深夜。早朝にはまだ早い時刻。自宅のベッドで眠っているアキラをアルファが起こそうとしている。
『アキラ。起きて』
アルファの声がアキラの脳に直接響いている。優しく静かな口調だが、その音量はかなり大きい。揺すって起こすなどということはアルファにはできないからだ。
アキラが寝ぼけた意識で辺りを見渡す。暗い部屋の光景がまだ夜だとアキラに分かり
「......何だよ。まだ夜だろ? 何かあったのか?」
『エレナからテキストメッセージが届いているわ。こんな時間だから無視しても良かったのだけれど、私はちゃんと伝えたからね。次から私も無視しても良いけれど、何ですぐに教えてくれなかったんだ、なんて言わないでよ?』
アキラは少し不思議そうな表情を浮かべた。アルファはメッセージの内容を確認して、アキラを起こしてでも確認させた方が良いと判断したのだろう。少なくとも起こさずに朝まで放置しておくと、怒る可能性があると判断した。それぐらいはアキラも分かった。
をしながら近くに置いてある情報端末に手を伸ばす。まだ眠そうにしながら情報端末を操作してメッセージの内容を確認する。
エレナからのメッセージの内容は、要約すると依頼の誘いだ。現在ミハゾノ街遺跡では大規模な戦闘が発生していて、戦闘区域に取り残された人からの援護、救援、救出依頼が続出しているらしい。エレナ達は登録している依頼
アキラはエレナからのメッセージの内容を数度読み直し、いろいろ考えて表情を険しくさせる。
「アルファ。エレナさん達はセランタルビルに行くと思うか?」
『分からないわ。既にミハゾノ街遺跡の状況も私達の時とは一変しているようだしね。ただ、この大規模な戦闘がセランタルビルの周辺で行われている可能性はあると思うわ。昨日のハンターオフィスの通知は覚えているでしょう? 多数のハンターがセランタルビルに向かっていたはずよ。彼らが脱出困難になって救出の依頼を出したのかもしれないわ』
アキラは自分達がいた時の状況を思い出す。あの時は外に連絡を取ることもできなかった。
「あのビルの中に入って、外に連絡が取れるのか?」
『今はできるのかもしれない。あるいは一定時間経過しても帰還できなかった場合に救出してもらうように事前に依頼を出していたのかもしれない。時限式の緊急依頼ってやつね。
アキラは黙ってベッドから降りると、そのまま出発の準備を始めた。
アルファが一応確認を取る。
『エレナ達の誘いを受けるってことで良いのね?』
「ああ」
『昨日あんなことがあったのに?』
「......それはそれ、これはこれだ」
め息を吐いた。アキラは気にせずに準備を続けた。
アキラの反応はアルファの予測通りだった。それはアルファがアキラの行動パターンを正確に把握している証拠だ。アキラを制御する
しかしその演算結果はこうも出力されている。アルファがアキラを止めても、アキラはエレナ達への合流を強行するだろう。無理に行くつもりならばサポートをしないと告げても行くだろう。
以前アキラはクズスハラ街遺跡でエレナ達の命を助けた。そしてカツラギ達と一緒にモンスターの群れに襲われた時にはエレナ達に命を助けてもらった。
その貸し借りを相殺して、貸し借り無し。アルファならそう判断する。しかしアキラの中ではなぜか借り二つとなっているようだ。そのアルファには不可解なその判断基準を理解すれば、アキラの制御も
やはり何らかの対処が必要だ。アルファはそう思案しながらアキラをじっと見ていた。
アキラが強化服を着用しながら情報端末の操作をアルファに頼む。
「アルファ。エレナさんに
「テキストメッセージは届いたのにか?」
『メッセージの送付はそこまで即時性があるわけではないわ。通信のルートやら経路の機器の負荷など、いろいろな要因で結構遅延するのよ。通話と通知による通信形式の違いとかもあるしね』
「仕方ないか。参加するってテキストで送ってくれ。送付ぐらいはできるんだよな?」
アキラは文面を考えてアルファに念話で送った。口頭で伝えるより早い。
『了解。送ったわ。定期的に通話が
強化服を着用したアキラは部屋に置いてある情報端末と銃を持って車庫へ向かう。車に積んだままの弾薬等を確認して、不足している分を車に積み込んでいく。何が起こるか分からないので、しっかりと多めに積み込んでおく。
出発の準備を済ませたアキラが運転席に座って車を動かそうとする。しかしそこでアキラが動きを止めた。
助手席に座っているアルファが不思議そうにアキラに尋ねる。
『どうしたの? やっぱり止めるの?』
「いや、すぐに出発する。でもその前にちょっと思いついた」
アキラはそう答えると情報端末を操作し始めた。アキラの操作内容を把握したアルファが意外そうな表情を浮かべる。情報端末は通話要求を送信していた。10秒ほどで相手と
情報端末から通話先の相手の声が聞こえてくる。
「キャロルよ。アキラからこんなに早く連絡をもらえるとは思わなかったわ。それは
キャロルが少し
揶揄
「あらそう。それなら切ってもかまわないかしら?」
「そうだな。こんな時間に悪かった。じゃあな」
アキラが通話を切った。アルファが横で少し楽しげに苦笑している。
アキラが情報端末を置いて車を動かし始め、車が車庫を出た辺りで、情報端末にキャロルからの通話要求が届く。
アルファが笑いながら情報端末を指差してアキラに話す。
『運転は私がやるわ』
アキラはアルファに運転を任せてハンドルから手を離すと、情報端末を手に取ってキャロルの通話要求に応える。
「こっちも結構急いでるんだ。用件を聞いてもらうための交渉時間も無いんだ。本業の話だけど、取りあえず話を聞く気はあるってことで良いんだな?」
「そうよ。あんなことをされたら何の話だったか気になるじゃない。で、どんな話なの?」
「キャロルはセランタルビル、それを含めたミハゾノ街遺跡について詳しいんだろう? その情報を売ってほしい。売る気があるなら金額を提示してくれ。口座振り込みで良ければすぐに支払う。現金なら、今は手持ちがないし、払いに行く時間もないから後払いになる」
「それは構わないけど、具体的にどういう情報が欲しいの? ちょっと範囲が漠然としすぎているわよ」
「現在ミハゾノ街遺跡では大規模な戦闘が発生しているらしい。セランタルビルがその中心となっている可能性がある。その辺りでの戦闘、捜索、救出、撤退、生還に役立つ情報が欲しい。これでも十分広範囲なんだろうが、これ以上は絞れない。今からミハゾノ街遺跡に向かうんだけど、具体的に遺跡のどこに行くかは決まってないんだ」
めたくないし、情報の受け渡し方法とか、情報の内容や精度に対する情報料とか、いろいろ決める必要があるでしょう? 私が保有しているミハゾノ街遺跡の地図情報を売っても良いけど、アキラに閲覧できる情報形式とは限らないし、独自にいろいろ拡張してあるし、一部は暗号化もしてある。そもそも昨日アキラに教えたような重要な情報は、私の頭の中にしかないわ」
アキラはキャロルの説明を聞いて納得する。少し考えれば当然のことでもある。アキラがそれを省いてしまったのは、アキラの曖昧な質問や要望に対して、アルファやシズカがほぼ最適解を出していたためだろう。
にいて逐次対応してくれている。シズカはアキラの丸投げに近い要望に対して的確に商品を選んでくれている。それに慣れてしまっていたのかもしれない。アキラは自覚し、反省し、アルファとシズカに改めて感謝の念を抱いた。
キャロルと両者納得のいく交渉をする時間はない。アキラは諦めることにする。
「......そうだな。この話は忘れてくれ。変な時間に変な話をして悪かった。じゃあな」
通話を切ろうとしたアキラをキャロルが止める。
「待った。切る気ね? ちょっと待ちなさい」
「アキラはこれからミハゾノ街遺跡に向かう。遺跡の危険な場所に行くかもしれない。セランタルビルにもう一度行く可能性もある。だから安全を高めるためにミハゾノ街遺跡に関連する情報が欲しい。ここまでは良い?」
キャロルがどことなく楽しげな声で提案する。
「それなら私を案内役に雇わない? そうね、まずは1000万オーラムで良いわ。遺跡を探索してその額を超える有益な情報が必要になったら、別途その場で交渉する。どう? 悪くない話でしょう?」
アキラはキャロルからの予想外の提案に驚きながらも、余り迷わずに聞き返す。
「俺は今、クガマヤマ都市の下位区画を車で移動中だ。すぐに合流できるのか?」
「大丈夫。私も下位区画にいるわ。準備に、そうね、40分
「分かった。雇う。合流場所を送ってくれ。合流場所は車で行ける場所にしてくれ。ミハゾノ街遺跡への移動手段がないなら、俺の車に乗ってくれ」
「同乗させてもらうわ。すぐに合流場所をそっちに送るわね。それじゃあ、後でね」
誘うような声を最後に、キャロルとの通話が切れた。
アルファがアキラに尋ねる。
『エレナ達の承諾を得ずに、勝手に雇って良かったの?』
「俺が個人的に雇っただけだし、大丈夫だろう。もしエレナさん達に怒られたら、俺達はエレナさん達とは合流せずに、何かあったら合流できる程度に離れておくことにする」
そういう問題なのだろうか。アルファはそう考えたが、深く追及するのは止めておいた。この件でアキラとエレナ達の仲が
キャロルが浴びているお湯もただのお湯ではない。肉体に合わせて調整された回復薬が混ざっている。肌の日常生活で負った僅かな傷までしっかりと治して、輝くような肌を維持しているのだ。
キャロルがシャワー室を出ると部屋の壁から強風が吹き出して体に着いている余分な水滴を吹き飛ばした。キャロルは全裸のままで装備置き場である別の部屋まで歩いていく。
部屋に着いたキャロルは、まずは肌着の代わりにもなる薄手のボディースーツを身に着ける。そしてその上に別の強化服を着用した。明確な女性用で旧世界風のデザインの強化服だ。
キャロルの首から下の肌が全て隠れたが、全裸の時に比べても異性を
「これで良し。......後10分か。急ぎましょう。私が少しでも遅れると、アキラは黙って私を置いていきそうだわ」
アキラの性格をある程度把握したキャロルがそう言って苦笑した。
キャロルから指定された合流地点は下位区画でも結構治安の良い場所の近くだ。つまりそれなりに地価の高い場所である。警備会社の警備員が巡回していて、不審者を見つけると声を掛け、必要なら排除することで治安を維持している。排除対象がハンター並に武装した人間であってもだ。その経費を問題なく支払える者達が住む区域だ。
警備員に用事を聞かれたアキラは、ハンターの連れを待っていると答えた。警備員はアキラの装備や車を見ると、納得して去っていった。
『ハンターに成り立ての頃の装備だったら、絶対追い返されていたな』
『アキラもハンターとして順調に成長しているってことね。この調子で行きましょう。その
『エレナさんも赤字になるような依頼に誘ったわけじゃないだろうし、大丈夫だって』
『それなら良いわ。念のために安全の
程なくしてキャロルが到着する。アルファはキャロルを見て、キャロルがアキラとエレナ達との関係にアルファにとって都合の良い何かを引き起こすことを期待した。
キャロルがアキラに笑いながら尋ねる。
「お待たせ。待った?」
「5分前だ。問題ない」
「私のような女性と待ち合わせたっていうのに、もうちょっと気の利いた常識的な返事を返せないの?」
「悪いな。常識には疎い方なんだ。鋭意勉強中だ。乗ってくれ」
キャロルが荷物を車の後部に置いて助手席に座る。アキラはすぐに車を出発させた。
アキラ達はクガマヤマ都市を出て再びミハゾノ街遺跡に向かう。アキラはクガマヤマ都市の通信可能圏内から出るまでエレナ達と連絡を試みたが、残念ながら
暗い荒野をアキラ達はかなりの速度で進んでいく。日の出の前にはミハゾノ街遺跡に到着できるだろう。
アキラは移動中にキャロルに状況を伝えた。キャロルは状況を把握すると、少し意外そうな表情を浮かべて尋ねる。
「状況は分かったけど、私を連れて行って大丈夫なの?」
「それを決めるのはエレナさん達だ。エレナさん達が知らない人間を同行させたくない場合、俺達は別行動だ。俺達が合流した場合の報酬の分配方法とかはまだ決まっていない。エレナさん達と連絡が取れていないからな。俺はキャロルに遺跡の案内役を超える働きを強いるつもりはないけれど、俺以外からも報酬を受け取るつもりなら、その分はちゃんと働いてくれ」
(確かにそれも重要なことだけどね。私はアキラが女性と合流するっていうのに、別の女性を連れて行って大丈夫なのかって意味で聞いたんだけど。まあ、ハンター稼業に性別は関係ないってことかしら。
キャロルは懸念を感じさせない笑顔を浮かべていた。それを見て取りあえず安心したアキラが別の疑問を尋ねる。
「それにしても、昨日あんなことがあったのに、よく案内役なんて引き受けたな。もう一度セランタルビルに入る可能性もあるんだぞ?」
は言っていないが、主要な理由ではない。そしてアキラはミハゾノ街遺跡に嫌々向かっているわけでもない。キャロルにもその程度のことは分かった。更に合流する予定のハンターは女性だ。キャロルはいろいろ推察したくなったが、昨日の自分に対するアキラの態度を思い出して、軽めの推察に抑えておく。
少なくともアキラが色香に惑わされている可能性は低いはずだ。アキラにその手の強い欲があるのなら、昨日の態度はあり得ない。キャロルはそう判断した。
「そう。私が案内役を提案したのは、装備さえしっかり整えておけば、あれぐらいなら何とかなると判断したからよ。昨日の装備は戦闘の回避を前提としたものなの。勝手知ったる遺跡の中。そう考えて油断しすぎたわ」
アキラがキャロルの装備を改めて確認する。キャロルの強化服は確かに昨日の装備より強そうに高性能に見える。
「昨日もそれを着ておけば良かったんじゃないか?」
むタイプなの。普段から使うと利益に響くのよ。こそっと忍び込んで、そこそこの遺物を持ち出す分には、昨日の装備で十分なのよ。昨日のような万一の事態に備えるのも大切だけど、それで毎回赤字になったら意味がないでしょう? 今回は、昨日の今日で、アキラからの報酬が確定していて、しかもミハゾノ街遺跡で大規模な戦闘が発生しているって言うから、念のために奮発したってわけ」
アキラは納得して
「私の体に興味があるなら、私の副業の方を頼めば、たっぷり楽しめるわよ?」
アキラは少しだけキャロルの言葉の意味を計りかねて戸惑ったが、すぐに気付いてキャロルに尋ねる。
「......ん? ああ、違う違う。ちょっとその服が気になっただけだ。その強化服、もしかして旧世界製か?」
「前に見た旧世界製の戦闘服と、雰囲気が似ているような気がしたんだ。勘違いか」
「販売元が旧世界製の戦闘服のデザインを模しているのよ。そういうイメージも製品の売り上げには大事だから」
アキラは何でもないことのように答えた。しかしキャロルはアキラの話を不思議に思って尋ねる。
「ところでアキラ。旧世界製の戦闘服なんて、並みの戦車より値の張る代物を一体どこで見たの?」
アキラが言葉に詰まった。見覚えがあるのは、旧世界製の戦闘服を着たアルファの姿を何度も見ているからだ。しかしそれを話すわけにはいかない。
「実物を見たことがあるような言い方に聞こえたけど?」
の荒野を眺める。そして横目でアキラを見てみる。アキラとは昨日会ったばかりだが、その実力を身につけた方法や経緯、そして先ほどの話など、興味の尽きない人物だ。しかし普通にいろいろ尋ねてみても、アキラはきっと核心を話そうとはしないだろう。
(ベッドの上でなら、いろいろ聞き出せる自信が有るんだけど。本当、残念ね)
『じ、実物を見たことがないのは本当だ。ああ言い切っておけば大丈夫だろう』
『確かにあの程度のことで私のことを感づいたり、アキラが旧領域接続者だってことに気付いたりはしないと思う。でも絶対興味を持たれたわ。キャロルに
『それはそれとして、アキラが旧世界の戦闘服に興味を持っているなら、私が幾らでも着てあげるわ。こんなのはどう?』
アルファはそう話すと、自分の服装を旧世界製の戦闘服に変更した。
アルファが身に着けている戦闘服は、肌に張り付くような薄手の素材を基準にしていて、体の線を強く浮き立たせている。戦闘服には意図不明の開放部分があり、アルファの肌を露出させている。ゴムとも金属とも思える素材が、着用者の身体部位を際立たせるような造形で、戦闘服の表面の一部に配置されている。素材の一部はそれが浮力の代わりとでも言うように発光し、専用服の周囲には光の障壁のようなものまで浮かんでいる。
実用性など初めから一切考慮せずに設計したような旧世界製の戦闘服だ。そして着用する
その類いの服を着て楽しげに誘うように笑うアルファの姿は、ある意味何も身に着けていない姿より
In the middle of the night, when the morning was still hours away . Alpha was trying to wake up Akira who was sleeping on the bed of his house .
"Akira, wake up . "
Alpha's voice was transferred directly into Akira's head . Although her voice was gentle, it was pretty loud . After all, it was not like she could wake Akira up by shaking him .
Akira was still groggy as he scanned his surroundings . It did not take long for him to notice that it was still in the middle of the night . Although he went to sleep earlier than usual last night, it was still way too early for him to naturally wake up, he still had not gotten enough sleep . Looking at Alpha, he understood that he was not in immediate danger . He then sounded slightly irritated as he asked Alpha .
"...What now? It's still night, you know? What's wrong?"
"There's a text message from Elena . I don't mind if you want to ignore it for now since it's still in the middle of the night and I don't mind ignoring the other messages coming after this too, but don't blame me since I've properly woken you up, okay? "
Akira tilted his head, confused . He thought that Alpha must have checked the message first before deciding that it was better to wake him up . Or at least, she must have thought that he might get angry if she waited until morning before telling him about that message .
Akira yawned while reaching for his information terminal that he left not too far from him . He was still sleepy as he operated his information terminal .
In short, the subject of Elena's message was a request . There was a big battle going on in Mihazono ruin, so the Hunter Office was issuing requests to assist, support, and to save the Hunters who were on the battlefield . It seemed that Elena and Sara accepted a good deal for that request through the mediator company that they were registered under . The message was basically an invitation for Akira if he wanted to join in that request too .
Akira read that message a few times . He thought about a lot of things as his expression turned stern .
"Alpha, do you think Elena-san and Sara-san are going to Seranthal building?"
"I don't know . After all, it seems that the situation in the Mihazono ruin has greatly changed . But, I do think that there's a good chance this huge battle is taking place near the Seranthal building . You still remember that short notice from the Hunter Office yesterday, right? So I'm sure some of the Hunters headed to the Seranthal building . Then that request might be to help those Hunters who couldn't retreat from the battlefield . "
Akira remembered what happened back then . Indeed, it was true that when he was stuck inside the Seranthal building, he could not make a call outside .
"Can they contact the outside after they went inside that building?"
"They might be able to do that now . Either that or that request was issued beforehand to help them retreat in case they don't return back after some time . Basically, it's one of those time-based emergency requests . And of course, it might also have nothing to do about that at all . "
Akira did not say anything as he stepped off from his bed and started making preparations to head out .
Alpha at least asked for a confirmation .
"So, you're taking that invitation from Elena and Sara, right?"
"Yeah . "
"Although we had to go through all of those things yesterday?"
"...This and that are two different matters . "
Alpha sighed exaggeratedly, but Akira just ignored that as he continued with his preparation .
Akira's reaction was within Alpha's range of expectations . It was proof that she had a better understanding of his behavioural pattern . She was happy that all of the information that she had collected to control and manipulate Akira combined together with her computing power was able to give an accurate prediction of his action .
But her prediction also gave one more notable result . Even if she tried to stop him, there was a good chance that Akira would still decide to meet up with Elena and Sara . And even if she refused to give her support, there was still a good chance that he would still go .
Back then, Akira saved Elena and Sara in Kuzusuhara ruin, then not too long after that, Elena and Sara saved Akira when he was attacked by a swarm of monsters when he was together with Katsuragi .
From Alpha's opinion, that made them even . But for some reason, from Akira's perspective, he was still carrying 2 debts to Sara and Elena . If Alpha could precisely understand the reason why he decided so, she would be able to more easily manipulate Akira . But for now, she had not even the slightest guess . As long as Akira was still thinking that he had not returned that debt yet, Elena and Sara would still sit on the top of his priority list .
Alpha kept staring at Akira, in the back of her head, she was thinking that she had to do something about it .
Akira put on his augmented suit as he asked Alpha to operate his information terminal .
"Alpha, call Elena-san for me . "
"But her message reached me, right?"
"There's no guarantee that the message reached you the moment it was sent, you know . It might have been delayed due to the route that it took or the load on the device . It might be also be coming from how calls are treated differently compared to text messages . "
"It can't be helped then, at least send a message to them that I'm accepting their request . It should be possible to at least do that, right?"
Akira thought of his message and sent it to Alpha through telepathy . After all, it was faster than saying it out loud .
"Got it, it's already sent . I'll also frequently check if I can get a connection with their information terminal too . "
After Akira put on his augmented suit, he grabbed his information terminal and his rifles before heading to his vehicle . He then checked the medicines and ammo reserve left on his vehicle before grabbing extra medicine or ammo that he needed . Since he did not know what he would be facing, Akira decided to bring a lot of extra ammo .
After checking everything, Akira sat on the driver seat and was about to turn on the vehicle, but he suddenly stopped .
Alpha who was sitting on the driver assistant's seat looked at Akira with a questioning expression .
"What's wrong? Did you change your mind?"
"No, I just thought of something right before heading out . "
Akira then pulled out his information terminal and operated it . Alpha who knew well what he was doing looked slightly surprised . Akira was making a call, it took 10 seconds before the person that he was calling picked up the call .
The sound of the person that he was calling could be heard from Akira's information terminal .
"It's Carol here . I never thought that you would call me this soon . Well, it's true I'm happy that you did, but it's rather rude calling me this early unless it's not about my side job, you know? So like, it's okay to take it that it's about that, right?"
Carol sounded a bit annoyed .
"...There's no need to suddenly cut your call like that, you know . Can't you at least try being kinder?"
"Oh my, is that so? In that case then, is it okay if I close the call here?"
"Well, I can understand that . Sorry for calling you this early . Later then . "
Akira then ended the call, Alpha who was next to him just smiled amusedly .
Akira then put aside his information terminal and turned on his vehicle . Right when Akira just drove out from the garage, a call from Carol reached his information terminal .
Alpha smiled as she pointed at Akira's information terminal and said .
"I'll do the driving . "
Akira trusted the driving to Alpha as he let go of the wheel and picked up his information terminal to answer the call .
"I'm in a hurry here . So I don't have the time to negotiate at all . So basically it's about your main job, I take it that you're willing to listen then, right?"
"Of course . Since you just ended the call like that, I can't help but get curious . So, what is it?"
"Carol, you have knowledge about Mihazono ruin including the Seranthal building, right? I want to buy some information from you . If you're willing to sell some, just tell me the price . If you're okay with a bank transfer, I'll immediately transfer the payment to your bank account . But if you prefer cash, I don't have any with me and I don't have the time to get some right now, so I'll be paying you later . "
"There's no need to worry about that . So, what kind of information are you looking for exactly? Your description just now is way too vague . "
"It seems that there's an ongoing big battle in Mihazono ruin and there's a good chance that the Seranthal building is in the centre of that battle . I need any information that might help me fight battles, search around that area, and save people who might be stuck there which includes escape routes or any other things that might also help me survive that place . I know that it's still rather vague but I can't make it more detailed than this . Although I'm heading to Mihazono ruin right now, it's not like I have any particular destination at the moment after all . "
"Well, even if you tell me so, I have no plans to get into trouble with you . After all, we need to decide a lot of things too, like how am I going to send that information to you, or how accurate it is, or how are we going to decide on the price of the information, right? I can sell you the map of Mihazono ruin that I have right now, but it might not be in a format that you can open, I've also added some notes to that map, and some part of it is even encrypted . In the first place, I never make a copy of any important information like the one that I taught you yesterday except inside my brain . "
Akira was convinced by what Carol said to him . As in matter of fact, now that he thought about it, it was completely understandable . The reason why he did not think about putting that in his explanation was because Alpha and Shizuka always interpreted his vague questions or requests so he did not have to explain everything .
Alpha always stayed beside Akira and understood what he was trying to say, while Shizuka always came up with a good rifle that was close to what he was looking for although he only gave Shizuka a vague description . Akira thought that he might have gotten too used to it, as he reflected on that and felt thankful to Alpha and Shizuka .
Akira had no time to slowly talk about it with Carol, thus he immediately gave up on that idea and said .
"...You're right . Just forget what I said, sorry to have called you so early . Later then . "
When Akira was about to close the call, Carol suddenly interjected .
"Wait for a sec, are you really going to just end the call? Just wait for a bit . "
"Let me get this straight, you're going to Mihazono ruin again, which means you might have to go to a dangerous place . As a matter of fact, there's a good chance that you'll have to go to the Seranthal building again, that's why you're looking for any information about Mihazono ruin that would help you survive that place, right?"
Carol sounded slightly amused as she made a suggestion .
"In that case then, how about hiring me? Let's say, how about 10,000,000 Aurum? If you end up having to use information that is worth more than that, we can talk about the price later . So, what do you think? I think it's a pretty good offer . "
Akira was a little bit surprised by that unexpected offer from Carol . But he immediately questioned back without showing any confusion nor hesitation .
"I'm driving my vehicle through the Kugamayama city lower district right now, can we meet up in a few minutes?"
"Sure, I'm also in the lower district right now . As for the preparation... Can you give me 40 minutes?"
"I understand, I'll hire you then . Send me where to meet up and make sure that I can reach that place with my vehicle . If you don't have any ride to go to Mihazono ruin, I'll give you a ride . "
"I'll take that offer then . I'll immediately send you where to pick me up after this, later then . "
Carol's voice sounded extremely inviting before she closed the call .
Alpha then asked Akira .
"Are you sure it's okay to do that before asking for Elena and Sara's permission?"
"I'm hiring Carol myself, so I'm sure that it'll be okay . But well, if Elena-san and Sara-san are angry because of that, I'll just keep my distance away from them while making sure that I can immediately meet up with them when they ask me to . "
Alpha was wondering if that was even the problem, but she decided not to pursue that question . After all, if this hurts Akira's relationship with Sara and Elena, then it was a rather good turn of event for her .
The warm water that she was showering with was not just warm water, it was even mixed with medicines that were adjusted for her body . Those medicines would heal even the smallest wound that she got from her usual lifestyle and left her with flawless glowing skin .
Carol then stepped outside the shower room and stood in front of a wall equipped with blowers which blew a strong wind to remove any water droplets left on her body . After that, she went to another room where she stored all of her clothes .
After she entered that room, Carol put on a bodysuit that stuck tight to her skin prior to putting on an augmented suit on top of it . It was an old-world augmented suit designed for women .
Although it covered all of her skin from her neck down, it had a seductive design comparable to being naked . After all, the design of her augmented suit left almost nothing to imagine about what was under it .
"This will do... Only 10 minutes left, huh . I guess I'll hurry up, I feel like Akira would just leave me behind if I'm late even for a bit . "
Carol, who more or less understood a bit of Akira's personality, smiled bitterly .
The meeting place sent by Carol was located near a relatively small area in the lower district, so in short, it was a place with expensive rent . The safety in that area was maintained by a private security company that regularly patrolled the area, they checked any suspicious person in the area and disposed of them when needed . It did not even matter if that suspicious person was armed to the teeth like a Hunter . It was an area filled with people who had no problem paying for such a service .
One of the guards also asked Akira why he was there . When Akira said that he was waiting for another Hunter, the guard glanced at Akira's vehicle and equipment before leaving him alone .
"If I looked like a new Hunter, I bet that guard would have shooed me, huh . "
"Well, that shows just how much you've grown as a Hunter . So let's keep this up, and for that sake, let's make sure to only take actions that would bring you profit . "
"I'm sure it's not like Elena-san is offering a request that might cause me loss instead of profit, so don't worry about that . "
"Well, that's fine if you think so . But just in case if you forget about it, you're already in red for hiring Carol for the sake of your safety, you know?"
Not too long after that, Carol showed up . When Alpha saw Carol, she thought that Carol might bring some good change to the relationship between Akira and Elena and Sara that she could look forward to .
Carol smiled at Akira and said .
"Sorry, did you wait long?"
"You're 5 minutes early, so it's all good . "
"Geez, although you're meeting up with a beautiful girl like me... Can you get a bit more excited and give me a more normal reply?"
"I'm sorry, I'm bad with common sense . I'm still working on that one though . Well, just hop on . "
Carol put her rucksack on the back of Akira's vehicle and sat on the driver assistant's seat . Akira then immediately turned on his vehicle and stepped on the gas .
Akira and Carol once again headed to Mihazono ruin . Although Akira did try to contact Elena and Sara while he was still within the reception area of Kugamayama city, he could not get any connection at all . Since there was nothing he could do about it, he just sent a text message saying that he hired a Hunter who knew well about Mihazono ruin before driving outside the city's reception area .
Akira was driving his vehicle toward Mihazono ruin at a high speed through the dark wasteland . At that rate, he would be able to reach Mihazono ruin before the sun rose .
On their way, Akira explained the current situation to Carol . After understanding what was going on, Carol looked a bit surprised as she said .
"I get what's going on here, but are you sure you're okay bringing me along?"
"That would be for Elena-san and Sara-san to decide . If they don't want me to bring along someone that they don't know, we'll be moving separately . And since I can't get in contact with them, we haven't decided on how to divide the reward . I have no plans to make you work more than as a guide, but if you're planning to receive a reward from someone else, you better properly do your work for the reward that you're receiving . "
[Well, it's true that it's also important, but... I'm actually asking him if it's okay for him to bring another girl when he's going to meet up with a girl . Well, I guess it's true that being a Hunter has nothing to do with gender . Or is that he thinks it's better than bringing another guy with him? Either way, I'm working for Akira this time, so I guess that has nothing to do with my gender . ]
Carol smiled as if there was nothing to worry about, Akira saw that and thought that it should be fine . So then he moved to his next question .
"But still, after all that happened yesterday, I didn't think you would accept to be my guide . We might have to go to the Seranthal building again, you know?"
Although he was not lying, that was not his main reason . Moreover, it did not seem like Akira was heading to the Mihazono ruin against his will . Carol at least noticed that much . Not to mention, this time, Akira was going to meet up with other female Hunters . It made her want to make a lot of guesses, but judging from how Akira treated her yesterday, she decided to hold back her imagination .
One thing for sure, Akira was someone who did not react that much to seduction . If he was someone with a strong desire, he would not have treated Carol the way he treated her yesterday . Or at least, that was what Carol thought .
"I see . As for me, the reason why I accepted your request to be your guide is because I know I can handle the situation like yesterday as long as I properly prepare my equipment . Yesterday, I only carried equipment designed for stealth and avoided fights . After all, it's a ruin that I know well . But I admit I was careless . "
Akira looked at Carol and scanned her equipment . The augmented suit that she was using this time looked better and stronger than the one that she was using yesterday .
"Wouldn't it have been better if you used this augmented suit yesterday too?"
"This one has a pretty high consumption rate, you see . If I use it all the time, it'll definitely affect my profit . If I know that it's a relic that I can just sneakily take out, I would rather carry a lighter set of equipment like yesterday . I know it's important to make sure that you're ready for the unexpected like what happened yesterday . But if you use that as a standard every time you go out, it will cause you a loss, then it would be meaningless, right? But this time, not only did you say that you would pay me, but you also said that there's a big battle going on in the Mihazono ruin . That's why I'm bringing these equipment set this time just to be safe . "
Akira was convinced by that explanation as he nodded .
"If you're interested in my body, feel free to ask about my side job and I can give you a good taste of it . "
Akira was at loss for a moment since he did not understand the meaning behind Carol's words, but it did not take long for him to finally realize it . He then asked her a question .
"...Hmmm? Ah, no, that's not what I meant . I just thought of something when I saw that augmented suit, is that augmented suit from the old-world?"
"I just thought that it has a similar design to an old-world battle suit that I once saw in the past . But I guess I'm mistaken, huh?"
"Well, it's true that the designer of this augmented suit used an old-world design as a base . This kind of image is important in business after all . "
Akira answered back casually . But there was something in that short exchange that caught Carol's interest, so she then asked Akira a question .
"By the way, Akira, old-world battle suit can cost way more than a common tank, you know . So where exactly did you get to see one?"
Akira was caught off guard . As far as he could remember, it was from the old-world battle suit that he saw Alpha using multiple times in the past . But of course, he could not say that to Carol .
"But it sounded as if you saw a real one and not only from an image though?"
Carol then returned her pose and looked at the wasteland that was still shrouded in darkness . Although she only met Akira yesterday, his skills, power, experience, and that conversation just now, made her curious . There was no doubt in her mind that Akira was an intriguing boy . But of course, if she just normally asked him about that, Akira would not tell her anything .
[I'm sure I can get him to tell me a lot of things on top of a bed, but unfortunately enough, he's not interested at all . ]
"W-well, it's true that it's not like I've ever seen a real one though . So that excuse should be just fine . "
"It's true that she would not know about my existence from that answer and I think she won't be able to infer that you can connect to the old-world domain from it too . But I can guarantee you that it piqued her interests on you even more . So be sure to be careful not to say anything careless to Carol . "
"Leaving that aside, Akira, if you're interested in old-world battle suits, I can put it on as many times as you want . Maybe something like this?"
As she said that, Alpha's appearance changed into an old-world battle suit .
The battle suit that Alpha used, was made of a thin material that stuck really close to her skin and thus pronouncing her body line . There were some strange openings on that battle suit where Alpha's skin could peek out . Some parts of that augmented suit had a strange-looking material that looked like it was made of metal or rubber . A type of glowing material was mixed into its fabric which made it look as if Alpha was surrounded by a wall of light .
The battle suit seemed like it was not designed for functionality in the first place . Moreover, unless the one wearing it was already used to old-world design, they would need extra courage to even just put that battle suit on . But even so, it was obvious that it was far more advanced than the current battle suit . After all, it was an old-world battle suit .
Alpha was smiling mischievously watching how Akira reacted to her attire .
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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