Part 243: Resolve

There were three things that felt off.

First.

Even though we were indoors, it was so quiet here that not a single sound of a bus's exhaust could be heard.

Second.

Five people had entered the "base."

Yet the members previously informed were "Senpai," Aizuki Mien, Okuda Rinne, Amamiya Tsuzuri, and the driver, Takasan.

And there was supposed to be one new player—Yakku Ginsho.

Takasan, being so meticulous, might be delayed alone checking the bus or something like that.

But even so... three.

The people who entered the building all seem to be moving about separately, as if—

as if they were doing something they're ashamed of.

—Thieves?

Oh, come on! Could it really be that I'm the only one left...? This is terrible!

Frowning, I hold my breath.

Still, I can't afford to let my guard down.

In the power structure after "the End," I don't occupy a particularly high position in the hierarchy.

If I compare myself to a top-tier Z-warrior among the "players," I'd probably be somewhere around the level of Krillin or Yamcha.

—Wait, what am I thinking at a time like this, me?

I let out a wry smile.

Apparently, the "senpai" has caught the manga otaku bug.

"Anyway..."

First, I need to assess the other party.

If they're someone seeking help, I'll naturally protect them.

If they're violent troublemakers, I'll have to politely but firmly escort them out, even if it means being a bit rough.

But if they're "players," I shouldn't engage. I must flee.

Having made his decision, Kōsuke moved forward.

For now, the situation still favored him.

After all, Kōsuke could pinpoint exactly where his opponent was—like seeing it with his own eyes.

He headed toward the employee entrance of the gift shop, just to be safe.

Clink... slowly opening the steel door, heading toward the emergency exit.

A plan to circle around the building and check things out from the entrance side.

There, I'll use Skill Assessment—if things look too dangerous, I'll retreat and wait to regroup with the seniors.

Moving down the quiet hallway, passing the maintenance room, and quietly stepping outside.

"Good..."

No sign of zombies near the building.

Proceeding as planned, circling around the building while keeping the taxi stand on our right, heading toward the glass-fronted entrance...

That was in the middle of it.

I discovered a young girl huddled alone in the middle of the sidewalk.

The sixth intruder.

I didn't notice because I was outside the range of the "base."

The girl is clutching her abdomen, looking in pain. She seems to be around elementary school age, perhaps in the lower grades?

"Hey...?"

A sudden, unpleasant feeling of dread washes over me.

If my suspicion is correct, they must be looking for medicine.

After the "End," Ko Suke had witnessed the deaths of countless children.

There's nothing more unbearable than seeing a child suffer.

"Are you okay? Is your stomach hurting?"

I spoke in the gentlest voice I could manage, stepping closer to the girl.

Then, I noticed something off.

Her skin—pale, as if drained of all blood.

Above all, Hibiya Kōsuke recognized the girl.

Of course.

She was the girl he'd spent some time with after the "End," inside the abandoned building of Sakagura High School...

"Minami, Rui-chan?"

The poor girl whose grandfather and father had been killed by "zombies," and whose mother had been slain by a "monster."

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her in a while. He'd been so focused on rescue operations that he hadn't noticed.

No, rather...

"Why are you here, in a place like this?"

Their eyes met.

Those... eyes, dull and lifeless, like muddy water.

"―Gh!"

He instinctively understood. This was likely something dangerous.

Rui-chan whispered in a tone eerily reminiscent of her past self.

"Ani-chan, strong?"

Jumping back was the right choice. The crouching girl swung her hidden claws wide, trying to slash at Kōsuke's throat.

"………Damn it!"

He considered his reflexive ability to avoid danger worthy of praise, even among those who had learned combat from the "senpai."

But what he lacked, decisively, was something essential.

Courage.

Kosuke pointed the customized silenced Nagano M60—a pistol used by Japanese police officers—toward Rika's father.

"Stay still!"

He shouted.

But he should have pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Then,

『Kiiii, Aaaaaa, Aaaaaa, Aaaaaaaa, Aaaaaaaa, Aaaah!!!』

he might have prevented her scream.

"——Damn it!"

She knew by instinct. The five searching inside the base were coming this way.

And they weren't moving at a normal pace. They were like leopards chasing prey.

This time, there would be no mercy.

"I'm sorry!"

Even as guilt tore at him, he fired into Rui's shoulders and legs.

Pah, pah—each shot rang out like a release of tension, and the girl collapsed, utterly powerless.

Then Kōsuke turned and ran away.

"—Senior, I can't just leave you behind! I have to catch up with those people!"

...And then, in the next instant.

A powerful impact shot through his back.

"Gah!"

A kick so intense it would have killed an ordinary person.

Kōsuke spun through the air several times before rolling across the asphalt like a toy.

"...You're the one who shot Louis, aren't you?"

As he struggled to his feet, he realized with shock—this man was someone he recognized.

His name was Matsumura Wakahito, though he was anything but young, appearing as a middle-aged man. His hair was short, his eyebrows thick. Dressed in a dark blue kimono and sandals, his appearance resembled that of a character from a jidaigeki (period drama) film.

If his memory served him correctly, Job was a "Heritage Bearer," level 75.

One of the guild members so formidable that even "senpai" had said, "There's no way we can beat him."

——He was definitely the one assigned to defend the Tachikawa Station Community through the guild's introduction.

His skin, like that of Mizutani Rui, felt as lifeless as a mannequin.

Almost simultaneously with his appearance, the other four emerged, swaying slightly.

Some were recognizable, others completely unfamiliar.

Lying prostrate on the ground, Hibiya Kosuke was thinking with an odd sense of calm.

—Probably, I'm going to die here.

In the end, I couldn't make up with Rika either.

That's all.