“Okay. I’ll be careful.” He chided himself that, considering how he himself regularly ingested medicine with preposterous healing properties, he should’ve known this much already. He carried the rest of the body bags out of the vehicle as though handling precious cargo.

  ◆

  Akira and Carol drove through the Mihazono business district, the state of which had drastically changed from the other day. With them were Shikarabe and his team. The Druncam hunter’s armored transport vehicle led the way, while Akira’s truck followed behind.

  All of the victims in need of immediate attention had now been delivered to the clinic. The rest were still in the ruins, and Elena and Sara had stayed behind to protect them from monsters. In order to not keep them waiting, Shikarabe and company had to get there as quickly as possible.

  The Kugamayama defense force and the insurance company rescue squads were working together to clear the roads of rubble. Now that a path had opened up for vehicles to traverse, it had become easier for them to go through the ruins than it had been the other day, so Shikarabe had brought the armored transport along. As for the city defense force, they’d become involved because if the mechanical sentries really were ignoring their regular patrol routes and going rogue, this posed a serious threat to nearby Kugamayama. While none of the robots had left the ruins at the moment, Mihazono was teeming with mechanical monstrosities—this wasn’t something Kugamayama City could simply ignore. To investigate this threat and to swiftly handle the situation should the worst come to pass, the city had temporarily made the Hunter Office outpost their base as they worked to secure the area. For now, the plan was to seal off the two areas where the monsters had been known to appear—the Serantal and factory district areas—and wait for the situation to die down.

  The city had also enlisted the aid of several hunter syndicates to help to secure these areas. Druncam, of course, was among them, which was why Shikarabe and Togami were present.

  Currently, Togami was not riding in the armored transport but in Akira’s truck. He’d been tasked with bringing Akira and Carol up to speed. Akira had told him the truck was in autodrive mode, but really Alpha was the one at the wheel. The driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat were both empty for the time being—the three of them had moved to the truck bed to more easily ward off pursuers from the rear.

  Everything Togami explained was all news to Akira, and he listened with great interest. Carol, on the other hand, was already aware of all of it. She cheerfully offered additional explanations to Akira when necessary.

  Meanwhile, Togami was unnerved. He was a healthy young boy, so of course he couldn’t help but be drawn to the gorgeous woman beside him who radiated sex appeal. Not to mention that racy Old World outfit she was wearing—he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Besides, thanks to their respective positions in the truck bed, it would have been next to impossible to naturally avert his eyes from her. Besides, Carol was deliberately moving around in such a way as to show off that body of hers. Togami knew she was doing it on purpose to fluster him, but as he lacked the constitution to stare back at her in defiance, he continued to shift his gaze awkwardly, unsure where to look.

  He chided himself in an effort to regain his composure. Calm down, Togami! Don’t get rattled by something like this! You swore you were going to prove to yourself what you’re truly capable of on this job! That’s why you’re here!

  Togami’s currently equipped gear was even higher performance than the gear Druncam had provided him for the tankrantula hunt. This had been his reward for being part of the four-man team that had (at least on paper) toppled an eight hundred million aurum bounty monster. In reality, many other unofficial participants had accompanied them, including Akira. But since Druncam had stated that only the four of them had been involved, the syndicate had needed to compensate Togami with a reward suitable for this achievement or else it would have looked suspicious. So they’d loaned him an all-new set of cutting-edge gear.

  The old Togami might have been thrilled by this. He might have thought that it was proof Druncam had finally acknowledged his talent. But Togami could no longer think that way. Seeing Akira fight during the tankrantula hunt had completely shattered his confidence.

  In fact, for a Druncam rookie Togami was plenty skilled. He wouldn’t have been dubbed the rising star of Katsuya’s detractors in the first place if he wasn’t. His self-confidence and pride in his competence had helped him even in his toughest battles. But as a result he’d ended up accepting all the praise he got at face value, even when it was artificial flattery meant to make him look better for other purposes. So he’d ultimately ended up overconfident in his own ability, and for better or worse had let that show in his attitude as well.

  But not now. Now he couldn’t even feel pleased about being given permission to use gear worth well over a hundred million aurum—on the contrary, he felt like it was a deliberate ploy to make him realize his own lack of skill and acknowledge that Druncam rookies were only capable because of the gear they wore.

  Even so, Togami endured the humiliation and borrowed the gear anyway—all in an effort to test his own limits. If, at the end of that test, he learned that he really was just a weakling who had the wrong idea all along, that was fine—he’d just use that realization as a base to rebuild himself from the ground up. What wasn’t fine was to continue being weak. Even though he’d lost his confidence, this was the one thing the little pride he had left wouldn’t allow.

  His determination and resolve even stronger now, Togami regained his composure and took another look at Akira. He still looks like a weakling. No, he actually seems, er, stronger than before? Rgh... I can’t tell! Was it because his pride was no longer clouding his vision or because Akira had made such a strong impression on him during the tankrantula fight that the boy now seemed much more capable? He didn’t know.

  Well, that aside... After another furtive glance at Carol, he looked back at Akira. A beauty like this is right next to him, and he’s not reacting at all? Why? Is he so experienced that this sort of thing just doesn’t faze him anymore? Or do you just become desensitized to it when you’re as skilled as he is? He’d heard before that hunters on the Front Line regularly wore powered suits resembling promiscuous swimwear, and from constant exposure they’d become desensitized to those Old World designs. He idly wondered if Akira had experienced the same thing. “Hey, Akira. Aren’t you distracted by that outfit she’s wearing?”

  Akira frowned as though he didn’t understand. He glanced in Carol’s direction, and it seemed to dawn on him what Togami meant. “Oh. Well, I won’t say it doesn’t completely bother me, but since it’s a more expensive and high-spec powered suit than mine, I don’t really have any grounds to complain.”

  “R-Really?” responded Togami.

  Akira had essentially said that if it was low-quality equipment, he’d have a problem with it, but since it wasn’t, it was fine. He didn’t care what the design was. This struck Togami as a philosophy truly befitting a relic hunter, and he felt like he finally understood Akira’s attitude toward Carol.

  I guess to be abnormally strong, you have to be a bit abnormal yourself, he mused.

  Meanwhile, Carol was greatly enjoying Togami’s flustered reaction toward her enchanting figure. This is how men should normally react, she thought with satisfaction. But Akira’s answer to Togami just now dissatisfied her. “You know, if my outfit intrigues you even a little bit, you could show a little more like you’re interested. You’ve turned down all my invitations—what about me doesn’t satisfy you? Normal men would jump at the chance.”

  “Sorry for not being normal. Look, you’ve got someone acting normal right there—invite him instead.”

  Rejected once again, Carol shook her head at Akira like she didn’t understand him one bit. Then, in an attempt to get back at him, she turned an alluring smile onto Togami. “What about you? Since Akira’s being such a jerk, I’ll give you a discount.”

  Togami hesitated, but eventually managed to respond, “N-No thanks.” It had taken him an effort, but he’d resisted Carol’s seduction and turned her down.

  Carol looked like she hadn’t expected that response, and her face twisted in displeasure. “Seriously?” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “You too? Don’t say you aren’t interested in my body either—I know it’s a lie. Unlike Akira, you can’t keep your eyes off me.”

  “I won’t deny it. But I still refuse.” Togami’s expression hardened. “I finally remembered who you are. You’re that Carol, aren’t you? No wonder Shikarabe acted like he did when he saw you.”

  Akira looked puzzled. “That Carol? What do you mean?”

  Togami paused. “Sorry, internal Druncam business. I can’t say.”

  “Basically,” Carol chimed in, “a hunter at Druncam bought my services, and we got into a bit of a fight about the pay afterward. The audacity to sleep with me and then say you’re broke—don’t you think that’s too cruel?” Unlike Togami, who wore a guarded expression, Carol announced it all like it was no big deal.

  Akira looked like he couldn’t make heads or tails of what she said. Alpha, what do you think happened?

  Who knows? I can’t say. But it has nothing to do with you, Akira. And I trust it’s going to stay that way? Whatever the details of that fight, it was clearly related to Carol’s other job. In other words, Alpha was implying that as long as Akira didn’t try anything with her, he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

  Akira might have been dense, but even he got the message. Yeah, he said firmly.

  Right? I knew you’d say that. After all, you’ve got a beauty of your own always by your side. You don’t need someone like her. Alpha grinned smugly.

  Sure, Akira said, his smile thin.

  In fact, Alpha was quite satisfied. Akira typically only looked at other people in terms of whether they were an enemy or not an enemy, and he never let interest in the opposite sex factor into that assessment. At present, this was working out in Alpha’s favor.

  However, she’d noticed that exceptions were starting to crop up. Certain people—like Shizuka, Elena, and Sara—he owed something to, and consequently had forged strong bonds with them. Toward these women Akira had started to display emotions more fitting of a boy his age (although still a bit off-kilter). The more such exceptions that arose, the looser his definition of “exception” would become. Eventually he might even become interested in someone who didn’t qualify as an exception. Someone like Carol, who openly and actively worked to lure in men, might slip right past the smallest tear in his defenses—most inconveniently for Alpha.

  So she’d pressed him on the matter just in case. But he hadn’t shown any worrisome signs, and she was content for now.

  Well, as long as eye and ear candy are good enough, I’ll be your partner whenever you want, Akira. So feel free to ask anytime.

  Nah, I’m good. Akira’s response was immediate—before Alpha got too full of herself, he wanted to knock her down a peg.

  But Alpha merely grinned. Just as cold as ever, I see. Now then, enough idle chatter—enemies ahead.

  Roger! Focused on the battle ahead, Akira removed the CWH from its emplacement and held it at the ready.

  Shikarabe’s and Akira’s vehicles made their way through the business district, navigating between the countless buildings lined up on each side. A mechanical monster charged from between two of the buildings—not running over the ground, but scuttling along the buildings’ sides.

  The robot stood around a meter tall. Four arms sprouted from its elliptical torso, and it raced along on spherical tires attached to the bottom of its legs. Its upper body was outfitted with a cannon and machine gun. By the time it appeared, it already had the vehicles in its sights.

  But thanks to Alpha’s heads-up, Akira had detected the monster’s presence even before then, and Alpha had already calculated the enemy’s route and line of fire. By the time the creature showed itself, Akira already had his CWH aimed and ready. The proprietary bullet tore through the machine’s torso, destroying the target in one hit. With its internal systems destroyed, the robot stopped in its tracks and fell off the wall to the ground, smashing to pieces.

  Watching Akira, Carol had also been alerted to the enemy’s presence but had only gotten as far as pinpointing the enemy’s location with her scanner before Akira had already finished the job. She whistled.

  “Nice work. You really are capable!”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He’d fought alongside Carol the other day and already shown her what Alpha’s support was capable of, so there was no point in denying it. Still, there was no inkling of pride in his voice.

  “Looks like I’m up next.” She raised her own gun—a one-handed weapon too large to be called a pistol—and pointed slightly above the road. Nothing appeared to be there, but she pulled the trigger anyway—at the exact same moment that a brand-new mechanical guardian appeared in that space. The bullet flew from the huge muzzle and struck its target, pulverizing it. In a single instant the enemy was blasted to pieces, scattering fragments of metal all around.

  Akira was awestruck. “Whoa, amazing!”

  “I mean, it wasn’t that big of a deal. If I apply my surveying skills to combat, doing that’s a cinch,” she explained smugly. In order to survey ruins, she possessed a scanner of a higher quality than the average hunter’s. And since she also had a detailed map of the business district, she was able to predict the paths monsters would take and where they would appear.

  Akira found this deeply intriguing. “So surveyors have their own way of fighting? I see! Does that scanner of yours also make your aim more accurate?”

  “Well, something like that.”

  “Cool!”

  More enemies kept appearing, but Akira and Carol dispatched them all effortlessly, and the guardians were reduced to scrap on the road.

  Alpha, how many more like that are there?

  The armored A24T277BW2890— You know what? That name’s too long, so let’s just call it the armored A24 model. Anyway, that was the last of that particular type.

  That’s it’s name? Sounds more like a model number.

  Well, it is a machine, after all.

  Fair point. Akira was satisfied and let the topic go.

  The names of the mechanical monsters that Akira had fought so far, like the cannon insect, were merely nicknames hunters used to distinguish different varieties from one another. One day, the A24 model Akira had just fought would also receive its own name, once enough hunters found simply calling it “that machine” too inconvenient. For now, though, it was nameless, known only as “that machine” or “the armored A24 model,” the term Alpha had derived from its model number.

  Not long after, more A24s appeared from elsewhere. As Carol took them down, fighting at Akira’s side, she found herself musing over how unusual he was.

  He’s like a puzzle in which none of the pieces fit together. He was surprisingly capable as a fighter, but so lacking in common sense that he didn’t even realize his communication line was cheap and low quality. His marksmanship just now had been extraordinary, but he’d acted almost like anyone could’ve made that shot, like he took no pride in it. On the other hand, he’d been amazed when Carol had pulled off a similar shot. Nor had he been acting—she could tell. And he’d seemed fascinated at how she used her scanner to fight—so either he hadn’t known it was possible, or he knew but could never do it himself.

  This is the first time I’ve ever come across anyone so, well, impossibly strange! Nothing about him adds up—his strength contradicts his knowledge, his appearance contradicts his actual competence, and his competence doesn’t line up with his evaluation of others’ strength! Nevertheless, confounding as he was, she didn’t harbor a bad impression of him, thanks to the time she’d spent with him in the factory district. When they’d been attacked by a horde of machines, Akira had been prepared to leave her so as not to get in her way. Yet when she’d hired him, he’d fought beside her even in freefall and while parkouring down the skyscraper—all for the sake of protecting her.

  If she’d been in his position, she wouldn’t have done the same.

  Relic hunters were constantly facing death, so determining whether or not you could trust a companion with your life was absolutely critical. While she couldn’t speak absolutely, she at least knew that in those conditions, on that day, Akira had protected her instead of abandoning her. And if the reason for this was somehow rooted in his eccentricity, then she decided it didn’t bother her.

  Still, what kind of life do you have to have led to end up a kid like him? Maybe that also has something to do with why he’s not interested in my body.

  And so, in an effort to distract herself from her own wounded pride, she also ended up attributing the reason she couldn’t seduce Akira (unlike so many other men) to his unique character. She gave Akira a faint smile, hoping that he might pick up on some of her complicated feelings.

  Akira noticed the look in her eyes but had no idea what it meant. Perplexed, he tried his best to interpret it. “Um... If you’re getting tired of fighting, you can take a rest, you know. I hired you as a surveyor, so don’t feel like you’re disappointing me if you sit the combat out.”

  His interpretation was so wildly off-base that she let out a snort. Then, with a provocative grin, she replied, “Nah, I don’t think so! I’m not gonna let you use that as an excuse to dock my pay later on. If I can’t be of much use as a surveyor, then I’ve at least got to show you what I’m worth in combat against these machines.”

 

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