Chapter 130
The other members were already assembled when we entered the conference room.
It seemed the other teams had also returned for a break.
(A few people seem to be injured, but no one was killed...)
My former coworkers were almost completely unharmed, too.
We took whatever seats were open, and Mayor Uesugi rose.
"Looks like everyone's here."
He went up to the podium and looked around at us.
"Now, the reason I called everyone together on such short notice is no secret. I'm sure you've already heard, but a creature believed to be a Queen Ant has been found."
The room grew noisy at his words.
Even though we'd been told in advance, the news still seemed to have a major impact.
"I'll have her explain the details. —Nijo-chan."
"Y-yes!"
Called by the mayor, Nijo stood and headed for the podium.
She was so nervous she was stiff as a board; she bowed and greeted everyone.
...That girl still hasn't gotten over her stage fright.
"Um, well, then, allow me to explain. M-My group was exploring the west side of the shopping district at Chief Shimizu's direction. We found a staircase leading down to the underground mall, and—"
To summarize Nijo's account:
They found a staircase leading to the underground mall on the west side of the shopping district.
When they went down, countless ants packed the underground mall.
They couldn't easily proceed, so they turned back, but while doing so they caught sight of a creature that seemed to be a Queen Ant in the depths.
"...Why did you think it was a Queen Ant? The underground mall is almost completely dark. You wouldn't be able to see anything without a light, would you?"
One of the City Hall members asked.
"I-I have the Skills 'Telescopic Vision' and 'Night Vision.' They let me see things far away and clearly see my surroundings in the dark."
Huh, so Nijo had Telescopic Vision and Night Vision, too.
In that case, was her Job something like Hunter?
"I see. That makes sense. What did the Queen Ant look like? And why did you think that creature was a Queen Ant?"
"Um... It looked like a very large ant. I think it was several times bigger than an ordinary ant monster. Its abdomen was abnormally swollen, and there were several ball-like protrusions here and there. Also, several warrior-like ants were standing guard around it, as if protecting it, so... well, I thought it might be a Queen Ant..."
Her voice trailed off near the end, and she sounded unsure.
The warrior-like ants must have been the high-ranking individuals Nishino-kun's group and I had encountered.
A large ant they were guarding... It certainly could have been a Queen Ant.
Even so...
"We found it pretty easily."
"Yeah, I thought it would take longer."
"It's a Queen Ant. I figured it would be hiding deeper underground."
Opinions like that flew back and forth around the room, when—
"But doesn't that seem kinda weird? Aren't Queen Ants normally at the very back of the nest? Why's it in such a shallow spot?"
Shibata-kun voiced his doubts.
It was standard for a Queen Ant to be at the very back of an ant nest.
You could say ordinary ants and monsters were different, but it was definitely suspicious.
"Um, I was only telling you what I saw, and—"
Before Nijo could finish, one of my former coworkers glared at Shibata-kun.
"Hey, don't butt in when you're just a student. Are you saying we're lying?"
"I didn't say that. I just thought it was strange. And whether I'm a student or not has nothing to do with this."
"What a mouthy brat. And look at you—what kind of upbringing did you have?"
"What'd you say?!"
"Stop, Shibata. I've told you over and over that picking fights like that is a bad habit of yours."
"...Yeah. Sorry."
At Nishino-kun's words, Shibata-kun fell silent.
"Hmm... Still, I understand what that boy is getting at. There seems to be some reason behind it."
"So you think so too, Mayor?"
"Yes."
Mayor Uesugi and Chief Shimizu fell into thought.
Beside them, Nijo was muttering, "Um... can I go back now?" Unfortunately, her voice was too quiet for anyone to hear.
"Um... may I offer an opinion?"
In the silence, Nishino-kun raised his hand.
"What is it, Nishino-kun?"
"I think... the Golems may have something to do with the Queen Ant being there."
"The Golems?"
"Yes. The Golems can move freely underground, right? Could that be why the ants haven't been able to expand their nest?"
"Because they'd get caught up in the Golems' movements?"
"Yes. In fact, we explored the underground mall too, and though they ambushed us from the walls and ceiling, we were never once attacked from underground. Doesn't that support the idea that they haven't expanded their nest below the underground mall?"
He laid out his thoughts fluently and in detail.
Honestly, he explained it far better than Nijo had.
"I see. That makes sense..."
The mayor nodded in agreement.
Chief Shimizu was nodding, too.
"How ironic. Thanks to the Golems, we can figure out where the Queen Ant is..."
"It proves that the monsters aren't working together. The monsters we've encountered so far haven't seemed to be cooperating, either."
The monsters were all acting independently.
This time, that had worked out in our favor.
(Then again, just how much of a threat would the monsters pose if they joined forces...)
Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
I wanted to believe something like that wouldn't happen, but I should still stay alert.
"All right. Tomorrow, we'll launch an all-out attack on the underground mall. We'll use every weapon and can of insecticide we have and go after the Queen Ant."
"Huh? We're not doing anything else today?"
One of my former coworkers raised his hand.
"They're nocturnal, and the sun will set soon. To be thorough, it's better to wait until after sunrise tomorrow. Fortunately, we still have time. Let's rest up today and prepare for tomorrow's decisive battle."
"And," the mayor continued.
"Fujita is currently bringing the Self-Defense Force survivors here. Morale will be much higher with him around. And even if there are only a few of them, having Self-Defense Force personnel join our forces will help. The more hands, the better."
The municipal office staff nodded as if to say they agreed.
The other members reacted more or less the same way.
It was clear how much everyone trusted Fujita-san.
"All right, everyone, take it easy today. I'll tell you the details of the plan tomorrow morning."
With that, you're all dismissed."
"Oh, dinner will be served starting at six, so don't be late."
Chief Shimizu gave the dinner time as her final announcement, and the meeting broke up.
We left the conference room and walked down the hall.
"Well, let's meet up with our friends. Looks like they're all here already."
Nishino-kun's friends had apparently arrived at City Hall.
It seemed they'd all been waiting in the entrance lobby until the meeting was over.
Nishino-kun looked at me.
His gaze seemed to ask, 'You're coming with us, right?'
But I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to split off from you for a while."
"...Why?"
"I was thinking I'd go see her."
"Ah..."
Nishino-kun seemed to understand just from that.
"To persuade her?"
"Something like that."
We could keep in touch by email, but I wanted to talk about various things in person. Like Kiki.
Besides, I wanted to see Momo, too.
It had only been a day, but it felt like I hadn't seen them in months.
"Oh, are you going to see Nattsun? I wanna come too!"
Rikka-chan raised her hand.
"Wha... what? Hey, take me with you! Don't even think about saying no!"
Shibata-kun chimed in, too.
They were really eager.
"I'm sorry, but it would be more efficient if I went alone. And besides..."
"Besides what?"
"No, well..."
Rikka-chan was one thing, but if I brought Shibata-kun, with his obvious delinquent look, Ichinose-san would definitely throw up. No doubt about it.
"Ah, Shiba-cchi's got a scary face. I get it, I get it. Nattsun would definitely be scared."
"Wha...?!"
Shibata-kun slumped in shock.
"Give it up, Shibata. Besides, if a big group goes, we'll definitely draw attention. There's no point in attracting trouble."
"...Yeah."
Shibata-kun reluctantly agreed.
Rikka-chan had wanted to come, too, but it seemed she would put up with it this time.
"Well, I'll be going for now. Let me know by 'Email' if anything comes up."
"Yeah, be careful."
"You too. Take your time getting to know your friends."
With that, I parted ways with Nishino-kun and the others for a while and headed to the building where Ichinose-san was.
Then I reached the building's rooftop.
When I opened the door, dazzling sunset light streamed in.
In the distance, I saw a girl carrying a rifle, with a Shiba Inu lying beside her.
"Ah..."
The girl noticed me and waved with a smile.
"Good work, Ichinose-san. And you too, Momo."
"Woof, woof!"
As soon as Momo saw me, she ran over and circled around me.
I crouched down, and she leaned forward to lick my face.
"Haha, Momo, have you been doing well?"
"Woof!"
Momo rubbed against me as if to say, 'I missed you!'
She was telling me to pet her, so I gave her all the affection she wanted.
Ah, I'd missed this feeling...
"Good work, Kudo-san. I'm glad to see you're safe."
"I'm relieved to see you're doing well, too."
Ichinose-san plopped down beside me.
...Isn't she a little close?
Our shoulders were touching.
Well, if Ichinose-san didn't mind, it was fine...
She had an odd expression, looking both satisfied and a little distracted, her eyes darting around.
"Um, well... I heard a lot happened?"
"Ah, yes. It did. Honestly, I'm exhausted..."
Even if I wasn't Ichinose-san, dealing with people really was exhausting.
When I let out a long sigh, Ichinose-san giggled.
"Kyuu♪"
Kiki poked her head out of my backpack.
Then she jumped onto Ichinose-san's shoulder.
"Wah...! Um, is this the one you told me about, Kudo-san?"
"Yes. This is my new companion, Kiki, a Lesser Carbuncle."
"Kyuu♪ Kyukyuu♪"
Maybe Kiki liked Ichinose-san, because she stuck out her tongue and licked her face.
"Eek... Wait, stop, that tickles..."
Despite saying that, Ichinose-san didn't seem to dislike it at all.
She sighed dreamily as she luxuriated in Kiki's soft fur.
"...Woof."
"Oh, what's wrong, Momo? Do you want me to pet you more?"
I gently stroked Momo as she pressed against me, clearly asking to be petted.
"Wafuun..."
Momo let out a satisfied sigh.
Ahh, this is so soothing... I feel all my fatigue melting away...
"So, Ichinose-san, what happened with the thing I asked you to take care of?"
"Oh, about that... Could you take a look first?"
"Sure—"
After I finished giving Momo all the pets she wanted, Ichinose-san and I exchanged information.
We talked about what happened at City Hall, Kiki's abilities, the results of Ichinose-san's new Job and Skills, and our plans for tomorrow. We also chatted about this and that. For some reason, the conversation never ran dry.
By the time we finished telling each other everything, the sun had completely set.
"Well, then, I should get going soon."
"Ah... Um, yes."
"Kuuun..."
Ichinose-san and Momo both looked a little disappointed.
Don't do that. You're going to make me not want to leave.
"...Tomorrow will probably be the biggest battle we've faced yet."
"Yes, it will."
My watch at City Hall would end today.
She'd probably be heading to the battlefield tomorrow, too.
"...Kudo-san, you're going to help them, too, right?"
"Yes. I'll help them as much as I can. I promised Nishino-kun I'd do that. And..."
"And?"
"If possible, I don't want any of them to die."
At my words, Ichinose-san smiled happily.
"So, get some good rest today."
"Yes... I will."
When I stood up, I saw a star-filled sky.
Looking down, I could see City Hall's artificial lights illuminating the town at night.
We said "Good night" to each other, and I parted ways with Ichinose-san.
I walked through the night.
I made it back to City Hall without being noticed by the people on watch.
(...Still, Fujita-san is late.)
He should have arrived by evening at the latest.
...Did something happen?
Despite the inexplicable unease weighing on me, I headed toward Nishino-kun and the others.
That day—Fujita-san never came back.
Then dawn broke.
The seventh day—the decisive battle began.