CH 129

Nishino-kun persuades Shibata-kun and Goshogawara-san. Although Goshogawara-san accepts me fairly easily, Shibata-kun looks at me with grudging eyes.



“… Just so you know, I haven’t accepted ye. I’m only going along cuz Nishino-san decided. Don’t get the wrong idea.” That’s the first thing he says to me.



How scary. He’s exuding a frightening aura.



“Kyuu…”



Kiki is clinging to my feet and trembling as if to say, “This person is so scary”.



He appears to be considerably bothered by the fact that I was acting as Ichinose-san.



In this regards, there’s nothing I can say or refute. But there was no other way. After all, we couldn’t have had Ichinose-san throw up in front of them.



“Look here. If you do anything strange to Nishino-san and the others, I’ll —- AH! That hurts!” “Hey! What are you saying, Shibachi! Onii-san is already considered our teammate, so you can’t do things like that!” “Chi… I get it.”



Shibata-kun backs down after being reprimanded by Rikka-chan. Nishino-kun steps forward and replaces him.



“Then Kudou-san, there are several things which I would like to confirm with you about the future.” Having said so, Nishino-kun cuts to the chase.



“We have called our companions to gather here. We’ve confirmed their survival through ‘Mail’, so they should arrive by today.” 11 people are projected to arrive. Since they have considerable levels and skills, the fighting potential of the City Hall should rise dramatically with their arrival.



“That’s why—”



“Ah, before that, do you mind if I say something?” “… What is it?”



“I’ve been wondering for a while, but you don’t have to speak politely with honorifics, you know?” Nishino-kun looks at me, confused.



“… But Kudou-san is speaking with honorifics as well. If I’m the only one who isn’t using honorifics, wouldn’t that be rude of me? Also, Kudou-san, you should be… older than me, right? ” “I’ll be 21 when my birthday arrives.” Nishino-kun is in his third year of high school, so I’m not that much older.



“Then—”



“But it doesn’t matter. Speaking like this is a habit of mine, so it’s easier for me to speak like this.” Corporate slaves are trained to use honorifics to anyone. The notion is already ingrained within my body.



Speaking of which, Nishino-kun is really polite and considerate. Despite his looks, he is actually a serious person.



“Also, here in the City Hall, I’ll continue to disguise as Ichinose-san, so I prefer being treated like before.” It’s quite difficult to change how someone speaks. It’s easy to make a mistake without realizing it. In fact, I slipped up several times in front of Fujita-san. This is why I want Nishino-kun to act as normally as possible.



“… As I thought, she can’t come here yet?” “Very unlikely. I received a mail from her a moment ago, and it says, ‘I will try my best and consider it in a positive light’.” “Oh, that means there’s no way it’s going to happen.” Rikka-chan nods in understanding. I agree with her.



“… Understood. No, got it, Kudou-san.” (TN: He shifts from formal to informal here.) “Thank you for your understanding.” Nishino-kun clears his throat with a Kohon! and resumes talking.



“Let’s continue with our discussion. Our team will be exploring again later this evening. At that time, let’s check on each other’s skills in person.” Although we can convey the details of the skills verbally, there are many things that can be learned from observing them directly in action.



I can see what Nishino-kun is saying.



“Then may I know everyone’s levels and occupations?” “Ah, of course….”



Nishino-kun suddenly stops speaking for a moment and takes a peek at Rikka-chan’s direction.



“…By the way, have you heard about Rikka’s occupation?” “Yes, she’s a Berserker, right? She told me.” “….”



Nishino-kun appears to be slightly surprised.



“…That’s… good to hear. I chose to be a ‘Commander’. I have a skill which can boost an individual’s strength and a skill which can boost teamwork.” A “Commander”. So the light I saw before that was emitted from his hands signified the activation of a skill similar to Kiki’s buff magic. It’s truly an occupation that suits Nishino-kun.



Nishino-kun’s level is said to be at 11. He goes on to explain about Shibata-kun and Goshogawara-san as well.



Goshogawara-san’s profession is “Adventurer”, and he is currently at level 9. It seems like logs are his weapon of choice.



“Why logs?”



“Hahaha. It’s because they’re the easiest to handle and output the most power.” The middle-aged office worker says so with a smile as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.



Right…….



What stuns me is Shibata-kun’s occupation. He is… a “Doctor”.



(So despite how you appear to look, your occupation isn’t combat oriented!?) There’s no denying that his occupation is very precious, but I can’t help but blurt out such a thought inside my head.



Shibata-kun is level 10. Apparently, he can fight monsters normally relying on his “Spearmanship” skill.



Why a “Doctor”? When I ask such, I am told that his family has produced doctors for many generations. He too was involved in medicinal studies, so he was able to acquire it as his first occupation.



He initially wanted to be a “Spearman” or a “Brawler”, but he reluctantly became a “Doctor” under the recommendation of the people around him (Mostly Nishino-kun).



(Lots must be going on inside of his family…) I don’t touch upon the topic of his family. He doesn’t look like he wishes to talk about it either.



As a “Doctor”, he is allegedly capable of producing medical equipment and drugs using MP. In addition, he could diagnose a patient and tell what kinds of treatment methods and first aid measures are available.



Doctors sure seem amazing. The survivability of a party would increase exponentially with a doctor being in the team. There’s no doubt that it’s a much more useful occupation than a “Brawler”.



“I guess I’m next. My occupation is ‘Ninja’, and my level is 22.” Nishino-kun and the others become puzzled when they hear my level.



I hear voices like “A ‘Ninja’…?” and “Level 22…?” “Yes. I’m a ‘Ninja’. As the title implies, I can use ‘Ninjutsu’. They’re quite convenient.” I also explain about the skills which I possess, but it is only to the extent where it wouldn’t cause an issue. It’s like that time when I explained things to Rikka-chan. Even their reactions are similar.



(As I thought, the effect of “Precocious” is ridiculous…) Multiple occupations and a large assortment of skills. Even when it comes to our status, it is likely that I have an overwhelming advantage.



(But it’s not something worth writing home about.) To begin with, I don’t think of myself as something like a Chosen One. I simply satisfied some conditions.



(If I’m not wrong, the condition of acquiring “Precocious” was accomplishing the “First Subjugation”…) I’m sure that’s what the announcement said. In that case, there may very well be conditions like being the “First to Commit Murder” or the “First to Activate a Skill”.



It is likely that there are other people like me who met some conditions and gained powerful skills and occupations. There may even be monsters that have acquired unique skills. Thinking that I’m special could come back to bite me.



(And I simply wish to survive safely with Momo, Ichinose-san, and the others.) I don’t need anything else. That’s the source of my motivation. I decided to join forces with Nishino-kun because he appears to have a similar ideology.



…Oh?



“It’s about time. Let us leave and —” “Please wait.”



I stop Nishino-kun who is trying to get up. Next, I immediately employ “The Art of Transformation”.



“What are you doing, Kudou-san?” “There was a reaction from ‘Enemy Detection’. Someone is heading to the rooftop.” “Eh?”



Everyone turns to the door at the same time.



The door opens vigorously, and Chief Shimizu appears.



“Good work. Are there any abnormalities?” “Thank you for your hard work as well. Nothing happened. We don’t’ see any sign of monsters.” Nishino-kun answers on our behalf.



“Is that so? Then can everyone come to the meeting room immediately? There’s something urgent.” “…What happened?”



Everyone notices the strange air around Chief Shimizu and tenses up.



“Just now, Kamome-cha… Nijou-san’s group came back, and… they claim that they have discovered a monster that seemed like the Queen Ant.” “““…!”””



We breathe in at her words. The Queen Ant. A subjugation target just like Titan. If it was spotted, then it would certainly classify as an emergency.



“We would like to discuss the validity of their report with the members we have right now in the City Hall. If the news is true, we need to form a subjugation team immediately. We would also like to hear your opinions on the matter.” “…Understood. We’ll be glad to as long as you are fine with us.” “Great. I’ll station other people to stand watch, so come along.” We start walking to the meeting room with Chief Shimizu in the lead.