201 抜かれた楔
クガマビル上階のフロアではクガマヤマ都市の主催で定期的に立食会が開かれている。防壁内外の企業家達などが集い、顔を
シェリルはヴィオラと一緒にその立食会に参加していた。仮設基地でイナベと取り引きした数日後の出来事だった。
少し露出多めのドレスで着飾るヴィオラは、好意的に解釈すれば、秘め事に手慣れた妖艶さを醸し出していた。逆方向に解釈すれば、かなり
な装いを基本として、そこに上品さと僅かな色気を香らせるアクセサリーを着けている。場に飲まれない程度の余裕はあるが、僅かに緊張気味にも見えるその立ち姿は、まるで立食会にまだまだ慣れていないどこかのお嬢様を思わせる。
シェリルがその事情を口に出す。
「それにしても、随分と面倒な手順を踏むんですね」
ヴィオラは経験者が素人に向ける笑みを浮かべた。
「その面倒な手順が意外に重要なのよ。後ろめたい事情がある場合は特にね。張りぼてのような建前や口実でも、有るのと無いのでは大違いなのよ? 遠目から見る人間の気付きを鈍らせて、具体的な調査に入る契機を大分減らせるわ」
「そういうものですか」
シェリル達はイナベとの取り引きで遺物を自分達の遺物売却店に流してもらえることになった。だが都市所有の遺物を表向き全く
「何かあれば、ヴィオラを呼んで対処を押し付けます」
「良い判断だわ」
そのシェリルの視界に、その努力を妨げるものが度々映る。会場に配置されている料理の数々だ。大半の参加者にとってはその味で談笑を促す程度のものでしかない。だがシェリルにとっては、口にすれば大きく意思を揺さぶられる
いにくい美味の塊だ。
「シェリル......?」
シェリルが声の方向に視線を向けると、カツヤが少し驚いたような表情を浮かべて立っていた。
「お久しぶりですね。カツヤ」
少し話でもして、この食欲をごまかそう。シェリルはそう考えて愛想良く
「あ、えっと、ここに参加するのは初めてなんだ。似たようなのには何度か出たことはあるんだけど......」
「そうなのですか? 実は私も初めてです。友人の誘いと、ちょっとした用事も兼ねての参加で、今回が初回です。同じですね」
シェリルは近くにいた給仕から2人分の飲み物を受け取ると、片方のグラスをカツヤに差し出した。カツヤは流されるままにそれを受け取った。
「では、奇遇な出会いと言い直した上で、この出会いに」
れて少し顔を赤くしていた。そして我に返ったように自分もグラスの中身を一気に飲み込んだ。
ヴィオラが立食会の別の場所でドランカム幹部のミズハに愛想笑いを向けている。逆にミズハは不機嫌そうな顔を向けている。
「ヴィオラ。
「潜り込んだとは失礼ね。正式な招待客なのよ?」
「情報屋程度が参加できるものではないわ。私がこの立食会に参加する
で参加したミズハより、イナベの経路で参加したヴィオラの方が上だった。
「私が正式な招待客だと理解してもらえたのなら、この縁に感謝して親睦を深めましょうよ。お互いに
予想通りの反応にヴィオラがほくそ笑む。そして時間稼ぎのようなどうでも良い話題を幾つか出した後、それらに混ぜるように変わらない態度で続ける。
「そういえば、あの調査の続報とかはないの? ほら、前のスラム街の騒ぎの時に、カツヤって子にスリの居場所を教えたのは誰かって件よ」
ミズハはヴィオラとの取り引きで、その件に関するドランカムの調査結果をヴィオラに流していた。
調査の結果、カツヤにアルナの居場所を教えたのはネルゴだと判明した。カツヤがドランカムの調査員にそう話し、ネルゴもそれをあっさりと認めた。
スラム街付近でアルナが連れ去られる様子を偶然見掛けた。当初はスラム街ではありふれたことと気にも止めなかったが、後でカツヤが気にしていた人物だったかもしれないと思い直し、一応カツヤに連絡した。ネルゴは調査員にそう説明した後で、あんなことになるのならば伝えるべきではなかったと、少し悔やんだ様子を見せていた。
調査員はそれらの話を基に事実確認を済ませてドランカムの幹部に調査結果を提出した。幹部達はその調査結果を基に自分達はあの騒ぎとは無関係だという報告書をクガマヤマ都市に提出した。ヴィオラに流れたのはそのコピーだ。
ヴィオラが意味深に
ヴィオラが大げさに心外そうな様子を見せる。
「それは誤解よ。ただ私としては、あれを偶然で片付けるのはどうかと思うのよ。それに本当に偶然だったとしても、その裏取りぐらいはもう少しやった方が良いと思うの。そのお手伝いができるんじゃないかって、言わば顧客に対する善意からの提案なのよ?」
「全ては偶然であり、あの抗争にドランカムが組織的に介入した事実はない。それがドランカムの公式見解よ。ドランカムを敵に回したくなければ、余計な手出しは
「そう? 残念ね。まあ、押し売りするものでもないし、ここは引いておきましょうか」
ミズハの予想は半分だけ合っていた。ヴィオラがミズハにネルゴに関する情報を売り付けようとしたのは事実だ。だがその内容は助言や忠告、
その結果、情報の入手経路にしていた情報屋の一部が突然連絡を絶った。連絡が取れた情報屋は比較的どうでも良い無難な情報を返してきた。ヴィオラはその結果に危険を感じ、そこで調査を打ち切った。
(ドランカム幹部との
「カツヤ。大丈夫ですか?」
「えっと、大丈夫って、何が?」
シェリルが申し訳なさそうに軽く頭を下げると、カツヤは慌てて首を横に振った。
「勝手に話したのは俺なんだ。謝らなくて良いよ。......そうだな、それなら、また少し話を聞いてもらっても良いか?」
んでそう答えたシェリルを見て、少し真面目な声で話し始めた。
「......また、守れなかったんだ。
カツヤが悲しげに首を横に振る。
「そいつはハンターじゃないんだ。そんな覚悟はできていなかったと思う。その必要もなかったと思う。守秘義務のようなもので詳しいことは話せないんだけど、普通のやつで、明日死んでるかもしれないハンターみたいな、そういうのじゃないんだ......。だから
「カツヤ。今から質問をしますが、答えなくて構いません。答えは、カツヤだけが分かっていれば良いことですから」
「その約束を守ろうとした時、手を抜きましたか?」
カツヤが余りの言葉に怒りを覚えて言い返そうとする。だがシェリルにじっと見詰められて逆にたじろいでしまう。
「もし手を抜いていたのなら、猛省して、同じことを繰り返さないと誓って、それで終わりです。無駄に落ち込むだけ無意味です。落ち込むぐらいなら今後の糧にしてください。そして手を抜いていないのなら......」
「世の中には、そういうこともあります。死力を尽くしてもできないことも、万全の準備を整えたのに僅かな不運で失敗することも、最善の選択を選んでも望む結果にならないことも、人生を費やし、賭けても、足りず、届かないことは、あるんです」
「ああしていれば、こうしていれば、もっと良い結果になったかもしれない。後からそう思って悩み悔やむこともあると思います。でもそれは、その選択を選んだ結果からの推察であって、ある意味で無意味な妄想に過ぎません。誤った選択の結果だと思っている今の状況が実は最善の結果だったと思ってしまうほどに、更に
「そして、本当に誤った選択だったとしても、その時にその選択をしたことも含めて実力です。手を抜いたとする理由にはなりません」
どこかで望んでいた言葉がカツヤの無防備な心に浸透していく。
「悲しい結果になったとしても、カツヤが約束を必死に守ろうとしていたことは、その人にもきっと伝わっています。約束を守れなかった自分を恨んでいる。そんなふうに勝手に決め付けてしまうと、その人も悲しみます。だから、その人の
「どうかしたのか?」
「ああ。シェリルのおかげだ」
そこにイナベがやってくる。そしてシェリルの談笑相手がカツヤだと気付くと、あからさまに見下した態度を取った。
「ドランカムのカツヤか。こんな場所でもナンパかね? 評判通り手が早いことで。立食会の目的を勘違いしているのではないか?」
「友達と会ったから話しているだけだ。誰だか知らないけど、シェリルに変な誤解を与えないでくれ」
「そうか。では、君には席を外してもらおう。彼女と話があるのでね」
シェリルがカツヤに申し訳なさそうに軽く頭を下げる。
「カツヤ。すみません。話の続きは次の機会ということに御願いできませんか?」
(ヴィオラとシェリルが協力関係なのは間違いないが、完全な一枚岩ではないようだな。あっちを取り込むのは難しく危険すぎる。必要ならこっちを取り込むか)
ヴィオラは非常に有能だが全く信用できない。しかしシェリルを介せば多少は安全に利用できるかもしれない。イナベはそこにシェリルの価値を
「では、十分に努力いたしましょう」
イナベのどこか挑発気味な顔に、シェリルは多分に余裕と自信を込めた見
場を移した後、シェリルはイナベと無難に談笑を続けていた。その話題の一つとしてイナベからカツヤの評判などを聞きながら、別れる前のカツヤから急に覚えた違和感の正体を考えていた。
その約束は守れない。カツヤの心に深く突き刺さり、あるものを封じる硬い
資料は最近のカツヤに関する調査報告書などだ。遺跡奥部での戦闘記録や、ドランカム主催の立食会での言動や評判、周囲の者からの聞き込み結果などが記載されている。それらにヤナギサワが望む記述はなかった。
「ネルゴが俺に虚偽の情報を渡した。連中が俺の存在に勘づいて隠蔽を謀った。......その可能性がないとは言わないが、違う気がするんだよなー。分からん」
ヤナギサワはネルゴからカツヤが旧領域接続者だと教えられてから、様々な名目でカツヤを自分の管理下に置いてその行動を確認していた。都市のドランカムへの影響力を介してカツヤ達をクズスハラ街遺跡の後方連絡線構築の前線に配備するのは、ヤナギサワの地位ならば
行動だったのか。ヤナギサワはそう疑い始めていた。
報告書の中にはカツヤの今後の予定も記載されていた。そこには立食会への参加も書かれていた。ヤナギサワはちょうど今がその立食会の時間だと気付くと、何となくその様子を見てみることにした。
ヤナギサワが少し操作すると、空中に立食会の光景が追加表示される。そして会場に警備用に設置されているカメラがカツヤの姿を捉えた。
Ch 201
The sponsors of Kugamayama city regularly held a feast on the upper floor of the Kugama building. It was a gathering of the conglomerates of huge companies from the inner wall where they meet and form connections as well as gather information about each other. It was the perfect opportunity to expand one's business. Basically, the people who gathered there were not the kind of people who could be pulled down by the economy. Instead, they were people who had the power and authority over that said economy. The regulars of that feast could easily infer someone else's power from how often they participated in such a feast.
This time, Sheryl also joined the feast accompanied by Viola. It happened a few days after that incident between Inabe and Udajima.
Viola was donning a daring dress, although it exuded her familiarity with secrets, it also made her look suspicious at the same time.
In contrast to that, Sheryl was wearing a graceful dress with a small accessory that boosted her charm. Although she somehow got a hold of herself in that situation, she still looked nervous, as if she was a lady who was not used to such a social gathering.
Sheryl then mumbled a short sentence that gave a hint as to why they were there that day.
"But still, to think that he would take such a troublesome approach."
Viola smiled at Sheryl like a veteran smiling at a greenhorn.
"The meaning behind this troublesome approach is usually much more important than you think. And that is doubly true when it is not something that they could just bring up in public. It's just like how people decide to bluff or make excuses, you know? It makes the subject vaguer from afar which prevents people from investigating the truth."
"Is that so?"
Sheryl had made a deal with Inabe to send some of his relics to be sold at her relic shop. But even for Inabe, it was impossible to just send the relics to an unknown shop that had no connection at all with the City Management in public. As such, Inabe invited Sheryl to that feast so that he could pretend to meet her by pure chance here. It was only then, could he make an excuse that he saw some talent in Sheryl, and decided to invest and entrust some expensive relics to her. Not only that, but Inabe was also evaluating other methods available for him to invest in Sheryl, adjusting his margin of profit using the same excuse.
"I'll go to you and let you handle the rest if something bad happens."
"That's a good decision."
Unfortunately, there was no lack of distraction coming into her vision. For the others here, the food served was nothing more than a complimentary snack during their conversation, but for Sheryl, she had to fight back the desire to get a taste of that food.
There were mistakes that might happen because you did not know it and there were things that you could fight back simply because you knew it well beforehand. Sheryl was stuck in between those two situations. In order to be able to blend in well among the people here, she had to act as if those foods did not interest her at all. In order to help her do that, she had filled her stomach with cheap stuff before coming there. After filling her stomach to the point where she felt like puking, she found the strength to fight back the temptation of the delicious food in that feast.
"Sheryl...?"
Sheryl turned to the source of that voice and saw Katsuya looking at her, rather surprised.
"Long time no see, Katsuya."
Sheryl decided to have a small talk with Katsuya to combat the temptation from the food as she smiled at him.
"Uh, well, this is actually my first. Though I did attend something similar a few times before..."
"Is that so? This is actually my first time too. I received an invitation from an acquaintance and so, I'm here for some business."
Sheryl then picked up two glasses from a nearby butler and offered one to Katsuya, who followed the flow and picked up the glass.
"Well then, to commemorate this meeting and this feast, cheers!"
Katsuya blushed a bit and was charmed by Sheryl as she gracefully took a sip from her glass. He then flusteredly brought his own glass to his mouth as if he just snapped from being hypnotized.
On the other side of the feast, Viola walked with a smile towards an officer from Drankam, Mizuha. In contrast to Viola, Mizuha slightly curled her lips seeing Viola there.
"Viola, how the heck did you get in here?"
"Not with any illegal means, I was officially invited, you know?"
"There's no way a mere information broker would be invited to this event. Just how many things do you think I needed to go through to be able to come to this place? I have no clue whether you blackmailed the guards or bribed them, either way, it would be troublesome if others see me talking with someone like you. So like, can you just leave me alone?"
Compared to Viola, who received her invitation from Inabe, Mizuha's position was lower since hers was only received using her connection in Drankam.
"Now that you understand I'm here because of a formal invitation, let's use this wonderful chance to deepen our relationship. This way, both of us will have more connections that we can use. Moreover, I have something that I want to ask you."
Viola smiled triumphantly that she got the reaction that she had expected. After making some idle talks first as if to delay the main subject, Viola finally got into the main subject without changing her tone.
"By the way, did you hear anything about the result from that investigation? I'm talking about who told Katsuya where that pickpocket was back during that incident in slum city."
From the deal that they had made between them, Mizuha sent a Drankam investigation regarding that matter to Viola in the past.
According to that report, it had been confirmed that Nergo was the one who told Katsuya about Alna's whereabouts. Katsuya said so and Nergo also admitted to it.
It seemed that Nergo witnessed Alna getting captured near the slum city. At first, he thought that she was just one of those common pickpockets in the slum, but then, he remembered and thought that pickpocket might be one that Katsuya was talking about lately. So he decided to give Katsuya a call. After Nergo said so to the investigators, he then said while looking regretfully that he would not have done that had he known it would turn into something like this.
After the investigation, the investigators gave the report to Drankam. Then Drankam officers used that report as a basis to prove their non-involvement in that incident. Of course, as an officer in Drankam, Mizuha also received a copy of that report.
Viola smiled deeply and warned Mizuha.
Viola exaggerated her surprise as she replied.
"That's a misunderstanding. It's just that it doesn't sit really well with me saying that it's nothing but a pure coincidence, so I think it might be a good idea to do further investigation on this matter. And in the case that you do, I might be able to lend you some help. It's basically just a piece of advice for one of my customers."
"It was a pure coincidence and Drankam has nothing to do with that battle at all. That's the formal statement from Drankam. If you don't want to pick a fight with Drankam, you should refrain from doing anything. Even if it was not a coincidence, we can see it simply as Nergo paying back his favour since Katsuya saved him in the past. I bet if you get involved in it, you could use it as a chance to get in between them. So, I don't need anything from you even if you're offering it for free. Just how many crimes have you committed in the past saying that they were nothing but coincidences?"
"Is that so? That's just too bad. Well, I have no plans to keep pushing this to you if you don't want it. So I'll withdraw for now."
Half of what Mizuha expected was right on the target. Viola was there to offer her information on Nergo. But she did not expect that half of its content was advice and a suggestion, or in other words, a warning.
Because of that, she lost some of her contacts. Those who she still could contact were either uninterested in that matter or that they had nothing interesting to say about Nergo. Viola felt that it was dangerous to pursue this matter any further and cut the investigation short.
[And here I am just thinking of giving a friendly warning since it would be too bad to lose a contact within Drankam... Well, it doesn't really matter. It's all good as long as nothing bad happens. I'll just leave her be since she has no other choice but to buy information from me in case anything bad happens.]
"Katsuya, is there something wrong?"
"Uhh, what do you mean?"
Sheryl said so as she gracefully bowed, seeing that, Katsuya flusteredly shook his head and explained.
"It's my fault for bringing it up myself. There's no need for you to apologize... Well, now that it has come to this, is it okay if I continue?"
Katsuya paused for a bit as if he was hesitating, seeing Sheryl smile as she said that, his expression turned serious.
"...I ...Failed again. Although I had promised, I could not keep my word."
Katsuya shook his head, there was visible sadness on his face.
"She wasn't a Hunter, so I don't think she expected it at all, and there's no need for her to have that resolve in the first place. Although I can't tell you the details since I'm bound by confidentiality, she's not a Hunter who was prepared to be killed... That's why I promised I would protect her."
"Katsuya, I'll ask you some questions, it is fine if you don't want to answer them. It's fine as long as you yourself understand the answers to my questions."
"Did you take it easy when you tried to keep that promise?"
Katsuya was about to shout back in anger. But seeing how Sheryl was staring straight at him, he instead flinched back.
"If you did, you should use that experience and promise you won't do that again. There's no need to be needlessly moping around like this. If you're going to mop around, it's better if you put more effort next time. But if you did not..."
"There are things in this world that we can't change no matter what we do even if we push ourselves to death or did all the preparations that could have been done. Even if you picked the best choice, or even if you put your life on the line, there are just things that you have to give up on in life."
"I'm sure there are times when you thought that things might have gone differently if you had done this and that. But you only know that after it's done, so it's not like you can go back and redo it again differently. In the first place, the decision that you think to be the wrong one, might actually be the better one, the end result might have been worse if you had picked the other option that you now think is the right one."
"Moreover, even if that decision was really the wrong one, you chose that option based on your ability at that time. It doesn't mean that you did not give your best shot."
The words that Katsuya might have been seeking all alone seeped deep into his now defenceless heart.
"I'm sure that even if it ended badly, the person that you were protecting knew that you did your best trying to keep your promise. If you're blaming yourself thinking that it was all your fault that you couldn't keep your promise, I'm sure she would be saddened. So you should stop for her sake."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Yep, and it's thanks to you."
That was when Inabe approached them. When he noticed that the person Sheryl was talking with was Katsuya, he then mockingly said.
"Katsuya from Drankam, huh? Hitting on a girl even at a place like this. I see. You're indeed as fast as the rumour says. But, aren't you mistaking the reason for this feast?"
"I'm just talking to a friend, I don't know who you are, but don't give Sheryl the wrong idea."
"I see, in that case, I'm sorry but I'll have you leave her now, I have something that I want to discuss with her."
Seeing that, Sheryl lightly bowed to Katsuya and apologetically said to him.
"Katsuya, I'm sorry, but can we continue this some other time?"
[It seems that although they're working together, they're not exactly on the same team. Getting close to Viola carries too much risk, so I guess I better approach Sheryl instead, huh.]
Viola was very skilled, but she could not be trusted. So instead, it might be safer to do that via Sheryl. That was what Inabe thought of Sheryl right now.
"In that case, I shall give my best effort."
In response to that light challenge from Inabe, Sheryl gave a confident and charming smile.
After they changed places, they then had a rather lighthearted talk. During their conversation, Sheryl was able to extract some information about Katsuya too as she remembered that she felt something was weird before Katsuya left them.
The fact that Katsuya could not keep his promise left a deep wound in his heart as if it was a ball and chain which chained him down. But after that exchange with Sheryl, it was as if he was finally released from that chain. But of course, Sheryl did not notice it.
The documents that he was reading mainly focused on the investigation reports regarding Katsuya. It included Katsuya's track record in the battles deep inside the inner part of the ruin as well as the evaluation of his actions during the social gathering event inside Drankam. Some of the reports also contained information from interviews of the people around him. But even among all of these reports, Yanagisawa could not find what he was looking for.
"Of course there's a possibility that Nergo gave me wrong information or that they noticed me... But I don't think that is the case this time. I really don't know what's wrong here."
Since he heard from Nergo that Katsuya might be someone who could connect to the old-world domain, Yanagisawa used all kinds of methods to keep Katsuya under his command in order to ascertain that. It was an easy thing for Yanagisawa to make the City Management hire Drankam and to get them dispatched for expanding the supply route in Kuzusuhara ruin.
Yanagisawa started to get suspicious whether Nergo gave him the wrong information or the ruin managers did something to hide their existence from Katsuya's track record.
Among the reports that he was reading, some of them mentioned Katsuya attending social gatherings. That was when Yanagisawa remembered that the feast in the Kugama building should be underway right now. So he then decided to check it out.
As he operated the terminal in front of him, a display showed a video from the ongoing feast. Then, in one of the videos from the security cameras in that feast, Yanagisawa finally found Katsuya.
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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