CH 170

“—And that’s what basically happened.”



After returning to the base, I had to explain what transpired to Ichinose-san and the others.



“Peony”, the vine monster, and Igarashi Touka, the Student Council President.



I’ve already summarized my encounters with them to some extent through “Mail”, but it seems that they are nevertheless shocked.



Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan have been stunned silent.



(…Rather, everyone is still awake…)



The time is already past 4 in the morning.



It’s now early morning rather than midnight, yet no one’s asleep.



Smiling, Ichinose-san says, “For a Hiki Komori, isn’t this the prime time for activity?”



But Rikka-chan who’s next to you looks quite sleepy.



“To come across such ridiculous monsters one after another… Kudou-san, do you have some sort of aggro skill that attracts monsters? Oh, here you go.”



“Haha, I have nothing to say in that regards…Ah, thank you.”



I drink the cup of coffee which Nishino-kun has brewed.



Oh, it’s delicious.



It’s just instant coffee, but its aroma and taste are quite nice.



Is there some trick to this?



I should ask later on.



“A giant vine monster, you say…”



“Yes, its name is ‘Peony’. We’re speculating that it’s a Superior Species or a Variant Species of Treants. Its strength, however, is at another level compared to regular Treants or even the ‘Flowered’ Treants.”



Honestly, its strength is foul play.



If it wasn’t for Momo’s “Shadow Migration” skill, we wouldn’t have been able to leave there.



Recalling it gives me the shivers.



“Well, we haven’t even fought against regular Treants yet, so the comparison doesn’t really help. It’s got a name, so I understand that it’s terribly strong, though.”



Rikka-chan points this out as she takes a sip of her coffee.



Perhaps it’s too bitter for her. She adds sugar and milk into her cup.



“Makes sense… let’s see, think of it as each vine being as fast, if not faster, than I am now, with destructive potential comparable to the pile bunker. In addition, dozens of them can simultaneously shoot out at any given time.” (Kazuto)



“That’s straight up cheating.” (Rikka)



Not to mention that “Peony’s” area of attack is ridiculously wide.



After all, the vines are from the neighboring town which is dozens of kilometers away from here.



(Maybe that Dragon had fled from there…?)



Looking back, I remember the Dragon appearing from the direction of the neighboring town.



It might have been fleeing from Peony, the vine monster, after having engaged it in combat.



If so, that would mean that “Peony” is stronger than even the Dragon.



“Waa~, that’s bonkers.” (Rikka)



Rikka-chan took the words right out of everyone’s mouths.



Deafening silence ensues, and only the sounds of people sipping coffee are heard.



“So…how likely is it for that monster to attack this place?”



Nishino-kun breaks the silence and cuts to the chase.



He should already know the answer, but it seems like he wants my confirmation.



“…Very.”



“As I thought…”



Haa…



Nishino-kun sighs loudly.



Recently, he’s only been showing an exhausted face.



In fact, his expression looks deader than when I was a corporate slave.



Try not to get used to that expression, Nishino-kun.



“I get that we’re worried about the Super Treant, but what about President Igarashi? She was with you when you fled, yes? Did she do anything strange to you?”



Nishino-kun flinches at Rikka-chan’s words.



This reaction…something must have occurred between Nishino-kun and Igarashi-san.



“Everything’s fine on that end. She won’t be causing any more problems.”



“Huh? What do you mean?”



“Before the vine monster ambushed us, we had a short…‘discussion’ where I made her promise not to interfere with our work.”



You can rest assured, Nishino-kun.



She won’t be a threat to you any longer.



I tell this while looking as friendly as I could.



Regardless, the trio throws their suspicions at me.



“…Onii-san, what did you do?”



“A short ‘discussion’.”



“Furu furu.”



I worked super hard!



Aka, in its mimicked form, shakes as if to let this be known.



You’re right. It’s all thanks to you, Aka.



“…I’m curious.”



Jiiii—



Ichinose-san stares at me with narrowed eyes.



“…I-I didn’t do anything excessive, okay?”



“…”



Jiiii—



“U-uhhh…”



I sense something other than curiosity in the mix…



Yup, honesty is the best policy.



(…Whatever, there’s nothing to hide.)



I don’t want to hide things from Ichinose-san or Momo.



I reveal what I did to President Igarashi “outside” the “Safety Zone” ——only to see them distance themselves from me.



“Uwaa~ Onii-san, never knew you were sadistic.”



“An Eroge protagonist. There’s an Eroge protagonist here.”



“I knew you were ruthless, but this…”



Those are the impressions of Rikka-chan, Ichinose-san, and Nishino-kun, respectively.



Hey, aren’t you guys being too mean to me?



Wasn’t this all for you guys’ sake?



You don’t have to be that repulsed. Everyone’s doing similar things nowadays, no?



“We’re joking,” —or so Nishino-kun claims as Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan avert their eyes.



“All jokes aside, I’m really thankful. To be honest, I was troubled by the President.”



“I don’t think she’ll cooperate with us, but she won’t actively try and drag us down either. I believe you can rest assured.”



“…That would mean a lot.”



Nishino-kun bows his head.



He appears relieved.



Although I haven’t looked into the details, I can see that a lot has happened between them.



“By the way, where is she right now?”



“She returned home. I’ve marked her with ‘Tracking’ so that I’ll know where she is at all times.”



Actually, when we returned to the “Safety Zone”, she kept pestering me to bring her along.



I was only able to have her back down by threatening to snap my fingers.



“I apologize for all the trouble…”



“There’s no need for apologies. As the saying goes, we should help each other in times of need.”



“…You’re right. I’ll work harder from now on to repay you.”



Our conversation ends on that note.



I’ll report back at the City Hall after a moment of rest.



I’m totally spent.



I left the previous night with the intention of cleaning up some regular Treants. I never imagined that I would end up encountering a Named Monster…



“Huu…I’m beat.”



“Wan!”



“Kyu!”



Back in my room, Momo and Kiki appear from the “Shadow” as I lie on my bed.



Apparently, they want to sleep together with me.



It can’t be helped.



I beckon for them, and they both curl up on the futon.



“Good work, everyone. Thanks for your effort.”



“Wan~”



“Kyuu~”



“Furu furu.”



I think back to everything that has happened today as I stare at the ceiling.



A Slime Jellyfish, an Intelligent Zombie, a Dragon, and a vine monster…



How unbelievable is that?



How can all this happen in the span on a single day?



The monster encounter rate is so high that I might actually turn bald from stress.



“Fuaaa….”



Drowsiness overtakes me almost immediately, and I sink into sleep.



***



-The next day (or rather, a few hours later)-



Things have suddenly changed.



“…What in the world?”



Having woken up, I mutter while gaping at the scenery outside the window.



Vines.



Huge, thick vines are stuck in the air.



(…Those are…)



“Kudou-san!”



“Onii-san!”



The door to my room jerks open so abruptly that it wakes me from my thoughts.



Ichinose-san in her jersey and Rikka-chan in her tank top and hotpants enter the room.



“Good morning, you two.”



“Good morning.”



“Good morn…Nonono, it’s not the time to be greeting each other! Look outside!”



Rikka-chan points her finger at the huge vine outside.



“Yes, the other side is quite eager it seems…”



I didn’t expect it to arrive in a matter of a few hours.



The pressure that I’m feeling and the size of the vines erase any doubt that “Peony”, the vine monster, has come.



The vines are sticking onto an invisible wall, probably because they can’t bypass the “Safety Zone’s” barrier.



Some of the vines are acting like whips and repeatedly hitting the transparent barrier of the “Safety Zone”.



As the vines are from a monster, they can’t enter the premise.



“They’re so big that it’s hard to get a sense of scale…”



“Some of them are extended higher up than the buildings around them…this is crazy.”



Both of them are overwhelmed by the vines’ size.



“…Where’s Nishino-kun?”



“Nisshi rushed to the City Hall, worrying that the people would be in a panic.”



He’s fast to take action.



We should also head over then.



Through “Enemy Detection”, I perceive that there is indeed a panic going on in the City Hall.



(Everyone’s panicking…)



Just a day before, a Dragon had appeared.



In a sense, this panic was unavoidable…



The panic might devolve into something worse if it’s left unattended.



I hope Fujita-san and his colleagues can manage it.



Will they be okay?



(Also, what’s that…?)



What’s happening at the City Hall is worrisome enough, but something else that’s outside the barrier catches my attention.



I’m not talking about the vines that are sticking to the invisible wall of the “Safety Zone”.



Far behind the vines, I see a tall, pillar-like object standing in the mountainous regions.



(Is it…moving?)



The tall pillar is advancing slowly but surely.



In reality, it appears to be moving slowly due to its sheer size.



(Could that be—)



I check what the “pillar” is using “Telephoto”.



Conclusion: it’s not a pillar.



There are many thin “branches” extending out of it.



Furthermore, although they’re partially hidden by the clouds, huge “leaves” and “red flowers” are present.



Further information won’t be required.



That must be “Peony’s” main body.



“It came all the way here from the neighboring town…”



It’s nothing surprising.



“Flowered” Treants, which are the Superior Species of regular Treants, have the ability to walk around. I’ve witnessed them do so with my very own eyes.



There’s no reason for “Peony”, which is even above “Flowered” Treants, to not have the same ability.



Despite that being the case…



(It’s too big…)



I expected it to be huge considering the length and size of its vines, but it’s larger than I anticipated.



Assuming that that’s its main body, isn’t it hundreds of meters tall?



Titan was around 10 meters tall.



In other words, “Peony” is dozens of times taller than Titan.



It may very well be as tall as the Sky Tree Tower.



This is ridiculous.



It’s completely at a level of its own.



—How the hell are we supposed to kill that…?



While wrapping my head around this question, we head to the City Hall.