Ferdinand and Phantom.

The two transmigrants left the labyrinth as if they had served their purpose.

Unable to suppress the unease in my chest, I half-unconsciously pressed my hand against it.

...In reality, we'd only exchanged a few words. Nothing particularly significant had happened.

And yet, I'd suffered a mental blow.

I didn't even understand why myself, but that was probably how strongly I felt threatened by the Second Wave.

Or perhaps it was simply because I couldn't remain calm in front of someone who openly claimed to be watching me.

After all, I wasn't a celebrity or a content creator—I was just an ordinary high school student.

Honestly, I wanted to complain to Origami-san, but from his perspective, it was probably just a casual, well-intentioned introduction.

It was also a mistake that I hadn't mentioned my desire to keep my distance from the Second Wave.

I should have told you this earlier.

"That Ferdinand fellow is gathering the transferees who arrived in this town, exchanging information among themselves. I came here because of that flow."

"Is that so? But the second wave already has all the information from this side... Isn't that risky?"

When I said that, Origami gave a slightly surprised expression.

"Yeah. I suppose that's true... But in this world, they're among the few people from our homeland. I'd rather cooperate than suspiciously doubt them."

"But if they wanted to, they could easily kill us from their side..."

"Hikaru. Anyone could kill me if they really wanted to. Even right now, if you decided to, it'd be easy for you to kill me."

"No, that's just a matter of cost versus benefit—"

"Would you kill someone if it benefited you? No, that's not right, is it?"

"That may be true, but..."

When faced with that argument, there was nothing left to say.

I knew perfectly well that I was just being overly cautious.

Nanami and I had already been killed once based on rumors.

We'd experienced firsthand how easily humans cross the line, and that's why we could no longer believe in them.

Especially the second wave had both motive and justification for killing us.

In that case, we had no choice but to stay on guard.

That's how I felt, at least.

Given those circumstances, I simply didn't want to get involved.

Whether it's because I can't believe it, or because of the disgust they feel toward us here on Earth, I can't quite put into words what I'm feeling.

"Hikaru-kun, they're the same as us, you know. They're scared too—suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar world. I'm much older than them, and if they need help, I want to assist. After all, we're the only ones from Earth in this entire world."

Origami-san was an adult.

My words probably just sounded like a child's childish complaints, born from distrust of humanity.

"I'm really glad you care about me, Hikaru-kun. But I don't have any special advantages, and there's no reason for them to want to kill me, right? It'll be fine."

Smiling softly, Origami-san said this.

Probably trying to ease the tension, seeing my gloomy expression.

"...But please be careful anyway,"

"I've equipped that 'substitute ring' too, so it'll be fine."

"Make sure to prepare barrier stones and healing scrolls as well. This isn't Earth... police support won't be reliable at all, and even if it were, dying means the end."

"Thanks. I'll exchange them when I have some spare points."

To Origami-san, I probably seemed overly worried.

Still, I wanted to say it.

Maybe it was just my own self-satisfaction, but even so.

"Ferdinand-kun is a law school student and an aspiring lawyer, so I don't think you need to worry."

A lawyer, huh. That means a rational elite, as expected.

If I'd stayed on Earth, I might have had a stable life, but instead I was chosen for something like this—how does that feel?

Can I still find the will to move forward and keep trying

? "Um… what about that masked phantom?""He's

said to have lost his memory. When he was transferred, there was an option to 'lose your memories,' right? He must have had some memories from the previous world he desperately wanted to forget

, because he chose that path." Indeed, that man Ferdinand had said

something similar. Yet, the way he looked at me through that mask gave me the strange feeling that he knew something about

me—something personal. "Why does

he wear a mask?" "I couldn't ask him that directly, but he mentioned there's something… something on his face he doesn't want anyone to

see." That mask did feel off, but maybe it's hiding scars or some other mark he doesn't wish to show.

In any case, it's certainly something you can't just ask about. Well, there's no way someone would suddenly turn out to be an acquaintance once they take off their mask—absolutely impossible.

It's utterly irrelevant.

"Still, I didn't expect there'd be an option like amnesia. And that someone actually chose it."

When I transferred, I barely made it within the time limit and couldn't review all the options. That one must have been among the ones I missed. The fact that Jeanne had "no talent for spirit magic" was probably listed there too.

Still, choosing amnesia must have granted a corresponding point bonus.

Could it be that the man named Ferdinand is using those points for himself? He acted quite boldly, giving orders to Phantom as if he were in charge.

…No, that's probably stretching suspicion too far.

◇◆◆◆◇

"——that's what happened."

After returning home, I told Jeanne and Reflair about what had occurred today.

Although we've decided to keep our distance from the second wave, the possibility of encountering them again isn't zero.

"Hmm... That man, Ferdinand, seems dangerous."

After I finished explaining, Jeanne said clearly.

"Why?"

When we first met, it was sudden and we couldn't talk properly, but now that I think about it, he didn't seem like an especially unusual man.

While there's no way to rule out the possibility that he might suddenly pull out a gun, it's certainly better to stay cautious. Still, I can't see any solid reason to outright declare him dangerous.

"That guy with the memory loss definitely has the city's 'high-performance周边 map.' Right now, with the message frozen, it's impossible to gather transfer agents in a short time using just the high-performance world map."

"Then why is it dangerous?"

"Because the purpose isn't clear."

According to Jeanne, obtaining the city's high-performance周边 map doesn't make sense.

Five points are a heavy investment. With that much, you could do a lot.

Yet, it's supposedly 'not dangerous,' 'you can get a fairly detailed map at the office,' and 'there's no treasure involved'—so why go through the trouble of acquiring such a city map? It seems pointless.

But of course, five points are assigned anyway. It can't be meaningless.

　

"If I must put it into words, perhaps the very act of knowing the location of the transmigrants in this town should be considered the goal. Of course, it's said that the second group has been gathered, and if we view that as the objective itself... well, it at least makes sense logically... but..."

"Then that's the reason, right? It's beneficial for transmigrants to gather together, isn't it?"

"Yes... but isn't that Ferdinand a law student, after all? Would someone with a sharp mind really spend five points on such a reason?"

"Maybe he's just using the points of the amnesiac man, so he doesn't feel the pain. Perhaps the amnesiac man even said he wanted companions?"

"That's a possibility too. The value of companionship is certainly worth more than five points... Hmm..."

No matter how much he thought about it, the true reason remained unclear.

Whether or not they possess a high-performance world map was nothing more than speculation.

You could imagine all sorts of terrible things.

For example, Ferdinand gathering the second wave of transmigrants and attacking us.

　

Well, that might be going too far, but it's certain that Ferdinand, as long as we're in this town, will continue to know exactly where I and Jeanne are.

That thought was just… deeply unsettling.

"I was told by Origami-san: 'If there's an advantage, would you kill someone?' ... Am I just overthinking this?"

"No, we're not wrong. Rather, there's no such thing as a right answer. You and I… we're just choosing this path based on our personalities and natures, reinforcing it with words. You know, both advantages and disadvantages exist—didn't Clover understand that too?"

"Well, sure, but maybe we're being a bit too rigid in some ways?"

"Um... I heard you, but I think it's better not to force contact. Neither of us can talk to strangers, and if I try, I might end up saying something weird since I don't really understand things well."

Refrea, who had been listening while cooking in the kitchen, came over wiping her hands.

Indeed, both of us—me and Jeanne—aren't good at conversation. If we try to engage, we might end up getting caught off guard.

Especially that Ferdinand—he seems like he’s good with words.

We both couldn't help but nod in agreement with Refrea’s opinion.

"……Alright. Even though it wasn’t intentional, learning who’s in the second group is a good outcome."

"That’s right. I already asked Origami to stop doing things like this, so I don’t think it’ll happen again. If they reach out to us this time, we’ll deal with it then."

"Then I'll just push you back myself."

"No, it's too dangerous—please don't do that."

"I've got money. Why not hire a guard?"

Given how much we earn, hiring a guard during daytime hours wouldn't be a problem at all.

The guard doesn't even need to be strong.

If words don't work, we can just clearly state that the Second Wave Transfers are enemies.

"…Besides, if things really come to a head, we can always make a full retreat from this town. We want to conquer the maze, but we don't have to be bound by it, and life is long."

"Are you sure? Jeanne's whole goal was this place."

"Sure. If that's the case, let's head all the way to Gran Arismaris."

Apparently, she doesn't have much attachment to Meltya after all.

Or rather, she probably just dislikes dealing with humans from Earth.

I totally get it.

"Are we leaving town? If the other side acts hostile, just kill them, right?"

Refrea asked, looking bewildered.

"Lea. I may be okay, but killing someone like Kuro is impossible. If he's targeted, even a moment's hesitation could be fatal. Facing him head-on is too dangerous."

"That's true... Hikaru's too kind-hearted for that."

"Exactly. An enemy force we can't actively attack is nothing but trouble. Running away is the best option."

"I'll just follow Hikaru wherever he goes—either way is fine with me."

"……No, if it comes to it, I can do it too."

"You can't."

"You really can't."

The two responses echoed in unison.

Well, I suppose it's hard to just stab someone in the back when they're your enemy. Both of them know me pretty well.

"We've got combat power and money. Plus, we have Kuro's storage space, so traveling isn't too bad. If we're going to worry about the second wave, it's better to just cut our losses now. Yeah, the more I say it, the more I feel like that's actually the better option."

"Uh, wait, what? Seriously?"

"How about we head out of town after defeating the Scylla on the 4th floor and reaching gold rank? If Kuro and Reya are okay with it."

"So, Madame Jeanne, you're really a lightweight type, huh..."

Well, I guess there's really no reason to stay in this town if we don't have to.

Originally, I only came along because Jeanne wanted to clear the labyrinth all the way through, and since she herself says it's fine, I have no objections.

Refray seems fine with it too, so isn't this a pretty good idea?

"Of course, if the second wave doesn't make contact with us, we can just keep advancing on Meltya. Let's prepare for whatever comes next."

"Got it. If Jeanne's okay with it, I have no objections."

"I agree. If we're going to Gran Alismaris, let's also check out the Dark Capital, Miliestats. It's the world's oldest and only natural sanctuary of darkness! It's just nearby!"

Refray's already getting excited.

A journey. Now that I think about it since coming to this world, I've mostly stayed in this town, so I'm feeling a little excited myself.

So, we've decided on the worst-case scenario—just running away.

In the end, I didn't bring up the 'that thing' Ferdinand mentioned.

It's about me personally, but I've decided not to worry about it.

Of course, I do pay attention, but knowing it won't change anything.

If anything, it's even more reason to run away.

— Later, I tried the food that Refliah made, and Jeanne bluntly said it was terrible, its wildness utterly beyond imagination.

I think I should probably handle the cooking from now on.