った頃、アキラはキバヤシをクガマビル1階のレストランに呼び出していた。キバヤシがメニューを片手に楽しげに笑う。
「そっちが呼び出したんだ。代金はそっち持ちだよな?」
「そりゃ良かった。ついでに場所をもっと上の店に変えないか?」
「そんな金は無い。ここだって結構高いじゃないか」
めて不満を示すアキラの様子に、キバヤシが苦笑する。
「ハンターランク50のハンターの言葉とは思えねえな。接待するにしろされるにしろ、ランク相応の店ってのがあるもんだろう」
大規模遺跡探索の騒ぎでは多数のハンターが激戦を繰り広げたが、その死闘に見合う報酬を金で受け取った者は
に、都市はハンター達への報酬をハンターランクの上昇に集中させた。通常なら金とハンターランクで支払われる報酬を、ハンターランクのみに絞ったのだ。そして資金難に陥ったハンター達に対して上昇後のランクを基準にした融資を行った。その金の出元は他の都市や企業からの投資だ。クガマヤマ都市は短期的には資金難に陥っているが、長期的には莫大な利益を見込めるので、その程度の金は十分に集まった。
治療や装備の修理などで借金を抱える羽目になったハンター達も、ハンターランクの十分な上昇と低金利での融資は非常に有り難かった。それは都市への不満を抑えるのに十分なものだった。
これによりアキラのハンターランクは一気に上昇していた。ハンターの部隊を1人でほぼ壊滅させたことや、操縦者が建国主義者と思われる人型兵器を撃破したことが大きかった。同等の依頼の金銭報酬を算出して、それをハンターランク上昇のみで補填したと考えれば妥当でもあった。
そして、それだけの腕を持ち、それだけ稼ぐハンターの言動と考えれば、確かにアキラの対応は微妙ではあった。
「店をシュテリアーナに変えるなら、キバヤシに
「何でそんなお偉いさんが荒野で定期巡回の運転手なんかやってるんだよ」
「趣味だ」
めて反論する。
「言っておくがな、調達が遅れているのはお前の
「あ、うん。分かった」
キバヤシの気迫の籠もった畳み掛けるような説明に、アキラは押し流されていた。だがそこでふと思う。
「輸送だけなら、俺が輸送費を追加で支払って個別に運んでもらえば、その分だけ早くなったりしないか?」
「なるが、その場合、最低でも100億オーラムは用意しろよ?」
予想外の高額に驚くアキラに、キバヤシが軽い
「......そうか。確かにそうだな。知り合いに最前線から商品を運んできたって話したやつがいたから、ちょっと勘違いしてた」
「まあ、最前線と言っても危険度に差異はある。それに話を誇張するやつも多い。具体的な証拠でもなければ信じるのは無理だな。現地に行かないと絶対に分からない話とか、運んできた物を実際に見たとか」
「ああ、話は分からないけど、物は見たぞ。ラグナロックって銃だ。エレナさん達と一緒に見たから本物だと思う」
キバヤシが軽い感心と関心を示して楽しげに笑う。
「へー。そうすると、少なくとも最前線まで続く輸送ルートに関わったのは確かだな。そいつ、どうなったんだ? そんなデカい賭けの結果は、大勝か大敗って相場が決まっている。どっちだ?」
んだ話も、逆に破滅した話も、どちらもキバヤシの好物だ。高い興味を示していた。だがアキラが少し考えてから答える。
「......いや、どっちでもないんじゃないか? その後も普通に商売してたようだし」
「おお、意外な結果だな。珍しい。へー。......そいつ、ちょっと俺に紹介しないか? なに、連絡先を教えてくれればそれで良い。仲介に立ち会わせて時間を取らせたりはしねえよ」
「良いけど、ハンターじゃないぞ?」
れ気味のアキラからカツラギの連絡先を聞き出すと話を戻す。
「そういう訳で、装備の調達には時間が掛かる。まあ、時間が掛かる理由ばっかり話してげんなりさせるのも何だから、少し付け加えておこう。輸送の方は意外にすんなりいって、物の確保さえ済めば、結構あっさり届くかもしれない。今は大流通の時期で、今回はその流通網にクガマヤマ都市も加わっているからな」
統企連は定期的に大流通と呼ばれる大規模な流通支援を実施している。巨額を投じて東部全体の流通を強引に促し、東部の人、物、金を
これは同時に、活動地域の開拓が進んで仕事が無くなったハンター達が金に困って強盗に転職する前に、仕事のある場所に移ってもらう目的も兼ねている。金の無いハンターの寝床は大抵スラム街だからだ。
また、新たな開拓都市の建設や、都市から離れた位置にある大遺跡の攻略前線基地の建設なども、大抵はこの大流通に合わせて計画される。大量の物資を輸送する必要があるからだ。
それら様々な理由により、大流通の時期は荒野を大量の輸送車両が走り回る。当然周辺のモンスターを非常に刺激するので大規模な襲撃を誘発するのだが、統企連はこれを金に物を言わせた武力で撃破する。これは統企連の力の誇示であり、同時に東部全域のモンスターの間引きも兼ねている。この大規模な間引きによって、東部経済の動脈である輸送ルートを整備しているのだ。
アキラは何となく以前の大流通がいつだったか思い出そうとした。だがスラム街での今日の日付も分からない日々もあって、よく分からなかった。
「大流通か。随分久しぶりな気がする」
「大流通自体は毎年開催されているが、クガマヤマ都市の参加は久々だからな。推奨されているとはいえ、各都市の参加は任意だ。統企連の支援があるとはいえ都市側の負担も大きいし、各都市の事情もある。その辺は俺達には分からない経営判断ってやつだ。まあ、今回クガマヤマ都市が参加した理由は簡単に分かるけどな」
「どんな理由なんだ?」
キバヤシは少し意外そうな顔をした後、その理由の当事者でもある者に苦笑を向けた。
「ハンターの、補充だよ」
クガマヤマ都市の周辺には結構な数の遺跡が存在しており、その難易度も幅広い。駆け出しハンターでも結構何とかなる低難度の遺跡から、熟練ハンターがしっかり準備を整えて挑む高難度の遺跡まで様々だ。
加えて都市が実施する定期巡回は、駆け出しハンターが本格的に遺跡に向かう前に装備と実力を身に付けるのに適している。駆け出し未満の者でも最低限の日銭を稼げるので、ハンター稼業を諦めて強盗に転職するのを食い止める滑り止めにもなっている。
乱立している大小様々なハンター徒党も、チームも組まずに1人で遺跡に飛び込んで死ぬような無謀者を減らしている。問題も多いが利点も多いのだ。
それらの要因によりクガマヤマ都市はハンターが比較的成り上がりやすい環境を維持している。そのおかげで周辺の都市からもハンター志望者が集まりやすい。駆け出しから順当に実力を身に付けて、更なる成果を求めて活動場所をもっと東に移すまで、長期に
キバヤシは冗談のような苦笑で済ませていたが、実際にクガマヤマ都市の経済が結構危なかったのは事実だった。だからこそ、それを解決したヤナギサワの権限は非常に高まっていた。
キバヤシがそこで軽く驚いたような様子を見せる。
「ちょっと思ったんだが、お前はさっき言った騒ぎに全部参加してるよな?」
アキラが何となく視線を
「......俺がハンター稼業を始めたのが、ちょうどその辺りだからな」
「それだけの騒ぎに関わって生き残ったんだ。成り上がるわけだな。俺の観察眼は正しかったわけだ」
キバヤシは楽しげに笑っていたが、アキラは苦笑いを浮かべていた。それらの騒ぎは自分の
「そういえば、お前もハンターランク50になったんだし、他の都市への移住を検討してるのか?」
「いや、そんな予定はないけど」
「そんな上限があるのか。知らなかった」
「勘違いしないように言っておくが、別にハンターオフィス側で制限を掛けている訳じゃない。単純に環境や効率、需要と供給の問題だ。この辺にはランク50以上のハンターなんて
どいないから、当然そういうハンター向けの店も全然無い。同等の仲間も探しにくい。装備の調達も手間が掛かる。周囲にそれだけのハンターの実力に見合う遺跡も
それでアキラもしっかりと納得した。しかし逆にキバヤシが少し考え込むような態度で続ける。
「......ただまあ、今後はその状況も変わるかもな。ヤナギサワが後方連絡線の延長を再開したんだが、同時に遺跡奥部攻略の
翌日、今度はアキラがキバヤシに呼び出された。待ち合わせ場所であるクガマビル1階のロビーでキバヤシを待っていると、待ち合わせ時刻の前に、防壁の内側の方向から少女が現れる。
アキラが近付いてきた少女を見て少し不思議そうにする。少女は都市職員の制服を着ており、少し大人びた容姿をしていた。最近背も伸びて体格も良くなっているアキラと同世代に見える。大人と呼ぶには少々
少女が少し緊張した様子でアキラに愛想良く頭を下げる。
「アキラさんですね。私はキバヤシと同部署の者でヒカルといいます。本日は
「え、あ、はい。あの、キバヤシは?」
「本日は私がアキラさんを担当いたします。では、詳しい話は場所を移して進めましょう」
「あー、ちょ、ちょっと待ってください」
アキラは情報端末を取り出してキバヤシに連絡を入れた。
「どうした、じゃない。今どこにいるんだ。急用でも出来て誰かに代わってもらったのなら、その連絡ぐらい入れろ」
アキラが状況をキバヤシに説明する。当然の文句を言ったつもりだったのだが、キバヤシの返事はアキラの予想とは大分異なっていた。
「待ち合わせの場所と時刻に都市の制服を着た者が来て俺の名前を出した。そこで黙って付いていかずに、俺に連絡を入れたのは良い対処だったと言っておこう」
「どういう意味だ?」
アキラが思わずヒカルに警戒の視線を向けると、ヒカルは意味が分からず僅かに体を震わせた。
「おっと、誤解するなよ? そうかもしれないってだけの話だ。そのヒカルってやつは間違いなく俺の知り合いだ。そこまでは保証する。そしてそれ以外は、事実がどうであれ、俺は一切保証しない」
アキラが表情を更に
「だからどういうことだよ。ちゃんと説明しないなら帰るぞ?」
「それもありだ。交渉の場に信頼できる交渉人がおらず詳しい説明もない。だから話にならないと一蹴する。間違ってはいない。常に正しいかと言えば、それも違うけどな」
め息を吐くと、その様子を察したキバヤシが楽しげな声を返してくる。
「前にも少し言ったが、荒事は得意だが交渉事は不得意ってハンターはいろいろと付け込まれるからな。そいつで少し交渉事ってのを練習しておけ。改めて言っておくが、俺が保証するのはそいつが俺の知り合いってことだけだ。そいつの身元、立場、思想、有能か無能か、信用できるのか、信頼して良いのか、後はお前自身で確かめろ。
通話が切れた後、アルファが軽い困惑を見せているアキラに笑いかける。
『それで、どうするの? 帰る?』
『......まあ、これも練習ってことで、話ぐらいは聞いてみるよ』
アキラが視線をヒカルに戻す。そこに警戒の意思は無かったのだが、ヒカルは笑顔に焦りを
アキラ達は場所を1階のレストランに移した。アキラの向かいに座ったヒカルが丁寧に頭を下げる。
「キバヤシから既に話が通っていたと認識していましたが、こちらの手違いであればお
「ありがとう御座います。あと、私のことはヒカルで結構ですよ。出来れば普通に話してください。交渉事に大切なのは信頼です。礼儀に
って意思疎通を
「分かったわ。じゃあ、普通にね。キバヤシから話を聞いていないようだから、えっと、どこから話そうかな」
親しみを込めて笑って砕けた口調で話しながら、ヒカルはアキラの機嫌を損ねていないか真剣に探っていた。
「良いわよ。何でも聞いて。恋人の有無とかスリーサイズとか聞かれても、内緒って答えるけどね」
「ああ、そういうのじゃない。そうだな。ヒカルは本当に都市の職員なのか?」
よ。私は間違いなくクガマヤマ都市の職員。所属は広域経営部で、そこだと最年少よ」
「所属している証拠は? って聞いたら?」
んだ。だがその裏では、対処方法を必死に模索していた。
アキラはヒカルをキバヤシが用意した交渉事の練習相手だと考えている。大分失礼な質問をしているのも、その練習としてだ。しかしヒカルはその事情を全く知らなかった。その
「キバヤシの紹介ってだけじゃ、根拠としては足りない?」
「そのキバヤシが、自分の知り合いってこと以外は何も保証しないから、自分で確かめろって言ってたんだ」
ヒカルが思わず笑顔を少し固くして、内心で毒突く。
(あの野郎......、これも試験ってこと? やってくれるわね)
アキラと交渉して依頼を引き受けさせ、きっちりと完遂させる。それが今回のヒカルの仕事であり、自身の実力をキバヤシに認めさせる試験だ。
高ランクハンターとの交渉は都市の職員達にとっても非常に重要な仕事だ。貴重な遺物の確保も、都市周辺の防衛も、そのハンターとの交渉次第で大きく揺らぐ。当然、その者達の信頼を得て、交渉を円滑に運ぶ交渉人の力も高まっていく。
ヒカルがアキラの態度からキバヤシの意図を推察する。
(交渉相手のハンターに私の身元を認めさせることも出来ないのなら、交渉なんかとてもじゃないが任せられないってことね。やってやるわよ)
ヒカルはテーブルの上に情報端末を置くと、自分の身分証を
「身分証も表示ページも偽造したもので、制服は堂々と着ていればバレないだろうって言ったら?」
「そうきたか。それなら一緒にハンターオフィスに行って、私の身分照会をしてもらうってのはどう?」
アキラは自分がハンター登録をした時の出来事をヒカルに話した。ヒカルは防壁外の事情には疎いところもあり、その話を聞いて少し驚いていた。
「......外だと、ハンターオフィスの職員でも質の問題とかあるのね。でも当時のアキラの話よね? あ、でも、ランク50のハンターを
疑う目的で疑えば切りなど無い。どこまでも疑える。問題はどこで納得するかだ。それはアキラも分かっている。そこで自分なりに、そこで欺かれたらどうしようも無いという妥協点を考えてみた。
アルファが少し得意げに
アキラがヒカルに頼んでやってもらうと、すぐに結果が返ってきた。
「照会した。広域経営部所属サクヤマ・ヒカル。本人だ。これで満足か?」
「どうやって確認したとか聞いても良い?」
「これは貸しだ。返してもらう。そうだな、シェリルに顔を見せて機嫌を取っておけ。私に世話に成ったと付け加えてだ」
「あと、その情報端末をそいつに向けろ」
アキラが言われた通りにすると、情報端末の表示面にイナベが映り、ヒカルに少し厳しい視線を向ける。
「誰だか知らんが、手間をかけさせるな」
ヒカルもイナベのことはよく知っている。驚きながらも慌てて謝る。
「も、申し訳ございません!」
だがヒカルが謝罪を始めた直後に、既にイナベは通信を切っていた。少し重苦しい沈黙だけが場に残る。
「い、いいのよ。気にしないで」
ヒカルは頑張って愛想良く笑った。だが少し無理があった。
Not too long after the large-scale expedition incident, Akira called Kibayashi to meet up in a certain restaurant on the first floor of Kugama building. Kibayashi was browsing the menu in a good mood.
"You're the one who invited me, so you'll pay for it this time, right?"
"That's great to hear. By the way, why don't we go to the higher floors?"
"I don't have that kind of money. This place is already expensive for me."
Seeing Akira frowning, Kibayashi smiled bitterly and remarked.
"No one would have expected that coming from a ranking 50 Hunter. Whether it's for treating someone else or for treating yourself, a high-ranking Hunter like you needs to use the appropriate corresponding restaurant, you know?"
Although there were many deaths after that incident, many of the Hunters did not receive enough to make the job they took worthwhile. It was mainly because most of the Hunters participating in the expedition had their reward decided based on the relics that they brought back. Even for those in the extermination team, their contract did not award payment for the number of monsters that they defeated, but instead, the worth of relics found in the area that they secured. Based on those two criteria, most Hunters did not receive much at all.
Naturally, there were Hunters who insisted on getting paid. To pacify them, City Management paid them based on their Hunter Rank after their promotion using loans. The loans came from selling bonds to several corporations and other cities. Although Kugamayama city was in a financial pinch, since there was a prospect of massive sums of revenue soon, City Management managed to amass more than sufficient funding.
The low-interest loan City Management provided was a huge help for the Hunters who had to pay for treatment, equipment, and repairs. It was just enough to prevent the Hunters from rioting.
With this, Akira received a huge boost in his Hunter Rank. It was thanks to the feat of crushing an entire team of Hunters alone. He also shot down a powered suit that was piloted by someone suspected to be a nationalist. If they considered all his achievement, potential payments and converted it into Hunter Rank, the increase would obviously not be small.
And so, with someone as skilled and as powerful as him, Akira's actions and words came off unbefitting of his position.
"If you want to change it to Shuteriana, you'll be the one paying, okay? If you don't want to, then you need to be someone that would give me a good enough reason to treat you there first."
"So why is this so-called big shot driving a patrol truck in the middle of the wasteland."
"That's my hobby."
Against Akira's obviously disapproving reaction, Kibayashi frowned and rebuked.
"Just to let you know, it's your fault that I put in the order late, you know?"
"Y-yes, of course."
As Akira was overwhelmed by Kibayashi's flurry of explanation that sounded more like an attack, he suddenly thought of something.
"If it's about the transport, I can help out by paying to get it sent here in its own separate transport vehicle though. That way, everything should arrive faster."
"Like hell it would, if you really want to do it, make sure to at least prepare 10 billion Aurum, alright?"
Akira was utterly surprised. Kibayashi sighed exasperatedly and explained.
"...I see. That does make sense. I have an acquaintance who once transported equipment from the front line, so I must have gotten a wrong impression from there."
"Well, there are some safe areas too, even in the front line. Moreover, there are people who love to boast about being in the front line. It's impossible to trust them without any proof. You can test them with stories that they won't know unless they actually visited the front line or stuff that can be found only in the front line."
"That's true, I can't say for sure that he's not lying, but I got to see something that I heard only exists in the front line. It was a gun called Ragnarok. Elena-san and Sara-san were there too, so I'm pretty sure it was really a Ragnarok."
Kibayashi raised his eyebrows and smiled amusedly.
"Ohhh, in that case, he must really have a safe route to the front line at the very least. So, what happened to him? People who bet on the transportation of such stuff usually either end up with a huge profit or a huge loss"
Stories of people who reached for success through one enormous bet was Kibayashi's favourite. Even if their bet failed, he would still relish it. However, though he showed his interest, in contrast to that, Akira paused for a bit before replying.
"...I think it's neither. It seems that he's working as a normal merchant right now."
"Ohh, that's unexpected. Hmmm... Can you introduce me to him? Don't worry, you can just tell me his contact number. There's no need to reserve your time to introduce him directly to me."
"Sure, I don't mind, but he's not a Hunter, you know?"
After Kibayashi received Katsuragi's contact from the obviously exasperated Akira, he then returned to the main subject.
"So, the equipment will still take some time to arrive. Well, I'm sure it's not fun to just listen to my excuses as to why it'll still take some time. So, I'll at least let you know this. For the transport, it seems that it's going better than I thought, as long as we can get the product, it might reach here sooner than expected. We're in the resupplying season right now, and this time, Kugamayama city is joining the distribution network."
The Corporate Government had a regular large-scale transportation season. During that time, they took in requests to transport money, cargo, and even people all over the eastern district in order to proactively encourage economic circulation throughout the eastern district.
While at the same time, it also worked as a way to transport Hunters who started to run out of work in the cities they were in. They could go to a better place with more Hunter jobs before they turn into thugs and bandits out of desperation. After all, penniless but armed Hunters would not be able to live elsewhere other than the slums.
Moreover, plans for constructing new cities or a base way past the front line would be often done during this season. After all, they needed to transport a lot of resources to execute such a plan.
With all of these reasons intertwined, trucks and other transport vehicles filled the wasteland during this season. Of course, it greatly roused the monsters. However, with the monetary support from the Corporate Government, each transport vehicle was guarded with enough escorts. It was a good opportunity to show the power of the Corporate Government as well as to thin out the monsters roaming the wasteland. Due to this large-scale movement, the eastern district was able to build infrastructure to travel through the wasteland.
Akira tried to remember when was the last transport season, but considering that he could not even tell what was the date back when he was in the slums, he could not really identify when was the last transport season.
"The transport season, huh. I feel like it's been quite a while since the last season."
"The transport season itself is always done at least once per year, but it has indeed been quite a while since the last time Kugamayama city joined in on it. Although each city is recommended to join, it's still up to each City Management's discretion to join or not. Basically, we have no say in such a decision, but well, it's kind of easy to guess the reason why Kugamayama city decided to join this season."
"Oh, what reason is that?"
Kibayashi pulled back his head and raised his eyebrows. He then gave a bitter smile as he stated the reason.
"It's for replenishing Hunters."
Kugamayama city had several ruins around it and each ruin offered different levels of challenge. Some of them were completely explore-able even to new Hunters while some even required veteran Hunters with proper preparation.
Moreover, the regular patrol request made by City Management was basically training for newer Hunters to get themselves ready to face real ruins. At the same time, it also helped these amateur Hunters to earn enough money to get by. This way, they would not be forced into robbery and other crimes.
Working together like this encourages the Hunters to form teams. Thus, effectively reducing the number of Hunters who challenged the ruins alone only to end up dead. Although it had many downsides, the benefits were also equally as many if not more.
Due to this, Kugamayama city was a relatively good city for Hunters to chase after success. This was the reason why Hunters from nearby cities were attracted to here. Many Hunters stayed in this city for a long time to polish their skills before heading out east for more profitable ventures.
Although Kibayashi said so in his usual casual joking manner, he was telling the truth. The city was indeed on the brink of an economic crisis. But that's exactly why Yanagisawa's recent achievement gave him immense power and influence.
But Kibayashi suddenly gasped as if he just noticed something.
"Wait, now that I think about it, you were also involved in all of those incidents, right?"
Akira inadvertently looked away.
"...Well, I restarted my Hunter activity around that time after all."
"You've gone through all of those incidents and came back alive, no wonder you're doing great as a Hunter, as I thought, I can identify an exceptional Hunter when I see one"
In contrast to Kibayashi, who was laughing cheerfully, Akira only gave an awkward bitter smile. Although Akira thought that those incidents were not really his fault, his face still stiffened when Kibayashi brought them up.
"By the way, you got promoted to Rank 50. Are you planning to go to the other cities?"
"No, I don't have that kind of plan at all."
"Oh? I didn't know there is that kind of upper limit."
"Oh, please don't misunderstand. It's not like the Hunter Office sets an upper limit for the Hunters to stay in this city. It's basically just a matter of risk and reward. Convenience, and supply and demand. Since most of the Hunters leave the city before they reach Rank 50, as expected, no shop suitable for Hunters of Rank 50 and above can be found in this city. So, there is the trouble that they would have to go through for their equipment. It's also hard to find suitable party members as well. And to top it off, there are not many ruins around that match their skills. Because of that, it's extremely difficult to raise their Rank even higher if they stay in this city. So for those Hunters who are aiming for Rank 50 and above, this city is only suitable for them at most till Rank 50."
"I see... Wait, you just said that there are not that many ruins that match their skill, right? In that case, how about the inner part of Kuzusuhara ruin? They can just go there, right?"
That argument was enough to fully convince Akira. But as if they were exchanging positions, this time, it was Kibayashi who suddenly went deep in thought.
"...But well, the situation might change from now on. Not only has Yanagisawa restarted pushing the supply line deeper into Kuzusuhara ruin, it seems that he's also gathering high-ranking Hunters to explore the inner part of Kuzusuhara ruin. Other plans that involve large funding to construct infrastructure inside the ruin are also in progress. Some of the Hunters who had gone east are returning back. Don't you notice any of this?"
On the next day, this time, it was Kibayashi who called Akira to come to a meeting. As Akira was waiting for Kibayashi on the first floor of the Kugama building, just before it was time for the meeting, a girl appeared from the inner wall.
Akira looked suspiciously at that girl who was walking toward him. She was donning a City Management staff's uniform and looked rather mature, compared to the current Akira, who had gone through a growth spurt and fixed his physical condition lately, that girl seemed to be around Akira's age. Basically, she was a tad bit too young to be called a full-grown adult but a little bit too old to be called a little girl as well. In short, she was rather too young to be from City Management, which was filled with adults.
The girl smiled nervously at Akira and gracefully bowed.
"Akira-san, correct? I'm Hikaru, I'm working from the same bureau as Kibayashi. Nice to meet you."
"Eh, ah, right, uhhh, where is Kibayashi?"
"I'll be responsible for you for today. Well then, shall we go somewhere else to discuss the main matter for today?"
"Whoah, wait, wait."
Akira took out his information terminal and called Kibayashi.
"Don't give me that crap. Where are you now? If you have someone else to come because some sudden business came up, at least leave me a message, will you?"
Akira then proceeded to explain the situation to Kibayashi. Of course, he was planning to give Kibayashi an earful at the start, but his plan changed after Kibayashi replied with something that he did not expect.
"So basically, someone else came to the meeting place right on our agreed-upon scheduled time and she gave my name, right? Let me tell you that it was a good move to contact me first instead of just going with her without saying anything."
"What do you mean?"
Akira shot a sharp gaze to Hikaru. Although Hikaru did not understand why he did that, it still sent a shiver to her spine.
"Whoah, don't get me wrong though. I'm just saying it as a possibility. Hikaru is indeed someone I know. I can at least guarantee that. But I won't guarantee anything past that point."
Akira frowned even more.
"What kind of game are you playing here? I'll just leave if you won't properly tell me what's going on."
"That in itself is also an option for you. Kicking the deal down the drain because there's no one that you can trust during the negotiation, without receiving any explanation regarding the matter. That is indeed a good move. Although, I won't say that's the correct move in all cases."
Akira sighed. Kibayashi, who could hear that sigh from the other side, smiled amusedly.
"As I warned you in the past, being a Hunter who is only good at fighting but not at negotiating will bring you into a lot of trouble. So just use this chance as practice. Let me remind you again, I can only guarantee you that she's someone that I know. You do the rest yourself to confirm her identity, her position, her goals, if she's someone that you can trust or not and if she's someone capable or not. Of course, you can ask me later to try to check your answers, but you should do it yourself first. Later then."
Kibayashi ended the call. Alpha smiled at the troubled Akira.
"So, what's the plan? Are we going to just leave?"
"...Well, this is also a kind of training, so I'll at least hear what she has to say."
Akira's gaze returned to Hikaru. Although there was no trace of suspicion in that gaze, Hikaru could not help but get nervous.
Akira then decided to bring Hikaru to one of the restaurants on the first floor. Hikaru, who was sitting face to face with Akira, politely lowered her head.
"I've confirmed this matter with Kiabayshi beforehand, but I apologize if I made a mistake."
"Thank you very much. Also, there's no need for honorifics, you can just call me Hikaru and please just talk with me casually. It's in order to build trust which is important during negotiations. Being polite and rigid instead of prioritizing the flow of information might cause distrust and miscommunication, which would defeat the main purpose of negotiating. So please, just talk to me casually... Well, although, I do think that Kibayashi's attitude is way too casual."
"Alright then, in that case, you can just call me Akira and you can talk to me casually as well."
"Alright. Now then, casually, right? It seems that you haven't heard anything from Kibayashi, so, well, where should I start..."
Hikaru was watching Akira closely to make sure that she did not sour his mood while she kept her casual attitude on the outside.
"Of course. You can ask me anything. But just to let you know, I'll just say that it's a secret if you ask me about my three sizes or if I have a boyfriend."
"Well, it's not about that. Hmmm, yeah, let's start with, are you really from City Management?"
"Oh, that's a bit surprising. The answer is of course a yes. I'm indeed a staff member from City Management. To be more precise, I'm from the general division, in fact, I'm the youngest one in that division."
"What if I ask you for proof?"
Hikaru's smile immediately turned troubled. But behind that brave front, she was actually squeezing her brain for an answer.
Akira was dealing with Hikaru as a training partner. The reason why he could ask such a rude question was simply because he thought of this meeting as training. But Hikaru did not know that at all. Because of that, she took that question as a form of distrust and suspicion from Akira.
"Will it be enough if I say that Kibayashi was the one who told me to come here?"
"It's because that Kibayashi only testified that he knows you and nothing more, so I have to do the rest myself and try to identify you."
Hikaru's smile stiffened, she spat a curse in her mind.
[That bastard... So basically this is another test or something? That damn sly old-man.]
Hikaru's job that day was to negotiate with Akira and make him accept the deal. It was a kind of test so that Kibayashi could recognize her skill.
Negotiating with a high-ranking Hunter was an important job for City Management's staff. Whether it was about gathering relics or participating in the protection of infrastructure, both depended deeply on the result of the negotiation. Of course, negotiation would go smoother the more the negotiator had the trust of those high-ranking Hunters.
Hikaru was trying to find out what Kibayashi's real plan was by looking closely at Akira's reaction.
[So basically he's telling me that I'm not ready for this job if I can't even convince my negotiation opponent about my identity, huh? Fine then, I'll do it then!]
Hikaru pulled her information terminal on the table and placed her ID card on top of it. The information terminal then showed her full information as a staff member from City Management.
"What if I say that you can fake that document and no one would get suspicious if you use that uniform with confidence?"
"That's a totally valid question, well. In that case, we can go to the Hunter Office together where I can prove my identity."
Akira then told Hikaru what happened back then when he registered as a Hunter for the first time. Since Hikaru was not that familiar with the situation outside the wall, she was pretty surprised to hear his story.
"...I see, so there's a problem with the quality of the Hunter Office's staff outside the wall, huh? But we're talking about the past here, right? Ah, but then again, if we're talking about how far someone would go to trick a Rank 50 Hunter, I can't really say that it's not possible, hmm..."
If someone was suspicious of others just for the sake of suspecting them, then there would be no end to it. They would always find a reason to suspect the other party. The real question would be at what point they would no longer be suspicious of each other. Akira understood that very well, that was why his thought leaned toward what kind of compromise he could take in case he indeed got tricked.
Seeing that, Alpha smiled smugly at him and asked.
Akira asked Hikaru to do it and the result immediately came out.
"The result is out. Sakuyama Hikaru from the general affair, that's her. Is that good enough?"
"Is it okay if I ask you how you confirmed it?"
"You owe me one, alright? So I'll have you return this favour now. Let's see, go visit Sheryl to cheer her up, and tell her that I helped you."
"Also, face the information terminal at her."
Akira did just as he was asked, the information terminal display quickly switched to Inabe's face that was glaring daggers at Hikaru.
"I don't know who you are, but stop giving me trouble."
Hikaru knew Inabe very well. Although she was surprised, she did not miss a beat to apologize.
"I-I am really sorry!!"
But before Hikaru started apologizing, Inabe already closed the call. What was left behind was an awkward silence.
"I-It's fine, don't worry about it."
Hikaru tried her best to don a friendly smile, but as expected, it was impossible.
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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