Part 29: A New Rule

After that, I learned something about magic.

It seems that using magic requires expending some kind of energy within oneself.

The more I use magic, the more hungry I get.

Magic Point = Fullness

Is that what it means? I don't really understand.

Looking back now, I realize that the reason "Hunger Resistance" was tied to magic acquisition was probably something like this.

Since acquiring the magic skill, the amount I eat at each meal has clearly gone off the rails.

I eat three times the amount everyone else does—morning, noon, and night—and still don't feel full.

I try to leave the table before it gets too awkward, since people keep giving me weird looks... but no.

It's not enough.

Not enough. Not enough.

Not enough, not enough, not enough, not enough!

It's nowhere near enough!

That said, I can't just hoard the limited food for myself.

I never thought obtaining a magic skill would come with such drawbacks.

That night, I cried for the first time in my life due to hunger.

▼

And the next morning.

There's an important announcement to make, so as usual, we gathered in Class 2-3.

I'm thinking of grabbing the necessary supplies from the convenience store behind the school.

Asaoka Takami spoke to everyone with a heavy expression.

"...Are you serious?"

The words were snapped out by the physical education teacher, Ms. Suzuki Asaka.

"I can't accept this. Are we really supposed to sink this low?"

"To 'sink'—that's not quite the right way to put it..."

"Isn't this precisely the kind of emergency that calls for upholding the law? Isn't that what education is about?"

"I understand how you feel, but..."

"Of course I know there's a legal provision for 'emergency evasion.' But we're not that desperate yet. We've got plenty of food. Isn't it enough to just get by for now and wait for help...?"

"But..."

"To wait for help while surrounded by stolen goods... I just can't..."

"Wait, I mean, Suzuki-kun..."

As Asada tried to interject with some words of reassurance,

"Too lukewarm!"

Suzuki-kun's father, Norio Hibiya, shouted at him forcefully.

The intensity of his voice drew everyone's attention toward Norio.

Mr. Suzuki—there are two things I want to tell you, a young man like yourself. First: help won't come. It might be half a year… or perhaps a year. No one knows for sure how long it will take. It might never come at all. And second: the “law” you speak of will never again… do you understand? Never again will it restrict our actions.

……。

…………。

Silence.

Everyone falls silent.

"But..."

Before I even realized it, I had opened my mouth, responding stubbornly to Professor Asaka, who was still pressing forward.

"Yesterday, when I was being chased by a 'zombie,' I ran into a drugstore in the shopping district."

I immediately regretted it.

I'm not good at talking in front of everyone.

"The man who let me in was an old acquaintance—an older man, maybe in his late fifties or so."

"So…?"

Your expression says it all: Why bring this up now, Teacher Asakura?

"I barely managed to stumble into that shop, half-dead from exhaustion. But once I ran inside, that old man suddenly tried to assault me violently."

Teacher Asakura’s eyes widened in shock.

With a loud clatter, Kousuke and Rintaro stood up abruptly.

Their eyes burned with such fury, it was enough to make us flinch in fear.

"Where is that guy... right now?"

"Damn it, I'll kill you!"

"Ah... no. That person is no longer in this world."

Hearing those words, they likely understood the full situation. Slowly, they returned to their seats.

"Mr. Asakura. I understand what you're trying to say. I also believe it's a truly honorable intention. But... I think we'll need a new kind of rule, different from the ones we've protected until now. That's my belief."

After finishing speaking, Professor Asakura lightly rubbed his brow... and let out a deep sigh.

Then, he came over to me with a steady pace and hugged me tightly.

Ah...

No.

I didn't really want that kind of comfort, you know.

In fact, the memory from that drugstore had already been transformed into something pleasant in my mind?

I took a bath, ate plenty of delicious food.

The fireworks were beautiful too.

But it seemed our future strategy had already been decided.

"We'll eat food starting with items closest to their expiration date."

"Also... we need a truck, or maybe a bus. We must be ready to evacuate everyone at a moment's notice."

"We'll line up buckets on the rooftop to collect rainwater."

"If that's the case, we'd definitely want water filters and water purification tablets too—should be available at the supermarket in the next town."

Things we'd need to survive here as long as possible.

Medical supplies, gasoline, gasoline-powered generators, hand-crank generators, and so on.

"We should reinforce the barricades in case the perimeter gets breached."

"Let's disassemble the desks and board up the first-floor windows."

"Shouldn't we make a space to grow vegetables while we still can?"

Everyone seemed to be quietly pondering their own thoughts.

Once the direction was decided, various constructive suggestions began to emerge.

"So... who's going to go retrieve supplies from the convenience store?"

"That was my idea. Naturally, I'll be the one to go."

Mr. Masuda Gōzō.

"Count me in too."

Following closely was Mr. Hibiya Norio.

"Yes, yes! Me too, me too, me too!"

Rintarou-kun.

"I'm going too!"

Asuka-san.

"……I'm going too."

Ritsuko-san.

"Me too."

Kōsuke-kun.

And right in the middle of everyone's expectant gazes... is me.

Woo-hoo!

There's no way I can say "I don't want to" now.

I sigh deeper than the sea.

"……Well then, I guess we're going."

By the way.

Still anyone remember the setup where I was a girl prone to staying at home?