Part 123: A Normal Human

Wandering aimlessly through the ruined streets of Ikebukuro.

Rintarō Konno’s mind was filled with an indescribable, restless anxiety.

—Damn it... this is really bad. Definitely bad.

Lately, it felt like more and more situations were making him think that.

If we keep going like this, more and more people are gonna lose their minds... Gotta do something about it... Though, there's nothing I can actually do about it, really.

A single sigh escaped him.

"Ah, my, my."

"Hm?"

"Rare to see you sighing, Harutaro-kun."

His companion, Konomi Asuka, teased him playfully.

"Hmm? Is that really so rare?"

"That's right. You always seem like you're grinning from ear to ear, you know?"

"Let me tell you, I do think about things too, you know. ……Sometimes."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well… you know, that kind of feeling… like the end of the world is really, truly getting close?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. It feels like we've been stuck in this depressing spiral lately."

"Yeah, totally."

It had already been nearly half a year since the first "zombie" appeared in Shibuya.

It's been more than enough time for the veneer of civilization to begin peeling away.

Fortunately, for now, Hayataro's group remains stable...

At some point, one of the representatives from Gakkyō High, Mr. Sasaki, had once boldly declared:

"Whatever happens, we must think long-term."

Under certain stressful conditions, many people can exhibit short-term resilience. The real danger lies in prolonged exposure to such stressful environments.

Just because the first month was manageable doesn't mean the next month will be.

The moment of breaking can come suddenly, without warning, to anyone.

The real issue is how strong the community members' resistance to stress actually is.

Just how long can we remain united—heart to heart, hand in hand—amidst the horde of corpses that devour people?

The accumulation of mental fatigue is dangerous.

Especially because it's invisible, unlike physical wounds.

And eventually, it will gradually erode not just individuals, but the community itself.

Already, many groups left behind in Tokyo have met their grim ends.

The majority of the cause lies in conflicts between people themselves.

And just a small part.

If only peace had lasted for a few days, or even a week, many lives could have been saved... there were countless such cases.

Rintaro and the others had witnessed numerous scenes like this over the past few days.

"Hah..."

"Haaaaaaahhhhhhh~"

Asako too was drawn into it, letting out a deep sigh.

Their two sighs echoed through the deserted Ikebukuro pool.

I knew I was prepared for this... But honestly, it's a truly heart-breaking job.

The enemy that Hayato and the others are currently fighting is neither a "zombie" nor a "monster."

Likely, it was an invisible enemy known as "despair."

Children who have hanged themselves, for instance.

A house that was set on fire by its own occupant, for instance.

A villain who attacks passersby like a wild beast.

People who have fallen into madness, and so on.

Step outside "Makagake," and you're met with an endless stream of heart-wrenching events.

Rintarō prided himself on being mentally tougher than the average person—though to be honest, he was more like a thoughtless brute. Even so, he was gradually being drawn into a melancholy mood.

—In times like this…

Rintarō suddenly grimaced.

—If only that person were here right now.

An increasingly habitual craving for the unattainable.

Kimi no Asuka let out a long sigh,

"……Maybe we should head back for today?"

she suggested.

But Rintarō shook his head.

"No way. Let's keep looking a bit longer. There aren't many 'zombies' around here... there might still be survivors."

"But..."

"Hey, wasn't this the last known area where someone was spotted?"

Their goals were "supply replenishment" and "helping people."

...And there was one more.

Searching for three companions who had vanished about two months ago.

"Yeah, that's right."

As Aya fiddled with her hair,

"Where could they have gone...?...Senpai..."

"Yeah. And also Ayame and Hakka-san."

Speaking it aloud, one comes to realize just how immense the presence of the person whom Rin-taro and the others called simply "Senpai" truly was.

— Could it be that everyone's hearts have grown restless precisely because Senpai has disappeared?

Such delusions even begin to surface in one's mind.

It's hard to believe that an individual's strength alone could shift the course of events so dramatically.

Yet somewhere deep inside, I still feel that if that person had been there, things might have been different.

I suppose a true hero is someone like that.

"Senpai" wasn't someone who was never wrong.

But at the very least, they were someone who never feared moving forward.

They were the kind of person who could inspire their companions to feel, "Let's do this."

▼

"Senpai" disappeared from in front of Hayataro and the others about two months ago.

The last known sighting of "Senpai" and their companions was when they headed toward the massive underground space known as the "Dungeon."

And then... something inexplicable happened there.

Something that left the streets of Ikebukuro in ruins.

Since then, "Senpai," along with their companions Ayame Hage and Koi Kawachi, have remained missing.

No one knows what exactly has happened.

To Hayataro and the others, it's completely beyond comprehension.

For these past two months, there has been no contact whatsoever from "Senpai."

This situation was utterly unlike her.

Still, there is absolute certainty that she is not dead.

It is because of a certain "bond" that connects them.

—The "Subjugation" skill.

Hayataro and the others possess mysterious abilities known as "skills," granting them superhuman powers.

That power has not disappeared, even now.

That means, in other words, that you're still alive, right? Yeah.

For a brief moment, he paused his thoughts,

"But you know... Maybe, in the end... Sensei's just avoiding us, isn't he?"

"Why would you think that?"

"If they really needed us, they'd reach out themselves. For us, it's just a matter of giving a light thought—no big deal. But since they haven't contacted us... that means..."

"That might be true. But it might not be. Maybe they're in a situation where even that isn't possible, for some reason."

"What kind of reason?"

"...How should I know? I wouldn't be able to tell you."

This was already the tenth time they'd had this argument.

Rintaro let out another deep sigh.

In the end, it all came down to chasing clouds—fleeting and intangible.

All we could do was keep moving forward without giving up.

And then, just at that moment.

"Pl-please help me!"

A boy cries out softly, appearing before Hayato and the others.

He looks to be about the same age as them.

Just an ordinary-looking high school boy.

"Uwahhh! Waaahhh! Waaaaahhhhhhh!"

Behind him stands a single "zombie."

This area was known for having few "zombies," but apparently, they weren't entirely absent.

"I'll—"

"Rintaro-kun... you understand, right?"

"Yeah."

Without needing to speak, he grasped the meaning behind her silent signal.

Asuka was essentially telling him to back off.

Although Rintaro and the others had received power from their "senpai," they made a point of acting as normally as possible in everyday life.

There was a reason for this.

One was to avoid drawing the attention of the so-called "players"—those dangerous individuals who wielded terrifying powers.

And the other reason was... if you showed too much power, it could sometimes make the very people you were trying to rescue become wary of you.

"It's fine—leave that one to me! Keep it distracted like that!"

"Y-yeah!"

"Alright..."

Rintaro's "performance" was flawless.

He held back his power to nearly the same level as when he was an ordinary human, crept up behind the "zombie," and then—crack!—broke its head open with a single strike.

"Game over!"

Shouting, the man in front collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"Huff, huff... Ah, that was close...!"

Apparently, he'd been chased for quite a long distance.

"Are you alright?"

Asuna reached out with her usual outgoing smile.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"My name is Kono Asuka....And you are?"

I am Dog Bite. Dog Bite Renji.

The youth briefly flashed an expression as if sizing someone up,

It seems like you two are just like mom and dad, huh?

He smirked.