Email

What was that heavenly voice just now...?

It sounded like I heard something different from usual...

≪You have met the required conditions≫

≪You can now acquire the Skill 'Email'≫

≪You have one unread email≫

The heavenly voice echoed in my head again.

...Email.

It definitely said "email" just now, didn't it?

I hadn't misheard it.

"Woof!"

"Huh... Oh!"

Momo's voice brought me back to my senses.

That's right. For now, I had to hide.

Momo and I moved to the wall nearby.

We were in the apartment building's blind spot here.

They couldn't snipe us from there.

Well, since the sniper had targeted the monsters and spared the students, they probably weren't targeting people. Even so, better safe than sorry.

Besides, if they had intended to snipe us, they would have done it already.

...Thinking about it that way gave me chills.

Whoever they were, if they'd been so inclined, I'd already be dead.

Realizing that made me break into a cold sweat.

What an idiot I was... I'd let my guard down far too much.

"Whiiine."

"...(shiver)"

As I brooded, Momo and Aka worried about me.

Ah, sorry, you two.

That's right. Instead of beating myself up, I had to learn from this and put it to use next time.

All right. Time to get my head back in the game.

I had calmed down somewhat.

Now then, to revisit that―――what does this email mean!?

Judging from that heavenly voice, there was no doubt that the 'Email' Skill existed, but...

I opened my Status Plate.

The Additional Skills section.

'Email' was displayed there, just as I had heard.

The required amount was one point, which was fewer than the other Additional Skills.

It intrigued me, but I currently had zero Skill Points.

I couldn't acquire it until I leveled up again.

But I was curious...

At the very least, could I check the contents of the email I'd just received?

As I thought that, the Status screen changed.

What?

The changed Status screen...

It displayed 'Email Menu'.

Looking through the options, I found Compose Email, Inbox, Sent Mail, Unread, Address Book, and so on.

The lower part even had something resembling a keyboard for typing.

It looked like a three-dimensional computer screen.

So it had functions like this, too...

Among the options, 'Unread' was blinking.

I touched it.

One unread email.

Recipient: 'Ichinose Natsu'

Subject: 'Nice to Meet You'

...It really was email.

What was going on with this world? Was anything possible?

No, maybe since real-world cell phones had stopped working, a means of communication like this had been established instead?

F-for now, I should probably check the contents, right?

More importantly, who was this person?

Ichinose Natsu...?

I didn't know anyone by that name, and I was pretty sure no one at work had been named Ichinose, either.

It wasn't as though I had a wide circle of acquaintances to begin with.

I could count my friends on one hand, and if there had been anyone with a name like this, I would have remembered.

Where had I met them?

I shifted my attention to the body of the email.

Sorry for contacting you out of the blue. My name is Ichinose Natsu.

You were watching the battle earlier, weren't you?

I was the one who made those sniping attacks.

"...Huh?"

I couldn't help blurting it out.

W-what did they say...?

That was their doing?

My head filled with question marks, but I decided to keep reading for now.

I saw you watching the battle from where you were hiding.

I only happened to spot you.

I was observing the outside from the apartment building's rooftop when I spotted the students scavenging for food at the co-op, as well as you and your dog.

I had originally intended to send you this email then, but monsters appeared before I could.

Even though you were strangers to me, I thought it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I let you die, so I took action as I did.

I sincerely apologize for startling you.

However, I believe it was ultimately for the best, since their lives were saved as well.

Now, to get to the point, I am contacting you because I would very much like to join the party consisting of you and your dog.

You are probably wondering why I would ask this so suddenly, but in fact, I have known about you for some time.

Do you remember?

Yesterday, you were fighting several Goblins at the co-op a few kilometers from here, weren't you?

At the time, I watched your battle from a distance.

I was deeply impressed by your valiant yet meticulously calculated movements.

In particular, your Shiba Inu companion was wonderful.

Its strength, cuteness, and beautiful coat have completely captured my heart.

Seeing it made me wish that I could be of assistance to you as well.

I understand that this sudden contact may have left you confused, but I would be grateful if you would understand and consider my proposal.

I look forward to your favorable reply.

"..."

Um... what's this?

A business email?

Basically, this person is inviting me to form a party with them, but it's incredibly stiff.

It sounds like one of those notification emails sent by an operating company.

What should I do?

"...For now, this person doesn't seem like a bad person..."

I didn't know who this person was.

The wording was stiff, too.

But this part...

'Your Shiba Inu companion was especially wonderful.

Its strength, cuteness, and beautiful coat have completely captured my heart.'

Even from this part alone, I could tell this person wasn't bad.

Why?

Anyone who understands how cute Momo is can't be a bad person.

Well, putting that aside.

Now, what should I do...?

It was still possible this was a trap, and I could choose to ignore the email.

No, that wouldn't do.

After all, they knew about me.

If they'd watched my battle with the Goblins yesterday, then they'd also seen me taking things in and out of the Item Box.

I should assume they knew I had an 'Item Box,' or at least a Skill similar to it.

...Could that be the 'person watching me' I sensed back then?

I had felt as though someone was watching me at the time, and if it had been them, that would explain everything.

Since there was a chance they'd reveal my Skills, ignoring them would be a terrible idea.

Besides, it was possible that they really only wanted to form a party with us.

A companion capable of ranged attacks—the kind I'd been looking for.

And with enough power to kill a monster with a single shot from long range.

If they joined us, there was no doubt they'd be a powerful asset.

I didn't trust them yet, but I should at least send a reply.

I'd buy some time by saying something like, 'For now, please allow me to consider it.'

I clicked the 'Reply' option.

≪The Skill 'Email' has not been acquired. You cannot reply to emails≫

A voice echoed in my head.

Come on, I can't reply unless I acquire the 'Email' Skill?

Just in case, I clicked the other options as well, but none of them worked.

Apparently, without the Skill, all I could do was check received emails.

First, I had to level up.

I had no choice but to leave this place, defeat monsters to raise my level, and acquire 'Email' as soon as possible.

"I'll deal with the reply later."

For now, I should leave this place.

The fact that they'd found me meant they had probably seen through my hiding and Presence Concealment.

I couldn't trust them yet, and with sniping as their means of attack, approaching carelessly would be far too dangerous.

We carefully moved so that we remained out of sight of the apartment building and left the area.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the high-rise apartment building―――.

"...This is okay, right?"

The woman, Ichinose Natsu, was checking the contents of the email she'd sent.

How could she contact someone without having to meet them face-to-face?

The answer was 'Email.'

A means of communicating with others that even someone as shy as her could use.

When she got this Skill, she was so happy she practically did a little dance.

She thought that even she could manage this.

The 'Email' Skill was a convenient Skill that allowed her to contact anyone she had met.

It was technically limited to humans, but that wasn't a problem.

"Now I can meet that dog...!"

With that as her sole motivation, she sent the email.

She had wanted to form a party with someone to begin with, and nearly everything she'd written in the email was how she truly felt.

Even while calling him a scumbag and whatnot, she had given the man a fair assessment.

She specialized in long-range attacks, and he specialized in close-range attacks. They could make up for each other's shortcomings.

It was a win-win relationship.

Well, she would be little more than that Shiba Inu's tagalong.

When she happened to spot them earlier, she had felt as though it was fate.

All she had to do now was wait for a reply accepting her offer.

Apparently, it hadn't even crossed her mind that she might be rejected.

She was far too carefree.

"They're hidden behind the wall, so I can't see them. Did they read the email?"

From here, they were hidden from view.

Maybe I should send it one more time, just in case.

They might have gotten suspicious and ignored it.

The beginning was crucial with things like this.

The wording had been a little stiff, too, so she'd send a revised version.

"...Is it still too stiff?"

She sent it.

"Ah... There was a typo. I-I have to send it one more time."

Send.

"...Maybe I should compliment the dog a little more?"

Send.

"Yes, this is it. This one is perfect."

Send.

"...No reply yet..."

Send.

"Maybe I should send it one more time, just to be safe."

Send.

"Oh, I'll change the wording a little, too."

Send.

"And then―――..."

Send, send, send.

Send, send, send, send.

Send, send, send, send, send.

And then, one hour after she began sending emails―――.

"Ah, I finally got a reply."

Thank goodness.

She had sent around forty-five emails, but it seemed he had finally noticed them.

Apparently, he hadn't had enough SP to acquire the 'Email' Skill.

The reply explained that he had been leveling up, which was why his response had been delayed.

"Phew... thank goodness."

"I'll consider it, so could you give me a little time? Also, I have read your email properly, so you don't need to keep sending them. Please, please."

Yes, the result was excellent.

She replied, "Understood. I look forward to working with you."

But why had his message sounded so intimidated, as though he were anxiously trying to gauge her mood?

She tilted her head in puzzlement.