LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 98: Momentary Rest
Going back in time —
Nishino, Shibata, and their crew were at a convenience store nearby the school.
“Really, aren’t you glad that there’s still some food left?”
“Yes, it honestly helps.”
Nishino nodded while drinking from a bottle of tea. Although fresh foods such as salads and lunch boxes were spoiled, canned and vacuum-packed goods could be eaten without any problem. Inside the store, his friend was sitting on the floor and eating nonstop.
Although the food wouldn’t run away even if they aren’t consumed, it was understandable. After all, they hadn’t had their fill for several days. While his group numbered less than 10, it was still quite the work to find enough food to fill their stomach. In particular, Nishino and his friends were high school students that need food to grow. They would feel double the hunger.
Food was scarce at both the school and the home center, so it was really lucky for them to find some untouched supplies in the convenience store.
(Well then, what now.)
Nishino contemplated about the future while grabbing a bag of potato chips that was limited flavor. Where should he head to? What should he do?
(The place where a lot of people would gather. The closest place from here would be the city hall. Should I go there?) If he was to look for his missing companions, common sense dictated that he should look around places where people gathered. Since they were a group possessing skills, they would be welcomed by the other party as well. He didn’t plan on becoming close with anyone, but having a cooperative relationship was not bad either.
— Except he had one concern.
(If the other side has brainwashing skills like President Igarashi, it would become troublesome…) Currently, Nishino was no longer under the influence of Igarashi Touka’s “Enchantment” skill. There was a time limit to her “Enchantment”, and unless the skill was cast on a regular basis, the effects would diminish gradually. To avoid this, she had conducted regular meetings to cast the skill in secret, but it went down the drains after the monster invasion.
Nishino had regained his original thoughts, at the same time realizing that he had been brainwashed by her.
(How foolish of me…)
It seemed like he was too impatient. His separation with his companions must have shaken his heart more than he expected. In this state, he couldn’t really laugh at Rikka. Since he had a similar skill, he should have had some doubts about the fact that other people, a high school girl no less, could rally so many people together. There should have been a limit to being careless.
(A tolerance skill or a skill which could nullify the effect of brainwashing skills…)
Countermeasures against brainwashing. He was very worried about being brainwashed by someone else again. It wasn’t just him; he was worried for his friends as well. Once brainwashed, what awaited was the fate of becoming a disposable pawn. He understood this better than anyone else as he had also thrown away other people’s lives at the home center when the high orc attacked.
(Should we level up independently and set up our own base somewhere?)
Instead of forcibly increasing their number, they could steadily increase their levels. Afterwards, create a base and select people to recruit. Wasn’t this a more efficient way to survive in this world?
(This is plausible…)
Friends and strangers. Lives to save and lives to discard. The weight of people’s lives were not equal to him. He would make use of anything that could be made use of, and he would save those dear to him even at the risk of his own life. In this world, such values were constantly being put to test.
(The world’s becoming more f*cked up every day.)
One couldn’t fight monsters without skills, but the existence of skills makes it necessary for them to be vigilant towards others. When he was cursing in his heart, he felt a gaze directed towards him. Shibata was looking at him with an uneasy face.
“What’s wrong, Nishino-san? You’re making a scary expression.”
“Hm? Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about a little something.”
“Thinking… about the future?”
“Oh, there’s that, but there’s also Rikka and Ono…”
He tossed some snacks inside his mouth. The seasoning was so strong that his tongues became spicy. He didn’t like it much, but he wasn’t in a situation where he could be luxurious. He rinsed his mouth with tea.
“Hope everyone’s doing fine.”
“They’re alive. They must be.”
At least Rikka and Ono would be, he told himself. Regarding these two, Nishino had no doubt that they were alive. Rikka was the strongest within their group, and while Ono wasn’t anyone strong, there was nothing to complain about when it came to his surviving skills.
(Well, I’m slightly worried about the rest of them though.)
“Now, it’s about time we move.”
Having said that, he was about to stand up when,
“You received a mail.”
He heard a voice within his head.
“Wha-?”
Mail? Where did that sound come from? Falling into a panic, Nishino looked around.
“Something wrong?”
“No…”
“Certain conditions have been met.”
“It is now possible to acquire the skill ‘Mail’.”
“There is currently one unread mail.”
There they were again. Voices were heard inside him.
“This…”
He quickly checked his status screen. Then, the screen changed to accommodate the mail function. While watching the changes, Nishino checked all the items listed. Shibata was staring at him like he was worried, but it wasn’t the time for him to care about such trivial matters. Eventually, he found something that was indicated as “Unread”, so he clicked on it.
(Sender, Aisaka Rikka?… Rikka… RIKKA!?)
His expression changed upon seeing Rikka’s name.
(Is it really her, or is it someone else?)
He immediately began to read the text.
“Hey, Nisshi. Are you alive? It’s Rikka! (o ^ ∇ ^ o)ノ
I’m sorry to mail you suddenly. Are you surprised? (・Ω <) Tepero
Mail is a skill.
Are you safe?
I’m really worried.
Ah, by the way, as you can see, I’m safe. V_ (.・ Ω ・.). Yee ♪ ”
“……………”
His expression reverted back to normal. Besides him, Shibata raised a voice.
(No. Endure it. Endure it. Endure.)
There were many things he wanted to say about the fact that Rikka was safe and that there was a skill like “Mail”, but… the idiotic content messed everything up. He breathed deeply and put his thumb on between his eyebrows.
Calm down. Calm yourself.
Nishino suppressed his emotions and read the content of the mail until the end.
(I see…)
If he ignored the playful tone in the beginning, the rest was surprisingly actual information. It stated Rikka’s current situation, explained about “Mail”, and told him to get the skill if at all possible. In addition, Nishino was surprised to be informed about magic stones and wild animals.
(At least I can rest assure that Rikka was the one who sent this mail.)
In this tense situation, there was no one else in the world who would send these annoying emoticons. Rikka was alive, and she was trying to establish contact with him. But this got Nishino thinking.
(Who is helping her?)
He was able to come to that conclusion immediately. To put it bluntly, Rikka was an idiot. She was the type of person who always lacked thought and speech. Her body would move before her mouth would. She wouldn’t be able to send this much information in this clear manner.
Who was cooperating with her? The person who thought of the mail must have instructed this thoughtless girl to send it to him. Who was it? From the top of his head, he could think of the student council members, his friends, and(Is it Ichinose Natsu?)
That time during the battle in the cafeteria. Rikka was showing odd behaviors before the fight began. She was muttering something about a “Mail” and “Natsun”.
(Rikka’s behavior was obviously strange at the time…)
No, even before that, she was concerned about Ichinose. Her independent movement in the cafeteria battle could be attributed to her desire to chase after Ichinose.
(If so, did Rikka join up with Ichinose afterwards? And did she inform Rikka about the details of the “Mail” skill and send it to him?) With his hand touching his chin, Nishino pondered. Wasn’t this scenario too baseless?
(The only thing I can ascertain is that Rikka is working along with someone else. If that’s the case…) Quickly moving his finger along the status screen, he opened the list of acquirable skills. At the bottom, he saw the “Mail” was added.
“Shibata.”
“Yes, Nishino-san?”
“I’ve just got a new skill which I want to test out. Are you willing to assist me?”
“Eh? Well, I don’t mind, but what is it about?”
Nishino laughed slightly.
“It’s ‘Mail’.”
Either way, there was no loss in acquiring the skill. Considering the state of the current world, the value of this skill was immense.