Chapter 78
A sudden gunshot.
A female student was sent flying.
Every student there froze.
Silence descended, as if time had stopped.
They probably couldn't process what had happened.
But eventually, as they stared at the fallen student, someone screamed.
"A-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"W-what?! What happened?!"
"Katsuragi-san!?" "Hey, are you all right!?"
"I heard some weird sound!"
And then time began moving again.
Chaos erupted.
At the center of it all, Rikka, the girl who had been standing beside the fallen student, remained frozen in place.
(W-what... happened?)
She couldn't make sense of it.
A sudden email. A voice echoing in her head.
The sender's name, its contents, and the situation unfolding before her.
She had never been good at thinking things through to begin with.
Her brain was already overloaded and overheating.
(R-right, Katsuragi...)
She suddenly turned her gaze toward her classmate, who had been blown away.
(...Huh? What is going on...?)
Seeing her, Rikka's face filled with surprise.
―――'We' watched the scene from the shadows.
"Ichinose-san."
"Yes, I understand..."
Ichinose-san held her gun at the ready, while Momo, Aka, and I were already prepared for battle.
Why were things like this?
To explain, we have to go back a little.
―――A few minutes earlier.
We had infiltrated the school for the second time.
"...All right, Momo. We're counting on you."
"Woof!"
Momo nodded firmly.
For the record, Momo was currently being held in Ichinose-san's arms.
As long as she remained in constant contact with Ichinose-san like this, Ichinose-san's 'Recognition Obstruction' would reach Momo as well.
Momo couldn't follow the scent while remaining inside the Shadow.
Having her carried like this was the quickest way.
Just in case, I had activated my Skills as well.
We had to be ready to flee immediately if anything happened.
I kept my 'Detection' active and my nerves on alert at all times.
The Monster Tamer was troublesome enough, but I didn't want to run into that student council president either.
If we were discovered and she used 'Charm' or 'Brainwashing,' things would get difficult.
I could sense the president's presence, so we should be fine as long as we kept our distance.
Momo, held in Ichinose-san's arms, sniffed the air.
"That way..."
Momo used 'Shadow' to create an arrow at our feet, showing us where to go.
We followed it through the school.
...We haven't been noticed, have we?
Students and evacuees passed right by us as though we weren't there at all.
Even though I knew we were safe, my heart was still pounding.
"...It's awfully noisy."
Unlike the last time we'd infiltrated the school, the atmosphere inside was tense.
The Dark Wolf's attack must still have been affecting things.
Students were hurrying about, while many evacuees were either crying and screaming or making a hysterical fuss.
...This reminds me of the home improvement store where Nishino-kun had been.
The evacuees had been making just as much of a racket back then.
Why did people like this make such a fuss and assert themselves so aggressively despite doing nothing themselves? They weren't even in a position to complain after being taken in and protected.
The herd mentality was such a pain. Once enough people gathered and fell into line, it created an atmosphere where they seemed to think they could say anything.
Children ran energetically past us.
They look alike. Maybe they're twins?
"Hey, sis, it's really noisy. I can't take my nap."
"Hahaha, little brother! These people are what's called a 'mob'! If you let it bother you, you lose!"
"Whoa, sis, you're amazing! You know words like that! ...What do they mean?"
"I don't know!"
"As expected of you, sis!"
Kids sure were energetic, even at a time like this...
Come to think of it, I sensed an unusually strong presence from those kids.
Could they have Skills?
Momo wasn't reacting, so they probably weren't Monster Tamers, but...
No, never mind. Neither 'Danger Sense' nor 'Hostility Detection' was reacting, so we could leave them alone.
We continued exploring the school as we listened to their voices recede behind us.
...―――
"Hm?"
"What is it, little brother?"
"...No, I feel like I just sensed something 'strange' just now...?"
"...?"
―――...
A few minutes into exploring the school.
When we reached a certain spot, Momo gave a quiet bark.
"...Woof."
The place we'd reached was the student cafeteria.
Is the Monster Tamer here...?
I sensed the presence of more than a dozen people inside.
So far, 'Danger Sense' hadn't activated.
We entered the cafeteria.
It had an open layout, and from the entrance we could see everything except the kitchen.
There was a group of students inside.
What was more, I recognized several of them.
Nishino-kun, Rikka-chan, the smart guy with glasses, and the athletic girl from the shopping mall were all there.
"R-Ricchan...!"
Ichinose-san noticed her right away as well.
"Ichinose-san, I understand how you feel, but please hold back for now, okay?"
"I-I know."
Did she really? This worried me...
What were they talking about, anyway?
When I used 'Eavesdropping,' it seemed they were talking about the Monster Tamer too.
So they had noticed as well.
From what I could hear, it was that student council president who had realized the Monster Tamer existed.
Apparently, they were about to search for the Monster Tamer.
...That president really was sharp.
Unlike us, she'd reached the same conclusion without any prior information.
Well, their miscalculation was that the person they were looking for was right here.
A traitor in their midst, huh.
Momo sniffed the air and looked at each person in turn, as if checking them.
Then her gaze stopped on one person.
"...Is 'that one' the Monster Tamer?"
Momo nodded.
Seeing her, Ichinose-san involuntarily widened her eyes.
"...A-are you sure?"
"Momo couldn't be wrong. Right, Momo?"
"Woof!"
Momo nodded confidently once more.
So that was the Monster Tamer...
Momo had looked toward the athletic girl from the shopping mall.
Her name was... Oh, the tracksuit said 'Katsuragi.'
It was probably her own, right? So her name was Katsuragi.
Somehow, that was unexpected.
She certainly didn't look like the sort of person who would have monsters attack people.
At the shopping mall, she'd been trembling all over and vomited when she saw the piles of corpses.
Or had that all been an act?
They do say you can't judge a person by appearances.
Now, what should we do?
Now that we knew the Monster Tamer's identity, we could send Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan a 'Mail' telling them who she was, then leave.
I'd told Ichinose-san, more or less on impulse, that we'd meet up with Nishino-kun and the others somewhere, but thinking about it, I was starting to feel that an email alone would be enough.
If we simply gave them the information, that should be enough.
Whether they believed it was up to them. It wasn't as if we had any obligation to go that far for them.
Yeah, that's right.
...When I really thought about it, why was I going this far for someone else?
No, it was because Ichinose-san had asked me to, right?
Well, sure, she was in the same party, and besides, I owed her for saving my life. Until I properly repaid that debt―――...
That thought made me stop short.
Until I repaid that debt?
What would I do afterward?
...
A terribly calculating and ugly thought crossed my mind.
I really shouldn't be thinking like that...
"Kudo-san."
"Oof."
Oh, crap. I made a weird noise.
"...What is it?"
"I-it's nothing... More importantly, what is it?"
I glanced at Ichinose-san out of the corner of my eye.
There was a look of determination in her eyes.
"Just hypothetically... If I... sh-shot her here, wouldn't that solve everything...?"
"Th-that―――"
Ichinose-san's suggestion made me falter.
It was an extreme solution, but if we dealt with her here and now, it really would resolve everything.
But for Ichinose-san to be the one to suggest it...
"Can you do it?"
"...I will."
Saying that, Ichinose-san raised her gun.
"If I... take her down here and now, everything will be resolved. At this distance, I couldn't possibly miss... I-I'll take her down―――"
"―――'Kill' her? Can you really do that, Ichinose-san?"
When I clearly said the word 'kill,' Ichinose-san fell silent for a moment.
Then she nodded slowly.
"...I can. I... was the one who suggested it. I have to... take responsibility for my own... words..."
"I see..."
She must have realized, in her own way, that she was dragging us into this.
That was precisely why she had offered to be the one to get her hands dirty.
But—
"No. I can't authorize that."
"Th-then... why not?"
"There are two reasons. First, if you fire, Ichinose-san, whether you take her down or not, there's a chance the students here will realize we're here."
Ichinose-san's 'Recognition Obstruction' and 'Sniping' were powerful, but they weren't omnipotent.
Through a scope, the target could notice your gaze even while the Skill was active, and once the target recognized you, its effect would gradually weaken.
We couldn't let them become aware of our presence, no matter what.
After all, we'd look like a mysterious man with a gun, a shadow-controlling dog, and a shapeshifting slime, accompanied by their former classmate.
At worst, they might mistake us for the Monster Tamer instead.
It would also make it harder for us to escape.
"The second reason is that there's no guarantee you'll be able to take her down for certain right here and now."
"...What do you mean?"
"I couldn't sense it until I looked directly at her, but I felt an unpleasant presence coming from her—more precisely, from the 'Shadow' at her feet."
"Th-that means..."
Those words seemed to make Ichinose-san realize it too.
"Yes. The Dark Wolf is probably hiding in her 'Shadow.'"
Actually, there might be other monsters hiding in that 'Shadow' as well.
She'd caused that much chaos.
There was no way she'd be standing unarmed in enemy territory.
It was only natural to assume she had some means of self-defense.
In that respect, the Dark Wolf, which could hide in shadows and darkness and conceal its presence, was an extremely convenient monster. She might also possess a slime capable of 'Disguise,' like Aka.
In other words, at worst, the moment we attacked her, a battle could break out right there.
"...You're right. I'm sorry for not thinking it through, Kudo-san."
"It's all right. For now, let's continue watching her. We may get a chance to snipe her."
Ichinose-san nodded and lowered her gun.
But immediately afterward, Katsuragi approached Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan.
From the outside, it probably looked as though the girls were making small talk.
But to us, who knew her true identity, it looked entirely different.
"R-Ricchan!"
"N-no! Please, hold back!"
"B-but!"
"The situation is dangerous, but they can't find out who we are either. Let's send them a 'Mail.' If we can get them away from her, we can cover for them if the worst comes to pass."
"Y-yes..."
Ichinose-san hurriedly sent the email.
At that moment, Rikka gave a tiny start.
"What's wrong, Rikka?"
"No, I just heard some strange voice. It said, 'You have received mail.'"
"Mail?"
"Yeah."
Apparently, she had received the email safely.
Now Rikka-chan would keep her distance from the Monster Tamer.
This was fine.
That was what I thought—until the next moment.
―――A chill ran through me.
'Danger Sense' activated.
"Huh...?"
It was the worst possible timing.
Right after we'd sent the email.
Katsuragi's―――the Monster Tamer's―――'Shadow' moved.
Nishino-kun hadn't noticed. Neither had Rikka-chan. Of course, none of the other students had, either.
We were the only ones who had noticed the 'abnormality' here.
Could she really be making her move here?
Impossible—what was she thinking―――No, there was no time to think about it!
"―――Kudo-san!"
Ichinose-san already had her gun raised.
Stop! If you do that, they'll find out we're here! We have to abandon her―――no, damn it!
"Fire!"
Before I knew it, I was shouting.
Without hesitation, Ichinose-san pulled the trigger.
The dry report of the gunshot echoed.
The bullet flew straight into the Monster Tamer's forehead without the slightest deviation.
And then―――her forehead 'swallowed' the bullet.
She fell to the ground.
Silence, followed by screams.
As the students panicked, we couldn't tear our eyes away from the fallen Monster Tamer.
What was that...? Did it... not hit her?
It looked as though it had been swallowed.
Looking closely, I saw a small patch of 'darkness' spreading across her forehead.
Was that... the Dark Wolf's ability?
―――That hurt like hell...
The words slipped out softly.
―――It's coming.
The next moment, the 'darkness' spread.