LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 60: Reunion
While hiding in the shadows of the shelves, I stare at the two women. One of them was a neighbor who recently married….but I don’t seem to remember her name. I wonder what it is. The other person has short hairs and is wearing a jersey that is normally distributed in schools. She is most likely a high-school student. She looks like the type that excels at sports. The two girls advance slowly and steadily with their Sasumatas ready for combat.
“It’s, it’s safe, right…? There aren’t any orcs inside, right?” The high-school girl seems quite frightened. Her hands that are wielding the weapon are shaking.
“It’s safe. We would’ve been attacked by now if they were here… I think.” “Please don’t use ‘I think’ in your replies!” As for the newly-wed neighbor, she has a firm foothold despite having a rigid expression. Is she unexpectedly courageous, or is she just trying to look brave in front of her junior?
Hmm… will they be okay? From what I see, their levels aren’t particularly high. Rather, why did they come here? Is it to get supplies? No. From the previous conversation, is it to look for survivors?
“It’s alright, Mrs. Ishizawa. I’m sure your husband has already run away. So, you know, let us turn back as well…” Ah, so they did come for the survivors. Also, the newly-wed’s last name seems to be Ishizawa. Despite the sports girl’s constant please to return, the newly-wed continues to advance deeper into the mall. If I’m not mistaken, if they walk further in… ‘that thing’ should be there. While thinking ‘this could be bad’, I witness the girls screaming as they come across “that thing”. It’s the mountain of corpse that the orcs have stacked up.
“Wha, what is this?… U… uu…ueeeeh.” The sports girl vomits as if she can’t bear to directly look at it. Well, that’s how people normally react, isn’t it. If I didn’t have “Stress Tolerance”, the scene is enough to traumatize me for a lifetime.
“No… no! This has to be a lie!” On the other hand, Mrs. Ishizawa stares blankly at the mountain of corpse. To be more precise, she stares at a certain point. At a certain man.
“No… it’s a lie… No, dear… No… Nooooooooo!” While screaming hysterically, Mrs. Ishizawa runs towards the man’s corpse. He should be one of the people who fought in the malls on the first day. I see, he was her husband.
“Dear… I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Mrs. Ishigawa hugs the dead body and cries for a while. The sports girl averts her eyes from the scene, unable to bear the reality. Honestly speaking, looking at it is indeed uncomfortable. It’s almost time to meet up, so I should leave before I get noticed. While I’m interested in finding out where the girls came from, I have to go see Ichinose-san. After all, I shouldn’t be late.
“Kun~?”
‘Is it okay?’ Momo seems to ask. My answer remains fixed.
“It’s fine like this. We shouldn’t stick our necks into other people’s business.” We recognize each other and were once neighbors. However, that is the extent of our relationship.
“Please try your best in surviving.” I leave the shopping mall after saying what I have to say.
A world that has fundamentally changed in a short period of three days. A world where monsters roam freely and where death is a constant companion. In such a world, tragedies like this must be happening everywhere.
That’s exactly why we must work hard and avoid death.
A few minutes later…
Two people arrived near the shopping mall.
“Oh, Nisshi’s predictions were accurate. Seems like the orcs aren’t here.” “Whew, that’s a relief. After all, this is the shortest route to the school.” From the parking lot, two students, Nishino and Rikka, looked towards the entrance of the shopping mall.
“What do you want to do? Do you want to have a look inside?” “… Let’s refrain from doing that. Although some of the things inside are quite alluring, our priority lies in reaching our destination as soon as possible.” “Nnn.. well, that’s true… wait, someone’s coming out.” “What…?” When they fixed their gaze at a certain direction, they saw two girls coming out from the shopping mall. Among them, there was an individual that the duo was acquainted with. A short-haired girl wearing jersey. The moment they saw her, their expressions changed.
“Are you… Katsuragi-san?”
The girl was surprised when she was suddenly called out. Thereafter, her eyes widened upon noticing Yoshino and Rikka in the parking lot.
“…Eh? Seriously? Nishino-kun? And… Aisaksan? You, you guys were alive? For real?”
The short-haired girl raised a voice which was mixed with surprise and a tint of relief. This girl, Katsuragi, was once Nishino and Rikka’s classmate. They ran up to each other and were rejoiced by the reunion.
“Katsuragi-chi, long time no see~ so you weren’t hurt.” “Aisaksan… I was worried about you two because you guys weren’t at school that day.” “Yeah, that’s right. Hey, Katsuragi-chi, how were you these days? And who is that besides you?” “Oh, right. Hmm, where should I start…” The sports girl, Katsuragi, explained her story to her friends. Three days ago, when monsters first started appearing, Katsuragi was at school because of club activities. There, she was ambushed by monsters and had to cooperate with the other students in order to survive. Later, they realized that not many monsters spawned near the school. As a result, the school became an evacuation center as people started gathering there.
“I see. It must have been tough on your part…” “Same goes for you, Nishino… I hope Ono-kun and Shibatkun are doing well as well.” “Ah, they should be alive.” “Hey? Where are you two headed towards? If it’s fine with you guys, how about coming with-” “Of course, allow us to follow you. We were trying to get there anyways.” Unlike Nishino who looked determined, Katsuragi showed an expression of relief. Her cheeks were slightly red.
“Great. Then, should we go together?” “Sure.”
In such a way, Nishino and Rikka met their classmate and decided to head for school.
“By the way, have you guys defeated monsters yet? What did you guys choose for your occupations and skills?” A question is casually thrown their way.
“Oh, I’m-”
“I chose ‘Negotiator’ while Rikka chose ‘Adventurer’. So Rikka is responsible for combat… while it does hurt my pride as a man, it seems like we aren’t allowed to change once we’ve decided on our occupations.” “So it’s like that.” Nishino’s response wasn’t particularly suspicious, so Katsuragi didn’t delve further into it. Nishino, seeing that Katsuragi wasn’t doubtful about his answer, felt relieved inside his heart.
“Is it okay…?”
Rikka quietly approached Nishino and asked.
“We don’t exactly know what is going on. Just in case, I thought it was better to hide our real occupations.” “True that.”
“What’s up with you both? Walk faster!” “Oh, we’ll be there in a moment.” Their conversation came to an abrupt stop. Yes, the truth cannot be revealed. Their actual levels and occupations included, but above all else, the world cannot know about that “skill” of theirs.
Nishino Kyouya
LV 8
Profession:
Commander LV4
Skills:
Leadership LV2, Negotiation Technique LV 2, Combat Support LV 2, Command LV 3, Survival Instinct LV 2, Crisis Sensing LV 1, Good Luck LV 1, Kindred Killer LV 2 Aisaka Rikka LV 9
Profession:
Berserker LV 5
Skills:
Berserk LV 3, Continuous Battle LV 1, Enhanced Slash LV 2, Enhanced Strike LV 1, Physical Regeneration LV 2, Kindred Killer LV 2