281 厄介事の余波
アキラ達に商品を売り終わったカツラギ達はシェリルの拠点から帰ろうとしていた。カツラギが去り際にトレーラーの運転席からアキラに声を掛ける。
く羽目にならなくて良かったぜ。まあ、頑張りな。......アキラ。死ぬなよ」
「......そっちもな。この辺、厳密には荒野らしいから、危ないぞ?」
軽く笑うアキラにカツラギは苦笑を返すと、トレーラーを発車させて去っていった。
アキラが駐車場のシャッターを閉めて一息吐く。
(装備も更新できたし、弾薬の補充も済んだ。後は待つしかないか)
襲撃されたら迎撃する。坂下重工から装備が届いたら状況次第で防壁内に乗り込む。その
アルファはそのアキラの様子を見て不思議そうにしていた。
『アキラ。弾薬の補充を済ませて新装備まで調達できたのに、どうして難しい顔をしているの?』
『だって......、160億だぞ? 前金って言っても借金みたいなものだし、返せって言われても無理だしな』
アキラも借りは出来るだけ返そうと思っている。
『その辺りは、いずれシロウの依頼を完遂することで何とかしましょう』
『まあそうなんだけど、それが出来るようになるのも、いつになるか分からないからな。そういう借りを抱えてると思うと、俺も思うところはあるんだよ』
現在の状況で背に腹は代えられない。そう考えてシロウから前金を引き出して高額の装備を購入したのだが、買った後に改めて考えると、少し早まったかと思う部分も出てきていた。
『......、そうだな』
それでアキラも気を楽にした。160億オーラムの借りを返せないかもしれない懸念を後で何とかする
『アキラ。それはそうと、ドランカムとレイナ達からそれぞれ直接会って話がしたいってメッセージが届いてるわ』
アルファからそれぞれの話の概要を聞いたアキラは少し意外そうな顔をした後、直接話したいのであればここまで来るように返信を頼んだ。するとそのどちらからも、今から行く、とすぐに返事が来た。
スラム街をドランカムの車両が進んでいる。乗員はドランカムの交渉人としてアキラに事態の説明をしなければならないアラベと、一応その護衛であるシカラベの二人だ。
降って湧いた特大の厄介事に、アラベは助手席で深い
「500億オーラムの賞金首と交渉か......。全く、たかが一都市のハンター徒党がやることじゃないだろう」
シカラベが苦笑を浮かべる。
に、ハンターオフィスを介してまで和平を成立させたんだ。それをこっちから台無しにしたら、下手をすると徒党ごと消し飛ばされるぞ?」
「それはハンターオフィスにか? それともアキラにか?」
「どっちでも大して違いはないんじゃないか?」
それを聞いたアラベは再び大きな
「カツヤの件がこんなところまで尾を引いてくるとはな。あいつは生きてた頃も徒党を騒がせていたが、死んでからもこんな騒ぎを作るなんて、本当に面倒なやつだ」
「まあ仕方無いだろう。それにドランカムはカツヤのお陰でデカくなった部分も大きいんだ。そのツケを支払う時が来たって考えておこうぜ」
シカラベがカツヤを認めているかのような発言をしたことに、アラベが意外そうな顔を浮かべる。
「お前がそういうことを言うとはな。あいつのこと、嫌ってただろう?」
「前にも言っただろう? 俺は私情で評価を
カツヤのことを話しながらどこか調子良く笑うシカラベを見て、友人は十分に吹っ切れたようだと、アラベも軽く笑って返した。
「しかしまあ、何だ、お前の忠告通り、アキラをドランカムに誘うのを止めておいて大正解だった。リオンズテイル社に
アラベがそう言って半分本気で期待して笑うと、シカラベも苦笑気味ではあるが機嫌良く笑って返す。ある意味でドランカムの命運を背負って、シカラベ達はアキラの下を目指してスラム街を進んでいった。
レイナ達がリオンズテイル東部四区支店から借りた車両でスラム街を進んでいる。車両にはリオンズテイル社のロゴマークがしっかり付いており、レイナはそれが少し気になっていた。
「ねえシオリ。この車でアキラに会いに行って本当に大丈夫なの?」
「アキラ様に事前に連絡を取りましたし、この車の識別コードも送付しております。アキラ様がこちらを敵視していない限り、この車が理由で攻撃されることはないはずです。また、荒野を徒歩で進むのもお勧めできません。迷彩機能等を使用して隠れて進むのも逆に疑われる恐れがあります」
「はい。便宜上という意味ではなく、正しく荒野であるとお考え下さい」
現在スラム街には500億オーラムの賞金首が潜んでおり、下位区画との境界線には都市の防衛隊が配備されている。つまり大規模な戦闘がいつ発生しても何の不思議も無い危険地帯であり、荒野の秩序の支配領域だ。
さん。もうその辺の細かいことは良いんじゃないっすか」
「細かいって......、お嬢様の安全の
そこにトガミが口を挟む。
「シオリさん。アキラの方は、レイナがアキラとは敵対しないって約束して、向こうもそれを信じたんだろう? それで良いんじゃないか?」
「まあ、確かにそうですが......」
「三区の方は、こっちが四区と手を組んでクロエ達を襲った時点で完全に敵に回したんだ。支店間の取引でレイナを向こうに引き渡されるのを防ぐ
シオリは何となく言い負かされているように感じて少々不満を覚えていた。そこでレイナに口を挟まれる。
「私の意志でシオリ達をそんな危険な荒野に付き合わせて悪いとは思ってるわ。でも、悪いけど私を助けると思って付き合ってちょうだい」
「とんでもございません。この命ある限り、お
レイナは調子良く、そして主としての威厳を僅かに漂わせながら、楽しげに笑った。
そのままスラム街を進み、シェリルの拠点の前に着いたところでシカラベ達と鉢合わせる。お互いにアキラに会いに来たと察して、一緒に中に入った。
アキラはシカラベ達とレイナ達が一緒に来たことに少し驚いたが、まずはシカラベ達から話を聞くことにした。
500億オーラムの賞金首を前にして、アラベが緊張した様子で用件を進める。
「事前の連絡時に概要はお伝えしましたが、改めてお伝えします。まず、大前提として、ドランカムにアキラ様と敵対する意志は全く御座いません。この大前提を御理解の上、誤解の無いよう、お聞き下さい」
ドランカムの用件はカツヤ派の残党と呼ばれる者達の行動予測と、その弁明と、対処方法についてだった。
かつてはドランカムで一大勢力だったカツヤ派だが、カツヤの死亡により派閥としてのカツヤ派は消滅した。しかし個人的にカツヤを強く慕っていた者は多く、そのカツヤを殺したアキラを今も強く恨んでいる者も多い。その中には和解書への署名すら難色を示し、最後まで拒んだ者もいた。
結局ドランカムはそのような者達を脱党させず、軽い監視に
アラベはそう言って深々と頭を下げた。
理解の追い付いていないアキラが、そんなことをいちいち言いに来なくても勝手にやっていれば良いと思っていると、アルファから補足される。
ドランカムの仕業だと誤解されてアキラと敵対するのをそれだけ恐れていること。しかしアキラに協力していると
「そうか。分かった。そっちの都合でも俺の敵に回らないのは助かるし、余計な敵の対処をしてくれるのも助かる。好きにしてくれ」
「ありがとう御座います」
アラベが頭を上げて
次はレイナ達の順番となり、レイナが代表して話し始める。
「えーっと、何から話せば良いんだろう。取り
に驚く。事前の連絡では、クロエとリオンズテイル社について話がある、という程度の概要しか聞いていなかったからだ。
「いや、こっちで殺すから手を出すなって訳じゃないなら何でも良いぞ。それこそ事故死でも病死でもあいつが死ぬなら何でも良い」
レイナは表面上はそう軽く流しながらも、内心で
ただのハンターがリオンズテイル社を敵に回すなど、その利害を考えれば普通はどう考えても割に合わない。それをやった以上、アキラは物事を感情的に決める傾向が高いことになる。それがアキラなりに利害を考えてのことだとしても、それはその基準が常人と著しく異なっている証拠だ。
アキラがクロエを自分の手で殺すことに固執し、その達成を不可能とする全てを敵視する恐れはそれなりに高いかもしれない。その懸念が
「あと一応聞いておくわね。私達もアキラもクロエを狙っている訳だけど、その間、手を組む気は無い? そうすれば四区支店の支援も受けられるし、悪くはない話だと思うんだけど」
「悪いけど、それは断る。俺は俺の好き勝手に動きたいんだ。下手に協力するとその辺が面倒になるからな」
「でしょうね。ここで手を組もうなんて言う人なら、フリップ支店長から話を持ち掛けられた時に受けてるわ」
無理だろうと思っていた提案を一度断らせてから、レイナが次の本題に入る。
「それなら私達がアキラの近くをうろちょろするぐらいは認めてもらえない? クロエがアキラを狙う以上、私達もアキラの近くにいた方が都合が良いのよ。出来ればこの拠点も使わせてほしいんだけど」
そこにシカラベが口を挟む。
「そういう話ならこっちも同様に認めてほしい。お前の護衛ではないとしても、お前を襲う恐れのある連中を確実に撃退するには近くに人員を配置した方が良いからな。
「俺の邪魔をしないのなら好きにしていいけど、拠点の話はシェリルとしてくれ。俺もここにお邪魔している立場だからな。出ていけって言われたら出ていかないといけないんだ」
そう答えたアキラの態度は自然なもので、冗談を言っているような雰囲気はどこにもなかった。シカラベ達とレイナ達が意外そうな顔を浮かべて思わずシェリルを見る。
シェリルは珍しくアキラに対して不満そうな態度でそう言い切った。そのシェリルの雰囲気にアキラが少し不思議そうな様子を見せる。その遣り取りを見て、キャロルが苦笑を浮かべていた。
そしてシカラベ達とレイナ達は驚きを強くした。アキラ達の様子を見る限り、シェリルから出ていけと言われれば、アキラは本当に出ていく。そういう雰囲気を感じ取ったのだ。
シカラベがアラベに、レイナがシオリに視線を送る。それを受けてアラベとシオリがシェリルとの交渉に入る。徒党のボスとはいえ所詮はスラム街の少女、という軽い扱いではなく、500億オーラムの賞金首の行動に制限を強いる力を持つ侮れない少女に対し、二人とも真面目に交渉を挑んでいた。
「スラム街の中にこんな場所があったのか。倉庫みたいな部屋に通されると思ってたのに大したもんだ」
レイナ達をここまで案内したエリオが、それを聞いて苦笑する。
同じ建物にアキラがいるのだ。500億オーラムの賞金首を狙うハンター達との交戦がいつ始まっても不思議は無い。補強と増築を重ねてちょっとした要塞並みに頑丈になった拠点だが、エリオはアキラとそれなりに長く付き合っていることもあり、拠点が戦闘に巻き込まれた場合、建物が原形を残すかどうかは怪しいと思っていた。
「風呂付きの部屋だけど、別の階のデカい浴室も使って構わない。でもそっちは予約制だ。備え付けの端末から予約を入れてくれ。あと一応言っておくけど、予約を入れてもアキラさんやボスが使う時にはそっちが優先される。悪いけど、そういう決まりなんだ」
トガミにとっては上質な部屋でも、レイナにとっては大した部屋でもない。普通に室内を見渡しながら話に加わる。
「へー、そうなんだ。まあ、ここのボスとアキラだし、お邪魔してる立場だし、仕方が無いわね」
「ああ、仕方が無いんだ。ボスとアキラさんだからな。片方だけでもゴリ押しできるってのに、両方
「ああ。そういう仲だからな」
実際にシェリルが積極的なだけで、アキラはシェリルと一緒に入浴しても大して反応を示していない。それをシェリルの態度から何となく察しているエリオは、素知らぬ振りをしてごまかしていた。そして余計なことを言わないように、そそくさと部屋から出ていった。
レイナ、シオリ、カナエの女性陣とは異なり、トガミはどことなく羨ましそうな様子を見せていた。レイナがそれに気付き、笑って声を掛ける。
「お嬢様と誠実にお付き合いなさるのでしたら、私が口を挟むことでは御座いません」
誠実ではないと判断されたら、質の悪い男だと思われたらどうなるのか。斬り殺されるのか、殴り殺されるのか、どちらにしても今この場で確かめる度胸はトガミには無かった。
「ちょ、ちょっと出てくる。ドランカムでの俺達の扱いを聞いておかないと......」
返答を保留したトガミは、笑ってごまかそうと硬い笑顔を浮かべながら部屋から出ていった。
「思慮深いとしておきましょう」
カナエは楽しげに笑い、シオリは落ち着きを取り戻して息を吐く。レイナは予想通りの結果だったと笑いながらも、少しだけ残念そうだった。
ドランカムはシェリルとの交渉で部隊行動用に大広間を借りていた。またそれとは別に休憩用の小部屋も借りていた。それを知っているトガミがアラベにその一室を使って良いか頼むと、取り付く島も無く断られる。
既にレイナはドランカムに籍だけ置いている形であり、更にトガミはそのレイナ達から個人的に依頼を受けている形式にすることで、レイナ達の行動にドランカムは関与していないことになっている。強制的に脱党させないのは、それをするとそれを
め息を吐いてその場を後にした。その後、シカラベがアラベに声を掛ける。
「レイナ達に協力してリオンズテイル東部四区支店から支援を得るのは駄目なのか? トガミはかなり高性能な装備を借りてるんだろ? 同等の装備があると助かるんだがな」
ましたカツヤ派の者達が動いた理由が本当にクロエの手引きだったとしても、1億オーラム程度の資金援助をしたぐらいで済ませた可能性はある。それならばドランカムの部隊で十分対処できるので、リオンズテイル社の装備は不要だ。その辺りの判断も難しいとアラベは付け加えた。
シカラベもそれで引き下がる。
「まあ、その辺の利害を判断するのは幹部連中の仕事か......。分かったよ。リオンズテイルの装備ってのにちょっと興味があったんだけどな」
「少なくとも俺がこの場で一人で決められることじゃねえよ。最低でも持ち帰って幹部で協議だな」
アラベがそう言ってから、冗談のように軽く笑う。
「......いや、その場合は、トガミが着てるような執事服っぽいやつになるんじゃねえの?」
「向こうがそれを提供してくれると決まった訳じゃない。それに協力する場合は、ドランカムの中立を揺るがしてでも借りたいぐらいに高性能な装備を提供してくれるってことだ。それがどんなデザインであれ、借りたら、着てもらうぞ?」
「......いや、俺は自前の強化服があるし......」
「駄目だ。お前も実働部隊の代表みたいな扱いなんだ。お前から率先して着てもらう。クロサワにも着せよう。あいつ、そういうのに興味があるんだろう? 丁度良い」
「あいつもメイド服を自分で着る趣味はなかったはずだがな......」
余計なことを言ったかもしれない。シカラベはそう思いながら、苦笑いを浮かべた。
アキラは拠点の屋上から周囲を眺めていた。そこには閑散としたスラム街の光景が広がっているが、アルファのサポートを受けて周囲を探ると人も少しは確認できた。
っているスラム街の者達の姿も確認できる。屋上にいるアキラを見付けて嫌そうな顔を浮かべて、アキラと目が合って慌てて逃げ出した者もいた。
また少ないが、アキラを狙撃銃の有効射程ギリギリの位置から狙った者もいた。500億オーラムにはそれだけの魅力があった。だがアキラは背後から狙われたのにも
そこに部屋の手配を何とかしてもらおうと思ってアキラを探していたトガミがやって来る。そしてアキラに何をしているのか聞き、新装備の使い勝手の確認中だと教えられて、少し引いていた。
アキラも試し撃ちの的に自身を狙う人間を使っていたとまではいちいち説明していない。だがトガミもそれぐらいは察することが出来た。道理で賞金が懸かる訳だと、変に納得していた。
Ch 281
After finishing their businesses with Akira and the others, Katsuragi and Darris started their preparation to leave Sheryl's base. Before he left, Katsuragi, who was already sitting in the driver's seat, left a few words to Akira.
"I'm glad that I don't have to go looking for you out in the middle of the wasteland... Good luck... And don't die, Akira."
"...You too. I heard that the area around here is regarded as a part of the wasteland. So, be careful out there."
Both of them smiled at each other. Akira, with his usual smile and Katsuragi, with a wry one. Katsuragi then started the trailer and left.
Akira closed the shutter down and heaved a sigh.
[I got new equipment and replenished my ammo stock. I guess what's left is to wait, huh?]
He would attack back when attacked. If there were no problems, he would raid the inner wall once he got his new equipment from Sakashita Heavy Industry. Either way, there was no rush to do either. The only thing he could do right now was to wait. With that in mind, Akira reminded himself to calm down. Not to get ahead of himself.
Alpha, who saw him act in such a manner, found it to be rather strange.
"Akira. What's with that troubled face? You got new equipment and were able to replenish your reserve ammo, right?"
"...Well, it's 16 billion Aurum, you know? Although it's an upfront payment, it's basically a form of debt. I don't have the money to pay it back."
Akira was thinking of repaying any of his debt as soon as possible. Naturally, paying the debt back was his priority and he assumed that the other party did think of it as a debt. Even so, 16 billion Aurum was not a small sum for Akira.
"We can just do his request sometime soon. I'm sure it will be fine."
"Well, that might be true. But we don't know for sure when we will actually be able to do his request. A debt which I don't know when I can pay back... I still really can't mentally set it aside."
At the moment, Akira could not achieve anything without making some sacrifices. Nonetheless, he still feels like he might have made a mistake. His thoughts were still stuck with the sum that he had received from Shirou as upfront payment.
"...You're right."
Akira finally relaxed. He might not be able to pay back the 16 billion Aurum debt. However, to at least begin repaying, he needed to survive. Thus, he decided to look at his situation with optimism.
"Akira, putting that aside, you have received a message from Drankam and Reina. Both are requesting to meet you in person."
After Akira heard the details of both messages from Alpha, he was a little bit caught off guard. He asked Alpha to tell them to come here if they really wanted to meet him. It did not take long for both to reply: 'I am coming right away'.
A vehicle with Drankam's logo was racing through the slums. There were only two people in that vehicle: Arabe, who was a negotiator from Drankam and Shikarabe. Arabe was the one who had to explain the situation to Akira, and was there to speak with him. Meanwhile, Shikarabe was there as Arabe's escort.
With the looming trouble just right around the corner, Arabe, who was sitting on the driver's assistant seat, sighed.
"Negotiate with a 50 billion Aurum bounty target, huh... This is not something a normal Hunter gang would do. Even if we're from the same city, you know?"
Shikarabe smiled wryly.
"But we have no other choice but to do it, right? To prevent further conflict with Akira after the Katsuya incident, we even went as far as to prepare a peace treaty through the Hunter Office. If we are going to scrap that peace treaty, in the worst-case scenario, the whole gang might get eradicated, you know?"
"And that's by the Hunter Office? Or by Akira?"
"Is there a difference?"
Hearing that, Arabe once again sighed and could not refute. Nonetheless, he commented.
"To think that incident would cause problems till this point... Katsuya was a huge pain when he was still alive, and he is still causing trouble even after his death. What a really troublesome guy."
"That's just the way it is, but it is also thanks to him that Drankam can grow this big. So, let's just think of it as us finally needing to pay our dues."
Arabe raised his eyebrows since it sounded like Shikarabe giving Katsuya recognition.
"I didn't expect you of all people would say something like that. I thought you hate him."
"And I did tell you this so many times before. I'm not that stupid as to let my personal feeling affect my evaluation."
Seeing how Shikarabe was talking about Katsuya with a smile, Arable cracked out a soft smile. He concluded that his friend had already gotten over Katsuya.
"But still, what can I say... It's as you had warned me before. I'm glad that I didn't invite Akira to join Drankam. No one in their right mind would pick a fight with Lion Steel. In the worst-case scenario, he might even drag Drankam into his fight with Lion Steel. Thank goodness I didn't invite him."
Arabe smiled as he was partially serious about what he said. Seeing his friend like this, Shikarabe cracked out a bitter smile. He seemed to be genuinely happy that his friend had so much faith in him. After all, it was not an exaggeration to say that Shikarabe and Arabe had the fate of Drankam on their shoulders. The weight continued to press on them as they proceeded through the slums and into where Akira was.
Around the same time, a vehicle with a Lion Steel Eastern District Fourth Ward Branch's logo on it was racing through the slums. It was a vehicle that Reina's group had borrowed. There was a large Lion Steel logo painted on it, which bothered Reina.
"Say, Shiori, is it really going to be fine meeting Akira in this vehicle?"
"I have contacted Akira-sama beforehand and I have sent the ID code of this vehicle. As long as Akira-sama doesn't see us as hostile, I am sure that he will not attack this vehicle. Moreover, I cannot recommend going through the wasteland on foot. Meanwhile, if we try to hide with camouflage, it would make us look suspicious."
"Yes, please think of this area as a part of the wasteland. I'm not being hyperbolic. It really is being treated as part of the wasteland."
With a 50 billion bounty target hiding in the slums, the border to the lower district was now being guarded by the city defence squad. Basically, it was recognised as a dangerous area. There would be no surprise if a large-scale battle suddenly broke out. Thus, it was to be expected that the area got recognized as a part of the wasteland.
"Well, Ane-san. There's no need to worry about the small things at this point, no?"
"Small things...? It's for Milady's safety, you know?"
Togami suddenly interjected.
"Shiori-san, Akira will believe you when you state we are not hostile towards him, right? Wouldn't that already be good enough?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"I don't see any other options. The third ward will see us as enemies. Especially after we allied with the fourth ward to kill Chloe and the others. To prevent any possibility of the fourth ward handing Reina over to the third ward, it is better to bring her along with us. I believe you already considered this, and it is the main reason why you agreed to take her with us. It's also why we are working together."
Shiori sounded defeated as bit her lips. Watching her smile, Reina finally joined into the conversation.
"I do feel bad for dragging all of you here for my selfishness. But please help me out here."
"Please don't worry about it Milady. As long as I am alive, I will always be by your side to serve you."
Reina smiled happily with dignity suitable for a master.
When they arrived at Sheryl's base, they also saw Shikarabe and Arabe. As both parties stated that they were there to meet Akira, they both went inside the base together.
Akira was a bit surprised to see Drankam's group come in together with Reina's group. However, he decided to talk with Drankam's group first.
Facing a 50 billion bounty target, Arabe nervously and cautiously stated why he was here.
"I'm sure you have read my message, but allow me to convey it one more time. First, Drankam has no desire to be hostile with you. So please, keep this in mind as you listen to what I need to say next."
It was basically about what was left of the Katsuya faction. What they might do, how to handle them, and a formal apology from Drankam.
The Katsuya faction was a huge faction inside Drankam. However, with Katsuya's death, its influence quickly waned. Nonetheless, they had infallible loyalty towards Katsuya. Many of them still held a strong grudge against Akira. Some of them signed the peace treaty with a heavy heart. Some even outright refused to sign the peace treaty.
In the end, Drankam decided not to kick all of them out of the gang. Instead, they chose to keep them under close observation. After all, it would be troublesome for Drankam if they sneaked out of the gang to attack Akira on the same day they left. The peace treaty between Drankam and Akira was made through the Hunter Office. If they left Drankam and immediately attacked Akira, Drankam could not simply relinquish their responsibility by claiming that those who attacked Akira had already left the gang. Moreover, many of the Katsuya faction were youngsters. In order not to prolong the feud between the young and the veteran members of the gang, the gang decided not to deliver any harsh punishment onto them. They originally planned to let time naturally chip away their grudge.
Arabe explained and lowered his head to perform a deep bow.
On the other hand, Akira did not understand why he would come all the way here just to say this. For all that he cared, they could just handle it themselves without telling him. Thus, Alpha warned Akira.
This was just how badly Drankam did not want to get into a fight with him. However, Drankam was also afraid of being seen as Akira's ally by Lion Steel. That was why they came all the way here. It was to cement their neutral position. Thus, although with a slight delay, Akira was finally able to understand why Arabe came all the way here just to explain.
"I see. Fine then. It's also a positive for me that you have no wish to fight me. It's also helpful if you are going to eliminate those who are trying to attack me. So, feel free to do whatever you want."
"Thank you very much."
Arabe raised his head and sighed in relief. Watching him, Shikarabe smiled wryly.
The next order of business was with Reina's group. Reina stepped to the front as the representative.
"Uhhh, let's see... where should I start... I guess I should start with our situation, huh?"
Akira was astonished. In the previous message, Reina only mentioned someone about their discussion being related to Lion Steel and Chloe. He never thought that it would be this big of a bombshell.
"Nah. Just because I want to kill her, doesn't mean I wish others will not try to do so. You can go ahead and kill her if you want. As a matter of fact, I don't really care even if it's due to a disease or an accident. As long as she's dead, I don't really care."
Reina casually exclaimed, but deep inside, she was extremely relieved.
Logically, antagonizing the Lion Steel company would yield no benefits. Nonetheless, Akira had done it. Thus, there was a good chance that Akira tends to decide based on his emotions. Even if he did it purely out of his own interest, it only proves just how abnormal his thought process was.
Thus, Reina was worried that Akira might insist on killing Chloe with his own hands. That he might see anyone in his way as enemies. Reina was relieved after she was given confirmation, everything was just her own concerns.
"Just one more thing. We are both aiming to kill Chloe. So, do you want to work together? That way, the Fourth Ward will be able to provide you with support. I don't think it's a bad idea."
"I'm sorry, but I have to refuse. I want to have the freedom to decide my actions. If I work together with someone else and something goes wrong, it might turn really troublesome."
"That's true... If you're going to say yes here, then you would have already accepted branch manager Flip's offer."
Reina expected Akira to turn down her offer. Since he did as she had expected, she moved on to the next subject.
"In that case, would it be okay if we stay close to you? With Chloe after you, it's better for us if we stay near you. If possible, we want to use this HQ as well."
That was when Shikarabe suddenly interjected.
"It would be great if you can grant us permission as well. Though we won't stay as your bodyguard, this is a good opportunity for us to hunt those from Drankam who want to kill you. You're planning to stay around here for the time being, right?"
"As long as you don't get in my way, you can do whatever you want. If you want to stay here, you should talk to Sheryl. After all, it's not like I own this place. I'm just borrowing this place from Sheryl as well. If she tells me to get out, I will have no other choice but to leave."
Akira said it as a matter of fact. There were no signs he was joking. The others there were flummoxed and inadvertently turned towards Sheryl.
There were thorns in her words. It was rare for her to express annoyance toward Akira like this. Akira found it to be a bit weird. Meanwhile, seeing their exchange, Carol smiled bitterly.
Shikarabe and the others were even more discombobulated. It seems like Akira would really obediently leave if Sheryl told him to get out. That was the atmosphere of the room at the moment.
Shikarabe glanced at Arabe and Reina glanced at Shiori. Both Shiori and Arabe immediately stepped forward to negotiate. They treated Sheryl not as a leader of a slum gang, but as someone with the power to have a say on Akira's actions. As such, they had no other choice but to take their negotiations extremely seriously.
"Whoah! I didn't know something like this existed inside the slums. And here I thought they would assign us into a warehouse or something, but this is amazing."
Erio, who guided Reina's group to the room, smiled wryly when he heard Togami's remark.
Akira was also inside the building. It would not be strange if the Hunters after him attacked this place. The building's defences have been bolstered by several modifications to the point it was as strong as a fort. Nonetheless, Erio, who had known Akira for a long time, knew once a building got involved in a fight with Akira in it, there was a good chance that it would collapse.
"This room is also equipped with a bath. Though, you can use the large bath that everyone usually uses if you want. For that one, you need to book a slot first before you can use it. You can book your time through the terminal installed in this room. Ah, but you need to know this first. If Akira-san or Boss wants to use it, we will prioritize them. I'm sorry but that's just how it is."
Although the room was luxurious for Togami, it was nothing special for Reina. She casually stepped into the room and looked around.
"I see. Well, it's only to be expected. It's Akira and the boss of this place after all. We're basically here because they allowed us to be here."
"Yeah, it can't be helped. It's Akira-san and the boss. It might be possible to make a compromise if it's only one of them, but with the two of them together, we can't really refuse them."
"Yup, they're in a relationship, after all."
Erio was able to notice that Reina had already guessed how their relationship worked. Sheryl was the aggressive one while Akira did not really care that much about it. He did not even care about Sheryl going into the bath with him. He immediately reflected on his words and regretted them. He should not have said anything. Looking for a quick retreat, he left the room.
Unlike Reina, Shiori, and Kanae, who were all female, Togami seemed rather jealous. Reina took notice and smiled as she asked him.
"If Milady wants to form a serious relationship with Togami-sama, it's not my place to say anything."
Which meant, if it was not a serious relationship, or if he was thought to be a bad guy, it would be his end. He would either be sliced into small pieces or beaten into a pulp. Togami had no courage to affirm that right now.
"I-I will have to go out for a bit. I need to check how Drankam plans to treat us..."
Seeing how Togami basically refused to give a straight answer. Kanae and Shiori commented on him as he awkwardly laughed and left the room.
"Let's just say that he's being extra cautious."
Kanae was smiling amusedly while Shiori heaved a sigh. Reina was laughing since it turned out exactly as she had planned. However, there was a little bit of sorrow in it.
As for Drankam, Sheryl was willing to let Drankam use one of the halls. Drankam also rented out some small rooms for resting. When Togami asked Arabe if he could use one of those small rooms, Arabe refused with no sign of compromise.
Reina had already formally left the gang. Meanwhile, Togami had formally taken the request from Reina as an individual. Thus, Reina's group no longer had anything to do with Drankam. The reason why Drankam forced Reina to leave the gang was to prevent the Lion Steel Third Ward branch from seeing the gang as hostile. By maintaining separate relations, Drankam was able to ascertain its neutral stance.
Togami sighed and left. After that, Shikarabe asked Arabe.
"What do you think? We can go help Reina's group and form a connection with the Fourth Ward branch. Togami got pretty powerful weapons from them, right? It would be great if we can get equipment of the same level as him, you know?"
Even if a portion of the Katsuya faction suddenly vanished because of Chloe, it was highly likely that they could only muster up till 100 million Aurum of supportive funding. Since Drankam should be able to deal with this internal issue by themselves, there was no need to rely on equipment from Lion Steel. Arabe then added that it was not easy to decide on what course of action they should take.
Shikarabe finally backed off.
"Well, it's your job. Officers are the ones calculating the profit and losses... So yeah, I get it. It's just that... I'm a bit interested in equipment from Lion Steel."
"At the very least, it was not something that I can decide by ourselves here. I will at least bring up the idea to the other officers when we return."
Arabe continued and this time, laughed amusedly.
"...Uhh, if that happens, wouldn't it be butler uniforms? Like the one that Togami is wearing?"
"It's not like we can tell them what to send. But if we really end up doing that, I bet it will be exceptionally powerful equipment. It might even be worth considering Drankam to break its neutral stance. Well, no matter what the design is, if we really end up borrowing from them, I'll have you use them, okay?"
"...Uhh, I'm good, I have my own augmented suit, you know..."
"No, no, no. You're basically seen as the leader of the team when you're working outside. I will have you use them to act as an example. I will also do that for Kurosawa. Well, he's interested in that kind of thing if I'm not mistaken. I guess he would be the perfect person for this."
"But if I remember it correctly, he has no hobby cross-dressing though..."
Shikarabe smiled wryly as he thought that he should not have said what he had said back then.
Akira was on the rooftop. He was looking around the surrounding area. A scene of the deserted slums was laid in front of him. Thanks to Alpha's support, he was able to detect anyone in the area.
With the help of those information-gathering devices, they were able to check the situation inside the slums from afar. When they spotted Akira on the rooftop, some of them looked unhappy. They quickly looked away and scurried off when Akira looked back at them.
Although there were not many, there were those that shot at Akira. They used their sniper rifles and shot barely within its effective range. That was just how tempting the 50 billion Aurum bounty was. However, even when they managed to shoot Akira from his blind side, Akira would simply evade it. He would make minimal movements and shoot back at them. His powerful bullet did not face anything it could consider a hindrance as it tore through flesh and blew their head off. It was the obvious end to those who mistook Akira's ability to shoot back. They got lured by his bounty and mistook the distance from him for safety.
That was when Togami came up to him, asking for an extra room. When he asked what Akira was doing up there, Akira just said that he was checking his new equipment. As expected, even Togami winced back when he was told this.
Akira did not even need to say that he was using people who were attacking as target practice. Togami already figured it out without the need for Akira to tell him. Strangely enough, he was convinced Akira became a bounty target because of such actions.
Rebuild World (WN)
リビルドワールド
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebuild-world/
Action Adventure Drama Harem Mecha Mystery Sci-fi Seinen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alternate World Anti-social Protagonist Apocalypse Artificial Intelligence Beautiful Female Lead Cautious Protagonist Child Protagonist Dense Protagonist Determined Protagonist Distrustful Protagonist Futuristic Setting Gangs Gunfighters Harsh Training Lack of Common Sense Male Protagonist Manipulative Characters Monsters Near-Death Experience Older Love Interests Poor Protagonist Poor to Rich Ruthless Protagonist Shota Sudden Strength Gain Survival Twisted Personality Unlucky Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9736dt/
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