Chapter 13
Black Rat
Monday.
Other than the bare minimum of conversation, I didn't exchange a word with anyone, and the school day passed.
I knew this wasn't good, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I was afraid of being rejected, and once again today I couldn't find the courage to take that step.
As soon as I got home, I took off my uniform as if to shake off my gloomy mood, changed clothes, and picked up my backpack.
From here on, it was time for adventure.
＊ ＊ ＊
I met up with Takanashi-san and headed for the bus stop.
She wore her usual military jacket. After greeting me, she moved her feet in silence.
Footsteps rang out at regular intervals as I spoke to Takanashi-san.
"Um, Takanashi-san."
"Yes. What is it?"
Whenever I spoke to her, she responded immediately.
I still wasn't used to that reaction and almost felt intimidated. I'd thought we'd opened up to each other at yesterday's welcome party, but...
I still had no idea how much distance to keep between us.
"Takanashi-san, don't you go to school? Demi... your 'guardian' gave you the documents you need for various procedures, right?"
For now, all I could manage was dropping the honorific speech.
"Yes. However, I believe we should prioritize preparing for the future. We do not have much time."
"I see. That's true..."
"However, now that you mention it, once our preparations for the future are complete... attending school might be a good idea. Learning is a good thing."
"...Yeah."
"Although it was only for two weeks, I believe I survived for eight years because I was able to train after my mechanization surgery. I've seen many times how the presence or absence of education can mean the difference between life and death."
The hope of getting a 'get-out-of-school-free card' that had briefly risen in me vanished with her next words.
As usual, common sense was painful to hear. It seemed I really ought to keep going to school.
I couldn't tell my parents, 'I'm taking a leave of absence from high school to prepare for tragedies that will happen in the future.' Both had become Gifted, and the hostility they faced from society had grown stronger. Even so, they supported the household and kept sending me to school.
I didn't intend to tell them about the events a hundred years in the future, either, so I couldn't explain.
Partly because I didn't want to burden my parents with any more worries, but also because I'd heard that the fewer people who knew a secret, the better.
It wasn't a matter of whether I trusted them. Information could leak from anywhere. There were even supernatural abilities that allowed people to read minds.
Takanashi-san had told me that, in the future, monsters might have been hiding among Japan's politicians in this era.
If anything, I was worried that information might leak from me.
...I found having so few people to consult stifling, but at the same time, secrets had a sweet taste.
I could clearly feel the scent of the extraordinary. Somehow, I felt as though I'd become a special person. I only felt that way, of course.
The Yahiro Kota who would meet a dramatic end in the future was different from who I was now.
Oh.
"Huh?"
Takanashi-san suddenly spoke up and stopped, so I stopped as well.
"...Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't talk about things related to my background outside, either."
"...That's true."
I gave a wry smile at her words.
Even now that the world had become a dangerous place, remarks like 'mechanization surgery' and 'the difference between life and death' might attract people's attention.
I continued toward the bus stop with Takanashi-san, who looked a little awkward.
＊ ＊ ＊
The containment site we visited that day was in a residential neighborhood.
It was a cluster of a dozen or so houses in a place where fields began after a five-minute walk. Rusted little swings were visible in the yards of the surrounding homes.
Weeds poked through the concrete paving here and there. There was no sign of human presence whatsoever.
If a containment site appeared nearby, nobody would want to stay on that land for long. I vaguely remembered hearing on television that vacant houses were increasing even faster than they had after the 'Day of Return.'
Where did the people who fled end up living? Had they moved into apartments, returned to their parents' homes, or perhaps...
I pushed away those unpleasant thoughts and finished getting ready in the changing room. When I stepped outside, Takanashi-san had once again finished changing before me and was waiting.
"Sorry. Um, did I keep you waiting?"
"No. I have not been waiting very long."
Takanashi-san stood ramrod straight, as though she had a rod running down her back.
I felt intimidated by her again, but we were about to enter a dungeon. I couldn't get anywhere if I remained overwhelmed by her forever.
I straightened my own back and went through the reception area with her toward the room in the rear.
Beyond the iron door, before the oval entrance surrounded by white mist, I deployed my Spirit Armament.
I glanced at Takanashi-san, then quickly looked away.
...I knew I couldn't keep letting myself be overwhelmed, but there was still plenty about her that was overwhelming.
"...Takanashi-san. Could you put something on over that Spirit Armament?"
"Hm? No. A monster's attacks cannot be stopped by ordinary equipment. Nor do I have access to armor imbued with magical power."
"...Right."
How many male high school students could tell a girl their age, face-to-face, that her figure was so distracting he couldn't concentrate?
I offered that silent self-defense to no one in particular as I took out a lantern-shaped LED light and attached it to my sword belt.
Information on each containment site was listed on the Anti-Spirit Agency's website. Based on that information, I'd decided it would be better to bring a light into this dungeon.
Takanashi-san also strapped a light around her head, then gave me a thumbs-up to show she was ready.
I nodded back, and after confirming that she had taken hold of my shoulder, I stepped toward the entrance.
I took one deep breath. I inhaled for five seconds, then exhaled over another five.
My nerves sharpened. I could sense a demon's horn emerging from the hole in the brow guard of my Spirit Armament.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
After that brief exchange, we stepped into the oval entrance.
The world spun around us. After a sensation of being sucked in, I immediately felt the hard ground beneath my feet through my shoes.
The light revealed walls and a floor made of fitted stone. When I looked up, I saw a ceiling made of stone as well.
The passage was about as wide as a one-lane road and three... no, about four meters high. At least I wouldn't have to worry about catching my sword on the ceiling as I had last time.
However, there was a large depression along the left edge of the passage. It had been built so uniformly that it might originally have been a channel for water.
A monster's territory. Dungeons partially recreate the scenes from when the monsters were still alive.
The Anti-Spirit Agency's website said, 'It may have been a sewer.' I supposed I should consider myself lucky that the smell hadn't been recreated as well.
I pulled my staff from behind my waist and held it in my left hand. I'd considered using one sword and one staff, but this passage was narrow enough that doing so could cause an accident. Besides, I hadn't tried fighting that way yet.
Today, I had come to 'confirm' something else. The pursuit of a romantic ideal with practical benefits would have to wait for another opportunity.
"Then, Takanashi-san."
"Yes."
Takanashi-san drew her military sword and moved ahead.
After watching her, I took out a penlight and checked the walls with its purple beam. A little later, I found a marker left by the Self-Defense Force.
I put away the penlight and checked the map on my smartphone, confirming our route.
"...I'll handle navigation for now."
"Understood. Please do."
The sound of our footsteps echoed through the passage.
The echoes made it impossible to scout by sound. That heightened the tension, and sweat began to run down my face even though we'd barely gone any distance.
After we'd turned two corners, we heard footsteps that weren't ours.
They were very close. Before I had time to think about what was making the sound, it appeared directly ahead of us.
The footsteps we'd heard had been faint, yet the figure emerging from the darkness was larger than a large dog.
Its black fur was illuminated by the light. The long hair looked coarse at a glance, making its silhouette seem even larger than its actual body. Behind it, a long tail swayed like a snake.
Its red eyes swiveled toward us, and its irregular whiskers twitched. Its large, exposed front teeth gleamed ominously.
'Chitter...!'
A grating cry echoed through the pitch-black passage.
'Black Rat.'
The creature had been given an absurdly straightforward name, and it was directing such obvious murderous intent at us that even a small child could understand it.
"Get back!"
'Djaa!'
As though reacting to her voice, the Black Rat let out a short cry and bared its fangs at Takanashi-san. She nimbly stepped aside from the teeth that could probably bite through a steel plate.
She immediately thrust out her military sword. She had likely been aiming for its eye, but the creature was faster. It twisted its body, causing the tip to strike its fur-covered forehead and tear through the skin.
'Eek?!'
Even as it screamed, the Black Rat didn't stop. From its twisted posture, it spun sideways and swung its left foreleg at Takanashi-san.
She dodged that as well, kicking off the ground with her back turned toward me.
But then its long tail lashed out like a whip. She avoided it by ducking beneath it as it approached with a sound like slicing through the air. The tip of the tail passed right in front of me.
"Whoa...?!"
I somehow managed not to counterattack on reflex and settled for readying my staff.
After dodging the tail's horizontal sweep, Takanashi-san thrust out her military sword with deadly precision. As the tip approached its snout, the Black Rat opened its enormous mouth.
───CLANG!
With a shrill metallic sound, its closed teeth clamped down on the military sword.
"Tch...!"
Takanashi-san tried to pull it free on reflex, but it wouldn't budge. The Black Rat tilted its head, then...
With a crack, it snapped the blade in half.
'Chitter...!'
For a moment, I thought the rat's head had flashed an ominous grin.
Takanashi-san adjusted her grip on the military sword, now half its original length, and assumed a stance. Given her background, she might actually find this length easier to use, but with such a short blade, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound on the monster.
I aimed the tip of my staff at the Black Rat.
"I'm firing!"
"Tch...!"
Both Takanashi-san and the monster reacted to my voice at the same time.
She leaped quickly to the right. Even if it hadn't understood my words, it must have recognized my hostility. The Black Rat glared at me.
The monster moved with astonishing agility, leaping in the opposite direction from Takanashi-san and trying to escape into the depression at the edge of the passage. However, this magic eye had 'seen' its movement.
I squeezed the trigger, and the Wind Hammer was fired. It slammed into the fur-covered body and sent the Black Rat flying.
I immediately worked the lever as the monster rolled across the floor from the impact. The empty scroll case fell out with a sharp ping.
When I fired the second shot, the sound of breaking bones echoed through the passage. Blood spurted from the Black Rat's mouth, and its entire body convulsed.
I prepared a third shot and glared at the scene. Within a few seconds, the enormous rat vanished, dissolving into black mist.
Before picking up the magic stone it left behind, I turned toward Takanashi-san.
"Um, are you all right?"
"Yes. I have not been injured."
Although she answered that way, there was a slight irritation in her voice.
A man-eating rat considerably larger than a large dog. To an ordinary person, it was a terrifying threat. Even for a Gifted person whose Spirit Rank—or level, in game terms—was still low, it was a dangerous opponent to face one-on-one.
As for why Takanashi-san had initially fought it alone...
"...Perhaps I am not suited to the role of a front-line fighter."
She had been trying to confirm whether she could fulfill the role of a shield-bearer.
...No, you obviously aren't suited to physical combat, are you?
Since I couldn't have agreed more, I gave a deep nod.