough alone, or how he came to know about me.

But of course,

“What are you talking about, little boy? I’m busy, so go play somewhere else.”

It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t tell the difference between public and private. I didn’t have time to play with this sweet little boy.

But,

“I saw it all.”

“Oh?”

After the next set of words, I couldn’t ignore this little boy any longer.

“I saw you buying the special potion.”

“… What?”

“There are only two types of people who buy the invisibility potion. Perverts – and thieves.”

“…”

“You even bought a weight loss potion alongside it, so you must be the latter. Aren’t you here to rob the bank?”

It was frustrating. How did this little boy know that?

Perhaps he noticed the question on my face, because he continued in an indifferent tone.

“Idiot. The special potion shop isn’t for just everyone. From the moment you walk in, there will be people who will keep an eye on you, and if you want to just buy something and leave, they will immediately follow you.”

“… Like you?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill audacity. For some reason, I felt like I wanted to pull away that Pierrot mask and reveal the face inside.

“Anyway, you said it’s going to be hard on my own. Why is that?”

“They’ve doubled the number of guards.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Idiot. Why do you think?”

“What? Because of me?”

“Yup.”

“That doesn’t sound like… but I haven’t even done anything yet?”

“Maybe the store contacted all the nearby banks and jewellers. That a very suspicious-looking big-chinned-guy bought an invisibility potion.”

“Hoo…”

It wasn’t funny. Treating your valued customers as potential criminals…

Of course, this time they happened to be on the money.

“Is that so.”

“That’s how it is. This happens now and then. They’ll keep this up for who knows how many days.”

“Hmm.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.

“So how are you going to help?”

“I want half.”

“Fine, let’s talk.”

“I’ll catch their attention. I can also fix CCTV inside the safe. Oh, and I’ll reduce the number of guards a bit.”

“How?”

“Wait and see.”

“Hmm… but is that all?”

“I’ll give you some information. The vault password. It was hard to find out.”

For a moment, I was frozen, stunned by embarrassment.

“What… didn’t you even have a plan?”

“Huh.”

“…”

Once again, embarrassment struck.

Are all these coincidences? The day you decide to rob a bank, you are caught by another thief and get an offer to work together? And it’s even a kid?

‘What is this kid’s character?’

It was surprising that a character merely part of the background would act like this. A kid, trying to rob a bank?

I glanced over at him again.

A Pierrot mask I’ve never seen before. Appears to be about eight or nine years old. A young voice…

There was no character that really matched. It wasn’t a matter of the face being covered. In the first place, it was rare to find a chapter in which a kid this size was part of the cast.

Hmmm.

Yeah, maybe because it’s a manga world, these kinds of things can happen every day. A world full of little thieves. In fact, there were no cities with this kind of background.

Anyway, it wasn’t too bad for me.

“What is the password for the safe?”

“Wait.”

Saying that, the little boy took a vial out of his pocket and drank the contents.

Surprisingly, it was a special potion.

“【Yup, keep your promise! 】 It’s a curse potion. You will be cursed if you do not fulfil your contract with me. That big, proud chin might get ripped in two?”

“Uh… right.”

The little boy seemed to think that I was very proud of this chin.

“Reach out your hand.”

As soon as I reached out, the kid grabbed my hand. Then, a purple gas slowly rose from his hand, and immediately wrapped around our hands.

“Oh…”

It was a strange sight.

Soon after, the little boy slowly opened his mouth.

“Will you split things half-n’-half[1] after the operation succeeds?”

“Kik…“

I couldn’t help but grin. I really liked the kid, half-n’-half.

“Why are you laughing? Say that you get it.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

As soon as the words were said, the purple smoke pulsed once.

“Is that it?”

“Not yet. After splitting the money, what if you snatch it back?”

“… I won’t snatch it back. What do you think people are?”

To be honest, he was a bit sharp. I was thinking of grabbing the loot and leaving him money to buy a few cookies.

I secretly glanced at the little boy.

By the way, this kid… I’m the one trying to rob the bank, and this guy secretly followed me to rob me. Why does this little boy need that kind of money?

“Put away that rude face of yours.”

“…”

I was probably being a bit obvious.

At that moment, all the purple smoke that had wrapped around my hand disappeared.

“Now it’s over.”

“Oh? Didn’t look like much.”

“Try breaking it. If you get cursed, you’ll be singing a different tune.”

“I didn’t say I was going to break it.”

The little boy stared at me for a while, and then opened his mouth.

“The password is 1234.”

“…”

It was a little embarrassing.

“Is that… so?”

“Yeah. It was hard to find out.”

“… Right.”

It was so ridiculous that I had to laugh out loud. The writer was trying to be funny, as usual.

If he hadn’t set it up, there would have been no need for a password this easy. So, it must have been set this way on purpose. In other words, this is also one of the joke settings. Perhaps all the banks’ safe passwords are the same as this one. Or ‘0000’.

Just then –

‘Huh? Wait a moment. Isn’t this a good thing?’

I pictured myself taking a dip inside a stash of money piled up like a mountain.

Isn’t this good? Shall we rob them all?

And as I was imagining that rosy future,

“You can start in five minutes.”

The little boy turned around and spoke.

“Five minutes?”

“Yeah. And after the job’s done, come meet me around midnight at ‘Dumb Idiots’.”

“Who’s a dumb idiot?!”

“You idiot. It’s the name of the pub in the back alley of 3rd Street.”

“Okay.”

“Remember. Five minutes.”

I stared at the little boy who was walking back towards the bank. What can that guy do in five minutes?

But my doubts were soon put to rest.

Just as a young kid slammed the bank doors open and jumped out –

“Thief! Catch him! That damned yellow devil!”

With a shout, ten of the guards rushed out.

Apparently, the kid was quite notorious. Everyone was chasing him like mad.

And another surprise was,

“It was a girl.”

It looked like the little kid had been hiding her hair inside the Pierrot mask. Long, pale yellow hair that reached up to the waist.

I drank the potion of invisibility while watching the scene.

The moment I poured it in my mouth, the sheer sourness gave me a shock.

“Huuu…”

It was kind of embarrassing.

Do different potions taste different? It was surprising that the little kid didn’t say anything.

Soon after,

“Ohh.”

An unfamiliar power filled my body.

I’ve been wondering how to use these manga abilities, but it was nothing special. I just put some strength into my whole body, and it activated immediately.

I smiled as I looked at my hands that were blurring little by little.

“This is fun.”

After confirming that my whole body had become transparent, I slowly entered the bank which had already become messed up by an untimely intrusion of thieves.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 반반 (lit. half-and-half) can be used in a lot of different situations (ordering food, paying your bills etc.), one of them is expressing your opinion – i.e., you’re half agreeing and half disagreeing.