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The feast continues, and the
twins tell an old story.
“We’ve been coming here for
more than ten years now.” (Aoi)
“Back then, the elevator
for hunters had just been built.” (Midori)
“We had a lot of trouble
with the miners and the Church.” (Aoi)
“If you don’t support
them, you’ll be called a ‘human trash’.” (Midori)
According to the twins, the
installation of elevators in the Metro was accompanied by strong opposition
from the Church. They consider the excessive alteration of the sacred Metro by
human hands to be a blasphemous desecration and there is the fear divine retribution.
The law that elevators be installed only on the tenth underground floor was
also the result of pressure from the Church.
“Well, they can’t build
an elevator on the 20th floor, can they?” (Midori)
“The miners will die like
ants.” (Aoi)
The twins also feel that the
quantity and quality of the mined goods here are declining. Thanks to that, the
number of hunters coming and going has clearly decreased compared to the past.
“But there are still as many
miners as ever.” (Aoi)
“Though their income is
probably lower.” (Midori)
“In the old days, even the
youngest children were sent out.” (Aoi)
“They’d bring even orphaned
children.” (Midori)
“They’d send them out to work in
construction, or hunt golems.” (Aoi)
“Nowadays, though, with
all the human rights stuff, that’s all gone.” (Midori)
“––There was once a case of a golem kidnapping a child.” (Uncle
1)
The first to open his mouth
was one of the two uncles.
“It was about twenty years
ago. An orphan disappeared in the Metro, and miners and hunters all went out
looking for them, but it was hard to find them. They were either eaten by beast
or ran away because they couldn’t stand their master’s actions.” (Uncle 1)
“But a week later, I remember,
they were found. They were alive, right here in the Metro.” (Uncle 2)
“There was a golem beside
them. It was a mature beast that shouldn’t have been found in the shallow floors.
We were there, too, and it was really strong.” (Uncle 1)
The hunters formed a party and
took it on. They finally managed to kill it and protect the child, despite the
damage it had caused.
“The child was as weak as
a fragile dragonfly and so traumatized that they couldn’t speak. If we had been
a few days later, they would not have survived.” (Uncle 2)
“Why did the golem kidnap
them?” (Shuu)
His lips were pressed tight.
“The child must have run away
of their own volition, but the Golem found them and imprisoned them.” (Uncle 2)
“Sometimes they do that.
Sometimes they kidnap people and lock them up in their secret lair so they can
secretly enjoy them later.” (Uncle 1)
“Are you serious…”
(Shuu)
“Squeakiously…”
(Tamiko)
Golem wine cellars. Hundreds
of sacrifices. That’s horrifying.
“Speaking of liquor, the other
day my lovely wife found out about mine and confiscated it… without warning…”
(Uncle 1)
“I’m sorry to hear
that… but your wife’s eyes can’t reach deep enough underground. I’m going to
have some fun today!” (Uncle 2)
The topic changed because of their
wives, but I heard a terrible story. A true ghost story, a Hundred Tales of the
Metro.
Tamiko is anxiously holding
her tail. I wondered if she will be able to go to the bathroom alone tonight. I’ll
have no choice but to go with her.
Soon after, the feast is over.
It seems that they have work to do, so they didn’t go deep into it. We all
cleaned up, brushed our teeth at the watering hole (a hunter’s teeth is his
life), and returned to our tents after saying goodnight to each other.
“Tomorrow, we will go down
to the twenty-fifth floor for the time being.” (Shuu)
“Yes… but it’s a little
late for that now…” (Noa)
“Hmm?” (Shuu)
“I thought that Mr. Shuu would
be fine, so I lightheartedly suggested Ouji, but after all that, Mr. Shuu’s
burden became quite heavy.” (Noa)
“Well, I’m Master level even
if I’m like this. Also, I really want a Mithril weapon.” (Shuu)
“Hmm…” (Noa)
I understand Noa’s concerns. I
had the same thoughts. The kind of life where unfounded bravery morphs adventures
into reckless jumps.
There is a need for balance.
And the only way to acquire that sense is through experience.
“Well, if it is too hard even on
the 25th floor, we would withdraw quickly. If we can afford it, we should try
going down a little at a time.” (Shuu)
“…I understand.
However, no recklessness is absolutely prohibited. If Mr. Shuu is not allowed
to be reckless, no matter what happens. Tone down your enthusiasm, okay?”
(Noa)
“I understand that very
well. Tamiko is fine with that too, right?” (Shuu)
Tamiko is holding her crotch
and was fidgeting.
“I want to go to the
toilet, squeak… Come with me, squeak…” (Tamiko)
“Sure. I’ll go with you.
I also need to unload.” (Shuu)
I don’t think it’s something
bad.
The toilets at the campground
were made of a hole in a rock wall with a wooden door in it. Instead of a
toilet bowl, there was a hole in the ground, and around the hole was a large
number of mycelial plants. In short, it is a decomposing-toilet. Below is dry
sand, and there is a handwashing area with water seeping out of the rock wall.
Metro’s mycelial plants are so
strong at decomposing that even a fresh corpse is reduced to bones and dust
within a few days. They can decompose and absorb excrement in a matter of days.
(Oh, didn’t Noa mention that
the dirty water from Sugamo is discharged into the Metro?) (Shuu)
(I wonder if it’s also being
used underground by mycelial plants or something.) (Shuu)
Or maybe it’s absorbed by the Metro
itself. I should stop scaring myself.
Noa joins me and Tamiko before
going to bed. The three of us do our business together.
The bathrooms are shared by
both men and women, but what should the men do in such a situation? I think I
read on the Internet that many women say “I don’t like to go in after men.”
But I guess they also don’t like to be followed after by a man. Where is the
right answer? What is the path that will make everyone happy?
“Mr. Shuu, please go
ahead.” (Noa)
“Oh yeah? Okay.”
(Shuu)
Is this the world’s answer――As I was
about to put my hand on the doorknob, the door opened from the other side. I jumped
back in a panic as I is about to collide with it.
“—excuse me.”
(Voice)
A stranger’s face appeared.
Or rather, something not
human.
Silver hair that covers their
face. Protruding nose. Sharp, blue eyes. Triangular pointy ears.
(–A wolf?) (Shuu)
A wolf walking on two legs and
wears a hunter’s jersey.
A demi-human—and a wolf.
However, they are clearly
different from Obuchi, who is also a demihuman. Unlike Obuchi, whose facial
features are mixed with human, the person in front of me is completely
wolf-like from the neck up.
The “Lone Wolf” the
twins were talking about is probably this guy. I can’t believe that they are
literally what they said.
“I’m sorry, are you
okay?” (Voice => Werewolf)
The Werewolf’s voice is cool
and pleasant to the ear. The voice and the body shape of the man make it clear
that he is a male.
“Ah, yes. I’m okay…”
(Shuu)
“Good. Excuse me.”
(Werewolf)
He bowed lightly and tried to
leave between my dumbfounded party and me.
“-Gi-” (Noa)
Noa was about to say
something, but then stops herself. The werewolf’s ears twitch. He stops and
turns around.
“…Miss, did you try to
call my name just now? Have I met you somewhere?” (Werewolf)
Noa, who had been frozen,
pauses for a moment and then shakes her head.
“… well… I’m from
Ikebukuro too…” (Noa)
I couldn’t see her face, but
her voice felt harsher than usual.
“That’s right, I’m sorry.
As expected, it will be found out by someone from the same hometown. I have given
false names to others. Please keep this
to yourself, I don’t want any trouble.” (Werewolf)
The wolf smiled wryly and
scratched the back of his ear. He bends down and brings his face closer to Noa.
“Miss, what’s your
name?” (Werewolf)
“…Ikari Noa.”
(Noa)
“Ikari Noa… I think
I’ve seen you somewhere before… Well, but with such a lovely young lady, I’m
sure I would have never forgotten you.” (Werewolf)
The werewolf approaches her
and takes her hand. He lets his canine pointy mouth lightly touch the back of her
hand.
“Hey–” (Shuu)
Noa brushes his hand away
before I can say anything. The werewolf smiles and shows her his paw.
“My bad… I’m not good
with bold women, so I’ve been avoiding the feast. I should have joined if I knew
there was a beautiful girl like you. How about we spend the night in my tent, ‘reminiscing
about our hometown’? With you, we can have the most exhilarating morning howl
in a long time.” (Werewolf)
“Hey, hey, hey!”
(Shuu)
I slide between the two.
“I’m sorry, she’s with me.”
(Shuu)
I hide Noa behind my back and
glared at the werewolf.
Then I realized.
(…Yep, yep. No matter how I look
at it, it’s jealousy.) (Shuu)
I have a guardian position, so
they are someone that has to be protected. I don’t have time to lie to myself,
I recognize it.
And in just a second, I reopen
it. What am I jealous of?
The werewolf pulls his face
away and straightens his back. He is at least ten centimeters taller than me,
maybe he’s a hundred and ninety.
“Oh, I’m sorry. When I
see a nice woman, I get tunnel vision. After all, I’m a wolf.” (Werewolf)
He holds out his hand to me.
“Giran Taichi. I belong
to Ikebukuro Tribe.” (Werewolf => Giran)
“…I am Abe Shuu from Sugamo.”
(Shuu)
He has five hairy fingers that
are all in perfect alignment, and his paw pads are surprisingly soft. I forgot
about the antipathy I had the first time I saw him, and I was just a little bit
surprised.
“I’m Tamiko, squeak.”
(Tamiko)
“Oh, there’s a cute young
lady here too. I’m sorry for not noticing you too late.” (Giran)
He also shook hands with
Tamiko who was sitting on my shoulder.
“I’d like to have a few
more conversations with the young ladies, but this place is lacking sexiness.
Or rather, I’m sorry to keep you. My tent is over there. Cute girls are always
welcome… after everyone’s gone to sleep. I’m going then. Haha.” (Giran)
The werewolf Giran leaves.
While his fluffy tail wags behind.
“… what is with that
guy…” (Shuu)
I had imagined him to be a
solitary person or a difficult individual, since he refuses to go to BBQ and
stays alone. I’m not sure what I was expecting.
“…I’m a little annoyed,
but he was handsome…” (Shuu)
“A total hottie, squeak.”
(Tamiko)
“Oh, even from Tamiko’s
point of view, it’s the same.” (Shuu)
“Mofumofu is squeak.”
(Tamiko)
“I see.” (Shuu)
Even I would have liked to
have been able to fluff him if I had met him in a different way.
“It’s my
first time seeing him, squeak. But is he really human? You see, he’s level 70,
squeak.” (Tamiko)
“Really!?” (Shuu)
I was quite shocked. There’s no
doubt why he has such self-confidence, since he is both handsome and a
smooth-talking pick-up artist, moreover has a higher level than me.
Well, it doesn’t matter, I
have a cheat Fungal Class. My strength and number of Fungal Skills are second
to none. I have a good future…
(…Hey, why am I trying to compete
with him?) (Shuu)
(Against a random guy who just
popped out.) (Shuu)
“…He’s the ‘King Slayer Silver
Wolf’.” (Noa)
I refocused and Noa continues
with a downcast look.
“A Werewolf–a wolf demihuman—and
the most famous hunter in the Ikebukuro Tribe. He was one of the key players in
the civil war eight years ago that killed the chief and made the coup d’état
succeed.” (Noa)
“…So he’s really some bigshot,
huh?” (Shuu)
He was friendly, lighthearted,
and not in a very big-shot kind of way.
“Doesn’t that make him a
criminal?” (Shuu)
“The even is a bit
complicated… But the Metropolitan Government has accepted the new system. The
former chief was, you know, a tyrant, and the… new chief is quite welcomed by
the people of the territory…” (Noa)
“A real revolutionary,
Che Guevara…” (Shuu)
It’s before we were competing
with each other. It would have taken a hundred times more courage to challenge
him if I had known in advance.
“The story is that Giran is
the sword of the current Ikebukuro chief and also serves as the chief of the Kingsguard.
Why is that guy… here…?” (Noa)
Noa clenches her jaw I can
hear her molars grinding. Her shoulders are trembling slightly.
“…That guy… Did
something happen, Noa?” (Shuu)
Raising her face and shaking her
head. She still doesn’t make eye contact.
“…Well, I don’t care.
Because of the circumstances, there are quite a few opponents of the current
system even in Ikebukuro. I’m also one of them.” (Noa)
“…I see.” (Shuu)
—really?
Even if I am curious, I won’t
say continue. I felt like if I asked more, they wouldn’t even answer.
“Abeshuu.” (Tamiko)
“Hmm?” (Shuu)
“Squeaking.”
(Tamiko)
Tamiko was holding her crotch
and squirming.
“Go to the bathroom.”
(Shuu)
“I might squeak if I move.
Ummm…” (Tamiko)
“Okay, move to my hand.
Gently. Okay, I’m going slowly. Hang in there, we’re almost to the bathroom.
…Wait, wait, don’t relax. Don’t wag your tail. Stop, stop!” (Shuu)
A/N: In honor of Mr. Giran, I added the part that “there is a
handwashing area”.