CH 123

(What does this mean? A mail at this timing?)



Nishino looked at his status screen again multiple times, but the sender was undoubtedly displayed as Ichinose Natsu.



A coincidence? No, the timing was too perfect to call it a coincidence.



(Well, there’s nothing I can do without first looking at the mail’s content.) Tapping on the icon that represented unread mails, he checked the content of the mail.



“What… the heck…”



He spoke out unintentionally. Starting with “Greetings, Nishino Kyouya-sama”, Nishino’s status screen was riddled with words, words, and even more words. What appeared before his eyes was an essay so long that the scroll bar at the side was as thin as a needle.



To be honest, reading it was an exhausting task.



(Is, is this some type of code…?)



Such thoughts were inevitable, but to the sender, it was considered a very normal mail.



In a few seconds, Nishino skimmed through the mail which would have taken normal people at least an hour to read. Thereafter, he let out a sigh.



“What… is this…”



He voiced out his thoughts once again. The mail that Ichinose Natsu sent answered all the questions which he previously had.



Why was her name not displayed on the status screen? Why did someone else’s name appear? Why did she send him the mail at this precise moment?



Answers to these questions were written in an excessively lengthy and detailed manner.



(So that’s how it is. Bad premonitions sure are accurate…)



Despite thinking so, Nishino’s mind regained its calm. He had previously lost his cool due to the lack of information. Having obtained his answers, he naturally calmed down.



(Now, what can I do…)



Nishino thought hard. If what was written in the mail was true, there was something which he had to confirm immediately.



“Hmm? What’s wrong, Nisshi? Why the difficult face?”



“Rikka…”



Nishino smiled at the girl who approached him which swinging her blond sidetail. It was a self-depreciating smile.



“Did you intentionally wait for me to finish reading?”



“What?”



“You don’t have to pretend any more. At this timing… really, you guys got me good. So you were informed beforehand. To cooperate with them despite knowing the truth must mean that she is that important of an existence for you… more so than me.” “What’s wrong, Nisshi? What are you going on—–”



Nishino smiles bitterly in response.



“Kudou Kazuto.”



“!”



Her reaction was very dramatic. Nishino did not miss how Rikka’s expression suddenly stiffened.



“As I thought… you knew.”



Rikka turned her face away.



“Nisshi… um… you see…”



“You don’t have to be so nervous. I’m not really angry. If everything written in the mail is accurate, then your actions are understandable. Really, I understand.” “Is everything fine, Nishino-san?”



“What is it? What’s up with you two’s expressions?”



Shibata and Goshogawara came up to them when they noticed something wrong. Nishino turned to face the two people.



“…A mail came from Ichinose-san.”



“From her? Wh-what did it say?”



Shibata was strangely very eager.



“Before that, I have something I wish to confirm. Shibata, Goshogawara-san. Please go to your list of contacts. Do you see Ichinose Natsu listed anywhere?” Having received his instructions, the two checked their status screen.



“Huh? Her name isn’t present?”



“Same over here…”



“Next, do you have the name Kudou Kazuto listed? It should be among the first few names you got into contact with after coming to the City Hall.” “It’s there.”



“Yeah.”



“Is that so…”



With this, it was confirmed that the information which Ichinose Natsu sent was genuine.



“Nishino-san, what does this mean? Why is her name not listed here? And who is this Kudou Kazuto? Did…. Did something happen to Ichinose?” Nishino hesitated on how to answer before deciding to tell the truth.



“Ichinose is fine. No, she should be fine.”



“What does that—-”



“Shibata, I’ll tell you the conclusion first. The person who spoke to us in the morning was not Ichinose.” “What?”



“Kudou Kazuto. That is the true name of the person who we thought was Ichinose-san.” When he said that, the eyes of the people in front of him widened.



“Eh? Wait… huh? W-What do you mean, Nishino-san? Please don’t joke around. It’s not funny.” “I’m not joking. Apparently, a disguising skill was used.”



“But… it can’t be…”



Shibata’s body shook violently in disbelief. His face turned to Rikka. Seeing her nod in silence, Shibata’s expression fell. It was quite the shock for Shibata.



“Rikka.”



Nishino once again turned to Rikka. Rikka’s body shivered in surprise.



“I told you, there’s no need to be so tense. I’m not angry at you.”



“But…”



“I’m not angry at you. I’m only angry at myself for my incompetence.” “Eh…?”



“It’s nothing. Anyway, I’ll be blunt with my question.”



Rikka swallowed hard while putting on a serious expression.



“Is that person… Is Kudou Kazuto a trustworthy person?”



“Yes.”



Rikka answered Nishino’s question without hesitation.



“I see.”



Nishino was slightly saddened by her response. He let out a small sigh.



“I’m really envious.”



To gain Rikka’s trust within a few day. No, it was possibly even less than that. Nishino could not help but be jealous.



(How petty I am.)



He knew in his mind that it wasn’t the time to be thinking about this, but whether he could accept the situation or not was a different matter. Humans think based on logic but act based on emotions.



(Well, it’s fine. If I’m lacking, all I have to do is pile more things on top.) Whatever the case, the first move had been already done. He already knew what the best course of action would be next. He didn’t like the fact that he understood what he had to do next.



“I want to speak with you all. It’s about what we’ll do in the future…” In this manner, Nishino began to speak about the information which he gained from Ichinose’s mail.



On the other hand, in a room of an empty building near the City Hall.



Ichinose Natsu heaved a heavy sigh.



“Fuuu…. Something like this should do…”



Ichinose gazed at her mail screen with a tired face. Before Kazuto left, he had asked of her to persuade the group of students starting from Nishino.



“Neither Kazuto-san nor I knew about the properties of the list of contact…” They were only informed about this the day before. It was Rikka who told them about it. While Kazuto was gathering information by himself, Rikka was informed about what had occurred to Nishino’s group after the separation. From this, she was told about the usefulness of the “Mail” skill.



Real names were listed on the list of contact. This piece of information was like a wake-up call for Ichinose and Kazuto. They did not know, nor did they notice. Of course, Kazuto and Ichinose panicked for a while.



They discussed and thought hard for a long time before coming to the conclusion that it would be for their best interest to be honest about their identities before people became suspicious about them.



(The battles hereon after would require cooperation from others… Kazuto-san is right.) There was a mail from Kazuto informing her about the annihilation of the Defense Force. Form that, she once again confirmed the validity of Kazuto’s words.



The giant ant and the golem. Neither of them could be slain by their strengths alone.



(So we must act in a way that would allow us to take action regardless of the success or failure of the operation is it…) If the operation succeeded, they would be able to settle down in the safe base. If it failed, they would be well informed the next time they find a base to settle down in. Ichinose agreed with Kazuto’s thoughts. No matter which course they took, they had to cooperate with other people.



(And it has to be people that understand our situation and are willing have a cooperative relationship with us…) Nishino fit the conditions very well. Unlike the people they met in the City Hall, Ichinose and Kazuto knew about the nature of Nishino’s group to a certain extent. Furthermore, considering Rikka’s relationship with their group, they were the best option to choose from.



As such, they had to make sure that the other party could not refuse their proposition. They could have had Rikka persuade the students, but there were too many uncertain variables.



(Thankfully, Aka-chan was impeccable with the timing.)



Obviously, the timing of the mail was not a coincidence. It was the work of Aka who was disguised and attached to Rikka. Despite being apart, every part of Aka was capable of sharing their senses and relaying information with one another in real time. It was through this method that Ichinose determined the best timing.



(With that said, Nishino-kun isn’t normal either. To understand so many things with only what is written in the mail…) She thought he would be a bit more suspicious, so she was surprised when he understood so many matters through the mail.



The rotation of Nishino’s head and his ability to make judgment were too fast to be considered normal. She did include various things in the mail, but it wasn’t an easy task to extract so much information and make decisions based on them.



(Ricchan mentioned how Nishino-kun’s occupation is “Commander”. I wonder if that influences his thought processing speed…) Occupations were, to a certain degree, influenced by people’s characters and personalities. It was possible for skills and occupations to raise the intelligence of individuals that were intelligent to begin with.



(Having said that, they must have something that they want as well…)



In that regards, there was much to be discussed. After all, there would be no meaning to their cooperation unless it was a give and take.



(The biggest problem is whether or not I can do things properly…)



To throw up or not, that was the question. She had even thrown up in front of Kazuto, who she had opened up her heart to. There was no guarantee that the tragedy would not repeat itself. She had to pay constant attention.



“Wan!”



She heard the voice of the cute and adorable puppy Momo from behind.



“Momo-chan, good work. Are you okay?”



“Wan!”



Momo nodded and displayed the “results” of her hard work. Ichinose smiled deeply.



“Yes, this much should do.”



“Wan!”



She mofu-mofued Momo who worked hard. It was soothing. At the same time, she felt a little lonely.



(I wonder when Kazuto-san is returning…)



They exchanged mails frequently, but it just wasn’t the same.



(Just a few days ago, I was used to being alone…)



Now, it felt normal for him to be next to her.



Hugging Momo, she rubbed her face on Momo’s fur. Momo twisted around as if it was ticklish.



“Kuun?”



“It’s okay, Momo-chan. I’m not really that lonely.”



As if she understood Ichinose’s feelings, Momo licked her face. It was as if Momo was encouraging her.



“Yes, you’re right. Kazuto-san is doing his best, so we must work hard as well.” “Wan!”



Re-energized, Ichinose once again stared at the “things” spread in front of her. She was planning on testing out the new skills and occupation which she acquired from the Gatcha. In case of an emergency, they could very well be her trump card. That was why, “We must succeed, Momo-chan.”



“Wan!”



Putting spirit into herself, she set about working.