If You Don't Enter the Tiger's Cave...

If You Don't Enter the Tiger's Cave...

"...So what are you going to do with that?"

Riko-senpai indicated the familiar that had become a newborn fawn with her chin, and Rosso-san looked away.

"Well... It follows simple commands, so... I'm sorry to ask, but it would help if Tatsumin let me keep it in her garage for a while..."

'Gao. If someone from the neighborhood saw it, they'd panic, gao, so I'll keep it hidden, gao. ...No, what am I really going to do with it, gao...?'

"S-sorry. If it really seems unusable, removing its mana or destroying its head will make it lose its form and turn into a gelatinous mass..."

'That would be a problem in its own way, gao...!? Does this thing rot, gao?'

"No. It should probably last about six months... I think."

'Then I'll hide it for now, gao. I absolutely can't let anyone else see it, gao.'

"From the outside, it looks exactly like the result of some horrifying human experiment. The kind where a pharmaceutical company screwed up."

When I looked at the familiar, its mouth began to move slowly.

No way... Could it actually hold a conversation...!?

'Deer...'

"It cries? And is that really the right cry?"

"When I tried it with a fish, it was 'Woa...'"

"Couldn't it at least be 'Fiiiish' or something...!?"

A monster that looked exactly like a creature from a nightmare, making a mascot-character cry, was nothing but a gag.

Quite apart from that, Miyu-san's eyes had looked seriously dangerous this whole time. Her right hand had somehow slipped into her pocket, so she might have been gripping her revolver-shaped staff.

"Um... Miyu-san, are you opposed to this sort of thing after all?"

I asked while positioning myself between Rosso-san and Miyu-san, just in case.

In response, she shook her head.

"No. It's more humane than using a human. However, if an animal-rights organization from this era witnessed it, I'm certain they would become hostile."

"Yeah..."

Riko-senpai gave a small shrug.

"Even without considering animal-rights groups, I don't think this is something we can use openly. We could easily end up being branded the villains."

"Indeed. Well, consider it one option."

"Yes."

What Riko-senpai said was correct. It looked far too grotesque, and some people might find it even more disgusting if they learned how it had been made.

...What would happen if this were used on a human?

I remembered what Rosso-san had done in the parallel world—the act that had supposedly half-destroyed a fleet. I didn't know the details, but there was a good chance she had used this power.

Imagining what would happen if she used this Unique Ability in combat against people sent a cold sweat down my back.

Even without hearing about the future, anyone would imagine what would happen "if it were used on a human." From there, Rosso-san might come to be considered dangerous. She might even be targeted for assassination.

"Rosso-san. Please don't use that power in front of anyone except a very limited number of people, all right?"

"Indeed. I understand. It is precisely because I trust you all."

She must have been aware of it herself. She nodded firmly.

At that, Riko-senpai narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, Rosson."

"What is it, Riko? Is my Unique Ability unacceptable after all?"

"No, it's not that..."

After saying that much, she let out a small sigh.

"Sorry. I can't say it right now after all. At least, if you don't use it openly, I have nothing to say about it."

"Hm? Is that... so?"

The evasive way she phrased it made both Rosso-san and me tilt our heads.

Apparently, Riko-senpai had some concerns beyond the familiar itself.

...Could it be about her own Unique Ability, whose details I had still never heard?

Rosso-san, Miyu-san, and the Master had apparently seen it before. The former two had witnessed it during a spiritual disaster, while the Master had seen it accidentally activate on the "Day of Regression."

However, Riko-senpai had apparently made all of them swear not to talk about it, so I knew only the broad outline of what it could do.

Well, she was hiding it herself. It wasn't something I should pry into out of curiosity. Besides, she apparently would use it in emergencies such as spiritual disasters.

As I thought about that, Riko-senpai tilted her head.

"By the way, I've got a question, Rosson."

"Hm?"

"Does that ability have any limitations on its size and things like that?"

"Rather than a limitation, its effectiveness is influenced to some degree by the abilities and size of the animal given my blood. When I tried it on a mackerel before, even after becoming a familiar it didn't reach thirty centimeters in height and destroyed itself within a few minutes."

"So if you want to turn it into a fighting force, you need something of a certain size. Hey, Tatsumin."

'Gao? Me, gao?'

"I don't know much about hunting seasons, but... Even if you used your bare hands, wouldn't it be illegal to go into the mountains and hunt on your own at this time of year? Wouldn't it be impossible to gather enough?"

At her words, the adults turned their entire bodies away.

They did so with an almost brazen lack of shame.

"...Accidents happen...! Sometimes you meet a bear in the woods...!"

'I'm not at fault, gao. The animals attacked first, so I merely defended myself, gao. It was self-defense, gao. Even if it happened several times, surely the villagers will testify for me, gao.'

"Look us in the eye, you adults. Even if it's a matter of collateral damage, at least hold your heads high, you adults."

Riko-senpai grabbed both their shoulders and tried to turn them around, but they didn't budge. The tragic difference between a magic-user and a frontline fighter... No, Riko-senpai actually had pretty impressive arm strength. Stronger than a gorilla.

Her face suddenly swung around toward me. Whoa, scary.

"Who just looked at me and thought 'female gorilla'?"

"I-I wasn't thinking that!"

"So you were thinking of something else incriminating, Otaku-kun!"

Damn it, it was a trap!

"By the way! I think it's about time the three of us headed home!"

'That's right, gao! You could stay the night, gao, but everyone has plans, gao!'

"That's right! I have important plans tomorrow!"

"What the hell are the three of you looking at!?"

I'm just looking at the steel beams in the ceiling, senpai. It's not like I'm trying to forcibly change the subject or anything, senpai.

Believe me!

Then I heard a tremendous sigh.

"Haaah... Well, it is true that Otaku-kun needs to prepare for tomorrow."

"Yes. We should return quickly and make our preparations. We also need to confirm what we're going to discuss."

'Gao? Is something planned, gao?'

Tatsumin-san tilted her head along with her entire body.

I answered with a small nod, remembering the email exchange I'd had with "her" the previous night.

"Yes, actually."

I paused there and took a deep breath.

Thinking about tomorrow made my chest feel heavy. But it was something I had to do.

"I'm planning to ask Tomi Torimari-san... someone who might be with Public Security... whether she'll lend us her strength."

For the sake of a better future.

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

The next day. A café called 'Alf' near a shopping district where shuttered storefronts stood out.

The weather was pleasant, and the only people inside were the Master and me. Thanks to the Master's kindness, the café was closed to everyone else today.

As I waited in a seat by the window, I heard the bell attached to the door ring.

"Sorry to bother youuu. Is this the place...? Ah, Kota-kun."

"Torimari-san."

I stood up from my chair and bowed to the person who had entered.

She gave me a small wave with a smile, then looked toward the Master. The Master responded with a gentle smile and a polite bow.

"Welcome. Please, take this seat."

"Thank you! And, belatedly, thank you for the joint request the other day! Thanks to you lending me Kota-kun, everything was taken care of without a hitch!"

"Not at all. Adventurers help one another."

At the Master's prompting, Torimari-san sat down in the seat across from me.

After seeing her do so, I sat back down as well.

"Sorry, Kota-kun. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, I just got here myself."

"Ahaha! That exchange sounded like a date rendezvous! In that case... how do you like what I'm wearing today?"

Torimari-san spread both arms with a radiant smile.

She was wearing a light-blue dress. Its thin shoulder straps exposed her slender shoulders and pale collarbones.

The frills covering her upper arms and chest made a nice accent. She also wore white heels, and with the dress cinched tightly at the waist, her already long legs looked even longer.

"Um, I think it suits you."

"Thank you! But when a girl asks how her outfit looks, you're supposed to add two or three more things, you know? Like, 'It's sexy!' or 'You look so mature!'"

"R-right. I'll keep that in mind."

"Keeping that in mind, go ahead!"

Torimari-san suddenly thrust out her right hand, urging me to say more.

Though confused, I somehow managed to get my head and mouth moving.

"Well... It suits you very well, and it looks refreshing, I guess? Also, it gives you a mature impression."

"Hmm, hmm. I'll give you a passing grade! You pass!"

Saying, 'Well done,' she leaned across the table and patted me on the head.

Somehow, though I had called her mature, she really didn't look that way.

The sensation of her small palm on my head made my cheek twitch, but I somehow maintained my smile.

"Now then... Master! May I order?"

"Sure!"

The Master came over in response to Torimari-san's voice as she sat back down.

Perhaps she had been waiting for our conversation to reach a stopping point. She carried a tray with glasses of water, and a menu was tucked under one arm.

I glanced at the glass being placed on a coaster with a faint clink of ice, then turned back to Torimari-san.

"Um, I'll pay today."

"Oh? That wouldn't be fair. These days, it's normal for men and women to split the bill when they go out for tea!"

"Even so... I called you out on your day off, so the least I can do is pay for this."

"Hmm... In that case, I'll take you up on your offer. Master, could I have the iced coffee and cheesecake set?"

"I'll have the same."

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

With an elegant bow, the Master walked behind the counter.

After seeing her off, Torimari-san covered one side of her mouth with her hand and spoke to me in a whisper.

"The Master is incredibly beautiful and cool...! She seems so mature...!"

"Yes, she is. I think so too."

"Right, right! I've found such a wonderful café...! Maybe I'll become a regular...!"

Torimari-san's eyes sparkled, but then she suddenly straightened up.

"Oh, that's right. Kota-kun and I gathered here today because you have something important to tell me."

"Yes. I'm sorry to call you out when you're busy."

"Not at all! Given the bond between us! Go ahead and lay it on me! Come on, shoot!"

Torimari-san puffed out her chest. As expected, she didn't seem like an adult woman, much less a Public Security detective.

Even so, I had to ask. Nothing could begin until I did.

I took a deep breath and let it out. Just as when entering a dungeon, I honed my senses.

"Torimari-san."

"Yes! ...This is making me nervous. You look incredibly serious...!"

"There's something I'd like to ask you. It may be so sudden that it surprises you, and it may be a completely misguided question. Let me apologize in advance. I'm sorry."

"Y-yes? What is this really about...?"

Looking firmly into Torimari-san's confused eyes, I told her.

"Are you───Tomi Torimari-san of Public Security?"

She stared at me blankly.

Her expression was so natural that it made me wonder whether our suspicions were nothing more than a misunderstanding.

But immediately after her eyes flicked toward the Master for the briefest instant—

───Oh?

The girl who had been giving off a kitten-like air broke into a ferocious smile.

The air around her changed completely. Torimari-san hunched over with her cheek propped on one hand. Her ears stood straight up and twitched.

The movement looked exactly like that of a wild beast just before it began hunting. It matched a scene I had seen on television with uncanny precision.

Her pupils, slightly different from a human's, fixed me with a piercing stare.

My horn throbbed. I forcibly crushed down the alarm bells ringing in my instincts with reason. If she had hostile intentions, she would have already acted.

I had only drawn her "genuine interest." That alone enveloped my entire body in the sensation of standing before a large, hungry carnivore.

Before I knew it, I had swallowed hard. The sound of my throat echoed strangely loudly through the café.

There was no mistaking it. She—Tomi Torimari—was...

an agent of Public Security.