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–In the tent at the campsite
I was waiting for Aiba’s explanation.
The reason why Goshogawara’s wife and daughter, who were supposed to have been eaten by Peony, are still alive is because of this person.
They were supposed to be dead, but they are still alive.
This means that this person’s skill may have a “resurrection” skill that can bring the dead back to life.
If that was the case, its value is immeasurable.
As I waited for his explanation, Aiba suddenly bowed his head.
“……?”
What’s going on, all of a sudden?
“Um…… what’s wrong? Why are you bowing all of a sudden?”
“No…… I just thought I’d apologize first.”
“For…. what?”
“Because I know I am going to disappoint you. The fact that these women are still alive is certainly due to my skills. There is no doubt about that.”
“But,” he continued, “my skill is not ‘resurrection.'”
“……huh?”
“You thought so, didn’t you? I mean, the people who should have died after the attack of that monster. I’m sure you thought that it was like this because of some kind of skill I possess.”
“Is it different……?”
As if he read my mind, Aiba accurately guessed my thoughts.
Aiba smiled and shook his head at my surprise.
“In the first place, there is no skill that can revive a dead person. There are several skills that have a similar effect, but they are all very different. There is no skill that can bring back a dead person. If there were such a skill, she… would have been the first to acquire it and revive him.”
No skill to revive the dead? How does this person know about that?
I couldn’t quite catch the last part, but even so, Aiba’s tone was filled with a strong emotion, almost like a certainty.
Could it be that this person also has the ‘right to ask questions’? Or is it something else ……?
Looks like this person has a lot more information than I thought.
I was so engrossed in my conversation with Aiba that I couldn’t even think about the ‘implications’ behind his words.
“Kudou, please take a look at this.”
“……?”
Then Aiba picked up a cup on the table.
I wonder what he is going to do with it… Then he brought it to his eye level and suddenly let go of the cup.
Naturally, the cup followed gravity and fell on the table, spilling its contents in a dramatic manner.
“Aiba, what are you–?
“Ah, please watch.”
Aiba held his hand over the cup that was lying on the table.
Then, the cup shone brightly.
The water that had spilled around it also began to glow and then returned to the cup.
It was as if we were rewinding a video.
“Is this a …… remote control skill?”
“No, it’s not. Look closely. Now I’m going to disable this skill.”
“Disable……?”
Aiba held his hand over the cup again.
This time, the cup floated up into the air by itself and fell.
Water splashes on the table again. It was the same scene as last time.
No, wait. The same ……?
“Could this be…?”
“Yes, it is. This is the skill I have – ‘reanimation’.”
So that’s it.
The way the cup was raised and the way the water spilled were all the same as the first time.
――That means …!
I looked at Aiba-san in shock.
He nodded his head.
“Yes. My skill ‘reanimation’ allows me to rewind the state of any person or object up to a certain amount of time and recreate their existence.”
“What–?!”
“Naturally, if I use it on a dead person, that person can be reanimated with their memories and body intact. There are some restrictions, but unless I deactivate this skill, the dead person will be able to think and act as they did before they died. Since they are a recreation of a flesh-and-blood body, they are not zombies, and they can use the skills they had before they died. They can also gain experiences and increase their levels.”
Wh, what the hell is this skill… It’s a scam.
It’s a shame that it isn’t a resurrection skill, but it is still a powerful skill.
It also explains why the presence I felt from the people was ‘real’.
That’s why my skills didn’t show any reaction.
But then there’s……
“They really are…”
“……Yes, they are dead. Without a target to recreate, my skills are useless.”
“……!”
Even though I knew it, it was still hard to believe it.
I knew it would be like this, but I still wanted them to survive.
Now, I wonder what the effects of the skills are on the people in this campsite.
“Um….. can I ask you more about its effects?”
“Of course you may. I have no intention of keeping this skill a secret. That’s right…..”
Aiba suddenly stood up with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Kudou, please follow me.”
I followed after him and left the tent.
As we walked through the campsite, various people, including the charmer from earlier, approached us.
“Aiba, we’ve finished our search!”
“Aiba, I’d like to ask you about the food arrangements…”
“Aiba, I finally gained a new skill.”
“Aiba.”
“Aiba.”
“Ev, everyone, please don’t talk all at once like that. I will listen to you properly later, one by one, so please get back to what you were doing now…”
While smiling at the people rushing towards him, Aiba replied politely.
This scene alone showed me how much Aiba was trusted by those around him.
I continued to follow him.
The place we arrived at was a resting area at the top of a little hill.
There were only a few simple stumps to sit on.
“You can see the whole campsite from here.”
“Yes…..”
People were cooking food and chatting around the tents.
If the world wasn’t like this, it would seem like a tranquil scene.
“Continuing our conversation from earlier, how does everything look from your point of view, Kudou? What do you think about them?”
“When you say “them,” you mean ……?”
“The people you just mentioned. From your point of view, did those people seem to be ‘alive’?”
“……”
When he said that, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
In other words, all the people who had approached Aiba on the way here were probably people who had been ‘reanimated’ by him.
“That is… that……”
“….. I’m sorry, that was a bit of an insensitive question…..”
Aiba bowed his head apologetically.
“More than half of the people here have been reanimated by my skills. They don’t even know they’re dead. They continue to live like normal humans.”
Half…… that many…
“I’m hoping that …… they will remain unaware. If they remember their deaths, it could trigger some sort of problem with their skills.”
“But,” he continued, “at the same time, if their families have survived, I would like to reunite them. In a world like this, it would be a miracle just to see them together again. But, when they meet again, if they become aware of their own death–“
“You mean there is a chance that the…… skill could be disabled?”
“…… Yes. I can’t be sure. Because I haven’t tried something like that yet ……”
I’ve never tried it.
Yes, I haven’t had the chance to try it. Not in this world.
But now…….
[T/N: This part is Aiba thinking to himself]
“…… I’m lost, I….”
“…….”
“After I ‘reanimated’ those women, they would often tell me about their family. Satsuki told me that she had a father she was proud of, and Midori told me that she had a husband she could rely on. They talk about it with such joy.”
“…… I also heard from Goshogawara several times. He said he was proud of his wife and daughter. They are a family after all. They say the same thing.”
“Yes, yes, you are absolutely right. I think they are a beautiful family, which is rare nowadays. I envy them. That’s why I really want them to reunite immediately….. I’m sure that’s what this skill of mine is originally meant for. ……but I can’t help but feel hesitant… my mind is filled with countless what-ifs…….”
I didn’t know what to tell Aiba, who had a complicated expression on his face.
If I could, I’d take them to Goshogawara right away.
But after hearing this, I can’t help but feel hesitant.
“……Can’t I go back to the base and tell Goshogawara what happened beforehand? I’m sure he’ll be fine as long as you get him to talk. ……”
“……That’s right. That would be good.”
It’s not just Goshogawara-san.
Nishino-kun and everyone else also needed to be informed about this, and we have to make sure we are on the same page.
It was a lot of work, but I still wanted to reunite Mr. Goshogawara with his family.
“Oh, I just want to know, are there any restrictions on how the reanimated people can behave?”
“Not really. As long as I don’t release my skills, there is no time limit or distance…… But I have to know what they are doing to a certain extent, that is why I limit the range of my activities……”
The reason for this is that there is a possibility that they might accidentally reunite with someone they used to know before they died.
The reanimated people appeared to be mainly in charge of working in the camp.
However, people like Satsuki, who have skills in scouting and combat, were asked to only explore the safe area around the campsite so as to avoid any irregularities.
“I didn’t think that there would be any vicious monsters around here, but…. I didn’t expect it.”
“……”
I apologized to Aiba in my heart.
I’m sorry. This was probably due to Sora’s breath attack.
If not for that, the Metal Lizard probably wouldn’t have moved towards the campsite…….
“Anyway….”
“What is it?”
Aiba tilted his head as I stared at him.
“No, at first glance you don’t look like a monster at all. I don’t mean to sound rude, but….”
“Haha, it’s fine. I don’t really care that I became a monster.”
Unlike Ono, Aiba’s appearance has not changed at all. It is just like that intelligent zombie.
In the zombie’s case, when I looked for signs, I could see that it was indeed an undead, but Aiba looked exactly like a normal human.
That’s why I was curious and asked,
“How did you become a monster, Aiba? Could it be because you ate a magic stone?”
I guess it was probably because Aiba’s atmosphere and way of speaking was so friendly.
I asked him a question that I would never normally ask.
“Oh, are you curious?”
Aiba’s tone was exactly the same as before.
“I turned into a monster before the world changed into this.”
He said nonchalantly.
“……huh?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what he was saying.
“I had something I really needed to do. I tried to find a way to get here before her, but I thought it would be best if I turned into a monster before I transferred. So I decided to mutate into an undead being whose appearance never changes.”
“…… What do you mean?”
Before the world became like this?
The most certain way to become a monster?
What is this guy talking about?
It’s like…
“Huh? Didn’t you notice? She recognized me as an undead at a glance, and since I could feel her presence, I thought she must have noticed me…..”
Aiba looked a little surprised.
“–I’m from another world, Kudou.”
He spoke clearly.
*****