Chapter 73
"Why...? How come?"
Ichinose-san repeats the same words over and over, like a sleep-talker.
Someone she knows... No, could it be that girl she said she was close to earlier?
"That girl?"
She looks like the complete opposite of Ichinose-san, though...
No, I'll put that aside for now.
The Dark Wolf takes priority.
What should I do? Should I pursue it?
I can still catch up.
Nishino-kun and the others don't know this, but we'd practically wiped out that thing's pack.
The Dark Wolf itself is badly weakened too.
This is the perfect chance to finish it off.
"Woof!"
Momo had already emerged from my Shadow and was tugging on the hem of my clothes, urging me on.
Momo must be in favor of pursuing it too.
She was being more proactive than usual.
All right, it's decided.
We'll use Momo's sense of smell to track it.
We've been chased around by that thing enough already.
Time for a counterattack.
We'll finish it off here.
"Ichinose-san, we're going after the Dark Wolf. Please get on my back."
It'll be faster to carry her on my back.
Besides, Ichinose-san isn't exactly well-endowed, so I won't lose focus while running.
Come on, hop on.
"...Huh? Ichinose-san?"
There was no response.
What happened?
When I looked behind me, Ichinose-san was still staring at Rikka-chan.
Is she really that concerned...? Hey! What are you doing?!
To my disbelief, Ichinose-san shook off my hand.
Then she stumbled forward on shaky legs, opened her mouth, and—
"Ri―――"
I hurriedly tried to stop her—but I was too late.
"~~~~~! (shaking her head frantically)"
But in that instant, Aka's clone, which had been clinging to Ichinose-san, covered her mouth.
Momo then smoothly bound Ichinose-san with its 'Shadow.'
"Mmph, mmph!"
"I'm sorry, but please stay like that for a while!"
I picked up Ichinose-san and ran with all my might.
We quickly left the area.
That was close. We had almost been exposed.
"It seems you've been reunited with an old acquaintance, but please bear with it for now."
"..."
"There were members of the student council there, along with many other students. Showing ourselves at this point wouldn't be wise."
"..."
"You saw your acquaintance, so she should now be available as a recipient of 'Mail.' You can contact her later. If you really want to meet her, there are plenty of ways, such as secretly designating a place. So please bear with it for now."
I desperately tried to persuade Ichinose-san while running.
Oh, crap. Running and talking at the same time is hard.
My side is killing me.
Even with my stats boosted enough to run incredibly fast while carrying a woman, why is this part still within normal human limits? Damn it.
Hm? Wait a second.
What would we look like if someone else saw us right now?
A man in a full-face helmet—me—carrying a gun—Ichinose-san's—while carrying a beautiful girl—Ichinose-san—bound head to toe in black rope—Momo's Shadow—with a gag—Aka's Mimicry—in her mouth, and running full tilt while breathing heavily.
This is bad. No matter how you look at it, it's a terrible sight.
A definite call-the-police situation.
W-well, whatever.
Not that anyone will notice, thanks to our Skills.
We've come pretty far from the school.
We should be fine now. There doesn't seem to be anyone nearby.
I released Ichinose-san from her restraints.
"Hk... Phew, huff, huff, huff..."
"Sorry for handling you so roughly, but―――"
"I-I'm sorry!"
The moment I set Ichinose-san down, she dropped into a full prostration.
Huh?
"I acted on my own and caused you trouble, Kudo-san... Even though we're party members... I'm truly sorry."
Her voice trembled, and she looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Please don't. When a woman cries, it somehow automatically makes me look like the bad guy. Seriously, please don't.
Or rather, what happened?
Her attitude is completely different from before.
Oh, she's calmed down and gone back to being the usual Ichinose-san.
"N-no... We barely made it in time, so please raise your head."
"I can't. I'm sorry, truly..."
Seriously, stop.
I don't know why, but I feel incredibly guilty.
"F-for now, let's take a break. Look, there's a conveniently located vacant house right there."
Tracking the Dark Wolf would be impossible in this state.
We should rest for a while to calm down.
We entered the vacant house.
"You must be thirsty. Here, have this."
"..."
I took a can of coffee from my Item Box and handed it to Ichinose-san.
It was low-sugar Demitasse ◯rande. It's sweet and delicious, though.
Apparently it's limited to Tohoku, though—is that really true?
"Woof!"
"Yes, yes. I have some for Momo too."
Not canned coffee, just water, though.
I poured some water into a dish and gave it to Momo.
I sat down wherever I could and took a breather too.
Yeah, it's sweet. The sugar and caffeine are soaking into my body.
"After we rest a little, let's set out. Momo should still be able to track it by scent."
"Woof."
Momo nodded.
Yeah, I'm counting on you.
Momo gets all floppy when I pat its head. So cute.
"...Aren't you going to ask?"
Ichinose-san murmured that while fiddling with the coffee can in her hand.
"Ask what?"
"Um, about what happened earlier..."
I scratched my cheek absently.
"Well, if I said I wasn't curious, I'd be lying, but..."
Honestly, I'm extremely curious.
But―――
"I don't want to press you about it and ruin the relationship we have now, Ichinose-san."
"...!"
I want to stay on good terms with her as party members.
This is her problem, and it's not something I have the right to barge into.
Everyone has thoughts they don't want to talk about.
I'm the same way.
"So I'll leave that up to you. Talk when you feel ready. I'll wait until then."
If she wants to talk, she can talk.
If she doesn't want to talk, she doesn't have to.
That's not for me to decide.
So I'll wait.
"...Yes. Thank you."
When I said that, Ichinose-san gave me a small smile.
She seemed all right now.
"Now then, shall we get going? We'll pursue the Dark Wolf. Is that all right?"
"Yes!"
Ichinose-san answered cheerfully and took back her gun.
All right, let's get moving again.
Let's go after the Dark Wolf.
Meanwhile, back at the school―――.
"...Hmm...? Huh?"
"What's wrong, Rikka?"
"No, I just felt something nostalgic. I mean... I know it's impossible, but I thought I heard Nattsun's voice."
"You're kidding, right? There's no way she could be here."
"Yeah, you're right... Heh, what am I even saying?"
"That's surprising. I didn't think you still remembered her."
"Of course! I could never forget her. She was my best friend, after all."
"You mean the person you bullied the most, right? You drove her into becoming a truant, and you say that?"
"Haha, yeah, you're right... That's right, that's right. Okay, end of this topic. So what was I supposed to do next?"
"Treat the wounded and meet the members of the exploration team. Let's go."
"Sure thing."
≪You gained experience.≫
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain threshold.≫
≪Monster Taming rose from Lv. 5 to 6.≫
≪Familiar Enhancement rose from Lv. 3 to 4.≫
"Tch... I can't believe I couldn't kill even one of them. Well, whatever. I've learned enough about this one's capabilities. Next time is the real thing."
"Urgh... Grrr..."
"What's with that look? Are you going to defy your master, you mutt?"
"Yelp!"
"Ah-hyahyah! What's the matter? You've got a complaint, don't you? Huh?! Take that! Take that!"
"Ghk... Grr..."
"Hah! That's what you get for defying your master when you're nothing but a servant!"
"..."
"Now that the world has become like this, now that I've gained this kind of power, I'm going to get everything I want. I won't let anyone get in my way."