Chapter 135
It all started with something Rikka-chan said.
"What are you hesitating about, big bro?"
"Huh?"
Running alongside me, Rikka-chan asked in a voice only I could hear.
"Hesitating? Me?"
"Yeah. You haven't been able to focus on the fight at all, and you've been restless. I was wondering what was up."
"No, that's—"
I tried to say something back, but no words came out.
Rikka-chan was right. I really couldn't focus on the battle.
I knew why.
It was the "ominous presence" coming from the direction of Chief Shimizu and the others.
It was bothering me so much that I couldn't focus on the battle right in front of me.
"Is this about your former coworkers?"
"…!"
"Ah, you're easy to read. That part of you is just like Nattsun."
Rikka-chan giggled.
But the next moment, her expression turned serious.
"...If it's bothering you, you should go."
"Huh? No, but we're in the middle of an operation. I can't just leave without permission—"
"Yeah... But, big bro, if you hesitate and end up doing nothing, you'll regret it a lot later, you know? After it's all over, you'll keep thinking, 'Maybe I should've done this,' and regret it forever."
Her words were full of conviction.
It was probably something she'd experienced herself.
The time she couldn't do anything when Ichinose-san was being bullied.
"So it's better to do it and regret it than not do it and regret it. For your sake and theirs, okay?—Hiyah!"
Rikka-chan raised the hatchet in her hand.
She slashed diagonally through the Soldier Ant rushing toward us.
"Gyaa...!?"
She hadn't finished it off.
I pulled the trigger to deliver the finishing blow.
—I've been waiting for you all this time.
Now that I thought about it, she'd said something like that.
Even though we weren't particularly close...
"..."
The ant's head burst apart.
An announcement that I'd gained experience echoed in my mind.
...Right. If I was going to regret hesitating, I should go settle things now.
"Aisaka-san."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Well, guess we're changing the plan. Nissy!"
Rikka-chan called out to Nishino-kun running behind us.
"What is it?"
"Nishino-kun, there's something that's been bothering me—"
And then—
I was punching Inoue-san through the air.
What... was going on here?
No, I could tell just by looking.
Inoue-san and his companions had lured Chief Shimizu and the others into a trap, intending to kill them.
That was probably what was happening.
Inoue-san got to his feet and glared at me, his face twisted with rage.
"You... Kudo? You're alive?"
"Oh, uh, yes. Long time no see, Inoue-san."
"You bastard... sticking your nose in..."
Inoue-san spat blood.
It didn't look like Inoue-san was even trying to pretend otherwise.
More importantly, what the hell was Inoue-san doing at a time like this...?
"Kudo-kun... Is that really you?"
Chief Shimizu and my former coworkers were staring at me in shock.
Uh, did everyone think I'd died?
Well, whatever.
"Um, it's been a while, Chief Shimizu."
"It's been a while? You...! Behind you!"
"Huh?"
I turned around to see Inoue-san charging at me with a knife raised.
"Dieeeee! Kuuudoooo!"
Yeah, I noticed.
"Crisis Detection" and "Hostile Intent Detection" had been going off nonstop.
But...
(Inoue-san, you really intend to kill me...)
I don't have any good memories of Inoue-san, but it still hurt to have someone I knew turn murderous toward me.
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level≫
≪Your Skill "Mental Distress Resistance" has increased from Lv. 4 to 5≫
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level≫
≪Your Skill "Acting" has increased from Lv. 3 to 4≫
I felt my heart grow cold.
I dodged Inoue-san's incoming attack by leaping to the side.
Then I countered by activating "Shadow Manipulation."
I restrained Inoue-san and, while I was at it, my former coworkers too.
"…! W-What the hell is this?!"
"Something weird and black is wrapped around my body...!"
"I-I can't move...!"
They weren't high enough level to break through "Shadow Manipulation," huh...
That gave me a rough idea of their levels.
How'd they think they could pull something this stupid at that level?
I was almost taken aback by how easily I'd neutralized them.
No, I mustn't let my guard down.
As I tightened the restraints, Chief Shimizu and Nijo, who'd been captured by them, were freed.
The two of them collapsed on the spot. ...Could they not move?
"Are you both all right?"
"K-Kudo-kun... Is this your Skill?"
"Yes. More importantly, can you stand?"
Chief Shimizu shook her head.
"I'm sorry. My body is still numb, and I can't move..."
"Numb...?"
I noticed the plastic bottle lying by Chief Shimizu's feet gave off an "ominous presence."
Did they put poison in it...?
Paralysis poison... Could it be a Skill similar to Shibata-kun's "Chemical Generation"?
(—Storage)
To check, I secretly stored the poisoned plastic bottle in my Item Box without the two of them noticing.
The list displayed, "Water containing paralysis poison, 250 ml × 1 bottle."
So it really was poisoned.
"Are you all right too, Nijo?"
"Senpai... Kazu-to-senpaaaiii..."
"Y-Yeah... Here, wipe your face with this for now. You look awful."
Nijo's face was a mess of tears, snot, bruises from being hit, and blood.
They must have brutally beaten Nijo before I got here.
If only I'd arrived a little sooner... No, there's no point in thinking about what-ifs.
"...I'm sorry."
"...?"
Nijo tilted her head.
Chief Shimizu spoke in Nijo's place.
"Thank you, Kudo-kun. I can never repay you for this."
"If you want to thank someone, thank Nishino-kun and Aisaka-san, not me. ...They were the ones who gave me the push I needed."
"...?"
"Besides..."
I looked at my two coworkers lying in pools of blood.
Ikeda-san and Shikauchi-san.
Back when we worked at the company, they had helped me a fair bit.
(...I'm sorry.)
I knew that apologizing wouldn't change anything.
I knew this apology was just self-indulgence on my part.
Even so, I couldn't help apologizing.
"Hey! Kudo! Untie me right now! Hey! Are you listening?!"
I heard a noise. A shrill, grating scream.
Inoue-san was writhing on the ground like a caterpillar, bound by my "shadow," and shouting something.
"Inoue-san..."
"You... Why are you looking down on me like that?! Don't fuck with me, you high school graduate! Untie me already! You've been like this ever since you worked at the company—"
Inoue-san's eyes were bloodshot, and foam was bubbling at the mouth.
Inoue-san had been arrogant even when we worked together, but I hadn't thought Inoue-san would do something this stupid.
(Come to think of it, that girl had eyes like that, too...)
The monster tamer girl I'd met at that school.
She'd had the same look in her eyes as them.
It was the distinctive gaze of someone who'd thrown off their restraints and surrendered to their desires.
(Could I have ended up like this, too...?)
If I hadn't met Momo, if I hadn't met Ichinose-san.
I might have lived by my desires just like them and destroyed myself.
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
"...Chief Shimizu."
"What is it?"
"What do you want to do with them?"
"...Well."
Chief Shimizu thought for a moment.
"I... would like them to come to their senses, if possible."
"Even after they tried to kill you?"
For a moment, I wondered what the hell Chief Shimizu was talking about, but when I looked closer, her slender body was trembling.
"Yes, I know. ...But even so, it's also true that they've fought many monsters and helped us all this time. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"If I kill them here in a fit of emotion, wouldn't that make me just like them...? I... I...!"
"..."
I could see all kinds of emotions in Chief Shimizu's eyes.
Conflict, fear, and anger.
She couldn't possibly be as composed as her words made her sound.
Two of her companions had died, too. If things had gone just a little differently, they could have suffered the same fate—or worse.
Even so, she was desperately trying to swallow her feelings and think about what came next.
(She really hasn't changed since we worked at the company...)
Why did Chief Shimizu always try to shoulder all the burdens herself?
"I-I... um...!"
Nijo seemed torn about what should be done with them, but then Nijo's expression suddenly changed.
I immediately understood what it meant.
"U-Um, Kazuto-senpai... We should get out of here—"
"It's all right, I understand. It looks like the paralysis has mostly worn off for you two."
"Oh, you're right..."
They were still a little unsteady, but could move normally well enough.
"When I give the signal, both of you run immediately."
"Huh?"
I headed toward Inoue-san and the others.
(—Storage)
I used Storage without letting anyone notice.
...Looks like it worked.
Then I would leave the final decision to them.
"Now then, Inoue-san. Did you hear what we were saying? If you can reflect on your actions and swear never to repeat this mistake, these women say they'll forgive you."
"...I understand. I won't ever do this again. ...I'm truly sorry."
Inoue-san apologized.
"Then I'm going to release you. Don't try anything strange, all right? It'd be bad for you if you did."
With that, I released them.
At that moment—
"You idiot!"
Inoue-san and his companions readied their weapons and tried to attack us.
There was no sign of hesitation or remorse.
Seeing their eyes warped by pitch-black madness, my heart went completely cold.
(I knew it'd turn out this way...)
Since I'd expected it, I dodged with a backstep and doused them without hesitation with "that" I'd taken out of my Item Box.
"Gah?!"
"Y-You... Don't tell me this is...?!"
With their mouths wide open, they reflexively swallowed it.
The water they'd prepared—the water filled with paralysis poison.
Inoue-san tried to spit it out, but it was too late.
In that instant, a huge number of ants burst through the ground.
"Wha—?!"
"You two, run!"
"…!"
Nijo and Chief Shimizu immediately started running.
I ran toward them as well.
And then only a huge number of ants and the paralyzed Inoue-san and his companions remained there.
"Kish!"
"Gishishi!"
"Kish-kishiii!"
From what I could see, there were more than forty of them. A few higher-ranking ones seemed to be mixed in, too.
"M-My body's going numb... Damn it, hey, the insecticide! Get it out, now! You had a Resistance Skill!"
"I-I don't have it! What the hell?! There's nothing in my backpack!"
"What?! You're fucking kidding me! You prepared a ton of it!"
"I said it's not here! Hey, what do we do?! Without that, there's no way we can take on this many by ourselves... Huh? What about our weapons? Where'd our weapons go?! The weapons we were just using are gone, too!"
"What the hell is going on?! H-Hey! Help us! Hey, please! Somebody help us!"
"N-No! I don't wanna die! Damn it, stay back! Don't come any closer!"
Their desperate cries for help reached no one.
In a world where people lived according to their desires, the weak were preyed upon by the strong—the law of the jungle.
That was the world they had wished for.
And so—
"Kudoooo! Please, help meeeee! Damn it! Get off me, you—agh, stop—...ah."
We turned our backs on them and ran.
Nijo and Chief Shimizu wore pained expressions, but they didn't stop running.
No one looked back anymore.
And a little while later, the presences of Inoue-san and the others disappeared.
Now then, I'd better hurry and catch up with Nishino-kun's group.