CH 89

Igarashi Touka, the student council president, was holding onto her head.



“Damn! Damn! Damn! What was that monster?!”



Irritated as she was, her normally dignified behavior was nowhere to be seen. If an acquaintance saw her in this state, he or she would have wondered if she was the same person. However, her frustration was justified. After all, everything she toiled for during the past 4 days got destroyed in a short time’s notice.



“That was completely outside of my expectation. Everything I was planning to do cannot be done now.”



Things were going well until the middle. The traitor hiding within the school, Katsuragi Sayaka, released an army of monsters which led to quite a bit of casualties, but they were able to defeat them. Yet the appearance of that dark wolf completely turned the table against them.



That monster’s attacks half destroyed the entire school. Furthermore, the monsters that were attracted by its howl killed many of the students and evacuees that were present. Afterwards, everyone fled in different directions, cutting off all forms of communication. To begin with, as phones were no longer usable, there wasn’t any method to communicate with them.



“Just in case, we have already agreed upon an emergency meeting point, but…”



How many people would be present? How many people could maintain their calm and reasoning? Even she was like this. It wouldn’t be weird if people like Glasses… no, if people like vice president Miyamoto were already dead. She also got separated with Nishino and Aisaka, both of whom she deemed promising stocks. Touka felt dizzy, feeling as if her surroundings were gradually falling apart.



“Ah… why did things progress like this…”



If she took off her mask as the dictator of the school, she was just another high-school girl. The events that took place during the 4 days took a toll on her mind. What if her hair turned gray at her age? The very thought repulsed her.



“Since using speakers could attract the monsters, I guess the best way is to gather people by posting messages on walls or telephone poles at regular intervals.” These types of things are often used during disasters. At this moment in time, she had to rely on such methods. Fortunately, she had papers and tapes on her hand. While posting these messages, she would slowly approach the meeting place. If monsters could read, everything would be over. However, if she was paranoid of such possibilities, there would be no end to her troubles.



“Ah, seriously. All of this is irritating me!”



{ Proficiency has reached a certain threshold }



{ Stress Resistance has increased from LV2 to LV3 }



“Oh is that so? I’m sooooo grateful.”



She took out a precious candy from her pocket and shoved it in her mouth. The sweet flavor of the lemon candy gradually spread throughout her mouth. Breathing in deeply, she waited for the sugar and oxygen to reach her brain. Finally, she felt a bit better.



“Fuuu… calm down Igarashi Touka. Not everything is over… I’m still alive. Shiori and Shidou are both safe as well… it’s fine. Everything is fine…” She consoled herself. She had to organize the information. Currently, she was hiding in a vacant house after running away from the monsters. Her siblings and two female members of the student council, the secretary and the general affairs officer, were with her. The brother and sister were already asleep while the other two were taking turns on the lookout. As a result, no one had seen her behave the way she did a moment ago.



“First off, I should gather the other members quickly. After that, we should find a place that can act as our new base…” Gathering information about the surrounding area, slaying monsters, establishing a communication network with other evacuation centers, securing safe areas, and gathering supplies like food and medical products were all important. Slowly but surely, she was organizing her thoughts.



“By the way, who was that person fighting against the dark wolf?”



The mysterious individual who was wearing a hood and holding a knife. She was late and wasn’t able to meet him in the cafeteria, but she heard that the person suddenly popped out of nowhere and commenced battling with Katsuragi Sayaka. There was no doubt that the person had a high level and powerful skills. She was also informed that the twins had misfired. When she first heard the news, she had a headache. After telling them so much details about the monster tamer, the twins… “Is there any way to contact that individual?”



If that individual was willing to cooperate, then they would be able to boost their strengths greatly. According to the report, Aisaka Rikka also showed some peculiar behaviors before the battle. Regardless, her first priority was to meet up with her people. There was a reason behind this hurry.



In this fashion, Igarashi Touka pondered about her future plans until she fell asleep. It is said that her “Fatigue Resistance” leveled up because of this.



In an alley which was a small distance away from the school, Nishino was hiding himself. Facing the army of monsters, he was able to somehow escape from the perilous situation.



“Haa… Haa… so I managed somehow…”



With his back on a wall, he hid himself behind trash cans and breathed out deeply.



“Rikka, what exactly was wrong with you?”



In his mind, he remembered the girl who was his partner dash out of the cafeteria by herself. What happened? Where did she go afterwards?



“Is it related to Ichinose?”



He thought of the girl who Rikka bullied before. Now that he thought about it, Rikka’s behaviors were strange ever since the battle at the schoolyard. Her behavior before their fight with Katsuragi Sayaka was also very obviously suspicious.



(What should I do? Look for Rikka? No, should I be looking for the student council president? Yes, I should protect my student coun… Huh? Why do I think so?) Nishino tilted his head, feeling uncomfortable about his line of reasoning. His priority should have been grouping back up with Shibata and Oono. Yet why did he think about president Igarashi first?



“…”



He didn’t have an answer to this. However, he felt uneasy. It was like his thoughts were being overwritten—. Nishino did not know this, but this discomfort was a sign that the effect of Touka’s “Enchantment” was fading. Her “Enchantment” was not something permanent. It had a time limit, and its effects diminished as the time limit approached. To prevent this, Touka often “stacked” her skill, but since they were currently separated, Nishino’s thoughts were returning to normal. It could be said that he was lucky.



“Gigi…!”



“…!”



Suddenly, while he was in deep contemplation, he heard deep groans. When he turned to look, he saw that two goblins had entered the alley.



(This is bad… to face monsters right now…)



He currently lacked the power to even run. Is this the end? However, his luck had not run out just yet.



ZUN!



The goblins trying to enter the alley were crushed by something heavy.



“…What?”



The object which appeared in front of his was… a log. A log had crushed the goblin. It took him some time to recognize this truth.



“How was it, Shibata-kun! Ojisan is also quite capable right? Hawahahaha.”



“Well, I mean it’s amazing and all, but Ossan, there are plenty of other weapons that you can use… so why a log?” “As someone who worked with wood before, this feels the most familiar for me.”



“Oh… is that so…”



Hearing the voices, Nishino subconsciously stood up and shouted.



“Are you Shibata?”



“…Eh? Seriously? Nishino-san?! Great! So you were well!”



The yankee student who found Nishino – Shibata – smiled brightly. Also, the people that were following him were the students that scattered from the home center.



“Why are you here?”



“So we were trying to head to the school with this ossan, but it took us more time than we anticipated. We were looking for a place to rest when we stumbled across these goblins…” And Nishino had been besides the goblins that were crushed.



“So that’s the case… anyways, it’s great to see that you’re safe.”



“Yep…”



While they were rejoicing their union, they heard someone sniffing from behind. It was the ossan crying. His name was Goshogawara Hachiro (Age 55), and he was the president of Hanamaru Sawmill.



“Good thing, Shibata-kun. You were able to unite with your friend safely… sniff sniff.”



“Thanks, Ossan. Honestly, you guys were a big help.”



“Between us, what is there to thank? Isn’t there a saying about ‘helping each other in times of need’? You can rely more on adults you know?” “Huh. When I first met Ossan, you were all nervous and shrunken.”



“Hey. I thought that was our secret. You really don’t respect your elders.”



Saying this, Shibata and the Ossan laughed. They must have fought in many battles together on their way here. Their friendship was one between fellow men which transcended the limitations of age.



“Let’s find somewhere we can take a break. There’s a lot that we have to discuss.”



“Thas right. We should start moving.”



Putting aside their happiness, they began to move. Even so, thought Nishino. The log appeared at the corner of his view. Seeing that it was soaked in blood, there was no doubt that it was used to slay monsters.



(There is a feeling of mismatch imagining a fat man wearing suits equipping this.)



Once again, Nishino was amazed at the log in front of him.



After their union, Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan fell asleep as if they fainted. This should be the case with Rikka-chan as well, but Ichionse-san must have been exhausted. This is in particular because she had to keep a vigilant watch while I had not opened my eyes.



“Now then. Momo, I’ll be relying on you.”



“Wan!”



Leaving Momo behind to keep watch, I wander around in the school building. Not only am I doing this to double check on the safety around this area, I am also doing this to refresh my mood. I know through “Enemy Detection” that only weak monsters such as goblins are present right now inside the school. It should be safe even if I am alone. In fact, cleaning them up didn’t take much time.



“In the end, I didn’t find any other survivor aside from Rikka-chan.”



While walking around, I looked for survivors, but I didn’t find any. There are only corpses left. Although they smell bad, I’ll have to leave them alone.



“Haa…”



When I look up, I see the moon. It might be the effect of not having any more access to electricity, but I can see the night sky more clearly than before.



“What are we going to do…”



I blurt out this question. Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan reunited. However, we haven’t decided on what to do from now on. It is unknown whether she’ll join us as a party member or whether we’ll go our separate ways… “…Ichinose-san will most likely make me choose…”



Within her heart, she’ll no doubt want Rikka-chan as a party member. However, I feel like she’ll leave the final decision to me.



“Rikka-chan as a party member…”



Two beautiful JKs and one man. From the outside, it should look like a harem. Rikka-chan’s breasts are big and all. But then again, I haven’t set any flags.



“…”



Talking to myself, I feel somewhat strange. How should I put this. Things like harem sound envious only through screens. In reality, many people would hold their heads and worry about what to do. In the first place, I haven’t really warmed up to Ichinose-san either.



“In that sense, being alone really is the best.”



I would not have to stand in the shoes of other people. I would only have to mind my own business. That was how I lived when I was working in a company. I worked on the tasks that were assigned and kept my relationship with colleagues at the level of talking. Some juniors approached me from time to time, but I just went with the flow. It was because I found it tedious. I thought it was fine to behave that way.



“It’s hard being with other people…”



I scratch my head. Ah, it’s so troublesome. Things don’t go as planned. Stress builds up. If it was a few days before, I wouldn’t have to be thinking of things like this. But it’s true that Ichinose-san has saved my life. And there’s me, who also feels motivated thinking about Aka, Momo, and Ichinose-san. The ease of being alone and the importance of companionship. The trade-off is making my head twirl.



— Don’t you want to live as you like?



Suddenly, I remember the words of the monster tamer. That girl was satisfied with this world. She claimed that it was because this was a world where she could fully express her true self.



“To live as I like…”



This is easier said than done.



“I wish I could also make such clear decisions…”



The mutter did not reach anyone’s ears and melted into the darkness of the night. The turbulent fourth day, which was filled with loss, mistakes, and defeat, came to an end.