Vol 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3 - The assigned mission
The Ghoul that was suddenly delivered to my house — Zonmi Ra McKenzie
The one that suddenly confessed to being a Nephilim — Kurose Kyouko
Being currently trapped between the two of theerous position
It was no joke, though it's not like I could tell how serious it was If I found a greenaround, I'd pick it up and eat it
Since I had to sleep soundly at the infiro, the contents of the History lesson went totally over s, there was one felare as cold as ice It was Zonmi
It see had somehow offended her
Hu~ about this Nonetheless, this proble I could solve by myself Surely, besides the fact that the conversation steadily grew out of proportion like that, the information was very scarce from the start
I took a deep sigh
Then, I reht before at the infirmary
International Monster association
Quite a suspicious organization But it piqued ht, that was the source of it all — it sees
Maybe there I can find some kind of solution
A ray of hope from the Heavens I immediately looked for it, cell in hand When in trouble, ask Google-sensei[2]
Results: 12,400 hits — It was faster than I thought
It seems that the International Monster association In short, IMA, doesn't have a single head office, but instead they have set up a nuood to have all this information so easily accessible, I was thankful nevertheless
After looking for the nearest branch office, I saved the address on my cell's memory It seems that the place was in the area
”Good! With this it'll be OK”
” What's with it's 'oh-key'?”
Of course, this voice belonged to Zon
With the point dripping red, I wonder whose blood it is
”I think that this is not good too, I pondered about sos A plan to overcome this situation”
”Hoho, you will finally make a contract with me, won't you?”
”How did you arrive to that conclusion! nobody said so!”
Nosuch a shady job like monster tamer Rather than that kind of job, I'd even wash corpses part-time
”Or, how should I tell you? Why are you carrying an u?”
I'd been trying to ask it since a while ago The water-blue umbrella in Zonmi's hand, it doesn't matter how you look at it, it's not one you could buy at a convenience store for 500 yen[3] Is this what you call ”ht it, in any case it's surely pretty expensive
”What a foolish question We ghouls are weak against sunli — any light-based attack This is a necessary tool to protect ourselves”
In order to avoid saying ”sunlight”, she corrected herself like that
”Hu~ht-based attacks, what'll happen?”
”When the corruption advances too er For the same reason, heat is also a hazard; the season known in the Huhouls each year”
”Ugh”
How should I put it, there are 100,000 ghouls?
That's a scene I don't want to picture
”Ah! Could that be the reason why Zon, came to my house in only her underwear?”
”Wha-hat are you saying so suddenly!?”
”Wasn't that to reduce the body heat?”
” Yes? Isn't that obvious!?”
”A~h, so that was it, like I thought This solves another mystery”
Seems like that cleared all the doubts in my mind
Even ghouls have their probleht space for long periods of ti
” By the way, I'd like to ask you so as reference; until nohat did you think was the reason?”
”Hu~ht it was simply your hobby”
BAM!
”Guah!”
I received a strong hit on my shi+n with the aforementioned umbrella
A soothing nice sound resounded through the classroom
”Ouch Why, you idiot Chiharu I got hit too”
Though I had the feeling that I could hear my buddy's moans from behind, I'd like to think it's the air
That, wouldn't it hurt if it wasn't really a joke?
A lot of things happened and the end of classes drew near
It was heart-breaking I didn't know ifthere
And in addition to that
I was currently trapped in a real ga[4] with two monsters that faced me each time with a ”let's make a contract”
Once the lesson ended, I rushed to the toilet even though I didn't have the need
At noon break, the lunch I ate while sitting on a toilet had a strong smell of ammonia
This kind ofendeavor, if I don't stop that trouble by today, will end up being the norm
That's why
With the signal of the end of classes, because of the aforementioned, I rushed out at full power
”Ah! Hey, Chiharu! Why are you fleeing, you coward!?”
”Oy, Chiharu! You promised to come with me to catch monsters after classes!”
However, I didn't look back I had the feeling that I shouldn't look back
Let's follohat my father told me Let's head once and for all to the International Monster association Though it'll be good if I find some kind of valuable information The timely end of the noon break + the full speed I came with till here = not a soul around
I was careful that Zon the school
I hurriedly finished changing into round
Then, as I approached the school gate, I was struck by a heavily unco
There there were trucks piled like bricks
I blinked once I rubbed my eyes
It can't be, recentlytricks to me
Hahaha It seeht now is not a hallucination
The countless piled trucks were packed right before the gate, as if someone intentionally put them there to obstruct the exit What a nonsensical view
”Ha-ru~”
I looked at the source of the voice
It came from far above From the top of the piled trucks
There, squatting slightly, was a slender girl Blown by the wind, her ponytail swayed right and left
”Kyouko”
I couldn't do nothing but stood with my mouth shut
Unbelievable Could this all be Kyouko's doing?
”Sorry, Haru It's a dead end”
”Hey, hey, this better be a prank”
Is it because of thethan usual
The atmosphere froze from the tension
” Haru is a bad kid Since you won't make a contract with me That's why you ran away”
”Wait ato do!”
The time, after school
Here and there were students going back ho on
”Though I think that Haru will somehow be soo easy I'll obligate you to make the contract by force!”
”Ehm Hi?”
This is bad
Kurose Kyouko
Though it seeht now her expression was, no matter how you look at it, that of a deoals That's what her eyes were saying
Then, as if she had thought of so, Kyouko removed her bracelet from her wrist and threw it to the sky
I wonder ill happen
The bracelet changed in a flash into a rod[6], isn't that her weapon of choice?
That shape It's soames
Its design was like a mix of a spear and an axe Perhaps it's what they call a halberd
I think Kyouko won't hesitate to thrust it from the top of the trucks,
”Secret technique: moonsault”
I had a hunch shelike that
The truck revolved inincredible revolved in mid-air
Though I don't think I knohat to say, Kyouko, th, as she started toattack, she tossed with force the truck she was standing on
Describing a beautiful arc, she turned in mid-air She fell onto me like that
Along with a thunderous roar as if the earth was splitting, a cloud of dust danced in the air
”Wah!?”
I e that If my reaction was one second late, by noould have become as flat as her chest
”Ah~! Why did you avoid it? Had it hit, you wouldn't have need to suffer”
Hey, hey You th
”What the heck! Didn't you want to make a contract until just now!?”
” Maybe it's Haru who doesn't understand anything Toof the contract with a tairl fetches the contract, I'll act like this”
””
That's right, Zon before
But because of that, is it good this contracting by force?
GURUN, Kyouko wielded the aforementioned truck
That's bad, her reach is too long I don't think I can avoid being hit
And if I try to stop the attack, both my arms will end up totally smashed
Like that, I had a single option left I kicked the ground and dashed at full power
”Ku”
GOTSUN, a dull sound echoed through my bones It seein
It seee I don't think I can keep standing very long
”Sorry, Haru I really didn't want to show such violent behavior”
”Why do you Showlike this, Kyouko!”
Or perhaps, could it be that it's bad manners to ask that?
However, I couldn't help but ask
It's like that, after all? Till noas thinking of Kyouko as a hu about Kyouko as a Nephilim
”Right For starters, why don't we talk about our clan?”
While looking fro broken, Kyouko told with a serious tone
”Us, the Nephiliiant tribe, are a heretic breed born froels In other words, we are inco to either of the two
Though our ancestors originally barely subsisted in a corner of the Netherworld, that becaood pretext The persecuted Nephili to the Human world”
” Really, to me it seems like other people's problems”
”They didn't have any other way When I was born, the Nephilim clan had been already chased out of the Netherworld That's why I don't knohat the Netherworld looks like”
””
”Neither ain, we had a chance to regain our place in the Netherworld That would only be bysoh that's my father opinion”
Kyouko laughed bitterly
Ah, somehow I'm absolutely pitiable
Kyouko shouldered the destiny of the entire Nephilim tribe
On one hand, I felt like I was under a kind of joke About contracts with h maybe I noticed it too late
”Well, then Haru This is the finishi+ng blow You'll be sleeping soon”
FIUU, the wind blew The truck ung mercilessly
This time I definitely won't be able to evade When I closed nation
”You are truly a useless master, indeed”
Silver hair gently brushed by the wind A dignified appearance
Opening irl had stopped the truck with an umbrella
”Zonmi!?”
She was Zon? Her umbrella blown off to nowhere, her arm bent in an impossible direction with a snap
”Hey, you, is your arm OK?”
”Don't ree is only a scratch”
””
That's probably true I don't think she's bluffing
”I was holding back Quickly, move from there Or do you have a plan?”
” Ah”
I nodded
What she said back then I was reminded of it
I ran I ran at full speed
Luckily, it see has recovered considerably Really, I'ical constitution of my body
”Ha-Haru Don't escape!”
She swung the truck doards
However, this time I wasn't that scared I felt an inexplicable calmness
FLAsh!+
Moving as ni truck with her body
” Thank you”
”It-it's nothing, you don't have to thank me If you want to repay me, do it with actions!”
I looked at Zonmi, whose skull had sunk; let's keep a secret what those bits that could be seen were
I sprinted towards the gate Looking carefully at the crudely piled up trucks, there is a gap I could pass through by bendingthat it wouldn't cruh the trucks
This It's seeo home empty-handed
As I sensed a heavy pressure, I headed to the station as fast as I could
Though I was curious about the course of Zonood would come for me
International Monster association Though that's quite a suspicious name it has, I couldn't help but feel that it had the key to the problem
I was running with a speed that wouldn't lose even to that of Melos when he wanted to save Selinuntius[7]
I boarded a train that arrived with good ti
× × ×
After reaching et destination, I was speechless
If I thought that it'd be an easily recognizable place There was the indispensable necessity for a home's dinner table, the local based retail shop ”Sakurazaka butchery”
Seriously? Is this my hometown?
Looking at ”Sakurazaka butchery” like the map told, it was a run-of-the- It seems that the International Monster association's branch office was located on the third floor
Since I asked I hope I can get some results
Filled with anxiety, I went up the stairs While I was going from second to third floor
A pink snake appeared before my eyes
With its swollen belly, it looked like a never-before-seen species
Is this A monster?
Twirling it's tongue, it see ”follow me” without words
What the heck Could this be some kind of trap?
But, even if I worry, it can't be helped As if following the snake, I passed through the door of the branch office Inside there was such a mess that it resee student” There were so many books and documents scattered everywhere that it was difficult to find a place to stand
Taking a look inside, there was a person collapsed on top of a slightly large desk It was a woman
She had long eyelashes on her narrow eyes A well-proportioned nose Long, glossy and slightly wavy fair hair
With an overall co of an unbelievably pretty young woman
”You were Let's see Chiharu-kun, if I'm not mistaken?”
”That's right, but Who are you?”
Though having one's own nae of uneasiness That much was crystal clear
Knowing my name, this person surely is somehow related to monster tamers
”I'm Luka Everybody calls me that[8] I'm the monster tamer entrusted with the protection of this area It's fine if you call it a kind of recognition”
The uards this area I've heard that there are hout the world Could it be that each one has a e of each section?
”This is the branch office of the International Monster association, isn't it? Isn't the public information about it a bit too open?”
”That's right It seems like in the olden days they liked to be a little more concealed, but now it's different Wouldn't you understand by looking at the situation outside? That's not so”
” How did the world end up like that?”
”That's ant to know, Chiharu-kun Before long, the world will approach an unprecedented crisis That's why this tie number of Monster tamers We expect your participation”
””
Though she is talking about a risk, even I knew that she meant the Monster rebellion or the reports
Softening the traffic through the Abyss Gate that connects the Netherworld and the Human World
Is that the extent of the risk we must assume?
”Then, did you want to ask only that?”
” No, I ca”
”Fu, fu; what do you mean?”
Luka-san showed a captivating smile
I told her the whole story
My election as a Monster ta stuck in the middle of a conflict between the Ghoul and Nephili sparks of the confrontation those two had just a while ago
'Ah, this person s like this a lot'
Luka's attitude while listening to h to make you think like that
However, only a little
If there was so that piqued my attention, was the manner in which, in the hter I wasn't saying anything funny
”Yeah, I more or less understand Chiharu-kun is still a child”
”I'm a child?”
”Yeah, a child Specifically, the kind of child that eats his haer with ketchup”
”What's with that evaluation standard!?”
”Adults eat plain oroshi+ponzu[9]”
”What, I didn't know!?”
I orried to be told that my common sense didn't resemble the common sense of the world
”Then, in the end Which monster do you choose?”
”Which one Would it be a problem if I don't choose?”
”Yeah, I'd say a big one You are seriously a good-for-nothing”
””
Those words hurt deeply as if they were arrows
How do I say it Luka-san is someone with a mysterious atmosphere
Rather talkative and loving to joke, it was like her eyes could see through anything as if it were totally transparent
”Well, why don't you try to change your way of thinking? Which one would you like as a girlfriend?”
”What's with that kind of twist?”
We're not ht to the point
”Frankly, I'd like that you taught ets injured Please teach me a way so that Zonmi, Kyouko and I will all be happy”
”Hoeet Don't you think you are asking for so unreasonable?”
” I suppose”
”There's one way”
”There is!?”
Looking at her eyes, I understood She's like Manami So fun of people is her only way to have fun
”However, though it would be fine to teach you, there are conditions Will you do me a favor?”
Luka-san let out a captivating laugh
Sincerely, even though I was annoyed because I felt like I was dancing on the palm of her hand, I nodded reluctantly
”In short words, since about three days frouard this area in thecomrade You see, since while I'm entrusted with this task, I don't have the chance of traveling afar”
”Wa-Wait athat kind of serious duty to other people to do!?”
”Don't worry, don't worry It's a special situation”
Even when you talk about it incredibly lightly, isn't that quite a serious duty
”If souide a newbie ta as you don't act unstylishly, that's fine Be at ease”
”A newbie tareed to become a Monster tamer yet”
”Is that so!?”
Luka-san began to talk like she had just re
Are you ignoring what I say?
”I'll kindly give you some advice As you knobie taiven that match their own aptitude, ill beco of this?”
”Eeh?”
”Right now, there are two monsters before you Those tere both proposed as choices to you As far as I know Should there be one other more?”
”And that one has yet to appear?”
”You should take that possibility into account It seems That your misfortune has only just started”
” Don't say soa”
Though I was curious about the words Luka-san had said, I feel we should follow the track ere on for now
To guard the area while Luka-san is gone I don't understand well, but should I try to ask Zon?
With my chest filled with determination, I left that place
× × ×
”I'm home!”
””
Zon out ofhome
On top of the worn-out clothes I gave her, for so an apron, but it was OK
That's Supposed to be a gag?
There was a large knife stabbed into Zonmi's forehead
”Hey Is your head OK?”
”Wha-Whaaat!?”
Zonmi raised her voice with her mouth open wide
”What do you ether with a pervert like you!”
” No, it's not that I mean this, this”
”Ah!”
JAM, I extracted the knife that was stuck into Zonmi's head