CH 96

Alright. Although the things that I should be wary of increased by one, I’ll just tackle what’s in front of me one by one. First of all, it’s about the mail to Nishino-kun.



“Before anything else, you should tell Nishino-kun that you’re safe.”



“Yes, yes. Understooood.”



Pochipochi. Rikka-chan quickly taps around on the mail screen. As expected of a popular JK. Her typing speed is fast.



“Also, please include details about the ‘Mail’ skill, how to obtain the skill, and your current situation.”



“Kudou-san, isn’t it better for her to also talk about magic stones and wild animals?”



“Oh, you’re right.”



“Okay, okay. Wait a minute. Don’t say it all at once. I’ll type them right now…”



After finishing her mail, she sends the text to Ichinose-san instead of Nishino-kun. Just like the status screen, the mail screen is invisible to others. There isn’t a way to confirm the content of the mail unless it is read out loud or sent to another party.



“Yes. This should do…”



Since Ichinose-san, the oni of mails, has given her approval, the mail is sent to Nishino-kun.



“I’m worried about whether he’ll believe my words. Despite how he looks, he is quite cautious…”



Rikka-chan who is sending the mail appears to be anxious.



“It’s probably safe. Nishino-kun saw Aisaka-san receive your first mail back in the cafeteria. If you put some information that only you and Nishino-kun share, he will believe you.” On the other hand, he might be suspicious of whether or not this is a trap, but since it is Nishino-kun, it should be alright. He seems to have a realistic worldview, yet he has a side to him that cares for his friends. Furthermore, Rikka-chan is a powerhouse among Nishino-kun and his group, so they wouldn’t want to abandon her. As such, they are likely to contact us.



I’m more concerned about how one can’t get his or her hand on “Mail” unless you have a spare Skill Point. I hope Nishino-kun has an extra point… “Well then, we should move. I don’t want us to stay here for too long.”



“Wan!”



“I agree.”



Momo nods while Ichinose-san stands up.



“Eh? Aren’t we waiting until we receive a reply?”



In contrast, Rikka-chan tilts her head in confusion.



“As I mentioned earlier, it’s dangerous to stay here since we don’t know when the monsters will return.”



To be precise, I’m talking about the dark wolf. For us, goblins, zombies, and orcs won’t pose a threat even if they came in groups. Even so, the dark wolf is another story. If he changes his mind and attacks us again, we’ll be out of options.



However, personally, I don’t think this is likely to occur. If it wanted us dead, it would’ve done so from the beginning without giving us a night to recover. It is still unknown why it spared us. Unlike that time with the high orc, the dark wolf’s situation was never disadvantageous, not to mention how it looked like it had a lot of stamina to spare. Was it just its whim, or was there another “reason”… “…”



I take a glance at Momo. Momo, noticing my gaze, approaches my feet. How cute. Let’s mofu-mofu. There should be some connection between why I was spared and why Momo was not taken away. There is something about Momo. Something which would attract the dark wolf’s attention.



“…”



Don’t mess with me. Who would hand Momo over to a monster like that? This time, I will definitely protect Momo. That’s why my plan from now is simple. Before we meet it again, I’ll level up and get stronger. That’s all there is to it. I steel my heart while stroking Momo.



“Oh, right. I want to check one thing before we start moving.”



“W-what?”



Having been called out, Rikka-chan turns to me.



“If it’s alright with you, could you tell us about your level, occupation, and skills? Even though it’s temporary, it would be easier if we know each other’s abilities.” “Certainly, I’m curious about Ricchan’s occupation.”



“Well, uh… that’s right.”



For some reason, Rikka-chan looks slightly bitter.



“I chose ‘Berserker’ as my first occupation. I have a skilled called ‘Berserk’, which, upon activation, makes me very powerful during combat.” As I predicted.



“My level is 12. Aside from ‘Berserk’, I have ‘Ferocity’, ‘Continuous Battle’, ‘Regeneration’, ‘Strengthened Slash’, ‘Strengthened Strike’, and…” “And?”



“Um… and the ‘Mail’ that I just got. That’s it.”



I see. It’s a skill set which fits a “Berserker”. So her abnormal speed of healing is thanks to “Regeneration”. How convenient. I want it too.



“So what kind of occupation did Natsun choose? Since she has a gun, is a ‘Sniper’?”



“Oh… it’s something different. Ricchan, the first occupation I chose was…”



Unwillingly, Ichinose-san describes her occupation, skills, and level. When she hears about the “Hiki Komori” occupation, Rikka-chan’s face becomes complicated. “It’s my fault”, she says. “I don’t mind anymore”, replies Ichinose-san. “Un. Thank you”, says Rikka-chan in response. They’re communicating about something I don’t understand. (TN: Protagonist doesn’t know about their history yet.) I’m curious, but it isn’t something I should poke my head into. I won’t ask anything. If they want to talk about it, then I’ll be there to listen. Ichinose-san furthermore speaks about the new occupations and skills that she acquired from the “Gatcha” skill. It’s a really good skill that can compensate for the weakness of a “Hiki Komori” and a “Sniper”. After all, I feel like Ichinose-san’s luck with the “Gatcha” is extremely good. She can get her second and third occupation without having the need to max their levels out like I do. I’m starting to think that there should be a skill called “Luck”.



Rikka-chan expresses her shock when she hears about Ichinose-san’s level. Well, it’s true that she’s at level 23. It’s almost twice as high compared to Rikka-chan. Rikka-chan’s impression was “Natsun is dope…”.



I also notified Rikka-chan about things that I wouldn’t mind her knowing. Things such as my level, my occupation of “Ninja” and “Shadow Master”, and my skills. With this, I can attack using Item Box, all the while claiming that it’s a “Ninjutsu”. I’ve already told Ichinose-san about this, so she would match my words as well. I’m doing this because I don’t trust her completely yet. Furthermore, I tell her about the skills of Momo and Aka. Rikka-chan’s impression of Aka’s ability was “This slime is dope…” “With all that out of the way, please take care of me throughout this journey.”



“Likewise, onii-san.”



We shake each other’s hands. By the way, Rikka-chan is not counted as our team member because she is already partied up with Nishino-kun. If she was honest, she would probably want to be with Ichinose-san, but it’s better to decide on this after we meet up with Nishino-kun. It’s not like we know how to leave a party anyways. Now, let’s start moving. We leave the building from the tattered entrance.



“Looking at it again, it truly is a horrible sight.”



Rikka-chan’s thoughts leak out of her mouth. Everything inside the school building has been destroyed, and the outside doesn’t look much better. Tents that have been installed in the school yard have been demolished, and corpses are littered on the floor, with crows swarming around them. The stench of blood permeates the air. Although I’ve gotten used to it to some degree during the past 4 days, it’s not a pleasant scene.



(The bodies can’t be stored in the Item Box either…)



For some unknown reason, creatures, living or dead, could not enter the Item Box. Is it because corpses are regarded not as “Objects” but “Entities”? Or is it because the standard of the Heavenly Voice is different? Whichever it is, corpses cannot go in the Item Box.



Because of the risks involved in bacteria spreading, I would like to cremate them, but it would take a lot of energy and time to do so for each of them. For now, we cannot afford to do so. I simply reply with a “Yes” before leaving the school.



However, during these moments, I failed to notice Rikka-chan eyeing the dead bodies. Besides the feeling of sadness and pity, there was something else mixed in.



(I… lied…)



Rikka sighed in her heart. No, she didn’t really lie. To be precise, she just omitted it. The skills in her arsenal were not limited to what she had told. At the bottom of her skill screen, there was another skill.



— Kindred Killer.



She just couldn’t get herself to talk about this skill.



(It’s obvious why I can’t say it…)



She finally reunited with her best friend. How was it possible for her to confess that she possessed such an abominable skill?



(Sorry, Natsun. But this time… I’ll be sure to protect you.)



She had reunited. She was delighted. Nevertheless, there was still darkness within Rikka’s heart.