I Still Haven't Found My Resolve

With the blade (Aka's disguise) pressed against her neck, I closed in on the Monster Tamer.

It had been an improvised plan, but it seemed to have worked.

"―――Now, if you don't want to die, you'd better do as I say, Monster Tamer."

Even as I said that, I was trembling inside.

Thanks to the 'Negotiation' Skill, the words came surprisingly smoothly.

But in reality, I was shaking like a leaf inside.

After all, the person I was currently holding a blade against wasn't a monster. She was a human being.

I was pointing a blade at a person.

And not just any person—a young girl.

Why was it so easy to face monsters, yet I became so tense when dealing with another human being?

I knew the answer.

I simply hadn't made the mental distinction yet.

―――Hurting people is wrong.

That was an obvious feeling in everyday life.

And in the world as it was now, it was nothing but a hindrance.

Yet that feeling still remained inside me.

I understood that intellectually.

I should just kill her as quickly as possible.

Even if I didn't kill her, I should at least injure her arms or legs and restrain her.

I knew that, yet I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it...

Would these feelings fade if my 'Stress Resistance' increased further?

Or would things have been different if I had another resistance Skill—something like 'Aversion Resistance' or 'Guilt Resistance'?

...No. Don't think about unnecessary things.

Focus on what was in front of me.

"Don't resist. Make the monsters stand down right now. You can do that, can't you? You're controlling them."

At that, the Monster Tamer's expression, which had been tense until a moment ago, softened slightly.

She looked surprised, yet relieved at the same time.

"...You're awfully kind."

"I'd prefer to settle this peacefully if possible."

"Peacefully... huh..."

The Monster Tamer looked as though she wanted to say something, but obediently raised both hands.

Perhaps that was the signal. The monsters that had been rampaging until then suddenly grew quiet.

"W-what?"

"These guys suddenly calmed down."

"W-what's going on...?"

The remaining students in the cafeteria grew agitated.

Even so, there was a hint of relief in their voices.

"―――'Return.'"

When she said that next, the 'Darkness' covering the cafeteria began to disappear as well.

The monsters, now docile, were swallowed by darkness that appeared beneath their feet and vanished.

The cafeteria filled with silence, as though the uproar from moments ago had been a lie.

"D-did we make it?"

"Are we safe...?"

"H-hey, who's that person standing next to Katsuragi-san?"

"He's wearing a hood, so I can't really see his face..."

"Did that person save us...?"

...I'm the center of attention. I suppose it can't be helped.

Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan were staring at me, too.

Ichinose-san... still hadn't lowered her gun.

It was as if she were saying she could fire at any time.

It's all right. At least for now.

"...You listened surprisingly obediently."

"Well, I don't wanna die."

She glared at me resentfully.

"...This was an oversight. I never imagined someone like you would be here. Damn it."

"Is that so?"

"Aaah, what a shame. I thought I was gonna get a ton of experience points here..."

"Game over, huh?" she muttered, as if this were some kind of game.

Those words were the exact opposite of what I had been feeling until a moment ago.

They were the words of someone who didn't regard people as people at all.

"You're insane..."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

The Monster Tamer's eyes widened in surprise.

"Am I? Everyone puts themselves first, don't they? In a world full of monsters like this, you can never raise your level too high. It's a lot better than getting tripped up by worrying about other people, right? Don't you ever want to live however you like?"

Live however I like...

Certainly, her argument might have been logically correct in the world as it was now.

Those with power were absolute, and existing values and authority meant nothing anymore.

If that was the case, then the winner was whoever lived freely—however they wanted.

"I... won't deny it. I don't exactly live an admirable life myself."

"Huh..."

She stared intently at me, then said in a voice only I could hear,

"...Hey, it's not too late. Why don't you team up with me?"

That was her proposal.

"Huh?"

"You're probably using a stealth- or assassination-oriented Job or Skill, right? I can 'Enhance' those Skills even further. You'll have an entire army of monsters at your side, too. You won't regret making me your ally. What do you say? It's not a bad deal, is it?"

Enhance Skills or Jobs...?

Could it be a rare Skill like my 'Item Box' or 'Early Bloomer'?

Was that the reason she was able to command so many monsters...?

"...Do you really think I'd go along with that? I don't trust you."

"Trust me. I don't wanna die, either. Besides, I can kind of sense the same 'scent' from you as from me. I bet we'd make a great team."

What was she talking about? We'd only just met.

Besides, this lunatic had tried to kill everyone in the school.

Don't listen to her. She was only saying whatever sounded good while looking for an opening.

"Sorry, but―――"

"Aaaah! We found him!"

My attempt to end the conversation was interrupted by a voice echoing through the cafeteria.

When I looked over, I saw a small pair of twins near the entrance.

Those were... the twins I'd passed on my way here earlier.

Their bodies bore traces of battle with monsters in several places.

So they did have Skills after all.

"Looks like reinforcements have arrived, too."

"...!"

When I said that, she lowered her head as though she had finally given up.

Judging from that reaction, it didn't seem as though those twins were her allies.

"Hey, give up already!"

"Ha-ha-ha! I've found you, evildoer!"

As they spoke, a fireball appeared in the girl's hand, while a spiral-shaped stone appeared in the boy's.

Huh. I wonder if those are magic-type Skills.

So Skills like that really did exist.

As I was thinking about that so casually, 'Danger Sense' and 'Hostility Detection' activated.

"Get away from that bad guy!"

"―――Huh?"

It was an attack I had never expected.

No, technically it was two attacks. But that didn't matter.

Incredibly, their attacks had been aimed at me.

"Wha—?!"

I dodged both attacks almost reflexively.

The attacks missed, struck the cafeteria wall, set part of it ablaze, and shattered it.

Th-that was close... If those had hit me, I definitely would have died...

"Y-you two, what the hell are you―――gah?!"

The Monster Tamer couldn't possibly have missed that opening.

She twisted her body with all her might and kicked me in the side.

Then she backstepped, putting distance between us.

"Haha, lucky me."

"Y-you...!"

You've got to be kidding me. Even if I specialized in stealth and surprise attacks, my 'Durability' was in the triple digits, wasn't it?

And even if she'd caught me off guard, was she really moving too fast for me to react to now?

No, more importantly...

I glanced at the twins near the entrance.

Why had they attacked me―――?

"Huh? Hey, sis. Didn't Toka-sis say the bad guy was a girl?"

"What are you saying, little brother?! He was pointing a blade at a young maiden! And with how suspicious he looks, there's no doubt that man is the bad guy!"

"Oh, I see! Yeah, that makes sense! As expected of you, sis!"

...Apparently, those twins had mistaken me for the mastermind behind the incident.

It was the first time in my life I'd genuinely wanted to punch a child.

Damn it, why did they have to interfere...?

"Ah-hya-hya... I thought it was game over, but it looks like luck is still on my side."

She laughed.

At that moment, I heard a series of small gunshots.

They were Ichinose-san's sniper shots.

The moment the Monster Tamer moved away from me, Ichinose-san had acted immediately.

She had aimed for the temple and thigh.

She must have been aiming either to kill her instantly or hinder her movement.

I admired her lack of hesitation.

But―――

"That won't work on me."

The bullets had 'stopped' a few centimeters away from her.

Once again, that 'Darkness' had protected her from the bullets.

"It's your turn, mutt!"

In the next instant, a gigantic beast emerged from beneath her feet.

It was our third encounter.

"―――GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!"

With a mighty roar, the Dark Wolf revealed itself.

"What's with that dog...?"

"That thing looks insanely strong..."

The twins were captivated by the Dark Wolf that had suddenly appeared.

The other students were the same. Some of them trembled and hugged their own shoulders.

The Dark Wolf's strength must have left a powerful impression on them.

But... so what?

It was far from being at full strength now.

After two battles, it had to be considerably worn down already.

In fact, the wounds inflicted by me and the students still hadn't healed.

We could win now.

"You look like you think you can win now, huh?"

The Monster Tamer gave me a creepy smile, as though she had read my thoughts.

"You're naive. I'll show you. This is my trump card."

She placed a hand on the Dark Wolf.

"―――'Familiar Enhancement.'"

The next moment, the Dark Wolf's body gave a deep throb.

Something like black steam rose from its entire body, and its wounds began to heal.

Its body grew larger, and the darkness clinging to it grew even deeper.

It was clearly stronger than before.

A Skill that... strengthened monsters...?

I stood frozen, staring at the scene.

It wasn't just me. No one there could move.

We were all overwhelmed by what we were seeing.

The Dark Wolf's oppressive presence was overwhelming.

"Now, let's continue."