At the inn, we rented 5 rooms for 4 people and 1 single room.
The single room is for Haruka-kun.
Part of the reason why the girls are staying in groups of four is for the economy. But the actual reason is safety.
We could go with double rooms, but in case something happens, it would be better to stay as 4 people.
We are aiming to get Detect Presence and Search on everyone, but at the moment, only half have either of those skills. And only 4 people have both.
No, this is good enough.
Itâs been only a week since we began training. People that already had the skills could barely handle them before, but now, we can sustain continuous alertness by taking turns.
The weird one is that person that keeps getting new skills one after another.
On top of that, he was more happy about catching a fishâŠâŠ
Itâs people that sayăI thought I might flyăorăI didnât get flightăwho is strange. Everyone is doing their best.
And today, though only for half a day we split into groups, gathering information. Making full use of the girlsâ chattability we gathered quite a lot of information.
Isolating the person who plunged the guild into the realm of terror, sealing everyoneâs mouths.
Getting summoned to give a proper explanation because of someoneâs destructive communication ability.
The guild agreed to purchase magic stones as an exception this time, but he sent the people at the purchase counter into a panic, so I had to make him sit in seiza.
All kinds of trouble occurred, but the very reason for them all doesnât seem to feel any remorse at allâŠâŠ Since we agreed on what we are going to ask beforehand, allowing everyone to act on their own, I think we gathered most of the information that we wanted to know.
Both good and bad.
The good information is that this town is relatively safe.
That is because Oda-kun and the others seem to periodically appear here.
Oda-kun and the others instinctively avoid dangerous or rough places.
Them appearing here from time to time probably means that they either roam between here and other towns or that they have a base somewhere around this area.
Now, Shimazaki-san and others finally will be able to meet them. Shimazaki-san and her group have really changed, so much that everyone was pretty freaked out.
But after talking with them I understood.
That the current Shimazaki-san is the real Shimazaki-san.
I think they had a lot of unpleasant or difficult things happen, and as a result, turned so aggressive, abrasive, and stubborn.
Putting up such a front, they were protecting their weak self.
But in this world, this bluff couldnât help them. Even so, they couldnât show weakness.
No allies.
Inside the forest,
Surrounded by monsters,
With boys going crazy.
And weâŠâŠ Abandoned them.
Death. At some point, they felt it hanging over themâŠâŠ
Thought that they recalled, who was helping them.
Oda-kun and the others, who they treated so unfairly.
Before they noticed, they were the ones doing cruel things to others.
And that Oda-kun and the others were now on the receiving end of that.
Until they escaped after they almost got killed, with no one there to help them.
So they wanted to apologize before they died.
They wanted to thank them before they died.
WeâŠâŠ didnât believe Shimazaki-san.
Even so, they apologized to us.
And they disappearedâŠâŠ Inside the forestâŠâŠ Inside the forest where Oda-kun and the others went.
By all rights, they really shouldâve disappeared in that forestâŠâŠ
5 girls of Lv 1 that never even foughtâŠâŠ That should have been their end.
This shouldnât have brought salvation to anyone.
Because everyone closed their hearts.
And we tooâŠâŠshould have perished in that forest.
But that future was annihilated.
Our death in the form of monsters was massacred.
Shimazaki-sanâs group.
Us.
Rescue? Salvation? No, what we found was obliteration.
Our despair.
Our doom.
Our death.
All were obliterated.
In front of our very eyes.
ăWhat are you doing here?ăhe asked.
Just trample over death?
Just beat your despair to a pulp.
The last moment is eternity if you drag it out long enoughâŠâŠ
There is no way anyone can do that.
Thatâs what everybody would think.
Thatâs what we thought.
But in front of us.
As if it was nothing special.
As if it was only natural.
He did that very thing.
He pulled it off.
He shoved it into our faces.
That ăImpossibleăis nothing but an excuse.
Our despair was exterminated by Haruka-kun.
Before long, we could smile once again.
We became able to discuss what awaits tomorrow.
We became able to think about fun things.
After all, the tragedy will be beaten to death anyway.
The dead-end will be exploded.
ăYou can do it if you try?ă
Everyone was frozen.
Myself included.
But thatâs what he does.
Thatâs Haruka-kun.
Shimazaki-san and others will finally be able to meet Oda-kunâs group.
But Haruka-kun will disappear.
If we can stall that last moment forever, then it will last for eternity.
We will obliterate the future where we part with Haruka-kun.
After all, thatâs what he was doing until now. I wonât let him complain about this.