Part 181 "Guild"

We walked all the way to the barricade erected atop Manseibashi Bridge and sat down on a suitable iron fence.

Hajime sips the black canned coffee he borrowed from a convenience store along the way, then takes a drag on his cigarette.

"……phew. The best thing about getting out of 'Master Dungeon' is being able to have this again (..)."

"Yeah, I forgot all about cigarettes."

Neither I nor the "Gambling Expert" ever smoke, so we didn't even notice it.

"If they went to the trouble of preparing all that, they could've at least stocked a cigarette or two."

Ryouma inhaled deeply, clearly enjoying the smoke, then tossed it onto the ground.

"Throwing trash away is forbidden."

I pointed to the nearby sign.

"Seriously dedicated, huh, you."

"Just kidding."

Even without that, the area's already littered with trash and debris.

No one's going to care about littering now, are they?

"Ah, where should I start?"

"Everyone else... is Ichi-kun doing well?"

A picture of that cocky boy, wielding that "iron sword," floated in my mind.

"Fine. He said he wanted to see you. Hmm, he's smitten with you."

"Hahaha."

You're joking, aren't you?

"Everyone else, too—did they join the 'Guild'?"

"Well, I thought I'd be in trouble when I was suddenly sent back to the real world like that... completely naked..."

"Everyone was thrown back to their original world together, right?...Wait, even that trio of girls were included?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then it must have been quite the spectacle."

"...Heh. Well, you could say that."

Ryoma gives a weak laugh.

Seems he's not in the mood for chit-chat.

"It was a total mess back then... I couldn't even figure out what was going on, so we just had to get out of there as fast as possible. Everyone just ran off, hiding their bodies with whatever they could find—curtains, newspapers, stuff like that... We even used a soft-serve ice cream sign to fend off zombies."

"Hmm, hmm."

No matter how I try to picture it, it just comes across like a gag manga. I guess that says something about my sense of humor.

"After walking for a while, I finally found a boutique and picked up some clothes... Just as I was catching my breath, the 'Guild' members showed up."

"Wow, what perfect timing."

"Yeah. I thought the same thing. It seems they'd been watching the chaos in Akihabara the whole time. They sent messengers to each escaped player. 'Why don't you join us?' they said."

……………….

Hmm.

What does that even mean, then?

Well, I won't dig too deeply into it for now.

"By the way, what was the person from the 'Guild' like? What was their job?"

Then Ryoma made a slightly guarded expression and said,

"Sorry, but I'm already a member of the 'Guild.' I can't share information about my comrades."

Oh well, too bad.

"Of course, at first we were cautious....But they turned out to have remarkably interesting information. We soon realized they were trustworthy."

"Hmm."

Then Mr. Ryo, pausing deliberately as if about to reveal the truth of the world, said:

"It seems... there's someone among the 'Guild' members known as a 'Reincarnated One.'"

"………………………."Tenseisha"?"

That's right. Someone who's experienced this "end" once. In gaming terms, a "player" who's strong and ready for a new game.

I hesitated for just a moment.

With a smug expression,

Oh, I know about that "reincarnated" person, sure!

It could have been answered as well.

Well, I'll keep that information under wraps for now.

There's no need to point that out specifically, is there?

"Hoho. Seriously, you really don't need to go that far."

"…You're reading this kind of flatly. Can you believe it?"

"No, I believe it. It's not surprising anymore—anything could happen now."

"Yeah. Still, at first, we were skeptical ourselves. But we had some information only we could know, so we decided to believe it."

"What do you mean?"

"My companion... is carrying a child. It's mine." The reincarnated one seemed to have known me from a past life, so he was well aware of the circumstances."

"...Huh."

Honestly, was that really what he did in that situation?

You should've prepared condoms too, not just cigarettes, Yuzu.

"In a world like this, staying with a team that has the most information is the best way to survive."

"That's right."

"...Apparently, the higher-ups in the Guild seem to be currently coordinating with the Japanese government, which has shifted its operations westward. The government is desperately trying to reclaim the homeland from the grasp of 'zombies' and 'monsters'."

"Eh?"

I widen my eyes.

Was the government of this country still functioning?

Well, I'm currently in the middle of building a long defensive wall for zombie prevention.

No way

You're serious, huh?

I thought I was the only one who'd end up on a zombie island no matter where I went in the world.

"It's a side effect of spending so long in 'Master Dungeon.' Information like this was apparently broadcasted on the radio to some extent. We were the only ones who didn't know."

"Then we should urgently relocate refugees westward, right? Maybe we can move them in small groups using helicopters..."

"Apparently, the government has no intention of doing that."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"There are two reasons... They basically don't trust people from our side. They see us as contaminated lifeforms—somehow tainted by a strange... magic, like mutants, if you want to put it in comic book terms."

"What?!"

My eyes widen in shock.

"What do you mean by...?"

"It seems to be this—'Ignition.'"

A tiny flame appears at the tip of Ryouma's index finger, no bigger than a lighter.

He uses it to light another cigarette.

"Apparently, people who awaken their abilities as 'Players' aren't very common in the Kansai region..."

"...That means..."

Rubbing his temples, which had begun to throb, he tried to say something.

But in the end, he couldn't utter a word.

"One more thing... We're hoping that those who've survived in the east will serve as the foundation for the upcoming nationwide liberation operation."

"...Eeeeeeeeee...?"

Leaving people in a state where they could be attacked by monsters at any moment, and then expecting to borrow everyone's strength as well?

...Don't you think that's a bit too bold, even for you?

"I understand what you're trying to say. I've thrown the exact same argument at guild members myself. 'It just means they're not in a position to spare any resources,' that's what they said."

"Hmm…………"

Well, I've heard reports that the Self-Defense Forces were completely destroyed, and perhaps what remains is all they can manage.

Well now...

How should I put this...

There must be a better way to do this, right?

Is this just a selfish complaint unique to people on the front lines?

"Ultimately, what the government wants is stability and strength within the refugee communities. The Guild is fully committed to supporting that goal."

Something feels off—Kagome and Oda might be planning a rebellion.

Hmm, this is tricky.

……I'll keep this info under wraps for now.

"The Guild's immediate goal is to send players to scattered communities to help restore order alongside refugees. After that, we'll coordinate with the Self-Defense Forces arriving from the Kansai region to eliminate the 'zombies' and 'monsters'."

"But we don't even know when that'll happen, do we?"

"Yeah... maybe a month from now, half a year, or even a year. But we can't just leave half the country turned into a nest for 'zombies,' can we?"

Well, you're right about that.

"If you join our guild, there's no one more reliable than you. With your skill level, you shouldn't fear even monsters, and you'll be able to handle conflicts with refugees. Of course, the guild will support you fully. I promise we'll send a skilled 'player' to communities like Sakagura as well."

"Hmm..."

I cross my arms and think.

——Aren't you about ready to just… ease up a bit?

This was a direct contradiction to Mr. Hibiya Norio's advice.

After a moment of thought, I said,

"For now, I have something I'd like to do. Can I hold off on answering?"

"Completely fine. …Actually, we don't have any power to force you anyway. So this is just a simple request. Just like saying, 'Please help us.'"

Then Ryoaba stood up,

"Three days from now, I'm going to Yagakou High School. I'd appreciate it if you could make up your mind by then."

"Hey."

I walk up to the barricade.

There, I activate the "Columbo-style negotiation technique" I learned from TV.

People tend to accidentally reveal important information when they're letting their guard down at the end of a conversation—this kind of thing.

"Ah, right. Can I ask you one thing?"

"What?"

"Did Ryoma-san actually meet the 'Reincarnated Person'... um, directly?"

No, we haven't met them. We only heard about it indirectly from members of the guild.

Yeah, I guess so.

Ryoma, when you mentioned the name "Reincarnated One" just now, you didn't seem to know much about it.

The information he's been given is surely extremely limited.

"So you haven't found out what kind of 'player' that person is, huh?"

"Yeah, I've heard he's incredibly strong, though."

"Um... I hope you're doing well?"

Then Ryoma makes a slight grimace.

"...Yeah. You'll probably find out soon enough, so I'll tell you now."

"What is it?"

"The 'Reincarnated' person is apparently on the brink of death. Apparently, after fighting some 'player,' he ran out of magic power and got bitten by a 'zombie.'"

"Wait... Does that mean I don't have much time left?"

"It seems he was barely rescued by a 'Guild' member at the last moment. Now he's being kept alive with magic, just barely able to speak."

"...Are you sure he'll be alright?"

"I don't know. But there's one thing I can say for certain—if you have an item capable of neutralizing the 'Zombie' toxin, it's a chance to earn a huge favor from both the 'Guild' and the 'Reincarnated.'"

With that, he leapt over the barricade with a bounce.

Left alone, one person remained atop Mansei Bridge.

——Hakka-san...

He furrowed his brow, recalling her face.

In these times, it seemed she wouldn’t let him enjoy even a moment of ease.

But...

If he had to choose, rather than betray a friend, picking a path that was a little more difficult—was that... okay?