Chapter 60
Hiding behind a shelf, I watch the two women who just came in.
One is the newlywed who used to live in the apartment next to mine.
...Come to think of it, I don't know her name. I wonder what it is?
The other is a short-haired girl wearing a school-issued tracksuit.
She's probably a high school student. She looks like the sporty type.
The two slowly make their way through the store, holding their forked poles at the ready.
"W-We’re okay, right...? T-The Orcs aren't here, are they?"
The high school girl seems pretty frightened.
Her hands are trembling as she grips her weapon.
"It's fine. If they were here, they'd have attacked us by now... probably."
"Don't say 'probably'!"
Ishizawa-san's expression is stiff, but she walks with steady steps.
Is she unexpectedly gutsy, or is she putting on a brave face because someone younger is with her?
Hmm... Will they be okay?
From the looks of them, neither seems to be particularly high-level.
More importantly, what did these two come here for?
It doesn't look like they came to resupply.
Judging from what she said earlier, did they come looking for survivors?
"It's okay, Ishizawa-san. Your husband must have escaped too. So, okay? Let's go back already..."
Ah, so they really are looking for survivors.
And apparently the newlywed's surname is Ishizawa.
The athletic girl desperately tries to persuade Ishizawa-san, but she keeps pressing farther inside.
Oh, right. If they keep going this way...
I have a bad feeling about this, but sure enough, they see 'it' and scream.
The pile of corpses the Orcs had stacked up.
"W-What is this...? ...Urp, bleeegh..."
The athletic girl vomits violently, as though she can't even look at it.
Yeah, that's how most people would react.
Without 'Stress Resistance' and the like, this would be a lifelong traumatic sight for me too.
"N-No... This can't be..."
Ishizawa-san, meanwhile, stares blankly at the pile of corpses.
More precisely, at a single point in the pile.
At one man.
"Why...? No, this is a lie. Honey... no... nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
Ishizawa-san cries out and runs to the man's corpse.
If I remember correctly, he was one of the people who fought here on the first day.
So he was her husband...
"Oh, honey... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Ishizawa-san cradles the corpse against her chest and keeps crying for a while.
The athletic girl looks away, as if she can't bear to look directly at it.
...Honestly, this is unpleasant to watch.
It's almost time, so I'd better leave before they notice me.
I'm curious where they came from, but my meeting with Ichinose-san is fast approaching.
I can't exactly be late.
"Whine?"
Momo asks whether we should leave, but I've already made up my mind.
"...It's fine. We don't need to stick our noses into this."
We knew each other and lived next door, but that was all.
"Please hang in there and survive."
After offering them a word of encouragement, we leave the shopping mall.
A world that changed in only three days.
A world overflowing with monsters, where human lives had become cheap and death had drawn close.
It must be giving rise to tragedies like this everywhere.
...That's precisely why we have to do our best to survive.
And a few minutes later.
There were others visiting the shopping mall as well.
"Oh, just like Nissy predicted. Looks like the Orcs aren't here."
"Yeah, thank goodness. This is the quickest route to school."
Two students, Nishino and Rikka, look out at the shopping mall from the parking lot.
"What do we do? Should we take a look inside?"
"...Let's not. The things inside are tempting, but we need to reach our destination as quickly as possible."
"Mm, yeah, I guess so. ...Huh? Wait, someone's coming out."
"What...?"
When they turn to look, two women emerge from the shopping mall.
One of them is someone they know.
A short-haired girl wearing a tracksuit.
The moment they see her, their expressions change.
"Could that be... Katsuragi-san?"
The girl flinches when her name is suddenly called.
Then, when she sees Nishino and Rikka in the parking lot, her eyes widen.
"...Huh? No way. Nishino-kun? And Aisaka-san? Y-You're alive? Really?"
The short-haired girl speaks in a voice filled with surprise and a hint of relief.
This girl, called Katsuragi, was a classmate of Nishino and Rikka.
The three run to one another, delighted to be reunited.
"Katsuragi-chi, long time no see. I'm glad you're safe."
"Aisaka-san too... I was worried about you. Neither of you came to school that day..."
"...Yeah, that's right. Hey, Katsuragi-chi, what have you been up to until today? And who's that?"
"Ah, yeah, right. Um, where should I start—"
Katsuragi, the athletic girl, tells them what happened.
Three days ago, on the day the world changed, she had stayed at school for club activities.
There, she had been caught in a monster attack and survived by working together with the other students.
She briefly explains that there were few monsters around the school and that it had since become an evacuation shelter where people were gathering.
"...I see. You two had it rough."
"You too, Nishino-kun... I hope Ohno-kun and Shibata-kun are safe too."
"Yeah. I'm sure they're alive."
"Hey, what are you two going to do now? If you'd like, you could come with us—"
"Of course. Let us join you. We were headed to school anyway."
At Nishino's firm nod, Katsuragi looks relieved.
Her cheeks are slightly flushed.
"Great. Then let's go together?"
"Yeah, got it."
Thus, Nishino and Rikka reunited with their classmate and set out for school.
"Oh, right. You two have defeated monsters, right? What Jobs and Skills did you choose?"
It was an offhand question.
For an instant, shadows pass over both their faces.
"...Um, I chose—"
"I chose 'Negotiator,' and Rikka chose 'Adventurer.' So I'm leaving the fighting to Rikka. ...It's pathetic of me as a man, but apparently you can't change it once you've chosen one."
"Oh, I see."
Katsuragi nods without any particular suspicion.
Seeing this, Nishino lets out a sigh of relief.
"...Is that okay?"
In a voice only Nishino can hear, Rikka asks him quietly.
"...Yeah. We don't know what might happen. We'd better keep our 'true Jobs' hidden, just in case."
"...Yeah."
"You two, what's keeping you? Let's go already!"
"Yeah, coming."
They cut the conversation short.
That's right, they can't let anyone find out.
Their true Levels and Jobs—and above all, 'that Skill.'
Nishino Kyouya
Level 8
Job
Commander Lv. 4
Skills
Leadership Lv. 2, Negotiation Lv. 2, Combat Support Lv. 2, Command Lv. 3
Survival Instinct Lv. 2, Crisis Detection Lv. 1, Luck Lv. 1
Kin Slayer Lv. 2
Aisaka Rikka
Level 9
Job
Berserker Lv. 5
Skills
Berserk Lv. 3, Valor Lv. 2, Battle Continuation Lv. 1
Slash Enhancement Lv. 2, Strike Enhancement Lv. 1, Physical Regeneration Lv. 2
Kin Slayer Lv. 2