Chapter 71
After leaving the student council room, I once again walked through the school building.
That student council president is dangerous. In every sense.
Because when she was speaking, 'Danger Sense' reacted.
It wasn't a monster or a battle. 'Danger Sense' reacted to nothing more than eavesdropping.
In other words, some kind of 'Skill' had been activated.
The fact that it affected me through a wall meant it was probably related to her 'voice.'
Her voice had a quality that nearly drew me into a strange sensation, so perhaps it was a Skill that had some kind of effect on those who heard it.
Something like 'Charm' or 'Brainwashing,' for example.
There was a Skill called 'Negotiation,' after all, so it wouldn't be strange if Skills like those existed too.
In fact, Nishino-kun's attitude had clearly changed partway through.
She must have been affected by the president's Skill.
The fact that 'Danger Sense' had activated without affecting me personally meant that either it was an ability that only activated against designated targets, or its effect weakened with distance...
Either way, I was lucky.
If it had been a Skill that affected everyone who heard her voice equally, Ichinose-san and I would have been in trouble by now―――
Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
Maybe I'd let my guard down because I wasn't dealing with a monster, but merely gathering information.
Or maybe it was because I'd assumed we could afford to be careless simply because no one was aware of our presence.
"Damn, what an idiot I am. I let my guard down way too much..."
Since I had no idea what kinds of Skills or Jobs existed, I should have known better than to let my guard down. How careless could I be?
"Um, Kudo-san, what's wrong? You've had such a frightening look on your face for a while now...?"
That snapped me back to my senses.
"Ah, sorry. I was just appalled at my own foolishness..."
"...Huh?"
Ichinose-san tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Unlike me, Ichinose-san didn't have the 'Eavesdropping' Skill, so she had no idea what had been discussed inside the student council room.
I told Ichinose-san what had been said in the student council room and about the possibility of the student council president possessing a Skill.
"...I see. That certainly is troublesome."
After listening to everything I had to say, Ichinose-san nodded.
Incidentally, we were currently in a corner of the staircase, away from the student council room.
A secluded place was better for talking, even if a Skill was preventing people from recognizing us.
"That student council president is probably Igarashi-san. She was already on the student council when I was a first-year... She was, um, rather famous for one thing or another."
"Oh, really...? Wait, what?"
Hold on.
I felt like I'd just heard something I couldn't ignore...
"...When you were a first-year?"
"Ah..."
Ichinose-san seemed to realize what she had said only afterward.
"Um, yes... I'd technically be a third-year high school student this year... If I'd stayed in school, that is. I dropped out last year..."
Seriously?
This was a fact I was only learning now.
No wonder her skin was so smooth.
"Oh, so that's how it was."
When I nodded casually, Ichinose-san gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Yeah, that's right. Um, so... You can laugh if you want, okay? I know it myself, you see. A high school dropout and shut-in... I'm the textbook example of, well... that sort of thing... Ha, haha."
"Huh? No, I wouldn't laugh."
"...What?"
Ichinose-san often slipped into self-deprecation, but this was something I should make clear to her.
"I didn't make you my companion because of your academic background, Ichinose-san. Whether you were a middle-school graduate or a shut-in, those things are trivial and don't matter. What matters is that you were willing to risk your own life to save Momo and me. That's all."
If Ichinose-san hadn't provided covering fire back then, the High Orc would definitely have killed me.
Actually, if she hadn't given me that information, I might have been doomed much earlier.
"That's why I thought, 'I can trust this person. I want her as a companion.' Right, Momo?"
"Woof!"
Momo emerged from the Shadow and nodded as if to say, "Yeah, that's right."
Then it climbed onto Ichinose-san's lap and rubbed against her.
Hm. Lately, I felt like Momo was getting attached only to Ichinose-san...
Jealous and frustrated.
"..."
Meanwhile, Ichinose-san looked dumbfounded.
Did I say something that strange?
I thought I'd said something pretty good.
Then Ichinose-san murmured,
"...That was unfair."
"Huh?"
She turned her face away with a little pout.
"It's nothing. More importantly, what are we going to do now?"
"Ah, right."
That's right.
The conversation had gotten sidetracked.
"For now, I think we should leave this place."
To be honest, I'd like to gather a little more information, but considering the student council president's Skill, it would be better not to stay too long.
If we had a 'Resistance Skill,' things might be different.
"Would that be all right?"
"Yes, and―――"
I peered out from the corner of the staircase.
I saw students hurrying about.
"...Stirring things up unnecessarily doesn't seem like a good idea either..."
The fact that this school was so well organized was undoubtedly thanks to the efforts of that president and the student council members.
If Skills were being used to manipulate their minds or emotions, it would explain why there was so little chaos here.
She seemed to have two very different sides to her personality, but at least it was a fact that she was keeping the evacuees and students organized like this.
We should avoid unnecessary confusion.
I was a little worried about what would happen to Nishino-kun and the others, but they had experience fighting monsters and possessed Skills, so they should be valuable assets. Surely they wouldn't simply be treated as disposable.
Besides, just learning that the person at the top here possessed a Skill like that was a worthwhile discovery.
It had been a good lesson, too—a reminder not to let my guard down even around other humans.
We'd steadily raise our levels while replenishing our supplies, then return to gather information when the time was right.
We didn't have to fixate on this place. We could gather information at another shelter instead.
Once we'd assessed the people and the place, we could decide whether or not to join the community. Besides, even without meeting them face-to-face, we could use 'Mail' to contact them without revealing our identities.
It was better to err on the side of caution, at least in the world as it was now.
"For now, let's stick to the plan and head out to replenish our supplies while raising our levels."
The agricultural cooperative's warehouse and the wholesale market Ichinose-san had mentioned before we came here.
Those would be good destinations. It would be a chance to acquire a large amount of supplies.
If so, when I leveled up next, maybe I should upgrade my Item Box's expansion function. Oh, and if possible, I'd like to use the motorcycle when traveling. Was there some way to use it without attracting attention?
I was thinking through our plans and about to stand up—that was when it happened.
'Hostility Detection' and 'Danger Sense' activated.
"Tch... What is this?"
I sensed a 'bad feeling.'
It was a monster's presence.
A very powerful one, too. It was steadily drawing closer.
The school gate?
"Rrr..."
Momo must have sensed it too.
It was already on high alert.
"A monster! A monster's appeared!"
A shout rang out.
A wave of alarm ran through the school.
Feet pounded down the stairs.
They'd noticed the disturbance too.
"What does it look like? How many are there?!"
"There's one huge monster that looks like a wolf! But it's way too strong! And it's got some weird ability, too, so send reinforcements, quick!"
"Got it!"
A huge wolf? A weird ability?
"No way..."
I looked toward Ichinose-san.
She, too, gave a small nod without meeting my eyes.
"Momo."
"Woof!"
Momo quickly slipped into the 'Shadow.'
With Ichinose-san on my back, we headed toward the school gate.
"Don't let it in!" "Stop it here!" "Hey, reinforcements are here!" "It's only one!" "Hey, don't let your guard down!" "We'll take it down together!"
We peeked out from the corner of the school building.
Many students had gathered near the school gate, and the battle had already begun.
"Grrrrrrr..."
The monster they were fighting was, as expected, one we knew very well.
A wolf-like figure covered in black fur.
Its red eyes gleamed, and from beneath its feet spread a 'Darkness' that swallowed everything.
There was no mistaking it.
That was the Dark Wolf we'd fought.
I never expected we'd run into it again so soon.
But... why was it here?