Rebuild World: Volume 7 E-Book

Nahuse

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Rebuild World
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 629

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Akira heads east to a brand new city! He’s reached hunter rank 50, a reward for his role in fighting the nationalists and a sign that he is outgrowing Kugamayama. And with new growth comes a new woman in his life—the prodigy city official Hikaru! She convinces Akira to help guard a convoy heading east. But the monsters farther east might prove to be more than he can handle. Formidable new monsters and startling surprises await him out on the frontier!

Leseprobe

Chapter 191: More Visitors

With their respective goals and desires on the line, Akira and Yumina had fought each other to the death, and Akira had won.

The boy had found killing necessary to survive the back alleys of the slums. And ever since escaping his old life and becoming a hunter, the number of those he had killed—whether monsters or humans—had continued to climb.

In his old slum days, he’d had nothing to speak of—now, among other things, he had a fit, muscular body, clean clothes, and a roof over his head. And he no longer had to worry about where his next meal was going to come from. He owned powerful gear and weaponry to protect himself and had earned an unimaginable sum of money. And he’d met someone he’d absolutely never wanted to see die—someone he’d certainly never wanted to kill.

Yet in the end, he’d slain her too and survived once more.

At first, he’d tried not to grieve for her. What right did he have to be sad, when he himself had ended her life? How arrogant would that be? But when he’d woken up in the hospital, Shizuka had embraced him and given him permission to cry, telling him it was okay to mourn.

So Akira had bawled in her arms, mourning the loss of his special someone from the bottom of his heart. It no longer mattered that he’d been the one to kill her—losing a loved one was tragic all the same. This firsthand experience and understanding was yet another thing Akira had gained from winning that fight.

Still, many more battles lay ahead. And Akira would continue to gain, learn, and experience even more that he hadn’t been able to in the slums—as long as he kept surviving.

◆

When he could cry no more, Akira sighed deeply in Shizuka’s arms. Noticing his tears had finally stopped, she gently released him and stepped away. Then she smiled—he looked calmer. He would probably be fine now.

“Um...” he began, embarrassed by his behavior. “Th-Thank you. I...feel a whole lot better, actually.”

“You’re very welcome. I can tell you’re in a much better mood now. Well then, I should probably be going. I’d like to stick around a little longer and chat some more, but visiting hours are almost over already, it looks like. Time really flew, huh?”

Then Akira realized he’d been clinging to Shizuka and crying for longer than he thought. He gave her a stiff, awkward smile to hide his bashfulness. Seeing right through him, she found his reaction amusing—but also reassuring. He wasn’t trying to cover up his sorrow or act tough. Most likely, he hadn’t completely recovered from Yumina’s death yet, but if he was able to smile like that, at least he was now looking forward instead of backward.

Thank goodness, Shizuka thought, glad that she had been able to play a part in helping him and grateful for the opportunity to do so.

“Now be sure to rest,” she instructed. “I mean it. When I see you back at my store, I want you to be in tip-top shape. Understand?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You got it!”

Shizuka gave him one last smile and returned his nod before leaving the room. Once she was gone, Akira felt Alpha’s gaze on him.

What are you staring at me for?

Hm? Oh, one sec. Alpha wrapped Akira in her embrace. But Alpha only existed within his augmented vision, so he didn’t actually feel anything. As she pressed his face against her chest, the shape of her breasts changed as if they were real and soft, but the only effect they had on Akira was to obstruct his vision.

What’s this all about, Alpha? Akira muttered with a puzzled frown.

Alpha released him and gave him a teasing, melodramatic sigh. So hugging me doesn’t have the same effect unless you can feel me with your whole body? I guess touching me with just your hands isn’t the same as the embrace of a real woman, is it?

For a moment, Akira looked even more confused, but then he realized what Alpha was getting at. Since he’d lost the use of both hands during the battle in the Kuzusuhara Town Ruins, he was currently wearing prosthetics while undergoing treatment. Alpha had reprogrammed his prosthetic hands so that he could now “touch” her, or at least simulate the experience. As the memory surfaced, it reminded him of his reaction when he’d felt her breasts like pillows in his hands for the first time. In an effort to hide his embarrassment, he lay back down on the hospital bed, covering his head with the sheets. I’m tired, okay?! Night!

Very well. You do need your rest, after all, she said. Sweet dreams.

Akira hadn’t disliked Shizuka’s embrace at all—rather, he’d enjoyed it—and was glad that she’d let him cry in her arms. But Alpha’s words flustered him all the same.

In other words, he’d recovered enough from Yumina’s death to feel something besides grief.

◆

About the time the swelling around his eyes had gone down and his mortified blush had faded, the doctor came in to explain his medical condition.

Aside from his hands, Akira had made a full recovery. He could technically be discharged right now, but since Inabe currently had him under lockdown, it was up to the city executive to decide when Akira could actually leave the hospital.

Then the doctor asked Akira what kind of treatment he wanted for his hands. Ultimately, he had three options: keep his ruined hands as they were, replace them with upgraded prosthetic versions, or have his original hands restored. The artificial hands he wore at present, aside from the fact that they were white and had a texture like rubber or plastic, were so high-tech that they felt as natural as his real hands when he moved them. They wouldn’t prove an obstacle to any part of his daily life. Even in combat, the powered suit would compensate for any consequent loss in functionality by receiving and processing the signals from his nerves just as his regular hands would have. So at least until he decided he wanted upgraded, prosthetic hands or his old hands back, he could choose to keep the artificial hands if he wanted.

If he chose the upgraded prosthetics and had his current prosthetics swapped out for mechanical versions, the doctor told him, he’d obtain a host of new perks not available to a fully human body. On the surface, they’d look exactly like normal hands, yet they would instantly grant him levels of strength that only a superhuman could typically achieve. He could deviate from—or even transcend—the possibilities available to normal humans: for instance, additional joints might allow him to rotate his hands more than 360 degrees, while other modifications could let him transform his hands into guns or blades at will. Plus, if his hands ever got broken or damaged again, he could simply repair them or replace them with brand-new ones, allowing for a swifter, more effective, and much cheaper recovery than that afforded by the large doses of medicine to which he was accustomed.

The doctor nonchalantly pressed him to consider the prosthetics, although not so aggressively as to make the boy feel like he didn’t have a choice in the matter. “So, how about it? If I were you, I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity. Many active high-ranking hunters these days have at least one artificial limb, but hardly anyone would lop off a perfectly intact appendage just to replace it with a cyborg version. Nearly all of them lost their limbs in battle, like you.”

“R-Right,” Akira said, sounding hesitant.

“And by the way, the city will be paying for your treatment in full this time. That means if you decide to go for the prosthetics, you can get the city to cover them, and you won’t have to pay a dime. In other words, depending on your answer, you could turn your misfortune into a blessing. What do you say? Ready for a new you?”

Despite feeling pressured, Akira managed to say, “Um... I think I just want my old hands back, thanks.”

“I see,” the doctor said. He looked ever so slightly disappointed but didn’t let his smile falter. “Very well. Then there are two ways we can go about restoring your hands.”

He told Akira that the boy could either have new human hands generated from his stumps, or he could have the hands grown independently, then surgically reattached. There were advantages and disadvantages to each method, but because the first approach would mean he couldn’t use the artificial hands while waiting for his hands to regenerate and would therefore be impaired during his entire recovery, he chose the latter option in the end.

The procedure began without delay. First, both of his limbs were severed at the forearm to serve as bases for the growth process. Then two devices that read nerve transmission information—the same kind used when exchanging human limbs for prosthetics—were installed onto the stumps of each severed arm. Finally, the white artificial hands he’d used before were reattached. Now Akira’s biological hands could receive his nerve data even while they were growing, which meant that after surgery, he wouldn’t need rehab to get used to his old hands again. He’d be able to move them normally right off the bat.

The initial procedure was so simple that it was completed in around ten minutes and was performed while Akira was still conscious. He was given anesthetics so he wouldn’t feel any pain, but he still couldn’t bring himself to watch and averted his eyes the whole time.

“It’ll take about a week for your new hands to grow,” the doctor explained afterward. “In the meantime, get those artificial hands moving and touch as many different surfaces as you can. The more data you provide, the more likely the growth procedure will be successful. It’ll also reduce the chances of complications after surgery. And if you ever feel any sense of discomfort with those artificial hands in the meantime, please call us right away. It’s been a pleasure.”

The doctor placed Akira’s severed limbs in a storage receptacle and was about to leave when he turned back once more. “Oh, and by the way, I can always replace those temporary hands with combat prosthetics, so you can test them out while you wait! If you ever change your mind, just let me know. I’ve even got hands that’ll let you shoot lasers out of them! Doesn’t that sound cool?”

“I-I’ll think about it,” Akira said stiffly.

This wasn’t a complete refusal, so the doctor looked satisfied and nodded as he left the room.

Akira looked down at his hands. “Nah, lasers would be a little much, I think,” he muttered.

Are you sure? Perhaps you’d find them so convenient you wouldn’t want to go without them. Here, try raising your arm out in front of you.

Akira did as he was told—and a powerful beam erupted from it. The torrent of energy vaporized everything in its path, boring a gigantic hole through the wall of the hospital room and continuing beyond. Of course, all of this destruction only occurred within Akira’s vision; in reality, the hospital remained unharmed. Even so, Akira had just experienced exactly what it would feel like to use such a weapon.

That’s a pretty accurate simulation, I’d say. So, what’d you think? Alpha pressed him.

Well... I think that if I ever feel like I want to shoot a laser, I’ll just buy a laser cannon. I don’t really need it to shoot from my hand, right? Besides, what if I end up firing it without meaning to?

I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, so don’t worry.

Yeah, but what about when I’m disconnected from you and have to manage it on my own? Or how could I possibly relax and enjoy my baths, knowing I have a weapon for a hand? It’s a no.

Very well then, Alpha said, and Akira’s vision returned to normal. The hole in the wall in front of him disappeared. Even knowing it had just been a simulation, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Then Alpha sidled up beside him. Now then, she said with a grin, since we only have a week until you get your new hands, feel free to enjoy touching me all you like in the meantime!

Yeah... I’ll pass.

Aw...! Don’t tell me you’re still shy around me after all we’ve been through together? she teased, pretending to pout.

Akira just averted his eyes, his face flushing slightly.

◆

Because the city was still keeping Akira confined to the hospital, he couldn’t leave right away. Moreover, he was allowed only a limited number of visitors, and their time together was limited too. The final visitors Akira had that day were Elena and Sara.

Upon seeing that he had made a full recovery, the two women first and foremost felt relieved. Elena approached his bedside and, sitting next to him, spoke first.

“We heard you were out cold for a whole week,” she said with a grin, “so it’s good to know you’re finally awake.”

“Sorry for making you worry,” Akira replied. “But I slept a lot, so I’m in perfect condition now. Oh, except for these,” he said nonchalantly, showing them his white, artificial hands. “Apparently, they’re gonna be like this until the treatment’s over. Other than that, though, I’m doing great.”

Sara peered at his hands with interest. “Those look pretty pricey. How do they feel?”

“Amazing,” he said. “I can move them just like my old hands, and I can feel things the same as before too. Honestly, they’re good enough that part of me thinks I could manage with just these from now on.”

“Oh yeah? Can I give them a feel?”

“Go ahead,” he said.

Sara reached over, took Akira’s hand in hers, and stroked it a few times, seemingly amused by the hand’s texture.

The sensation of her hands on his made Akira blush a little. “D-Don’t you think that’s enough already?” he said.

At that, Sara grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest. For security reasons, visitors weren’t allowed to wear powered suits in the hospital, so she and Elena were wearing their everyday clothes. Through the thin fabric, Akira could keenly feel the softness of Sara’s breasts. Red-faced, he yanked his hand away.

Sara laughed. “So the sensors really do work well.”

“Wh-What was that for?!”

“C’mon, it’s not a big deal. After all, these are just as artificial as your hands.”

“W-Well, I guess, but still...!”

Sara’s body had been augmented, and her chest stored the nanomachines that her body consumed. The size of her chest reflected the amount of nanomachines inside, so indeed, one could say it was just as fake as Akira’s hands. However, as one might have gleaned from Akira’s reaction, her breasts looked and felt no different from real ones.

“Sara, quit teasing him,” Elena said, sighing dramatically. “The poor guy’s in the hospital, so we ought to cut him some slack.”

“All right, all right. Sorry, Akira. Do you forgive me?”

“Well... Y-Yeah, I suppose,” he said with a smile. Even though he was being made fun of, Akira could tell from the grin on her face that she was only joking, and so he kept his tone equally light. They continued talking about trivial things for a while longer until the mood suddenly turned somber, as a new topic surfaced.

Akira was actually the first to broach it. Straightening up, he regarded the women with a serious look. “Elena, Sara, I want to thank you for rescuing me. You two saved my life.” He bowed his head politely.

“You don’t have to thank us,” Elena said soberly. “More than anything, we were just glad we weren’t too late.”

“Well, to be honest, we did cut it a little close,” Sara said with a grin, “but we made it in the end—and more importantly, we managed to save face as your seniors.” Then she shot Elena a look that said, “Do you want me to tell him, or will you?”

As team negotiator, Elena had more experience navigating tough discussions, so she decided the duty ought to fall to her. “We heard about Yumina from Shizuka,” she said.

Akira went rigid.

Elena continued, “To be completely honest with you, I’m not really sure what I should say here. I don’t know the circumstances that led to her death, or whether we even ought to know. I only know it’s something we shouldn’t ask you about lightly or demand the answer to. So if you want us to know, we’ll listen, and if you don’t, we won’t ask.”

Akira said nothing.

“However, while we won’t ask, that doesn’t mean we have nothing to say about it. So I’ll just say this for both of us,” she said, glancing back at Sara. “We’re glad you made it back safe. That’s truly how we feel.”

“Right,” Akira said, after some hesitation. To his ears, it sounded like Elena had just said they were glad Yumina had died if that was the price of Akira’s survival, so he couldn’t just respond with a thank-you. Nevertheless, he was grateful that they cared about him so much, and he managed to show it.

The hunter profession was harsh and unforgiving, and it was common for hunters to lose people important to them. But while Akira had just experienced such a loss for the first time, Elena and Sara were much more familiar with it—a difference evident in their reactions to Yumina’s death.

With the air thus cleared, all three of them let out a sigh and felt better once more.

“Anyway,” said Elena, “if you ever feel like you need to cry, we’ll lend you our chests to sob into. Though from what I hear, you spent an awfully long time buried in Shizuka’s,” she added with a smirk.

Akira spluttered, “E-Elena! Don’t say it like that!”

“But you didn’t dislike it, right?”

“Th-That’s... That’s not a fair question!”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m sure you have your preferences as to what kind of chest you’d like to bury your face in, but as luck would have it, we have someone right here who can adjust her size however you like it!”

Sara grinned, going right along with Elena’s teasing. “Elena, this chest is more or less my lifeline, so would you not treat it so frivolously?”

“Don’t be silly. Is there any better way to show trust in a friend than letting them borrow something that’s important to you?”

“I see—I never thought of it like that! All right then, Akira, wanna have some more fun?” she asked, approaching him with her arms outstretched.

“N-No thanks!” he said, his face flushing red.

Seeing his childlike reaction, Elena and Sara couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

They continued chatting for some time, throwing in some more jokes and teasing on occasion; but time flew faster the more fun they had, and their visiting period was over before any of them even knew it. Before leaving, however, Elena had one more thing to say.

“Seriously now, be sure to rest up, okay, Akira? Don’t be sneaking out of the hospital and heading to the wasteland just because you’re bored.”

He could tell she was saying it in jest, so he grinned. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll stay put.”

“If you just can’t take it anymore, at least give us a call first,” Sara joked. “That way you won’t be alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere, seriously!” he insisted, grinning. “You don’t have to worry so much!”

“Well, can you blame us? We take our eyes off you for just a little while, and you land in the hospital!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be good, I promise,” he said, his smile strained—he didn’t really have much of a rebuttal.

On their way home, Sara looked conflicted. “Hey, Elena,” she said suddenly, “you saw how he was acting. Do you think he’ll be all right?”

“I think so, yeah. I got the feeling he was forcing himself a little to match your super positive attitude. But since he’s able to do that, he should be just fine. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have joked around with us like he did.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Sara said. Both women understood that Yumina’s death was still bothering Akira, but neither of them found anything wrong with that. A friend of his had just died—the women would have been much more concerned if Akira had just bounced back immediately like nothing had happened. As long as his trauma didn’t prevent him from getting back on his feet again, he would be all right in the end. Eventually, he’d be able to stand up once more, and Elena and Sara would be there to lend him a hand if need be. In the meantime, they’d let the passage of time take its course.

Of course, they didn’t want Akira to become completely desensitized to the deaths of those around him. An Akira who no longer felt anything when someone died couldn’t be called human. He would be no different from the monsters of the wasteland—and in the end, he’d probably be eradicated like one too. At the same time, if he never learned how to endure the loss of close friends, the resulting grief would shatter his heart, sending him to an early grave. So he couldn’t become numb to it, but he couldn’t let it consume him either.

Elena believed that maintaining this delicate balance was absolutely critical to a hunter’s survival. She didn’t want to force her beliefs on Akira, but she earnestly hoped that in due time, Akira would learn how to cope with Yumina’s death, rather than letting it crush him.

◆

The hospital room Akira was staying in was reserved for wealthy patients and included a larger-than-average bathroom. Except for the size of the tub, everything about the facility was several grades higher than what he was used to at home.

As he soaked, he let out a blissful sigh. Man, I better not get too used to this, or I won’t wanna use my bath back home anymore, he said. I really gotta get my bathroom remodeled already. How much do you think it’ll cost, Alpha?

I’m not so sure you’ll have sufficient funds for the kind of remodel you have in mind, considering you still need to purchase a full set of gear, replied Alpha, who was of course naked in the bath with him. Not to mention the hospital bill.

Uh... Gear aside, I’m pretty sure the city’s covering my hospital bill, right?

Technically, Inabe only promised to pay for your treatment. He didn’t say whether that includes the cost of your hospital stay.

W-Well, yeah, but surely he’s gonna cover that part too...right?

Besides, if you’re planning on buying even better equipment this time, you’ll need even more money for it than before, she admonished him, bringing her face closer to his. I don’t mind if you spend whatever’s left over as you please, but I won’t permit you to cut corners on your gear for the sake of redoing your bathroom.

Akira groaned. He knew what Alpha was referring to—even with his previous set of gear, which had cost him three billion aurum, he’d nearly died in Kuzusuhara. So if he skimped on it now, he might actually end up dead next time push came to shove. Fighting wasn’t his top priority, but at the same time, he didn’t want to die. All he wanted was to improve his quality of life a little by upgrading his bath, but doing so would be pointless if he wasn’t alive to use it.

Well, I’ve got time to think about it, at least, he said. But don’t worry—even I know good gear’s more important than a bathroom upgrade.

Then that’s all I’ll say, she said with a smile, scooting so close that their skin would have touched if she’d had an actual body.

Akira used his artificial hand to push her away. Personal space, please. You’re too close.

Oh? But I’m always this close to you when we’re in the bath, aren’t I?

S-So what?! Just back off already!

Fine, fine, whatever you say. Alpha did as she was told and sat on the edge of the tub a short distance away.

But having her bewitching, naked body so close to him was still distracting all the same. Had Alpha continued to be a merely visual entity, with no chance of ever being touched, Akira would have been able to just ignore her like always, even when she was right up next to him. But thanks to his artificial hand, he could now touch her—albeit temporarily—which made him more aware of her presence than ever. Of course, Alpha had just modified her own image in Akira’s vision to align with his touch—appearances notwithstanding, he wasn’t really touching her. Even an artificial hand would normally just pass right through her like it would the air. But Alpha had created the impression that he was really feeling her because she knew this would have a stronger effect on him. Seeing the boy’s face, slightly flushed from the hot water, turn away from her bashfully, Alpha smiled in satisfaction.

◆

The next day, Kibayashi came to Akira’s hospital room. Noticing Kibayashi was in extremely high spirits, Akira immediately scowled.

At that, Kibayashi grinned, amused. “What’s that face for, Akira? Is that the look you should make when someone goes out of their way to visit you in the hospital?”

“What about you?” Akira rejoined. “Is that an appropriate face for visiting someone who just woke up after being out for a week?”

“Oh, come now, Akira! By now, falling unconscious and getting sent to the hospital is just business as usual for you, right?”

Akira couldn’t argue with that, so he just sighed heavily.

Kibayashi burst out laughing as he took a seat by the bed. “Man, did you ever pull some crazy stunts this time! A legion of Kokurous couldn’t even touch that colossus, and you defeated it all on your own! Crazy, reckless, and rash—you get a perfect grade! That’s my Akira—you never fail to entertain me! I knew I made the right choice by sending you those supplies in bulk!”

Even Akira could tell Kibayashi wasn’t just flattering him—the city official’s praise was genuine. Nevertheless, the boy couldn’t bring himself to be happy about that, because it simply proved just how much danger he’d faced. But he was grateful to Kibayashi for the supplies, so he decided he ought to thank him.

“Well, without them, I would have died, so thanks for those, at least.”

“No need to thank me! You and I are buddies, after all!”

In lieu of a reply, Akira just sighed heavily again.

Kibayashi then brought up the main reason for his visit. “Well, I did come to see how you were doing, even if only as a pretext. So as a get-well-soon gift, I’ll bring you up-to-date on everything I’m sure you’re dying to know, like the reason the other hunters went after you all of a sudden, and how the power struggle between the city bigwigs played out.”

“All right,” Akira agreed. “I guess that since I entertained you with my crazy, reckless, and rash antics, you do owe me that much. Gimme the scoop, then scram.”

“You got it! Let’s see, I guess we’ll start with Inabe and Udajima,” began Kibayashi with a grin.

Inabe and Udajima’s struggle for power was still ongoing, with Inabe currently in the lead. More specifically, thanks to the recent disturbance in Kuzusuhara, Inabe had achieved his goal of staging a comeback against his rival.

This was in large part due to the deal between Tsubaki and Yanagisawa, which defined all of Zone 1 as Yanagisawa’s territory—immediately snuffing out any competition between Inabe and Udajima there. But Yanagisawa didn’t have the time to manage all of Zone 1 on his own, of course, so he’d divided it in half with the city road running down the middle. Then he’d given Inabe control of the side with Tsubakihara and set Udajima over the opposite side.

This had caused a dramatic shift in the power dynamic between the executives. After the incident in Zone 1, Kugamayama had temporarily designated it off-limits. Some parts had since become accessible again, but the area around Tsubakihara was still restricted and heavily guarded by the city’s defense force. Since hunters couldn’t enter it, no valuable relics would be forthcoming, regardless of how many were actually there. Typically, having such territory foisted upon him would have been the final nail in Inabe’s coffin.

But Inabe’s territory also included the sector that Tsubaki oversaw. And as part of their agreement, Yanagisawa had convinced Tsubaki to pay the city handsomely with aurum, in exchange for sending the defense force to keep Tsubakihara secure. Naturally, an Old World entity like Tsubaki had no use for a modern currency like aurum and didn’t keep any on hand, but there Yanagisawa’s business acumen had come in handy. In the end, he had persuaded Tsubaki to agree to trade with the city. She would first sell her Old World relics to the city for aurum, then use that aurum to pay the city for protecting her territory. That circulation of money would profit the city, and though Yanagisawa would reap the lion’s share of those profits, Inabe—as the manager of the area in and around Tsubakihara—would receive a huge boost as well. Now the tables had turned, and Udajima found himself the underdog.

Akira listened attentively. But Kibayashi, feeling that the boy’s reaction fell short of the gravity of what the official was revealing, shook his head, as though to say, “You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Akira,” he said aloud, “you might not realize this, but I’m telling you something pretty incredible right now. For you to show no reaction whatsoever—well, I know that’s just how you are, but still, you could at least give me an ‘ooh’ or ‘aah’ or something.”

“I mean, I dunno what to tell you. I’m sorry?”

“Okay, how about this? As a get-well-soon present from me, I’ll explain to you exactly why this is such a big deal, so listen up,” the man said smugly.

As Kibayashi had said, Kugamayama City was using aurum to buy relics from Tsubaki, who would then buy the city’s protection with aurum—and this had several significant effects. First, the city could now buy relics directly from an Old World entity, a source that was on a completely different level from the average hunter or relic shop. In general, the humans of the New World thought of relics as affordable items one could find in stores and through trade (though there were rare and valuable exceptions).

Not so from the perspective of the Old World’s denizens. In their eyes, since hunters had looted all these goods from the ruins, the relics had never belonged to the New World at all; its people were simply exchanging stolen goods between themselves and justifying their possession under made-up rules.

On the other hand, buying relics directly from Tsubaki would be considered a legal transaction even by Old World standards. Such items would then actually belong to the New World—an enormous improvement over the existing relic trade. Normally, only the Big Five corporations could clinch such a deal with an Old World entity—yet Kugamayama City, a mere mid-rank governing body within the vast East, had succeeded in doing so as well.

The significance of this could not be overstated—especially since in transactions with the Old World, the standard medium of exchange was chrome, not aurum. After all, someone from the Old World wouldn’t consider New World currency legal tender. And yet, Kugamayama had persuaded Tsubaki to accept a business transaction in aurum—thus acknowledging the value of a New World currency. This was a remarkable feat, not to mention a huge win for Sakashita Heavy Industries, the company issuing the aurum currency.

Such an accomplishment was unheard of for any mid-ranking governing body in the East. But in addition, Tsubaki had agreed to pay the city—again, in aurum—to protect her territory, which meant she’d acknowledged Kugamayama as reliable and trustworthy. This could hardly pass unnoticed in the East—in all probability, the other four megacorporations of the Big Five would soon show up with offers for the city, intending to poach Kugamayama away from Sakashita Heavy Industries.

Even the chronically impassive Akira finally looked surprised. “W-Wow, that really is a big deal!”

“Exactly!” Kibayashi nodded, satisfied with the boy’s reaction at last. The official had slipped into an overly enthusiastic manner during his explanation in his attempt to shock Akira, but his tone now became casual once more. “Anyway, now that I’ve given you my gift, I need to ask you a personal question. What do you plan to do from here on out?”

“Haven’t really thought about it. First, I need to get my hands back and replace my gear, then I’ll take my time worrying about it.”

“So probably a week from now at the earliest, then. Okay, got it.”

“Hold on, what do you mean by that?” Akira asked, feeling a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach.

“Isn’t it obvious? Your next job, of course! If we don’t start thinking about it right now, all the good ones will be gone! You really entertained me this time, so as thanks, I’ll do my best to introduce you to some work that’ll really suit your ability. Stay tuned!”

Being introduced to such a job would be a great boost to Akira’s hunter career, and the boy knew it. Even so, he scowled, rejecting Kibayashi without even asking Alpha for her opinion.

“Go to hell!”

Chapter 192: Cause and Effect

Sheryl was on the roof of her base in the slums, thinking about Akira. She let out a deep, heavy sigh.

“Even after rising so high in society that I can attend the city’s dinner parties, I’m still just the boss of a slum gang at the end of the day,” she muttered.

She’d been so worried about Akira—first concerned for his safety, even before hearing he’d fallen unconscious and was in the hospital, then, after hearing he was no longer in critical condition, hoping his condition would stabilize.

Relief and joy had washed over her at the news. At once, she had tried to arrange a visit, but even typical visitors to the hospital had to undergo rigorous vetting—for those who wanted to visit someone like Akira, both the number of persons and the length of time allotted were all the more limited. What’s more, the application process wasn’t first come, first served—those with higher positions in society were prioritized over lower ones. For these reasons and others, Sheryl’s appointment had been postponed—at least, so Viola had told her after Sheryl had asked her to set it up. The girl had then asked Inabe if he could pull some strings for her and move her appointment up, but he’d said no, and of course she couldn’t argue with a city executive. So now she had no choice but to obediently wait her turn.

All her efforts, and she couldn’t even see Akira in the hospital when she wanted to. It made her realize just how wide the gulf between the two of them truly was. She sighed heavily again.

Just then, Viola appeared. “Hey now, why the long face? Sure, it’s a shame you can’t go see Akira in his time of need, but at least he’s out of the woods and no longer a suspected nationalist. Plus, your rival in love kicked the bucket, so on the whole, I’d say things are looking up and you don’t need to pout.”

Sheryl had mixed feelings over Yumina’s death. When Sheryl mentally removed Akira from the equation, she thought of Yumina as someone she’d generally gotten along with. The slum girl hadn’t been surprised to hear she’d died—hunters flirted with death daily, after all—but had felt a little sad at the news.

Still, as Viola had just pointed out, Sheryl was fully aware that a reprehensible part of her actually considered Yumina’s death a windfall. But she also knew that if Akira ever picked up on those feelings of hers for even a second, he’d hate her just as much as she hated herself for thinking them. He’d cut her off in a heartbeat. So she absolutely could not let anyone know how she felt, and responded in as normal a tone as she could.

“He’s still missing both hands. I’d hardly say that counts as ‘out of the woods.’ Of course, I’m thrilled he’s no longer in critical condition, though that goes without saying.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that, then,” Viola said with her usual sly grin, apparently seeing right through Sheryl’s act.

Sheryl just sighed again, this time in exasperation. “So, what did you want?”

“I simply wanted to check up on you before I head out. That, and my client was just so pushy, you know? Honestly, I told him it wouldn’t do any good to ask, but he just wouldn’t back down.” She beckoned to someone standing at the roof’s entrance, and a man in a business suit came over, bowing politely to Sheryl.

“My name is Haraji, and I’m here on behalf of Yoshioka Heavy Industries’ sales department. I have come today hoping your organization and my company might reach an agreement.”

Sheryl already knew Yoshioka was large enough to do business with the governing corporations. So she was quite shocked to hear such a company was interested in making a deal with her, but she didn’t let it show.

Once she heard the details, however, she realized the salesman’s true aim, and she immediately refused. “Absolutely not. Good day.”

Haraji wanted Sheryl to mediate between Yoshioka and Akira to resolve the incident in which one of their units had attacked him. But if Sheryl were to agree to such a request, Akira might misunderstand and think she was siding with his enemies. Not wanting to risk that even for a second, she turned Haraji down with no room for argument.

Haraji was surprised by her vehement rejection, but as Viola had repeatedly warned him beforehand that he was wasting his time, he wasn’t particularly fazed.

“Now, now, let’s not be too hasty. We’re only asking that you assist us with the negotiations, not requiring that you succeed. Regardless of the outcome, we’re prepared to compensate you suitably for your support—”

“Good day.”

“In addition, this would be a prime opportunity to deepen your relations with our company. With your enterprise located in such an area, I daresay you need to take considerable security measures. Our company can help you with procuring the supplies you need—”

“Please leave,” she said, cutting him off and forcing a polite smile.

Sheryl clearly wasn’t going to budge. Viola tapped Haraji discreetly on the shoulder to get his attention, then shook her head with a grin.

With that, Haraji realized it was no use. “Sorry for taking up your time,” he said, bowing apologetically, and turned to leave.

“I’ll be heading out too,” Viola announced and followed out the door behind him.

Watching her go, Sheryl muttered under her breath, “You’ve really got some nerve, don’t you?” She was astonished by the woman’s gall. Even after Akira had shot her, Viola had still accepted Yoshioka’s request and agreed to assist them in mediating with the boy.

Now that Sheryl was alone again, however, her thoughts turned back to Yumina.

“It didn’t have to turn out this way, you know,” she said, addressing the deceased girl. “If Katsuya was so important to you, you could have taken him by the hand and dragged him out of the wasteland by force—far, far away from all this—and lived peaceful lives together. Was that not good enough?”

She didn’t know why Yumina hadn’t done so. Perhaps she’d tried and just hadn’t succeeded. Or perhaps their ties to Druncam had been too strong. Sheryl could think of a number of possible reasons, but as the one who knew the answer was no longer here, Sheryl would never know the truth. Even so, she couldn’t help but wonder, just a little, if there hadn’t been some other path that could have led to a happier ending.

All Sheryl knew regarding the deaths of Yumina and Katsuya was that both had died during the operation to eradicate the nationalists. She didn’t know what was, in many respects, the most important part—that Akira had killed them. Viola had deliberately omitted that from her report.

Rather than deceiving people to gain their trust and then betraying them, Viola leaned into her reputation as a villain and exploited others’ doubts and distrust in her. She goaded them into overanalyzing her statements or behavior, which led them to wrong conclusions. And so, despite the great number of people who wanted her dead, she’d made each of them reluctant to be the one to kill her. That was how she’d survived to spread her malice to this day.

◆

In his hospital room, Akira looked over at Haraji with an irritated expression. “I know what you came here to tell me—Zalmo acted on his own, and Yoshioka Heavy Industries had nothing to do with his attack on me, right?”

“That’s correct. It’s true he belonged to a unit of ours, but in no way were his actions the will of the company. Now don’t get me wrong—we don’t intend to deny that this was our fault. But our company was wondering if we could just let bygones be bygones. Naturally, we’re prepared to negotiate a satisfactory amount for compensation—”

“Don’t bother. I couldn’t care less about any of that. You said what you wanted to say, so get out.”

“N-No, wait...” Seeing that Akira was just as unapproachable as Sheryl in his own way, Haraji’s businesslike smile froze over. He glanced at Viola, who was standing beside him, and pleaded with his eyes for her to bail him out.

Generally speaking, Viola would have been just as unqualified to enter Akira’s hospital room as Sheryl. But she’d gotten around that obstacle by leveraging her position as a negotiator hired by Yoshioka. And now it was time to do the job she’d been hired for.

“Listen, Akira: even if negotiations like these can be a pain, surely you can manage a better attitude than that. Or do you actually plan to assault Yoshioka after this?” she said with a grin.

Shocked at how casually Viola could mention something so outrageous, Haraji couldn’t help glancing at Akira. The average hunter wouldn’t even dream of making an enemy of a company like Yoshioka, but he already knew Akira could be quite reckless at times. If this attempt at reconciliation fell through, the whole situation could even culminate in an irreconcilable confrontation. So while feigning calmness, Haraji nervously analyzed Akira’s expression. But he found no reaction there indicating that Viola had correctly guessed Akira’s intent—only the same irritation as before.

“I’m not planning to, no, but I don’t wanna get bogged down in annoying negotiations right now either,” said the boy. “I mean, look at me—I’m hospitalized. Leave me alone and let me rest already.”

“As difficult as ever, I see,” Viola said. “And after Yoshioka went out of their way to come here and try to make amends with you.”

“So? That’s their problem,” he spat. Then he turned his gaze back on Haraji. “In the first place, Yoshioka was already on my shit list long before this incident—messing around during the slum gang war and even my hunter rank advancement job. If you wanna apologize for your incompetence, at least mention all your screwups instead of just the most recent one.”

Yoshioka had indeed indirectly wrapped Akira up in a number of troublesome incidents, forcing him into battle against the legion of mechs during the gang war and—even if it was to boost his hunter rank—the mandatory commission from the city that had sent him to Iida. So there was a hint of reproach in Akira’s gaze toward Haraji. Since Akira was bringing up these behind-the-scenes incidents, the sales representative decided to adjust his attitude toward the boy.

“Regarding the gang war, we weren’t the ones who involved you in our demonstration—you interfered. And as for the commission, I believe you came out quite ahead in the end, no?”

“I’m the one who decides that, not you,” Akira said, a hint of a threat creeping into his tone. But Akira didn’t really want to start a fight in his hospital room, and Haraji wasn’t about to let a little intimidation deter him, so the mood didn’t sour any further.

Viola, smiling as she watched them, chimed in with a suggestion. “Akira, if the only reason you don’t feel like negotiating with Yoshioka is because it’s tedious, then how about I handle everything for you? I’ll wrap all of this up in a way that satisfies both parties—I guarantee it.”

Akira glanced at Viola, back at Haraji, and then at Viola again. This woman was notorious for causing mischief, but he didn’t know anyone more skilled at negotiating than her. As long as she didn’t involve him in whatever she was planning, perhaps leaving things to Viola wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. He groaned to himself for a little while, mulling it over.

“I’ll think about it,” he decided. “For now, though, get out of here and leave me alone.”

Haraji interpreted Akira’s response as favorable. Considering the boy’s personality, he would have kicked them both out of the room by force if he truly had no intention of hearing Yoshioka out. Haraji glanced furtively at Viola, who gave him a small nod—apparently, she agreed.

“Very well,” the sales rep said. “In that case, I’ll get out of your hair for today. I truly thank you for your precious time.”

As Haraji bowed politely in farewell, Viola gave Akira her usual smile. “If you decide you want my help, Akira, you know how to reach me. Calling your hospital room from my end requires going through a lot of red tape, so it’ll be easier for both of us if you call me instead.”

Once they had left Akira’s room, Haraji turned to Viola with a stern look. “If he agrees to let you negotiate for him, what exactly do you plan to do?”

“For starters, I’ll have to find out from you just how far Yoshioka’s willing to bend to settle this. In fact, why not simply tell me right now? To ensure that product demonstration number three is treated as a success, just how much is your company prepared to offer?”

Hearing Viola casually allude to their third demonstration, about which he’d never mentioned one word to her, Haraji was reminded just how talented the woman was at gathering intel.

“That depends on the degree to which the boy is willing to cooperate,” he answered. “For a more specific answer, you’ll have to ask my superiors.”

Though it hadn’t originally been planned as such, the initiative to exterminate the nationalists had become the third demonstration of the latest mechs from Yoshioka Heavy Industries and Yajima Heavy Industries. Given the performance of Yajima’s Shirousagi model during the operation, Kugamayama had judged this mech type to be extremely cost-effective, including the higher-grade versions. At present, the city was strongly considering incorporating them into the defense force unit that had been reassigned to guard Tsubakihara.

The reception of Yoshioka’s Kokurous, on the other hand, had been lukewarm. Yoshioka could have offered any number of excuses for this, such as that their unit had been up against Tsubaki, who was so powerful no mechs ever had a chance of defeating her, or that they’d lost to the leader of the colossi because it had been much tougher than all the others. But excuses wouldn’t change the fact that they’d lost, and their reputation had suffered a huge blow.

Worse still, Akira had single-handedly finished off the same colossus that an entire unit of Kokurous couldn’t defeat, and he’d even defeated a Kokurou during his battle with Zalmo. Akira also had strong ties to Inabe, who now managed the Tsubakihara territory. If Akira spoke ill of the Kokurou in Inabe’s presence, the city executive might reevaluate whether the Kokurous were even worthy of being introduced into the defense force at Tsubakihara. Preventing this outcome was the chief reason Yoshioka was so eager to reach an agreement with Akira.

Haraji sighed heavily. “Honestly, though, based on his attitude back there, do you actually think he’d agree to our terms even if you negotiated on his behalf?”

“I told you, that depends on how willing you are to compromise,” said Viola. “I can tell you right now that if you think a paltry sum of money will be enough to shut him up, you’d better think again.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” the man said glumly. Thinking of how messy the forthcoming negotiations were going to get—with Akira, his superiors, and possibly even Viola all involved—he couldn’t help but grimace. Viola, on the other hand, was all smiles, eagerly anticipating the chaos that was to come.

◆

The doctor came into Akira’s hospital room, carrying the boy’s new hands. Floating in a cylindrical tank of water, they weren’t fully grown yet, so they were only about the size of a small child’s hands at the moment.

As Akira gawked at them, utterly fascinated, the doctor tweaked the settings on the boy’s artificial hands, remotely syncing them with the ones in the tank. “Now, then,” the man said, “we’re going to check how your new hands are developing. Try moving your prosthetic hands around however you want. If anything feels unnatural or uncomfortable, let me know.”

Akira did as he was told. His movements felt a little stiffer than what he was used to, but the motions of the hands inside the tank mirrored those of his artificial hands.

“Well?” inquired the doctor. “How does it feel? Can you sense the water in the tank on your hands, for instance? It should feel like they’re submerged in a room-temperature liquid.”

“Yes, I can feel it.”

Next, the doctor had Akira move his hands in specific directions, open and close them, hold his fingers up one at a time, and perform other tests. In the middle of these, Akira thought of something else he wanted to try and did a little experiment.

“Looks like this works just fine too,” he muttered to himself.

The doctor glanced over at the hands in the tank and noticed they were behaving differently from Akira’s own hands. Then he looked at Akira and realized this wasn’t an error but intentional on Akira’s part.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” the doctor cried out in a panic. “Don’t do that, please! Controlling both hands simultaneously after they’ve been synced will duplicate the input and mix things up!”

“O-Oh, sorry!” Akira quickly went back to moving only his artificial hands.

Seeing that the hands in the tank were once again matching the boy’s movements, the doctor relaxed. “My bad, I should have warned you about that. Still, I’m impressed you can pull that off. Most people can’t, you know.”

“Well, I’ve done something similar with my powered suit, so I just wanted to give it a try. I was surprised it actually worked.”

“Is that so?” the doctor said, intrigued. Then he smiled with determination and seized his opportunity. “In that case, would you like me to install some additional arms for use with your suit? Because they’re artificial, they’re easier to familiarize yourself with than flesh and blood limbs—and if you already have that level of control, it’ll take even less time!”

“Um, well—”

“Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Gee, if only I just had one more arm’? Well, now you can! Wouldn’t you love that convenience? If you want to test it and see how it feels, just say the word!”

As the doctor’s sales pitch grew more and more aggressive, Akira found himself feeling somewhat intimidated.

The boy let the doctor finish his spiel but, in the end, turned down his suggestion. The doctor looked a little disappointed but didn’t press the matter any further as he finished up his tests and left the room.

Once he was gone, Akira breathed a sigh of relief, which Alpha found amusing.

I thought it was a pretty good proposal, you know, she told him. You’re already using support arms, so this wouldn’t be much different.

A support arm’s one thing, but a cyborg arm’s different! he retorted. What if I try it out and like it so much that I feel unsatisfied with only two? That would be a serious problem!

Would it? Well, it’s your choice in the end. Everyone has their preferences, after all.

Preferences? But... I mean... Even you only have two arms, right?

Do you want me to add more?

No, please and thank you! He got the vague feeling that if he argued any further, Alpha really would start sprouting arms one after another. And he knew that the sight would definitely stir his curiosity to give it a shot, so he adamantly refused.

◆

Later, Inabe dropped by to see Akira again. He explained that he’d wanted to come sooner, but his schedule had always been full whenever Akira was awake and ready to receive visitors. Recently, however, things had finally slowed down enough on the executive’s end that he could put in an appearance.

“That said,” he added, “I still can’t stay very long, but I certainly have more time than before. So ask me whatever you want to know, and I’ll answer.”

“All right, then,” said Akira. “For starters, what about the fee for my hospital stay? Are you taking care of that too?” He’d heard that the city would be covering all of the expenses for his treatment, but did that include his hospital stay all the way up until he was discharged? And would it have covered the cost for cyborg arms as well, had he chosen to get them? Did he really not have to pay a single aurum?

“Don’t worry, we’ll be covering the entire amount. As for the arms, you can expense the regular ones for use in everyday life. If you’d selected combat arms in the hundred-million-aurum range with laser cannons and other expensive weaponry attached, we would of course have needed to negotiate with you first, but you chose to have your hands regrown, right? That’s only a little more expensive than your regular treatment, so we’re not going to charge you for that.”

“Really? All right, I appreciate that,” said Akira with a very relieved sigh.

Inabe, though, found this sigh puzzling, as it sounded overly dramatic to him. “But even if we did have you pay the whole amount, you’d be able to afford it, right? So why do you sound so relieved?”

“Oh, that’s because I don’t really have any extra money to spare. My last set of gear cost three billion aurum, and I still almost died. If I want even better equipment this time, my new set’s gonna have to be even more expensive.”

Seeing his worry, Inabe asked, “If you’re already thinking about how to get better gear, I take it that means you plan to continue following the hunter profession?”

Akira frowned in confusion, unsure why he would even think otherwise. So Inabe seized his chance to address the main topic he’d come to discuss.

“In fact, this is a good opportunity to ask the big question at hand: What are your plans from here on out? I’d like to hear what you’ve decided, if you have anything concrete in mind.”

“Well... I wasn’t really thinking anything specific. Once my hands heal and I’m out of the hospital, I was gonna buy some new gear and then head back to the ruins. That’s all.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about your ultimate objective. You might not realize it, but right now, you’re standing at a very important crossroads in your career as a hunter. I want to know which path you plan on going down.”

Akira looked like he still didn’t understand. So Inabe told him that for exterminating the nationalist threat—numerous monsters and troops alleged to be on the nationalists’ side, as well as the leader of the colossi—Akira’s hunter rank had gone up to 50, and he’d been awarded five billion aurum. That was an extremely vast sum of money—as long as he spent it in moderation, he could live comfortably on it for the rest of his life. In other words, if he was merely in the hunter profession for the money, it would no longer be worth continuing to risk his life for relics in the ruins. In particular, since the boy had nearly died during his most recent adventure, Inabe wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Akira had been planning to hang it up after this. Having become extremely wealthy, would Akira continue hunter work or retire?

This was the first “crossroads” Inabe was alluding to.

The second one, assuming he planned to continue raising his status as a hunter, was whether he wanted to stay and work in Kugamayama City now that he was rank 50. Generally, there was an upper limit to how high one could raise their rank working only in Kugamayama, and allowing for occasional slight deviations, the average hunter hit that limit around 50. For while a hunter’s strength and ability grew over time, the difficulty of the monsters in the surrounding ruins generally remained constant. Eventually, the hunter would reach a point where cheap relics and weak monsters weren’t going to raise their rank any further. To reach greater heights, they’d have to seek out new locales.

Thanks to the city highway, however, which was still in the process of being extended even now, the Kuzusuhara depths had changed this to an extent. With the depths and their formidable monsters more accessible to hunters, that upper limit on rank would most definitely rise. But even so, it would take some time for the hunters themselves to realize it. Most still thought that once they reached rank 50, it was time to pack up and move on. And Akira had that option as well—the second “crossroads” he had to consider.

“So, what will it be?” Inabe inquired. “Retire from the hunter profession? Stay here and continue to hunt around Kugamayama? Or head to another city farther east? The choice is yours, but it doesn’t sound to me like you want to retire, so you have two paths to choose from. What I want to know is, right now, which of those have you been considering?”

“Uh... I hadn’t really thought about it at all.”

“I see,” Inabe said after a pause. “Well, you don’t have to decide right away. While you’re still in the hospital, you can take some time to mull it over.” With that, he dropped the issue and casually asked, “Oh, by the way, what are you going to do about Druncam? Planning to wipe them out once you’re all geared up?”

“Huh? Wipe them out? No, I wasn’t planning on it. Why would I?”

“Well, the Druncam team that Katsuya and Yumina were on not only mistook you for the boss of the nationalists but attacked you, right? I figured you’d be champing at the bit to get your revenge on the whole organization.”

“Oh, that. Well, I already killed the folks who attacked me, so I don’t need to go after the entire organization. Besides, Druncam’s divided into factions, and only the desk jockey faction was involved, I hear. Though if they do come after me, all bets are off.”

“I understand. Then what about Udajima? He was the one who hired them to kill you, you know.”