Chapter 107
"Safe... zone?"
At those words, Nishino couldn't help but doubt his own ears.
Shibata and Goshogawara, seated beside him, must have felt the same way.
Their mouths hung open as they displayed utterly foolish expressions.
"Yeah, monsters can't enter here. It's set up that way."
"..."
Nishino thought, I can't believe it.
A save point from a video game?
No, the man had just said "set up."
(A Skill—or perhaps a Job—that can create... no, set... a safe zone?)
Governance, administration, or perhaps a barrier?
Various conjectures came to mind, but he had no proof.
"You look like you can't believe it. Well, I can't blame you. I was the same way at first."
The secretary-like woman seated beside Fujita gave a small laugh.
She crossed her legs calmly, the very picture of a mature woman, but Fujita laughed when he saw her.
"Yeah, Shimizu-chan, you were even more surprised than they are. You were screaming and crying, 'No way!!'"
"Hey, you didn't have to bring that up now! Besides, Nijo-san was crying and screaming way more than I was!"
"No, Kamome-chan's cute, so she's allowed."
"What is that supposed to mean?! You make it sound like I'm cu... Ah."
At that point, Shimizu noticed Nishino and the others staring at her and awkwardly turned her face away.
She also pushed her glasses up and straightened her posture.
Her cheeks were slightly red, if anything.
"A-anyway, what he says is true. Monsters can't enter here. So rest easy."
"Um... what exactly does that—"
Nishino's words didn't make it to the end.
Before he could finish, an old man burst into the reception room, flinging the door open with a loud bang!
"?!"
Nishino instinctively tensed.
Then he fixed his gaze on the person who had entered.
He was a well-built old man.
It was obvious that he was elderly, but the air around him did nothing to suggest it.
(Or rather, why do I feel like I've seen him somewhere before...?)
Where had it been?
He tried to remember, but Nishino's exhausted brain refused, declaring, "I don't wanna work anymore!"
"Hey! You're back, Soichiro! Looks like you're safe! I was worried!"
"...Good work, Mayor Uesugi."
At Fujita's words, Nishino finally remembered.
Ah, right. This man was the mayor of this town.
This year, he had won election to his fourth term, and thanks to his forceful appearance and remarks, as well as his proven political skill, he enjoyed the deep trust of the townspeople. His name recognition and approval rating were said to be much higher than those of the governor or any mediocre politician.
In fact, he was so capable that Nishino had found himself thinking, Wouldn't it be better if this man were governor...? Or so he thought.
"Oh, Nishino-kun and the others probably recognize him, at least by sight. He's the mayor of this town, and his name is—"
"Uesugi Kansei. Nice to meet you, young people. And welcome! Welcome to City Hall!"
The mayor's hearty laugh carried an air vaguely similar to Fujita's.
Incidentally, although he called them young people, he apparently completely ignored the fact that one old guy was mixed in. Poor Goshogawara Hachiro, age fifty-five.
"More importantly, Mayor... why are you here?"
"Because I was bored, of course! If I stay cooped up in my office all day, my body gets stiff!"
"No, I mean, bored...?"
With a sigh, Fujita stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"You need to understand the situation. If something happened to you, we'd be finished, you know?"
"Yes, I understand. I won't go outside, and I'll only walk around inside the municipal building. I wanted to show my appreciation to everyone working so hard, even if only in my own small way!"
"...Right."
Thinking that the man ought to listen a little more, Fujita looked at Shimizu beside him.
She nodded and handed the convenience-store bag sitting beside her to the mayor.
"Mayor. These are the magic stones we obtained during this expedition. Please accept them."
"Oh, this is a big help."
Taking the bag with a quick motion, Mayor Uesugi immediately became cheerful.
"Well then, I'll go show my appreciation to the others. Oh, and Fujita, there's a bed free now. Talking with the young people is fine, but let them rest first. Well, see you!"
With that, the mayor swept out of the room like a storm.
Silence dominated the reception room for several seconds.
"...He was quite a man."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, about what we were discussing—"
"No, hold on."
Fujita raised a hand to stop Nishino.
"Let's put the conversation on hold for now. First, get some good rest."
"Huh? No, but..."
This was so abrupt.
There were still so many things he wanted to ask.
In fact, they hadn't heard almost anything yet.
Just as Nishino thought that, fatigue suddenly washed over him, and he was struck by dizziness.
"Ngh..."
"Whoa, are you okay, Nishino-san?"
Shibata, who was beside him, supported him.
"See? Don't push yourself. Your body hit its limit ages ago. ...No, I guess we share some blame for not letting you rest sooner. Sorry."
"No... It's not like this is your fault, Fujita-san..."
"Anyway. Get some rest first. We can talk afterward."
"..."
With no choice but to nod, Nishino and the others obediently followed Fujita's advice.
Afterward, Nishino and the others were shown to a nap room.
Though the beds were cheap commercial-grade models, they were comfortable enough to give the three of them a sound sleep after so long without one.
A few hours later—
It was evening, with the sun sinking toward the horizon.
Nishino woke up.
(I slept for about three hours...?)
Looking at the beds beside him, he saw that Shibata and Goshogawara were still asleep.
To be honest, he still needed plenty more sleep, but it seemed a waste to spend the time idly.
There was no one else around, so he decided to finish whatever tasks he could.
"...Status Open."
Nishino opened his Status Plate and checked the 'Mail' entry.
(Fujita Soichiro, Shimizu Yuna, Uesugi Kansei... They're all using their real names.)
The names displayed in the address book matched the ones they had given him.
Apparently, they weren't aliases.
(Are they not wary of me, or is there simply no need for them to be wary...? Well, I'll leave that aside for now.)
Next, he checked his unread messages.
As expected, he had received several emails from his companions.
Judging from the contents and the times they had been sent, everyone still seemed to be safe.
Apparently, they were hiding near City Hall.
(...Should I have them join us here?)
Nishino sent his companions an email telling them, 'Come here while pretending it was a coincidence.'
Fujita had promised to help him search for his companions.
If so, they shouldn't be treated harshly even if they came here on their own.
(That leaves Rikka.)
He sent her an email as well.
The time they had arranged to meet had long since passed.
Rikka had also sent him an email asking what had happened.
He sent her the reason for the delayed reply, his current location, and the information he had learned.
(...A safe zone, huh.)
Although he had said that earlier, judging from his conversations with Fujita and the mayor, it was highly likely that the mayor possessed some kind of Skill that could create a safe zone.
(The mayor... Could it be a Governance or Statecraft Skill?)
Nishino recalled the Jobs he had initially been able to acquire.
He had chosen 'Commander' in order to survive, but the available Jobs had also included 'Adventurer,' 'Student,' 'Class Representative,' and 'Politician.'
He had wondered what use such Jobs were now that the world had become like this, but if his guess was correct, they might have come with important Skills for survival after all.
Even if he wanted to verify that, he couldn't test it himself. He would have to ask someone else.
That would be a task for the future.
(For now, I guess that's all. Now, call someone over—huh?)
Just then, his eyes fell on the small table beside the bed.
"...Rice balls?"
There was a rice ball and a plastic bottle of tea on the table.
A note was tucked beneath the plate.
―――Don't worry, there's no poison in it, so eat up. Fujita
That was what it said.
What kind of man was he?
Have some suspicion. Be cautious. Don't let your guard down.
(At this rate, I look like an idiot for thinking everything through.)
...No, I couldn't be wrong.
In a situation where he never knew when someone might slit his throat, it was wrong to trust other people so easily.
And yet—
Grrrroooowwwl...
His stomach growled.
"..."
Nishino brought the rice ball to his mouth.
The filling was umeboshi.
It wasn't even that tasty.
Convenience-store rice balls were probably better.
And yet—
(This is really... throwing me off...)
Before he knew it, he was wolfing it down.
The flavor somehow seeped into his heart.
Fujita was in the parking lot.
As he puffed on a cigarette, he thought back to the boys and the old man he had brought with him earlier.
(...Those kids are carrying a hell of a lot inside them...)
They didn't trust him.
They were wary of him.
He had known that at a glance.
(They're still high school students, aren't they...?)
Those weren't 'eyes' a child should have.
He didn't know what had happened, but they must have gone through a great deal of hell during those five days.
He was glad he had managed to save them, but at the same time, he felt helpless.
(I'd like to do something for them, but...)
Unless they opened their hearts to him, there was nothing he could do.
He would have to face them little by little and earn their trust.
He had also promised to search for their companions, so he decided to start there.
"Fujita-san! Do you have a minute?"
"Hm? What's up?"
A man who had been patrolling near the barricade came running over.
"Well, there are two girls here asking to be let in."
"Then let them in. You don't need to ask me for permission over something like that."
"Well, they're carrying weapons, and they're asking, 'Is there a student named Nishino-kun here?' I think one of the people you brought this morning had that name..."
"You should've said that first!"
As soon as he heard that, Fujita ran.
Just then, two girls were coming down from the barricade.
Both of them were stunningly beautiful.
One was a blonde girl with her hair tied in a side ponytail, with an unmistakably gyaru-like appearance.
Since she was wearing a school uniform, she was probably a high school student.
She wore a backpack and had a hatchet hanging from her waist.
The other was a quiet-looking girl with pink hair.
She wasn't wearing a uniform, but plain jeans and a hoodie, an outfit that looked almost like something a man would wear. Yet what caught the eye most was the enormous rifle strapped to her back.
Where on earth had she gotten that?
(They're carrying weapons... Does that mean they have Skills too?)
Even so, he couldn't simply take them by force.
Fujita spoke to them, trying not to provoke them.
"...Are you two the ones who know Nishino-kun?"
"Yep! So Nissy really is here. Ahh, what a relief!"
"He's resting in the nap room right now. I can take you to him. Um..."
"I'm Rikka. Aisaka Rikka, nice to meet you. Come on, big br―――Nattsun, too."
"...I-I'm Natsu Ichinose. Nice to meet you."
"Aisaka-chan and Ichinose-chan, huh. I'm Fujita Soichiro. Nice to meet you."
When Fujita greeted them, the two girls bowed.
"Then let's take you to Nishino-kun right away."
He would be able to fulfill his promise to him sooner than expected.
Thinking that, Fujita headed toward the nap room with the two girls.