Chapter 97
We left the school and began exploring the city.
Even with more members, what we had to do remained the same.
Leveling up and securing supplies.
As for supplies, food was one thing, but ideally I wanted heavy machinery and scrapped cars to use against monsters.
(We used up quite a lot during yesterday's battle with the Dark Wolf...)
Against ordinary monsters, we could recover and reuse them, but if they were swallowed by that Dark Wolf's 'Darkness,' we'd never be able to retrieve them again.
As a result, I was running dangerously low on ammunition for mass attacks.
That Dark Wolf was practically the natural enemy of my Item Box attacks.
Its ability to negate stealth through smell was another problem; we were simply a terrible match for each other.
While Ichinose-san and the others were resting, I'd collected the school's rubble and heavy objects from the surrounding area, but that wasn't enough to put me at ease. Numbers meant strength.
I wanted to be fully prepared in case we encountered a huge army or swarm of monsters.
So even while walking through the city, I kept slipping things like scrapped cars, vending machines, broken utility poles, and chunks of concrete into Item Box without Rikka-chan noticing.
"...Oh?"
As we continued on like that, something suddenly caught my eye.
It was a 'giant tree' growing through a house.
Ever since the world had gone strange, these mysterious trees had been growing here and there.
"Has this 'tree' gotten even bigger...?"
"...Come to think of it, you're right."
Ichinose-san nodded at my words.
It had originally been a gigantic tree several dozen meters tall, but its trunk seemed to have grown even thicker.
(I'd been so focused on the monsters that I hadn't paid much attention to it, but this tree is just as mysterious as everything else...)
This tree had appeared just as suddenly as the monsters, on the very day they first showed up.
It grew all over the city, conspicuously asserting its presence.
What on earth was this tree?
"...But it really is strange, isn't it?"
"What is?"
Ichinose-san traced a hand along the tree's trunk and said,
"Well, normally, a plant this huge and abnormal would be impossible not to notice... But somehow, unless I look at it carefully like this, I just don't pay it any attention at all..."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that might be true."
Rikka-chan nodded at Ichinose-san's words.
I agreed with them too.
I hadn't paid the tree any attention until now.
At most, I'd thought it was a nuisance when it blocked a road, and never considered it any further.
But when I thought about it, that was strange...
Monsters were abnormal, but this tree was an abnormal existence too.
I'd thought endlessly about the monsters, so why did I find myself thinking, 'I guess I don't really care,' whenever it came to the tree?
Yes, it was almost as if I were being made to think that way—
(...Could it be?)
Maybe this tree had some kind of Skill too?
Something that made us avert our attention from it—like Ichinose-san's 'Recognition Interference,' for example.
...It was possible.
Wild animals and insects had Levels and Skills too.
There was no reason the same couldn't apply to plants.
Besides, this tree had appeared alongside the monsters.
Trying to apply common sense to it would be stranger than not doing so.
Wait a second.
If that was the case, would cutting down this 'tree' give us experience?
...
For an instant, I felt an urge to try it, but quickly changed my mind.
Cutting down a tree this huge would be an enormous undertaking.
It might be possible with a chainsaw if I took my time, but the noise could attract monsters. And if I were going to spend that much time on it, using 'Search' to look for prey would be far more efficient.
Besides—
The moment I thought about cutting down the tree, I got a 'bad feeling.'
And not just any bad feeling—it was at a 'seriously dangerous level.'
Maybe it had a Skill designed to repel attackers.
If it did nothing unless someone attacked it, but activated the moment it was harmed, then leaving it alone would be the wise choice.
"—So, what should we do? Want to try cutting it a little?"
Having thought that far, my thoughts returned to reality.
Rikka-chan was holding a hatchet and trying to approach the tree.
I hurriedly stopped her.
"No, let's not. I don't think cutting it a little would accomplish anything.
Instead, 'Search' picked up something. Let's head that way."
"...A monster?"
"Yes, probably goblins. There are four of them. I sense a Hobgoblin among them."
As soon as I said that, the expressions of the other two changed, and they entered a state of alert.
We headed toward the direction where 'Search' had detected the response.
And the moment my 'attention' shifted from the tree to the monsters—
"...Hm? What?"
"What's wrong?"
"No, something feels strange..."
"Strange?"
What was it...?
I felt as though I had been thinking about something, but what was it?
I couldn't remember.
What, exactly, had I been thinking about?
"...No, never mind."
Well, if I'd forgotten it, then it probably wasn't important enough to worry about.
Trees rustled behind us.
Listening to that sound, we left the area.
We found three goblins and one Hobgoblin.
They were leaning against a wall and yawning without a care in the world.
"They're perfect targets."
"Yes."
"All right, let's do this!"
Ichinose-san readied her gun, and Rikka-chan raised her hatchet.
"Ichinose-san, provide covering fire. Aisaka-san, follow behind me."
"Understood."
"Got it."
I turned to look at Momo and Aka as well.
"Woof!"
"... (trembles)"
Both of them seemed raring to go.
"Then, let's go!"
At the same time that Aka mimicked a weapon and Momo slipped into the shadows, I dashed forward.
At the same time, Ichinose-san pulled the trigger.
With the sound of a gunshot, one of the goblins' heads burst apart.
"Gigyah!?" "Giiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
"GIGYAAAH! Gyah, gyah!"
The goblins panicked and flailed about after one of their companions was suddenly taken out.
Taking advantage of the opening, my shadow and Momo's shadow instantly wrapped around the goblins, restraining their bodies.
The restraining power of the enhanced 'Shadow Manipulation' was far greater than before.
So if I applied more force—
"Gigit—Gkch!?"
The goblins couldn't withstand the shadows' restraint and were crushed in their grasp.
≪You acquired experience≫
Good.
That left one Hobgoblin.
It seemed to be desperately resisting so it wouldn't be crushed, but that was all it could do.
I lunged forward and closed the distance in one rush.
Using Aka, who had mimicked a weapon, I cut off its head.
Heavy machinery would have ended it in an instant, but with Rikka-chan watching, I decided to defeat it normally.
Besides, I wanted to raise my proficiency with 'Swordsmanship' and 'Vital Point Strike' even a little.
≪You acquired experience≫
The magic stones rolled across the ground, and the Heavenly Voice announced the end of the battle.
The battle was over in only a few seconds.
"All right, that's done. Good work, Momo."
"Woof!"
As if saying, 'Praise me!' Momo rubbed herself against me, so I praised her to my heart's content.
There, there—right here? Is this the spot? Hmm? How about this?
"Wuff, wuffooon..."
Momo narrowed her eyes and blissfully leaned into my touch.
Ahh, she's so cute. This is healing me...
"K-Kudo-san! Me too! I want to do it too!"
It seemed Ichinose-san wanted to pet Momo as well.
Momo was cute, after all. It couldn't be helped.
All right, I supposed I could give up my turn.
This was the kind of generosity expected of a working adult.
"Fwaa, fwaaah..."
"Wuffoo..."
Ichinose-san was blissful as she petted Momo.
Momo was happy too, apparently pleased with the feel of the petting.
Everyone was happy. Yes, this was a good thing.
"Huh? Aisaka-san, is something wrong?"
When I looked behind me, Rikka-chan was staring at us with a stunned expression.
What was wrong?
Maybe she wanted to pet Momo too?
No, that didn't seem to be it.
"...Aisaka-san?"
"Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing! Nothing at all!"
"...Is that so?"
Well, if that was the case, then fine.
I glanced at Ichinose-san beside me, and she was tilting her head too.
Her hand hadn't stopped petting Momo, though.
"Um, then shall we move on?"
"............I suppose."
Ichinose-san reluctantly—truly, very reluctantly—removed her hand from Momo.
Momo was cute, after all. It couldn't be helped.
Momo also let out a lingering whine, but she'd have to understand.
Leveling up was more important right now.
Now then, we should look for our next prey.
We began moving again.
As she watched the back of the person walking ahead of her, Rikka thought,
(This guy is freaking amazing...)
The scene from earlier was burned into her mind and refused to leave.
Of course it was.
The moment she had readied her weapon and was about to take her first step, the battle had already ended.
(I couldn't see that guy's movements at all...)
It wasn't simply a matter of being too fast.
Before she knew it, the goblins had been torn apart by the 'shadows,' and the Hobgoblin's head was flying through the air.
From the Skills he'd told her about, she'd expected him to be strong, but she hadn't imagined he would be this strong.
(He said he was Level 18, right? We're only six Levels apart, so how can there be this much of a difference...?)
Rikka had considered herself one of the stronger ones, even so.
She had the highest Level among her companions, and her stats had risen considerably too.
Her Strength and Agility were both over 40.
Zombies and goblins were no longer a match for her, and even without Nishino's support, she had enough power to fight an Orc or Shadow Wolf on her own—at least, that's what she had thought.
But there was always someone stronger.
(Did I really end up joining forces with someone this incredible...?)
She couldn't help but think so.
At the same time, hiding a secret from someone so amazing and from the best friend she'd finally reunited with made her feel terribly insignificant.
(Should I just tell them honestly...? No, but that wouldn't accomplish anything.)
Then what was she supposed to do?
Rikka agonized over it, but no answer came to her.
She had never been good at thinking in the first place.
Her brain soon overheated, and steam began puffing out of her head.
As she agonized over it, the Heavenly Voice echoed in her mind.
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