Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #151
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
A setup.
Everything could be a scheme
devised by Anna, aiming to expose internal troublemakers, eliminate the adults,
and establish the Adventurers' Club's dominance―――― Or not. That wasn't the
case.
With no guarantee when I'd
return, Anna wouldn't deliberately take such a risky course of action.
The ones I suspected were, of
course, the Guild.
From their initial
intervention to the sudden intrusion of a B-rank monster—the sequence of events
was just a little too convenient for them.
It was true that, given how
cross-space cards work, the isolation could be broken at any time by
dispatching cards to the outside.
...But usually, that kind of
trouble happens earlier on.
The fact that nothing happened
for nearly three weeks, only for disaster to strike the moment the Guild
intervened... the timing was far too perfect.
Furthermore, the overall flow
of events was simply too fast. Even in the midst of a disaster within a closed
space, things should normally progress much slower.
Typically, factions take much
longer to form.
Yet here we were with Anna
faction, Kotori-chan faction, and Guild faction... The whole situation shifted
too rapidly in just two weeks.
Even if the embers of conflict
were already smoldering, things wouldn't have gotten this far without someone pouring
fuel onto the fire and fanning the flames.
If
this entire sequence was a setup by the Guild, then the B-rank incident and the
culprit’s suicide were also... No, I’m sure I’m overthinking it.
As I voiced my suspicions of
the Guild's involvement, Anna and Oribe both groaned with a frown.
"I
don't know," Anna admitted. "I’d hate to think they’re that rotten,
but..."
I didn’t want to think so
either. But considering the circumstances of how I was prevented from returning
to the Hachioji Guild, it was hard to call them pure and innocent.
Especially
now that the Self-Defense Forces have become dysfunctional, and we're all
scattered across these different areas...
I sighed softly and said,
"In
any case, I want to get inside the Tachikawa Guild just once."
"Hum?
And what's the plan there?"
"Because
if I do, I can transport the evacuees there whenever I want, right?"
I replied to Anna, who asked
with apparent intrigue.
If I could just set foot
inside the Tachikawa Guild once, I could use the Hamelin's Flute to infiltrate
the interior any time afterward.
I could send the evacuees over
regardless of the Guild’s wishes. ...We could offload the ‘people we didn't
need' on them.
"We
don't need people who bite the hand that feeds them without realizing how lucky
they are."
Hesperides, Mayoiga, and all
the other cards and magic items...
We secured everything
ourselves with our own efforts.
Those who misunderstood and
claimed our property as their own were no longer the 'good common folk' I felt
like saving.
――――The image of my mother’s
gaunt, weary face flashed through my mind.
I'm
starting to understand why Mom looked so haggard. It wasn't just because she
worried about me, Ai, and. It was also because of those who coveted the
Hesperides.
Just imagining what my mother
went through while I was gone made a visceral rage boil up from the depths of
my gut.
Those
idiots don't even realize the world has changed... What the hell are they
complaining about? They're protected inside the safe, comfortable walls of Hesperides,
provided with food and even entertainment! And now they're saying they want the
ownership of the Hesperides and the Adventurers’ Club's private assets to be
public? The sheer arrogance.
Scum
who sold off the D-rank cards lent to them out of kindness. Scum who, even in
this crisis, think nothing but ripping others off. Scum who, despite being
unable to protect themselves, are full of self-important complaints.
Every
last one of them is beyond saving. Even ‘that
time’――――That time?
"...S-Senpai?"
Anna's voice snapped me back
to reality.
When I looked at the two of
them, they were staring at me with faces that were clearly overwhelmed.
Damn
it... I must have looked terrifying.
I rubbed my face with one
hand, trying to force my expression to soften as much as possible.
"The
Star Mother Association says I have to wait a full day before I can transfer to
Ikebukuro where my dad is. In the meantime, I want to look around the school
and, if possible, see if I can get inside the Guild under the guise of
negotiating."
The two exchanged glances,
then nodded with somewhat stiff smiles.
"Y-yes.
I think that sounds good."
"Um,
yeah. Those Guild guys will probably show up again today anyway."
A slightly awkward silence
fell.
The strange atmosphere
lingered as they seemed to choose their next words carefully. Anna cleared her
throat, as if to reset the conversation,
"Uhmー, I think this sort the basic catch-up
on both sides? We can go over the details once things settle down."
"Yeah."
“Alright,
I’ll let you know when the Guild people arrive. Until then, feel free to look
around the school.”
As I stepped out of Fensalir,
the surroundings were beginning to brighten.
Somewhere along the line, dawn
had broken.
Parting ways with Anna and Oribe,
who said they were going to catch a quick nap, I made my way toward the school
building to check on the state of things.
Walking through the crisp
morning air, I saw someone approaching through the morning mist.
The figure, apparently walking
a dog, noticed me and gave a slight, indifferent nod as they passed by...
"......Huh!?"
Her face was one of utter
shock as she did a double take.
Stifling a laugh, I spoke,
“Long
time no see, Ichijo-san.”
"Kitagawa!?
Wait, for real!?"
As
she said this, Ichijo-san
started patting my shoulders and arms as if to confirm I was actually solid
matter.
Once she finally accepted that
I was actually there, she asked as a happy smile spread across her face,
"Whoa,
it really is Kitagawa. When did you get back?"
"Last
night, I think."
"For
real?"
She must have been incredibly
surprised, because Ichijo-san kept repeating “For real?” over and over.
This might be the first time
I've seen her this worked up.
"Have
you seen Kaede yet?"
"No,
not yet. I had to report to Anna—err, I mean, the Club President—and handle
some other stuff first."
When I shook my head,
Ichijo-san raised her eyebrows slightly, looking a bit upset.
"Huh?
What are you doing? You need to go see her immediately. Kaede was worried sick
about you, you know."
"Ah…
sorry."
When I obediently lowered my
head, Ichijo-san’s irritation seemed to vanish as quickly as it came.
"Well,
in this situation, I guess I get why you'd prioritize reports. But still... if
you'd just seen her for even one minute first, things would be totally
different. You're still as disappointing as ever when it comes to that stuff,
huh?"
"Urgh."
Ichijo-san's stabbed
deep—especially since I’d just heard one of my friends had finally graduated
from being a virgin.
Is
that why? Is that it? Is the reason I'm still a virgin because I can't pick up
on these little cues? Is that why I can't trigger any romance flags?
『Maybe it's because you're calling
them flags in the first place?』
『Stop with the reality checks.』
That's
way too sharp, man. Trying to kill me?
"Ahem!
Anyway, you're up early,"
I said, trying to change the subject. Ichijo-san looked down at her dog
and spoke huffily.
"Well,
I have to be. …Nowadays, people start complaining if they even see me walking
my dog."
"...Complaining?"
"Like
“Why bring a pet in an emergency?” or “It’s a waste of food.”
Those sort of things, you know?"
What
the hell?
I was stunned.
How
much food could a dog possibly eat? Not much compared to a human. And it wasn't
like we're short on food to begin with.
Besides,
it's us providing the food, not the people complaining, so they have no
right to complain about it being a waste.
It totally seemed like they
were nitpicking.
"Seriously.
To me, Maro is not a pet, but family. Right, Maro?”
She knelt down and stroked her
dog affectionately.
...
Come to think of it, Ichijo-san dog's name is Maro, isn't it?
When I looked closely at Maro
(the dog), whom I hadn't seen in a while, I noticed the little guy was
trembling slightly. In the few months since I'd last seen him, he looked like
he was at death's door.
『Ah, Renge, please.』
『Hmph... Understood.』
With a soft flutter, Renge
appeared and gently held her hand out toward Maro (the dog).
As the droplets of light fell
from Renge’s hand, Maro’s fur visibly gained a healthy sheen and energy seemed
to surge into his small frame.
"Um...?"
"Relax,
I just used a recovery spell. Well, I guess that should extend his lifespan by
about five years?"
Renge said to Ichijo-san, who
stared wide-eyed at the suddenly appearing Renge and her revitalized dog.
...
Five years? You really went all out on the rejuvenation, didn't you? Well, I
won't complain.
"Seriously!?
Thank you, Renge-chan!"
As Ichijo-san reached out to
pat her head, Renge swiftly vanished into thin air, dodging the touch.
"Aww,
she got away."
"Don’t
mind her. She’s just shy."
『......I am not shy,』
Renge's grumble came through
the Link, which I naturally ignored.
"I
see. Tell her I’m super grateful later, okay?"
"Will
do."
Just then, Maro (the dog)
yanked on the leash, tugging it back and forth. His tail wagged so violently it
looked ready to fly off.
"Heh...
looks like he’s got so much energy he wants to run for the first time in ages,"
Ichijo-san said.
"See
you later, then."
"You
better tell me everything later!"
I watched Ichijo-san run off
into the distance with her beloved dog.
Now
then.
I slowly turned around.
"Eavesdropping
is a pretty nasty hobby, you know."
"...Now,
now~. I was just trying to be considerate in my own way, though."
At my words, a stocky man with
naturally curly hair stepped out from the shade of the trees.
His smile was as shady as
ever, but nostalgia still made my own face break into a smile.
"Long
time no see, Ono."
"Same
to you. I’m surprised you’re still breathing."
Ono laughed and gave my
shoulder a heavy slap.
We naturally fell into step,
walking side by side toward the school building.
"Seriously,
though, I'm glad you made it back. ...Honestly, I’d started to think you might
never return."
"Yeah,
well..."
I nodded at Ono's muttered
sentiment.
Truthfully, I was amazed I'd
made it back at all.
Or rather, if the Saintess
hadn't reached out, I'd probably still be wandering aimlessly to find
Tachikawa.
In that sense, it wasn't
exactly a story of self-reliant survival.
"So,
straight up, what's the deal? How's it out there?"
Ono’s expression turned
serious. It made me ponder for a moment before answering,
"...Hell,
with a bit of heaven mixed in, I guess."
"I
get the hell part. But heaven?"
"Just
a few rare areas. Places with only low-rank dungeons where there are pros or
semi-pros protecting them—either because it’s their hometown or they evacuated
there. Everywhere else... well, you get the picture."
"I
see..."
Ono looked down, pensive
"So?
What's your plan from here, Shishou?"
He then asked.
"You've
heard what happened at the school, right?"
He added.
"Well,
the gist of it."
When I nodded, Ono began to
chatter away as if to say, “Then this will be quick.”
"With
the arrival of the Guild—an organization far more reliable than our
Adventurers' Club—coupled with the casualties from the B-rank monster
intrusion, His Excellency... I mean, the Club President's reputation has taken
quite a hit.
The Guild guys are crafty.
They’re playing the evacuees like a fiddle.
Even if the Guild seizes
Hesperides or the Club’s cards, the evacuees lose nothing. In fact, if they can
get into a safe Guild shelter on someone else’s dime, they have zero reason to
object.
Deep down, they all know the
Guild won’t take them without Hesperides as a gift. That’s why they’re
desperate. They know their only weapon is peer pressure, so they’re busy
gathering allies.
Honestly, right now, our only
allies are the Club members and their families. And even then... who knows what
they’re thinking privately."
Ono paused for a breath, then peered
at me as if gauging my reaction before continuing,
"
To be blunt, I don’t think you coming back is going to stop this momentum."
".................."
"It
hurts that there's no downside to evacuating to the Guild. As long as we hold
the Hesperides, we have the final say, but the opposition will make our lives
rough at every turn from now on.
We’ve looked after them for
free all this time, and this is the thanks we get? Is there even a point in
investing more in these ingrates?"
".................."
The school building was coming
into view...
"...Just
so you know, I'm not the only one thinking this way, okay?
Many Club members feel the
same. “Why are there even people here besides students and their families?
If it were just us, we could all use Mayoiga. If you have complaints, then get
out! —that's the mood. Lately, even while we’re on Disciplinary Committee
duty, people yell at us or throw trash. Honestly, everyone's pretty fed up. If
this keeps up, we might even lose the support of our own Club members."
".................."
Yesterday, being nighttime,
the school building was completely deserted. But today, even though it was
still early morning, I could see several students coming and going.
Maybe the committee work Anna
mentioned? Seeing them up and about so early somehow filled my chest with
warmth.
"Hey,
are you even listening?"
Ono, sounding slightly
frustrated at my prolonged silence, pressed closer.
I gave a small laugh and said,
"If
they think the Guild is so much better, they can go to the Guild."
"...The
Guild won’t just take them. Unless you’re planning to hand over Hesperides?"
"No
way."
I snorted.
"I’m
not giving the Guild a single card."
"Then
what’s the plan?"
"Force
them on the Guild. Even if they say they don't want them."
With Eliza's Hamelin's Flute, once
I step inside the Guild once, I can transfer the evacuees whenever I want.
The Guild probably won't just
let outsiders in easily, but I can think of plenty of ways to infiltrate.
I could trick a Guild
personnel into letting me in under the guise of negotiation. I could have Eliza
copy the [Hide and Seek] skill and slip in among the staffs' entering and
exiting. Or, like when we defeated Frigg, I could use brute force —combining
[Prelude of the Budding Heart] with Instantaneous
Movement to
bypass the barrier.
I can’t wait to see the looks
on the Guild people's faces when they suddenly have such a massive package
dropped in their lap.
"Won't
that make us outright enemies with the Guild?"
"Even
if it does, it doesn’t matter."
"...Why?"
"————Because
I'm stronger."
If the
Self-Defense Forces were still active and all Guild branches were connected via
transfer gates, it might have been a different story. But a single branch
office? They aren't even a threat anymore.
The
Guild's maximum combat power is capped at B-rank. Given the nature of the Guild
as an organization, it's unlikely they possess B-ranks with [Spiritual
Recurrence] which requires naming and affinity. Even if they have numerous
ordinary B-rank cards, they're no match for my well-trained team.
At
this point, the Guild, whose combat power is clearly limited, is less dangerous
than independent adventurers wielding B+ cards or local forces that might have
undergone metamorphosis in time-accelerated areas.
As I spoke, reflecting on
these things, Ono was momentarily speechless, then...
"Fweet
(*whistle*)! You've gotten pretty badass with your words since I last saw you!"
He instantly burst out
laughing and started thumping my shoulder again.
"Shut
up. ...Well, I've had time to think about a lot of things this past
month."
After being unable to return
to the Hachioji Guild, one question had been gnawing at me:
“Why
did they risk making an enemy out of me to obtain Artemis and the Irregular
Encounter Magic Stones?”
Normally, they'd avoid making
enemies capable of defeating an A-rank Irregular Encounter.
They might have thought they
could easily talk down mere a high schooler. They might have had an ace up
their sleeve to easily defeat someone like me. Or they might have desperately
needed the Irregular Encounter Magic Stones, even if it meant taking the
risk...
I considered various
possibilities, but none felt quite right.
Then, while traveling and
pondering, one answer suddenly clicked into place:
“Did the Guild think I lost
most of my strength fighting the Irregular Encounters?”
Logically, fighting two
Irregular Encounters such as Urashima Taro and the Pied Piper of Hamelin,
there's no way I'd be unscathed.
What's more, the Guild members
had seen me in my blood-stained uniform.
Anyone seeing that would
assume I'd taken a direct hit, fought to the brink of mutual destruction, and
barely won.
Without his cards, he’s just a
high schooler. If he’d been hostile, we could’ve easily subdued him. The moment
he left the shelter, he’d come crawling back, crying for help... The Guild must have thought
that.
Even without revealing my full
hand, just showing a glimpse of Renge and the Trinity of Moon Goddesses back
then would have made the Guild’s approach very different.
――――A moderate display of
strength can serve as a deterrent.
Up until now, I'd always tried
to avoid trouble by hiding my power as much as possible... However, it seemed
that from here on out, showing a bit of my capability might actually save me
some headaches.
"Heh,
well, if you say you’ve got it handled, that’s good enough for me,"
Ono said, turning his back to
me.
"Huh?
Done talking already?"
"I
had a bunch of other things to say, but hearing that answer just now... yeah,
I’m satisfied."
With a casual wave of his
hand, Ono walked away.
I watched him go for a moment
before stepping into the school building.
"Hey,
is that—?"
"It’s
Vice-President Kitagawa!"
"He’s
actually alive..."
"Higashino-senpai
was telling the truth! Thank god."
"What
kind of card is he with? Looks scary strong."
"A
bit late to be coming back now, isn't it...?"
As I walked down the hallway
with Dress in tow, I could hear the students who noticed me whispering to each
other in surprise.
Before leaving school, the
gazes were mostly friendly. But perhaps my month-long absence had made a big
impact; I could sense some that weren't so friendly either.
Still, the majority was just of
shock that I was alive. Even the negative stares weren't outright hostile. It
felt more like disappointment.
Well,
that's only a natural reaction to someone who abruptly left for personal
reasons and vanished for a whole month.
Taking in those students' gazes,
I toured the school, starting with the first floor.
The classrooms had been
cleared of desks and chairs, seemingly remodeled into various shops.
The first floor seemed mainly
for commercial. In addition to shops selling miscellaneous goods and daily
necessities, there were rows of shops selling clothing that appeared to have
been made by evacuees, card games such as trump1,
board games, and trinkets.
The cafeteria had been turned
into a stylish cafe. Combined with a movie theater utilizing the audiovisual
room and a bowling alley converted from the multi-purpose hall, the place felt
like a miniature shopping mall.
At the gymnasium at the end of
the connecting corridor, one could enjoy basketball, volleyball, table tennis,
and more. Lanes had also been laid out, making it possible to bowl there as
well.
On the second floor, service
businesses took center stage, with entertainment facilities like manga cafe,
karaoke, darts, and billiards lining the space.
Anna's pet project, the manga
cafe, had acquired entire inventories from several used bookstores and manga
cafes that were forced to close after the Prophecy was announced. The
collection boasted over 200,000 volumes (easily exceeding a million when the
duplicates were counted).
...According to the
pre-Angolmois plans, this floor was also supposed to house my pet
projects—mahjong parlor and casino. In my absence, it looked like the manga
cafe had encroached on that space.
Or rather, was this a sign
that the gambling section had been put on hold until my return?
"But
I have to admit, it’s pretty impressive."
Having looked around this
much, I murmured in admiration.
A movie theater, manga cafe,
sports facilities... While small in scale, few shelters could match this range
of entertainment options.
Only the Guild or major
corporate shelters could top this.
Even at a Guild shelter, the
wait times would be insane due to the number of people, and corporate shelters
would likely restrict access to only a small fraction of residents based on
rank or position.
Compared to that, this place
couldn't be anything but comfortable.
To me, who spent the past
month (or longer, counting the days in the Tamatebako) with barely any decent
entertainment, this felt like paradise.
"It
really will be a waste to abandon this building..."
For Oragashima, its biggest
downside was the near-total lack of entertainment facilities.
Originally, the island only
had a population of around 10,000, so there were no movie theater, no manga
cafe, no bowling alley, and no karaoke or even a rental DVD shop.
All it had was a shabby
library called the Cultural Center and a weirdly grand pachinko parlor.
The utter lack of
entertainment made me wonder, “How on earth do the young people on this
island kill time?” When I asked Yujin-san, he explained that they either
played healthy outdoor activities or stayed at home gaming/surfing the web since
they had internet access.
However, in the current world,
with the internet dead and most electronics broken by Gremlins, entertainment
options on Oragashima practically got decimated.
In a
world like this, even a shopping mall imitation that just looks like a high-end
school festival is a precious facility.
Thinking such thoughts, I
climbed the stairs.
The third floor, unlike the
previous two, appeared to be the offices for the various committees.
Not like the empty first two
floors, lively chatter of students could be heard coming from the rooms even at
this early hour.
It felt like a scene from
before the Angolmois. With such a nostalgic feeling, I was planning to just do
a quick look and thought "There's probably no need to look around this
floor," when—
"
————I think, this design is way too bland after all!"
A familiar voice brought me to
a complete halt.
That
voice is...
I peeked into the room with a
sign labeled 'Commercial Committee'. Inside, about twenty students were split
into groups of five, engaged in discussions.
There she was, in a group near
the corridor.
"Uhm,
but Her Excellency’s instructions were to ignore design for now and just focus
on clothes that are easy to make and can be worn by anyone, regardless of age
or gender..."
"Even
so, this design won't do! It looks just like prison uniforms!"
Using gestures to get her
point across, she—Shinomiya-san—passionately tried to convince the other girls
in her group.
Her expression was just as
vibrant and full of life as it had been before Angolmois. She seemed to radiate
a light that made everything around her look brighter.
"It's
exactly because we’re in a time like this that we need clothes that lift
people's spirits, even just a little!"
"U-n,
true, I wouldn't want to wear this design either."
"Yeah,
this is a bit much, honestly. I mean, I'd rather wear pajamas than this."
"If
we make something and no one can wear it, what's the point?"
"Exactly!
We need something that's easy to make, has a design that's suitable for
everyone, and is at least a little nice————"
...Guess
the timing’s not right, huh.
Watching Shinomiya-san discuss
the matter so earnestly with the others, I felt an ache in my heart as I
reluctantly left the scene.
But as I was descending the
stairs,
"...Maro!"
The voice calling out from
behind startled me, and I spun around. Shinomiya-san was standing on the stair
landing, slightly out of breath, staring straight at me.
Looking down at me with the
morning sun streaming in through the window as a backdrop, Shinomiya-san was
like something out of a movie—ethereal and breathtaking.
As I was mesmerized... staring
blankly, Shinomiya-san suddenly broke into a smile,
"————Welcome
home, Maro."
"............Yeah.
I'm home."
【Tips】Current Situation in Tachikawa
Guild
investigations have revealed that while there are currently no B-rank dungeons
in Tachikawa, there are eight C-rank dungeons (including the one at the
school), over twenty D-rank dungeons, and nearly one hundred E-rank and lower
dungeons.
Considering
there were only two before Angolmois—including the school's dungeon—this means that
the number of C-rank dungeons alone has quadrupled.
Due
to the monsters overflowing from these dungeons, the surface of this area has
been ravaged completely. Other than the Guild shelter and Maro's school
(Hesperides), there are no known survivors in the area…
The
Tachikawa Guild shelter, designed to hold up to 100,000 people, currently
shelters approximately 200,000 people.
This figure of 100,000 takes into account
the default capacity of their cross-space
cards. By shifting the cross-space card's resources to maximize living space,
they are forcefully accommodating the overflow.
As
a result, the shelter's self-sufficiency has collapsed, and its food and supply
stockpiles are depleting at an alarming rate… Such is the current situation.
***
Notes:
1 トランプ refers to the standard 52-card deck of playing cards↩
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