Chapter 94
I took breakfast—bread and canned food, to be precise—out of my backpack.
For now, it would be best to keep Item Box a secret.
I'd kept a backpack on hand for situations like this, after all.
Especially after what happened at the home improvement store, I shouldn't give her any unnecessary reason to distrust me.
Incidentally, Momo was hiding in the shadows, while Aka was using Mimicry.
At least for now, it would be best to keep them hidden too.
A dog that could use Skills, or a slime capable of using Mimicry, would be enough to make anyone wary.
Especially after seeing the threat posed by a 'Monster Tamer' firsthand.
"Food..."
Looking at the bread and canned food, Rikka-chan's stomach let out a low rumble.
Her cheeks flushed red. She must have been hungry.
Then she looked at me.
Her expression said, 'Who?'
Well, to Rikka-chan, I was practically a stranger, so that was understandable.
"Good morning. I'm preparing breakfast right now, so please wait a moment."
"Huh? Ah... yes?"
Rikka-chan stood there in a daze, a question mark practically floating above her head.
In the meantime, Ichinose-san came to.
"―――Huh!? W-Where am I...?"
"Good morning, Ichinose-san."
"Ah, yes. Kazu... Kudo-san, good morning."
Yeah, for the second time.
I decided not to mention that she'd been rolling her eyes back and foaming at the mouth just a moment ago.
"Huh? An acquaintance of Nattsun's...?"
"Oh, Ricchan, good morning. Are your injuries all right now?"
"Huh? Ah... yeah."
"That's good..."
While Rikka-chan remained utterly confused, Ichinose-san patted her flat chest in relief.
Then she looked around, glancing this way and that, before looking at me.
She must have noticed that Momo and Aka were nowhere to be seen.
("―――It's still a secret for now.")
("...Understood.")
Eye contact.
I'd already explained things to her to some extent beforehand.
She must have figured out why I was hiding Momo and Aka.
Once breakfast was ready, we sat wherever we could.
"Please, eat."
Rikka-chan remained silent for a while, but when she saw Ichinose-san begin eating, she finally started on her own meal.
"―――! I-It's delicious..."
At once, Rikka-chan began eating ravenously.
She must have been extremely hungry.
I learned later that she hadn't had a proper meal in the past five days.
Tears streaming down her face, she devoured the bread and canned peaches.
"...There's more if you want some. Would you like another serving?"
"―――!" (Nod, nod.)
Afterward, I brewed some coffee, and once we'd had a moment to relax, she finally seemed to calm down.
She rubbed her stomach with a satisfied look on her face.
"Ahh, that was delicious! Thank you for the meal!"
Where had her initial wariness gone?
By the time she finished eating, Rikka-chan had become positively cheerful.
All right, now we could finally have a proper conversation.
I once again explained the situation to Rikka-chan.
I told her that I was one of Ichinose-san's companions and explained how I'd come here.
She might have been suspicious if I were alone, but having Ichinose-san vouch for me eased that concern.
In fact, Rikka-chan readily believed everything I said.
Well, I was a little vague about Item Box and Momo and Aka.
"I see. You and Nattsun had a rough time too, huh?"
"Yeah. But I-I only managed because Kudo-san was with me... You had a rough time too, didn't you, Ricchan?"
"I guess. I got separated from Nissy, and I don't know where Shibacchi or Onon are either..."
I also learned how Rikka-chan and the others had ended up here.
They had been attacked by a High Orc at the home improvement store, then rescued by a mysterious person—me.
At the shopping mall, they had reunited with Ishizawa-san and the Monster Tamer girl before coming here.
Rikka-chan's explanation was surprisingly easy to follow.
Maybe her excellent communication skills came from her natural sociability. I was jealous.
If Ichinose-san had been explaining it, she definitely would have stumbled over her words or started feeling sick halfway through.
"I see... So, what are you planning to do from here, Aisaka-san?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have companions, don't you? Are you going to look for them?"
"Well, yes... But I don't know where they are, and there's no way to contact them..."
It was true that this world had become an incredibly inconvenient place, with neither cell phones nor the internet working.
But Skills could make up for their absence.
"In that case, there is a way. Please look at your list of Skills available for additional acquisition. Isn't there a Skill called 'Mail' listed there?"
"Huh? M-Mail...?"
Even as she tilted her head, Rikka-chan checked her status.
"...Oh, it's true. There's one called 'Mail.'"
"That Skill allows you to contact someone at a distance. If the other person hasn't acquired 'Mail,' you can only send them messages one way. But if they acquire 'Mail' as well, the two of you can contact each other."
"Wow... But why do I have this Skill?"
"Yesterday, Ichinose-san sent you an email in the cafeteria, remember? When you receive an email from someone, 'Mail' becomes available to acquire."
"Oh, right... So yesterday's email really was from you, Nattsun. Thanks, Nattsun."
"Y-Yeah..."
"Do you have any extra Skill Points? You can acquire it with just one point..."
"I do. I went up two levels in yesterday's battle, after all. I'll get it, I'll get it."
Rikka-chan quickly operated her status plate and tapped the screen.
"Wow, this is amazing. It even has an address book. It's just like a smartphone. Nattsun's name and big bro's are in here too. Oh, Nissy's name is here as well. Hey, Nattsun, can I try sending you an email?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah, go ahead..."
Perhaps because she was happy about her new Skill, Rikka-chan eagerly exchanged emails with Ichinose-san.
I wanted to exchange emails with people that casually too.
The incoming chime wouldn't stop. Forty-seven emails.
That was an unpleasant incident...
"This Skill is super convenient. Hey, can I try sending one to big bro too?"
"Of course."
Come to think of it, Rikka-chan called me 'big bro.'
Hmm. There was something strangely thrilling about being called that by a busty high school girl... Heh heh.
Even the 'You have received an email' announcement sounded pleasant to me.
It felt as though my trauma was being cleansed away...
"...Kudo-san, what are you thinking about?"
"―――!"
A chill ran through me.
When I looked over, Ichinose-san was staring at me with half-lidded eyes.
"...N-Nothing at all. Well, I think we've had enough of the email demonstration. Using it, you should be able to reunite with Nishino-kun, shouldn't you?"
"Yeah, that's true. But..."
Rikka-chan looked toward Ichinose-san.
"Hey, Nattsun, what are you going to do from here?"
"Huh? Me? Ah, I, um... Ow!"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ichinose-san fidgeted and spilled her coffee.
As expected of someone with active social anxiety. Her panic when someone suddenly brought up a topic was extraordinary.
"Ah, wait, are you okay? Jeez, you still haven't gotten over that awkward habit of yours."
"I-It's not something I can just get over that easily! The only people I can talk to normally are you and Kudo-san..."
"Kudo-san, huh...? Hmm."
While wiping up the coffee, Ichinose-san looked at me.
"Um, Kudo-san... What are we going to do from here?"
"Well... As originally planned, I was thinking we should head for the Central Market or the agricultural co-op..."
We had only come to this school as a detour, so from here on, we should resume our original plan of securing supplies and searching for a safe base.
I didn't know whether any safe places existed in this world overflowing with monsters, but it would be foolish to give up and assume there were none. There might even be somewhere like a 'Safe Zone.'
"Um... i-if that's the case―――"
"Would you like to travel with Aisaka-san part of the way?"
I spoke over Ichinose-san's words.
Ichinose-san nodded repeatedly.
Rikka-chan's face brightened at once.
She was worried about Nishino-kun and the others, but clearly wanted to stay with Ichinose-san.
"Ricchan will be fine. ...Please, trust her."
She bowed her head as she said it.
Ichinose-san must have trusted Rikka-chan deeply.
Her earnest eyes gazed fixedly at me.
After we stared at each other for a while, I let out a sigh.
"...All right. If you feel that strongly about it. ...Are you two okay with this too?"
At my words, the shadow at my feet trembled, and the hood attached to my clothes shook.
They both seemed to be saying, 'We're fine with that!'
"Big bro, who are you talking to?"
"Aisaka-san, I haven't told you this, but we actually have some other companions."
"Huh, really?"
"Yes. I'll introduce them now. But please don't be startled and attack them, all right?"
"...Huh?"
Rikka-chan tilted her head, unable to understand what I meant.
"Momo, Aka, you can come out now."
The 'shadow' at my feet spread, and the 'hood' of my clothes changed shape.
Momo and Aka revealed themselves.
"Woof!"
"... (tremble, tremble)"
Rikka-chan's eyes went wide at the two creatures that suddenly appeared.
"Huh? What is this cute doggie? Wait, did she just come out from around your feet? And, huh, i-is that a slime? What is going on―――!?"
Hmm. This girl really overreacted to everything.
Thanks to her, things were jiggling quite a lot. I won't say what, but thank you.
"Let me introduce them. The Shiba Inu is Momo, and the slime is Aka."
"Companions...? The dog is one thing, but that slime is a companion too?"
"Yes. Momo and Aka are both precious companions to us."
Rikka-chan stood there with her mouth hanging open.
"H-Haha... So many things about this are shocking... Nattsun's companions are amazing..."
"Yeah, I think so too."
Ichinose-san gave a wry smile as she stroked Momo.
Rikka-chan followed suit, petting Momo and poking Aka.
"S-So soft...! This is crazy! Why is this one so cute!?"
Apparently, although she was surprised, she accepted them.
She pulled Aka against her chest and enjoyed the sensation.
Jiggle, jiggle; bounce, bounce. ...Thank you.
"All right, then, Aisaka-san. Please email Nishino-kun. And if possible, could you tell me your level and Skills―――!"
"...Huh? What's wrong, Kudo-sa――― Oh, Momo-chan!?"
In response to my movement, Momo left Ichinose-san's lap and ran over to me.
"...The 'Search' Skill has detected something. It's a monster presence."
As soon as I said that, the tension in the air rose sharply.
Ichinose-san silently raised her gun, while Momo and Aka also shifted into combat readiness.
Rikka-chan must have realized what was happening too, because she immediately readied her weapon.
"Stay where you are. I'll check it out first."
The response had come from outside, not inside the school building.
I suppose the monsters had resumed activity now that dawn had broken.
But... what was this strange feeling?
There was something odd about this monster presence.
It definitely wasn't human, but...
What on earth could it be?
Slowly, I peered outside from around the corner of the wall.
"...What is that?"
My eyes widened at the unexpected creature that entered my field of vision.