入浴を終えたアキラとシェリルがシェリルの自室に戻る。部屋に戻る途中のアキラを、アキラと同性の者達が羨ましそうに見ていた。シェリルと同性の部下達も、別にアキラを非難しているような気配はない。シェリルの方がアキラに入れ込んでいるのは明らかだからだ。
アキラは1000万オーラムをあっさり支払うほどの大金を持つハンターだ。シェリルが徒党のボスでなければ、アキラに色目を使おうとする少女が出ても不思議はない。
ただし実際にアキラを誘惑すれば、それはシェリルへの明確な敵対行為であり宣戦布告だ。シェリルが徒党のボスの地位にいるのは、今のところはアキラの威光のおかげだ。そのシェリルからアキラを奪おうとする行為は、徒党のボスの座を奪おうとしているのと同じだ。そのため実際に行動に移す者はいなかった。
アキラはシェリルの自室に戻ると眠気を覚えた。強い睡魔に
「ベッドを使って良いですよ。広いですから」
「......そうか? ありがとう」
アキラはベッドの使用許可の礼を言うと、荷物を近くの床に置いてベッドに潜り込もうとする。シェリルの発言には自分も同じベッドで一緒に寝るという意味が含まれていたのだが、気が付かなかった。なお、シェリルは言葉を選んで答えていた。
「服を脱いでもらっても構いませんか? 服の汚れがベッドに移ると掃除が大変ですので」
「ゆっくり休んでくださいね。お休みなさい」
「......お休み」
アキラは眠そうにそう返事をすると、すぐに眠りに就いた。
シェリルは本日の仕事を終えると、自室に戻って部屋の扉に鍵をかけた。そして服を脱いで下着姿になると、アキラが眠っているベッドに潜り込み、そのままゆっくりアキラに抱き付いた。
既にアキラの体温がベッドに移っていた。アキラは簡単な薄着でシェリルも下着しか着けていない。シェリルは伝わってくる
シェリルがアキラに抱き付いたまま目を閉じて、今日の出来事を思い返す。
(......いろいろあったけれど、今日は良い一日になったわ。アキラに見捨てられないように、これからも頑張らないと......)
これからのことを考え続けていると、その内にシェリルの意識も睡魔に飲み込まれる。シェリルは幸せそうに眠りに就いた。
翌日、目覚めたアキラはシェリルに抱き付かれていることに気が付いた。シェリルは安心しきった表情でアキラに抱き付いていた。
まだベッドで横になっているアキラに、アルファが声をかける。
『お早うアキラ。よく眠れた?』
『......お早う。......ああそうだ。シェリルの所に泊まったんだっけ』
アキラはシェリルを引き剥がすと、ベッドから降りて着替え始める。ベッドに横たわっている下着姿のシェリルの姿がアキラの視界に入る。
しっかり睡眠を取って平静さを取り戻したアキラが、昨日の出来事と今のシェリルの姿を見て、何となく思ったことを話す。
『よく分からない理由で抱き付いてくるし、昨日は一緒に風呂に入ったし、下着姿でベッドに入ってくるし、こいつは俺を何だと思ってるんだ? 襲われないとでも思ってるのか?』
『手を出せば情が移る、とでも考えているんでしょうね。実際私もそんな気がするわ』
アキラが複雑な表情でシェリルを見る。
ろにするほどに彼女に入れ込んだりしなければ、私は別にアキラがシェリルに手を出そうとも構わないけれどね。手を出すならその点は気を付けてね』
『アルファが指定する旧世界の遺跡の攻略だろう? 大丈夫だよ。アルファに見捨てられたら、俺はすぐにそこらのモンスターに殺されるからな。俺も死にたくないからそんな
アキラははっきり言い切った。アキラが生き残っているのはアルファのサポートのおかげだ。アキラはそれを理解し、自覚している。
『それは良かったわ。それにしても、同世代の下着姿の女性が近くにいるというのに、アキラは全然気にしないのね。興味があったりしないの?』
いているから、耐性が付いたんだな』
アキラが笑ってそう答えると、アルファが不敵に楽しげに笑う。アキラが嫌な予感を覚える。その予感はすぐに的中した。
アルファが自分の服を全て消して全裸になる。実在しない視覚情報のみの人工物であるために、精密に芸術的に計算され尽くした女体美の裸身を、惜しげもなく
『耐性が付いていたのではなかったの?』
アキラが少し照れながら文句を言う。
『うるさいな。時と場合と相手によるんだよ。早く戻せ』
アルファが服を戻す。残念だなどとは思っていないと、アキラは自己暗示をかけていた。
『また見たくなったらいつでも言ってちょうだいね』
わらずアキラの反応が著しく鈍いのは、抱き付かれても、一緒に風呂に入っても、下着姿で無防備に横たわる姿を見ても動じないのは、単純にアキラにとってシェリルがその手の対象ではないからだ。
アキラは基本的に他者を2種類に分類している。敵か、敵ではないか、である。その2種類のどちらも異性への関心の対象外なのだ。そしてそのどちらにも一致しない極一部の例外、味方、
それは何の打算もなくアキラを心配し手を貸してくれたシズカであり、アキラの命を救ったエレナとサラであり、アキラをいろいろサポートしているアルファだ。アルファが知る限り、その4名に対してはアキラは相応の態度を取っている。
例えばサラ達の家で薄着のサラの姿を見た時や、体の線が強く出る強化服を着たエレナの姿を見た時、アルファが作り出したサラとエレナの全裸の姿を見た時、そして先ほどのアルファの姿を見た時などだ。
何かの拍子でシェリルの立ち位置がその例外側に移動した場合、アキラは瞬く間にシェリルに籠絡されるかもしない。アルファはそう考えて少し探りを入れてみたのだ。
この調子ならば問題ないだろう。アルファはそう判断した。
よほどのことがない限り、シェリルがアキラの、敵ではない、の分類から移動する可能性は低い。シェリルの真意がどうであれ、シェリルのことを少し縁のある利害関係の仲と認識している限り、アキラがシェリルへの態度を変える可能性は低い。
シェリルの意識が少しずつはっきりしていく。身を起こしてアキラを探すと、アキラは既に出発する準備を終えていた。
アキラはソファーに座って情報端末を操作し、アキラのハンターコード宛てに届いているメッセージを確認している。そのメッセージの中には、アキラがキバヤシに要求した賃貸物件の情報もあった。
アキラがシェリルに気付く。
「起きたか。お早う」
「お早う御座います。......もう出発するのですか? 朝食ぐらい出しますよ?」
アキラの食事の分だけ、シェリル達の分の食事が減るのだ。スラム街での食事の貴重性を知っているアキラは、その気持ちだけ受け取っておくことにした。
アキラが苦笑して話す。
「......その格好でか?」
アキラに指摘されて、シェリルは自分が下着姿であることに気が付いた。シェリルは少し恥ずかしそうにしながら慌てて服を着た。
シェリルの拠点を後にしたアキラは、そのまま不動産業者の事務所に向かうことにした。
事務所に向かうその途中で、アルファがアキラに尋ねる。
『アキラはどんな家に住みたいの? 確実に聞かれることだから、今のうちに考えておいた方が良いわ』
『そうだな。まずは大きな浴室は欲しいな。車を買った時のことも考えて、大きめの車庫もいるな。装備品や予備の弾薬を置くスペースも欲しいな。後は私物を置く場所と寝床が有れば良いんじゃないか?』
『後は家賃ね。キバヤシから話が通っているはずだけれど、その所為でアキラが1億オーラム持っている前提で物件を薦められても困るわ』
『それもそうだな。......昨日だけで9000万オーラムも使ったのか。俺の金銭感覚は確実に狂ってきているな。20万オーラムで慌てていた俺は一体どこに行ったんだ?』
『無駄遣いはしていないわ。成長の
『......成長、か。正直実感ないな。俺は成長してるのか? 装備が高性能になっただけで、アルファに頼ってばっかりの俺の実力は大して変わってないんじゃないか?』
アキラには自分が強くなっている実感は全くない。敵との戦闘は苦戦が当たり前であり、アルファのサポートのおかげで辛うじて生き残っているだけだからだ。
アルファがアキラを安心させるように
『安心しなさい。アキラはちゃんと成長しているわ。でもそれで良いと思うわ。自分の実力を過大評価して油断するより、過小評価して警戒しなさい。アキラが多少強くなったぐらいで、急にモンスターとの戦闘が楽になる訳ではないからね。簡単に殺せるような相手ならモンスターなんて呼ばれないわ。元々命賭けの稼業なんだから、初心を忘れずに行きましょう。不安になるぐらいなら訓練に精を出しなさい。そしてもっと私を頼りなさい』
アルファの言葉で気が楽になったアキラが軽く笑う。
アキラは気を取り直して歩き続けた。
アキラがキバヤシに指定された不動産業者の事務所に到着した。受付でハンター証を見せてキバヤシの名前を出すと、すぐに担当者が現れた。
担当者はアキラを見て少し驚いていた。アキラが子供だと言うことも含め、クガマヤマ都市からの紹介を受けられるようなハンターには見えなかったからだ。しかしそれもほんの僅かな間で、担当者は愛想良く接客を始めた。
アキラが担当者に物件の希望を伝える。その後、軽い相談を済ませてから希望に添った物件を実際に見に行くことになった。
紹介された物件は都市の下位区画の外れにあった。東部では土地は幾らでも余っている。しかし安全な土地は極めて少ない。防壁で覆われている上位、中位区画と、防壁の外の下位区画では、土地の価格に雲泥の差がある。そしてその価格の差はそのまま安全の差であり、治安の差なのだ。
家賃は基本的に下位区画でも荒野に近いほど安く、防壁に近いほど高くなる。例外も存在するが、そういう場所は民間警備会社が治安維持に努めている区域だ。要するに警備代なのだ。
アキラは担当者に案内されながら紹介された一軒家の中を見て回る。家はアキラが1人で住むには十分すぎるほど広い。浴室も広く部屋も多く車庫も広い。備え付けの家具も多く、新たに家具を買い
「ハンター向け物件でして、本来ならハンターランク30以上のお客様に紹介させていただいております。建築素材も強固な物を使用しており、火器の暴発等が発生いたしましても最小の被害で抑えられます。自衛のための警備用重火器類を設置する許可は下りておりますが、その使用時に近隣のハンターとトラブルが発生した場合は、お客様自身の手で解決をお願いいたします。当社と契約している民間警備会社が周辺の治安維持に努めておりますが、強盗等との交戦時は基本的にお客様自身の手で対処するとお考えください。破壊された家屋の修理や死体の処理等は、御連絡いただければこちらで対処いたします。家賃の方はお客様を御紹介された方の顔を立てまして、月50万オーラムとさせていただきます。水道代、光熱費、警備代、及び各種保険等は家賃に含ませていただいております。お客様物件の巡回の強化や非常時の武力援護等はオプションとなっておりますので、お気軽に御相談ください。何かご質問は御座いますか?」
アキラに紹介された物件は、本来ならアキラ程度のハンターには絶対に紹介されないものだ。キバヤシの紹介、つまりクガマヤマ都市の紹介の力である。この機会を逃せば次はないだろう。
アキラが担当者に尋ねる。
「いつから借りられますか?」
「家賃の振り込みが済み次第となります。この場でお支払いいただければ今すぐにでも」
アキラが担当者にハンター証を渡す。担当者はそのハンター証を読み取り機器で読み取った後、情報端末を操作して契約処理を進めた。担当者がアキラに深々と頭を下げる。
「お支払の確認が済みました。当社の物件を御利用いただき、誠にありがとう御座います。こちらが家の鍵となります。紛失時は至急御連絡ください。来月以降の家賃はお客様の口座から自動的に引き落とされます。支払が1秒でも遅れた時点で、賃貸契約は打切りとなります。物件内の全ての物品の所有権は管理会社に移行いたします。くれぐれも御注意ください。備え付けの家具はお客様の好きにしていただいて構いません。不要でしたら買い取りも実施しております」
「もしかして、この家の家具って......」
「はい。以前にここにお住みになっていたお客様が使用していた物です」
アキラは改めて室内を見渡す。部屋にある多くの家具は以前ここに住んでいたハンターの遺品だ。つまりアキラが死ねば、アキラの遺品となるのだ。
「では、私はこれで失礼いたします。何か御座いましたらお気軽に御連絡ください。当社を御利用いただき誠にありがとう御座いました」
担当者はもう一度アキラに深々と頭を下げた後、立ち去っていった。
アキラが家の鍵を閉める。そして部屋に戻り、荷物を下ろし、装備品を外す。
そしてアキラは近くにあった椅子に座ると、感慨深く大きく息を吐いた。
「......家か。......俺の家か」
『賃貸だけれどね』
「良いんだよ。それでも俺の家だ。スラム街の路上で生きていた俺が、俺だけの家に住めるようになったんだ」
アキラが感慨深く部屋を見渡す。昨日よりましな明日を目指して、アキラはハンターとなった。荒野に向かってからいろいろなことがあった。アキラはその日々を思い返した。
アキラはアルファの方に姿勢を正して立つと、真面目な表情で頭を下げた。
「全部アルファのおかげだ。ありがとう。それと、これからも
その後アキラは、その日を食料や日用品、部屋着などを都市の下位区画で買い込んで戻ってきたり、新しい情報端末をアルファが操作できるように設定したり、家の全ての部屋をもう一度見て回ったりと、いろいろなことをして過ごした。夜になる頃にはアキラの新居での新生活の準備も終わっていた。
アキラは風呂に入って一日の疲れを癒やしている。アキラの希望通り新居の浴槽は十分広い。手足を伸ばしてゆったりと湯に
『アキラ。これからの予定だけれど、明日から装備が届くまでの間は、勉強と訓練で家に籠もることになるからね』
「分かった。......訓練って何をするんだ?」
『体感時間の意図的な圧縮とその切替えの意識的、無意識的な操作、条件付けとかよ』
「......ごめん。よく分からない。つまり何をすれば良いんだ?」
『まあ少しずつやってみれば分かるわ。明日からね』
アキラには目指す内容や具体的な訓練方法が全く分からなかったが、アルファがそう言う以上やれば分かるのだろうと考えて深くは聞かなかった。それはアルファへの信頼と信用の表れだ。
アルファはアキラの返答を聞いて満足げに
翌日、アキラの訓練は家の車庫で始まった。アルファがアキラに訓練内容を説明する。
『今からアキラがする訓練は、自分の体感時間を自由に操作する技術よ。簡単に説明すると、時間がゆっくり流れて世界がスローモーションで動いているような錯覚、自分の意識だけが極度に加速している状態に、意図的に、又は特定の条件を満たした時に移行できるようにする訓練ね。それができるようになったら、今度は体感時間の圧縮率を上げる訓練よ。現実の1秒を体感的には10秒に感じられるように、100秒に感じられるようにする。そしてその状態を少ない負担で長時間維持できるようにする。それができるようになれば、アキラの実力は飛躍的に向上するわ』
アルファはごく普通にアキラに説明している。しかしその説明を聞いているアキラは、アルファと同じ態度ではいられなかった。アキラの感覚では
『できるわ。というより、無意識にならもうできているわ。後はそれを意識的にできるようにするだけよ』
「......もう、できてる?」
い例を挙げると、地下街でシオリとネリアの2人と戦ったでしょう? あれが良い例ね。多分あの時シオリは加速剤を服用していたはずよ。体感時間を圧縮させて、更に反応速度を劇的に向上させて、精密な高速戦闘を可能にしていたわ。ネリアの方は高速戦闘が可能な義体を操作するために、転換手術の一環で脳改造でもしたんでしょうね』
アキラが2人との戦闘を思い出す。アキラはあの時に、アルファが操作する強化服の動きに何とか追いつこうと、死に物狂いで体を動かしていた。
『アキラは相手の動きを目で追って、相手の動きにある程度対応していたわ。私が操作する強化服の動きに何とか追いつこうとしていたわ。その時のアキラは必死で気が付いていなかったけれど、それは通常の時間感覚では不可能なのよ? 死の危険を感じたアキラが極度の集中力を発揮して、無意識に体感時間を圧縮させていたのよ。死ぬほどの危機的状況を回避しようとしてね』
アキラは驚きながらアルファの説明を聞いていた。アキラ自身もある程度納得できる内容で、信頼しているアルファに説明されたこともあり、アキラはそれを信じた。
事実がどうであれ、アキラがそう信じ、認識したことで、それはアキラにとって確固たる事実になる。それはアキラの中で到底不可能だと考えていたことが、ある程度実現可能な内容に変化したことを意味していた。
『まずアキラにやってもらうことは、危機的状況だと自分の脳を
「......やることは分かったけど、具体的にはどうすれば良いんだ?」
『訓練を始めれば分かるわ。早速訓練を始めましょう』
アルファはそう言うと、自分の服装を変化させた。アルファの服装は装飾過多のドレスのようにも、異常に布地の多い踊り子の服にも見える。肌の露出は顔の部分程度で、両脚は床まで届くスカートが、両手は非常に長い袖が隠していた。
アルファは両手に剣を持っている。長い袖の先から非常に切れ味の良さそうな刀身が伸びていた。アルファが右手の剣先をアキラに突きつける。アキラの眼前に突きつけられた刃は、それが現実には実在していない剣だと理解していても、アキラが思わず少し引いてしまうほどに鋭利に見えた。
『私がアキラの前で踊るから、アキラは踊る私をしっかり見ること。そして踊っている途中で私が突然斬りかかるから、その攻撃を
『良し。では、始めましょうか』
アルファはアキラからある程度離れた後、アキラに向けて恭しく一礼する。アルファは均整の取れた美麗の顔に凜とした表情を乗せ、ゆっくりと踊り出した。
大量の布地を宙に舞わせて踊るアルファの姿は幻想的なまでに美しい。アルファの動きに合わせて光沢のある布や装飾品、空を裂く刀身が反射した光を宙に舞わせる。両目を
アルファの衣装から、装飾の布が1枚剥がれた。剥がれた布は床に落ちる前に消えてしまう。アルファの衣装は、アキラの視覚情報にしかない映像のみの作り物だ。勝手に剥がれ落ちることなどない。つまりアルファが意図的にしたことなのだ。
『難易度を少し下げただけよ。私のこの布地たっぷりの服装は、私の動きを捉えにくくしているの。攻撃の予備動作を隠したりね。相手の体の各部位の動きを把握できれば、それだけ攻撃に気付きやすくなるでしょう?』
『良いのよ。アキラが私の攻撃にまるで反応できないなら、そもそも危機的状況だと認識できないでしょう? そもそも攻撃を知覚できないと、攻撃されている事に気が付かないと、体感時間の感覚を切り替えるトリガーにならないわ』
『アキラが私の攻撃を受けるたびに、私の衣装の布を1枚ずつ減らしていくからね』
『もしアキラが私の裸を見たいのなら、思いっきり手を抜いてもかまわないわよ?』
アルファは艶麗に笑ってそう話すと、少し焦っているアキラの前で再び踊り出した。
華麗に舞うアルファの姿を、アキラは自身の内心を表情に出さないように、顔を
After finishing his bath, Akira returned to Sheryl's room. On his way there, the other boys in the gang were looking enviously at him. They knew that he shared the bath together with Sheryl. The girls in the gang could not blame the boys since they also knew that many boys fantasized about being with Sheryl. But it was obvious that Sheryl was only into Akira.
Akira was a Hunter who could pay 10,000,000 Aurum like it was nothing. If Sheryl was not the boss of the gang, the other girls in the gang would have tried to seduce him.
But doing something like that would be an obvious declaration of war against Sheryl. The reason why Sheryl could maintain her position as the boss was because of Akira's influence. Thus trying to seduce him also meant trying to wrest the boss position from Sheryl. Because of that, no one dared to even attempt to do that.
After returning back to Sheryl's room, Akira started to feel sleepy. He said to Sheryl while fighting against his sleepiness.
"You can use my bed, it's bigger than the sofa"
"...Really? Thanks."
Once he got Sheryl's permission, Akira put his luggage on the floor near the bed and was about to get on the bed. Although from the way Sheryl said it, she hinted that she would also sleep on the same bed, he did not notice that at all. She then carefully picked her words as she said.
"Is it okay if I ask you to take off your clothes? It would be a lot of work to clean the bed if it gets dirty."
"Good night and sleep well."
"...G'night."
Akira sounded drowsy when he replied, he then quickly fell asleep.
After finishing, Sheryl returned to her private room and locked the door. She undressed down to her undies and crawled onto the same bed as Akira, she then slowly hugged him.
As Akira was already asleep on the bed for quite some time, his body warmth was spread throughout the bed. Both Akira and Sheryl were in their underwear. As she felt Akira's warmth on her body, Sheryl revealed a satisfied smile.
Sheryl closed her eyes while still hugging Akira as she looked back at everything that happened that day.
[...Although a lot of things happened today, it was still an amazing day. I'll do my best so that Akira will not abandon me...]
As she was thinking about the future, Sheryl was slowly consumed by her sleepiness. She eventually drifted to sleep with a big smile on her face.
The next day, Akira woke up and noticed that Sheryl was still clinging on him. She had a peaceful and blissful look on her sleeping face.
Akira, who was still lying on that bed, suddenly heard Alpha's voice.
"Good morning, Akira. Did you sleep well?"
"... Morning... Ah, right, I slept in Sheryl's place last night, huh."
Akira pulled himself away from Sheryl, stepped down from the bed, and put his clothes on. He then looked at Sheryl who was still sleeping on the bed.
After he got a good night's sleep, Akira regained his calm. He remembered what happened yesterday as he was looking at Sheryl, who was still wearing nothing but her undies.
"She was clinging on to me yesterday without any good reason. She also took a bath together with me, and until just a moment ago, she was sleeping with me only in her undies. What exactly does she think of me? Does she think that I definitely won't attack her or something?"
"She might be thinking that her current situation can quickly change for the better if you do something to her. As a matter of fact, I'm quite sure that's what she's thinking."
Akira made a conflicted face as he stared at Sheryl.
"Well, I don't really mind if you want to get involved with her as long as you don't forget your contract with me. But if you really do, just make sure to be careful."
"It's about exploring the particular ruin that you want me to go to, right? Don't worry. If you abandon me, I'm sure I'll immediately die in no time eaten by one of those monsters. I won't do anything that might endanger my life. So you don't need to worry about that."
Akira stated that clearly, the only reason why he was still alive was all thanks to Alpha's support. He understood that one fact very well.
"That's good to hear. But still, although there's a beautiful girl of the same age as you sleeping only in her undies in front of you, you don't seem to be bothered at all. Are you really not interested?"
"Well, what can I say... Since I have this girl, who always follows me around while being n.a.k.e.d, I guess I grew up some resistance against it."
Akira lightly laughed when he said that and Alpha smiled invincibly. Right at the next moment, he had a bad feeling, and his feeling was accurate.
Alpha's dress suddenly vanished, leaving her beautiful body in full view. She was showing off her virtual body that was produced through an extremely advanced calculation without even a shred of embarrassment. She even adjusted her appearance to suit Akira's taste, which she gathered from all of her observations of him, but her base body shape was also so beautiful that it would charm most of the members of the opposite gender.
"Oh, I thought you said you'd grown some resistance against this, right?"
Akira still blushed as he complained.
"Just shut up. It depends on the timing and the girl, you know. Just get your dress back on already."
Alpha returned her dress back. When she did that, Akira kept telling himself that he did not regret it.
"If you want to see it again, feel free to tell me anytime."
There was no denying the fact that Sheryl was a beautiful girl. The only reason why his reaction was so dull even when she clung on him, got on the same bath with him, and slept beside him defencelessly while being only in her undies, was simply because Akira did not think of her in that way at all.
In principle, Akira categorized the people that he met into one of two groups, either they were enemies or not enemies. He showed no gender bias when it came to this matter. But he did react differently towards a very small number of people, who were not included in either of those two groups, namely, people he thought as his allies.
This very small number of people included Shizuka, who worried for him without any ulterior motives, Sara and Elena, who saved his life, and Alpha, who was supporting him. As far as Alpha knew, Akira only regarded these 4 people as his allies.
This could be seen from how Akira reacted when Sara was only wearing a light dress when he was in their house, or when Elena came up in front of him with a s.e.xy augmented suit that pronounced her body line, or when Alpha reconstructed the image of Elena's and Sara's n.a.k.e.d body in front of him. And finally, he also reacted the same way when Alpha was showing her n.a.k.e.d body just a moment ago.
If for some reason, Sheryl's position shifted to this group, there was a good chance that Akira would be seduced by her in no time. Alpha thought so as she decided that she should investigate that possibility further.
But looking at how he reacted just now, Alpha knew that there was no need to worry about it.
As long as nothing big happened, it was very unlikely for Sheryl's position to be changed from Akira's 'not enemy' group. No matter what Sheryl would do, as long as he only thought of maintaining their relationship, it was unlikely for him to change how he treated Sheryl.
Sheryl slowly got to her senses. When she was finally fully awake, she could see Akira already prepared to go out.
Akira was sitting on the sofa while operating his information terminal, he was looking through the emails that reached him by his Hunter Code. One of the emails was from Kibayashi, it contained the information about the property agency that Akira had asked.
Akira noticed Sheryl who just woke up.
"Ah, you've woken up, huh. Morning."
"Good morning... Are you going out already? You can at least eat some breakfast here, you know?"
If Akira ate something there, it would reduce the portion for the rest of the gang's members. After all, he knew perfectly well how precious food was in the slum city.
Akira smiled bitterly and asked.
"...You sure you want to see me off dressed like this?"
When Akira pointed it out, Sheryl realized that she was wearing nothing but her undies. She then quickly grabbed her dress and put it on in panic.
Akira left Sheryl's base and headed to the real estate agent's office introduced by Kibayashi.
In the middle of his way there, Alpha asked him.
"Akira, what kind of house do you want? I'm sure the staff would ask you this question, so it's a good idea to think about it now."
"Let's see. First of all, I want a big bath. I'm also planning to buy a vehicle, so I want a big garage too. And also maybe a big room to store my equipment, ammo and my reserves. Then maybe a warehouse and a bedroom too."
"Then the next problem will be the rent. I'm sure Kibayashi has told that real estate agency about you, so it would be troublesome if they recommend you an expensive estate thinking that you still have that 100,000,000 Aurum."
"Well, that's true... I already spent 90,000,000 Aurum yesterday... My money sense is completely broken, isn't it? I wonder where that small boy, who got all fl.u.s.tered by 200,000 Aurum, is now."
"It's not like you wasted that money on unnecessary things, just think about it as proof of your growth."
"...Growth, huh? To be honest, I'm not sure if I've really grown stronger. Since, until now, I only got myself better equipment and I'm still fully relying on you. I don't feel like I'm getting stronger myself though."
Akira himself did not think that he had grown stronger. After all, he still had problems in all his fights and he was only able to barely survive till now because of Alpha's support.
Alpha smiled at Akira to reassure him.
"Don't worry. You've become stronger. But I think it's okay to think like that too. It's better to underestimate your ability rather than to overestimate it. After all, it's not like you would be able to breeze through your fights against the monsters just because you got a little bit stronger. If Hunters could easily kill them, they would not be called monsters after all. Not to mention, facing danger is your occupational hazard too, so let's not get too reckless and stay careful. If you're worried about it, you can put more effort into your training and you can also rely more on me."
Akira smiled, he was rather relieved after Alpha said that to him.
Akira collected himself as he stepped forward.
Eventually, he arrived at the real estate agency that Kibayashi introduced. After he showed his Hunter ID at the reception counter and mentioned Kibayashi's name. One of the staff quickly came to serve him.
That staff was surprised when he saw Akira. It was because not only was Akira a small boy, he also did not seem like a Hunter who could receive a recommendation from the Kugamayama City Management. But that staff quickly showed Akira a friendly smile before Akira could notice his surprise.
Akira told that staff what kind of house he was looking for. After that, they finished their small consultation and went to check the prospective houses.
The real estate agency Kibayashi introduced to him was located in the outskirts of the lower district. Although there were a lot of open plots in the district, only a very small number of them were safe. There was a big difference in the values between the plots on the upper and middle districts that were located behind the wall, and the lower district that was located outside the wall. This difference in values came from the difference in their safety and security.
The closer the property was to the wasteland, the cheaper it would be. And the closer it was to the wall, the more expensive it would be. Although there were exceptions, these exceptions were sold at a higher price since they were located in regions that were maintained by private security companies. So in short, the extra price was for the safety provided.
The agency staff gave Akira a tour through a certain house. As Akira looked around the inside of that house, he felt that it was big enough for him to live alone. It had a big bath, a lot of rooms, and a huge garage. It was also fully-furnished, so there was no need to buy new furniture. It fulfilled most of Akira's expectations.
"It's a building designed for a Hunter. Normally, we would only recommend this house for a Hunter above Rank 30. It's pretty well made that it can withstand explosives and gunshots. The city security gave permission to install heavy weaponry on this house for self-defense too, but if it causes problems with other people who live around the area, then we're not liable for that and you would have to solve that problem yourself. Although it is mentioned under the contract that this area is guarded by a private security company, don't put your hopes too high. In case you're attacked by robbers, expect to handle it yourself. As for cleaning up rubbles and dead bodies, you can contact us and we'll take care of them for you. While for the rent, considering the position of the person who introduced you to us, we'll charge you 500,000 Aurum per month. It already includes the water bill, energy bill, security bill and insurance. You can always ask us anytime in case you need more security guards. Do you have any questions?"
Normally, this house would not be introduced to a small Hunter like Akira. It was all thanks to Kibayashi's influence as city staff. Thus, Akira thought that this kind of opportunity might never come again if he let it go here.
Akira enquired the staff.
"When can I rent this house?"
"You can use it immediately after you pay the rent. If you pay it here and now, you can immediately use it right afterwards."
Akira then gave the staff his Hunter ID. The staff received the Hunter ID, scanned it with his terminal, and operated his terminal to finalize the contract. He then deeply bowed to Akira.
"I've confirmed that we've received the payment. Thank you very much for using our service. This is the key for that house. Please do inform us if you lose it. The future rent payment will be automatically withdrawn from your bank account. If you're late in paying the rent even by a second, the rental contract will be immediately nullified and all the properties inside the house will be confiscated by the company who owns the building. So please be careful. You can do anything you want with all the furniture that is already inside. You can throw them away or sell them if you don't need them."
"Wait, those furniture... were they..."
"Yes. They were owned by the previous renter."
Akira glanced back at the furniture inside the house. Those furniture were left behind by the previous person who lived there. He realized that if he too died, then his furniture would also be passed on for the subsequent renters in the same way.
"Well then, please let me excuse myself. If you need anything, feel free to give us a call. Once again, thank you very much for using our service."
The staff bowed deeply at Akira once more before leaving.
Akira then locked the door, went to his new room, and put down his luggage and equipment.
He then sat on a chair near him. He looked deeply moved as he took a big breath and let out a long sigh.
"...A home... My home..."
"You're only renting it though."
"Even if I'm just renting it, it's still my home. After living all these years in the slum city alley, I finally get a place that I can call my home."
Akira looked around the room. He became a Hunter hoping to improve his life condition and a lot had happened since he went to the wasteland for the first time. He just sat there reminiscing those days.
Akira stood up and turned to Alpha, he made a serious face as he bowed his head.
"It's all thanks to you, Alpha. Thank you. And also, I'll keep counting on you."
After that, Akira went to and fro to the lower district to buy food, indoor clothes, and other daily necessities. He also adjusted his new information terminal so that Alpha could access it. He then checked all the rooms inside his new house one more time. He spent the whole day to prepare himself for his new lifestyle. By nightfall, Akira had finished all the preparations that he needed for his new life inside his new house.
Akira dipped himself inside the warm bath to recover from all the hard work that he did during the day. Just like he wished, the bath inside his house was pretty big. It was large enough for him to fully extend his arms and legs as he enjoyed the warm water. Alpha was also there together with him, although she was only an image.
"Akira, it's about our plan for the future. Starting from tomorrow until the day your new equipment arrives, you'll spend your time studying and training, okay?"
"I understand... But what kind of training are we going to do?"
"You'll train on how to compress your time perception both intentionally and out of pure reflex."
"...I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you just said. So, what exactly am I going to do?
"Well, you'll understand that tomorrow."
Akira did not have any idea on what kind of training he would be doing, but since Alpha said that he would understand once the training started, he stopped worrying any further. It showed just how far he trusted Alpha.
Alpha was satisfied with his answer.
On the next day, Akira started his training inside the garage. Alpha initiated the training with an explanation on what to do.
"The training that you'll be doing starting from today will be to freely compress time perception by yourself. Simply put, you'll accelerate your cognitive mind to compress your time perception. When you do that, things around you will look like they're moving in slow motion. You'll train on how to do it intentionally. While on the other hand, we'll also condition your body to automatically do that when you're in a certain situation. Once you achieve it, we'll train to increase the level of compression. For starters, let's aim to extend 1 second into 10 seconds, then into 100 seconds, and so on. We'll also train so you can maintain it for an extended time with a minimum level of burden to your brain. If you can do this, I'm sure you'll grow strong really quickly."
Alpha gave a very straight forward and plain explanation. But Akira did not get the same impression after hearing her explanation. For him, it sounded like an impossible and crazy idea, it was as if Alpha was telling him to fly.
"You can. Or more like, you've done it unconsciously before. You just need to work it out so you can do the same intentionally."
"...I've done something like that?"
"That's right. If you need a more precise example, you still remember your fight against Nelia, right? That's a good example. I'm pretty sure Nelia was using an accelerator when she fought you. It increased the speed of her movements and slowed down her time perception, thus allowing her to fight at a very high speed. In order to adjust her cyborg body to fight in such a high speed, I bet she put in extra modifications inside her brain too."
Akira remembered his fight with Nelia. At that time, although he was moving his body desperately, he was barely able to follow the movement of his augmented suit that was controlled by Alpha.
"Yes. At that time, you were somehow able to follow and react to Nelia's movements. You were also barely able to follow the movements of your augmented suit when I was controlling it. Although you weren't aware of it since you were so desperate at that time, there's no way you could do something like that unless you were compressing your time perception, you know? The danger of death made you so focused that you were unconsciously compressing your time perception in order to survive that situation."
Akira was dumbfounded as he heard Alpha's explanation. He was only vaguely aware of it during that fight and now Alpha, who he trusted, also confirmed it. Thus Akira thought that it must be true.
Leaving the truth aside, Akira believed her explanation. Now that he believed it, it became the truth for him. It turned his belief from being impossible to possible.
"Let's start by trying to fool your brain into thinking that your life is in danger. With this, you should be able to grasp how to compress time unconsciously. Once you're done with it, you'll next learn how to do the same in any situation."
"...I understand the gist of it, but what exactly should I do?"
"You'll understand once we start the training. So let's get into it right away."
After saying that, Alpha changed her appearance from her usual dress into some kind of exotic costume for dancers which had a lot of decorations on it. The only exposed part of her body was her head, she was wearing a long skirt that extended to the floor and her arms were covered by long sleeves.
Alpha was holding blades in both of her hands. Those blades were thin and looked extremely sharp. She then thrust the blade in her right hand toward Akira. Although Akira understood well that the blade in front of his eyes was not a real thing and only an image, it looked sharp enough that Akira could not help but take a step back.
"I'll be dancing in front of you and you'll need to keep your eyes on me. I'll launch some attacks in the middle of it and you just need to evade them, you get that?"
"Very well, let's begin."
After both of them opened up some distance between them, Alpha saluted Akira, closed her eyes and started dancing while making a dignified expression with her beautiful face.
The multi-layered dress flailed in the air as she danced, she looked completely mesmerizing. The many decorations on her dress swayed along, complimenting her every move. The blades, which were as smooth as a mirror, gave a clear reflection of the garage as they slashed the air.
A layer of cloth tore off from Alpha's dress. That piece of cloth fluttered and vanished before it could touch the floor. Akira understood that it was nothing more than an image, thus it was not like that piece of cloth would just peel off from Alpha's dress on its own. So in short, Alpha did that intentionally.
"I'm just reducing the difficulty, this multi-layered dress is hiding my movements which in turn hides my attack. If you can get a better view of my limbs, you should be able to see my attacks more easily, right?"
"It's fine. It doesn't seem like you can even react to my attacks at this rate, after all. Or more like, you don't feel any danger at all, do you? As long as you don't recognize the danger, you won't be able to notice that you're being attacked, and it won't be able to trigger you to compress your time perception."
"I'll take off one layer of my dress every time my attack hits you, okay?"
"If you want to see me n.a.k.e.d, you can just go ahead and take it easy, you know?"
After Alpha said that while smiling bewitchingly, she started dancing again in front of fl.u.s.tered Akira.
Akira stiffened his face to not let out his inner feeling as he was keeping his eyes on Alpha, who was dancing beautifully in front of him.
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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