Chapter 111
That happened while we were on our way to the first floor.
The dim hallway was illuminated by candles and LED lanterns.
Suddenly, the ceiling began flickering irregularly.
"...Huh?"
I couldn't help exclaiming.
Everyone looked up at the ceiling.
The fluorescent lights mounted in the ceiling came on.
"...Lights? No way, the power's back on?"
Rikka-chan was startled.
Nishino-kun and the others were startled as well.
I was pretty shaken up inside, too.
Of course I was.
In the world as it was now, electricity was almost unusable.
At least small battery-powered appliances could still be used, but facilities requiring power supplied through power lines or wireless transmission had fallen completely silent.
I'd confirmed that many times on our way here, so there was no mistake.
And yet, lights were coming on one after another inside City Hall.
What on earth was going on?
(...Is the self-generating power system still working?)
I'd never tried the generator, but if that was the case, why hadn't they used it until now?
Was it because the noise would attract monsters?
(Or is it something completely different...?)
I glanced at Chief Shimizu, who was walking at the front.
She didn't seem particularly surprised by the situation.
(Does she know something...?)
I almost spoke to her, but given Ichinose-san's character, I thought better of it.
Damn, this was frustrating.
"Shimizu-chan... Could this possibly mean...?"
"Yes, you're probably right about what you're thinking, Fujita-san."
"I see, so that's it..."
Fujita-san seemed convinced, nodding thoughtfully.
Please.
Stop having conversations between people who already know what's going on, acting like they've figured everything out.
Some of us don't know what's going on, so please explain properly.
"Um, Fujita-san, what does this mean? What on earth is...?"
Just as I was thinking that, Nishino-kun asked on my behalf. Nice.
Fujita-san turned toward Nishino-kun with a serious expression.
"Come to think of it, we were in the middle of something."
"...?"
"I haven't told you why this place—City Hall—has become a 'safe zone' that monsters can't enter, have I?"
"Gah...!"
Nishino-kun's expression stiffened.
Rikka-chan and everyone else began murmuring.
I was shaken up inside, too.
Wait, he's going to tell us? Seriously?
I came here because I wanted to know that, after all.
I focused, waiting for Fujita-san to speak so I wouldn't miss a single word.
"To cut to the chase, this is Mayor Uesugi's Skill. His Job is 'Mayor,' and the Skill he possesses is called—'Town Building.'"
Fujita-san explained Mayor Uesugi's Skill to us.
'Town Building'
That was Mayor Uesugi's Skill.
The name sounded peaceful, but its effect was tremendous.
To summarize its effects roughly,
A 50-meter radius around a location designated by Mayor Uesugi is demarcated as a territory and becomes his 'Owned Land.'
'Owned Land' becomes a safe zone that monsters can't enter.
Apparently, they had measured the effective radius by actually luring monsters to it.
As the Skill's level rises, the range of 'Owned Land' expands and various functions are unlocked.
These functions include water service, gas, boilers, electricity, and defensive equipment within the Owned Land.
"When you came here, there was a moat right beside the barricade, remember? That's one of them."
Apparently, selecting 'Defensive Equipment' had allowed them to create that moat.
There were monster traps as well.
Hearing that, Rikka-chan tilted her head.
"Huh? But monsters can't enter here, right? Then there was no need to make those, was there?"
"It's just in case. If monsters somehow got in, wouldn't it be unsettling if there was nothing here? Better safe than sorry."
"Exactly. Besides, not everyone here is capable of fighting. For people like that, 'visible defensive equipment' is very important. Showing people something tangible makes it easier to understand, no matter the era."
"Wow, you guys really think of everything."
Rikka-chan nodded repeatedly at what Fujita-san and Chief Shimizu had said.
"They probably figured they should secure drinking water, strengthen the defensive facilities, and then move on to electricity—energy. Once we have power, all sorts of facilities we couldn't use before can be brought back into operation at once."
Someone let out an impressed 'Ooh.'
Sure enough, with electricity, not only lights but refrigerators and computers could be used again.
(But what kind of mechanism is powering this electricity?)
Where was it being supplied from?
Well, I suppose you could chalk it up to a Skill effect, but I couldn't help thinking that this part really was fantasy.
We arrived on the first floor.
A large crowd was already there.
Probably everyone inside City Hall had gathered.
There were about seventy people in all, I guessed. I didn't think there were a hundred.
And at the very front of the crowd.
Standing atop a makeshift platform was Mayor Uesugi.
He held a megaphone in his hand.
"Ah, I apologize for making you all drop everything and come here on such short notice. As for why I've asked you all to gather, as you already know—"
The reason for Mayor Uesugi's sudden summons was, as expected, an explanation regarding the restoration of electricity.
For the sake of newcomers like us, he briefly explained his Job and Skill, saying that leveling up the Skill had made electricity available.
Everyone's eyes shone with excitement at being able to use electricity again and hope for the future.
Some even shouted loudly, 'Long live the mayor!'
(...For now, that accomplishes the original purpose I had.)
Unexpectedly, I'd learned why City Hall was a safe zone and about its Skill.
Assuming, of course, that their account was true.
They didn't look like they were lying, so I wanted to believe it was true.
(Now, what should we do from here...?)
Should we stay here, or leave?
If it really was a safe zone monsters couldn't enter, this was an extremely appealing place...
(...For now, I should regroup with Ichinose-san and the others.)
Then we'd discuss it together and decide what to do next.
I'd send the information I'd learned ahead by email and clicked the unread item.
Whoa, the number of unread emails had gotten ridiculously huge.
The scroll bar had become a tiny little sliver...
Well, all the subject lines said 'No abnormalities,' so I'd ignore them.
I quickly typed in the information and hit Send.
There, that should do it.
≪You received an email≫
That was fast!
The reply was fast!
Just as prompt as ever, I thought as I opened the email.
'Understood. Then let's regroup for now. Can you slip away successfully? Or should we come to you?'
...It'd be better for me to go than for them to come here.
If a powerful monster appeared while Ichinose-san and the others were moving, that would be bad; since I was faster, it would be less risky for me to go to them.
I sent an email to that effect and looked around.
(All right, I'll say I have a stomachache and slip away.)
Let's put the plan I'd thought of earlier into action.
The hide-in-the-bathroom plan.
I was just about to tug at Rikka-chan's hem when—
(...Hm?)
My eyes happened to fall on Mayor Uesugi, standing on the platform.
"—And thanks to all of you, we can use electricity again! It may be a small light when viewed as a whole, but for us, it's a major step forward! I want you all to keep fighting together with us! I'm counting on you!"
Mayor Uesugi encouraged everyone with a hearty smile.
His bearing was commanding, yet somehow captivating.
But... something about his expression and gestures felt off to me.
(...Is Mayor Uesugi hiding something?)
It was a tiny discrepancy I'd noticed thanks to having the 'Observation' and 'Detection' Skills.
That tiny discrepancy bothered me, and I was momentarily slow to react.
Someone grabbed my hand firmly.
"Gah...!"
Who was it?
I turned to the side.
Then my eyes widened.
"...Huh?"
I couldn't help voicing it.
A woman I knew was standing there.
She kept sniffing, staring at me with an expression as though she were about to cry,
"—Sen...pai?"
she murmured in a voice so faint it seemed to vanish.
There was no way I could mistake her.
Standing there was Nijo Kamome, a junior coworker from my days as a corporate wage slave.