Chapter 108
The three of them walked through City Hall.
Rikka looked around City Hall, murmuring "Whoa" and "Wow" as she did.
"So this is what the inside of a government office looks like. It's my first time here."
It was probably a place that ordinary high school students had little reason to visit.
Actually, even ordinary people would never come here unless they had some business involving family registers, inheritance, or something similar.
"Well, I guess that's only natural for someone your age. Even I didn't come to a government office for the first time until about ten years ago, when I registered for my My Number."
"Huh. How old are you, Fujita-san?"
"Forty-two this year."
"You're an old man!"
"Wh-hey, Rikka-chan, that's rude."
"Hahaha! It's fine, it's fine. Really. From the perspective of you students, people in their forties like us are old men through and through."
Fujita laughed heartily, apparently not bothered in the slightest.
He took a cigarette from his breast pocket, asked the two of them if they minded him smoking, and then lit it.
"Isn't smoking banned inside City Hall?"
"Do you really think anyone's going to complain about that right now?"
"Yeah, I guess not."
"Nishino-kun is just a little farther ahead. Follow me."
As she watched Fujita's back while he walked along puffing on his cigarette, Rikka murmured so softly that only Ichinose beside her could hear.
"...Looks like we managed to sneak in somehow, big bro."
"Yes, but for the time being, I'm Nattsun, Aisaka-san."
Saying that, she—or rather, 'I'—grinned.
The scene goes back a few hours.
We were on the coast a short distance from City Hall.
The work of feeding slimes to Aka had gone smoothly, and Aka had regained its former strength.
"Aka-chan's gotten bigger!"
"Yes, it has."
There were no slimes in sight nearby, so this should be enough.
I opened my Status Plate and looked at the Party Members entry at the very bottom.
Aka
Fake Slime Lv. 5
Its level had risen as well.
Apparently, absorbing slimes also granted experience.
"Aka, how are you feeling?"
"...♪ (quiver-quiver~)"
It seemed to be feeling exceptionally good.
Its body had grown more than two sizes larger, and it was energetically wobbling back and forth with a squishy bounce.
Its increased level had also expanded the range of Aka's 'Mimicry.'
It still couldn't become a living creature, but it could now transform into complex objects such as motorcycles and cars.
Although its operating time was limited, it could even drive properly.
Because of its size limitations, it could only mimic a motorcycle or a kei car, but that was more than enough to make it useful. It didn't seem to need fuel, either.
"Well, quite a bit of time has passed... Aisaka-san, have you received an email from Nishino-kun?"
"Nope, still nothing. I wonder what happened to him?"
Whether he'd been attacked by monsters or was being pursued, there was no doubt that he was in a situation desperate enough that he couldn't contact us.
The fact that his name was still on the list meant he probably wasn't dead, but... Hm? This feeling...
"You two, come over here for a moment."
"Hm? What's up, big bro?"
"What is it?"
"'Detection' picked up a reaction. Someone's coming."
I took both their hands and hid at the edge of the beach.
"That is..."
Four people appeared.
They were people I recognized, too.
(Are they acquaintances of Kudo-san?)
Ichinose-san, standing beside me, asked in a low voice.
(Yes, more or less... They're former coworkers of mine.)
Former coworkers, technically.
The people walking along the beach were the ones who had once worked at my company.
Nijo-san was there, along with Shikauchi-san... How nostalgic.
It had only been a few days, yet it already felt like a very long time ago.
More importantly, why were they here?
"―――Yeah. Just as I thought―――――"
"―――I wonder? But―――senpai――smell―"
"Hey, ―――go back――City Hall―――"
"―――then―――"
It was a little hard to make out what they were saying.
Were they looking for something?
Maybe a ship?
That absurdly huge golem was nearby, so perhaps they were planning to move to a remote island or somewhere similar.
(One of the four seems to be a municipal employee.)
(How can you tell?)
(Yes. I've met them several times.)
Because of my work, I'd often gone in and out of City Hall.
That was the employee who had always treated me kindly.
They were carrying a shovel and wearing a yellow helmet.
(That's good, big bro. Your coworkers are alive.)
(...Yes, I suppose they are.)
I gave a vague response, but honestly, I didn't feel anything in particular.
(It's probably because I don't really care.)
Just like at the shopping mall, I seemed to be the kind of person who could be completely indifferent to things that didn't interest me.
―――A single person closer to me than the rest.
For me, Momo, Aka, and Ichinose-san were many times more important than coworkers with whom I'd only shared a superficial relationship.
If I had to choose between their lives and the lives of Ichinose-san and the others, I would choose the latter without hesitation.
(Ah, they're heading back.)
(Yes.)
It seemed they hadn't found what they were looking for.
Nijo-san looked strangely dejected.
In the end, they left without noticing us.
I had heard them mention City Hall, so perhaps that was their base.
(City Hall, huh?)
I'd only gotten a quick look from the roof of the building, but there had been a great many signs of people there.
They had also built barricades and things resembling moats around it, so it would serve well enough as a base against monsters.
(Well... as long as we're talking about ordinary monsters.)
Against a High Orc, a Dark Wolf, or that absurdly huge golem, defenses like those would be almost completely meaningless.
They'd simply be smashed through by brute force.
(But... something about it bothers me.)
Not my coworkers, but City Hall itself.
I looked toward City Hall.
(...Yes, just as I thought. There's some kind of strange feeling.)
It wasn't the 'unpleasant feeling' triggered by Enemy Detection or Danger Detection.
How should I describe it?
It was something hazy and muddled... yet somehow strangely reassuring...
No, that's not it.
This was more like―――there was too little of the 'unpleasant feeling.'
Yes, that wording felt right.
It sounded strange even to me, but that was exactly what it felt like.
"Kudo-san, is something wrong?"
"Ah, no... I was just thinking about something."
"?"
Ichinose-san tilted her head.
Then Rikka-chan spoke up.
"Ah, you two, Nissy sent us an 'email.'"
"―――!"
Ichinose-san and I turned toward Rikka-chan.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Hang on, I'll read it aloud."
Rikka-chan stared intently at her Status Plate―――
"Let's see... It says, 'Rikka, sorry for the late reply. I was in a situation where I couldn't contact you for a while. But I'm safe. I'm currently at City Hall with Shibata and that old man Goshogawara. We were attacked by monsters, but the staff here rescued us. We're acting together with them for now. The staff here are all quite high-level. Also, although I don't have conclusive proof yet, they say this place is a \"safe zone\" that monsters won't approach. We can't ignore this information. We need to learn more. If you're nearby, make your way to City Hall. We'll meet up there. I've already told them about you and your other companions. They should let you in. Also, a large number of ant monsters have appeared in the nearby shopping district. There are a lot of them, so be careful. If you encounter them, run without hesitation. And please make it here safely with your companions. I wish you the best―――' That's what it says."
Rikka-chan finished reading the email in one breath, then let out a long sigh.
It was a long message, but it was concise and easy to understand—very much like Nishino-kun.
It was nothing like some spam email or other.
"..." Ichinose-san stared.
"What is it, Ichinose-san?"
"No, it's nothing..."
Ichinose-san's intuition was annoyingly sharp.
"A-anyway, I'm glad Nishino-kun is safe."
"Yeah, what a relief."
Rikka-chan heaved a sigh of relief.
Unlike me, she seemed genuinely happy.
"Still, there was quite a lot worth noting in there."
"Yes..."
Ichinose-san nodded.
A swarm of ant monsters, and a safe zone.
We still didn't know whether Nishino-kun's information was true, but if it was, we couldn't ignore it.
I looked at the two of them.
"Let's head to City Hall."
Either way, it wouldn't hurt to investigate.
Gathering information was important.
However, I added,
"Only Aisaka-san and I will go. Ichinose-san, stay with Momo in a nearby building and keep watch over City Hall."
"Huh? What do you mean? Aren't we going together?"
A question mark seemed to appear over Rikka-chan's head.
"Yes. This time, I'd like us to act separately."
"Why? You said before that Nattsun's Skill makes people less likely to notice her inside buildings, right? It'd be better if we stayed together."
Rikka-chan certainly had a point.
Ichinose-san's 'Recognition Interference' was an exceptionally powerful Skill for infiltrating buildings and gathering information.
But still.
"That... isn't possible."
Ichinose-san and I lowered our eyes apologetically.
"Why not?"
"Ichinose-san is―――weak around crowds."
"......Huh?"
"Also... if she stays in a crowd for too long, she vomits."
As in, the sparkly stuff comes splattering out everywhere.
"That's why... she can't do it."
Unable to bear it, I looked away from Rikka-chan.
At school, she had somehow managed to endure it through sheer determination while searching for Rikka-chan, but there was no way she could do that two days in a row.
There was no chance her mental state could withstand it.
If things went badly, she might even bring up something worse than the sparkly stuff.
"............Nattsun?"
Rikka-chan looked at Ichinose-san.
Ichinose-san nodded silently.
Rikka-chan leaned far back, looked up at the sky, and said one thing.
"............I see."
Apparently, she understood.
She seemed to accept it—there was nothing to be done.
I moved the conversation along.
"Next, when we infiltrate... I plan to take on Ichinose-san's appearance."
"Huh?"
"Kudo-san, does that mean...?"
Rikka-chan tilted her head.
Ichinose-san seemed to realize what I meant.
"Yes. I'll use the new ninjutsu―――'Transformation Technique.'"
'Transformation Technique.'
It was a newly acquired ninjutsu that, as its name suggested, allowed me to change my appearance.
Each transformation consumed 15 MP, but there was no time limit. I could remain in that form until I dispelled the technique. For prolonged use, it was more cost-effective than the Clone Technique.
It was a convenient technique, but naturally, it had limitations.
Unlike Aka, my 'Transformation Technique' could only turn me into a living creature.
It also couldn't turn me into a creature whose size was drastically different from my own―――a mouse or a whale, for example.
In addition, I could only transform into someone I had 'touched,' and I couldn't use any other ninjutsu while transformed.
"Watch this."
I activated 'Transformation Technique.'
"Whoa!"
"...Wow."
With a puff of smoke, my body changed, becoming Ichinose-san.
Not only my appearance, but also my height and build became exactly like hers.
That said, only my 'body' changed, so my clothing and equipment remained the same.
And so,
"Aka."
"... (quiver-quiver~)"
I had Aka mimic the gun Ichinose-san was carrying.
Now I looked exactly like Ichinose-san.
...Except I was still wearing men's clothes.
"Amazing... You really look exactly like her."
"..."
Rikka-chan nodded in admiration, while Ichinose-san stared intently at my transformed appearance.
"Yes, this should be fine."
Nishino-kun's email had said, 'with a collaborator.'
That meant he had realized that Rikka-chan was traveling with someone.
And considering what had happened at school, there was a good chance he had guessed that person was Ichinose-san.
Nishino-kun was calculating enough to have thought that far ahead.
If so, someone he was already expecting would attract less suspicion than a complete stranger.
"Then let's go―――"
"Wait a moment."
But Ichinose-san stopped me.
"What is it?"
"Can you make fine adjustments with that Transformation Technique?"
"...Huh? Y-yes, I can, but―――"
"Th-then... (mumble-mumble)"
"What? Ah, yes. Understood."
At Ichinose-san's request, I made one part of my body slightly larger.
Ichinose-san nodded with satisfaction when she saw it.
...Well, if she was satisfied, that was all that mattered.
Oh, and just so we're clear, I wasn't going to use this Skill for anything lewd, okay?
That would simply be rude to Ichinose-san.
"Momo, look after Ichinose-san."
"Woof!"
Momo replied energetically.
Parting with Momo, even temporarily, was painful—truly painful—but I had to endure it.
If anything happened to Ichinose-san, we needed someone who could protect her.
I stroked Momo as though reluctant to say goodbye.
After Ichinose-san and I had spent about fifteen minutes petting Momo together, Rikka-chan said in a flat voice, "Big bro, aren't we going already?" We reluctantly left the spot.
And now, Rikka-chan and I were in the middle of infiltrating City Hall.
All right, time to gather some information.