ch61-ch80 · 076-ch75

Chapter 75

"Hey, sorry, but tell the healing girl to cast some recovery magic on that Gaidorl guy, just a little. I'll put a 'constraint' on him together with Bargas and take 'em back to my crew."

Lugardo said this with a conflicted expression, and Toru couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

The one who could use recovery magic was Tia. Why tell me? — that thought showed in the angle of his brows.

But Lugardo gave Toru an exasperated wry smile and shrugged.

"Even if I asked the Holy Sword wielder myself, it wouldn't do any good. Toru, you ask her. Just get her to talk a little, that's enough."

"Ah... well, fine. You heard him, right? Do it."

Nodding casually, Toru turned around and gave Tia an equally casual instruction.

The Holy Sword wielder had somehow already changed back into her everyday clothes, and she nodded normally at Toru's half-hearted instruction.

"Sure, no problem. And thanks, Lugardo."

With a light reply, she simultaneously tossed some kind of magical something at the Demon who was about three steps short of being a bludgeoned corpse. It had the vibe of tossing a crumpled tissue into a trash can, but apparently it was recovery magic, because the one who'd been three steps from death was now about ten steps from it.

"Hey, Gaidorl. Dunno if you heard what was said, but as a fellow Demon, I'll help you out along with Bargas. 'Won't run from Lugardo. Won't harm Lugardo. Won't cause trouble for human society'... can you swear to that? If you can't, I'll kill ya."

Sitting in a yankii squat near the two Demons, Lugardo addressed them quite perfunctorily. Bad attitude, but probably not a bad guy. Besides, when it came to attitude, Toru was in no position to talk.

"...Understood. I swear."

So saying, the Demon named Gaidorl nodded, and Bargas nodded as well — it seemed a "contract" had been established. For now, that was one thing settled.

Toru exhaled a "Haa..." and tossed the wooden sword he'd been carrying into his magic bag. Beating a wounded person's legs and stomach wasn't exactly fun, but he figured his lack of hesitation in these moments was proof of his poor social skills.

"My people caused you trouble... I'll say that much, at least. Don't really feel like 'my people,' but from a human perspective, same difference, right?"

Lugardo, who had stood up, bowed his head to Toru.

In his human form with slicked-back hair, he gave off an intellectual impression, so being bowed to by that kind of guy made Toru feel a little self-conscious.

"Nah, I should be the one thanking you. Appreciate you taking this on. Soma-san too. For protecting my home and my neighbors... uh... thank you very much."

"Don't mention it. I wanted intel on the Demons either way. Lugardo, sorry about the other day. You don't seem like the type to cause trouble for society. If there's something I can cooperate on, I'll lend a hand. Let's exchange contact info."

Soma Kengo spoke in his usual measured tone. Toru and Lugardo exchanged a brief glance and broke into wry smiles at the exact same time.

"Yeah, no worries about the other day. The Holy Sword wielder healed my injuries, and you were just doing your job. No hard feelings. I'm not gonna put a 'constraint' on you, but I might come to you for help sometimes."

"If possible, I'll lend a hand."

While the two pulled out their mobile devices and exchanged contacts, Toru shifted his gaze to Maisaka Risa, standing a short distance away.

The moment their eyes met, she scowled with a sour, displeased look — but for some reason, Toru could tell that displeasure was "black." They'd only shared a brief time together, but even so, he could vaguely sense that this lie detector hadn't abandoned ordinary sensibilities.

"Ah... Maisaka-san, thanks for helping out too, I guess."

"Eh, whatever. Like you said, it was just convenient. Honestly, it was more fun than being with Soma. Going shopping at a department store with another person... it's been a really long time. Wasn't bad."

"Was it 'white'?"

"It's the color of my underwear."

"……"

Toru had no words for the older woman who was blushing while looking mighty pleased with herself. He did think, why are you trying to get a laugh with a dirty joke out of nowhere, though.

"Say something."

"...Ah... that's real hilarious. Hahaha. Guaranteed belly buster."

"Hey, look at me properly, Hayasaka."

"Why the dirty joke. Also, stop blushing so much."

"You're a funny guy."

Suddenly, tracing the brim of his hunting cap with his fingertip, Soma let out a small laugh. Truly just a little — small enough to miss if you weren't paying attention.

Toru felt somewhat unenthusiastic about being singled out, so he could only shrug.

"Anyway, good work guarding Maisaka. If something comes up, get in touch. You too, Lugardo. If it's within my ability, I'll lend a hand."

"Ah... no, same here. But Soma-san, why are you being so cooperative? Seems like you'd be busy with this and that."

Tilting his head, it turned out Lugardo had the same question — his neck was bent in the opposite direction from Toru's.

Soma looked somewhat exasperated as he alternated his gaze between Toru and Lugardo, then sighed.

"You two are the most important people right now. Lugardo, you've got Demon comrades, but Hayasaka doesn't. Gilgeil's scheme to isolate you from society was a fairly decent move. I — Hayasaka Toru, I don't want you thinking 'who cares about human society.' I couldn't bear having a whole town carved to pieces."

"I wasn't planning on doing anything like that."

"Not yet. Take good care of the people around you, at least."

It was said with a straight face and a serious tone.

So Toru didn't mess around and just nodded normally, then asked.

"Soma-san... do you have someone? Someone in your life, that you want to protect?"

"I don't."

An immediate answer.

Neither looking serious nor joking around — just the attitude of stating a simple fact.

If so, then why did Soma Kengo want to maintain social order? Well, even if Toru lost everything, he wouldn't try to destroy the world — and indeed, he hadn't — but it wasn't like he'd awakened to public welfare either.

Doing cleaning work at Sugai Dungeon was self-satisfaction.

It definitely wasn't because he wanted to put a smile on some stranger's face.

There might've been a rationalization that since he could contribute to society as a byproduct of his self-satisfaction, nobody had grounds to complain about it — but that was probably just an excuse.

Soma gave a small shrug, then looked around slowly. An unremarkable residential neighborhood near Toru's apartment. With two Demons lying on the ground, and without the explorers, Demons, and Holy Sword wielder, it would be a perfectly ordinary scene from a regional city.

Then, the "Hunter" explorer spoke.

"I don't have anyone, but others might. Most people probably do. When that gets stolen by some shitty bastard, and someone who's hit rock bottom steals something from someone else in turn — it's a maddeningly pointless cycle."

"...So that's why you do the 'Hunter' thing?"

"Nothing else I want to do, either."

So saying, Soma started walking without a parting word. Maisaka let out a resigned wry smile and chased after his back.

"...Having a guy like that in S-rank is probably why the social order hasn't collapsed. True enough — flatten everything and cackle from the center of the rubble, you can't spend money and there's no one left to look down on. Pretty pointless, huh."

As if remarking on the impermanence of all things, Lugardo murmured, glancing at Tia for just a moment before shifting his gaze to the two Demons lying on the ground.

"Alright then, I'll handle the rest from here. I'll share whatever I learn about Gilgeil's movements. Same if you need a hand."

"Yeah. This time we borrowed from you, so next time we'll lend. Even if you're not desperate, contact me if you think you need it."

"Such a straight arrow, aren't you."

Showing a wry smile, Lugardo held out his clenched fist toward Toru. Come to think of it, Toru had never had anyone do this before — he let out another wry smile and gently bumped his fist against Lugardo's.

"Well then, let's head home."

Toru said.

"Yep! The ice cream we bought yesterday — there's still some left, right?"

Tia said.

Like they were coming back from a little stroll.

◇◇◇

"Welcome home, Toru-bro-sama! Please listen to me!"

Kujo Reiko, who for some reason had been standing with her feet planted wide at the entrance, spotted Toru opening the door, broke into a radiant smile, and launched right into that.

"Ah... yeah. I'll listen, but can you let me through?"

The rundown apartment's layout was cramped, so with someone standing imposingly at the entrance, he couldn't get into the living room. He wasn't physically tired, but mentally he was a bit worn down. Having a blonde drill-haired ojou-sama blocking the entrance had definitely drained some kind of gauge.

"Oh my, how rude of me. Please, come in."

Smiling with an "Ohoho," she stepped aside. Entering the living room, the Sonoyama mother and daughter were making themselves at home, and Kawai Sakiho was huddled in the corner hugging her knees.

"...Ah... good work. Thanks for handling the stream stuff."

"Ah, good work! I think it went smoothly. As for the mapping, we have data for the areas we moved through, so I'll submit it to the office later."

Kawai, who had quickly looked up, had a perfectly normal attitude. Which made him wonder — then why are you huddled in the corner hugging your knees? — but he figured he'd let it slide.

"Welcome back, Toru. Want coffee?"

Mika, who had been lying down near Shenna, popped up and asked Toru in her usual tone. Shenna just gave a light wave as Toru returned, nothing more.

The neighbors he'd somehow grown used to, who interacted with a reasonable degree of familiarity, were there in their usual manner.

"Yeah, sounds good. Let's have something to drink. I'm hungry too. Might as well eat."

"Then Mika and I will make coffee. Mika, come here."

"Mm. Okay."

Watching Tia and Mika pitter-patter toward the refrigerator — though in a rundown apartment, that was a two-second walk — Toru let out a sigh.

This scene might have disappeared.

And probably... Soma Kengo had lost it. A scene like this.

Toru had thought he'd lost everything too. And yet, before he knew it, here he was — it was strange when he thought about it. If he considered what would happen if he lost it all again, he could understand Soma's concern. The current Toru wasn't just some seventeen-year-old brat — he was the owner of a mythic-class "Holy Sword" and "Cursed Blade."

"Toru-bro-sama, Toru-bro-sama. As you know, I returned to your home ahead of you. When I opened the front door, Kawai-sama was standing protectively in front of Shenna-sama and Mika-sama! Ufufufu! Isn't that wonderful?"

Speaking with great delight — or rather, happiness would be more accurate — Kujo Reiko smiled at Kawai, who was hugging her knees in the corner. Maisaka hadn't melted, so she'd probably be fine, but Toru thought she looked a little like she might melt.

"...No. In the end, I only made a fool of myself..."

Kawai showed a somewhat strained smile. Probably because she could tell Kujo Reiko had absolutely zero malice. She wasn't mocking her or laughing at her foolishness — she was showing respect for the fact that she'd tried to protect the Sonoyamas.

"Well, I think it's fine."

Toru said something half-hearted. He had a vague sense that praising Kawai or saying she'd impressed him would just make her even more uncomfortable.

— Unable to forgive herself, and not wanting to be forgiven —

On that front, Toru himself was in no position to say anything to anyone else. There were so many things he had no right to comment on that he almost wanted to laugh, but that was probably just the simple fact that Hayasaka Toru wasn't a very upstanding person.

After that, they had lunch — Shenna's pre-made polpette, like Italian meatballs, along with rice, miso soup, lettuce, and cucumber.

"I made a portion for Risa-chi too, but she already left, huh."

Shenna said, sounding a little disappointed. Last night, Kawai, Shenna, and Maisaka had stayed at the Sonoyamas', so they might've had some bonding conversations.

"Shenna-san, you're quite the ladies' man, aren't you."

Kawai murmured, sipping her miso soup.

Tia and Mika were shoveling the tomato-simmered meatballs into their mouths. Their eating speed was fairly fast, but between Tia's refined movements and the beautifully proper table manners of Kujo Reiko, seated across and eating slowly, it was amusing to watch Mika trying to copy them and eat neatly.

"By the way, Toru, did you know Gilgeil's plan from the start?"

Still looking a bit awkward holding the bowl, Tia sipped her miso soup, then said that.

"Ah, that? The whole 'cause collateral damage around you and drive you out of society' thing."

"Yeah, yeah, that. I thought it was a very Gilgeil-like way of thinking."

"I figured he wanted to give it directionality."

"Directionality?"

Tia tilted her head with a puzzled look. For some reason, Mika, sitting next to her, tilted her head the same way, which was kind of funny.

"So, like, if the people around you take damage, you'd be pissed. You'd wanna hunt 'em down. Which means you and I end up 'chasing after Gilgeil, who's pulling strings behind the scenes.' Scatter a few hints here and there, and bam — a carrot-dangling horse is born. At least for a while, no encounters with the Holy Sword wielder."

If you took seriously Tia's claim that this guy aimed for not just two birds with one stone but five or six, his objective wouldn't be just one thing either.

"Using Shenna, Mika, and Sakiho as bait to lure the attack — I thought that was a bit unlike you, Toru... but I see. If it was 'they might get attacked someday,' then better to force it on your own terms."

"Soma-san and Lugardo just happened to be nearby. There was a chance they wouldn't take the bait, but if they did and we could weather the first strike, we had you. Worst case, I'd draw 'Kagetsu' too."

Show a gap during the dungeon stream, and sure enough — that was the result.

Better to explain the situation and have them brace themselves than to be caught off guard in a genuine moment of vulnerability. The Sonoyamas and Kawai Sakiho had all understood and agreed.

Set it up like this, and the nasty Demon would probably think:

— Is the next opening a real "opening"? Or is it a trap set to snare us?

If Gilgeil had a true objective, there'd be no need to go to such lengths to cause collateral damage around the Holy Sword wielder. If the Holy Sword wielder's side had to expend effort setting traps, they could just ignore it. Confirming whether it's a trap or not takes effort too, so it becomes a question of where to cut their losses.

If he's smart and nasty, he'd make a snap decision.

"Why didn't he come attack himself?"

"Probably because he absolutely didn't wanna run into her."

"...That's true. If I ran into that guy, I think I'd kill him first thing."

She said it with a normal expression, in a normal tone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And Toru — didn't bother denying it.

If this hero was enough of a bastard to say that, he figured it'd be better to toss law and ethics aside.

"Hey. No violent talk during meals."

Shenna interjected with a sigh. Fair enough, Toru nodded, and picked up a remaining meatball from the large plate with his chopsticks.

"It's delicious, huh, Toru. It's so good. Shenna is amazing!"

Four seconds after a conversation about killing Demons — she said it with the most radiant smile.

Even Shenna ended up with a wry smile, but that was understandable.

"There's still ice cream left from yesterday, so let's eat it later."

Toru said.

Mika and Tia going "Yaaay!" and cheering — that one actually made him laugh.