Chapter 70
We circle around the area, looking for an easy place to enter, and infiltrate the school grounds.
There are guards, but they don't notice us.
Apparently, unless someone has detection abilities on par with the High Orc or Dark Wolf, they can't detect us.
Good. Lately, I'd only been running into enemies my Skills didn't work against, so I'd started to worry. But it seems my Skills really were doing their job after all.
Furthermore, now that we've entered the school building, Ichinose-san's 'Recognition Inhibition' takes effect.
My Skills are active too, so there's almost no chance we'll be noticed now.
In fact, even when we walk down the halls, they don't pay us any attention.
Now we can sneak around openly to our hearts' content.
Still, it's been several years since I last came to my old school.
How nostalgic.
I enter without changing into indoor shoes, walking in with my outdoor shoes on.
You might say this isn't the time to worry about something like that, but somehow it feels like I'm doing something wrong.
Going to the bathroom together was fine, but if it was number two, people would suddenly start teasing you. There were unspoken rules between upperclassmen and underclassmen, and people were absurdly particular about things that seemed completely irrelevant once you became an adult. In some ways, a caste system was even more firmly established here than in society at large.
Seriously, school is such a strange place.
To be blunt, I don't have many good memories of it.
I can't exactly laugh at Ichinose-san.
"......Kudo-san, do you have gasoline and lighters in your Item Box?"
I do, but I'm not giving you any.
Ignoring Ichinose-san as she mutters something rather dangerous, I look around the school.
It hasn't changed all that much from what I remember.
Convenient. Holding Ichinose-san's hand, we move through the school building.
Otherwise, the effects of our Skills won't spread to each other.
...I need to be careful not to let my hands get sweaty.
Also, Ichinose-san, your hand is incredibly soft. Thank you.
People rush past right beside us.
"Excuse me, are Mr. Tanaka's family members here―――?" "The injured are this way. Supplies are being distributed over there!" "It's all right, it's all right, so please calm down." "Sis, I'm hungry." "Be patient, little brother. Here, have some candy!" "Yay! You're the best, Sis!" "The exploration team is back!" "Hey, did you hear? Nishino and the others are alive." "Seriously?" "They're meeting with the president right now." "Any men willing to help with exploration, this way―――"
I activate 'Keen Hearing' and eavesdrop on the conversations of people passing by and those nearby.
There are more people here than I expected.
Not only the school gate, but the schoolyard, the areas along the walls, and even the roads around the school are filled with people.
Most of them are evacuees or students, but there may be nearly a hundred of them.
"...It's less chaotic than I expected."
"That's true..."
Children are running through the halls, and voices are constantly flying back and forth, but I don't hear any screams or sobbing.
Maps of the school are posted here and there in the halls, and something resembling a message board has been set up by the entrance.
Everything is well organized and maintained.
This school probably has a 'head' too.
Like Nishino-kun, who was running the home improvement store.
But what kind of person could organize this many people in an emergency like this?
They must have an extraordinary amount of influence or leadership ability to bring so many people together.
...If we want to gather information, should we go to that person?
'Detection' has picked up strong presences in three places.
The staff room, the student council room, and the area near the school gate.
The ones near the school gate are probably the people who just returned from scouting.
Now that I think about it, Nishino-kun said earlier that the president had summoned him.
The president... He probably means the student council president, right?
If so, would that be the best place to head?
"...Ichinose-san, are you feeling all right?"
I glance over at Ichinose-san.
This can't be a very pleasant place for her.
In fact, she doesn't look well at all.
"...I-I'm fine."
It's obvious she's forcing herself to act fine.
Her complexion is poor, her eyes keep darting around, and her ears are red too.
But if she keeps going like this, maybe she'll acquire something like 'Stress Resistance.'
Please hang in there without throwing up, Ichinose-san. You can do it.
Then you'll get a Skill.
Cheering Ichinose-san on in my heart, we head for the student council room.
Meanwhile, in the student council room―――.
"It's been a while, Nishino-kun."
In the student council room, Nishino was facing that person.
"...It's been a while, President."
Nishino doesn't even bother hiding the fact that he really didn't want to meet her, and replies carelessly.
The girl called the president covers her mouth with one hand and giggles.
"Don't make such a face. I don't remember doing anything that would make Nishino-kun dislike me, though."
"Well, that's true. It's just that, to Aisaka and me, someone like you, President, is from a completely different world..."
The girl sits in front of Nishino with her arms folded on the desk.
She is the student council president of this school, Igarashi Toka.
She is the very definition of a beautiful girl with both stunning looks and a brilliant mind.
And―――she is also the person Nishino hates most and wants to keep his distance from.
"That's not true. I'm an ordinary high school girl too. I'm no different from you and the others, you know?"
Hearing that, Nishino nearly bursts out laughing.
How can she say that with a straight face?
"So even you tell jokes, President. An ordinary high school girl couldn't organize people like this. I heard about it on the way here. Ever since the monsters appeared, you've been taking charge and bringing everyone together, haven't you? That's no small feat."
"I was only desperate. When the monsters appeared, many of the teachers fled without a thought for anyone but themselves. So those of us who remained decided to do whatever we could. The situation we're in now is the result of everyone working hard and joining forces."
"I see."
"Exactly."
The president responds to Nishino's careless replies with a smile.
She's difficult to deal with. She smiles constantly, making it impossible to read her true feelings.
If anything, the members of the student council standing behind her are far easier to understand.
The bespectacled, intellectual-looking male student in the back—he was probably the vice president—looks at me with an irritated expression in response to Nishino's careless answers, and the other members react similarly.
(Good thing I didn't bring Rikka.)
She's better at physical work than thinking, so she'd probably have trouble dealing with people like this.
Even if she didn't mean to, there was a good chance she'd let some information about us slip.
(But I can't afford to make a careless move...)
Nishino realized it the moment he entered the student council room and saw them.
Every member of the student council, including President Igarashi, possessed Skills.
Since he had no idea what kind of Skills they possessed, he couldn't afford to act carelessly.
Even if he put on a tough front, they held the initiative in the conversation.
"Now, to get to the main point: Nishino-kun and Aisaka-san have already defeated monsters, haven't they?"
―――Here it comes.
Nishino became even more wary inwardly.
"...Yes, that's right."
"As I thought... Then you know about Skills and levels too, right?"
"Yes, I know."
He had no intention of hiding it.
In any case, the information would reach her through Ishizaki and Katsuragi, who had come with them.
Though what reached her would probably be 'false' information.
"Then I'll ask you directly. Would you join us?"
"Join you?"
"Yes. We're currently in an extremely critical situation. We're under threat from monsters, our communications are unusable, we have no idea when help will arrive, and our food supplies are constantly running dangerously low. I want to do something about this situation. I want to change it."
President Igarashi lowers her eyes and laments their current circumstances.
Every movement, every word, everything about her was dazzling, as though it drew in and captivated everyone who saw her.
The members of the student council nod along.
"Just as the president says."
"Yes, exactly. Let's all work together to overcome this crisis!"
"That's right, that's right."
Nishino watched them with an utterly cold gaze.
(To find Shibata and the others who got separated, I need their cooperation. But is it really safe to join forces with such a blissfully naive bunch?)
He had come here to gather information about his companions.
Their combat power was appealing, but he had a feeling they wouldn't get along.
They were the exact opposite of Nishino, who was willing to cut people loose from the outset in order to survive.
"Thank you, everyone."
With that, President Igarashi rose from her seat.
She walked straight over to Nishino and took his hand.
"Pres...ident?"
The movement was so natural that Nishino's reaction was delayed for a moment.
It was a fatal opening.
"Please, Nishino-kun. Won't you cooperate with us?"
That 'voice' entered Nishino's ears, clear as crystal,
"Some people may object because of your past behavior. But I believe in you. You and Aisaka-san are both wonderful people, filled with a sense of justice."
It was so pleasant that it began to infiltrate his brain,
"Shall we all work together to overcome this crisis?"
In her dazzlingly bright eyes, he saw his own face reflected, its expression horribly clouded,
"...Yes, that's right. If you'll have us, we'd be happy to cooperate."
Before he knew it, Nishino had nodded and promised to cooperate with them.
"Thank you, Nishino-kun..."
President Igarashi's smiling face looked just like that of a goddess.
Nishino's heart pounded, and he felt his body temperature rise.
His face was probably turning red.
"I expect I'll ask you and the others to replenish our supplies. We give priority to people with Skills when it comes to exploring the city."
"Yes, I understand..."
Nishino nodded.
Ah, that's right.
What had he been questioning all this time?
She had sincerely asked him for help, and yet he had doubted her.
He had to do whatever he could for her.
That thought began to well up inside him.
"For now, get some rest. I'll give you further instructions later."
"Yes, that's right, President. Let's do our best from here on out."
With a bright smile on his face, Nishino left the student council room.
Once Nishino's presence had moved sufficiently far away, the male student serving as vice president spoke.
"...It worked."
"Yes. He seemed somewhat wary, but now that he's like this, there shouldn't be a problem."
Her tone was cold and detached, completely different from before.
Sitting in her own chair, President Igarashi wore a cold smile.
"'Skill' really is convenient. I can't believe someone that wary could be so easily swayed... Ah, it's thrilling. Hee hee, ohohoho..."
"As one would expect of you, President."
"Hee hee, thank you. But what I told him was true, too. I really do want to do something about this situation. Hopefully, we can return to the peaceful school life we had before..."
Yes, I absolutely hate a world like this.
I want to go back. I want to take it back. Our peaceful school life.
Back to those days when she controlled everything and everyone bowed before her.
Her melancholy gesture made the members of the student council sigh involuntarily.
Seeing that, she deepened her smile even further.
Meanwhile, listening to their voices through the wall, I was breaking out in a cold sweat.
...This student council president is way crazier than I thought.
I quickly slipped away with Ichinose-san.