Chapter 89
Student Council President Igarashi Toka was clutching her head.
"Damn! Damn! Damn it! What the hell is that monster?!"
Having cast aside her usual dignified demeanor and everything else, she was fuming.
Anyone who knew her would have doubted their eyes, wondering if she was truly the same person.
But it couldn't be helped.
After all, what she had desperately built up over these four days...
All of it had collapsed in a matter of moments.
"That was completely outside my calculations! It's ruined every plan I had!"
Things had proceeded smoothly up until then.
The army of monsters unleashed by the traitor within, Katsuragi Sayaka.
They had suffered no small number of casualties as well, but they had still managed to defeat them all.
Then the appearance of that 'Black Wolf' threw everything into chaos.
The monster's attacks half-destroyed the school. On top of that, the huge army of monsters drawn in by its howl caused numerous casualties among the students and evacuees.
Everyone had scattered and fled, so they had no way to contact one another.
Besides, with cell phones and everything else unusable, there was no means of communication.
"We had decided on an emergency meeting place, just in case, but..."
How many people would actually be able to gather there?
For that matter, how many people could act calmly under the current circumstances?
Even I was like this.
That glasses-wearing man... No, it wouldn't be surprising if Vice President Miyamoto were already dead.
She had also lost contact with Nishino and Aisaka, whom she had considered promising prospects.
The inexplicable sensation that the ground beneath her feet was steadily collapsing made Toka dizzy.
"Ah, damn it... Why did things turn out like this...?"
Once she removed the mask of the school's ruler, she was nothing more than an ordinary girl her age.
The events of the past few days had unquestionably worn down her spirit.
Maybe she'd go gray at this age. She hated the thought.
"The speakers attract monsters, so we'll have to put up messages on utility poles and walls at regular intervals..."
It was a method used even during disasters.
In circumstances like these, they had no choice but to rely on old-fashioned methods.
Fortunately, they had paper and duct tape.
She could put up the notices while making her way to the meeting place.
If monsters could read, it would be all over, but there was no point worrying about things that far.
"Ah, this is so irritating!"
≪Proficiency has reached a certain threshold.≫
≪Stress Resistance has risen from LV 2 to 3.≫
"Oh, is that so! Thank you! Hmph!"
She took a precious piece of food—a piece of candy—from her pocket and tossed it into her mouth.
A refreshing lemon flavor and light sweetness spread across her tongue.
She took a deep breath, sending oxygen and sugar to her brain.
At last, she had calmed down a little.
"Phew... It's all right. Calm down, Igarashi Toka. It's not over yet... I'm still alive. Shiori and Shido are safe too... It's all right. It's still all right..."
She told herself that.
She needed to organize the information.
At present, she had escaped the monsters pursuing her and was hiding in an empty house.
Her companions were her younger brother and sister, along with two members of the student council. Both were girls, one the secretary and the other in charge of general affairs.
Her younger brother and sister were already asleep, while the other two were taking turns keeping watch.
Therefore, no one had witnessed what she had just done.
"First, I need to contact the other members. And secure a new base..."
She needed information about the surrounding area, the elimination of monsters, a communications network with the other shelters, a safe zone, and supplies. Food was important, but so were medical supplies and feminine hygiene products.
She gradually sorted through the thoughts in her head.
"Come to think of it, who was the person fighting that Black Wolf...?"
A mysterious, hooded figure carrying a knife meant for beheading.
Toka had entered the cafeteria a little late and missed the person, but according to what she had heard, they had suddenly appeared there and engaged Katsuragi Sayaka in battle.
There was no doubt they were high-level and possessed powerful Skills.
Incidentally, she had also received a report that her younger siblings had accidentally fired on someone. Her head had started hurting when she heard it.
Despite explaining the Monster Tamer's characteristics so thoroughly, that idiot little sister of hers really was hopeless...
"Could I somehow get in touch with them...?"
If that person agreed to cooperate, they would become a formidable asset.
In addition, according to reports from the student council members, Aisaka Rikka had behaved strangely just before the battle began.
Reuniting with them was clearly the top priority.
Besides, there was a 'reason' she needed to hurry.
Thus, Igarashi Toka spent the time until she fell asleep devising her plans for what came next.
Incidentally, thanks to that, her 'Fatigue Resistance' level had risen.
Nishino was hiding in an alley a short distance from the school.
A huge army of monsters had surged in.
Dodging them, he had somehow managed to escape as well.
"Haa... haa... Did I finally shake them...?"
With his back against a wall and his body hidden behind garbage bins and bulky trash, he steadied his breathing.
"...Rikka, what on earth happened?"
The girl who had been his partner—the one who had left the cafeteria on her own—crossed his mind.
What had happened? Where had she gone, leaving him behind?
"Could Ichinose be involved...?"
He remembered the name of the girl Rikka had once bullied.
Looking back, Rikka had been acting strangely ever since the battle in the schoolyard.
Before the battle with Katsuragi Sayaka, she had behaved in an unmistakably suspicious manner.
(What should I do? Should I look for Rikka? No, should I head to the student council president? Right, I have to protect the president... Wait, huh? Why did I think that?)
Nishino suddenly sensed something strange about his own thoughts and tilted his head.
The most important thing should have been reuniting with his group, including Shibata and Ohno.
Yet why was he putting Student Council President Igarashi first?
...
He had no answer.
Still, something about it felt strange.
As if his thoughts were being overwritten―――.
Nishino had not realized it, but this strange feeling was also a sign that the effects of Toka's 'Charm' were beginning to fade.
Her 'Charm' was not permanent. It had a time limit, and its effects gradually weakened as that limit approached.
To prevent that, she repeatedly 'stacked' the Skill, but now that they had become separated, his thoughts were gradually returning to normal.
That could be called 'good fortune' for him.
"Gigi..."
"Tch...!"
But suddenly, as he was lost in thought, a low growl reached his ears.
When he looked, two goblins were entering the alley.
(This is bad... I can't deal with monsters right now...)
He had no stamina left to run.
Was this the end?
But his 'good fortune' had not yet run out.
With a heavy thud!
The goblins that had been trying to enter the alley were crushed beneath something enormous.
"...Huh?"
Something caught his eye.
It was a large log.
The log had crushed the goblins.
It took him a moment to understand what had happened.
"What do you think, Shibata-kun? This old man can still do a thing or two, huh? Ha ha ha!"
"Yeah, it's definitely impressive, old man, but there are all kinds of weapons easier to handle... Why a log?"
"Since I used to work at a sawmill, this is what feels most natural in my hands."
"Oh, uh... right..."
Then he heard another voice.
Upon hearing it, Nishino stood up and shouted.
"Shibata...!?"
"Huh, no way... Nishino-san!? Thank goodness, you're safe!"
The delinquent-looking student who had spotted Nishino―――Shibata―――beamed.
There were even several students who had been separated at the home improvement store behind him.
"W-what are you doing here?"
"I was heading for school with these old guys, but we got held up more than expected... Then, while looking for somewhere to rest, we found some goblins there..."
The goblins they crushed with the log had been right in front of Nishino.
"I see... Thank goodness you're safe."
"Yeah..."
As they rejoiced over their reunion, they heard someone sniffle behind them.
When they looked, the old man was crying.
His name was Goshogawara Hachiro (55), the owner of Hanamaru Sawmill.
"Good for you, Shibata-kun. You reunited safely with your friends too... sniff"
"Yeah, thanks, old man. Honestly, we're lucky to have you guys."
"Don't be so formal. 'We're all in this together when things get tough,' right? You can rely on adults a little more, you know?"
"Hah, listen to the old man who was so hunched over and bowing when we first met acting all high and mighty."
"Hey now, we agreed not to mention that, didn't we? You really need to learn to show respect to your elders."
Shibata and the old men laughed together.
They must have passed through countless life-and-death situations to make it here.
There was a friendship between men that transcended their age difference.
"Anyway, let's find somewhere to rest. There's a lot I want to talk about."
"Yeah. Let's get moving first."
After enjoying their reunion for a while, they set off again.
Even so, Nishino thought.
A log kept flickering at the edge of his vision.
The blood encrusted on it in places suggested that the old man really had been fighting monsters with it.
(A chubby old man in a suit carrying a log is an absurd mismatch...)
Nishino couldn't help thinking how incredible logs were.
After they reunited, Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan collapsed into sleep.
Rikka-chan was exhausted, but Ichinose-san must have been carrying a considerable amount of fatigue as well.
She must have worn herself out keeping watch, especially during the time before I woke up.
"All right, Momo, I'm counting on you."
"Woof!"
I had Momo stand watch and explored the school building.
I wanted to check that the area was safe, but I also wanted a change of pace.
I already knew from 'Search' that most of the monsters remaining in the school were weak types like goblins and zombies. It should be fine for me to walk around alone.
In fact, it didn't take long to deal with them.
"So Rikka-chan was the only survivor after all..."
While clearing out the monsters, I searched for any other survivors, but in the end, I couldn't find a single one.
All that remained were corpses. The smell was awful, but I had no choice but to leave them as they were.
"Haa..."
When I looked up at the sky, I saw the moon.
Perhaps with the electricity out and the lights gone, the night sky was clearer than before.
"What are we going to do from here...?"
The words slipped out as a mutter.
Ichinose-san had reunited with Rikka-chan.
But we hadn't yet decided what to do afterward.
Whether to add her to the party or part ways as we were.
"...Ichinose-san will probably leave it up to me..."
She probably wanted to add Rikka-chan to the party deep down, but I still felt that she would leave the final decision to me.
"Make Rikka-chan a party member, huh...?"
A party with two beautiful high school girls and one guy.
On paper, it sounded like a harem. Rikka-chan had big boobs, too.
But no flags had been raised between us whatsoever.
"..."
Saying it myself left me feeling rather conflicted.
I guess that sort of thing is enjoyable precisely because you watch it through a screen...
In reality, it caused far more trouble than anything else.
I couldn't even properly gauge the distance between myself and Ichinose-san.
"In that sense, being alone was more relaxing..."
I didn't have to worry about anyone else and could focus only on myself.
It had been the same when I worked for the company.
I simply did my own work and kept my relationships with my coworkers superficial.
There had been a junior colleague who constantly talked to me, but I had brushed them off as well.
Because it was a hassle.
Because I thought that was fine.
"Being with someone really is hard..."
I scratched my head vigorously.
Man, what a pain.
Things didn't go as I wanted, and the stress built up.
A few days ago, I never would have imagined worrying over something like this.
But it was also true that Ichinose-san had saved my life.
And there was also a part of me that wanted to do my best for Momo, Aka, and Ichinose-san.
The carefree ease of being alone and the importance of companions.
Those two opposing truths swirled around inside me.
―――Don't you want to live how you like?
Suddenly, the Monster Tamer girl's words came back to me.
She had been satisfied with this world.
Because it was a world where she could live as herself and do whatever she wanted.
"Living how I like, huh..."
It looked simple, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult, and...
"I wish I could make up my mind that easily too..."
The mutter reached no one's ears and melted into the darkness of night.
Lost, making mistakes, and suffering defeat,
the tumultuous fourth day came to an end.