We arrive at the meeting room which is quite spacious. It must have been previously used by the members of the City Council. At a glance, I can tell that the chairs and tables are of superior quality.
(Still, there are some people here who I did not wish to see…)
Near Nijou, I see some of my past colleagues sitting down. They are the trash that posted photos of having a BBQ party on Instagram after leaving all their works to Nijou and me. To be honest, I don’t even want to see their face.
Most of the people in the meeting room stare suspiciously at us. After all, except for Goshogawara-san, the rest of us are students. This includes me, who’s carrying Aka which is disguised as a rifle. Their reactions can’t be helped.
Still, a few people’s expressions do not change. They’re probably the ones who were with Fujita-san when Nishino-kun was rescued. They have an aura around them that speaks volume of their competence.
(There is little doubt that they are the main battle potential among those that are present…) Using “Enemy Detection”, I can tell that their levels are fairly high. They might be as strong as Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan.
(Even so, when it comes to my former colleagues…)
When I take a peek at them, I see them looking at us while smirking. They are obviously looking down on us. In addition, the way that they are staring me (ver. Ichinose-san) and Rikka-chan is unpleasant.
(Hm, now I get how girls feel when boys stare at them…)
I can tell even if I’m not as sharp as Rikka-chan. Uncomfortable gazes that feel like they’re trying to lick our face, chest, and body. Certainly, this is highly unpleasant.
… I should apologize to Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan later on.
(Oh, I remember them holding meaningless discussions about who would take down Nijou and Chief Shimizu. ) The two most popular people in the company — or so I heard — were Nijou and Chief Shimizu.
I listened to them from afar since I did not want to participate in such discussions. However, I remember them having such low-level talks. In the end, the two never bothered lending any of them an ear. Haha.
(Well, not that it matters now…)
The situation is the situation. It’s not the time to think about these things. We sit at the seats in the back. Nishino-kun, Rikka-chan, and I sit in the front row while Goshogawara-san and Shibata-kun sit in the back row.
“All of you seem to have arrived.”
Mayor Uesugi opens his mouth upon seeing that we have all taken a seat. Fujita-san and Chief Shimizu are beside the mayor.
“Before speaking about today’s plan, I would like to introduce some new members.”
Mayor Uesugi looks towards our direction. The others follow suit. Nishino-kun stands up when confronted with the questioning stares.
“While Fujita-san and Shimizu-san have already met us, I would like to introduce ourselves for the others. I am called Nishino Kyouya. Nice meeting you all.” He gives a light introduction and bows. The stares move onto us.
“The person beside me is Aisaka Rikka. Next to her is Ichinose Natsu. The people behind us are Shibata Noriyasu and Goshogawara Hachiro-san. We arrived here yesterday after being saved by Fujita-san’s group. Although we are new, we wish to cooperate with everyone else and survive through these difficult times. Please treat us well.” It’s amazing how he appears so adapted to such situations. Just like that time at the Home Center, Nishino-kun behaves surprisingly politely despite his appearance. Ignoring his true intentions, that is.
“Hou, I noticed this yesterday as well, but you’re really well-mannered even though you’re from the younger generation. Impressive. Impressive.” Mayor Uesugi claps his hand. Fujita-san and the others follow and applause. Thanks to Nishino-kun, their first impression about us is positive.
“Um, I’m Aisaka Rikka. Please treat me well.”
When Nishino-kun sits back down, Rikka-chan stands up to introduce herself briefly.
Eh? But why? I thought Nishino-kun just did it for us?
With Rikka-chan sitting down, I helplessly stand up.
I breathe in deeply and put my back into it before saying,
“Oh, uh, this…. I’m… Ichinose Na… tsu… Um… Nice to… meet you…”
I try my best to act like Ichinose-san. Snickers and laughter resound throughout the room. They are coming from my previous colleagues. I was prepared for it, and I guess it was unavoidable. Nijou isn’t laughing, but the others are clearly holding me in contempt.
As I thought, what a group of trashes.
At this moment, Shibata-kun reacts in an unexpected manner.
“Oi, who the f*ck laughed just now? What’s so damn funny, ah?”
When I sit down, he hits the table really hard and glares at the people that laughed. The momentum behind his words sucks the breaths out of my former colleagues’ mouth.
“… Indeed, we shouldn’t have behaved like this towards someone who we would work together with in the future. I’m sorry.” Fujita-san, who is on the stage, expresses his apology and lowers his head. He shouldn’t be the one apologizing, but I guess this is what comes with being a part of an organization.
“You guys should apologize properly as well.”
Chief Shimizu turns towards my former colleagues.
They stand up to apologize. It’s glaringly clear that they aren’t sincere with their apologies. I’m not exactly in the position to be saying this, but were these people really working members of the society?
Oh, I should say thanks to Shibata-kun.
“Um… thank you, very much…”
“… Don’t misunderstand. If they look down upon you, they might end up looking down upon me and Nishino-san. I didn’t speak up for you.” “Still…”
“Alright, alright. I get it, so stop looking back, idiot.”
He looks away. I’m sad.
Mayor Uesugi claps his hands.
“Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s dive into the main subject of today’s discussion.” In contrast to his previous cheerfulness, Mayor Uesugi’s eyes now contain a certain element of sharpness.
“As I have announced yesterday, I was able to level up my skill through everyone’s hard work. Let me thank you all for that again.” He then looks around at us.
“Also, I was presented yesterday with new conditions to level up the skill. I would like to share the information about the conditions to everyone present.” Mayor Uesugi then proceeds to inform us about what he told Fujita-san yesterday.
Securing personnel. Obtaining magic stones. And the subjugation of two designated monsters.
Initially, everyone keep their calm, but their expressions distort when they hear the last condition.
“You’re kidding, right….”
“What does that even mean…”
“Monsters have names?”
“Subjugation of designated monsters?”
“Golem as in the monster that demolished our company?”
“You’re telling us to fight that?”
“No, even before that, what about the magic stones and the personnel? Can we even achieve those conditions?” “But a lot of people recently gathered here. We might somehow make do…”
“What’s the point of having a lot of people? In the end, we’re the ones that must fight the monsters.” While everyone else is panicking, Rikka-chan looks at me.
(Onii-san, you knew about this?)
(Yes.)
I wanted to tell her beforehand, but I wasn’t able to find the right time to do so.
(I’ve already told Ichinose-san about this through a mail.)
(What did Natsun say?)
(She said, “What is this shitty game?”)
(A truly Natsun-like reply.)
Rikka-chan grins subtly.
Well, I agree with what Ichinose-san said. The conditions are too strict.
“Be quiet.”
By clapping his hands, Mayor Uesugi silences everyone.
“I understand what everyone is thinking. The conditions are too extreme compared to the past. There are many things I want to say, but first, please listen to our story until the end.” When Mayor Uesugi turns to face Fujita-san, the latter nods.
“Ah, from here on out, I’ll be the one speaking since I’m the one in charge of the commands on the battlefield.” He then writes the conditions of the level up on a white board behind him.
“For the time being, in regards to the first two conditions about the magic stones and the number of residents, our plans will be the same as before. Hopefully, the availability of electricity would increase the number of people heading here. Just this morning, 8 more people joined us, increasing our number to 84. When it comes to the number of residents, we might be able to achieve our goal by the end of today.” Assuming no sacrifices are made, he adds.
“As for the two designated monsters. Between the two, we might have a chance of winning against the ant.” I heard them speaking about it yesterday… but what exactly is the monster like?
Fujita-san takes something out of a plastic bag and places it on the stage.
“You’ve probably seen this before. It’s a smoke-type pesticide.”
In other words, it’s a Ballo◯n. (TN: I swear it says balloon)
“We tried out some new pesticides yesterday and found that this type of pesticide is also somewhat effective against the ants.” Ohhh. Sounds of surprise could be heard within the meeting room.
“It’s less effective than the Magnum Blaster which can be used directly on the monsters, but this one is much more useful when applied in a large area. We’ll be throwing these into the ant hills.” “And wipe them out?”
A member of Fujita-san’s group raises his voice.
“No. We can’t expect it to go so easily. However, these should weaken the ants quite a bit. After doing so at the entrance, we will enter with our Magnum Blasters and gradually capture the nest.” “If so, isn’t it better to use gasoline? Monsters are still creatures. Smoke and heat should be effective as well…” “That would work, but it’s dangerous to use that tactic since we do not know how deep their nests go. Gas can accumulate if we aren’t careful. In that respect, these pesticides will not hinder us too much… We can use fire as our last resort.” “I see. Understood.”
“So I want you guys to collect as much of these two types of pesticides as you can. After all, we would be facing many monsters. I hope you guys can prioritize these two products in today’s exploration. That would run in parallel with our mission to subjugate the nest… Is this clear to everyone?” The ones that previously caused a commotion are now listening intently to Fujita-san’s words. Although the conditions first sounded unreasonable, Fujita-san’s strategy is both solid and realistic. I suppose a seed of hope has been planted within their hearts.
“Next is the golem…”
Everybody waits for Fujita-san to speak. Stopping for a moment, he continues.
“To be honest, as of now, it’s impossible.”
“What!?”
“According to what you guys have claimed, what we have to confront is a monster that is no different from a walking skyscraper. Even if we gang up on it, we have no chance or winning.” A commotion rises in the room yet again. Looks of despair can be seen everywhere.
“Fu-Fujita-san, you’re not joking with us?”
“I’m not. Unless we have powerful bombs or weapons, that is.”
“Th-then what are we supposed to do! My family is here! That’s why I fought with my life on the line! We finally managed to arrive at this point… finally managed…” “That’s right. Even if we fight, we can’t win. That’s why we would have to rely on those that can beat the monster.” “Eh?”
Fujita-san lights a cigarette and breathes out a few times.
“I’ll say this now, but this is a gamble. We don’t know what happened to them, and even if we arrive at the location, I’m not sure whether they’ll help us or not. Even so, this is the only way we can survive.” Fujita-san makes a proposal while looking at everyone inside the room.
“Let’s request for assistance from the Ground Self-Defense Force garrisoned in the neighboring town,”