That 324: A Efficient Way of Life

I think I led a remarkably efficient life.

Throughout middle school, high school, and university, I was good at giving the impression that I was doing what I should be doing.

Even now, I still have confidence in my ability to complete homework and assignments with only the minimum necessary effort.

The key is to focus on the simplest questions and memorize them thoroughly.

Also, it helps to maintain a reasonably good relationship with teachers in each subject.

Not slacking off blatantly, like a delinquent.

Without groveling to the system like a model student.

I believed that was the least calorie-consuming way of life.

I didn't dislike studying. It's just that, fundamentally, much of what was taught in school seemed almost meaningless in the context of later life.

In the end, I was right.

Many of the people who have spoken solemnly about "the future" or "old age" are no longer anywhere in this world.

They've all turned into foolish creatures who can only say things like "awwaww" or "eeeee."

I've won the bet.

There had been difficult times, to be sure, before this became clear.

▼

My awakening as a "player" occurred one week after the "end" had begun.

Looking back now, it was after I’d settled into a modest community of about thirty people.

One day, inside the kindergarten surrounded by solid stone walls, a voice suddenly came to me—only I could hear it.

"Skill." "Level." "Magic."

For him, a member of the generation that had grown up with the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, grasping the rules of this new power came quickly.

Still, handling it was—above all, carefully.

From within the walls, a crunch, a crunch.

Carefully, one by one, I dealt with the "zombies."

The risk was always minimized—kept to an absolute minimum.

Efficiently.

With minimal danger.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Days of steady, gradual leveling.

I even used fake illnesses during supplies searches.

Even when I learned that comrades had been injured or killed, I still—above all, proceeded with caution.

He crossed the line only after acquiring a full set of defensive and offensive skills.

At that point, to Hamada Kensuke, "zombies" were no longer enemies.

It was only after this realization that he finally declared himself a hero.

He drove out the "zombies," gathered supplies from the surrounding area, and in no time at all, the community flourished.

Everyone revered Hamada Kensuke.

Here is the savior.

The children of the refugees quickly became infatuated with him.

To them, Hamada was a hero.

It wasn't until one day, when he accidentally let slip that he'd been secretly hiding his powers for a while—

That it came to light he'd allowed some of his companions to die.

—Even so. Even if that were true. Was I really at fault...?

Even now, I still don't fully understand.

In reality, no one openly criticized him.

――Such a strange power... It's only natural to be cautious.

――If something happened to me, what would become of the whole community?

――It was me, after all, who secured their immediate livelihood in that place.

When we successfully transported supplies equivalent to a convenience store's stock, my companions smiled.

They said, "Please continue being our protector forever."

I just can't believe that smile was a lie.

Yet in the end, one day it happened.

A zombie's finger had been mixed into Kenji's bitten hot dog.

By the time he noticed, he'd already swallowed part of it—too late for anything.

Hamaeda Kenji still doesn't fully understand.

—Maybe... I was the one at fault?

All I ever wanted was to live carefully, efficiently.

▼

Walking alone through a quiet, empty mall.

The mannequin, its clothes pulled off, stared at me with emotionless eyes.

Though I no longer felt much warmth in my body, I still felt an odd chill.

— I’d been isolated without realizing it.

The method was remarkably subtle; by the time dinner began, rumors about the "hero" were already spreading.

Just like the day my body had changed beyond recognition.

Once again, without noticing, I’d been left out of the group.

One by one, companions who had shared meals and sleep began disappearing, never returning after going to the restroom.

Of all of them, the man I thought I was closest to ended up saying this to me in the end.

If you've got something on your mind, I'm here to listen.

And.

Looking back, it seems like a dangerously close call.

Perhaps I let him go because there was still friendship left in my heart?

No, that's not right.

I will kill many people from now on.

Even if I were to see a former friend at that moment, I have the confidence to eliminate them without mercy.

After all, what I'm doing is merely prolonging suffering.

Suddenly, four figures leapt out in front of Kensuke.

The reason the plan fell apart—four young girls.

Yet, this turned out to be fortunate.

The mission given by the "Demon King" was solely to delay the "Hero."

Due to the circumstances surrounding the "Immortality" skill, I can't kill the "Hero," but eliminating these hindrances is perfectly fine.

"Hey... I can't seem to see any of you around... "

Hamao Kensuke continued his act, assuming the girls had little connection to the "Hero."

The response came from the quartet's representative— the girl known as "Nameless."

"Your voice sounds strained. Let's stop pretending and get to the point."

"Playing games with each other...? No, I don't quite understand what you mean."

At that moment, the air tensed sharply.

"You yourself must realize it deep down, don't you? There was a major mistake in the deaths of those three this morning."

"A mistake? This morning... suicide?"

"That's right. Anyone with normal sense would know that wasn't suicide. It's because you insist it was suicide that everyone has started to find you unsettling..."

"？ Sorry, I'm not quite following what you mean..."

"But even if someone planned to die, they wouldn't drink wine in a place that smells like that. It's much more natural to think they were poisoned somewhere and then dumped there. No matter how you look at it."

Ah.

Inside, Kensuke was silently clapping his hands.

That's why everyone had been giving him such strange looks.

Maybe they chose a place where they could lock the door so as not to bother anyone.

"Even so, I'd choose a better spot. For example, a rooftop would offer a better view and make it easier to predict when someone might come by. Compared to some random place where anyone could pass by at any time, that would be far more fitting as a final location."

I couldn't help but laugh while listening.

In the end, the secrets one wishes to keep hidden are inevitably destined to be brought into the open.

"You can say that, but how could you possibly understand the feelings of the dead?"

"Maybe not, but I can explain why you didn't notice it."

"?"

"They say 'Hunger People' have dulled senses. Aren't you actually barely able to smell anything at all?"

"……Hmm. So I made an unfounded assumption, then."

"Yes."

"Even so, there's no way to prove it."

"That... is true."

"Right?"

"But do we really need to go to the trouble of proving it?"

"?"

In that instant.

Just as I lost sight of the figure known as "Nameless"... I realized my cheek was being slammed against the cold floor.

A beat later, I understood: "Ah, I was kicked in the right temple."

『――ッ！』

While enduring the shock, Kenji watched with a strange sense of satisfaction as his own dark blood floated through the air.

"Anyway, I was planning to find the truth through violence."