CH 177

—Just in the nick of time.



Upon checking the names on the party member list, I unsummon my clone and dive into Momo’s “Shadow”.



Immediately afterwards, Peony’s vines pass over where I was standing with tremendous velocity.



“Huu…Huu… That was dangerous…”



By the time I step out of the “Shadow”, I’ve arrived within the “Safety Zone”.



I plop down on the ground and stare up at the skies.



I would’ve been captured by Peony had I entered Momo’s “Shadow” a tad bit later.



Peony had shot its vines at me right after it had finished devouring the giant clone.



Even though it hadn’t noticed me while it was having its meal, its attention locked onto me when it was done.



(I’m slowly understanding the logic behind Peony’s behaviors…)



“Eating” means everything for Peony.



It fights so that it could eat and fill its stomach.



Peony had abandoned its fight with the Dragon to prioritize eating my “giant” clones.



A Ninjutsu which I originally thought was useless turned out to be extremely effective against Peony.



Now that I’ve grasped its behavior patterns, it will be much easier to think up of strategies in the future.



“K-Kudou-san.”



“Hm?”



Looking over at the direction where the voice originated from, I see the figures of Ichinose-san and the others waving their hands.



Ichinose-san is running towards me—Never mind, she’s out of breath already…I guess I have to go greet her instead.



“Haa…Haaa… Thank you for your hard work, Kudou-san…”



“Yeah… likewise…”



Ichinose-san has only run a short distance, but she seems much more tired than I am.



…I think it’s better not to point this out.



“Onii-san, good work out there—”



“Thank you for all the hard work you put in, Kudou-san. Oh, and here.”



Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan join us.



I gulp down the drink which Nishino-kun has offered.



My throat has been rather dry ever since I was relieved from the tension.



By emptying the drink in one go, I quench my thirst.



“Fuu~ Thank you. It feels like I’ve come back to life.”



“So… how did the plan go?”



I smile at Nishino-kun who asks me anxiously.



“Don’t worry, it worked.”



“—Then…?”



“Yes, the Dragon has joined us.”



They all exclaim in surprise.



“S-seriously? Like seriously serious, onii-san!?”



“Seriously serious, Aisaka-san.”



“Yay, you did it! You’re amazing, onii-san!”



“Uwa!?”



Rikka-chan hugs me abruptly.



Offu…Oh, wow…This… This might be bad…



The pressure…The pressure from her chest is out of the world. They’re really soft.



What’s more, she smells really nice.



“Oi, Rikka!? What are you doing?”



“Ricchan!?”



“P-please calm down, Aisaka-san.”



I somehow manage to retain my sense of reason and peel Rikka-chan off of me.



It’s a pity…To be honest, I want to enjoy the sensation a little bit more, but I peel her off anyway.



It seems that Nishino-kun and Ichinose-san are also stunned by Rikka-chan’s sudden action.



“Eh? Ah, sorry about that. I was just really excited. Sorry, Natsun.”



“Mu…”



For some reason, Rikka-chan bows her head to Ichinose-san.



Wait, why are you apologizing to her? And why are you pouting, Ichinose-san?”



“…”



Nishino-kun is making a complicated expression as well.



This conversation isn’t going anywhere, so let’s move on.



“A-anyway, the operation was a success. Momo, come out.”



“—Wan!”



Momo appears from the “Shadow” in response to my call.



Afterwards, Kiki also comes out.



“Thank you, Momo, Kiki. We succeeded this time thanks to you two.”



“Wan! Wan!”



“Kyu! Kyuu♪!”



Momo and Kiki close their eyes happily when I stroke them as thanks.



“Kudou-san, where is the Dragon right now?”



“—Inside the ‘Shadow’. She appears to be talking to Aka.”



I can perceive the presence of Aka and the Dragon from within the “Shadow”.



Why aren’t they coming out of the “Shadow”?



“Wan! Wan!”



Momo replies as if she has read my mind.



“…Oh, is that so? Okay. Thanks for the explanation, Momo.”



“What’s happening, Onii-san? Also, you can understand what Momo-chan is saying?”



“Eh? Isn’t it quite clear what she’s trying to say? Right, Ichinose-san?”



“Yes. Aka-chan seems to be persuading the Dragon so that she doesn’t attack us inside the ‘Safety Zone’.”



“Yup.”



“For real…”



Rikka-chan is taken aback.



“Ehem. I’ve come to understand most of what Momo-chan is saying.”



“Fufu, Ichinose-san, you have improved a lot.”



“No, no. I can’t compare to you, Kudou-san.”



“No, no, no. I’m not that great.”



“Fufufu.”



“Hahahaha.”



“Wan! Wan!”



Ichinose-san and I have a good laugh.



Momo circles around us happily.



She’s so cute that I pat her.



“My best friend is steadily becoming less and less human…”



Pot, meet kettle.



You’ve pretty much quit being a human too, especially when it comes to combat.



Hmm, not that it matters, but I guess one could argue that we’re not really humans since Ichinose-san and I have “Evolved”.



“Although the Dragon has joined us as a party member, she hasn’t opened up to us yet. Until we can persuade her otherwise, it seems like she won’t be allowed out of the ‘Shadow’.”



“Wan!”



“Kyu!”



Momo and Kiki dive back into the “Shadow”.



They also begin persuading the Dragon. All three of them are so dependable.



Hmm? Wait a minute.



Since the Dragon has “Telepathy” and “Thought Resonation”, isn’t she capable of talking with us humans as well?



“Wan! Wan wafu—”



As I’m indulging in such thoughts, Momo reappears from the “Shadow”.



According to Momo, “The Dragon has acknowledged Aka, Kiki, and herself, but she has not acknowledged Kazuto and the other humans.”



It’s a very tsundere-like line that often appears in manga and anime, but it gives me the chills when the Dragon says it.



If the trio fails to persuade her, it’s very likely for the Dragon to actually unleash a breath as soon as she escapes from the “Shadow”.



Now that she has joined our party, the Dragon can use her skills normally in the “Safety Zone”.



In other words, we shouldn’t be feeling relieved yet…



(Still, it’s a step forward.)



We were able to get a powerful ally known as the Dragon.



This result alone means more than a thousand pieces of gold.



“How breathtaking…to think you would actually make the Dragon our companion…”



“It’s also thanks to Ichinose-san and the trio. I couldn’t have done it without them.”



“Even then… it’s amazing. Kudou-san is really an amazing person.”



“I-is that so? Haha, thanks for the compliment.”



Being complimented by Nishino-kun is kind of embarrassing.



Until now, not many people have complimented me like this, so I feel kind of happy.



“Thank you as well, Nishino-kun. You’ve always been very cooperative.”



“That’s not true. I’ve never been able to do much…”



“No, that’s definitely not the case.”



“I wonder…”



“Ahaha, well, it’s true that Nisshi and I haven’t been the most helpful this time around, but we’ll do our best next time.”



Unlike Nishino-kun who makes a complicated expression, Rikka-chan laughs cheerfully.



“Then I’ll be counting on you in the future.”



“Please do! I’ll do my best to surpass Natsun. Right, Natsun?”



“W-wait, t-too close, Ricchan. Don’t hug me so suddenly.”



Ichinose-san loses her cool when she gets hugged by Rikka-chan.



Although it’s great to see that they’re on good terms, I think that their skinship is a little overboard.



That said, I wouldn’t mind if you hug me one more time.



“Everyone must be exhausted, so let’s head back to our base and rest. We can discuss what to do from now on afterwards.”



“Yes.”



“Agreed.”



“…You’re right.”



We decide to return home for a break.



Looking back, I think the mission’s success had gotten to my head at that point.



With the Dragon joining us, we had finally taken a step forward.



As such, I was too preoccupied to notice a subtle change.



“…”



There was a dark shadow lingering on Nishino-kun’s face as he walked behind us.



*****



While all this was happening, Igarashi Touka was busy trying to calm the residents who were in a state of panic.



(Mou~ that person’s asking for too much…)



Kazuto’s second request was for her to pacify the confused masses.



People were bound to panic again if the Dragon entered the “Safety Zone” as a member of Kazuto’s party.



With that in mind, he made an unreasonable request, which was for her to prevent the panic from happening ahead of time.



(That person’s a massive S for sure. He’s making me do this when he already knows that I don’t want to use this skill in public…)



But she didn’t have a choice. She had to do it.



There was no telling what kind of horrible things would be done to her if she didn’t comply.



Perhaps it would be more excruciating than the pain of having my stomach torn apart.



Just thinking about it gave her the shivers.



While she loved to inflict pain on others, she herself wasn’t a massive fan of pain and suffering.



Touka turned on the loudspeaker in her hand, took in a deep breath, and shouted,



“EVERYONE—! PLEASE SETTLE DOWN!!!”



Everyone that had flocked to the City Hall heard her shout.



“Huh?”



“This voice… is it Touka-chan?”



“Fujita-san’s child?”



“Is that so?”



“Yes, I remember Fujita-san talking about her.”



“He’s married? I thought he was single!”



“Haa…Haa…I want her to step on me.”



“Hey, that’s not what’s important right now.”



“That’s right, we should be—”



“Everyone, please calm down and lend me your ears.” (Touka)



“As I said, that’s not—”



“Wait…why don’t we first listen to what she has to say?”



“Yeah, it’s Touka-chan, after all…”



“Well…I guess we can hear her out first…?”



“Haa…Haa…I want her to abuse me with her beautiful mouth…”



“You, shut your trap.”



The inhabitants that were panicking until a moment ago magically began listening to her words.



Shimizu and Nijou, who had both been desperately blocking the entrance, were astounded by this.



“There’s no need for anyone to panic. There’s no need for anyone to be afraid. Haven’t we overcome crises like this many times before? Why is everyone giving up and deeming that it’s impossible this time? We have the mayor with us. We have the Self Defense Force with us. Please believe in their powers.”



““““……..””””



Before they realized, they were all listening to her speech.



Her “voice” seemed to carry a mysterious power which empowered her to deliver her words directly to her audience’s minds.



In fact, that was precisely what was afoot.



“Enchantment” was originally meant to be used against singular targets, making them fall for Touka and having them move according to her will.



However, it was also possible for her to apply the skill against an unspecified number of people.



In such cases, the potency of “Enchantment” dropped dramatically.



Nevertheless, this imbued a certain degree of “charisma” into each and every one of her words.



In Layman’s terms, she could “incite” the people.



Of course, this would’ve been completely ineffective against experts like Kazuto or those with resistance skills like Nishino.



Having said all that, it was more than sufficient in this scenario.



Influenced by her words, people were gradually regaining their composure…Some of them were staring at her with overly ecstatic expressions, but she was probably mistaken.



(Dang it. I wasn’t planning on revealing this skill until the very end… I’m sure that sharp people like Shimizu-san have connected the dots by now…)



As someone who could brainwash others through her skills, Touka understood how much of a threat she was to the City Hall in this situation.



Unfortunately, she couldn’t continue hiding her skills as she had to obey Kazuto’s orders.



(That man…I’ll make sure that he bears the responsibility…!)



It was disgraceful to say the least.



She was supposed to be ruling at the top, but she was forced to follow someone else’s orders.



Deep down, Touka could hear the sounds of her master plan crumbling apart. At the same time, unbeknownst to her, a new sort of emotion was springing up inside her heart.



*****



-That night-



Nishino was sitting alone on a bench situated within a park that was under the protection of the “Safety Zone”.



With a can of coffee in his hands, he was gazing up into the night sky.



“Huu…”



He had lost count of how many times he had sighed.



The Dragon had become their ally, and the threat known as Igarashi Touka had disappeared.



Overall, things were progressing really well.



Nonetheless, his expression was dark.



He knew the reason why, but he refused to admit it.



“Kazuto-san is amazing…really amazing.”



He could easily do things which Nishino could not.



No, that’s not right.



“Easily” wasn’t the right word.



To produce results, Kazuto had to risk his life on many occasions.



As someone who had watched him do so with his own eyes, Kazuto appeared strong, dazzling, and spectacular to Nishino.



Nishino was proud to have Kazuto as one of his friends.



“Still…”



—Why couldn’t that be me?



He couldn’t help but have such thoughts.



The answer was clear to him.



It was because he was weak.



Unlike the others, Nishino didn’t have powerful skills, and his stats weren’t that high either.



Nishino excelled in using his head to command his comrades, so one could say that he simply had a different role to fulfill.



But he was still a “man”.



As a man, he wanted to look cool in front of the girl he liked.



“Haaa…”



Today, when he saw Rikka innocently hugging Kazuto, his heart ached.



Why him? Why not me?



He repeatedly asked that question without end.



Rikka was happy—that should have been enough for him.



After reuniting with Ichinose, her best friend, Rikka had become brighter than ever before—he should have been satisfied with that result.



That was what he honestly thought, but—



“…Why am I getting jealous of Kazuto-san…”



He really hated it.



He really hated himself for thinking like that.



He never imagined that he’d have such negative thoughts.



Nishino had always been pretending to be unaware, looking away from the truth to protect himself from being scarred.



No, in the first place, I don’t even deserve to like her.



I was the one who made her go through those memories.



Besides, I wasn’t even aware of who her best friend was.



What right do I have to say that I like her?



“I’m so pathetic …”



That was why he came to the park alone in the middle of the night.



He didn’t want anyone to see his sorry figure.



Sadly—



“—Oya? What’s the matter? Why are you here in the middle of the night?”



“Eh?”



He heard a voice.



When Nishino looked up to see who had spoken to him, he saw a man standing there.



The man had a friendly smile on his face, and the word “Ossan” described him perfectly.



The man’s identity was—



“Goshogawara-san…”



Goshogawara Hachiro, an ossan, was standing there, waving.