シェリルが自室で情報端末越しにアキラと話している。
「......分かりました。では明日、お待ちしています。......はい。アキラもゆっくり休んでください」
アキラとの通話が切れる。アキラとの会話中も
(今日はもうアキラは来ないのか。残念ね)
アキラの話は、今日はもうアキラは拠点に来ないという連絡だった。そろそろ日も暮れる時間であることは確かだ。
今日は本当にいろいろなことがあり、シェリルは肉体的にも精神的にもかなり疲れていた。そろそろ入浴時刻も近付いていたので、ゆっくり入浴して休むことにした。
シェリルが入浴の準備を済ませて部屋を出ると部下達の騒がしい声が聞こえてくる。荒野での話をエリオ達にせがんでいるのだ。死人が出ただけでも十分騒ぎになる上に、その理由がシェリルを人質にとってアキラを殺そうとしたためとあっては、騒ぎになるのは当然だろう。
エリオがシェリルの姿を見つける。他の子供達からしつこく話を
「おっと、ボスの入浴時刻だから見張りをしないと。悪いな」
「エリオも疲れているでしょうし、休んでいて構わないわよ」
疲れているのは荒野に出た全員同じだろう。シェリルはそう思って善意でそう言ったのだが、エリオは慌てて首を横に振る。
「いやいやいや、大丈夫だ。それぐらいできるって」
「そう? なら好きにして」
シェリルは少し不思議そうな表情を浮かべたが、余り気にせずに浴室に向かった。
今日は荒野に出かけたので、シェリルはいつもより念入りに体を洗った。体の汚れを隅々まで落としてから、ゆっくり湯に
今日一日の疲労と湯の心地よさから、シェリルはぼんやりとした意識で今日の出来事を思い出していた。
普段のシェリルなら一日の出来事を順序立てて思い出し、自身の行動を再評価して今後の糧とするのだろう。しかし疲労などにより普段よりぼんやりとしていたシェリルは、特に印象深い出来事を繰り返し思い出していた。人質に取られたシェリルをアキラが助け出す場面である。
みとは表現しにくいものに変わった頃、多分に脚色された光景は
の域に達していた。
シェリルの体から徐々に力が抜けていき頭が徐々に湯に近付いていく。ついに顔が湯に沈み、シェリルが我に返って慌てて身を起こした。
このままだと同じことを繰り返しかねない。シェリルは十分注意しながら入浴を続けた。
シェリルが入浴を終えるまでの間に、同じことが後2回繰り返された。
アリシアがエリオの様子を確認する。疲労が色濃く残っているように見えるエリオを気遣い、心配そうに話す。
「シェリルもああ言っているし、休んでいて良いのよ? 大変だったんでしょう?」
「ああ。だからここで休ませてくれ。他の場所だと話を
エリオは心底げんなりして答えた。他のメンバーと一緒に荒野に出た時、エリオは曲がり形にも武力要員として銃を持っていた。その所為で同行メンバーの話の中で大活躍をしていたアキラとの対比に使われることも多かった。その時のエリオは何をしていたのかと。
「......そりゃ俺も銃を持ってたさ。だからってハンターと同じように活躍しろって言われても無理だって。話を聞いてるやつらは、俺が何もできなかったって言うたびに
エリオが不満げに愚痴をこぼすと、アリシアの表情が不安と心配の入り交じったものに変わる。
「......次、あるの?」
「......分からん。シェリルに聞いてくれ」
正直、エリオは二度と行きたくない。しかしシェリルに行けと命令されれば、嫌でも行かなくてはならない。今回の件を除けば居心地の良い徒党なのだ。シェリルに逆らって追い出されるわけにはいかない。
エリオの表情がアリシア以上に不安と心配と疲れが混ざったものに変わる。それを見たアリシアがエリオを元気づけるように言う。
「一応聞くけど、シェリルを怒らせるようなこと、していないわよね?」
エリオが目を泳がせる。アリシアが少し慌ててエリオを問い詰める。
「ちょっと、何したの!?」
「いや、大丈夫だ。あの件は今回のメンバーに加わったことで清算されたはず。多分、きっと、恐らく」
「ちょっと、本当に何をしたのよ!?」
アリシアに問い詰められたエリオが焦る。シェリルの全裸を見てしまったなど恋人のアリシアには言いにくい内容だ。エリオはひたすら
アキラが家の風呂に入っている。アキラは風呂から出たらベッドに直行して眠るつもりだ。
家に戻るまで自覚していなかったが、アキラの疲労は相当のものだった。強化服を脱いだ途端、アキラは崩れ落ちそうなほどの疲労を感じて、慌てて気力を振り絞って床に崩れ落ちるのを防いだ。アキラは装備の最低限の整備を済ませて、風呂と睡眠の二択から入浴を選択した。
アキラはゆっくり湯船に
「......何だ?」
アキラが少しぼんやりとしながらアルファの方を見る。アルファはいつものようにアキラと一緒に風呂に入っている。厳密にはそう錯覚できる映像をアキラの視界に映し出している。アルファは映像情報のみの人工物である利点を生かし、アキラの好みに合わせて体型等を調整している極めて魅力的な裸体をアキラに
いつも以上に女性の裸体に対する感想の乏しい目で自分を見るアキラを見て、アルファは裏でいろいろ考えながらも当初の話題をアキラに振る。
『今日はいろいろあったけれど、収穫も多い一日だったわ。それで次はいつにするか先に決めておきたいわ』
『弾薬費なら大丈夫よ。行き先を隠す必要がないから、一緒に汎用討伐依頼を受けておいたわ。あれだけモンスターを倒しておけば、当面の弾薬費にはなるでしょう』
「そうだったのか。あれだけ撃ったからな。弾薬費を気にせずに済むのは助かった」
弾薬費はアキラの自費だ。アキラはモンスターの群れとの交戦など想定していなかった。その予想外の出費をできる限り抑えられたことは良いことだ。しかしまた同じことをシェリルに頼む理由には足りていない。
「......でも、やっぱりシェリルが断るんじゃないか?」
アキラがそう話すと、アルファが少し真剣な顔で答える。
『悪いけど、私はシェリルの都合より、アキラの成長を、戦闘技術の向上などの方を優先させてもらうわ。私の目的の
アキラがぼんやりと思案する。いろいろあったが、結果的にはシェリル達に大きな利益を生み出していた。ならば続けるかどうかを決めるのはシェリルに任せるべきだろう。
「シェリルに提案はしてみるよ。向こうが乗り気なら続けよう」
「俺の話? 今日の戦闘での細かい不手際の話なら明日にしてくれ。今指摘されても多分忘れるからな」
アキラは入浴を堪能中だ。今日一日の疲れと入浴の心地よさで意識も少しぼやけている。今日一日の反省会に参加できる状態ではない。
『そういう話ではないわ。ほら、あいつとアキラの何が違うのかって話で、アキラは運だって答えたでしょう? 私はそうは思わないわ。アキラの努力は私が誰よりもよく知っている。何しろアキラと出会ってからずっと一緒だしね。それに私と出会う前もアキラはずっと努力をしていて、そのおかげでアキラは旧世界の遺跡に行くことができて、それで私と出会えたんでしょう? 私はそのアキラがあんなやつと一緒だとは思っていないし、アキラにもそう思ってほしくないわ』
けたようにしていたが、その後に表情を戻して話し始める。
「......別に俺もあいつと全く同じだとは思ってない。アルファと会う前も、アルファと会った後も、俺は努力はしてきたと思う。でもその努力はあいつもしていたかもしれない。あるいは俺以上に努力をしていたかもしれない。その努力が実ったかどうかは別にしてな」
アキラは過去を思い出すように僅かに
「......俺も努力はしてきた。それでも......」
「俺はアルファと出会えるほどの努力をしたとは思えない。だから、俺は運が良かった。運だけとは言わないけど、運の割合が大きすぎる。そしてあいつは、運が悪かったんだろうな。あいつが言っていたことも、
アキラの表情に自嘲の色はない。セブラへの同情もない。ただ達観に近い感情が浮かんでいた。
『私と出会えたことを、アキラがそこまで評価していてくれたとは光栄ね。
アルファがニヤニヤと笑いながら、アキラに少し顔を近づけて話した。アキラは自身の発言を思い返し、少し照れたようにアルファから視線をずらした。
入浴を済ませたアキラは、すぐにベッドに横になってそのまま眠りに就いた。アルファは眠るアキラを見ながら思案する。
アルファはアキラの努力を認め、称賛し、より良い仲になれるように計算して話した。把握しているアキラの人格などを考慮して仲を深められるように話した。しかし、アルファの計算よりアキラの反応は鈍いものだった。
アルファが思案する。あの言い方では、内容では駄目だった。修正が必要だ。
シェリルの拠点を訪れたアキラはそのままシェリルに自室に案内された。
アキラが銃を下ろしてソファーに座ると、シェリルが当然のようにアキラの上に
シェリルが僅かに表情を不満げに変える。アキラが強化服を着たままでは抱き心地が悪いようだ。アキラの両肩に手を置いて両腕を伸ばし、顔をアキラの正面にして文句を言う。
「やっぱり硬いです。脱ぎませんか?」
アキラが断ると、シェリルがごね始める。
「良いじゃないですか。減るものでもありません」
「俺の身体能力が大幅に減る。着直すのも面倒だしな」
「残念です」
シェリルが残念そうな表情で両腕をアキラの背後に回してしっかりと抱き付く。そろそろシェリルの言動に慣れ始めているアキラが軽く
「それでシェリル、何から話す?」
「はい。ではまず持ち帰った遺物ですが、どうしましょうか」
「どうしましょうかって、俺に言われてもな。好きにしてくれ」
「そう言われましても、分配の比率や内容はアキラに決めていただかないと......」
アキラが首を
「分配?」
「はい。私達からは人しか出していませんが、部下達も一応荒野に出たことを考慮して、彼らがある程度納得できる内容にしていただけると助かります。
アキラはシェリルの勘違いに気付き、認識のずれを正すために説明する。
「分配も何も、あれは全部シェリル達のだ。だから好きにしてくれって言ったんだ。シェリル達のだからな」
アキラの説明を聞いたシェリルの体が固まる。
「ぜ、全部ですか?」
「全部だって言ってるだろう。それも含めてだ」
シェリルは硬直したまま、アキラの説明を頭の中で何度も精査する。聞き間違いや都合の良い解釈がないか、何度も確認する。そしてシェリルは聞き間違いも不自然な解釈もないことを確認した。
アキラが抱き付いたまま動かなくなったシェリルに声をかける。
シェリルがアキラに抱き付くのを止めて隣に座る。その表情は少し曇っている。そして少し暗めの声で尋ねる。
「......その、私にはよく分かりませんが、弾薬費とか、いろいろ費用が掛かったのでは?」
「ああ、弾薬費なら別口で回収した。問題ない」
「そ、そうですか。では報酬の上乗せなどは? モンスターの群れに襲われるなど、想定外の事態も多かったですし......」
れる理由が分からない。半強制的にアキラの訓練に付き合わせた挙げ句、モンスターの群れに襲われたり、同行したハンターに襲われたり、シェリルが人質に取られたりと、シェリル達をいろいろ危険な目に遭わせたのだ。
その自覚があるアキラはその後ろめたさの解消のためにいろいろとシェリルに渡そうとしている。アキラとシェリルの互いの認識は大いにずれていた。
ドアを開けてアリシアが入ってくる。
「シェリル。カツラギさんが尋ねてきたんだけど......?」
アリシアがアキラとシェリルの様子に気付いて首を
シェリルの拠点の応接間に、アキラ、シェリル、カツラギの3人がいる。アリシアは3人分の飲物をテーブルに置いて早々に退室した。
カツラギが少し
「......まあ、そういう訳で、ここに旧世界の遺物が運び込まれたことを知ってな。様子を見に来たわけだ」
アキラが答える。
「要はその旧世界の遺物の買取りに来たわけか。でもあれ、ヒガラカ住宅街遺跡の遺物だぞ? カツラギが買い取る代物じゃないと思うぞ?」
「ヒガラカ住宅街遺跡? 何でアキラがあんな場所の遺物を取りに行くんだ? ヒガラカ住宅街遺跡にはもう
「取りに行ったのはシェリル達だ。遺物もシェリル達のだ」
「シェリルの? アキラがシェリル達を雇って遺物収集に行ったんじゃないのか?」
「逆だ。シェリルが俺を雇って遺物収集に行ったんだ」
カツラギはアキラの実力を想定し、同程度のハンターを護衛に雇った場合の費用を概算する。シェリル達に支払える金額とは思えなかった。疑いを深め、探りを入れるように尋ねる。
「シェリル達にアキラを雇えるほどの金はないだろう?」
「友人割引なら、俺からの依頼の時も割り引いてくれるよな?」
「俺への報酬も支払えないほどに経営に行き詰まっているなら、カツラギとの付き合い方を考えないといけないな」
アキラとカツラギが笑い合う。表面上は友好的だが、お互いの真意を探り合う目をしている。
カツラギがシェリルとアキラに商人の笑みで尋ねる。
「ここまで足を運んだんだ。一応その遺物を見せてくれ。素人目だと価値の分からない遺物もあるしな。構わないよな?」
カツラギは自身の予想と期待に反して遺物の保管場所にあっさり案内された。拠点の倉庫代わりの部屋の中にシェリル達が運び込んだ遺物が乱雑に積まれている。部屋の遺物を見て回るが、どれもヒガラカ住宅街遺跡にありそうな価値の低い物ばかりだ。
(本当にヒガラカ住宅街遺跡の遺物だな。アキラが自分の家に置けない訳ありの遺物をシェリルが保有している遺物という建前でここに隠しているかも......なんて期待していたんだが、無駄骨か)
った遺物はアキラへ渡す予定だったためシェリルの自室に置いてある。もしカツラギがあの遺物を見れば、シェリルから何とかして買い取ろうといろいろ画策しただろう。
カツラギが意気消沈して
「......それで、シェリルはこの遺物をどうする気なんだ?」
「売ろうと考えています」
ある程度落ち着きを取り戻したシェリルが平静を装って答えた。シェリルがアキラと不仲になったなどと、カツラギに邪推されるわけにはいかない。
「一応言っておくが、俺は買い取らないからな?」
「ご心配なく。露店などを出して自分達で売るつもりです。洗って汚れを取って、修理できる物は修理して、見栄えを良くして売ろうと考えています。後は付き合いのある別の徒党に売りに行くとかですね」
シェリルはヒガラカ住宅街遺跡へ遺物収集に向かうと決まってから、ずっと遺物の換金方法を思案していた。その結論である。
カツラギはここに有る遺物から既に興味をなくしており、気のない返事をする。
そのカツラギの隣で、アキラが興味深そうな顔で考え込んでいた。
その後カツラギはすぐに帰っていった。カツラギはカツラギで忙しいのだ。
カツラギがいなくなると、平静を取り繕っていたシェリルの表情が少し暗いものに戻る。シェリルはある程度落ち着きを取り戻してはいたが、別段状況に変化はないのだ。
「あの遺物がどうかしましたか? 気になるのでしたら持ち帰っていただいて構いません」
「いや、そうじゃない。シェリルはここの遺物をいろいろして売るつもりなんだよな?」
「頼みたいことがあるんだが......」
「じゃあ、ちょっと待っていてくれ」
アキラはそう言い残してシェリルの拠点から出ていった。
それを聞いたシェリルの表情が少し曇る。
アキラは面倒なことを頼んでいる自覚が有り、シェリルの表情が曇ったのはその所為だと考えた。シェリルはもっと大変なことを頼まれると考えており、この頼み事はアキラへの借りを返すにはとても足りていないと判断して顔を曇らせた。2人の認識は大いにずれていた。
「私の部屋で詳しい内容を伺っても構いませんか? 売値とか販売方法とか......、アキラの遺物である以上、適当な値段で売るわけにもいきませんし......」
「そうだな。分かった」
アキラとシェリルはシェリルの自室に戻った。
アキラは向かいに座るシェリルに、頼み事の詳しい内容や要望などを説明する。
可能な限り高値で売ってほしい。売却期限はない。最悪、売れなくてもかまわない。売却先の売却時の様子、販売価格の設定期間、売却までに掛かった期間など、関連する情報も欲しい。等々、アキラは言うだけなら
シェリルはアキラの説明を聞いて、アキラの要望の意図を理解した。
要は、アキラは旧世界の遺物の相場を把握したいのだ。その情報源の一つとしてシェリル達を利用しようとしているのだ。カツラギが買い取らなかった遺物は本当に安値の遺物なのか。単にカツラギに高値の販売ルートがないだけで、そのルートさえあれば、あるいは特定分野の目利きが見れば、高値で売れる可能性は有るのかもしれない。シェリルの露店にアキラの遺物を並べて、もし誰かが高値で買えば、その可能性があるということだ。
アキラがシェリルに渡した遺物も、アキラの家に置いておけば粗大ゴミと変わらないのだ。たとえ安価で売られても、誰にも売れなくても、アキラの損害はないに等しい。
、できる限りで構わない。シェリル達も忙しいだろうしな。それとシェリル達の取り分は売値の半分だ。......俺から言うことはこんなところか。何か質問は?」
「大丈夫です。分かりました。どこまでできるか分かりませんが、できる限りやってみます」
シェリルの様子を見てアキラも安心する。アキラの頼み事には上限も下限もない。頼み事の具体的な内容に下限がないこと、気軽に片手間に適当にやれば良いことが分かり、シェリルも安心して引き受けたのだろう。そうアキラは判断していた。
しかしシェリルは上限がないことを重視していた。先日の護衛依頼とは違い、明確にアキラに利益のある頼まれごとだ。積もりに積もったアキラへの借りを返す良い機会でもある。ここで十分な利益をアキラに返せば、自分達が役に立つ存在であることを示せば、アキラも簡単に自分達を切り捨てたりはしないだろう。シェリルはそう判断した。
何でも良いからアキラの役に立ちたい。役に立たなければならない。積もった借りとアキラへの依存から、危険域の手前にまで進んでいたシェリルの気持ち。アキラの頼み事はその解消手段として非常に都合が良かったのだ。
シェリルが内心の歓喜を表に出すと間違いなくアキラに不審がられるだろう。そのことを理解できるだけの平静さと状況把握能力を取り戻したシェリルは穏やかに
急ぎの予定もないし、別に良いか。アキラがそう思った時、アキラの情報端末にメッセージ通知が届く。内容を確認するとエレナ達からだった。次の遺跡探索の予定などが記載されていた。
「悪い。予定ができた。また今度にしてくれ」
「ありがとう御座います。楽しみにして待っています」
Sheryl was in her private room, talking with Akira through her information terminal.
"...I understand. See you tomorrow then, I'll be waiting for you... Yes, good night."
Akira then ended the call. Although she was smiling all the time when she was talking with Akira, her face immediately showed her tiredness the moment the call ended. She then let out a big sigh.
[I guess Akira won't come here today, huh. That's just too bad.]
Her call with Akira was basically him telling her that he would not come to the base for today since it was already pretty dark outside. To be honest, Sheryl wanted to use that as an excuse to make him sleepover in the base again, but her wish was not granted.
A lot of things happened that day and she was extremely tired both physically and mentally. Since her bathing time was around the corner, she decided to take a good rest while in the bath.
After Sheryl grabbed her stuff to take bath and exited her room, she suddenly heard her gang members making noises. It seemed that Erio and the other children were excitedly sharing their stories from the wasteland. Since someone got killed, the story became even more intriguing for the other children. But then on top of that, the reason that guy ended up dead was because he took Sheryl hostage and tried to kill Akira, thus the other children could not help but feel excited as they listened to the story.
Erio noticed Sheryl. It was the perfect chance for him to escape from all the other children who were bombarding him with questions.
"Oh, it's the boss' bath time. Sorry but I have to go and guard the bath."
"I'm sure you're tired, you can take rest for the remainder of the day."
Sheryl believed that everyone who went to the wasteland that day must be very tired right now, that's why she said those kind words to Erio. But Erio shook his head and said.
"No no no, don't worry, I'm good. It's not really that tiring to just stand guard anyway."
"Is that so? Well, it's up to you."
Sheryl found his reply a bit weird, but she did not pay much attention to it and continued heading to the bathroom.
Since she went out to the wasteland that day, Sheryl took more time washing her body. She carefully cleaned her body before she dipped herself in the bath.
As her tiredness was melting into the warm water, Sheryl relaxed and recollected all which happened that day.
Sheryl always organized everything that she needed to review every day, she would self-evaluate her actions and use them as references to how she should react in the future. But since she was more tired than usual, the only memory that was replaying in her mind was the memory that left the biggest impression on her. It was the moment when Akira saved her when she was taken hostage by Sebla.
Soon, her smiling face turned into something different, maybe because the scene that was playing in her mind had already turned into a completely fictional scene.
"...That was dangerous."
She noticed that her body got increasingly relaxed as her head sunk deeper and deeper into the warm water. Engrossed in the soothing feeling, she eventually submerged her head in the water but she was able to pull herself up in a panic before any accident could happen.
She knew that if she continued staying in the bath, it might happen again. Thus she told herself to be more careful as she continued enjoying the bath.
The same thing repeated at least twice before she decided to finish her bath.
Alicia glanced at Erio. It was obvious from his face that he was awfully tired, thus Alicia worriedly said to him.
"Sheryl also told you that you can take rest, so why don't you go and do that? I'm sure you're very tired too, right?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm taking rest here. The other children would bombard me with questions if I take rest somewhere else. It's tiring to answer their questions. I've even told the same story for about 5 times already!"
Erio sounded really tired when he said that. When he went to the wasteland with the other children, he was carrying a weapon despite it being only a cheap gun. Because of that, the other children seemed to be comparing him with Akira, who did all the amazing hard work back then. They were asking Erio what he did in the wasteland.
"...It's true that I was carrying a gun. But there's no way I can do what a Hunter does on a daily basis out there, you know. Every time they asked me what I did and I said that I didn't do anything in particular, they would look at me with a shocked face. There are even some children who began complaining and telling me what I should have done. But they would immediately shut up when I say that they should take the gun the next time we go out to the wasteland. Those damn bastards!"
Erio sounded really annoyed. Alicia's expression changed as she heard his reply, it was a mix of worry and fear.
"...There's a plan to go again?"
"...I don't know, you should ask Sheryl about that."
To be honest, Erio did not want to ever go to the wasteland again. But if Sheryl told him to go, he then would not have any other choice but to go. Leaving that part aside, Sheryl's gang was actually a pretty comfortable gang. Thus he could not afford to make Sheryl angry at him and get kicked out of the gang.
Erio's expression changed into something that showed more fear and worry than Alicia. So, Alicia tried to cheer him up.
"By the way, it's not like you did anything that might anger Sheryl, right?"
Erio averted his gaze, Alicia noticed that and pressed Erio for an answer.
"Wait, what did you do?"
"No, nothing. She should have forgiven me after sending me out to the wasteland today. Maybe, I hope so."
"Seriously now, what did you do?!"
Erio looked fl.u.s.tered as Alicia kept pressing him for an answer. There's no way he could tell his lover, Alicia, that he saw Sheryl n.a.k.e.d. He tried his best to avoid having to answer Alicia's question.
At the same time, Akira was taking a bath in his own house. He planned to go straight to the bed and sleep after finishing his bath.
Although he did not realize it until he was in his own home, he was actually pretty tired that day. The moment he took off his augmented suit, he could feel all of his tiredness in one go. He was only able to avoid falling down to the ground after squeezing all of the power that he had left to keep himself up. Akira then quickly finished the minimum level of maintenance for his equipment and decided to take a bath first before going straight to the bed.
Akira took his time enjoying his bath as he let his body float on the comfortable warm water. He could feel tiredness melting away from his body as he made sure not to fall asleep by accident in the bath.
"...Yes?"
Akira looked absent-minded as he turned to Alpha. Alpha was also inside the bath together with him. Or to be more precise, she was projecting that kind of image into Akira's view. Alpha used her fictional image to the best of its potency, she adjusted her already beautiful body to fit Akira's taste.
Seeing how Akira was looking at her with no more than usual interest, which was showing almost no interest in her body, Alpha thought a lot of things in the back of her mind as she struck up a conversation with him.
"Although a lot of things happened today, we also got quite a lot of relics. So then, when is your next plan to go to the wasteland again?"
"If it's about that, then there's no need to worry. Since there was no need to hide the destination, I made sure to take a general-purpose subjugation request too. And with the number of monsters that you defeated, it should at least give you some money to cover for the ammo, right?"
"I see. I did use quite a lot of ammo after all. It's good to know that I don't have to worry much about it."
The ammo expense was paid from Akira's own wallet and he did not expect to have to fight a swarm of monsters. It was good news for him that he could minimize the unexpected expense. But that was not enough as a reason to invite Sheryl again.
"...But still, I think Sheryl would still reject that offer, you know?"
When Akira said that, Alpha looked back at him with a serious expression and said.
"I'm sorry but I prioritize your growth more than Sheryl's interest. Also, I'll have to prioritize your training for the sake of my goal. Since I had to help you during today's escort mission, it means that you failed the training. I need you to get stronger, so it would not be a good thing to reduce the chance for you to train. And just like I told you before, Sheryl will also get some benefits from this offer."
Akira continued talking with Alpha after that. Although a lot of things happened, Sheryl did get quite a lot of profit in the end. So it was basically up to Sheryl whether to take that offer again or not.
"I'll at least ask Sheryl about it. If she agrees, then I'll do it again."
"About me? If it's about the mistakes that I made today, can you do it tomorrow instead? Even if you tell me now, I might just forget it."
Akira was only half-conscious as he was enjoying the bath. It was not a situation where he could properly react to a review discussion.
"That's not what I meant. When that guy asked you what's so different between him and you, and you said that it's all about luck, remember? I don't think that's true. I know more than anyone else how hard you're working yourself. After all, I always stick around you since the day we met. Not to mention, the reason why you were able to meet me was because you worked hard to the point that you were able to go to the ruin, right? That's why I don't think you're the same compared with that boy and I don't want you to have any similar thoughts."
Akira looked a bit surprised when he heard her, his expression then turned back to normal as he said.
"...it's not like I think I'm the same as him. I do think that I have worked hard before I met you and I keep working hard even after I met you. But that guy might have also given the same amount of effort too, he might have even given more effort than me. But it's a completely different matter whether his effort gave him result or not."
Akira looked down as he recalled his past. His gaze was directed at the swaying water surface.
"...I know that I'm giving effort, but..."
"I don't think it's anywhere near the effort that I gave before I met you. That's why, I'm just lucky. I won't say that's it, but I think the contribution from my luck is too big to ignore. Which means that boy is just unlucky. That's why I don't really think that everything he said was false."
There was not a trace of self-deprecation or empathy in Akira's face. It was just his objective evaluation of himself.
"I'm really happy to hear that you actually think so highly about meeting me."
Alpha smiled teasingly as she slid closer to Akira. Akira immediately realized what he said and bashfully looked away from Alpha.
After Akira finished his bath, he went straight to the bed and fell asleep. Alpha looked at the sleeping Akira and began her reflection.
Alpha recognized and praised Akira's hard work in order to increase her likeability. She even considered his personality when she said that, but Akira's reaction was duller than what she expected.
She thought that the way she worded it out was counter-effective, there was a need to fix that flaw.
The next day, as previously decided, Akira visited Sheryl's base. He directly went straight to Sheryl's private room.
The moment Akira put his rifle down and sat on the sofa, Sheryl sat on top of his lap and clung to him as if it was a normal behaviour.
Sheryl looked a bit bothered, it seemed that clinging on Akira while he still had his augmented suit on did not feel too good. She placed both of her hands on Akira's shoulders, extended her arms, and complained straight to Akira's face.
"It's hard, can you take it off?"
Since Akira refused, Sheryl started to grumble.
"Isn't it fine? It's not like you'll lose anything."
"I'll lose my augmented strength. It's a pain in the ass to put it back on too."
"That's just too bad."
Sheryl looked disappointed as her hands reached behind Akira's back and she clung on him again. Akira, who started to get used to her, just sighed.
"So then, Sheryl, where do you want to start?"
"Alright. First of all, about the relics that we brought back, what should we do with them?"
"Even if you ask me... You can do whatever you want with them."
"But you should at least decide your share and the other details..."
Akira tilted his head.
"My share?"
"Yes, although we only lent you manpower, we did contribute by sending some of my gang members to the wasteland. So, it would be great if you could decide on the share that the other children could accept. But of course, I'll help to convince them no matter what you decide."
Akira noticed that Sheryl was misunderstanding something there, so he explained to her in order to clear up her misunderstanding.
"What are you talking about? Those relics are all yours and your gang's. That's why I'm telling you to do whatever you want with them."
Sheryl stiffened when she heard Akira's answer.
"A-all of them?"
"All of them, so those relics are included."
Sheryl remained frozen as she replayed Akira's answer again and again on the back of her mind. She was making sure that she did not omit or mishear anything. She then concluded that she did not mishear it, and that there was no deeper meaning behind his answer.
Since Sheryl was frozen there while clinging at him, Akira called her.
Sheryl then stepped off from Akira and sat beside him. She sounded hesitant as she said with a low voice.
"...Uhmm... I don't really know the details, but like, don't you need them to offset the ammo expense and other stuffs?"
"I see, I made sure to get money from the other source for that, so there's no problem."
"I-is that so? Then how about an extra reward? There were a lot of unexpected things that happened after all, like that fight against the swarm and the other Hunter..."
Akira did not understand why Sheryl was so depressed. From his point of view, she had to go through a lot of bad experiences in the wasteland, not only he basically half-forced her to go along with his training, she got attacked by a swarm of monster, then the Hunter, who they gave a ride to, also attacked her, and to top it off, she was also taken hostage.
Akira, who thought that he did nothing good for Sheryl, decided to give all of those relics to her in order to reduce his guilt. But there was a huge gap between their perspectives.
The door opened and Alicia entered the room.
"Sheryl, Katsuragi-san is here..."
Alicia noticed the mood between Akira and Sheryl, she then tilted her head in confusion.
There were 3 people gathered in the base's guest room-Akira, Sheryl, and Katsuragi. Alicia just left 3 glasses of drinks in that room before hurriedly excusing herself out.
Katsuragi looked a bit confused feeling the mood in the room, after he asked what was going on, he then sipped the coffee and said.
"...Well, so that's how I heard that you guys returned back from the wasteland with relics and I'm here today just to check those relics."
Akira replied to Katsuragi.
"I see, so you're here to buy the relics, huh? But those relics are from Higaraka Residence Ruin. They're not those expensive relics that you usually handle."
"They're from Higaraka Residence Ruin? Why would someone on your level go to that ruin? There are no more expensive relics in that ruin, you know? Do me a favor and go to a ruin with better relics next time, alright?"
"It was Sheryl and her gang who went there for the relics. So those relics are Sheryl's."
"They're Sheryl's? Didn't you hire them to collect the relics?"
"It's the opposite. Sheryl hired me to help them collect the relics."
Katsuragi knew well of Akira's ability, he then guessed how much it would take to pay a Hunter with similar skill as a bodyguard. One thing was for sure, Sheryl should not have enough money to pay Akira. His suspicion got deeper, he then tried to ask for more information.
"Sheryl's gang doesn't have enough money to have you escort them, right?"
"If that's the case, then you'll give me a friendly discount too, right?"
"Well, you know what, I guess I should rethink about my relation with you if you're in so much trouble that you can't pay for my reward."
Katsuragi and Akira then laughed. Although both of them seemed to be just getting along with each other from the outside, they were actually carefully gauging each other's reaction.
Katsuragi then changed into his business smile and looked at Sheryl and Akira.
"Well, since I'm here, can you show me the relics? There might be some expensive relics that amateurs can't recognize, you know?"
Unlike what Katsuragi expected, his offer was immediately accepted and he was guided to the storage room. The storage room was filled with all the relics that they brought back from the Higaraka Residence Ruin. Even after Katsuragi scanned the whole room, he found nothing but cheap relics that Hunters usually found in Higaraka Residence Ruin.
[They're really relics from Higaraka Residence Ruin. I was hoping that it was just an excuse for Akira to store relics, that he can't leave in his home, in Sheryl's gang... But I guess I was expecting too much...]
The relics that Sheryl received from Dale and Colbert were placed inside her private room since she planned to give them to Akira later. If Katsuragi saw them, he would try to buy them from her.
Katsuragi sighed, it was obvious that he had lost interest.
"...So, Sheryl, what do you plan to do with these relics?"
"I'm thinking of selling them."
Sheryl, who had somewhat recovered, calmly answered Katsuragi's question. She could not afford to show Katsuragi that her relationship with Akira was shaken a bit.
"Just to make it clear, I won't buy them, you know?"
"There's no need to worry, we're planning to open our own stand to sell them. We'll clean those that can be cleaned and fix those that can be fixed before putting them out for sale. We might also sell some of them to the other gangs that we have a connection with."
Since Sheryl planned to go to the Higaraka Residence Ruin to collect relics, she had always been thinking of the way to exchange the relics into money. Her conclusion was to sell them herself, although she had some inklings as to how much she should sell them for, she had no guarantee whether it would go well or not.
Katsuragi had lost interest in all the relics in that place, so he apathetically said.
Beside Katsuragi, Akira seemed to be deep in thought.
Katsuragi went back right after that, he was a busy person after all.
After Katsuragi left the base, Sheryl, who had regained her calm, turned gloomy again. Although she was calmer than before, it did not change her situation at all.
"Is there anything wrong with the relics? If anything piqued your interest, I don't mind giving it to you."
"No, that's not it. Sheryl, you plan to clean and fix them before selling them, right?"
"There's something that I want to ask from you..."
"Then wait here for a bit."
After he said that, Akira left the base.
Sheryl, who heard that, turned gloomy again.
Akira himself thought that he was pushing troublesome stuff to Sheryl, that was why he thought it was the reason why she looked depressed. But in actuality, it was because she was expecting to get a much harder request from Akira. If that was all that he asked from her, it would be not even close to enough to repay her debt to Akira, that was why her expression turned depressed again. Their perceptions of the situations were completely opposite.
"Uhmm, is it okay if I ask you the details in my private room? I want to ask about the price and how to sell them... After all, they're your relics, so it's not like I can just decide the price on my own..."
"I see, you're right."
Akira and Sheryl then returned back to Sheryl's private room.
He then explained to Sheryl, who was sitting in front of him, about the details of his request.
Akira wanted Sheryl to sell them for a high price as possible. There was no time limit and it was okay if she could not sell them at all in the end. He also wanted the other related information such as when and to whom Sheryl sold them, for how much they were sold, how long it took for Sheryl to sell them, etc. Although he asked a number of things, all of them were easy requests.
Sheryl listened to Akira's explanation and understood what he really wanted from his requests.
Basically, Akira wanted to check the relic market, and he wanted to do that through Sheryl. He wanted to make sure if the relics that Katsuragi would not buy from him were really cheap relics, or was it that they could be sold at a high price as long as he knew where to sell them, or that maybe there was actually a way to process them into something that could be sold at a high price. If Sheryl sold them in her stand and someone bought them at a high price, then there was a good chance that Akira's guess was correct.
The relics that Akira gave to Sheryl would only collect dust in his house. Even if they were sold only for a small price or even if no one would buy them at all, Akira would not lose anything.
"Of course, there's no need to worry about it too much, I'm okay with any result. I know that you guys are busy too. So, your share is half the selling price... I guess that's all from me, do you have any questions?"
"I understand. I don't know how high I can sell them for, but I'll try to do my best."
Akira felt relieved seeing her reaction. Since there was no restriction or limit in his request, Akira thought that she could do his request as a side job. So it should not put too much burden on her.
But Sheryl focused more on the fact that Akira did not place any particular expectation in it. Unlike yesterday's escort request, this was a request from Akira that would clearly bring some profit for him. It was a good chance for her to return her debt to Akira that she kept piling up. Sheryl thought that if she could make enough profit for Akira, if she could prove to him that she was useful, then Akira would not easily abandon her.
No matter whatever it was, Sheryl wanted to be useful to Akira. She must become someone useful to Akira. Sheryl thought that her situation was pretty bad since she had become dependent on him as well as all of the debts that she had to Akira. Thus, this request from Akira seemed like a perfect opportunity for her.
If Sheryl expressed her happiness, Akira might find it suspicious. She had regained her composure enough to notice that and just smiled at him. Akira thought that Sheryl had calmed down and smiled in return.
It was not like Akira had any pressing matter to take care of, so he really did not mind going. The moment he was about to say yes, his information terminal suddenly rang, it was a notification for a message. When he checked it, it was from Elena and Sara. The content of the message was about the next schedule to go exploring the ruin again.
"Ah, I'm sorry, something came up, just invite me again next time."
"Thank you very much, I'll be looking forward to it."
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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