Another “Mail” from Nishino-kun arrives.
He has apparently resolved the situation on his side safely.
He says he’ll explain what happened in detail when we get there and apologizes for the confusion that he may have caused with the previous “Mail”.
(…Something isn’t right.)
Something feels off… The content of the “Mail” doesn’t sound like what Nishino-kun would normally send.
Normally, his thought process would have been to brief us about his situation through the “Mail” first, filling us up with the rest of the details during out meeting.
.. ….. Am I being overly sensitive?
(An emergency within the “Safety Zone”… Is it related to the Student Council President?)
No, it shouldn’t be.
Not to mention that Nishino-kun already knows about her brainwashing skill, he told me that he has “Enchantment Resistance”.
Besides, even if Nishino-kun ends up brainwashed again, his friends would notice that something is up.
If that happens, it would be the Student Council President who would be placed in a predicament.
Being the cunning person that she is, would she come up with such a thoughtless plan?
Does that mean Nishino-kun got entangled in a different mess?
“It’s a disturbing ‘Mail’, isn’t it?”
“You think so too, Ichinose-san?”
It seems that Mail Demon Ichinose-san also feels uneasy.
Her head is cocked to one side with her hand on her chin.
“…Since that’s what he wants, let’s hear about the situation from his own mouth when we meet him.”
“Yes…”
We also have things that we need to inform him about in person.
There’s that Golem, that mysterious humanoid monster which controlled the Golem, and then there’s that matter about Ono-kun.
We have a lot to talk about.
(How should I go about explaining all this…)
Whatever, we should first meet up with Nishino-kun.
Ichinose-san and I head back to our base in the “Safety Zone”.
*****
“…Is what you said true?”
That’s the first thing Nishino-kun says when he hears about our side of the story.
With an expression of disbelief, he covers his face with his hands and cries out, “What the hell…”
“I’m sure you don’t want to believe it, but it’s true, Nisshi.”
Rikka-chan, who is sitting curled up on the floor, confirms our story.
Shibata-kun and the other members’ expression aren’t any better.
They’ve been released from the “Shadow Cage” which had forcibly seized them from where they were.
At first, they complained about suddenly being trapped in the shadows without any explanation, but they accepted it after hearing about the circumstances.
“…Where is Ono right now?”
“He’s in my ‘Shadow’. I didn’t think it’d be a good idea for other people to learn about him if he goes on a rampage.”
Only Ono-kun is still contained inside “Shadow Cage”.
He’s unconscious as well, so it was less work on my part to carry him over here with him still inside.
“Can you release him?”
“…That would be difficult here.”
‘Why?
“If he really did become a ‘monster’, he would be ejected from the ‘Safety Zone’ the moment he leaves my ‘Shadow’.”
“Ah…”
The realization dawns on Nishino-kun.
— Monsters that try to enter the ‘Safety Zone’ are ejected.
This is something Nishino-kun told me previously.
For him to forget about this, Nishino-kun must be considerably unsettled.
“Then does Onon have to stay in Onii-san’s ‘Shadow’?”
“No… monsters like Aka and Kiki who are partied to a human can enter the ‘Safety Zone’ without a problem. I can’t keep having him inside, so Ono-kun would have to join someone’s party when he wakes up.”
There is only one way for monsters to enter the “Safety Zone”, and that is to become somebody’s party member.
By activating skills like “Shadow Cage”, one could potentially circumvent this restriction, but that person would have to continue using the skill.
In order to enter and leave freely, it would be necessary for the monster to enter a party.
“Wasn’t Ono-kun originally in a party?”
“…The party Ono was in got wiped out except for him. That’s also why we weren’t able to get hold of him until now.”
“Is that so…”
Does he mean those delinquents that were with Ono-kun at the convenience store?
At the time, they were being attacked by two Lesser Wolves, and Ono-kun abandoned them to run away.
Eventually, Ichinose-san sniped the monsters to save them, and they escaped somewhere.
… In the end, they appear to have died somewhere else due to being attacked by other monsters.
It’s a shame that they died after just being saved.
“Kudou-san, I’m sorry to trouble you with this, but can you follow us outside? We’ll persuade Ono.”
“…Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I’ll make sure that it is done.”
A determined reply.
There’s no reason for Nishino-kun to feel responsible about Ono-kun, but I guess it’s because of their friendship.
“Okay, I’ll leave his persuasion to you.”
If it’s Nishino-kun, I’m sure he’ll be alright.
Just as I am about to stand up, Rikka-chan asks Nishino-kun a question.
“Oh, right! Nisshi, what was up with that urgent ‘Mail’?”
Hearing her question, Nishino-kun makes a difficult face.
“…The Student Council President came over.”
“Ew, really?”
Rikka-chan has a disgusted expression.
It’s pretty obvious that Rikka-chan doesn’t like the Student Council President.
“Were you okay? Did she do anything strange to you? Is Nisshi still Nisshi?”
“S-stop, Rikka! Stop touching all over the place!”
“Really? Are you really fine?”
Nishino-kun panics from Rikka-chan’s continued advancement.
“Y-yes, I am! So don’t stick to me like that…! Y-your chest!”
“Hmm?”
“Just get away from me! I’m okay!”
“Buuu, what’s with that attitude? I was just worried for you! Nisshi is a meanie.”
Rikka-chan expresses her anger with a pout.
Nishino-kun, on the other hand, is blushing profusely.
Mmm, watching these two makes me feel bittersweet.
…Why aren’t they dating yet?
“Kudou-san, normies. There are normies here. Can I shoot them?”
There’s a dark aura around Ichinose-san who has sensed the aura of normies.
“Of course not. That’s your best friend, you know?”
“This and that are separate matters. I can’t bear this bittersweetness. It makes me nauseous.”
Ichinose-san spits on the ground.
This girl and her social anxiety disorder…
I should do something about the situation before things start to go wrong.
“Why did the Student Council President visit this place?”
We’ve derailed from the topic of our conversation, so I steer us back on track.
Nishino-kun seems grateful for my intervention.
“There was something bothering her, which was why she came over.”
“Something was bothering her?”
“Yes, this is it.”
From his pocket, Nishino-kun takes out an informative pamphlet titled the “Public Notice Pamphlet of Hirasoto”.
Ah, I’ve seen these when I was still working at the company.
They were in the company’s reception room along with the newspapers and magazines.
Personally, I’ve never read one though.
After all, I don’t harbor much interest in this town.
“What’s wrong about it?”
Rikka-chan tilts her head and studies the informative pamphlet that Nishino-kun took out.
Nishino-kun takes a glimpse at her valley.
Then, he steps back and looks away before answering with his cheeks bright red.
What an amateur in love.
“The pamphlet itself doesn’t have any problems. What’s intriguing is the part about the town’s population.”
Nishino-kun briefly explains how the number of people in this town is too small compared to what’s stated in the pamphlet.
He then goes on to tell us that the Student Council President also noticed this irregularity and came to seek his opinions about it.
“…Was that really all?”
“…Yes.”
Nishino-kun nods.
He’s holding something back from us, but he doesn’t sound like he was brainwashed at least.
Anyhow…
“The population… now that I think about it, you’re right.”
Lots of people died from monster attacks, but the number pales in comparison to the town’s total population.
I’m sure there are many that are hiding, but the numbers still do not add up.
(Why didn’t this come to my attention?)
No one questioned it.
Even I didn’t pay it any heed until Nishino-kun mentioned it.
“Hmm, I didn’t pay it any heed…?”
“What’s wrong, Kudou-san?”
“Nothing… I just think I’m forgetting something…”
What is it?
A feeling of discomfort… Yes, I’ve felt this discomfort from “something” else before.
What was it?
I can’t recall what it was.
(Doesn’t that mean it wasn’t a big deal?)
No… am I being made to think like that?
From what? What is making me forget—
“….Ah.”
I desperately trace back my memories, eventually arriving at what I was searching for.
Why had I forgotten about “that”?
Everyone’s eyes are concentrated on me.
“Kudou-san? Did you figure something out?”
“It’s nothing big, but…”
No, that can’t be the case.
It’s clearly “abnormal” how I keep thinking that it’s not important.
Arriving at this conclusion, I speak loudly and confidently.
“—The ‘Trees’.”
“Trees?”
“The huge trees that are growing outside are strange in many ways.”
Everyone cocks their head at my claim.
Yes. The huge trees which I’ve been seeing from day one.
They’re clearly alien species, yet I’ve never questioned their presence.
I wonder why I had forgotten about them until this moment.