CH 160

The big trees were the first things I saw after the world changed.



They’re also quite peculiar now that I think about them.



Although they’re growing everywhere as if to assert their presence, nobody bothers to care about them.



It’s as if they were there from the beginning.



Put another way, they’re beings that are familiar yet foreign at the same time, blending in with our lives unlike the irregularities known as monsters.



(In any case, when I focused my attention on the trees last time, didn’t it feel quite dangerous…?)



I had forgotten about this as well.



No, maybe the trees had made me think this way.



My forgetfulness can be explained if the large trees have skills which can distract their opponents like Ichinose-san’s “Cognitive Impediment”.



(But why did the sense of discomfort reignite now…?)



Is it the effect of “Evolution”…?



To notice details which I have failed to grasp before.



Is this what the “Newtype’s” description meant by “increasing the individual’s potential”?



(That means Ichinose-san should have come to the same realization.)



I turn to look at Ichinose-san.



Coincidentally, Ichinose-san also turns to look at me at almost the same time.



Our eyes meet—



“…”



— but she divert hers away.



Ah… I’m accustomed to it by now, but it hurts a little.



“Oh, um… sorry.”



“Don’t mind it. I got used to it.”



There is a tint of red on Ichinose-san’s face.



“Um… didn’t we try to investigate the trees before?”



“Yes, but we didn’t in the end.”



As soon as we thought about something else, we lost our interest in the trees.



Thinking back, our behaviors were undoubtedly unnatural.



Now that we can keep our “consciousness” focused on the trees, we might be able to study them.



“Hey, wait a minute.”



“Sorry?”



Shibata-kun interrupts us.



“We’re currently on the topic of the town’s abnormally small population. Trees have nothing to do with it.”



“That’s…”



“Don’t jump to conclusions, Shibata.”



I get stumped on what to say, but thankfully Nishino-kun enters the discussion in a timely fashion.



“Why did you think that the trees were irrelevant just now?”



“Eh…?”



Shibata-kun ponders Nishino-kun’s question for a moment.



“They’re trees, ya know? Why would they have anythin’ to do with the decrease in population?”



“What did you base your words on? How can you say for certain that the two things are unrelated? What specifically made you deny their association?”



“There… wasn’t anythin’ like that…”



I’m guessing that he said what he said without putting much thought into it.



Shibata-kun’s voice becomes softer and less confident.



“Exactly. For no particular reason, you felt like the trees didn’t matter… I thought so too.”



Nishino-kun’s response was probably unexpected.



Shibata-kun seems surprised.



“What? Then—”



“That is also why they may not be irrelevant.”



“Huh?”



Nishino-kun rests his chin on his hand and contemplates.



Then, he turns towards us.



“Everyone, be honest and raise your hand if you thought Kudou-san’s story was boring and unimportant.”



Most of the people in the room save Ichinose-san and myself raise their hands.



Rikka-chan hesitates a little but also ends up raising hers.



“See? It ain’t only me, right?



“You’re right…”



Nishino-kun’s gaze lands on me.



“Kudou-san, this was what you were speaking about, correct?”



“…!”



Sharp. I expected no less from Nishino-kun.



“Certainly… this is ‘also’ rather unnatural. They have something in common between them.”



“Indeed.”



“…? What are ya guys on about?”



Other students including Shibata-kun have no clue what’s going on.



“I’ll explain one at a time. This is the reason why I first began to question the number of inhabitants in town.”



Having said that, Nishino-kun takes out a notebook from his pocket.



It’s the type of notebook that officer workers usually carry around to make notes of their schedules.



It’s rare for a student like Nishino-kun to have one.



“…I’ve been keeping a diary ever since the world transformed to make sure I don’t forget about important events. After arriving at the City Hall, I’ve also been paying attention to information about the number of residents and skill holders…. Now read this.”



He has written down a lot of information on the notebook with fine handwriting.



It’s said that a person’s handwriting reflects their character, and Nishino-kun’s handwriting is mighty neat.



On the other hand, mine is so terrible that Chief Shimizu once told me to buy workbooks for me to practice my handwriting.



Anyway, the page that Nishino-kun points to has the number of residents that the City Hall had yesterday.



“The number of inhabitants is at… 152? As of yesterday? Wow, it went up considerably.”



“…Rikka, you should really try to remember this type of things…”



“Ehehe, I assumed Nisshi and the others would remember for me.”



“You…”



Nishino-kun sighs lightly and continues his speech.



“Yes, there were 152 residents yesterday. The thing is, during today’s meeting, the mayor told us that there were only ‘149’ people.”



“…? What happened to three of them?”



“Precisely. So I asked the mayor ‘Did some people leave?’. Do you know how the mayor responded?”



“…?”



“He said, ‘No one left. The number is the same as yesterday.’”



“…Eh?”



“It wasn’t just the mayor. Fujita-san and Shimizu-san replied with the same answer. That’s why I initially thought that I was wrong.”



Nishino-kun carries on.



“But I couldn’t get rid of the discomfort in my heart. That’s why I reviewed my ‘Mail’ list and compared it to my handwritten list many times. As expected, the number of residents matched the number of names on my notebook.”



“T-that means—”



“No one is aware that some people had gone missing. In fact, no one even remembers their names. The names of those that had disappeared were erased from my ‘Mail’ list, but they are still present on my handwritten roster. They were ordinary people without any skills. It seems that when people vanish, memories of them are erased from others’ memories and skills.”



We’re all speechless.



“When I arrived at this deduction, I felt my skin crawl. Even if someone disappeared, no one would know. Why were people disappearing? Why didn’t this feel out of place? Thinking along this line, I thought back to everything that had occurred so far. Along the way, I perceived that the population of the town itself was too small.”



That’s to say that he noticed the abnormality in the town’s population as he was investigating the cause behind the decrease in the residents of the City Hall.



It would have been impossible the other way around.



(Truth is, I didn’t notice it either.)



It’s no longer a topic we can tease Rikka-chan about.



Nishino-kun was able to take note of this because of his careful and meticulous personality.



“No… that kind of thing is…”



Rikka-chan trembles while hugging her arms.



Nishino-kun’s story has made us all pale, and for a good reason too.



Some of their team members might have disappeared during the past few days without them being aware of it…. It would be unreasonable to tell them to keep their calms.



“That’s right. Just like now, no one noticed any problem, and not one felt any discomfort. I was the same… I had to keep writing my thoughts down on my notebook to avoid forgetting about it.”



Nishino-kun turns to another page, a page full of questions about the residents and his opinions about the topic.



He must have been desperate not to forget.



“I know what you guys are feeling right now. I had to review my notes over and over again before the ‘irregularity’ finally dawned on me.”



“Is… that so? Didn’t you say that that person also noticed it? I’m talking about the Student Council President.”



“Mhm. She probably has a diary of her own. Also, she has a secretary besides her when we’re discussing with Fujita-san and the others. I believe that’s how she noticed it.”



“Hmm…”



If information that’s written down on paper does not disappear, there’s a good chance that Fujita-san and Chief Shimizu would figure it out as well.



After this, we should convey what we’ve learned to the staffs in the City Hall.



“Let us return to our previous conversation. I felt a sense of discomfort from the population. On the other hand, Kudou-san felt a sense of discomfort from the trees. What they have in common is that ‘our consciousness thwarts any information regarding them’. Maybe there’s a connection between the two. It’s worth probing into.”



Nishino-kun looks at me, so I nod in acknowledgement.



“I’ll do some research through ‘The Right to Question’ later on.”



“Thank you. Once we’re outside and Ono is released, may I ask Kudou-san to check straight away?”



“Sure. Will your group be fine without us?”



“If things go awry, Rikka and my friends would be with me to sort them out. Besides, I have a lot of questions to ask him… I will make him talk.”



Nishino-kun resolves to do so with clenched fists.



What are his thoughts on Ono-kun turning into a monster?



Leaving that aside, the disappearance of residents, the population, and the trees….



The number of things we have to investigate has increased yet again.



(Nishino-kun’s prediction… should be spot on.)



There is an association between the trees and the decrease in population – that’s what my skills are telling me.



We end our discussion here and head outdoors.



******



-Meanwhile, inside the Meeting Room of the City Hall-



“A monster, you say…”



Fujita repeated Towada’s words like a parrot.



“That’s right…”



Towada, the captain of the Self Defense Force, bobbed his head despite his pale expression.



“It appeared out of nowhere… and obliterated the garrison.”



“…How abrupt. Was that monster stronger than the Golem and the Queen Ant?”



Faced with Fujita’s question, Towada nodded silently.



“Wait a minute. Isn’t it that time of the year where you conduct large-scale military demonstrations? There should’ve been tanks, missiles, and fighter jets. You’re saying that you guys still lost?”



“…Yeah.”



“You’re kidding…”



“…”



Towada remained silent.



However, he didn’t seem like someone who was joking around.



Impossible, Fujita thought inside his heart.



Saying that military helicopters and missiles were not enough to slay the monster was equivalent to admitting the defeat of modern technology.



Fujita did not want to believe that this was true.



“What kind of monster was it?”



“It was ––”



*****



We’re just outside the borders of the “Safety Zone”.



This place should do.



“I’ll be taking out Ono-kun.”



“Yes, please.”



I unknowingly treat Ono-kun as an object by saying that I would be “taking” him out, but Nishino-kun doesn’t mind the offense.



I spread the “Shadow” beneath me.



However, before Ono-kun could appear, Momo and Kiki appear from the “Shadow” instead.



“Wan!”



“Kyu! Kyu! Kyu!”



“Hm? What’s wrong?”



They’re both in a hurry.



Is something wrong?



“Furu furu!”



Aka who is mimicking as my clothing begins to tremble violently.



“Wan! Wan!”



“What is it, Momo? Why are you in such a hurry?”



Momo urgently pulls on the hem of my clothes and faces a certain direction.



Isn’t that… where the neighboring town is?



“Wan! Wan wan! Grrrrrrr!”



Momo repeatedly barks at the direction of the neighboring town in a threatening way.



“Shah!”



Kiki climbs onto my shoulder and also begins letting out threatening snarls.



“What exactly – !?”



I turn my gaze towards where Momo is pointing.



The moment I do so, my detection skills begin ringing like an alarm.



(Where… where is this ridiculous pressure originating from?)



There aren’t any monsters in sight.



Beyond the wreckage of a cityscape is the natural scenery that spreads out without end.



There’s nothing else.



And yet—



“T-this… is…”



Ichinose-san is shivering in fear.



It’s not just her.



Nishino-kun, Rikka-chan, Shibata-kun, and the rest of the crew are also sweating and trembling.



The presence is so overwhelming that even those that don’t have detection skills can sense it.



(What is it…? Where is it?)



My back is soaked in sweat and my heart is beating like never before.



“Kudou-san…”



Ichinose-san grabs my sleeve.



I hold her hand subconsciously.



“Retreat! Retreat back to the ‘Safety Zone’! Hurry!”



Nishino-kun’s cry wakes us from our stupor.



The “Safety Zone” is right behind us, but it feels like it’s very far away.



Everyone rushes to return to the “Safety Zone”.



Just as Ichinose-san and I are about to move—



(– Incoming!)



My neck shoots up towards a particular direction.



There’s a black speck far above in the sky.



(That is—)



A black speck floating in the sky.



It gradually approaches us as my eyes remain glued to the figure above.



Its identity is slowly unraveled.



It has a huge body that reminds me of a lizard.



The surface of its body is covered by beautiful scales that reflect light and shine blue under the sunlight.



In addition, there’s a pair of wings attached to its back that allows it to cut through the clouds and soar unfettered.



(No way…)



At first glance, a certain word pops up on my mind.



A species that is regarded as the royal road for fantasy novels.



Ruler of the skies and the monarch of monsters.



“….A Dragon.”



The roar of the legendary existence resounds throughout the world as it presents itself before us.