く完成した仕立服が入っている。今日は前々から予定を立てていたエレナ達との食事の日であり、今はその待ち合わせの最中だった。
アルファが軽く意図的に苦笑を見せる。
『随分と上機嫌ね』
『そうか? まあ良いじゃないか』
だがアキラは軽く流した。普段なら何らかの反応を見せるのだがそれもない。自覚以上に浮かれている証拠だ。絶対遅れないように待ち合わせ場所にかなり早めに来ていたのも、その浮かれ具合を示していた。
待ち合わせの時刻の少し前にエレナ達が到着する。エレナ達もアキラと同じようにスーツケースを持っている。中身はアキラと同じく仕立服だ。
「そう? じゃあ、行きましょうか」
アキラは適当にごまかしたが、当たり前のように見抜かれていた。エレナ達はアキラが自分達との食事をそこまで楽しみにしてくれたことに喜び、笑って一緒にビルの中に入っていった。
クガマビル上階で営業している高級レストラン、今までも何度か訪れた店に、アキラは少し緊張した様子で中に入る。エレナが店員に予約客であることを告げ、一度男女で分かれて更衣室に向かう。そこで各自着替えてから、店員の案内で予約席に案内されることになった。
店の奥側、仕切りの向こうでは、テーブルがかなり広めの間隔で置かれていた。客は
そこには東部の雑多で銃弾飛び交う世界から隔離された空間が広がっていた。アキラは別世界に入ったような感覚を覚えながら店員の後に続いた。
予約席に到着すると、先に着いていたエレナ達がアキラを笑って迎え入れた。そのエレナ達の姿を見た途端、アキラが軽く見
でさえ語彙に欠けるアキラが照れや動揺などで更に語彙を少なくして、短く簡素な感想を述べた。しかし本心での言葉であることとエレナ達への評価の高さは、その表情や態度から十分に伝わっていた。エレナ達が表情に満足そうな気持ちと軽い照れを出す。
「ありがとう。高い金を出した価値があったわね。アキラも似合ってるわよ?」
アキラも少し照れながら答えた。
アキラは格好だけなら立食会に参加しているどこかの企業の御曹司のようなスーツを着ている。普通なら服に着られている子供になるだけなのだが、そこはセレンがアキラの要望に応える
セレンはアキラ達の要望通り、アキラのようなファッションへの反応に極めて乏しい者でも違いの分かる服を全員に仕立てた。アキラ達を席に案内した店員も軽く目を見張るほどだった。
アキラ達が席に着くとすぐに前菜が運ばれてくる。コース料理の内容も含めて予約済みだ。飲酒を控えているアキラに合わせてアルコール類も今日は無しになっている。それでも料理はどれも絶品で、アルコール類なしでも食事を楽しむには十分すぎるものばかりだ。
アキラはそれらの料理を親しい友人と一緒に談笑しながら口に運んでいく。料理の味も、エレナ達の笑顔も、話題の内容も、店の雰囲気も、全てがアキラに幸福を感じさせていた。単なる栄養補給とは一線を画する行為、食事を取るという行為の意味を書き換える時間が流れていた。エレナ達もアキラの様子に十分に満足して同じ時を楽しんでいた。
食事の時間が終わるまで、アキラは至福の時を心から堪能し続けた。
同日、シェリルは再び立食会に参加していた。談笑を促す料理にもそろそろ抵抗力を覚え始めたので、少量を皿に取って口に運んでいる。役得だと思いながらも、貧弱な舌にも暴力的に美味を伝える絶品への反応を抑えるのが大変で、心から料理を楽しむのは難しい。更なる抵抗力を求めて再び少量を皿に取る。
イナベがその様子を見て少し意外そうな顔をしている。
「随分と食べるのだな」
シェリルが手を止めて愛想良く
「......育ち盛りですので」
シェリルは皿の残りを片付けると、空になった皿を未練と一緒にテーブルに置いた。そして気を取り直す。
「イナベ様。先日からイナベ様の御厚意で借り受けている総合支援強化服ですが、御厚意はいつ頃まで期待しても
「ん? その辺は機領の都合次第だ。私にも分からない。まあ、シェリルも今後の予定も分からずに急に戦力を失っても大変だろう。余裕を持って伝えるように指示を出しておこう。必要なら試験期間を延ばすように働きかけるか、別の戦力を用意してもいい」
「......代わりと言っては何だが、一つ頼みがある」
「大変お世話になっております。御協力できることでしたら何なりと」
「アキラとの交渉の席を設けたいのだ。協力してほしい。親しいのだろう?」
今まで愛想良く受け答えしていたシェリルが、急にその表情に鋭さを見せる。
「参考までに、ハンター相手にハンターオフィスを通さずに交渉を進める意図を伺っても?」
その面倒事を避ける手段としては、依頼の記載内容を柔軟に解釈できる文言にする、そもそも細かい内容を記載しない、などという方法がある。記載されていない内容についてはハンターオフィスも基本的に関わらない。記載外の約束に詐欺同然の内容が含まれており、それで大きな損害を被ってハンターオフィスに訴えたとしても、基本的に突っ返される。
そしてハンターオフィス側に余り知られたくない裏合意などを契約書から省く
「ありがとう御座いました。私の方からアキラにイナベ様の要望を伝えて、御期待に添えるように尽力いたします」
「アキラとの交渉に自信が有るのならば、交渉そのものを君に委託しても構わないが、どうする?」
「......いえ、交渉での慣例内容に不安を覚える若輩者ですので、本交渉でイナベ様の足を引っ張らぬよう辞退させていただきます」
「そうか。では交渉の席を設けるところまでを期待しておこう」
イナベがシェリルの態度から推察する。
(厄介な交渉そのものを請け負って、後ろ盾のハンターの不興を買いたくないというところか。つまり、やはりアキラの籠絡には至っていない。シェリルを
イナベとシェリルが相手の意図を推察し合っていると、同じく立食会に参加していたカツヤがちょうどシェリルを見付けた。
「シェリル!」
イナベとシェリルが視線をカツヤに移す。
「イナベ様。高ランクのハンターを求めているのであれば、彼とは交渉しないのですか?」
「あれはドランカム所属だからな。交渉先はドランカムであり彼自身ではない。まあ必要ならするが、後回しだ」
アキラとカツヤ。いろいろと逆だったら良かったのに。イナベとシェリルはそう似たようなことを考えていた。
立食会に参加したカツヤは期待を込めてシェリルを探していた。
以前の立食会でシェリルに悩みを解決してもらった後、カツヤは絶好調が続いていた。ハンター稼業では以前の不振が
シェリルとカツヤが2人で談笑している。イナベは気を利かせて席を外した。
話題の内容は主にカツヤの最近のハンター稼業だ。無事に戻って、無事な姿を見せて、また会った時にいろいろ話を聞かせる。前回そう約束したお土産を渡すように、カツヤは楽しそうに自分達の活躍を語っていた。
みながら聞き手に回っていた。そして、その親愛を示す表情を維持しながら、裏では警戒心を強めていた。
(......まただ。これ、以前より強くなっているの?)
シェリルもカツヤの実力を疑ってはいない。その実力はハンターとして立食会に参加できるほど高く、ドランカムでも高く評価されており、都市の幹部であるイナベも戦力として確保しようとするほどだ。カツヤは素晴らしい実力を持つ若手ハンターだ。集めた情報から論理的に導き出した評価でも、印象や直感からの判断でも、同一の高い評価を出していた。
シェリルは自分に相手の実力を直感で見抜く才能があるとは思っていない。自分にその才能があるのなら、初めからアキラの実力を素早く的確に見抜いて、もっと適した対応を取っていると思っている。しかしカツヤに対しては、自分でも不思議なほどにその実力、才能、将来性などを狂いなく見抜いているような感覚を覚えていた。
談笑しているカツヤの声や表情から、ほぼ間違いなく自分に強い好意を持っていると判断できる。しかし表向きの態度からの判断ならば、何らかの誤解や
してちょうだい。私が別件でもう離れるから何かあってもサポートできないの。1階に迎えを用意しておいたわ。行けば分かるから大丈夫よ」
「あ、それならせめて1階まで送るよ」
シェリルがカツヤと一緒に会場を後にする。ヴィオラがその後ろ姿を見ながら少し楽しげに笑う。それは
「アキラ。今日はどうだった? 楽しめた?」
「はい。本当に素晴らしい体験でした。シズカさん。エレナさん。サラさん。今日は誘っていただいて本当にありがとう御座いました」
アキラは笑って深々と頭を下げた。シズカはそのアキラの様子から、誘った意味は十分にあったと満足した。
「それは良かったわ。また何かの機会に一緒に行きましょうか」
に私も少し間を空けてからにしておきたいわ」
アキラは結局全額自費で参加していた。高額の食事代を
「それじゃあ、アキラ、またね」
「はい。また」
アキラは笑ってエレナ達を見送った。エレナ達の姿が見えなくなると、今まで姿を消していたアルファが現れる。
『悪かったよ。食事中に変な方向に視線を向ける不審者にはなりたくなかったんだ。それを下手に意識して食事に集中できないのも嫌だったしな』
『その割には情報端末の操作は私に頼んでいたわよね』
『おっと、急ぐか』
1階の広間で少し待っているとシェリルが現れる。それを見て、アキラは少し意外そうな表情を浮かべた。シェリルはカツヤと一緒で、仲
アキラが僅かに場を去ろうとする動きを見せる。それに気付いた途端、シェリルは全ての疑問を放りだして反射的に飛び出すと、走ってアキラに抱き付いた。
「アキラ! 迎えに来てくれたんですね! ありがとう御座います!」
って引き留めるように腕に力を込めていた。アキラはそのシェリルの勢いに軽く驚き少し困惑していた。
一方カツヤが受けた衝撃は軽く驚く程度では済まなかった。余りの驚きの
「シェ、シェリル?」
カツヤの内心を強く反映させた短い呼びかけに、シェリルがアキラの腕を取りながら振り向いて答える。
それはまるで別人のような余りにも冷たい表情、冷たい視線、冷たい声だった。カツヤはそれでもう声も出せなくなった。
シェリルが視線をアキラに戻して全力で笑いかける。相手に親愛を示す笑顔を死ぬ気で作り、
「さ、帰りましょう」
シェリルは軽い困惑を見せたままのアキラと少し強引に腕を組んで寄り添うと、そのままアキラの動きを促して一緒にビルから出て行った。
その場にはカツヤだけが取り残された。ミズハが立食会に戻ってこないカツヤを心配して探しに来るまで、カツヤはずっと立ち尽くしていた。
シェリルの拠点への帰り道、先ほどは状況を全く理解できていなかったアキラが、歩きながら少しずつ推察を続けて自分なりに解釈した結果をシェリルに伝える。
「......よく分からなかったけど、徒党の運営で他のハンターの伝とかが要るのなら別に邪魔はしないし、ごちゃごちゃ言うつもりもないぞ?」
シェリルが表情を思わず悲しげに崩す。アキラの言葉は自分への執着が極めて薄いことを意味している。スラム街での抗争騒ぎでは命懸けで助けに来てくれたはずなのに、他の男と仲
アキラはそれで納得した。シェリルはそれで納得してほしくはなかった。
この仮初めがいつかは本物になると信じて、願って、シェリルは精一杯
シェリルが自室でヴィオラの帰りを待っている。時刻を問わず必ず顔を出すように指示を出していた。既に時刻は深夜、翌日になっていたが、眠らずに黙って待っていた。感情が眠気を容赦なく殺していたので眠気に耐える必要はなかった。
ドアがノックされ、ヴィオラがキャロルを連れて入ってくる。
「ボス。お呼びと聞いたけれど、何かしら?」
シェリルは黙って先ずヴィオラに拳銃を向けた。しかしその程度でヴィオラの
アキラと一緒に帰れるように手配したのに、何かあったの?」
銃声が響いた。弾丸はヴィオラの横の壁に命中した。シェリルが照準をヴィオラに合わせ直す。だがヴィオラは
「そう? 分かったわ。ボス。おやすみなさい」
ヴィオラがキャロルと一緒に部屋から出ようとして、去り際に一言残す。
「暴力に訴えるようじゃ私には勝てないわよ? 精進しなさい。じゃあね。ボス」
シェリルはヴィオラ達が出て行った後、ドアに全弾撃ち尽くしてから拳銃を床に
「相変わらずの性格の悪さね。撃てやしないと思って挑発していたんでしょうけど、そんなことを続けているといつか本当に撃たれるわよ?」
「いえ、撃つと思ってたわ」
「これでもアキラ自体は敵に回さないように注意しているのよ? キャロルがアキラを抑えてくれるって言うのなら、考えるけど」
ヴィオラ達は冗談めいて軽く笑っていた。どちらもお互いの性分はよく分かっているのだ。
Akira was waiting giddily in front of the Kugama building. The suitcase in his hand contained his custom suit that was finally finished. Today was the day of his triple date with Elena, Sara and Shizuka. And right now he was waiting to meet up with them.
Alpha was playing coy as she teased.
"You look pretty happy."
"Is that so? Well, it's fine, isn't it?"
But Akira just ignored Alpha's teasing. Normally, he would give more response than that, but not today. It was proof that he was in a better mood than usual. To make sure that he would not be late, he came earlier than usual, this was also another proof of that fact.
A little before the meeting time, Elena, Sara and Shizuka arrived. Just like Akira, they were also carrying their own custom dresses in suitcases.
"Is that so? Well, shall we get going?"
Although Akira tried to hide his glee, he was not able to trick anyone there. Seeing how happy he was to go to eat together with them, Elena, Sara and Shizuka could not hold back their giggles as they entered the building.
Akira had visited high-class restaurants located on the upper floor of the Kugama building a few times in the past, but even so, he still looked a bit nervous when he entered one. Elena then told the receptionist that they had booked dinner and went to separate changing rooms based on gender. They changed their clothes there before following one of the waitresses who guided them to their seats.
In the deeper part of the restaurant, there was a section separated by partitions. Behind those partitions, the tables were placed in rather wide intervals. All of the diners there were wearing proper suits, just like Akira. No one was using an augmented suit like he had done before. Even the cyborg diners with metallic skin were also wearing tuxedos suitable for that place. The luxurious decorations in that section gave off a high-class and elegant aura that veiled the whole section.
It gave off a feeling of a completely separate place away from the harsh world of the eastern district. Akira followed the waitress as he felt like he stepped into a completely different world.
When he arrived at their table, Elena, Sara and Shizuk, who arrived there first welcomed him with a smile. Charmed by them, he froze for a bit the moment he saw them.
Not only was Akira lacking verbal knowledge to express himself, but he was also so flustered that it did not help him at all in that situation. He only managed to say that short sentence. But judging from his reaction, they knew that he was honestly amazed and that was enough for them as they smiled with satisfaction and bashfulness.
"Thank you. It's worth paying that much money for this dress. You also look good in that suit, you know?"
Akira bashfully replied.
Akira looked like a young master from some large corporation in his suit. Although he would normally look like a young boy in a suit, Celene had put all her talent into creating his suit. Thus his suit gave a strong aura of classiness and elegance, it did not even give off any weird feeling even though the one using it was Akira.
Celene did her best to fulfil their orders. Thus all of them were using dresses and a suit, which allowed even someone as clueless to fashion as Akira, to understand just how amazing they were. It even caused the waiters that guided them to look at them with sparkly eyes.
As Akira sat in his seat, the waiters immediately brought the appetizers. They had chosen their course beforehand when they placed their booking. Since Akira refused to drink alcohol, everyone decided to remove alcohol from their course. But even so, all the dishes were simply amazing. They had an amazing experience although they did not partake in any alcohol during their meal.
During dinner, Akira enjoyed exceptional food while having a light conversation with people that he regarded as his close friends. The food, the smiles from Elena, Sara and Shizuka, the subject of their conversation, the mood of the shop, all made Akira feel happy. The time passed by as he relished his time as he ate, not only for the sake of getting nutrition. The girls who watched him were happy to see that side of Akira.
Akira was completely in joy until the very end of dinner.
On the same day, Sheryl once again attended the feast in the Kugama building. After attending the same feast a few times, she had built up a level of resistance against the delicious-looking food served during the feast. So she only took a small portion onto her plate and ate it little by little. Although she thought that it was a blissful thing to be able to enjoy such amazing food, she was also having a hard time fighting back from making any exaggerated reaction to the amazing taste. Therefore, it was not like she could immerse herself in the food. Hoping to build her resistance, she took another small piece.
Inabe who saw that raised his eyebrows.
"You have quite an appetite there."
Sheryl stopped her hand and smiled politely at Inabe.
"...I'm of that age after all."
Sheryl finished the rest of the food on her plate and solemnly placed it back on the table. She then once again turned to Inabe.
"Inabe-sama, regarding the coordination support system augmented suit that you've been kind enough to let us borrow, how long can I expect for this kindness to last?"
"Hm? It depends on how well they are doing. To be honest, I don't know for sure myself. Well, I know that it would be troublesome for you if you suddenly lose your fighting capabilities. I would at least tell them to let you know beforehand so as not to trouble you when they finish whatever they are doing. If you need it, I can ask them to extend the testing period, or instead, I can look for another alternative."
"...Uhh, so, in exchange for that, I have one thing I want to ask though."
"We're really thankful for your help, if it's something within our power, we'll be more than happy to accept your request."
"I want you to help me negotiate with Akira. You're close to him, right?"
Sheryl was smiling politely up until now, but the moment Inabe said so, her expression suddenly turned sharp.
"Just to be safe, is it for an informal request that doesn't go through the Hunter Office?"
In order to avoid this, the content of the request would be written in a vague way so that it could be interpreted in various ways, or simply did not provide the detail of the request in the written agreement. Since it was not written, normally, the Hunter Office could not do anything about it. So even if the unwritten part of the agreement contained some unfair clauses, the Hunter could not make an appeal through the Hunter Office.
On the other hand, when the requester did not want a part of the request to be known by the Hunter Office, they often have already made an agreement with the Hunter beforehand. They would have already decided things like how far the detail of the request would be written in the agreement. Of course, the bigger the job, the more difficult it would be, so it was not strange for Hunters to ask for a 3rd party to help during negotiation.
"Thank you very much. I will convey that to Akira and do my best to persuade him to accept your request."
"If you have the confidence to persuade him, I actually don't mind if you handle everything including the negotiation part though."
"...Thank you but I will have to refuse that offer. I'm still an amateur in terms of my negotiation skill, so I will have to refuse so as to not cause you any trouble."
"I see, in that case, I hope you'll at least join the negotiation as a mediator."
Inabe made a guess based on Sheryl's reply.
[So, she basically doesn't want to handle the most troublesome part of the deal which is the negotiations. She wants to avoid the risk of worsening her relationship with the Hunter supporting her gang, huh. As I thought, it's not like she has Akira completely under her control. It seems that it'll be difficult to use her as bait during the negotiation, I'll have to think of another way.]
As Inabe and Sheryl were exchanging words, trying to analyze their respective partner in conversation. Katsuya, who was also attending the same feast, noticed Sheryl.
"Sheryl!"
Inabe and Sheryl turned to Katsuya.
"Inabe-sama, if you're looking for a high-ranking Hunter, wouldn't it be a good idea to try to talk to him?"
"That one is under Drankam after all. So the one that I will have to negotiate with is Drankam, not him. Well, I'll do that if I need to, but that's plan B for me."
Akira and Katsuya would be perfect if some of their personalities and situations were reversed. Both Inabe and Sheryl had that exact same thought there.
Katsuya, who attended the feast, hoped to find Sheryl here, and was looking for her.
Ever since Sheryl pulled him out from his slump, he has been performing very well. As a matter of fact, his performance as a Hunter well surpassed all his past performances. Moreover, thanks to the coordination support system augmented suit that his team was using, the team's performance was also greatly improved. Not only did he believe that his problem was solved, he also thought that his luck had turned around.
As Sheryl and Katsuya were talking to each other and enjoying their conversation, Inabe, who was being considerate, left them alone.
The subject of their talk mostly focused on Katsuya's recent Hunter jobs. He was fulfilling his promise to return back alive and to share his experience. He happily spoke about the days he went out to her.
Sheryl happily listened to his story with a smile. And then, while still maintaining her smile on the outside, she thought in the back of her mind.
[...Again, huh. And like, isn't he stronger than last time?]
Sheryl had no doubt about Katsuya's strength. At least, he was strong enough for Drankam to evaluate him highly and allow him to join the feast. Even Inabe, who was an officer from City Management, was also thinking of getting Katsuya on his side. There was no doubt Katsuya was a strong young Hunter. Both the impression from meeting him and the data from investigating him pointed out to that conclusion.
Sheryl herself did not think that she had the ability to accurately identify someone's strength. If she had that kind of talent, she would have been able to notice how powerful Akira was right from the start and she would not have treated him the way she did in the past. But when it came to Katsuya, she felt like there was something unnatural about Katsuya's skill and talent, and that feeling somehow felt really clear to her.
Judging from the way Katsuya was talking with her, Sheryl was sure that he really liked her. But judging from his expression, there was a chance that it was a misunderstanding or it was fake. Although, her intuition told her that it was not the case and she trusted her intuition with no hesitation at all.
"Boss, I'm sorry but it might be a good time to leave soon. I have another business to attend to, so I won't be able to give you support. I have arranged for someone to pick you up on the first floor. You'll know who when you're there, so don't worry."
"Ah, in that case, I'll accompany you to the first floor."
Sheryl then left the feast together with Katsuya. Seeing that, Viola smiled amusedly. But it was a rather ominous smile that reflected her bad personality.
"Akira, how was the dinner today? Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes, it was an amazing experience. Shizuka-san, Elena-san, Sara-san. Thank you for inviting me today."
Akira smiled and bowed deeply. Seeing his response, Shizuka was glad that it was a meaningful time.
"I'm glad to hear that. Let's go again if the chance comes up."
"Well, you're right about that one. I too would need some time before we go again."
Akira in the end paid his share of the food. Although it saved him from feeling bad getting treated to such an expensive meal, it also hit his money reserve. Not to mention, the custom suit was not cheap as well. Shizuka also followed suit and offered to pay her share as well. Despite the fact that they split the bill, it was still not cheap.
"Well then, Akira, until next time."
"Of course, until next time."
Akira smiled and saw them off. As he was no longer able to see them, Alpha, who kept herself invisible up until now suddenly reappeared.
"I'm sorry about it. I just didn't want to look like a weird person during dinner. If I keep turning my head to empty spaces, I might get conscious of it and end up not enjoying the food."
"But then you still made me handle your information terminal though."
"Ah, right. I need to hurry up."
He did not wait long on the first floor before Sheryl appeared. But the moment he saw her, he was a bit surprised. Sheryl was together with Katsuya, and it seemed that they were pretty close as they were talking to each other.
Akira then showed a hint of movement, as if he was about to leave the place. When Sheryl noticed that, all the doubts and questions in her mind were immediately thrown out of the window as she ran and hugged him by pure reflex.
"Akira! You came to pick me up, huh! Thank you very much!"
Sheryl never expected that she would raise her voice that high and squeeze out a smile in order to ascertain her position. Although there was a mix of desperation in her smile, her arm was still hugging tight, as if she was clinging onto Akira for her life. Akira also did not expect that from her at all as he looked slightly troubled by it.
While on the other hand, Katsuya could not hold back his surprise. It was such a shock to him that he could not fully process what just happened.
"S-Sheryl!?"
Katsuya's short sentence was filled with his earnest feeling. In response, Sheryl was still clinging to Akira's arm as she turned around and replied.
The harsh words and the ice-cold gaze were so different from the Sheryl whom he knew up until now. The shock made Katsuya at loss for words.
Sheryl's gaze returned back to Akira as she gave the best smile that she could muster. It was a desperate made-up smile to show her affection toward Akira, she then clung hard to him and earnestly pleaded.
"Let's go back now."
Akira was still a bit confused and uncertain of what to do there, so Sheryl forcefully pulled his arm and practically dragged him away from that place. They then left the building just like that.
Katsuya, who was left alone, was found standing exactly in the same spot when Mizuha found him. She was worried that Katsuya did not return after some time and went to look for him.
On their way back, Akira, who still did not fully understand what just happened, tried to make his own guess and said to Sheryl.
"...I don't really know what was going on back then, but if you need connection with other Hunters for the sake of the gang, I have no wish to get in the way. So you should not worry about it. I won't complain at all, you know?"
Sheryl's made up smile crumbled and turned into a rather sad expression. Akira's words showed just how little he thought of her. Although he once jumped straight into the fray during that huge incident in the slum city the other day in order to save her, he did not even feel a shred of jealousy when he saw Sheryl was having a good time with another guy. It was just extremely unnatural.
Akira was convinced by that answer, although, Sheryl wished that he would not just obediently accept her reasoning like that.
But even so, Sheryl tried to give her best smile, hoping and wishing that their relationship would turn into a real one sometime in the future.
Back at base, Sheryl waited in her room for Viola to return. She had told Viola to visit the room later no matter what and she did not mind if Viola was late. It was already late at night and the date had already changed, but Sheryl still waited silently for Viola. Since her emotion had completely overpowered her sleep, she did not feel drowsy at all.
A few knocks could be heard followed by Carol entering with Viola.
"Boss, I heard that you called for me. Do you need anything?"
Sheryl silently pointed her pistol at Viola, but Viola's smile was not perturbed.
"Hm? I thought that it would make you happy to have Akira escort you back though, did something happen?"
A gunshot echoed. The bullet left a hole in the wall next to Viola. Sheryl readjusted her aim at Viola. But Viola did not move at all, as a matter of fact, her smile widened.
"Is that all? Alright, Boss, good night."
Viola turned around and was about to leave the room with Carol, but before she exited the room, she left a few words for Sheryl.
"You can't win me with violence, you know? So suit yourself. Later then, Boss."
After Viola and Carol left the room, Sheryl threw her pistol onto the floor, but not before emptying its magazine at the door.
"Geez, you're just as awful as ever. You might provoke her like that, believing that she won't shoot. But if you keep this up, you'll really get shot."
"Nope, I was hoping that she would shoot."
"Just so you know, I'm already being careful so as to not get on Akira's bad side. Of course, I would change my mind if you would get him under control though."
Viola and Carol exchanged jokes and lightly laughed. Both of them knew well just how horrendous each of their attitudes was.
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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