アキラの後を付けるようにして半ば強引に同行しているレイナが、地下街とはいえ随分と遅いアキラの移動速度を不思議がっている。
「シオリ。何であいつあんなに進むのが遅いの?」
「遺跡内部をどの程度の速度で移動するべきか。その基準や判断には個人差があります。彼は多少時間を掛けてでも索敵を念入りに実施する主義なのでしょう」
「それにしても遅すぎない? 3人で警戒しているのよ?」
索敵の重要性はレイナも理解している。脇道や
「3人ではありません。1人です」
「えっ? 3人でしょう?」
「彼は私達を戦力に数えていません。索敵も同様です。私やお嬢様が確認済みの場所、方向を再確認していますので間違いないと思います。ヤラタサソリの群れと遭遇した場合に、彼の火力のみで対処可能な位置取りの確認もしています。つまり、実質1人で進んでいるのと変わりません」
シオリの考察は正しい。それはアキラ自身の訓練の
レイナが何とか表向きの平静を保ちながら、静かな声で、しかし確かな怒りを込めて、
で体を僅かに震わせながら、内心を口に出す。
「それはそうだけど......」
ハンターランクはハンターの実力を示すものだが、それは各種能力の総合評価であり、モンスターとの戦闘能力を保証するものではない。索敵や遺物収集の能力は壊滅的だが、それを高い戦闘能力で補う者もいる。
シオリに諭されたレイナが少し落ち着いた頭で推察する。広間で聞いた戦歴から判断すると、アキラは戦闘能力特化のハンターなのかもしれない。そして自分よりハンターランクが高く、戦闘能力が低いハンターを多数見てきたのかもしれない。それならば、この扱いも多少は納得できるし、仕方が無い。
レイナはそう考えて勢いを更に落とした。だが不満の完全な解消には至らなかった。
っている。15番防衛地点を襲撃したヤラタサソリの痕跡を探しながら結構進んできたのだが、今のところそれらしい痕跡は見付かっていなかった。
このままだと15番防衛地点に到着してしまう。自分の探索能力不足による見落としではないか。そう疑ったアキラがアルファに一応確認を取る。
『アルファ。痕跡探しも俺の訓練だってのは分かってる。だから俺も一応注意して自力で探している。でも俺が見落としていたら黙っていないで教えてくれ。仕事なんだからな』
みを向けてきたアルファに、アキラは軽い苦笑を返した。
『それはどうも。そうすると、本当に痕跡はないのか。......このまま何も見付からなかったら、本部から文句を言われそうだな。何もなかったのに時間が掛かりすぎだって』
『その時は好きに言わせておきなさい。本部も本格的に調査するのなら探索チームを派遣するはずよ。防衛チームの人員が念入りに調査したので時間が掛かった。それだけの話よ。アキラが気にする必要はないわ。このまま焦らずに安全第一で進みましょう』
アルファもアキラに仕事を頼んでいる立場だ。アキラの仕事への誠実さは大いに歓迎する。だがその誠実さの所為で、こちらの依頼を成し遂げる前に死なれては困る。不必要な誠実さを和らげる
『......。それもそうだな。分かった』
アキラもそれで気を取り直し、今まで通りに先に進もうとした。そのアキラをシオリが呼び止める。
「お話が御座います。お聞きください」
アキラはシオリを無視しようとした。だが次の発言に思わず振り返って反応してしまう。
「お嬢様の護衛を依頼します。依頼内容の詳細及び報酬についての交渉を希望します」
「......えっ?」
少なくとも自分の話を無視せずに聞いている。シオリはそう判断すると、相手の混乱に乗じる意図も含めて話を続ける。
「依頼内容の説明を進めさせていただきます。護衛期間は今回のヤラタサソリ討伐依頼の期間内、かつお嬢様を護衛可能な距離にいる間とします。報酬は500万オーラム。成功報酬とします。本部等の指示で同行等が不可能となった状況でも報酬の減額は致しませんが、その状況を積極的に求めた場合や、お嬢様を危険に
「ちょ、ちょっと! いきなり何言い出すのよ!?」
「お嬢様の護衛を依頼しております。お嬢様に14番防衛地点へ戻る意思がない以上、お嬢様の身の安全の
「い、いやでも、外部要員を雇うにしても、500万オーラムなんて報酬をドランカムが認めるわけないでしょう!?」
「御心配には及びません。私の私財から支払います。大金ですが、お嬢様の身の安全には代えられません」
本当に500万オーラムを自費で支払おうとしている。レイナはシオリの真剣な様子から、その本気を感じ取ってたじろいだ。
考え直せと言っても無駄なのはレイナもよく分かっている。それはレイナの安全を考え直せと言っているのと同義だからだ。シオリがそれを許容するのはあり得ない。
に悪いとも思う。自分が大人しく戻ればそれで済む話だと理解もしている。だが、何らかの成果を残すまでこの場に残りたいという気持ちもかなり強く、元々意地になる性格がそれを助長していた。その結果、レイナは軽い混乱状態で迷い続けていた。
揺らぐ心と揺らがぬ忠義。レイナとシオリはそれを表情と視線に色濃く
『アキラ。放っておくと依頼を引き受けるかどうかの決定から閉め出されるわよ?』
シオリが報酬の増額を匂わせた。だがアキラはそれでも首を横に振る。
「違う。足りないのは報酬じゃなくて俺の実力の方だ。俺は自分の身を守るので精一杯だ。誰かの護衛までやる余裕はない。だから報酬を増やされてもその依頼は受けられない」
「でもヤラタサソリの群れからハンター達を一人で救出したりしたんでしょう? 本部の職員がそう言っていたけど、それでも実力が足りないの?」
「じゃあどうしてそんな指示に従ったのよ」
「助けたハンターが本部に状況をちゃんと連絡しなかったんだよ。適当に虫っぽいモンスターに襲われたとでも説明したらしい。救援場所にヤラタサソリの群れがいるなんて俺が知ったのは、彼らを助けに行った後だ。後は成り行きだ」
「そんなに大変なら、どうしてこのヤラタサソリの巣の討伐依頼を引き受けたのよ」
好き好んで依頼を引き受けたわけではないアキラが
「依頼元がクガマヤマ都市の長期戦略部なのにそう簡単に断れるか! 俺だって簡単に断れるなら断ってるんだよ!」
レイナはアキラの勢いに
「......つまり、アキラはそんなに強いわけじゃないのね?」
ヤラタサソリの群れの中に単身で突入し、その群れを蹴散らして救出対象を救い出し、全員無事に帰還させた
妙な沈黙が場に流れる。前提条件が覆された後の状況を、全員が持て余していた。
シオリは少し気まずそうなレイナを見て思案し、アキラに再度提案する。
「では、依頼内容を変更します。お嬢様のサポートをお願いします。依頼期間は防衛地点に帰還するまで。報酬は10万オーラムで先払いになります。
め見透かすような視線を返した。その視線は手間の掛かる妹を見る姉のものに近い。
「お嬢様が大人しく戻るつもりなら取り下げますが、そのつもりはないのでしょう?」
「......うっ」
アキラを実力者だと勘違いして強引に付いてきて、実は大したことはないと知った途端に帰っていく。それは
そこでアキラに再度依頼を持ちかけた。断るのなら、それを口実にして帰る。引き受けるのなら、妙なことに巻き込んだ迷惑料代わりの依頼料を先渡しして関係の改善を促す。どちらでも良し。そう判断しての提案だった。
シオリが視線をアキラに戻して返事を待つ。アキラがどうするべきか考えていると、アルファが口を挟む。
『......そうだな。そうするか』
シオリ達も別に自分の実力に何か期待している訳ではない。その程度の援護を調査のついでにするだけだ。なら良いか。アキラはいろいろと面倒臭くなったこともあり、その程度の判断でそう決めた。
「分かった。その依頼を引き受ける。俺はアキラだ」
「シオリと申します。ではこちらを」
シオリが1万オーラム紙幣10枚を取り出してアキラに差し出し、アキラがそれを受け取った。これで依頼は成立した。
「これからどうするかだ。依頼としてお嬢様のサポートを引き受けたんだ。だから大まかな行動方針はお嬢様の意思に沿うつもりだ。これからどうするのか決めてくれ。どうするんだ?」
「えっと......」
レイナが戸惑う。元々何かあれば自分も活躍しようという程度の考えで付いてきただけで、具体的な作戦方針など考えていなかった。加えて、その前はカツヤの指揮下で動いていたので、全体の行動指針を考えるのに慣れていなかった。その所為で、急にそう問われても思い付かず、答えられずにいた。
「当面は、アキラ様の調査方針で調査を続ける、で構わないかと思います。無理に変更する必要もありません。必要性を感じた時点で適宜修正する。それで十分かと」
「そ、そうね! そうしましょう!」
移動距離を稼げない一番の理由は、先頭にいるアキラの索敵の手際が悪いからだ。間違いなく全体の足を引っ張っている。未熟な若手ハンターを先頭にして部隊行動をしている以上、当然の結果でもある。
だがレイナは再び疑問を覚えていた。アキラの実力が本当にその程度ならば、あの戦歴は有り得ない。本部の指示だからといって、文句も言わずに1人で調査に出るのも不自然だ。
「お嬢様。何か気になることでも?」
「あ、ごめん。何でもないわ」
レイナが気を引き締める。だが
その元の疑問を解消しないと何度注意しても効果は薄いだろう。シオリはそう考えて一計を案じた。
「アキラ様。アキラ様から見て、お嬢様の実力はどの程度だとお思いですか?」
「いや、そんなこと聞かれても、よく分からないとしか答えられない。一目で相手の力量を見抜く実力なんかないしな。何でそんなことを聞くんだ?」
だと言われた以上、アキラも真面目に対応したいとは思う。だが何を言えば良いか分からない。取りあえずアルファに助けを求める。
『アルファ』
そして、これはアルファがアキラの行動原理を把握できていない証拠でもあった。
「うーん。実力って言われてもな。何か、評価の基準とかはないのか? 討伐系のハンターと探索系のハンターでも、評価の基準は違ってくるだろうし、評価の方法にもいろいろあるだろうし......」
「そうですね。では、アキラ様がハンター稼業の相方としてお嬢様を雇うとします。幾らまでなら支払えますか? 戦歴など追加の情報が必要でしたらお聞きください。質問内容にも
でも嫌だと答えているのも同然だ。評価としては最悪に近い。
アキラの口調はごく普通のもので、冗談や嫌がらせ、嘲りのようなものは全く感じられない。それが逆にレイナに強い衝撃を与えていた。レイナは軽い
アキラはその威圧にも動揺を見せず、やはりごく普通の口調で答える。
「単純に死ぬほど面倒だからだ。もしヤラタサソリの群れ、そうだな、50体ぐらいと、14番防衛地点にいた全員を余裕で殺せるぐらいに強いのなら、さっきの評価は訂正する」
「じゃあ、じゃあどうすれば良かったのよ! あのまま馬鹿にされて、好きに言わせておけば良かったとでも言うの!?」
「いや、好きにすれば良いと思う。私を馬鹿にするなんて許せない。殺してやる。それでも良い。その結果を正しく想定した上で、結果を許容できるならな。
アキラがまた普通に答え、尋ねた。そしてレイナをじっと見て再び返答を待つ。
レイナは答えられない。そもそも何も想定していなかった。それを口には出せなかった。
黙って聞いていたシオリが口を挟む。シオリはアキラに質問をしたことを既に後悔していた。
「どんな状況になっても最終的にはシオリさんが何とかするので、何も考えず思うがままに行動した。それでも良いと思う。お嬢様個人ではなく、2人1組での評価を聞いていたのなら俺の評価は勘違いだ」
「ヤラタサソリ50体と他のハンター全員の話はどのような関係が?」
「......極論が過ぎるのでは?」
アキラはあっさりそう答えた。シオリの怒気が強まるが、それでも
どちらも相手が銃口を突き付けて武装解除を求めてくるとは考えていなかった。即座に引き金を引き、最低でも戦闘不能にする。殺しきるかどうかはその時の余裕次第で、その余地が生まれる可能性は恐らく低い。どちらもそう理解していた。
シオリが脅し、アキラが受けたのか。アキラが挑発し、シオリが受けたのか。どちらにしろ、どちらも引かない以上、原因が現状に差異を生むことはない。
「シオリ......、止めて......」
「お、お嬢様......」
「......もう良いの。......止めて。......お願い」
れたまま、か細い声を出していた。それでシオリが先に臨戦態勢を解いた。アキラも合わせて臨戦態勢を解いた。
取りあえず戦闘は回避された。緊張から解放されたアキラが息を吐く。その
Reina refused to back down as she obstinately followed Akira, but she found it strange that Akira was moving slowly even for someone who was exploring an extremely dangerous underground city.
"Shiori, why is he moving so slowly?"
"Every person has a different speed, principle and judgement during a ruin exploration. I believe that he's the kind of person who prefers to make a full check even if it slows him down."
"But even so, he's still way too slow, isn't he? There are 3 people monitoring the area here, you know?"
Reina actually understood the importance of scanning the area. The underground city hallway was filled with wreckages and rubbles, places where monsters might hide. Not to mention, Yarata Scorpions could camouflage itself and blend with the wreckages. Thus, she could understand why Akira would want to proceed very carefully.
"It's not 3 people, but 1 person."
"Eh? There are 3 of us here, right?"
"He doesn't expect nor rely for our support, and that's also the case for scanning the area too. He always rescans the places that we've scanned. Not to mention, he always proceeds carefully while taking positions where he will be able to deal with the enemies using his own firepower in case we are ambushed by a swarm of Yarata Scorpions. In short, he's exploring the area as if he's still alone."
Shiori's guess was correct. Akira was doing that as his training and he did it with the assumption that Shiori and Reina would leave him as a decoy in case they were overrun by monsters.
Reina was trying to hold herself back. Although she whispered in a calm voice, it was obvious that she was angry and was even trembling slightly out of said anger.
Shiori answered back with a soft voice in order to calm Reina down.
"That might be true, but still..."
The Hunter Rank is supposed to show the ability of a Hunter. But it is rated using accomplishments, thus it cannot be used as proof of one's ability when it came to fighting against monsters. There were Hunters who got high rank because of their combat skills despite being terrible when it came to collecting relics or exploring ruins. And of course, it was also true for the opposite case. In the end, those two types of Hunters would have the same Hunter Rank as if they produced the same result.
After Shiori's explanation, Reina calmed down for a bit and thought that if what she heard back in the station about Akira was true, that would mean he might be a Hunter who focused on hunting monsters. He might also have seen other Hunters with higher rank despite being weaker than him. If that was the case, then it was only to be expected for him to treat her and Shiori like he did.
Reina was able to calm down after she thought about it, but it was not like it could completely erase her displeasure.
Akira suddenly stopped and made a long "Hmmmm". He had ventured quite far while keeping watch for any traces from the Yarata Scorpions that just attacked the defensive point number 15, but even so, he could not find any noticeable traces.
At this rate, he would reach the defensive point number 15 without finding anything. He wondered if he missed anything on his way here, so he asked Alpha to confirm it.
"Alpha, I know that I'm in the middle of training to look for signs and traces. That's why I'm trying my best to be careful not to miss anything, but in case if there's something that I miss, be sure to tell me, okay? We're here for a job, after all."
As Alpha smiled at Akira, he returned back with a bitter smile.
"Well, thank you for that, but that would mean that there were really no traces that I missed, huh... If I don't find anything worth noting, I feel like the HQ would complain again about me taking too long."
"When that happens, just let them say everything they want to say. If they wanted to make a proper search of the area, they should have dispatched an exploration team instead. So it's only to be expected for someone from the defense team to take longer when exploring the area. There's nothing for you to worry about, so let's not rush ourselves and continue exploring the area carefully."
In a sense, Alpha was also Akira's employer. She was really happy that he took his job very seriously, but it would be bad if he got killed by that virtue even before he could finish her request. Thus she really wished that he would not take this job too seriously, for her sake.
"...Well, that's true. Alright then, I understand."
After saying that, Akira renewed his resolve and was about to continue the exploration. But Shiori suddenly called him.
"Akira-sama, I have something I want to talk about, could you please listen for a moment?"
Akira was thinking of ignoring her, but her next words made him inadvertently turn around.
"I want to make a request for Akira-sama to act as Milady's bodyguard. I want to negotiate about the details and the rewards for the request."
"...Hah?"
Shiori knew that at least Akira was not ignoring her, so she immediately proceeded to explain what she just said to clear up his confusion.
"Please let me explain the details of the request. The period of the request is until we're finished with this Yarata Scorpions extermination request, during this time, I want you to stay in the range where you can protect Milady. The reward will be 5,000,000 Aurum that will be paid once you've finished the request. This reward will not be reduced if the HQ assigns you with a job that would make it impossible for you to stay around Milady, but if you ask for such a job by your own volition or lead Milady into danger, we'll have to negotiate the amount of the reward deduction..."
"W-wait for sec!! What the heck are you saying out of the blue?!!"
"I'm requesting for Milady's bodyguard. If Milady has no wish of returning back to defensive point 14, I have to look for another way to guarantee Milady's safety. But if Milady decides to return back, then I shall take back my request."
"B-but, even if you want to employ an outsider, there's no way Drankam would let us pay him 5,000,000 Aurum!?"
"Please don't worry, I'll pay him with my own money. It might be a huge sum, but Milady's safety takes the utmost importance."
Reina understood from Shiori's serious expression that she was really planning to pay that using her own money.
Reina also understood well that it would be futile even if she told Shiori to rethink about it. After all, it would be the same as telling Shiori to rethink about her own safety, which obviously, she would not take any chances on.
Of course, even for Reina, she felt bad making Shiori go that far for her own selfishness. She knew that everything would be resolved if she decided to go back, but she really wanted to stay there until she could leave a notable achievement, and not to mention, she had a stubborn personality. Because of that, Reina was confused and did not know what to do.
An unwavering heart and a wavering heart, Reina and Shiori looked at each other with gazes full of meaning, their respective wills contradicted with the available options.
"Akira, if you leave them alone, you would not be able to rectify whether you are going to take that request or not, you know?"
Shiori was thinking of increasing the reward, but Akira just shook his head.
"No, I'm not saying that the reward is not enough, the real problem is my ability. I have my hands full protecting myself, so I don't think I can guarantee other's safety. That's why even if you increase the reward, I still can't accept your request."
"But you have saved a group of Hunters from a swarm of Yarata Scorpions all by yourself, right? The HQ staff said that himself, you know. But even then, you're still saying that you don't have enough skill?"
"Then why did you do that?"
"It was because the Hunters who I saved didn't convey the right information to the HQ. At that time, it seems that they only told HQ they were ambushed by insect-like monsters. I only knew that they were stuck inside a Yarata Scorpion nest after arriving there. What happened after that was nothing more than me trying to deal with what I was facing."
"If it was really that bad, then why did you take this request to eliminate the Yarata Scorpion nest?"
Akira started getting annoyed, it was not like he took this request because he wanted to.
"There's no way I can just refuse a request from the Kugamayama city Long-term Strategic Division, you know!! Of course, I would have refused this request if I could!!"
Reina was taken aback when Akira yelled at her, but she tried to hide it with a smile. She then pushed her courage to ask the last thing that was still bothering her.
"...S-so in short, you're actually not that strong, am I right?"
After hearing the explanation from HQ, Shiori and Reina imagined Akira as a very skilled Hunter who charged right into a Yarata Scorpion's nest alone, saved a group of Hunters, and protected them all the way back to the HQ without getting anyone injured. But Akira just denied that so straightforwardly that it crushed their image of him into dust. As they looked at him again, he just looked like a normal young Hunter to them now.
There was an awkward silence between them, all of them were dumbfounded.
Shiori looked a bit fl.u.s.tered as she was looking at Reina and made a new suggestion to Akira.
"In that case, please let me change the details of the request. I want to ask you to provide support to Milady. The duration of the request is until Milady returns back to the defensive point, the reward will be 100,000 Aurum. So, will you accept it?"
Reina could not understand what Shiori was trying to convey as she was making a puzzled face, but Shiori returned it with a gentle gaze as if she was trying to calm her down. It was like a gaze from an older sister who was worried because of her troublesome little sister.
"I'll retract that request if Milady decides to return back, but Milady has no wish of doing so, right?"
"...Ughh."
Reina stubbornly followed Akira thinking that he was a very skilled Hunter. It would be pathetic if she immediately decided to go back the moment she knew that her assumption was not true. She would go back if she was told to, but she really did not want to say that herself.
Shiori understood Reina's thoughts and decided to make a new suggestion to Akira instead. If Akira refused that request, Shiori was planning to use that as an excuse to return back. And if Akira took that request, she would pay him some money for roping him into this awkward situation and build a good relationship with him. Both outcomes were not bad so Shiori decided to make that request.
Shiori looked back at Akira and waited for his answer. Akira was at loss on what to do, but Alpha suddenly said to him.
"...You're right, I guess I'll do that."
Akira thought that it was not like Shiori and Reina were expecting something from his ability, he could just provide them with some help while still focusing on his exploration. He thought that if it was only that much, then it might be okay to take their request.
"Alright, I'll take that request. My name is Akira."
"I'm Shiori. Over here please."
Shiori handed out 10 sheets of 10,000 Aurum notes to Akira. With this, their negotiation had come into a conclusion.
"I'm asking what you are planning to do from now on. The request is to provide you with my support, I want to hear what you want to do so that I can give you proper support. You should decide what we are going to do."
"Well, uhh..."
Reina had no idea what to say. After all, when she chased Akira, she only thought that she would try to be useful if anything happened, so it was not like she had any concrete ideas on what to do. Moreover, she usually only followed Katsuya's order, so she was not used to thinking about strategy. Because of that, she could not come up with an answer when Akira suddenly asked her that question.
"At the moment, let's continue exploring the area just like what Akira-sama was doing until now. Of course, that is if Milady is okay with that. There's no need to unnecessarily make any changes when it's not required, will that be okay?"
"Y-you're right, let's do that!!"
The biggest reason as to why they were moving that slow was because Akira who was in the front took too long scanning for monsters. There was no mistaking that it was Akira who was slowing them down. It was only to be expected since they were assigning a young inexperienced Hunter like Akira to lead in the front.
But Reina found that very strange, if Akira's ability really only amounted for this much, then his battle record did not make any sense at all. And it was unthinkable for him to go exploring the ruin alone just because the HQ told him to.
"Milady, is there something that's bothering you?"
"Ah, sorry, it's nothing."
Reina snapped back to reality, but it did not take long before she started losing focus again.
Shiori thought that Reina would keep getting distracted unless the real source of her distraction was resolved. And so Shiori asked Akira.
"Akira-sama. From your point of view, how will you evaluate Milady?"
"Even if you ask me, I don't really know her so I can't really answer that question, and it's not like I can judge her ability just by looking at her. Why do you ask?"
Akira looked confused. Since Shiori said that it was also a type of support for Reina, he had to answer it seriously. Unfortunately, he did not know what to say, so he turned to Alpha for help.
"Alpha."
Though, this also proved that Alpha still did not understand the moral principles behind his actions.
"Hmmm. Even if you ask me, what are the indicators to judge someone's ability? I'm sure it's not like you can judge Hunters who focus on hunting monsters with the same standard used for judging Hunters who focus on hunting relics. And there are also many different methods that can be used to judge a Hunter too..."
"That's indeed true. In that case, if you're going to ask Milady to help you in doing a Hunter job, how much would you be willing to pay? If you need to know her battle record or any other information, I'll answer as far as I'm allowed to."
Reina was so surprised by that unexpected answer, she was more surprised rather than furious. That answer was basically saying that Akira would not want her help even if Reina would help him for free. That evaluation was very close to the worst possible evaluation.
Akira said it so casually that he did not sound like he was joking or teasing Reina. There was no particular intonation in his words. But that only made it much more shocking for Reina, she even felt a bit dizzy after hearing his answer.
Akira did not even flinch when he heard that, he just answered back with a casual tone.
"It's just that it would be a huge pain in the ass. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to get ambushed by a swarm of Yarata Scorpion, let's say 50 of them, and you can easily defeat that swarm plus the rest of the Hunters in the defensive point 15, I would change my mind."
"In that case then, what should we do instead?! Are you saying that we should have let them say everything they wanted to say and just stayed quiet when they were mocking us?!!"
"Not really. It's up to you, you can just let them be, or you can also kill them if you can't take being mocked like that. There are cases where it would be fatal if you look down on your opponents, and there are cases where it's better if you point your gun at your opponents and threaten them. Basically, you can do whatever you want as long as you can accurately calculate the consequences and you're sure that you can handle them. So, what kind of outcome did you imagine back then?"
Akira answered back casually before throwing another question, he then stared at Reina and waited for her answer.
But Reina could not answer back. After all, she did not think about the consequences at all and she could not say that to Akira.
Shiori, who was just listening to them in silence, interjected. She was already regretting her decision of asking that question to Akira.
"If you did that knowing that Shiori would handle the rest no matter what would happen, then that is okay too. But it means that I need to rectify my answer, I misunderstood and thought that you were asking an individual evaluation instead of an evaluation of your team of two."
"But, why does it have anything to do with the other Hunters and that 50 Yarata Scorpions?"
"...Aren't you just being too paranoid?"
It was obvious that Shiori was getting angrier every time Akira answered back so casually, but he did not falter as he was locking gaze with her.
Both of them were not even thinking of pointing their gun at the other person and asking the other person to drop their gun, both of them were thinking of immediately pulling the trigger to at least render the other person unable to fight. They would decide later whether to kill the other person or not after judging from the situation after that, but it was highly unlikely for them to have that leeway and both of them understood that very well.
Was it because Akira accepted Shiori's threat, or was it because Shiori took Akira's provocation. But as long as none of them would take a step back, the situation there would not change.
"Shiori... Stop there..."
"M-Milady..."
"...It's fine... Just stop there... Please."
Reina said with a meek voice while still hanging her head low. After that, Shiori lowered her guard and Akira followed suit.
They just avoided a fight here, Akira eased himself and sighed. While Alpha who was floating beside him let out a bigger sigh while locking her gaze at Akira.
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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