Voice

"Woooah, the sea!"

Right off the bat, Rikka-chan's energetic voice echoed across the beach.

It was only a few minutes' walk from the park.

We had come to the coast near City Hall.

The quiet sound of the waves and the pleasant sea breeze brushed against my cheeks.

(How many years has it been since I last came to the sea...?)

At least, I hadn't come even once since I started working.

Oh, right. So this is what the sea was like.

Man, this takes me back.

When they made me and my juniors work on a holiday, then sent us pictures of our section chief and the others having a barbecue at the beach, I remember wondering if I should burn the whole company down...

Haha, I hope those bastards die.

Actually, they might already be dead by now. Whatever.

"I knew it, but there's really no one here."

"That's right."

Ichinose-san, standing beside me, agreed.

As she looked around,

"There aren't any monsters either... At least none within sight."

she said with an extremely sharp gaze.

She's been strangely on edge for a while now...

Could something have happened between her and Rikka-chan?

"Yes. But that's convenient for us right now. Let's start looking for slimes."

"Okay."

"Woof!"

We immediately began searching for slimes.

Then Rikka-chan, who was walking along the beach, called out.

"Ah, I found one! Big bro, over here!"

At her feet were driftwood logs washed ashore, buoys, and a slime.

"Nice find, Aisaka-san."

I approached and confirmed that it was definitely a slime.

It was a little smaller than the one we'd found in the park, but that was fine.

I captured it with 'Shadow' right away.

Then I had Aka absorb it.

"... (quiver-quiver) ♪"

Coming to the beach had definitely been the right choice.

I couldn't believe we'd found slimes so easily.

"Ah, Kudo-san, there are some over here too."

"Ah, I found another one! I mean, there are tons of them!"

"Really...?"

This was incredible.

There were huge numbers of slimes on the beach.

They bobbed gently on the surface, drifting back and forth among the waves.

They looked like jellyfish washed ashore.

They didn't even try to run when we approached, making me wonder whether these things actually intended to survive in the wild.

(Could Aka be an exceptionally rare specimen...?)

Every slime I'd encountered so far, aside from Aka, had been like this.

There were almost no specimens that moved of their own accord like Aka did.

No, come to think of it, Aka's color was different and, despite being a monster, it had taken a liking to me—a human. The more I thought about it, the more Aka seemed to stand apart from other slimes.

―――An abnormal specimen.

Those words surfaced in my mind.

"... (quiver)?"

Aka blew bubbles as it gazed up at me, as if asking what was wrong.

It slowly approached and wrapped its body around my leg.

Its complete lack of caution made me laugh despite myself.

"...No, it's nothing."

I said that while poking its surface with my finger. Squishy, squishy.

That's right. Aka is Aka.

No matter how irregular a specimen it might be, it was still our precious companion.

"Woof, woof!"

"... (quiver-quiver~) ♪"

Momo trotting along with Aka riding on its back was incredibly cute.

"Now then..."

While searching for slimes, I also began looking for the other thing I wanted.

After walking for a while, I found what I was looking for with surprising ease.

Seeing countless 'those things' lined up along the breakwater, I smiled more deeply.

―――Wave-dissipating blocks.

More commonly known as Tet◯pods.

They were masses of rock installed along the coastline to reduce and disperse the energy of the waves.

Apparently, even ones about the size of a person weighed a good two tons.

Amazing.

(It seemed more efficient to use these than junked cars or vending machines.)

There were plenty of them, too.

I could probably launch mass attacks with even greater force than before.

I secretly stored them in the Item Box while Rikka-chan wasn't looking.

(When I level up next, I should probably raise the Item Box's expansion functions, too.)

These were the expansion functions added when the Item Box reached Lv. 10.

'Simultaneous Retrieval Count Expansion' and 'Effective Range Expansion.'

If I combined these two functions with the wave-dissipating blocks, I should be able to handle even a swarm attacking us.

(But... that only applies to opponents of ordinary size.)

That golem.

Against that enormous body, even raining down blocks on it would probably have little effect.

To deal with that thing, I needed some entirely different... powerful means of attack.

(A powerful attack... The first things that come to mind are bombs and missiles.)

And tanks.

Tanks are the embodiment of masculine romance.

If someone asked whether I'd rather buy a house or a tank, I'd choose the tank. Probably.

Even so, there was no way I could get my hands on one.

Actually, there might be one at a Japan Self-Defense Forces base.

But even the nearest JSDF base was quite a long way from here.

It would be a different story if we used a car or motorcycle... but getting three people on one would be tough.

(Besides, even if I got one, I wouldn't know how to use it...)

It could easily misfire and blow me up along with it.

There was no way I could wield it as conveniently as a light-novel protagonist.

Weapons like that could only be handled by people who had received proper training.

That left only one option.

(Level up my Job and Skills, then acquire some kind of powerful attack Skill.)

In the end, everything came down to that.

To survive—to avoid dying—I had no choice but to defeat monsters and level up.

There was no other way.

"―――Really?"

Of course.

There was no other way―――.

"Wait... huh...?"

"What's wrong, Kudo-san?"

"No, Ichinose-san, did I just say that out loud?"

"A voice...?"

Ichinose-san tilted her head as she looked at me.

It wasn't Ichinose-san...?

"No, because just now..."

No, wait.

For starters, that 'voice' just now hadn't been Ichinose-san's.

It was a woman's voice I'd never heard before—different from Rikka-chan's, too.

"Gasp...!"

I suddenly looked around.

―――There was no one.

There was no one on this beach besides us... or at least, there shouldn't have been.

Was it my imagination? An auditory hallucination?

"Kudo-san, what really is wrong?"

Ichinose-san looked at me with concern.

"...No, it's nothing. Sorry."

"I see...?"

"Yes, that's right. Now, let's find more slimes. Aka still seems able to absorb plenty more... Come on, Ichinose-san, let's go."

"Huh? Ah, w-wait, your hand...!"

I put on a cheerful act and headed toward Rikka-chan and Aka, trying to dispel my unease.

After that, our search for slimes proceeded smoothly, and Aka was able to absorb even more than before.

But that 'voice' remained burned into my mind.

What on earth had that been... and whose voice was it?

Meanwhile―――.

"Hah... hah..."

Nishino and the others were running desperately through the shopping district.

The reason was simple.

There were more than twenty Giant Ants behind them.

Making ominous clicking sounds, the swarm of ants doggedly pursued them.

"Damn... it was going so well until halfway...!"

While moving through the shopping district, Nishino and the others had been attacked by the ants again.

There were many of them, but his 'Command' impeded their movements while Shibata and Goshogawara reduced their numbers, held the swarm at bay, and gained distance.

Using a hit-and-run strategy, they fled for their lives.

Things had been going smoothly at first.

But instead of decreasing, the ants gradually increased in number and drove them onward.

(...And they aren't attacking more than necessary. Are they waiting for us to weaken?)

They were probably being cautious because their comrades had been defeated, but more than that, the ants seemed to be waiting for their stamina to run out.

The basic principle of hunting: weaken the prey before killing it.

Nishino had never expected a monster to do that to them.

(Damn... I figured they were smart, but not this smart...)

Nishino racked his brain, but the more he thought, the less he could come up with a way to break out of their situation.

What should he do? What could he do?

Anxiety, fatigue, and fear steadily wore down their spirits.

Were they going to die? Here, of all places?

(This is no joke... Damn it, damn it, think! Think!)

There was no way he was going to give up.

The eyes of Shibata and Goshogawara, running behind him, were still alive with determination.

He somehow rallied his faltering spirit and continued running for his life.

It was then.

"Hey! Over here!"

A voice called out.

It was a man's voice.

"?!"

They looked toward the voice.

There was an empty building there.

A man was waving at them from a second-floor window.

"This way! Somehow, just run over here!"

(Who is he? ...No, anyone will do... right now...)

With their minds and physical strength already at their limits, Nishino and the others had no other choice.

Clinging to a desperate hope, Nishino and the others headed for the empty building.

"Huff... pant, pant...!"

As soon as Nishino, Shibata, and Goshogawara entered the empty building, the Giant Ants came pouring in after them.

Inside were five men, including the one who had waved to them earlier.

(...What are those?)

Every one of them was holding 'something' in his hands.

The objects were about the size of PET bottles, each with a yellow cylinder and a gun-like handle.

"All right! Now! Fireeeeeee!"

At the man's signal, they fired the devices at the ants that had invaded.

Amid the hiss of the spray, white smoke assailed the ants.

"Giiiiiiiiii...!"

Was that the ants' scream?

The ants hit by the smoke began writhing in pain one after another.

Nishino's eyes widened at the sight.

"Wh-what is that?"

Nishino looked at the man who had let them in.

He was a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

His stubble, cigarette clenched between his teeth, and disheveled dress shirt suited him perfectly.

"Magnum Blaster. It's a bazooka-type insecticide. It's normally used on flies and horseflies, but I found out that it works on those ants, too. I always carry it when I go outside."

"Outside...?"

"All right! The ants have slowed down! Get 'em, you bastards!"

"Wooooooo!"

Once the ants slowed down, the men readied machetes and axes and attacked one after another.

Slowed by the insecticide, the ants' numbers gradually dwindled.

"Kish!" "Kishishishishish!"

"Kishish!" "Kishishishishishishishish!"

The remaining ants reacted quickly.

They immediately turned around and chose to retreat.

"...D-did we make it?"

The middle-aged man standing beside Nishino exhaled cigarette smoke and smiled in satisfaction.

"Looks like it. That was a close one, kid."

"Huh... Ah, yes, thank you. For saving us..."

Nishino sincerely bowed to the middle-aged man who had saved their lives.

"Huh, you're pretty put-together for how you look... Ah, no, that's prejudice. Sorry, sorry."

"Ah, no, I'm used to people commenting on my appearance..."

"I see. Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Fujita Soichiro. I'm an employee at the municipal office over there."

"Municipal office...?"

"Yeah. Well, anyway, we can't talk calmly here, so let's head back for now. Hey, everyone! We're pulling out! Oh, and make sure you collect the stones! If you don't take them with you, Kamome-chan will get noisy."

The stubbled man briskly gave out his instructions.

Watching him, Nishino sat down on the spot.

The moment they escaped their predicament, the fatigue came rushing over him.

(...We should probably follow him for now...)

Thus, after escaping their predicament, Nishino and the others headed for City Hall together with the men.