Another Clan (1)

Another Clan (1)

The day after Toramari-san invited me to explore a dungeon.

After school, I took the train to the neighboring city again. From there, I boarded a bus to our destination.

There were only a few other passengers. I could hear the radio carried by the old man sitting in the seat in front of me.

'So, you see, this is precisely why we need to focus on international cooperation now.'

A university professor who seemed to be the guest was speaking with an oddly fervent passion.

'It is said that there is one ability user for every ten thousand people in Japan. By contrast, there are far too many dungeons.'

'And how many, specifically, are we talking about?'

'I cannot give you an exact number, of course, but there are well over two thousand sealed sites in Japan alone.'

'But... if there is one ability user for every ten thousand people, then there are clearly more ability users, aren't there? That's around twelve thousand people in total, right?'

At the host's remark, the professor let out a small sigh.

'Yes. But that figure includes children and the elderly. On top of that, some abilities are suited for combat and others are not. It isn't as if all twelve thousand ability users can fight.'

'I see...'

'There are currently about two thousand adventurers, fewer than the number of dungeons. Since dungeons cannot be explored alone, the government needs to take this fact more seriously.'

'So that's why we need international cooperation. Because we're short on people, humanity as a whole needs to make up the difference.'

'Exactly!'

The professor clapped his hands, delighted that the host had made his point.

'As I said earlier, ability users have different strengths and weaknesses. That's precisely why we need to form special teams suited to culling monsters in dungeons, then send them wherever they are needed in the world, whenever they are needed.'

At that point, the driver's voice came over the speakers.

'Attention, passengers. To avoid disturbing the other passengers, please refrain from making phone calls or────'

Perhaps in response, the old man in the seat ahead turned off his radio.

Only the sound of the bus moving remained in the vehicle. Every so often, it jolted over a bump in the road.

The professor's ideas on the radio sounded... difficult to me, somehow.

The world had certainly changed because of the 'Day of Regression.'

But humanity as a whole had not changed. Society had not become something completely different.

I do not really believe in either the inherent goodness or inherent evil of humanity, but I was sure... the professor's proposal would not work.

It was correct. It was certainly correct, but if someone asked whether everyone could join hands and deal with a single problem together, I could not honestly say yes.

But when it came to the question, 'Then what are we going to do about the shortage of adventurers?' I could not think of an alternative either.

Increase the number of ability users? Create a way for non-ability users to fight monsters? Somehow alter the ley lines to reduce the number of monsters and dungeons?

None of those things could be accomplished overnight. However, as someone who had experienced two spiritual disasters, I also felt that I could not afford to take things too slowly.

More than anything, I knew what Takanashi-san had told me about the future of the parallel world.

Honestly, I still could not truly grasp what she was talking about. But I had a vague feeling that things would go badly if we continued like this.

I wished some brilliant scholar or powerful ability user would come up with a solution and declare, 'This is it.'

In the parallel world, I was apparently a tragic hero, but in this world I was nothing more than a fairly tough high school student. I could not accomplish anything so grand, so for now, I was relying on someone else to do it.

...I had told Takanashi-san that we would work 'for the sake of a better future,' but we had no concrete idea what we should do or what we could do. None at all.

I smiled wryly at no one in particular.

────I really was just a student.

Then an announcement played over the bus speakers again. This time, it said that our destination bus stop was approaching.

I pressed the stop button. A few minutes later, the bus stopped, and I paid the fare before getting off.

A sticky breeze brushed against my skin. My spiritual rank had risen, making me more resistant to heat and cold, but my sense of comfort and discomfort had not changed.

I headed toward our destination with my stride just a little longer than usual.

There was a sealed facility about ten minutes from the bus stop. Familiar and unfamiliar faces were watching me from in front of it.

I had intended to arrive before the appointed time, but apparently I had still kept them waiting.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Yahiro, from the clan 'Alf.'"

"Not at all! We just got here too, Yahiro-kun!"

"Yes. Thank you for accepting the joint request today."

One of them was Toramari-san. The other was a narrow-eyed woman who looked to be in her twenties.

Her features were generally well-proportioned, but aside from her narrow eyes, she was difficult to remember. Perhaps it was her build, but more than that, it was the atmosphere surrounding her... That was the only way I could put it. I could not quite express it in words.

Unless I consciously focused on the flow of mana, I felt I might lose sight of her in an instant.

"This is Yasuda Kimiko-san! She's an excellent Scout!"

"I'm Yasuda. It's nice to meet you."

"Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you too. I look forward to working with you today."

A Scout—in other words, a reconnaissance specialist.

Yasuda-san bowed politely and offered me a business card. I hurriedly accepted it, but of course, I did not have one to give her in return.

"Ah, um... I'm sorry. I don't have a business card..."

"That's all right. I heard you're a student."

Yasuda-san leisurely shook her head as I struggled to respond.

She truly did not seem bothered, and her demeanor had not changed since earlier. She was, in a word, impossible to pin down.

"Well then, there's no point in standing outside. Let's go in and talk for a little while!"

"Ah, yes."

With Toramari-san leading the way, we entered the sealed facility. As we stepped into the air-conditioned building, the humidity clinging to my skin seemed to fade away.

We then briefly discussed our positions during the exploration in a corner of the building. Toramari-san and I had already talked through email and at school, but since this was an impromptu party, we wanted to make sure.

Still, one thing was rather unexpected.

"Toramari-san, are you really going to take the front line too?"

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

With a spirited grunt, the girl whose build would have passed for an elementary schooler's struck a pose and flexed her arm.

In reality, no bicep appeared. All I could see was her slender arm beneath her thin cardigan.

For ability users, information based on appearance was trivial, but... I was still worried.

I looked toward Yasuda-san, but she merely smiled cheerfully with her narrow eyes. I really could not read her thoughts.

"...I see. Then, as planned, I'll take the role of shield, Toramari-san will attack, and Yasuda-san will provide support. Is that all right?"

"Yes! I'm asking you to take the hardest role, but I'm counting on you!"

"I'm good to go."

...I wonder if they really were.

Suppressing the twitch in my cheek, I went to change. After finishing the various preparations, I left the changing room.

I leaned against the wall and waited for them. Still, I could not seem to settle down. I was nervous after all.

Even so, I did not feel as much like an outsider as I did in the classroom.

Perhaps that was because dungeon exploration gave me a clear set of things to do. Or maybe it was because I could strongly feel that I was needed.

It was strange that becoming an ability user had cost me friends, yet could also give me a sense of fulfillment. The world was full of mysteries.

As I thought about that, Toramari-san and Yasuda-san came out too.

After confirming that everything was in order, we passed through reception and headed for the room in back. As expected, the receptionist took a second look at Toramari-san.

I understood. Honestly, she did not look like an adventurer at all.

Once the metal door closed behind us, I deployed my Spirit Armament. I checked the condition of my gauntlets and breastplate, slid a lantern-shaped LED light through my sword belt, and looked at the other two.

Yasuda-san was dressed entirely in black.

Her hooded black cloak, the tight-fitting top and leather breastplate beneath it, and her rugged trousers were all black.

Even her cloth-looking shoes, the quiver at her right hip, and the knife at her left were black. The bow in her hand was the same color, making her look every inch a Scout.

Toramari-san's Spirit Armament was black-themed too, but it gave a completely different impression.

After all, she looked exactly like a nun.

She wore a nun-like outfit with a black veil, though she had no cross around her neck and her brightly colored hair peeked out from beneath the veil.

But what caught my attention even more was the belt around her waist and the weapon hanging from it.

"A Japanese sword...?"

Unlike the military sword Takanashi-san carried, this was a proper sword. Perhaps it had been made to suit Toramari-san's build. A wakizashi... no, judging by its curve, it was probably a kodachi.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, she thrust out her chest proudly.

"Yes. Japanese swords are romantic, aren't they? I actually practiced kendo for a while too."

"Kendo..."

If she had experience in martial arts, she might indeed be reliable.

Even taking into account the possibility that she was with Public Security, I felt I could safely let her take the front line.

"Heh-heh. So please rely on me as much as you like, Kota-kun!"

"...I see. Understood. I look forward to working with you."

I refocused.

We were heading into a dungeon now. I should stop judging people by their appearance.

I gripped the sword's scabbard tightly and took one deep breath. I inhaled slowly, then exhaled slowly.

The fingers tightening around the scabbard gradually relaxed. Through the opening in my forehead guard, I felt my horns lengthening.

"...Shall we go?"

"Yes!"

"Understood."

The other two nodded in response to my question.

I nodded back, then took the lead. After confirming that their hands were resting on my shoulders, I stepped into the oval gate.

The familiar sensation of being sucked in came over me. Immediately afterward, the soles of my feet landed on rough, uneven ground.

The light hanging from my waist illuminated the surroundings.

There were no walls or ceiling to reflect the light, only a sprawling expanse of uneven gray ground. I could just barely make out stone pillars some distance away when I narrowed my eyes.

This was a dungeon like a vast underground space. There were no paths, and darkness stretched as far as I could see.

I heard the sound of two swords being drawn. Toramari-san and I gripped our weapons without saying a word.

"...Shall we?"

Toramari-san was not displaying her usual absurdly high energy. She spoke to me with a serious expression.

Yasuda-san and I nodded, then headed toward the nearest pillar. If we were lucky, there would be a Self-Defense Force marking painted on it. Even if there was not, there should be stone pillars spaced at regular intervals.

As our footsteps echoed through the broad space, the pitch-black darkness stretched on.

Our dungeon exploration with the women from the other clan had begun.