CH 135

It was Rikka-chan’s question that served as the trigger.



“Why are you hesitating, onii-san?”



“Eh?”



Running parallel to me, Rikka-chan asked with a voice which only I could hear.



“Hesitating? You mean me?”



“Yeah, you were completely zoned out during the previous fight, and you’ve been antsy for some time, so I was wondering what’s up.”



“No, that’s…”



I couldn’t say anything when I tried to refute her words.



As Rikka-chan noted, I wasn’t concentrating on the fights at all.



I knew the reason why. It was because of the “unpleasant feeling” that I was getting from the direction of Chief Shimizu’s team.



I couldn’t help but wonder where it was from, so I was unable to pay attention to what was in front of me.



“Is it your former colleagues?”



“…”



“Is that so. You’re really easy to read, just like Natsun.”



Kusukusu. Rikka-chan giggled before suddenly turning serious.



“If you feel bothered, why not head over to take a look?”



“Eh? Aren’t we currently in the middle of an operation? I can’t just leave without permission—”



“You’re right… but onii-san, did you know? If you hesitate and not take action when you could, you will feel immense regret later on. You’ll think ‘if only I had done this’ after everything has ended.”



Her words which sounded terribly real probably came from her own experience.



Her experience of neglecting Ichinose-san when she was getting bullied.



“That’s why it’s better to regret doing something rather than to regret not doing it. Not only for yourself, but for others as … Oryaaa!”



Rikka-chan swung the hatchet in her hand and cut down the Soldier Ant that was nearing us.



“Geee…!?”



It was still alive, so I pulled the trigger to put an end to it.



— I’ll always be waiting for you.



That was what that person had said. It wasn’t like I was particularly close to her though…



“….”



The Soldier Ant’s head blew away.



The announcement about the acquisition of experience echoed in my head.



…She’s right. Rather than regretting it later on, I should just go for it.



“Aisaka-san.”



“Hmm?”



“Thank you.”



“Don’t sweat it. So a change of plans it is. Nisshi!”



Rikka-chan called out to Nishino who was running behind her.



“What is it?”



“Nishino-kun, there’s something that’s been getting on my mind…”



And now—



I have blown Inoue-san away.



This… what kind of situation is this?



Well, I can tell just by looking.



Inoue-san and his friends were trying to kill Chief Shimizu and Nijou by setting up a trap.



That should be the gist of it.



Inoue-san stands back up and glares at me with an expression akin to a devil.



“You…are Kudou? You’re alive?”



“Well, yes. It’s been a while, Inoue-san.”



“Shit… to interrupt like this.”



He spits out blood. Apparently, he has no intention to cover it up.



But really, Inoue-san, what in the world are you doing in this state of emergency…



“Kudou-kun…. Are you really Kudou-kun?”



Chief Shimizu and my ex-colleagues are staring at me in surprise.



Uh, did you all just assume that I was dead?



No, well, I guess that’s fine.



“Um, Chief Shimizu, long time no see.”



“Long time no see indeed…B-behind!!”



“Eh?”



When I turn around, I see the figure of Inoue-san rushing at me while swinging his knife.



“DIEEEEEEEEE, KUDOUUUUUUUU!”



I knew about it beforehand.



“Crisis Detection” and “Hostility Detection” have been reacting since a while back.



Even so…



(Inoue-san, you’re actually have the intent to kill me…)



I don’t have make much of a good impression of him, but the fact that my acquaintance is displaying murderous intentions is hard to bear.



“Proficiency has reached a certain threshold.”



“‘Mental Distress Tolerance’ has increased from LV4 to LV5.”



“Proficiency has reached a certain threshold.”



“‘Acting’ has increased from LV3 to LV4.”



I feel my heart cooling down. I move to the side and lightly dodge Inoue-san’s attack.



Next, I counterattack by activating “Shadow Manipulation”, thereby capturing both Inoue-san and his companions.



“Tsu…! W-what’s this!?”



“Something black is restricting me…!”



“I-I can’t move…!?”



So they can’t shake off “Shadow Manipulation”.



I can roughly guess what their levels are at.



It’s amazing to think they had to guts to pull off this kind of plan with their measly abilities.



In fact, they were so easily suppressed that it feels weird.



No, I should still be careful.



When I put some more strength into restraining them, Chief Shimizu and Nijou who were captured by them are released.



They fall down on the spot.



… They can’t move?



“Are you both okay?”



“K-Kudou-kun, is this your skill?”



“That’s right. Rather, can you stand?”



Chief Shimizu shakes her head.



“I’m sorry. My body is still numb, so I can’t move.”



“Numb…?”



I glance at a plastic bottle near her feet which is oozing out something that feels “unpleasant”.



Did they put poison into this…?



Paralysis poison… maybe it’s from a skill that is similar to Shibata-kun’s “Drug Generation”?



(—Storage.)



For confirmation, I store the bottle of water into the Item Box without alerting anybody.



The list now has a line that says “250 mL of Water Containing Paralytic Poison * 1”.



So it’s poisoned after all.



“Nijou, how are you feeling?”



“Senpai….Gazudo Jenbaiii…”



“O-Oh…for the time being, wipe your face with this. It’s currently in an ‘amazing’ state.”



Nijou’s face is littered with tears, snot, bruises, and blood.



She must have been beaten terribly before I arrived.



If only I came here earlier… no, there’s no point in lamenting at this point.



“Sorry…”



“…?”



Nijou hangs her head low.



Chief Shimizu begins talking in her stead.



“Thank you, Kudou-kun. I can’t thank you enough for your assistance.”



“If you wish to thank someone, please thank Aisaka-san and Nishino-kun… they were the ones that pushed my back.”



“…?”



“Also…”



The bodies of two of my former colleagues are lying in blood.



Ikeda-san and Kauchi-san.



When I worked at the company, they were people that took good care of me.



(…I’m sorry.)



I know that apologizing won’t change anything.



I know that I’m apologizing simply to satisfy myself.



Even so, I can’t help but apologize.



“Hey! Kudou! Until us now! Hey! Are you deaf!”



I hear noise in the background. How irritating.



When I turn around, I hear the screams of Inoue-san who is on the ground like a caterpillar because of my “Shadow Manipulation”.



“Inoue-san…”



“YOU….HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME WITH THOSE BELITTING EYES! YOU’RE JUST A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE! RELEASE ME! FROM THE TIME YOU WERE WORKING AT THE COMPANY—”



His eyes are blood red and bubbles are forming on his mouth.



Although he acted arrogantly even inside the office, he shouldn’t have been this stupid.



(Now that I think about it, she also had a similar expression…)



That Monster Tamer girl I met at school. She had the same eyes as him.



Eyes that belong only to those who released themselves from the shackles of their desires.



(I might have ended up like them.)



If I hadn’t met Momo. If I hadn’t met Ichinose-san.



I might have led my life to destruction by allowing my desires take over me.



I become horrified at the thought.



“Chief Shimizu.”



“Yes?”



“What does Chief Shimizu want to do with them?”



“That’s…”



Chief Shimizu considers her words before replying



“I… want to try and change their minds.”



“Weren’t you about to be killed by them?”



For a moment, I wonder what this person is saying, but upon closer inspection, I see that her slender body is shuddering.



“Y-yes, I know… but it’s also a fact that they’ve been helping us by killing a lot of monsters up until now. In addition…”



“In addition?”



“If I kill them here based on my emotions… how will I be any different from them… I… I…!”



“…”



Various emotions pass through Chief Shimizu’s eyes as she says so.



Conflict. Fear. Anger.



She isn’t as calm as she sounds.



Two of her team members were murdered. The same fate would have awaited them if something had gone wrong.



She is holding herself back because she has to consider the future as well.



(She really hasn’t changed from back then…)



I wonder why she always tries to put herself in difficult positions.



“In my case… uh…!!”



Nijou’s expression changes just as she was hesitating on what to do with the traitors.



“K-Kazuto-san… we should first move away from —”



“It’s fine, I know. It’s about time both of you are free from the paralysis.”



“You’re right…”



Although they are still a bit stiff, they should be fine with regular movements.



“Both of you must run as soon as I give you the signal.”



““Huh?””



I walk towards Inoue-san and the others.



(— Storage.)



I try to store some things away without anyone realizing… No one notices me doing so.



Now, I’ll be leaving the decision up to them.



“Inoue-san, have you been listening? If you reflect on your actions and repent, they are willing to forgive you.”



“…Got it. I’ll never do this kind of thing again…I apologize.”



Inoue-san apologizes.



“Then I will release the restraint. Please don’t do anything weird that will garner our suspicion.”



The moment I say so and release their restraints—



“IDIOT!!”



Inoue-san and his friends try to attack us with their weapons. I don’t sense any remorse from them.



My heart completely cools when I see their eyes that are distorted with madness.



(As I thought…)



Since I expected nothing less, I step back to dodge their attacks and take “that” out of the Item Box, dumping it all on Inoue-san and his friends without hesitation.



“Buhaa!?”



“Oh… what…!?”



The “thing” enters their mouths, and they reflexively swallow it down.



It’s the water containing paralytic poison.



Inoue-san is trying to spit it out, but it’s too late.



At that moment, a huge number of Ants appear out of the ground.



“Wha—!?”



“Both of you, run!”



‘“…!””



Nijou and Chief Shimizu immediately begin to sprint. I also follow behind them.



Only Inoue-san and his companions are left immobile where the Ants have converged.



“Kyiii!”



“Kikikiki!”



“Kishikishi!”



From a glimpse, I can tell that there are more than 40 of them. Some superior species are mixed present too.



“Shit, I can’t move because of the paralysis… Hey, take out the pesticides! Quick! You have a resistance skill, right!?”



“!! What!? There’s nothing in the bag!”



“Huh!? Don’t fuck with me! We prepared so many of them!”



“But it’s true! Hey, what are we going to do!? Without the pesticides, we can’t fight against so many… Eh? Where are our weapons? Where are our weapons!? We had them just a minute ago! They’re gone!”



“What’s going on!? H-HEY! SAVE US! PLEASE! SOMEONE!”



“No, I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! DON”T COME! DON’T COME!!!”



Nobody responds to their pleas.



To live as they please in a world where the strong consumes the weak.



That’s the kind of world they wished for.



And that’s why…



“KUDOUU! PLEASE HELP US! DAMN IT! LET GO! NOOOOOoooo….”



We run away with our backs turned against them.



Although Nijou and Chief Shimizu have sad expressions on their faces, they do not stop running.



No one looks back.



After a while— Inoue-san’s presence vanishes.



Now, time to return to Nishino-kun’s group.