アキラが問題の露店に到着すると、そこではレビンが露店の少年と言い争いを続けていた。
少年がレビンを帰らせようと非常に困った表情で必死に話している。
「だから、裏の店には連れて行けないって言っているだろう!? もう諦めてくれ! 俺に言われても駄目なんだ! ボスの判断なんだよ!」
レビンが声を荒らげて少年に言い返す。
「だから! 俺はその店に行ったって言っているだろうが! 俺は入って良い客なんだよ! 良いから連れて行け!」
「無理なものは無理なんだ! ボスの指示に逆らったら俺の身が危ないんだ! 分かってくれよ!」
少年はシェリルから拠点の店に連れてくる客の見極めも任されている。目の前のハンターはどう見ても案内しては駄目な客だ。態度の必死さも粗暴さも少し血走っている目もどう見ても駄目な客だ。露店の品を案内料と割り切って買おうともしないことから、金払いも良さそうに見えない。
少年がレビンをシェリルのところに案内して、レビンが拠点の店で暴れでもした場合、少年は確実に責任を取らされるだろう。最悪シェリルに徒党を追い出されるかもしれない。そう考えると少年はレビンを案内する気にはどうしてもなれなかった。
しかしレビンは一向に引き下がらない。レビンが強硬手段に出れば少年など一
「あいつ、何やってるんだ?」
露店の少年はアキラに気付くと、泣きそうだった顔を歓喜のものに変化させ、大きく手を振ってアキラを呼ぶ。
「こ、こっちだ! 何とかしてくれ!」
レビンもすぐにアキラに気付いて、自身の内心を端的に声に出す。
「げっ!? お前は!?」
レビンはアキラのことをしっかり覚えていた。ヨノズカ駅遺跡で出会ったハンターで、自分の現在の境遇の原因となった人物だ。そしてカツラギがレビンの借金の返済が滞った場合に取り立ての代行を頼むと言った者でもある。
レビンが近付いてくるアキラを見ながら顔を引きつらせる。
(......と、取り立てか!? いや、違う! 違うはずだ!)
アキラがレビンに尋ねる。
めているって言われて様子を見に来たんだが、何があったんだ?」
レビンが借金の取り立てではないことに取りあえず
「あー、何でもない」
「そうか。何でもないなら帰ってくれ」
レビンはアキラにそう言われても、あっさり引き下がるわけにはいかない。何しろ借金返済の一発逆転が掛かっているのだ。
「あー、お前はこいつらの何なんだ?」
「何って、俺達の仲間に決まっているだろう!」
「いや、違うぞ?」
アキラはあっさり露店の少年の言葉を否定した。レビンも露店の少年もエリオも、アキラを驚きの表情で見る。レビンが意気を強めてアキラに話す。
「違うなら、こいつらと関係ないなら引っ込んでろよ。善人面してこいつらを
「俺はこいつらの仲間じゃないが、こいつらのボスとは個人的な付き合いがあるんだ。そいつに頼まれてここに来たんだ」
レビンはアキラの言葉を聞いて嫌な予感を覚えた。再び恐る恐るアキラに尋ねる。
「......もしかして、こいつらのボスって、カツラギか?」
「いや、違う。シェリルってやつだ」
「ん? いや、カツラギって関わってるのか? 口座開設にカツラギの伝を使ったってシェリルが言っていたような......、どうだったっけ?」
アキラがシェリルとの会話を思い出そうとしていると、その間にレビンの顔色がどんどん悪くなっていく。
更にアキラが何かに気が付いたような表情を浮かべてレビンに尋ねる。
「ああ、こいつらのボスがカツラギかどうか聞いたってことは、この
レビンが慌ててアキラを止める。
「よせっ! やめろ! 分かった! 俺は帰る! だから何もするな! 何もするなよ! 俺は帰る! 良いな! この件は、これで、終わりだ! じゃあな!」
レビンはアキラを必死に止めると足早に去っていった。
アキラは去っていくレビンを不思議そうな表情で見ながら
「......何だったんだ?」
アキラの問いに答えられる者はここにはいなかった。
レビンがアキラ達から十分離れた場所で立ち止まり大きく息を吐く。
(......危なかった。カツラギにバレたら絶対
レビンが悩み始める。借金がこれ以上増えるのを阻止するためにも、ここで諦めて引き下がるわけにはいかないのだ。
(......所詮トランプなんだ。他の露店や遺物売却の代理店や質屋でも、何げなく売られていたりするんじゃないか? あの店のシェリルってやつも、あのトランプの価値を知らずに普通に売っていたんだ。探せばきっとまだまだあるはずだ。それにあの話の通りなら、トランプではなくても賭け事の道具に使える物なら何でもいいんじゃないか? 可能性は高い気がする......)
レビンが気合いを入れ直す。黒銀屋で手に入れた知識を活用して借金返済を目指すのだ。
「......よし!」
レビンはスラム街の他の露店や隠れ遺物屋を巡って似たような遺物を探すことに決めた。
シェリルは自室でアキラの情報端末でゲームを続けていた。今のところは全敗続きだ。シェリルが自分の腕ではなくゲームの難易度設定の誤りを疑い始めた頃、エリオ達が戻ってきた。
シェリルはゲームを止めてエリオ達を部屋に通した。エリオとティオルが部屋の中に入ってくる。エリオがシェリルに報告する。
「そう。アキラの知り合いだったの。......本当に問題はないのね?」
「ああ。アキラさんの知り合いって言っても、別に友人ではない様子だったし、大丈夫だろう。何かそいつはアキラさんと少し話したら逃げるように去っていったしな」
「それなら良いわ」
すような素振りは全く感じられない。シェリルは取りあえず安心する。念のためにアキラからも話を聞こうとして、そのアキラがいないことに気付いた。
「アキラさんはそのまま帰った。だから外の露店は全部閉めたぞ。何かあった時に俺達だけじゃ対処できないからな」
「それは構わないけど......、アキラは本当に帰ったの? アキラの情報端末がここにあるのだけど、忘れていたのかしら」
「いや、覚えていた。予備があるから大丈夫だってさ」
「そう。分かったわ。お疲れ様。ゆっくり休んで」
った。ティオルが少しだけ照れたような表情をした後で、少し真剣な表情でシェリルに尋ねる。
「ボスに聞いておきたいことがあるんだが、少し良いか?」
「その、ボスとアキラはどういう関係なんだ?」
「どういう関係って、恋人よ。ティオルが私達の徒党に加わる時にも説明したはずよね?」
シェリルは普通に、当たり前のことを話すように、そんな分かりきったことを
った。だが好奇心に近い感情と、ささやかな望みを期待して続きを口にする。
「............本当に?」
ティオルの言葉を聞いた途端、シェリルの機嫌が一気に悪化した。
「......どういう意味?」
シェリルの豹変ぶりにティオルが驚き戸惑っていると、それだけでシェリルの機嫌が更に悪くなる。シェリルは自分の問いに答えないティオルの様子を、普段のシェリルとは随分違う偏見の混じった思考でいろいろと判断した。そして暖かみや好意的な響きを念入りに消した声でエリオに指示を出す。
「エリオ。狙って」
自分の指示通りに動こうとしないエリオを見て、シェリルのティオルに向けている敵意がエリオの方にまで広がっていく。
「シェリル! 落ち着けって! 別にティオルもシェリルがアキラの恋人だってことを疑っているわけじゃない! ティオル! そうだろ!? 誤解を招く聞き方なんかするな! シェリルが勘違いするだろう! ティオル! お前は本当は何が聞きたかったんだ!?」
い、まだ立ち直っていないティオルに目で訴える。誤解ではなかったとしても誤解で押し通せ。それができないとお前は終わりだ。必死にそう伝えていた。
エリオの尽力でティオルが何とか我に返った。そしてエリオの意図も理解した。
ティオルが慎重に言葉を選んで、地雷原を慎重に歩くようにゆっくりと話す。
「あ、ああ。誤解だ。聞き方が悪かった。アキラとシェリルが恋人では......、いや、単純に恋人というだけではなく、もっと別の、いや、追加の関係があるんじゃないのか。そういうことを聞きたかったんだ」
「......そういうことを聞きたいようには聞こえなかったわ」
い強いだろ? 露店のやつにも聞いたんだが、露店で問題を起こしてアキラに追い返されたってやつは、そこらのハンター崩れとかじゃなくて、ちゃんとしたハンターだったらしいんだ。そんなやつをあっさり追い返すほどに強いアキラが俺達のために動いてくれるのは、アキラがシェリルと恋人だからではなく......、いや、違う、恋人だという理由に加えて、更に別の理由があるんじゃないかって、そう思っただけだ。別に恋人であることを疑ったわけじゃない。本当だ」
ティオルとエリオが固唾を飲んでシェリルの反応を待っている。シェリルは笑みの消えた表情で2人を見ながら無言を続けている。
くして、シェリルが若干平静を取り戻した声で口を開く。
「......そう。なら良いわ。エリオ。ティオルにいろいろ教えてあげて。徒党に加わったばかりで知らないことも多いようだから」
「用が済んだのなら出ていって」
エリオとティオルが慌てて部屋から出て行く。シェリルは部屋の扉が閉まる音を聞いた後、大きな
結論を出したシェリルが自らに言い聞かせるように言う。
「......いろいろ自覚していたつもりだったけれど、認識が甘かったみたいね。これで再認識できたと言うことにしておきましょう」
シェリル達の拠点には多くの部屋があるが、個室を持っているのはシェリルだけだ。徒党内で比較的待遇の良い幹部扱いの者も相部屋である。シェリルの次に待遇の良いエリオとアリシアは、2人とも徒党の幹部で恋人同士ということもあり、手狭ではあるが2人で部屋を一室確保していた。
他の者は拠点内の共有の場所を住み
ティオルはある伝で手に入れた金を使ってシェリルの徒党に加わった新入りだ。新入りの割に比較的待遇が良いのは持参した金や装備のおかげだ。
エリオとアリシアの部屋に、エリオとアリシアとティオルがいる。エリオが連れてきたのだ。
アリシアが少し真剣な表情でエリオに話す。
アリシアがティオルを見て、多分に非難の意思を込めた面倒そうな表情を浮かべて言う。
「......貴方はそういう話をするとボスが怒るとは思わなかったの? 本当に勘弁してよ」
ティオルが居心地の悪そうな態度を出しながら素直に謝る。
エリオがアリシアを
「ま、まあ、その辺にしておいてくれ。新入りも増えたし、そういうこともあるさ」
「新入りだからって、それで済まなかったらどうする気だったのよ。ティオルだけなら
自分の身を案じるエリオの態度を見て、アリシアは少し頬を染めて機嫌を直した。
エリオがティオルに話す。
「それでだ。今の内に聞いておきたいことがあるなら俺達に聞いてくれ。俺とアリシアはシェリルとの付き合いも長いから、いろいろ説明できる。シェリルに尋ねると地雷になりそうだと少しでも思ったことは、まずは俺達に聞いてくれ。シェリルを怒らせるよりはましだ」
ティオルがかなり真面目な表情でエリオに尋ねる。
「そうか。それなら教えてくれ。ここのボスって、本当にシェリルなのか?」
めながらも、ティオルの話に納得した様子を見せた。その辺りの事情は難しい。何しろそれを正確に理解している者は、徒党内にはシェリルしかいない。他の者は何となく推測しているだけだ。
ティオルはエリオとアリシアの様子を見て、もう少し突っ込んだことを尋ねる。
れなのかで、随分違ってくるだろう。ボスに高い服とかを贈ったらしいけど、その程度の金はアキラさんには小銭にすぎないのか、それとも恋人の機嫌を取るために張り込んだ結果なのかも分からない。拠点に来る頻度も少ないって話だ。ハンター稼業が忙しいからって、恋人をそんなに放っておくものなのか? ボスがアキラさんの恋人だってことは、何をどこまで保証してくれているんだ? アキラさんだって、ボスのお願いを無制限に聞いてくれるわけじゃないだろう」
エリオとアリシアが顔を見合わせる。ティオルの疑問はエリオ達にも理解できる。しかし同時にそれは徒党での禁句でもある。シェリルとアキラの関係を疑うことはシェリルへの敵対行為に近い。そして、その疑いが正しかったとしても、エリオ達にはどうすることもできない。そこはもうシェリルの言葉を信じて、それが建前であっても通すしかないのだ。
エリオがティオルに真剣な表情で話す。
もだが、基本的にその問いの答えは単純で簡単だ。聞くな。これが答えだ。その答えの理由は今からいろいろ教えてやる。だから、その答えに納得しようがしまいが、ティオルがこれからもここでやっていきたかったら、その答えに従え。良いな?」
「あ、ああ。分かった」
「......同じ説明とかを、他の新入りにもしないといけないってことよね」
「仕方がないだろう。一番分かっているのは俺達だし、その説明をシェリルに頼むわけにもいかないからな」
アリシアが冗談交じりに笑って話す。
「エリオがアキラさんぐらいに強くなれば、ある程度は解決する問題かもしれないけど」
を言うなよ。アキラさんみたいにハンターになって、荒野に出て、旧世界の遺跡に行って、モンスターと戦って、旧世界の遺物を持ち帰って......、絶対無理だ。死んでしまう。あの時だって、運良くアキラさんと出会わなかったら、俺はモンスターに食われて死んでいたんだ」
「ん。ごめん。私もエリオに死なれたくないわ。だから、エリオも危険な
かに考える。シェリルは別にアキラをそこまで好きではなく、自身の後ろ盾に成り得るほど強いハンターであれば誰でも良かったのかもしれない。ならば自分がアキラに成り代われるほど強いハンターに成りさえすれば、シェリルはアキラを切り捨てて自分との仲を深めようとするかもしれない。
ティオルはシェリルに好意を持っていた。一目
ティオルはシェリルとアキラの関係が極めて打算的なものであることを願った。自分がシェリルと恋人になる。その可能性を求めたのだ。
少し前にセブラという少年が程度の差はあれど似たようなことを考えた。セブラはその代償を命で支払った。ティオルもその代償を命で支払うことになるかもしれない。少なくとも、つい先ほどその可能性を危険域にまで高めたのは確かだ。本人がそれをどこまで自覚しているかは別にして。
Akira arrived at the stall where there was a problem. Over there, Revin was quarrelling with a young boy.
And that young boy was trying to get Revin to leave.
"As I said, I can't take you to the main shop! So just give up, will you!? It's not like I can do anything about it no matter how much you ask me! It's the decision from the boss!"
Revin raised his voice as he said to that boy.
"I told you that I've gone there once before!! I'm someone who has permission to go there!! So just take me there!!"
"No means no! It would be really bad for me if I go against the Boss' wish!! Can you at least understand that for me?!"
That young boy was given the duty to filter customers to be brought to the secret shop by Sheryl. But the current Hunter in front of him now was someone that he should not bring back to the base no matter how you look at it. His desperation, temperament and behaviour were obviously telling that boy not to bring that Hunter to the secret shop. Not to mention, he did not even try to buy the relics in the stand nor to pay the entrance fee, so he did not seem to have much money either.
If that boy brought Revin to the base and then if Revin caused some trouble back in the base, he would be held responsible for that. In the worst-case scenario, he might get kicked out of the gang. So when that boy thought of that possibility, he knew that he could not bring Revin back to the base no matter what.
But on the other hand, Revin would not back down. If he got violent there, he could beat the crap out of that young boy. That boy panicked, he knew that he was stuck between 2 hard places, the intimidation of the Hunter in front of him and the order from his boss.
"What the heck is he doing?"
When that young boy noticed Akira, his face immediately turned teary, he was so happy to the point that he was about to cry. He then waved at Akira.
"O-over here!! Please help me!!"
Revin immediately noticed Akira and inadvertently said.
"Geh!? Why are you here!?"
Revin remembered Akira very well. He met Akira back in Yonozuka station ruin and Akira was the exact reason why he was in the current situation. Akira was also the one that Katsuragi would ask for to collect his debt when the time came.
Revin's face puckered as Akira walked toward him.
[...Is he here to collect the debt?! No, that can't be, right? I'm sure he's not here to collect the debt!]
Akira then asked Revin.
"I was told that there was a problem here, so, here I am, what's going on?"
At least Revin knew for sure now that Akira was not here to collect the debt. He was so relieved as he replied.
"Ah, it's nothing."
"Really? If it's really nothing, can you just leave then?"
Even if Akira said that, it was not like Revin could just give up and leave. After all, if he got lucky, this might be his chance to pay all of his debts in one go.
"Uhmm, what's your connection with these guys by the way?"
"Isn't it obvious, already? He's one of us!!"
"No, that's not exactly true though?"
But Akira immediately denied what that boy said. Revin saw how that young boy and Erio were so surprised by what Akira just said. So then he tried to put more pressure on Akira.
"If you're not one of them, then this is none of your business, don't butt in. Or are you here trying to be a good samaritan helping them?"
"I'm not one of them, but I have a relationship with their boss. So basically I'm here because their boss asked me to."
Revin had a bad feeling when he heard Akira's reply. He sounded scared as he asked Akira another question.
"...Don't tell me that their boss is Katsuragi."
"Nope, it's Sheryl."
"Hm? Does Katsuragi have something to do with this? I heard that Sheryl used Katsuragi's connection to open the bank account for the shop... Or what was it again?"
Akira was trying to remember what Sheryl had said to him, while he was doing that, Revin's face turned paler and paler.
Akira suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Revin.
"Ahhh, since you're asking me if their boss is Katsuragi, that means this problem has something to do with Katsuragi, right? Can you give me a sec? I'll check with Katsuragi."
Revin flusteredly tried to stop Akira.
"No no no! Stop! I get it! I'll leave! So don't do anything, okay?! Just don't! I'm leaving! Alright?! This problem here, ends here, okay?! Bye!"
After Revin desperately pleaded Akira to stop, he immediately ran away.
Akira saw that Revin had left and tilted his head as he mumbled.
"...What the heck was that?"
There was no one there who could answer Akira's question.
After Revin distanced himself away from Akira, he let out a big sigh.
[...That was dangerous. If Katsuragi found out, this would definitely cause some problems later. It's a good thing that now I know Katsuragi might have something to do with that stand... Now that I can't get close to that place, what should I do...?]
Revin started to have a headache. In order to prevent his debt from growing any bigger, he could not just give up here.
[...It was just a trump card in the end. So I should be able to find a similar thing in another stand or shop, right? After all, that Sheryl was selling that trump card without knowing its true value. If I try to look around, I'm sure I'll find something similar somewhere. And if that story is true, then it doesn't have to be a trump, anything that can be used for gambling should work fine, right? I feel like I should be able to find something good enough somewhere...]
Revin picked himself up and planned to use the new information that he got from Kurogin to pay for his debt.
"...Alright then!"
He decided to look around the shops and stands in the slum for another hidden gem.
Sheryl was playing the game on Akira's information terminal inside her private room. At the moment, she failed all of her trials. When she started to think that it was not because she was not good enough but more because the game was too difficult, Erio returned.
Sheryl stopped playing the game and let them in. Erio and Tiol came in, Erio then gave Sheryl his report.
"I see, so it was Akira's acquaintance, huh... Are you sure that there's no problem at all?"
"Yeah. Although he knows Akira-san, it doesn't seem like they are friends, I'm pretty sure it was solved just fine. For some reason, he just left after talking to Akira-san for a bit."
"Well, that's fine then."
It did not seem like Erio was lying at all. So Sheryl could feel safe, at least for now. She actually wanted to ask Akira directly, just to be safe, but she immediately noticed that Akira was not present.
"Akira-san just went back home after that. That's why we closed the stand too. We can't do anything if something were to happen without Akira-san around after all."
"I see, so... Did Akira really return back home? He left his information terminal here though, did he forget about it?"
"No, he did remember, he said that it's okay since he has other information terminals."
"I see, well then. Thanks for the report, you can go ahead and take a rest."
Sheryl smiled and thanked Erio and Tiol. Tiol blushed and got flustered for a bit, but his face immediately regained its seriousness as he asked.
"Boss, there's something that I want to ask, is it okay?"
"Uhmm, what is your relation with Akira?"
"What do you mean by that? We're lovers. Didn't we tell you that too when you joined the gang?"
Sheryl answered back casually as if to say that it was weird for Tiol to ask something so obvious.
Seeing that, Tiol hesitated from saying what he was about to say next. But his curiosity and a glimmer of hope inside him pushed him to speak up.
"...Is that really true?"
Sheryl's mood suddenly worsened the moment she heard Tiol's question.
"...What do you mean by that question?"
Tiol was taken aback by her sudden change that he could not immediately reply back, but that only caused Sheryl's mood to get even worse. During that silence, Sheryl stared at Tiol with a gaze that the normal Sheryl would never give. She then gave a short order to Erio that was devoid of wish to resolve it peacefully.
"Erio, your rifle."
Seeing that Erio did not immediately do what he was told to, Sheryl's glare shifted from Tiol to Erio.
"Sheryl, just calm down, okay?! It's not like Tiol was suspicious if you're really Akira-san's lover or anything like that! Isn't that right, Tiol?! Try to word your question better next time as not to cause misunderstanding, okay?! See, Sheryl misunderstood because of that! So what exactly are you trying to ask here, Tiol?!"
Erio desperately tried to cover for Tiol who was still paralyzed from the pressure from Sheryl. At the same time, he was hopelessly trying to signal Tiol to agree with him even if it was not true. After all, if he did not do that, it might be his end.
Thanks to that, Tiol somehow was able to return back to himself and caught what Erio was trying to say there.
Tiol then started speaking slowly and carefully as if not to hit any red flags.
"Y-yeah, that's right, it's a misunderstanding. It's not like I was suspecting that you and Akira are not lo- I mean, I thought that not only as lovers, I was wondering if you have some kind of special relationship with Akira, like maybe something from the past. I swear that was all I actually wanted to ask."
"It did not sound like that to me though."
"I-I'm really sorry for asking something that caused a misunderstanding like that. But like, you know, Akira seems to be a very strong Hunter, right? I heard from the other people in the stands that the person Akira dealt with when that problem happened in one of the stands was not a former Hunter, but a proper Hunter, someone who is still working as a Hunter even now. So, I just thought for someone as strong as Akira who can deal with someone like that so easily, I wonder why he would associate with us. I just thought that maybe he has some other reason other than because he's your love- I mean, on top of the fact that he's your lover. It's not like I'm suspecting that it wasn't true, I swear!!"
Tiol and Erio held their breaths, waiting for Sheryl's reaction. Sheryl did not say anything while still glaring at Erio and Tiol.
After a few seconds, Sheryl seemed to have regained some of her calm as she said.
"...I see, it's fine then if that's the case. Erio, you should teach Tiol stuff since it seems that he's new here and doesn't know much yet."
"If that's all, you can leave now."
Erio and Tiol flusteredly exited the room. After Sheryl heard a clicking sound from closing the door, she then let out a big sigh.
After she arrived at a conclusion, she then said as if to tell herself.
"...I thought I had resolved myself, but it seems that it wasn't enough, huh. I guess it's a good thing that I was able to confirm it."
Although there were many rooms in Sheryl's base, she was the only one with a private room. Those with high positions in the gang like the officers were sharing a room with the other officers that they were close with. The ones with the highest position in that gang after Sheryl was Erio and Alicia, both of them were officers and a couple, because of that, they were sharing the same room albeit it was a small room.
While the other gang members were living in the shared spaces inside the gang like in a big hall or in the hallways. It could be inferred how high their position in the gang was from where they slept when it got dark outside. From that point of view, Erio and Alicia's position in the gang was pretty high.
Tiol was a new member of the gang, he used his hard-earned money to buy his way into the gang. The only reason why he got special treatment compared to the other new members was simply because he brought in extra money and equipment for the gang.
Erio, Alicia and Tiol were inside Erio and Alicia's room, Erio brought Tiol there.
Alicia said to Erio with a rather serious expression.
Alicia looked at Tiol, her gaze was saying that she was blaming him as she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"...Did you really think that it would not anger Sheryl when you asked that question? Good grief, give me a break."
Tiol looked really uncomfortable as he apologized.
Erio then tried to calm Alicia down.
"W-well, let's just end that here, alright? We are getting a lot of new members too, so it's completely understandable."
"Then, what are you planning to do if she did not let that slide just because he's a new member? Back then, not only Tiol, but you almost get roped in too, right? So, do you really think that I'll accept that excuse?"
Seeing how Erio was worrying about her safety, Alicia finally calmed down.
Erio then said to Tiol.
"So then. If there's still anything you want to ask us, this will be your chance. Both Alicia and I know Sheryl for quite some time now, so I'm sure we can give you answers to your questions about her. You can go ahead and ask us questions that might trigger Sheryl, it's far better if you ask them to us rather than getting Sheryl angry later."
So Tiol asked Erio a question with a serious face.
"I see. In that case, I want to know if Sheryl is really the boss of this gang."
Erio and Alicia's faces twitched, but their faces were also saying that it was understandable. It was not easy to gather information about that kind of thing. After all, the only one who knew the answer to those questions in that gang was Sheryl. Other people could only make guesses.
Tiol confirmed how Alicia and Erio reacted to that, he then asked another sensitive question.
"In the first place, that story about Akira going out with Sheryl, it'll have a different impact if they are in love with each other or it is actually a one-sided love. It seems that Akira bought an expensive dress for the boss, but we don't know for sure if he actually spent a lot of his money to get the boss happy or that expensive dress might actually not cost that much for Akira. Then there's the fact that Akira rarely comes to the base. I know that being a Hunter is a busy job, but is it okay to always leave your lover that much? And even if they're lovers, that doesn't mean that Akira would do anything for her, right? So how far can we ask from him before it's too much?"
Erio and Alicia looked at each other. They could understand why Tiol would ask something like that. But at the same time, it was a taboo to ask that question in the gang. Questioning Sheryl's relation with Akira was equal to treason after all. So even if those questions were fully reasonable, it was not like Erio and Alicia could do anything about it. They could only trust what Sheryl told them even if it was not the real truth.
Erio then said to Tiol with a serious face.
"I can understand why you would ask those questions, but the answer to those questions are simple and easy. Don't ask. That's the answer. I'll tell you later the reason why that's the answer. So basically, it doesn't matter if that answer is enough for you or not, if you want to keep staying in this gang, you'll have to accept that answer, okay?"
"O-okay."
"...So basically we need to explain this to the other new members too, huh."
"It can't be helped. We're the ones who know the most about it and it's not like we can ask Sheryl to do that for us too."
Alicia smiled and jokingly said.
"If only you're as strong as Akira-san, we might be able to find a good solution to this problem though."
"Don't be stupid. Being a Hunter, going out to the wasteland, exploring old-world ruins, fighting monsters, and returning back alive with old-world relics like Akira-san... That's just impossible for me. I'll definitely die halfway. Even back then, I was only saved because I got lucky and Akira-san found me. Otherwise, I would've died eaten by that monster."
"I know, sorry, I don't want you to die either. So please don't do anything dangerous, alright? I know that you get yourself better equipment, but make sure that it won't go to your head, okay?"
He thought, in secret, that Sheryl actually was not in love with Akira. After all, it did not matter who led the gang. It was more of who was strong enough to support the gang. If he could get strong enough to rival Akira, then Sheryl might abandon Akira and try to get closer to him instead.
Tiol actually liked Sheryl. It was love at the first sight. When Sheryl appeared in a dress that was specially made for her and smiled lovingly, it took his heart away.
He wished that the relation between Akira and Sheryl was nothing more than a relation out of profit. He was hoping to have a chance to be Sheryl's lover.
Although it was not too long ago, another member by the name of Sebla also had the same thought and he had to pay for that with his life. Tiol might end up meeting the same end. Or at least, he almost met the same end just a moment ago. Although, it was a whole different problem whether Tiol himself noticed that or not.
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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