Episode 57: Escape Route

"Grrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

I mean, seriously. It's incredible.

The very sound of its threat sends shivers through the ground.

I never even thought about fighting back.

"Ne-ne-ne-ne, nee-chan, w-w-what do we do!?!"

"Anywhere narrow—let's go!"

We flee into a narrow alley near Nerima Station, disappearing into the nearby shopping district.

The tiger's "monster" body was wider than the alleyway here, so it should have been relatively safe.

Indeed, just before the shopping district, the tiger's "monster" stopped moving.

"Good job, we did it!"

For a moment, I thought we'd escaped and gave a victory pose.

That might have been the warning sign.

Before we could even relax, a massive, dense shadow loomed over us.

Looking up, there it was—the tiger-like "monster" leaping with incredible agility, gracefully vaulting over the rooftops of the shopping district and swiftly approaching us.

"Damn it! Here goes—《Explosion: Hundred Fracture Fist》!"

Ayane’s fist blazed with light.

A downpour of energy waves pierced the tiger-like "monster."

But—

『Grrruu…』

Oh no, it’s not working at all. Completely ineffective.

"The farther away it gets, the weaker it becomes, you know~"

Saya calmly analyzes the situation.

"If we could close in, it'd probably work better... I just feel like it would."

"...Let's save that as a last resort."

Even as we exchanged words, I was desperately trying to figure out the best place to retreat to.

Nearby building → NO.

Probably, there isn't a building in this shopping district designed to withstand the attack of that "monster."

A sturdy building somewhere → NO.

I can't imagine surviving a prolonged escape from that "monster."

The underground of Nerima Station → NO.

I'd prefer to use this option, but the path leading there has been blocked by the "monster."

In that case...

Possible escape routes are...

"Aiha-chan! Over here!"

I draw my blade and jam it into the hole of the manhole cover.

Using the lever principle, I lift it up.

A moment of hesitation.

It must stink.

It must be rank.

It must be filthy.

...They must be completely unfazed by stuff like that.

"Guraaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Driven by the urgency of letting their prey slip away, the tiger's "monster" lets out an especially loud roar.

"Namu San!"

Pushed by that cry, we leapt into the manhole.

▼

Darkness.

"――《Enchant》. ――《Fire》"

We summon fire to illuminate the space.

A black shape seemed to scuttle away from the edge of my vision, but I firmly decide to ignore it and refuse to acknowledge reality.

The sewer was filled with a nauseating stench that made my head spin.

No wonder. The flow of water had stopped long ago.

This wasn’t something you could just endure. Staying here too long might lead to oxygen deprivation.

“What now?”

“Let’s just get out of here. If we keep moving through the underground, we should be able to escape.”

“It’s no good.”

Then, Saya shook her head.

"Why can't we...? Why not?"

"We have to take it down."

"But that's... impossible..."

I was genuinely shocked.

It was beyond belief—thinking about fighting something like that.

"If something like that's roaming around, people in the city will surely become victims. There are still many survivors out there. I have to take it down."

"But..."

"Ah, my strength was surely meant for a moment like this. That's why I'm going. You don't have to come with me, big sister."

I was surprised.

To be honest, I'd somewhat underestimated Ayaka-chan.

I thought she was just a foolish girl.

But no. That's not right.

At the very least, her resolve was genuine.

Ayaka-chan had already made up her mind long ago to risk her life.

"You're quite a proud one, aren't you?"

"Ehehehe~"

Hmm.

In that case, as an older sister, I can't just leave you be.

"Alright. Let's take them down together."

"Uh, thanks."

Saya gently rubs her nose, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'll think up a plan. For that, let's head out to a safe zone first... Not somewhere stinking like this."

"Yeah, no kidding."

We began walking through the sewer.

Goooooooooo! Goooooo!

On the ground, the monster is roaring, perhaps out of frustration for letting its prey escape.

The roar was so immense it echoed through the sewage system, splashing with a loud splatter.

Wow.

If you're going to eat, at least be gentle... please?

I'm begging you, really.