CH 203

This bonus chapter has been sponsored by Don Samarakone(〃＾▽＾〃)



Huh? That’s strange. Did I hear that wrong?



Just now, I thought I heard her say a name that couldn’t possibly be…….



“Um…. sorry….. but, could you tell me your name again?”



“……? It’s Satsuki Goshogawara.”



“……!”



He hadn’t misheard her after all.



In that case, I really need to confirm one more thing.



“….I’m sorry to ask this again, but may I ask your father’s name?”



“…… Um, why are you asking me that?”



Maybe she thought my attitude was suspicious, because she distanced herself a bit.



“No, Goshogawara is an unusual surname….. I know a man with the same surname.”



“Huh? Is that so? …… Is that man named Hachiro by any chance?”



“Ah! Yes, that’s right. Could it be that you are–“



Before I could finish, she rushed towards me.



Her face was too close.



She was so close that I could feel her breath on my face.



“Th, that man… my father is still alive, isn’t he?”



“That reaction…… are you really…….”



“Yes. I am Hachiro Goshogawara’s daughter! Oh, thank goodness ……. My father is alive……. Thank God, thank God……”



She admitted that she was Mr. Goshogawara’s daughter.



She slumped down on the floor and started crying.



That reaction did not look like she was acting.



(What the hell is going on……?)



As I watched her, I became more and more confused.



Goshogawara’s family was supposed to have been killed by Peony.



I had heard about the incident at the SDF base from Nishino.



In that battle, Peony’s giant marimo launched its deadliest attack, bringing up the people it had eaten back to existence.



The pain and suffering that Nishino’s former comrades and Goshogawara’s family went through was something they would never want to experience again.



Peony’s death may have helped them regain their memories, but dead people can’t come back.



And yet….



Why was Goshogawara’s daughter here?



(Wasn’t she dead…..?)



Wasn’t she eaten by Peony in the first place?　



No, Goshogawara had no memory of it. She was definitely eaten by Peony.



Then, did she come back to life because of some skill?



Just like that dark wolf that was mysteriously resurrected at school.



“Keuk…… I’m sorry. I showed you something embarrassing……”



“No, that’s not true.”



Satsuki wiped away her tears.



“Well…… since we’re standing around, why don’t we talk while moving? There’s a campsite down the road that we’re using as a base.”



Campsite……. Come to think of it, I remember there being something like that around here.



It was often used for school functions and events, it was rather large.



And I can feel the presence of many people from that direction.



But there’s a strange presence mixed in with the others. This feeling is–



“I understand ……. Can you show me the way?”



“Yes, this way.”



“Momo, come here.”



“Wawn”



Anyway, I think I’ll go with her for now.



“… Ichinose and Sora are okay with that, right?”



“Understood.”



“Wawn.”



Lurking in the “shadows” at my feet, I could feel the indication of approval from the girls.



That Metal Lizard had excellent sensing power. I had asked Ichinose and Sora to enter the shadows beforehand to prevent it from escaping again.



In the end, the Metal Lizard was defeated before we could ask for their help.



Sora is still in a bit of a bad mood because she couldn’t play an active role.



“Oh, yes. Ichinose, can you contact Nishino and the others for me?



“Yes. I’ve already sent a mail to Ricchan.”



“That’s fast, very impressive.”



This will let the other side know about Satsuki.



I set up a few petrified Akas before I came here, so they should be able to quickly rush over. ……On the other hand, if something happens to me, I can quickly escape.



Now, let’s see whether there will be demons or snakes making an appearance…….



We headed for the campsite with Satsuki.



After a few minutes of walking through the mountains, we arrived at the campsite.



I’ve been here once before as a student on a field trip, but this place is huge.



A number of large tents were erected in the plaza, and large pots for cooking were lined up in the cooking area.



The view was good, and if something happened around us, we would be able to notice it immediately.



The number of people are…… probably about twenty.



As soon as we entered the campsite, several people came running up to us.



“Goshogawara, are you alright?”



“Yeah, you were late. I was worried about you.”



“Hey, you look terrible. Are you hurt anywhere?”



They were young men and women. And they looked like they were really happy.



They looked like the kind of young, energetic, and fashionable people you’d see at a campsite, wooing each other and posting pictures on Instagram.



I think they’re probably good people because they don’t give off any bad vibes, but honestly, they’re not my type.



[T/N: They did not completely pass his vibe check lol] 



….. I can feel the nausea coming from the shadows around my feet. Ichinose…….



“I’m sorry for making everyone worry. I got attacked by a monster on the way……”



“Seriously? Why didn’t you call for help!”



“I dropped my backpack on the way….. All the smoke bombs and alarms were in it….”



“Oh, I see. I’ll have to prepare some other back-up items then. But I’m glad you’re okay.”



“Yes, at least Satsuki’s back in one piece.”



“…… Oh, hello…….”



They finally noticed my presence.



They all looked at me as if they were thinking, “Who is this guy?



I hate this atmosphere that is typical to the kind you would find before the world collapsed.



I could feel Ichinose’s suffering and agony even from the shadows under my feet.



By the way, Kiki and Shiro are also in the shadows now.



Shiro was reluctant to go in, so I had to almost force her to go in, and I’m worried that she might come out on her own.



“…um, you are?”



The charismatic person who looked like a leader asked me.



What is this? I feel strangely alarmed.



“Well, I’m…”



“This person is Kudou Kazuto. He saved me when I was being attacked by a monster.”



Satsuki interrupted the conversation and introduced me before I could.



The tension in the air seemed to have disappeared just like that.



“Is that so? My bad. A lot of things have happened recently, and because of that I’ve been on edge. But since you saved Satsuki’s life, please don’t be shy to ask if you need anything.”



“And since you’ve defeated the monster, you must have some skills, right? That’s a big boost to our strength.”



“That’s right. Where do you come from, Kudou? You look young, but how old are you?”



W, well, these people sure are very friendly.



When I glanced at Satsuki, she looked apologetic.



She clasped her hands together in an apologetic pose.



(…… Well, thanks to her introduction, their caution has been lowered.)



Anyway, let’s gather as much information as we can.



As I was guided to a corner of the plaza, a woman came running towards us.



“Satsuki! You’re safe, aren’t you?”



“Mom!”



Mother….. So this is Goshogawara’s wife.



I think her name was Midori……. She sure is very beautiful.



She is a fragile Japanese beauty who would look good in a kimono.



I can’t believe Goshogawara has such a beautiful woman for a wife.



A beautiful wife and a super cute daughter. It’s no wonder he loves his family so much.



“Oh……? Who is this person over there?”



“Mom, this is the man who saved me when I was attacked by a monster. And I think he knows where father is.”



“……! Is that true? Is he…… is my husband still alive?”



Oh, oh, …… ma’am, please don’t get too close.



You have a great sex appeal. Even though I know you are a married woman, I can’t help but be thrilled.　　



I mean, her reaction is the same as Satsuki’s. I guess they are mother and daughter after all.



“Yes, he is still alive. Actually–“



I briefly explained what had happened so far.



I told them about my time at the city hall, and how I had moved to the Self-Defense Forces base in the town and was now working from there. I didn’t tell them about Rebel, but I told them almost everything about Goshogawara. I also made sure to tell them that his weapon was a log. I also told them about how the logs played a pivotal role.



“Well, what kind of log is …… father using as a weapon…?”



“Fufu, I mean, since it is related to his job, he probably thought that since he works at a lumber mill, this would be the best fit for him…….”



As one would expect from his wife. You are absolutely right.



But I guess they were really relieved to know that he was still alive, because I noticed that both of them were shedding tears of joy knowing Goshogawara was alive.



Once they had calmed down, I finally spoke up.



“–That’s all I can tell you. Now, I would like to know about the situation over here.”



“Oh, yes. However, we’re not so different. First–“



This time, the daughter – Satsuki told me what had happened.



The first part of the story was the same as ours.



Monsters appeared out of nowhere, and while running and fighting, they managed to get to a place where people were gathered and survived. That part is the same as us.



But what I’m interested in is what happened next.



“–One day, when I looked at the mountain, I suddenly saw a huge tree that looked like it could reach the sky.”



“……a giant tree monster?”



“Yes…… It was so huge and scary….. My mom and I ran like crazy.”



……I bet that thing was Peony.



I don’t like the idea that there are other monsters like that out there.



I still don’t want to admit it, but I’m pretty sure that these two were attacked by Peony.



But then, how did they save themselves?



“And then…… what happened after that?”



“……”



Satsuki was silent for a moment.



“…… I found myself lying in this campsite.”



“…………What?”



“Then my mom and I found ourselves lying unconscious in this campsite. There were a lot of people like that besides us……”



“…… So you don’t remember what happened after that?”



“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know if I was lucky enough to escape or if someone else killed that monster…….”



It didn’t look like they were lying.



I guess they really don’t remember anything.



(…… What the hell does that mean?)



If they were really as lucky as they said they were and survived, there was no way Goshogawara would have forgotten about them.



On the other hand, if they were eaten by Peony, there’s no way they should be alive.



I was getting more and more confused.



“Hey, Kudou. Do you have a minute?”



“Yes?”



While I was mulling over this confusing situation, I saw the charismatic guy from earlier waving at me.



“Our leader would like to say hello to you. I’m sorry, but can you follow me?”



“…… Yeah, no problem.”



I thought about it for a moment and then nodded.



Once Satsuki and the others left, I walked around the campground with the charismatic man.



“Ah, I’m sorry to make you walk so much. I know I should have come over to say hello, but you know how it is these days. Our leader has a lot of work to do and can’t move freely.”



“It’s no problem. I’m curious to know what kind of a leader you guys have.”



“That’s great to hear. Oh, the leader is also rather friendly, so you don’t have to be too nervous.”



By the way, I wonder if he’s as charismatic as this guy……



“We’re really grateful to him. If it weren’t for the leader, we would all have probably died in the wild.”



Even though I didn’t ask, the guy went on and on about the situation.



It was almost exactly the same as what Satsuki and the others had told me.



Apparently, this guy had also passed out and woke up in this campsite after being attacked by Peony.



As we walked along while talking with each other, we arrived at the largest tent in the square.



Amazing. Are there tents this big nowadays……



“Excuse me. Aiba, are you there?”



When the charming guy took me inside, I was surprised.



The tent was carpeted, lined with tables and chests of drawers, and it looked more like a hotel room than a tent.



There was a man sitting on a chair.



He looked to be in his late thirties or so.



He had dark hair and a face that was strangely chiseled for a Japanese man.



“Hey hey, I was waiting for you. I’m sorry you had to come all this way.”



The man looked at me, stood up and extended his hand to me.



I reflexively shook his hand and he smiled at me.



“My name is Aiba, and I am the leader of this group.”



“I’m Kudou Kazuto……. Nice to meet you.”



This person is the leader of this place.



But …… this feeling I get is …….



“Come on in. Please have a seat.”



I sat down on a chair as he suggested.



The man who introduced himself as Aiba took a cup from the shelf and poured water into it.



“I’m sorry, but I don’t have much to offer you in this situation. I can only fetch water from a nearby river.”



“No, don’t worry about it.”



“Well then, Aiba. I still have work to do so I’ll get going.”



“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”



And so, the charming guy left the tent.



The only ones left in the tent are now Aiba and me.



Aiba drank some water and looked at me with a cheerful smile on his face.



“……”



“How can I help you? You look quite nervous for some reason. You okay?”



“Uh yeah……”



“If you’re tired, we have a bed for you to rest in. Would you like to get some rest?”



“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”



I observed the person in front of me while making appropriate responses.



Then Aiba nodded in admiration.



“……fufu. Well, that’s wonderful. The strength I feel is great, but it seems that your senses are even better than that. Ever since you came into this tent – no, long before that, maybe even since you came to the campsite, you have been vigilant. That’s something you can’t do unless you’ve been through quite a bit of training.”



“……my apologies.”



“So….. what are you so wary of?”



“…….”



“Hmmm, why don’t you try guessing it?”



Then, pointing to himself, Aiba said.



“—you mean me, don’t you?”



Ah, I knew it. No doubt about it.



With that one word, now I know for sure.



“That word……. Aiba……, you really are a monster…… aren’t you?”



“Yes, that’s right.”



He very easily nodded and agreed to my words, confirming my guess.



Yes, I’ve been feeling the presence of a monster ever since I arrived at this campsite.



The same sticky, disgusting feeling that I felt from those intelligent undead monsters.



The person in front of me admitted himself that he was one of them.



(…… I really don’t understand.)



A group of people that shouldn’t exist, and a monster in the shape of a person who is leading them.



Just what the hell is this campsite?