182 ヤツバヤシ移動診療所
翌日。アキラが仮設基地の食堂でキバヤシに少し不満そうな顔を向けていた。
「なあ、今回の依頼、そろそろ終わっても良いんじゃないか?」
「相変わらずだな。ランク上げ用の依頼の切り上げを自分から言い出すハンターなんてお前ぐらいだぞ?」
「知るかよ」
キバヤシが軽く苦笑する。交渉用の駆け引きではなく本心で言っていることを面白がりながら、目の前の少年を激戦地に飛ばせばもっと面白いことを期待できそうだと思いながら、一応自分の仕事の
め息を吐く。キバヤシはその様子すら楽しんでいた。
「さて、先に伝えたように今日はお前と軽い交渉事がある。お前が半分
アキラが表情を一気に厳しいものに変える。
「絶対払わないからな。そこを一部でも負担しろって言うのなら依頼そのものを切り上げてくれ」
「俺が言うのも何だが、その条件の所為で遺物の買取額や汎用討伐の撃破報酬を大分割り引かれているのはお前も知っているだろう? 一部負担とかにした方が結局は手取りも増えると思うぞ? それで良いのか?」
アキラは断固たる意思を示している。キバヤシはアキラの態度を見て一部自己負担での説得を諦めた。
「分かった。ランク調整用の依頼で一度そう契約したとはいえ、個人の費用にしては少々額が高すぎることを少し指摘されてな。その辺の対処をしたかっただけだ。一部自己負担が手っ取り早いんだが、そんなに嫌なら別の方法にしよう。1つ目の案だ。これから
「2つ目の案は?」
「活動区域を制限させてもらう。高額な弾薬費でも文句の出ない場所にな。具体的には、現在整備中の大通りの先、後方連絡線確保の前線辺りだな。あの辺は人型兵器を配備して前線を維持しているんだが、人型兵器に勝ったお前なら何とかなるだろう。個人的には第2案がお勧めだ」
キバヤシが期待に満ちた笑顔を浮かべるのと対照的に、アキラは表情を嫌そうに引き
「......3番目の案は?」
「ない。良い案があるのならそっちから提示してくれ」
「......1番目で頼む」
「了解だ。じゃあ、俺は早速その手続きをしてくる。調整が済み次第お前の端末に指示が出るから、後はその指示に従ってくれ」
キバヤシが立ち去り際に、
にも、強敵との実戦経験は多い方が良いからよ』
『......勘弁してくれ』
アキラは今回の依頼をエゾントファミリーの拠点で黒い機体と戦った映像の所為だと考えている。アキラとしてはあれはあくまで
アキラも修練に手を抜くつもりはない。だがアルファのサポートがなければ生き残れない死地に好き好んで向かうつもりもない。今回の依頼も自分の実力を客観的に判断するためにも、アルファのサポートを受けていない状態での実力、自力での実力相応のハンターランクまで上がればそれで良いと考えている。それを狂わせる要素は避けておきたいのが本音だった。
今まで何度も起きた不測の事態は、アキラの事情など全く考慮しない。アキラにはその自覚がまだまだ足りていなかった。
アキラがクズスハラ街遺跡の中をバイクで移動している。日を置いて再び仮設基地に来た直後に端末に届いた指示には、診療所の防衛という簡潔な内容とその場所が記載されていた。指定された場所は遺跡の中だった。
地下街の時のように廃ビルの中に仮設の診療所を作成したのだろう。アキラも初めはそう思っていた。だが端末の地図に表示されている診療所の位置は道路の上で、しかも現場についてもそれらしいものがない。
「軽傷ならちょっと待ってろ。重傷でも待ってろ。割り込みが要るぐらいに急患なら、治療費割増しで受け付けてるぞ」
「いや、俺は依頼で診療所の防衛に来たんだけど、ここで良いんだよな?」
怪しげな器具を持つヤツバヤシが治療の手を止めて顔をアキラの方に向ける。そしてどこか
「お前か。ヤツバヤシ移動診療所クズスハラ街遺跡支店へようこそ」
ハンターの治療が終わり、ヤツバヤシが血
かす手間だって惜しいんだぞ? それでも寝たければ相応の金を出してもらわないとな」
「......分かったよ」
男は負傷による疲労から緩慢な動作でベッドから降りると、血
「本人がそれを希望して、俺がそれを受け付ければな。当然別料金だ。言っておくが、勝手に運んだりするなよ? いや、絶対にするなって訳じゃないが、その場合は運搬費をお前が負担したことになる。気を付けないと後で請求が来るぞ」
「俺が運んで、その運搬費を俺が支払うのか?」
強めの困惑を表に出しているアキラに、ヤツバヤシが当然のように答える。
「そうだ。診療所防衛依頼の一環としてやったことになるからな。それに防衛要員が
「世の中そんなものだ」
ヤツバヤシは治療器具の整備をしながら割り切った様子を見せていた。
アキラ達の仕事は主に移動診療所の周辺の警備だ。ただしヤツバヤシが患者のいない時に応援要請の反応を見付けると診療所をその近くに移動させるため、通常の警備とは大分異なっていた。応援要請が来る程度にモンスターの多い区域に診療所ごと入っていき、診療所を守りながら周辺の敵を排除しつつ、負傷者がいれば診療所まで連れてくるのだ。
アキラは運悪くモンスターの群れと交戦する羽目になったハンター達を救出すると、負傷者をヤツバヤシの前まで運んだ。重傷で自力での移動も困難だが、事前に緊急時でも意識を
む男に笑って返す。
「荒野料金かつ遺跡内料金だからな。危険手当ってやつでその分割増しになってるんだよ。無理にとは言わない。嫌なら仮設基地の診療所まで自力で行くって手もあるぞ?」
男は死地から命辛々逃げ出してきたのだ。治療も受けずに自力で仮設基地まで戻る気力などない。しかし高額の治療費で財産を吹っ飛ばしてしまえば今後のハンター稼業に差し支えが出る。
命に代えられない。だがその後の貧窮は、借金地獄は、時に死に勝る。それを知っている男が悩んでいると、ヤツバヤシが少し優しげな、しかしどことなく
「......全額払うから普通に治療してくれ」
「......俺の治療薬を使うのなら、仮設基地までの輸送費を俺が負担しても良いぞ?」
「いいから、普通に治療してくれ」
ヤツバヤシが軽く舌打ちして通常の治療の準備を始める。そしてアキラに軽く愚痴を吐く。
「全く、どいつもこいつも。お前も使ったけど全く問題なかっただろう? 大丈夫だよな?」
な姿勢で跳躍して空中で一回転する。そして裸体を一直線に伸ばして湯船に溶け込むように飛び込んだ。
アルファが非常に深いプールの底から戻ってきたように少し間を空けてからアキラの横に上がってくる。アキラはアルファの一連の動作に見
れるような美しさを感じはしたが、感想としては
れを強めたアキラに楽しげな笑顔を向けた。その裏で、まだ早い、とある事情に対して評価を下した。
アルファが風呂に飛び込んだ時、アキラは着水するアルファを避けるように、直撃時の危険を回避する
ヤツバヤシがその解析結果を鋭い目で見ている。
表示装置に表示されている遺跡内の地図には、ティオルの痕跡らしいものと一緒に大きな線が記されていた。後方連絡路として利用されている大通りにある十字路、その分岐の一方の先を遮るように線が引かれている。
その分岐の先は都市側には未知の領域であり、その更に先にはツバキハラビルが存在していた。
『嫌だ。人型兵器を配備して前線を維持している場所になんて、ちょっと寄り道していく場所じゃない。無理はしないってシズカさんとも約束したしな』
アルファはアキラに軽い死地への寄り道を勧めたことを気にした様子もなく
そして、この場で多少無理強いしてでもアキラが診療所方面へ進むのを止めなかった時点で、アルファはアキラの不運をまだまだ軽んじていた。
診療所に到着したアキラが周囲を見て少し驚いている。診療所の周囲には多数のハンターの姿が見える。しかし
「アキラも別口で調査に参加しに来たと思っていたんだけど、違うみたいね。偶然ここに来ただけなら、良かったら一緒にどう? 調査自体はエレナの仕事だから、私と一緒にエレナを護衛するのがアキラの仕事になるけれど、注意深く進むつもりだし、何かあればすぐに撤退するつもりだから、安全な割には結構稼げるわよ?」
アキラが少し申し訳なさそうな態度を見せる。
「......すみません。誘っていただいたのは
「あれ? アキラの依頼ってその辺は結構好き勝手にできるとか言ってなかったっけ?」
「キバヤシって依頼の交渉相手と話したんですが、俺が弾薬を使いすぎた所為で、消耗品代を別の作戦の経費に混ぜて
「そうなの? 残念ね。まあ、ランク上げとはいえ、弾薬費無料にも限度はあるってことか」
残念そうなサラの隣で、エレナが少し思案する。
「......少し交渉すれば調査部隊側の経費に移せそうな気もするけれど、まあ今すぐには無理ね。残念だけどここは諦めましょうか。そろそろ調査範囲の調整とかの話があるから私達はもう行くわ。アキラも頑張ってね」
「はい。あ、調査中に何かあったら連絡してください。診療所の周辺の応援要請に駆け付けるのも俺の仕事の内ですから」
アキラは軽く手を振って去っていくエレナ達を少し機嫌の良い様子で見送った。
『アキラ。エレナ達の様子を勝手に見に行くとかは止めてちょうだいね』
『......随分聞き分けが良いわね?』
んだ。それがアキラの本心であると理解しているからだ。しかし同時に、その本心が何をどこまで保証するか未知数であることも理解していた。口に出した約束が常に守られるのならば、アルファはここまで試行を続けてなどいない。
その後、アキラが警戒は怠らずに、だが少し暇そうな様子で診療所周辺の警備を続けていた。調査部隊が周囲のモンスターを倒しながら調査範囲を進めているおかげで、診療所周辺まで近寄ってくるモンスターが減少している。そのため診療所の周囲をバイクで移動しながら情報収集機器で索敵を続けてもモンスターの反応は
Ch 182
On the next day, Akira once again had a talk with Kibayashi in the temporary's base cafeteria, and just like usual, he looked pretty annoyed.
"So, don't you think it's about time I'm done with this request?
"Good grief, there are not many Hunters out there who want to end their rank up request themselves, you know?"
"Don't know, don't care!"
Kibayashi smiled wryly. He found it amusing that he said his real feelings instead of negotiating with Akira and thinking how amusing it would be if Akira challenged an even fiercer battle than before, but he remembered to do his job to at least try to calm Akira down.
Akira sighed, Kibayashi immensely enjoyed his reaction.
"Now then, just like I said, I'm here because there's something I want to talk about with you. It's about the cost of your supply that you keep bringing up as a form of harassment."
Akira's expression immediately turned stern.
"No, I won't pay for them. If you're telling me to pay even a part of it, you can go ahead and cancel the request."
"Well, it might be weird for me to say this, but because of that condition, the credit you get from selling relics and hunting monsters are significantly reduced. You'll get more rewards back even if you only pay a small part of it, you know? So are you still fine with that?"
Akira showed no chance of negotiation for that matter. Seeing that, Kibayashi gave up trying to convince him.
"Alright, got it. I've at least notified you. Although it's because of the contract, the money you're spending on supply is actually a bit too high. So, I just wanted to let you know that there's a way to solve that. To be honest, it'll be faster if you just pay a part of it, but if you don't like that idea. So let's do something else instead. First option, you can work under our order for the time being, that would include following the orders of the other commanders from the City Management."
"What's my other option?"
"Limiting your activity to only a certain area where no one would complain if you spend that much money for your ammo. To be more precise, it would be the area past the end of the highway, or in another word, the frontline. Although most of the Hunters working there make sure to bring along their powered suit, I'm sure it's no problem for you since you've won against a powered suit even without using one, right? Personally speaking, I recommend you take this option instead of the first one."
Kibayashi smiled with full expectation, in contrast to that, Akira obviously looked annoyed.
"...Do I have any other options?"
"Nothing, if you have any good ideas, feel free to let me know."
"...I'll take the first one."
"Roger that. Well then, I'll take care of the administration. I'll let you know once I'm done and you'll get the next order sent to your information terminal later, so you can just follow that instruction."
Kibayashi stood up and was about to leave when he glanced at the sighing Akira and smiled.
"For the sake of your growth, it's better if you fight strong enemies."
"...Give me a break."
Akira thought that he got this request because he fought that black powered suit back in Ezont Family's base. For him, it was nothing but a pure coincidence. So honestly speaking, he wished that the City Management would understand that it was not his actual skill. He did not want people to think that it was because of his real strength when it was actually thanks to Alpha's full support.
While at the same time, Akira himself had no wish to take it easy for his training, but on the other hand, he had no plans to be jumping into dangerous places where he might not be able to survive without Alpha's support. So he was thinking during this rank up request to just raise his rank high enough to reflect his real strength when he had no support from Alpha. He honestly wanted to avoid doing anything that might disrupt that plan.
Akira did not think of all the hard battles that he had gone through because of pure coincidence, and it was simply because he did not have enough self-awareness.
Akira rode his bike coursing through Kuzusuhara ruin. After a few days, a notice reached his terminal right after he arrived at the forward base. That notice contained an order for him to guard a clinic plus the location of that clinic, and its coordinate was basically deep inside the ruin.
At first, Akira thought that it would be a clinic temporarily erected inside a dilapidated building or something, but the coordinates that he received smacked right in the middle of the road with no building around. Akira thought it was weird and once again checked the coordinates when he noticed it was moving. And so, currently, he was chasing that moving clinic.
"If it's just a light injury, wait there for a bit. And if it's a bad injury, wait there for a bit as well. If it's an emergency, I don't mind treating you now, but it'll cost you more."
"Uh, I'm actually here as an escort, is this the right place by the way?"
Yatsubayashi stopped, his hand was still holding a weird, or more like, suspicious tool as he looked at Akira and made a suspicious smile.
"It's you, huh? Welcome to Yatsubayashi clinic, Kuzusuhara ruin branch."
He finished treating the Hunter in front of him and handed over a cloth soaked in blood to that Hunter.
"No. I would need to move the bed in case of an emergency. So you'll have to pay me money even if you just want to lie on that bed."
"...Alright alright."
Due to his injury, that Hunter could only slowly drag himself off from that bed before he put that bloody cloth back on and left the trailer. After taking a few steps away from that trailer, he put his butt down to take a short rest.
"Sure, if he wants to and if I accept that request. Of course, it won't be free. Just to warn you though, don't escort him back without my permission. It's not like I'm telling you not to do that no matter what, but if you do that, you'll have to pay for the cost. So just be careful about that."
"Why would I have to pay when I'm the one escorting him back?"
Akira seemed to be extremely confused there, but then Yatsubayashi casually replied.
"Well, that's because you'll be doing work outside of guarding this clinic, which is your main job at the moment, you see. Not to mention, you won't be able to guard this clinic while you're escorting that guy back to the forward base. So it's a given that you would have to pay, no?"
"That's just how it is."
Yatsubayashi only casually said so while cleaning up his medical tools.
Akira was not alone, there were other Hunters who were assigned to guard the clinic too. But since Yatsubayashi actively moved around his clinic to pick up his patients, those escorts usually spread out not too far away from the clinic. Once they entered areas with a lot of monsters where Hunters even sent SOS requests, Akira and the other escorts spread out to clean up the monsters while carrying any injured Hunters back to the mobile clinic.
Akira with his incredible (bad) luck spent his days fighting swarms of monsters and carrying injured Hunters that he saved back to the clinic. Although the injured Hunter was so badly injured to the point that he was barely able to move his finger, he was still fully conscious. Maybe it was because of something that he prepared beforehand to make sure that he would not faint even during an emergency.
Yatsubayashi just laughed that off and casually replied.
"That is a wasteland fee plus a ruin fee. Considering how dangerous this place is, it's normal to be that expensive, no? I won't force you to pay that, but if you're not going to pay it, good luck going back to the forward base on your own."
That man was only barely able to escape certain death, so he had no energy left to drag himself back to the forward base. But if he splurged his money on treatment there, it would definitely affect his Hunter activity later.
Of course, there was nothing more valuable than one's life, but considering the debt later and what kind of debt hell that he might face, sometimes, death was the better choice. That man knew that fact very well as he was at loss on what to do there, seeing that, Yatsubayashi smiled suspiciously at him and pulled out a container filled with green liquid.
"...I'll pay everything, so I'll take the usual treatment."
"...If you're willing to take my medicine, I'll escort you back to the temporary base for free, you know?"
"Just give me the normal treatment."
Yatsubayashi lightly clicked his tongue and started treating that Hunter's injury. He then lightly said to Akira.
"Good grief, these guys are no fun. You did use my medicine and had no trouble at all, right? It was alright, right?"
Alpha lightly smiled at Akira who was looking at her with a rather suspicious gaze. She then jumped, made a beautiful arc, pulled a full spin in the air, and plunged into the warm bath as if her body immediately melted into the water.
Alpha then popped out from the water as if she just popped out from a deep pool before moving next to Akira. Akira watched that sequence of action with slight amazement, but he was more exasperated than amazed.
"I just feel that lately, you are showing less interest in my body. I just thought of showing my beautiful body to you in a different way. So, how was that?"
Alpha smiled amusedly at Akira who looked even more exasperated than before. But behind her mind, she thought that it was still too early.
When she jumped into the bath in her swimsuit, Akira unconsciously moved his body as if to evade an incoming attack. And when he did that, there was actually another reason as to why he moved his body away.
After Yatsubayashi finished analyzing the data, he then said with a sharp gaze.
The map of the ruin on his display also showed Tiol's track as well as a big line. The line was drawn over one of the crossroads used in the main highway as if to create a blockade.
The line was basically the frontline and the area behind that line was an unknown world from the City Management's point of view, and Tsubaki's building lay deep behind that line.
"No. I heard that Hunters would bring their powered suit with them there, so it's not a place for someone like me to take a detour and look around. Not to mention, I promised Shizuka-san not to do anything reckless."
Alpha smiled like usual to Akira, betraying the fact that she just said something as preposterous as suggesting taking a detour in the land of death to him.
But then, the fact that Alpha did not stop him from going to that clinic even if she had to force him, showed that she was still looking down on his bad luck.
When Akira arrived and looked around the situation around the clinic, he could not hide his surprise. The clinic was surrounded by more Hunters than usual, and these Hunters were not injured. But with that being said, they were just too many of them if they were the clinic's escorts.
"I thought that you're here for the reconnaissance request too, but that doesn't seem to be the case, huh. But since you're already here, how about joining the reconnaissance team? The scouting itself is Elena's main job, so I'm here as her escort today. If you want to come too, you'll be also escorting Elena. We're planning to explore the area carefully and we'll immediately retreat back if things get dangerous, so I think it's a rather safe request and we can get quite a lot of money from it."
But Akira apologetically replied.
"...I'm sorry. I'm happy that you invited me, but I'm here as an escort for the clinic. So I can't take your offer."
"Oh? If I'm not mistaken, you said that you're basically free to do what you want for that request, right?"
"From a discussion with a guy called Kibayashi, it seems that I've been spending too much money on supplies, so I have to do this so that the City Management would allow me to keep using that much money. Then from there, I got assigned to escort the clinic."
"Is that so? That's really unfortunate. Well, I guess even though it's for getting your rank up, it's not like they can spare you an unlimited amount of money, huh."
Sara said so with a disappointed face. But then Elena made a suggestion.
"...I feel like they might let you change to the reconnaissance team with a little negotiation though, but of course, not right away. So I guess we have no other choice but to give up that idea this time. We'll have a briefing first about the area that we need to explore, so we need to go soon. Good luck to you, Akira."
"Yes, ah, feel free to contact me if anything happens during the exploration. It's also my job as the escort for the clinic to get out and pick up SOS request after all."
Akira lightly waved and saw Elena and Sara off.
"Akira, just to warn you not to go out on your own just to check on them, okay?"
"...You're pretty obedient this time."
Alpha smiled happily since she identified that as Akira's honest opinion about that matter. But at the same time, she also knew there was no telling how far he would go to stay by his decision. If he had always kept all his promises, Alpha would not be this doubtful of him.
After that, Akira focused on guarding the clinic, but this time there was not that much for him to do. Thanks to the reconnaissance team that took out the monsters ahead of them, there were not that many monsters left near the clinic. Because of that, even when he patrolled around the clinic on his bike while keeping his eyes on the sensor, he did not find any signals from monsters.
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/
非公開